Chapter Eleven
A ConYuu Fan-fiction
By: Ami
Beta-reader: ProudSnapist a.k.a Sherlockian Slytherin
Alternate Universe. No spoilers.
Standard disclaimers apply.
Warnings for this chapter:
Number one: when you see this '-censored-' word, it means that you can interpret it in to any pervy word that comes to your mind.
Number two: I'm not going to explain about 'seme' and 'uke'. Since you're here to read a shounen ai fic, I assume that you know what you're dealing with.
XXX
Conrad took one deep, deep breath. His throat felt dry, and his body was a bit cramped from all the things he had done throughout this whole day. His bedroom sounded like a nice option, but he went to the main hall instead. He knew that his comrades wouldn't wait for him to clean up, or at least replace his clothes. After all, they had specially waited for him at the front gate. This showed him how curious they were… and how mad they would become after hearing his explanations.
"I suppose…" Conrad started, glancing at the inquisitive people who had been waiting impatiently in front of him. Although the people in front of him were all his close friends, he couldn't help but feel as though he was being put on trial. "…You want to see the thing I brought now…"
Nobody answered him, which meant 'yes'.
"To tell you the truth…" The half-mazoku started. The guilty expression on his face made Yuuri feel a bit nervous. "I… was sort of caught up in something, and I couldn't go anywhere to search."
All the people gaped, looking fairly disappointed. Except for Cheri who looked suspiciously happy for her own son's failure.
"I'm sorry. I've failed again, and I'm ready for all the consequences." Conrad bowed deeply, "I'm so sorry… Your Majesty."
Yuuri could hear everybody's sigh. Conrad had failed again, and he wouldn't be able to avoid punishment this time. It was the thing that disappointed him the most.
"Tell him to open his bag."
The young king turned to his side and saw Murata. He remembered about what Murata had told him earlier. He had made sure that Conrad had brought something nice. It had to be it. But why wouldn't Conrad show it to them? Didn't he know the value of the thing? Gunter looked like he was preparing his speech to settle Conrad's fate. Yuuri knew that he had no time to be brainstorming. His next move would determine everything.
"Open your bag."
Yuuri was surprised at his own commanding tone. The others immediately turned their eyes to him, looking both puzzled and astonished. As for Cheri, she looked deviously delighted, but made no complaints.
"I mean… I am sure you've brought something. Just show it to us." Yuuri corrected. He never intended to sound so domineering.
Conrad nodded and did as he had been told. He slowly took out each thing in the bag. Conrad placed each property on the table, an empty bottle, a small jar, a town map, a ragged notebook, and two boxes.
"Those boxes," Murata whispered, "Ask him to open the smaller one first."
"Open the smaller one first." Yuuri heard his own voice and realized that Murata was the cause of the commanding tone, not him.
Conrad complied. It turned out to be the wild flowers he had obtained during the beginning of his trip. He had placed them in the box to make sure that they wouldn't get crushed amongst the mess of his bag.
"Ooh! Beautiful!" Cheri, who always liked beautiful things, commented, "Is that the symbol?"
Conrad looked too confused to answer. He kept staring at the young king, silently demanding an explanation. Unfortunately, Yuuri was too occupied with Murata's explanations to notice it.
"The bigger bag. Open it and show it to us." Yuuri instinctively repeated Murata's command again.
A worn out bat and a mitt had been placed on the table, next to the wildflowers. Yuuri, like the others couldn't see the 'nice thing' yet. The wildflowers were indeed pretty. Now that Yuuri had the chance to look closely, he realized that the color of the flowers was not lavender. It was blue, ocean blue. The flowers somehow resembled something like orchids except smaller. Although they had been stuck inside the bag for the whole day, they still looked fresh as if they had just been plucked. But still, for a symbol, they didn't seem special enough.
"Now is the time for the star to take the stage…" Murata smiled widely as he pointed his magic wand to the bigger box, "Ask him to open the bigger box."
Yuuri did as he had been told. He was so curious about what was inside the big box.
Conrad also looked hesitant to open it. But since it was a direct command from his king, he had no choice but to comply. Taking one deep breath, the half-mazoku opened the box.
At first glance, Yuuri knew that the thing everybody saw at the time would become the legendary wedding symbol.
