19. Beside Your Beloved

"Come on, Wolfram," Yuuri threw over his shoulder, grinning madly as they ran around the makeshift baseball field.

"I don't understand this game," Wolfram panted, finally catching up to his fiancé. "So you hit a ball that everyone wants, but you're not allowed to touch it? All while running around in a circle?"

"It's a diamond, Wolfram," Yuuri corrected, then nodded. "But other than that, you've pretty much got it!"

"And you find this... fun?"

"The most fun out of anything! Now then, your strength is good, but we need to work on your conditioning. Let's run around the field again!"

"Yuuri... damn it," Wolfram cursed under his breath, jogging to keep up.

"Wimp!" Yuuri called out, causing the other boy to grit his teeth and increase the pace.

"Don't call me a wimp!" Wolfram growled as he passed Yuuri by.


Forty-five minutes later, Yuuri sat on the field and stretched while Wolfram lay prone on the grass beside him.

"I'll never... forgive you... for this," the fairer boy panted. His hair was sticky with sweat and lay in a limp, tangled mess around his head. The sun was still high in the sky and beat down on them mercilessly, causing his cheeks to flush a bright pink. Yuuri noticed this detail and smiled.

"Looks like you got a bit of a sunburn," he remarked, leaning back onto his elbows. He picked idly at the grass.

Wolfram tilted his head up to glare at Yuuri. "I don't burn," he said haughtily. "The elements of fire obey me. I don't burn."

"Just don't blame me when your face peels off tomorrow."

The boy huffed. "This is a ridiculous game. I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Yuuri laughed. "How did I manage to talk you into this?"

Wolfram set his mouth in a thin line and crossed his arms over his chest. "I had to come along to make sure you didn't flirt with the other boys. Obviously."

The young king rolled his eyes. "Obviously." He took a deep breath, enjoying the warm air and the smell of cut grass. Conrad's baseball park wasn't perfect, but it was as close to home as he could get in Shin Makoku. If he closed his eyes and tilted his head back just so, he could almost pretend he was there. A soft sigh escaped his lips.

Wolfram's voice brought him back to reality. "Hey, Yuuri. Do you miss it very much?"

"Hmm? Miss what?"

"You know... Earth."

Yuuri turned his head. "Sometimes. How could you tell I was thinking about it?"

Wolfram gave him a rare smile. "I spend a lot of time looking at you."

"Ah," Yuuri said bashfully, averting his eyes. "Well... when I'm there, I miss Shin Makoku, and when I'm here, I miss Earth. It's always going to be one or the other." He plucked a blade of grass. "Since I have family in both places... they're both home to me."

Wolfram arched a single delicate eyebrow. "Family? Here?"

Yuuri turned and smiled down at Wolfram. "Yeah. You and Greta. My brothers-in-law," he teased.

Now it was Wolfram's turn to blush. "Ah... um, yeah... I suppose so." He looked up at Yuuri, his liquid eyes large and shining in the sunlight. "Home is where your family is?"

"I think... home is wherever you can be beside the people you love." Yuuri stood and brushed himself off, then held out his hand to help Wolfram up. "Come on, let's head back."

The two boys set off, hands in their pockets, across a long green field towards the castle. "I guess home must be everywhere for a cheater like you," Wolfram said, looking at Yuuri with a sidelong grin.

"You're such a dork, Wolfram," the boy responded.

"At least I'm not a wimp."

"After seeing your performance on the baseball field, I wouldn't be so sure!"

They continued on in this way, their voices and laughter drifting across the open field behind them. The sun sat heavily in the sky and beamed down at them as they made their way home.