Inside the box, there was another glass box with the same size. Inside the glass box was the most beautiful crystal vase Yuuri had ever seen. It was small, and its shape was a bit cropped, but it emitted rainbow-colored glows that captivated anyone who saw it. To protect the vase from crashes or harsh impact, the glass box was filled with some mysterious blue liquid that could make it stay in its place without being disrupted by gravitation, which only made the glows looked even more spellbinding.
"…Wonderful…" Wolfram's soft mutter snapped the people out of their thoughts. "I've never seen anything like this before…"
"And you said that you didn't search?" Even Anissina, the machine freak, looked quite impressed.
"Ooh, I'd like that for my next wedding!" Cheri squealed happily, "You're truly my son!"
"I'm so proud of you!" Gunter remarked in joy.
"Where did you get this?" Gwendal asked.
Conrad didn't seem to expect the dramatic change. From being a guy who had just experienced his fifth failure, he suddenly became everyone's hero. Yuuri seemed to adore the vase too. That made him the happiest.
"Well… it's actually handmade. I spent the whole afternoon creating it." He started his explanation. Everyone gaped at his remark. For Shin Maou's sake, how could someone who has done nothing but wield a sword for his entire life create such a wonderful masterpiece in one day?
"You see, I'm not really good at this, so its shape isn't good…" Conrad pointed out several cropped spots sheepishly, "This side, and this side…"
"But wait, Brother. How did you end up making something like this instead of doing the search?" Wolfram asked. Hearing Wolfram call Conrad 'Brother' so politely made Yuuri feel strange. In the real world, he would have bitten his own tongue if he had let that magic word out.
"The owner of the antique shop punished me for running away with his items." Conrad gestured the people to look at the bat and the mitt on the table, "It was a misunderstanding."
Yuuri remembered the time when Conrad had been chasing after him in the town. It was probably the main root of his whole problem with the talkative shop-owner.
"I offered him money for compensation, but he refused since the items were precious to him and could not be easily replaced by money. He even called me… names, saying that I couldn't appreciate antiques…" Recalling the moment alone made Conrad sigh.
"It's just a trick to gain more money from you." Gwendal commented, frowning.
"No, in the end, he didn't ask me to pay both items. He just wanted me to become his assistant for one day in his workshop." the half-mazoku continued, "I told him that I could not do that, but he insisted on teaching me. So I went along with him and learned how to make this."
Yuuri smiled at the story. Sometimes, misfortunes could lead us to even bigger fortunes. He was beginning to believe it.
"As you see, I'm not very talented, so it took me hours to finish one. Since it didn't look as good as his, he told me to bring it home. He also gave me the bat and the mitt as a gift." Conrad finished his story, "I never thought of it as a wedding symbol." (Yea, sure. You're thinking of another sea monster or some huge industrial machine, huh? That's just so romantic, Conrad-kun XD XD)
"So, that's how…" Cheri stepped forward to touch the glass box, adoring its beauty once more. "Then, I guess it can become a wonderful wedding symbol. It's just as beautiful as His Majesty, don't you all agree?"
Yuuri didn't really agree with the second line, but nodded anyway. He was just glad that Conrad could finally fulfill his task and avoid the punishment.
"Then, it's decided." Gunter smiled, "Sir Weller Conrad… You've passed."
Yuuri was mostly surprised, and partly confused as suddenly all the people in the room clapped their hands noisily. Not wanting to look different, he immediately followed them and clapped his hands too, not realizing that they were actually clapping for both him and Conrad.
"Isn't it great, Yuuri?" Wolfram shook his hand, looking sincerely happy and excited, "Finally you two have come to it! It sure feels like forever!" (Yea! It sure does!)
"Huh? What do you…"
Yuuri still looked dumbfounded as Gwendal replaced Wolfram.
"The wedding date will be confirmed soon. Rest assured."
The young king gaped, finding no right words to reply. Wedding date? They're going to be married soon? How was he supposed to be rest assured while he was going to marry a man in a short while?
"Brother…" Gwendal turned to his side to find Conrad. Yuuri kept staring at the man while hoping that he'd return his look soon.
"About the wedding date," Fulfilling Yuuri's silent wish, the brunet turned his head to the king and smiled warmly, "Can we talk about it right now?"
Yuuri was unsure what the cause of his loudly pounding heart was. He just suddenly felt very, very nervous.
"I guess we can." Gwendal looked to Yuuri, asking for his agreement. "Unless His Majesty feels tired and wants to sleep now…"
"No, it's okay. Let's talk about it now." Yuuri quickly replied. It's not like he would sleep that night. Besides, he wanted to know more about his upcoming marriage.
"I'll be waiting in my room." Gwendal excused himself and left.
Yuuri glanced at the man beside him nervously. Usually, there were a lot of things he could share with Conrad, especially since they hadn't talked a lot to each other lately. But that time, his tongue felt numb, his mind was in a complete blank. Whenever he tried to look at Conrad in the face, all he could think about was the kiss from the morning. Although it had been on the cheek, and had felt more affectionate than passionate, it didn't reduce its impact in his mind. He suddenly felt so embarrassed.
"The vase…" he stammered, realizing that Conrad had been waiting for him to start a conversation, "it's really… superb." Yuuri immediately regretted his choice of adjective.
"Thank you," Conrad smiled happily, "I planned to give it to you from the beginning, but I didn't think that it'd be used in this way."
"If you hadn't told us about it yourself, I probably wouldn't believe that the owner could do such charity…" Yuuri quickly realized his mistake, and corrected, "I mean, I've met the owner of the antique shop before. He looks talkative and stingy… so…"
"So you've met him before?" Conrad quickly recovered from his earlier surprise, "Well, he does not show it in public, but I think he's quite a nice man inside."
Yuuri let out a weak chuckle, "Oh, I see…"
The conversation stopped there. During the silence, Yuuri could feel his face bright red. What was making him feel nervous anyway? Why couldn't he face Conrad and talk to him normally? Was it caused by the sudden change in their relationship? It was so weird. Something must have been going wrong in his brain. First, he had to stop thinking about the kiss and stop staring at Conrad's lips, then secondly… whatever. He wasn't even sure if he could handle the first.
Yuuri shook his head, trying to shake weird thoughts out of his mind. Then suddenly a warm palm was pressed on his sweaty forehead.
"Are you okay?" Conrad asked, looking concerned at his weird attitude. "If you're tired, you can return to your bedroom now. Shall I ask Gisela to check on you?"
Yuuri quickly shook his head again. Then he could hear his own shaking voice, "I'm okay."
Conrad didn't seem persuaded, but brooked no complaint.
"…Shall we head to Gwendal's office now?"
XXX
Meanwhile…
"It's just the most scenic wedding symbol I've ever seen." Gunter approached Cheri with a wide smile, "You must be very proud of him, Lady Cheri."
"I agree. Although it's a bit disappointing… I have to say my son is so wonderful." The ex-Maou smiled happily as she placed the box on the table and opened it.
"What are you going to do with it, Lady Cheri?" The silver-haired mazoku looked surprised as Cheri picked up the wildflowers and dipped them in to the strange liquid, settling them carefully in the vase. They fitted each other perfectly.
"Oh, it's even prettier this way, don't you think so?" She pulled her hand out and glanced at her creation proudly.
Gunter still looked concerned, "Lady Cheri, please wash your hand soon. We don't know what the liquid could be. It might be dangerous…"
Cheri laughed, "Don't worry. Aomi is not dangerous or poisonous at all. You can even drink it if you want. It tastes sour."
"How do I know that? Because my ex-boyfriend and I are the inventors of this liquid." She answered Gunter's question even before he had his chance to ask. Closing the glass box gently, she sighed softly at the memory of her past love. "Ah, brings back the memories… He was such a nice man… a brilliant alchemist… I liked him a lot although sometimes he could be really troublesome and stingy…"
The owner of the antique shop sneezed.
"If he was such a wonderful man, why did you break up?" Gunter asked.
"We had different opinions about the name of the water…" The ex-Maou laughed, "I wanted to name it: Aomi, Aoi Mizu (Blue Water). But he insisted on 'Wonderfully Spectacular Stunning Amazing Great Magnificent Holy Water', so we broke up."
Cheri gave the glass box one last pat before turning around and walking away, "I wonder if he still remembers me…"
XXX
There was only one guest chair in Gwendal's office, and Conrad insisted to be the one standing. Yuuri actually understood the situation. As a king, he would always be top priority. Even if there was only one chair in the room, he'd still be the one sitting while Gwendal and Conrad stood. But it was just not the right time for him to have Conrad standing behind him, and Gwendal staring in front of him. It somehow doubled his nervousness.
"Gunter and I have found the right time to hold your marriage," Gwendal started as he pulled a document out of the tall stack, "Now that Conrad has fulfilled his task, we can confirm the date and begin the preparations. If you want to choose another date, it's your time."
Yuuri waited anxiously. Normally, preparations for a marriage would take about two or three months, or four months at the most. But it was Shin Makoku, a peculiar place where peculiar events happened daily. It could be next month, next week, or even tomorrow! The date was completely unpredictable.
"It will be held…" Gwendal frowned at the document in front of him, "…In the first day of the eighth month…"
Yuuri gulped. Since his birthday party had just been held a few days ago, it meant that it was July; the seventh month… eight month would be next month. He felt a bit reassured. At least it wouldn't be held the next day.
"…Next year."
Yuuri almost fell off his chair. NEXT YEAR! What did he mean by next year? What kind of event would need more than one year to prepare?
"I don't mind about it." Conrad placed a hand on his fiancé's shoulder gently, not aware of the jolt he had caused with the simple touch. "How about you, Yuuri?"
"I… I'm okay with that." The king stammered as he carefully removed Conrad's hand from his shoulder. Its usual soothing presence didn't feel the same at the moment, and he didn't want the half-mazoku to feel his quiver.
"Then it's settled. You can return to your room now."
Yuuri nodded weakly as he stood up and walked out of the room, while Conrad still stayed at his place. It seemed that he still had something to talk about with Gwendal.
"When's the wedding?" Murata asked when Yuuri was outside of the room, smiling a bit too innocently that it looked suspicious.
"Next year," he answered, taking a deep breath. He felt a lot calmer without Conrad around him. "It will be held next year. I won't be staying here long enough to attend it, fortunately."
"I see," Murata nodded, "You don't have to look so disappointed."
"I'm not thinking about it." Yuuri replied, trying to sound firm enough. "It's just… I feel a bit ill."
"I see…" Murata repeated, but now with a smile, "Oh, right. Just now, Wolfram came with a tray of food. He was looking for you."
"Really? Great!" Yuuri's face brightened, "I never knew that he could be so considerate! I just told him that I wanted to eat the fruit Yozak brought me earlier! You have to try some too. It's really good."
"…Whom are you talking to, Yuuri?"
The king almost jumped in his place at the voice from behind him.
"C---Conrad!" He stammered. His previously calmed down heart suddenly throbbed again. "A… a… Are you done with Gwendal?"
"Yes. We just talked about the preparations."
Yuuri quickly noticed that Conrad didn't look as happy as before, although he was still smiling.
"I see…"
Yuuri couldn't believe that their conversation had once more halted with those cursed words. And he also found it hard to believe that it would be so difficult for him to find the right topic to speak to Conrad with.
Conrad, being the only person in Shin Makoku who also knew a lot about his world and his favorite sport, had always been his best talking partner. Conrad often told him about various trivia that he didn't know. Yuuri also could talk to him about his latest competitions, his teachers, his friends, or his family. To think about it, no one ever could give him better advice than Conrad. Although the older man always found it hard to tell a joke, the clumsiness itself was amusing enough to make Yuuri laugh.
How did it come to this? Yuuri mentally moaned, Think, Yuuri! Think!
"Uh… umm… you know, this evening, Yozak brought me… you know, the fruit. I don't know its name, but it looks like an apple. Its texture is very soft and it tastes sweet…"
"You mean Yen Berry?" Conrad blinked, "It's indeed good for recuperating from an illness. I thought you didn't like it so I've never offered it to you… Is something wrong with your body? Did you catch a cold?"
"No, no. Pochi splashed some water on me, but I'm okay now." Yuuri smiled. He was glad that the tenseness between them was evaporating. "I told Wolfram that I liked it, so he brought some for me in my room. Care to eat it together?"
"I thought you'd share with me." Murata whispered with a teasing smile.
Yuuri ignored him, "To think about it, you've been going out a lot lately, so you must have some interesting stories. If you're not tired, we can talk about it in my room. How does that sound?"
Conrad's face beamed at the offer, "Sure."
"Then it's decided! Let's go now---"
Yuuri was struck speechless as he suddenly felt Conrad's arm around his waist. Right after recovering from the shock, he looked up only to find Conrad closing the distance between their faces. Yuuri knew what the older half-mazoku was about to do. As a loud mental 'NO WAY!' rang in his mind, he felt himself pushing his fiancé away.
Neither Yuuri nor Conrad actually saw the whole scene as clearly as Murata did. Yuuri was too busy mending his thrashing heart to notice the broken look on Conrad's face.
Murata sighed.
What a complicated couple.
XXX
Even after the harsh rejection, Conrad didn't look as messed up as Murata had expected. He still acted his usual self, smiling, chuckling, and talking without showing any signs of his broken heart at all.
For Yuuri, it felt a bit relieving. He also regretted the way he had reacted before. Conrad must have been very offended. He wished he could have done something to fix his mistake.
Murata thought that the way Conrad was refusing to show his feelings was one of the major flaws in their relationship. Yuuri, being as dense as no other, would not understand that Conrad was hurting unless Conrad himself showed it in an obvious way. Murata was sure that Conrad understood this too, but he still chose to keep his feelings in and continuing hurting alone instead of sharing it with Yuuri, or anyone else.
He has aged, but his mind apparently hasn't. The fairy crossed his arms, glancing at the smiling man with a similar expressionless smile. I wonder what made them get together at the first place… Maybe it only took a year with one slight development… or a total of a thousand episodes to get to this point… (I agree! XD I'm getting old, Sir, so just go ahead and –censored- him!)
A few hours before midnight, Conrad excused himself to leave. Yuuri had never felt so relieved when he was finally once again alone with his dream fairy in his room.
"Happy now? Cause he sure doesn't look like he is." Murata commented, taking a slice of the fruit, "Oh, so soft and sweet. It's like nothing else."
"I know." Yuuri muttered, "I've treated him so badly… but I just don't how to apologize. And I can't explain why I rejected him either."
"I agree," The fairy took another slice and threw it in to his mouth, "but don't you think leaving the situation as it is without explanation would hurt him more? Especially since you two are going to be roommates shortly…"
Yuuri blinked, "…What did you say?"
"Finding the Wedding Symbol ceremony legalizes the relationship between a couple. After doing the ritual, even before marriage, it's legal for the couple to do whatever they want." Murata enjoyed the terrified expression on his master as he reached out for more slices, "I mean, everything, which includes –censored-, -censored-, -censored-, and further…"
"…It can't be…" The king looked horror-struck, "…It means that… after this…"
"It's true, Shibuya," Although his smile was angelic, his next statement stated that he was not an angel… at all.
"You'll probably lose your virginity tomorrow… the day after tomorrow… anytime."
It was a real moment of joy for Murata when the king started to lose the color in his face, and was gobsmacked for a moment. While waiting for Yuuri to recover from the stabbing truth, he finished the entire plate of the fruit. Besides, he didn't think that his master still had his appetite.
"I…" Yuuri muttered absent-mindedly, "…Let's run away from this place."
"Eh?" Murata blinked, "You're sure?"
"I'm sure that I don't want to have sex with a man (I don't even know how to do it)!" The king glowered as he dashed to his dresser and started packing up. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier! If only I knew, I wouldn't have asked you to help him!"
"Well, whether I told you or not would make little difference, Shibuya." The fairy replied calmly as he approached the panicking king and watched him pack, "Do you know what Sir Gunter had threatened Sir Conrad with?"
"Some kind of heavy punishment?"
"Close, but not exactly is."
"Then what is it?"
Murata smiled playfully, "Well… first, I need to know… whether you have heard of the words seme and uke…"
XXX
By the time Murata finished his long, detailed explanation, Yuuri's face was almost as pale as his Math exam paper. Just in a few short minutes, Yuuri had been changed from an innocent to an obscene-expert. If only he hadn't been exposed to such variously astounding shocks since he had transferred to Shin Makoku, he would have probably fainted on the spot.
"…And so, Sir Gunter has threatened Sir Conrad that he would make him the official 'uke' and have you as the official 'seme'. Got it?"
Yuuri didn't even have the energy to nod. No wonder Cheri had looked so happy when Conrad had told them all that he had failed. That devious queen must have those thoughts inside her head.
"Are you still going to run away?" Murata asked, "Because I don't think it's a good idea. A fairy messenger has just informed me that 'holes of no return' have been appearing all around the area. Inside of the castle is safe, but I can't assure you if even our front yard is safe. It's best to stay inside."
"No way! I'm getting out of this place!" Yuuri yelled in a panic. After hearing Murata's explanations, he was even more terrified at the idea of being with another man, and the more determined he was to run away from the castle.
"What's the 'hole of no return' anyway? Why do I have to be aware of it?"
"It's a phrase that's commonly used to address some kind of black hole that sucks the owner of the dream up." Murata said, looking a bit tenser at the topic, "You have to always be alert of it, since once it gets you, you won't be able to return here."
"Where will it take me to?" Yuuri asked, looking a bit hopeful at the possibility that it might be able to get him back to real life.
"There're two choices: it'll bring you back to life, or it will send you straight to the grave."
"Great!" The young king's face beamed, "Does it mean that if I get sucked up there, I'll be able to wake up?"
"I don't think it's a good option if you want to return home, Shibuya."
"Why not?"
Murata made a thinking face before starting his explanation, "This is an example. If I have a gun in my hand, then I fill it up with bullets and only leave one empty space randomly, then I ask you to shoot my head with it, will you do it?"
Yuuri shivered at the uncanny illustration, "Of course not! You'll be killed for sure!"
"The same thing applies here," The fairy resumed, "Your chance of getting back to consciousness is even lower than the possibility that I live through the Russian roulette. That's why if you really want to get back to real life… never EVER let one of the holes catch you."
"Do you understand?"
Yuuri nodded weakly. It was still hard for him to accept that the only way he knew to return to real life turned out to be very dangerous.
"If you're afraid that you will never come back, I assure you not to." Murata read his mind, again. "You're still young, you also have the power of the Maou, and your comrades are trying their best to cure you. You'll recuperate faster than anybody else. It's best to wait until the time comes."
Yuuri remained silent.
"Once your brain is able to function normally, you'll be directly sent back to reality. It'll only take less than one second, and there's no risk to be taken." Murata tried to look and sound cheerful to convince the king, "Come on, be strong, and don't try anything stupid. Remember that everybody is waiting for you right there. They'll be very sad if something happens to you."
Yuuri sighed again, as he turned around and returned to his bed, sat up cross-legged on the bed and made a very serious thinking face. Murata was relieved, thinking that the king was trying to absorb his counsel, but…
XXX
"…How did he manage to coax me in to this?"
Murata was complaining along his way to the kitchen. He was a dream fairy, and Yuuri was indeed his master; but what kind of master would use his fairy to do such a (literally) dirty job?
FLASHBACK - Morning
---
"This is the only way to escape my problem, at least for today." Yuuri looked quite determined as he held up a jar of laxative and showed it to the bewildered fairy.
"…You're not thinking of…"
"Yes, I am. And since I can't do it, I have to ask for your help." The king handed the jar over, taking another deep breath, "Please, put this in to his dinner tonight. Then he won't be able to… err… you know what I mean."
"That is dirty (literally)." The fairy quickly shook his head.
"Oh, come on, please, Murata. I'm desperate! They're starting to move Conrad's things in to this room!" Yuuri moaned, seemingly ready to kneel down in front of him right there. "Only for today, okay? At least let me prepare myself. I'm really not ready! I'll look for a cleaner way tomorrow, is it okay?"
Murata opened his mouth to protest again. But the pitiable look Yuuri was giving him was simply too powerful. He ended up nodding, and quickly regretted it.
---
"Is His Majesty going to have dinner in his room again?"
"No, I don't think so. But we'll just be prepared in case His Majesty suddenly feels like it."
"Please hurry with the beverages!"
Seeing how hard the workers were working to prepare the dinner almost made Murata feel guilty for ruining it. But he really had no time to change his mind. It was his master's orders, and the food was going to be taken to the dining room soon. Stopping in front of the line of trays in front of him, he recalled Yuuri's words about how to find Conrad's food.
ANOTHER FLASHBACK
---
"I've helped once in the kitchen, so I know how they prepare our food. They always line up the tray on some kind of long table while preparing dinner." Yuuri explained, "They start from my tray, followed by the others. Usually, after me, it's Cheri, then Gunter, Gwendal, Conrad, Wolfram and Anissina. So, go for the fifth tray."---
Murata reached for the fifth tray and emptied the jar in to the soup then stirred it with his finger.
"Don't blame me for this." He gave the innocent-looking soup one last glance, "It's nothing personal."
XXX
It was probably the scariest dinnertime Yuuri had ever experienced in his life. Although he knew that he was not supposed to look suspicious, he couldn't help staring at Conrad and the soup all the time. When everyone had nearly finished with the meal, Conrad still hadn't taken one sip of the soup. It made Yuuri feel impossibly nervous. Had the man known about his plan?
"…Stop scooping your water, wimp!" Wolfram sounded really frustrated that he had decided to violate the unspoken rule to not yell during mealtime. "If you want to think, then do it after dinner!"
"S---Sorry!" Yuuri glanced down and saw his spoon inside his glass.
"Are you okay, Your Majesty?" Gunter asked, looking concerned.
"No, I mean, yes. I'm okay." Yuuri turned his eyes to Conrad again. The man didn't seem disturbed with the ruckus he had just caused.
"You don't like the soup? Does it taste bad?" Cheri's voice almost made Yuuri fall off his chair. She seemed to also realize that Conrad hadn't touched his soup at all.
"I haven't tasted it." Conrad replied calmly. Yuuri watched him with his pounding heart. "I just don't have the appetite at this moment."
"Mou… You were never this picky before…" Cheri muttered, seeming to accept the explanation. "Losing one's virginity can really change one's personality…"
Yuuri, Wolfram, Anissina, Gwendal and Gunter were all gobsmacked, while Conrad looked like he was struggling not to spit his recently drunken water out.
"…Mother…" The eldest of the dissimilar brothers coughed, frowning.
"Eee? You mean they haven't done anything yet?" Cheri looked so disappointed, "But yesterday…"
"They'll start to share the room tonight." Gwendal said, "We've almost finished moving the things."
"Oh, I'm happy!" The gorgeous lady clapped her hands excitedly, "Your Majesty, if you need any advice, you can come with me after dinner. Let the guys do the tiring job of moving. We can discuss about this in every juicy detail. What do you think?"
"I think I'll just help them move the things." Yuuri quickly replied. It wasn't like Murata's careful explanations hadn't been enough. He just couldn't imagine the Cheri-every-juicy-detail-version of it.
"You know, I think you should have taken the offer, wimp. Considering your… pitiful knowledge, I doubt that you know what to do." Wolfram remarked mockingly.
"W---What are you saying? Of course I know about it!" Yuuri blurted out before he could think about the consequences of his shocking speech. Everyone immediately turned to him, looking very, very curious.
"Really? I didn't know that sex-education is involved in Gunter's class." Anissina commented.
"No, no. I think he learned it from Brother himself." Wolfram turned his eyes to Conrad, who still looked calm.
"You gave him a private lesson? Oh, how exciting!" Cheri squee-ed, "Tell me, tell me, what did you teach him? Did he learn well?"
"Your Majesty! If you will allow me, I can teach you about it!" Gunter looked just as excited, "We can even practice, any methods… if you want…" –nosebleed-
Gwendal took a sip of his soup, sighing quietly.
"Thank you for the food."
Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned their eyes to the brunet who was standing up and getting out of the table.
"There's something I need to take care of. Excuse me."
The silence remained, even several minutes after Conrad's exit. Most of the members decided to get back to their food, although they didn't really have the appetite anymore. As for Yuuri, he had stopped eating and was staring at Conrad's untouched soup. He started to believe that Conrad had somehow found out about the laxative.
I have to apologize, Yuuri put down his fork, sighing quietly.
XXX
After searching for a short while, Yuuri finally found the half-mazoku. He was in their shared room, tidying his scattered goods silently. The sullen expression on his face made Yuuri feel even guiltier for plotting such an evil plan. He immediately approached the man, sat next to him and picked up one of his shirts. He originally wanted to do something to help Conrad with his chores while finding a chance to talk, but now he was unsure of what he should do with the clean white shirt.
"Umm… about… it…" He muttered quietly, holding onto the shirt tightly, "…Have you known about it?"
"…Perhaps…" The older half-mazoku replied calmly, turning to the king, looking really sad.
"You…"
Both of them spoke at the same time.
Conrad nodded and gave Yuuri a signal to talk first. But Yuuri was suddenly feeling too nervous to talk. So he gave Conrad another signal to go first. The man complied.
"I've been wondering… if your feelings have changed."
Yuuri looked down, not daring to face him directly.
"You have been avoiding me all the time, you look so nervous whenever I'm around you, and… you also disliked it when I tried to… lay a hand on you."
The king gulped and mentally moaned. Where was Murata when he needed him the most?
Yuuri waited for Conrad to continue and mention about the laxative, but it never came. The uncomfortable silence remained for so long that Yuuri thought that he couldn't take it anymore. He had to say something. Maybe he had to explain about his anxiety. Conrad wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do. Yes, Conrad would understand. He would definitely understand.
"I'm so sorry!"
The brunet looked mostly bewildered as his fiancé fell onto his knees, clapped his hands together and bowed his head down deeply to him.
"Conrad, I can't do this! I'm not ready! I have been told about 'it', but I still can't imagine myself doing 'it' for real! I might look ready physically, but not mentally! Trust me, my mental age is still sixteen! My P.E. teacher told me that I've got a low EQ and an average IQ! I drank vinegar when I was five because I was curious how it tasted, I fell from my bed when I was two, I caught a rat bare-handed when I was ten, I tasted wasabi for the first time when I was seven and I often forget to write my name on my exam sheets!"
Conrad looked so astounded that he was struck speechless for a short moment.
"Please forgive me! You have always been the best part of my life but I've been feeling really weird lately! I always get nervous whenever you're around, and my heart would pound really hard when I talk to you! It's not that I dislike your touch, but it makes me feel strange inside! I don't know why, but I'll get it examined as soon as possible, I promise! Gisela-san will definitely be able to cure me, then I can act normally around you again, and…"
First, all Yuuri could feel was a pair of strong arms lifting his body up. Before he could look up and voice any protests, he felt a tingling, warm sensation on his lips. His eyes were still wide open, but he could see nothing but a blurred, incoherent picture. He lost his grip on the shirt he had been clutching. His body felt paralyzed, and his brain was just as immobile. It was the first time he had ever felt something like this. It was how a first kiss felt like, he guessed. It was almost as wonderful as he had imagined a few years before when he had watched his first kissing scene in his mother's favorite dorama. Thankfully, it didn't last too long, or he would have probably fainted from both shock and suffocation.
Yuuri's sight was still blurred for a moment after Conrad released him. As his normal vision was returned to him, he could see the man smiling. It was a smile he had never seen before. It made him feel like the most precious person in the world. Nobody had been able to make him feel that way before. It felt… delightful.
"It's just like several years ago." He finally spoke, looking really happy, "The way you act, and the way you speak."
Yuuri was still dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond.
"I'm sorry we had to have this conversation in the first place. I shouldn't have doubted you from the start. I should have tried to understand that you're just as nervous as I am." Conrad inhaled deeply, "After failing numerous times, it often came to my mind if I wasn't the right person for you, that Shin Maou had made it especially difficult for us for a reason. I was feeling unconfident. I was afraid that you would not be happy with me. I can't stop worrying, even now…"
Another foreign feeling hit Yuuri as he stared into those honey-brown eyes. It wasn't unpleasant, but it also made him feel like he wasn't being himself. His mind was full of Conrad. He could feel Conrad in his medulla, Conrad in his Cerebellum, Diencephalons… Wait, what were we talking about before? –sweatdrop-
"I'm the one who should apologize to you." Yuuri drew closer to the man, "I am sorry. I promise it won't happen again."
The king was probably not exaggerating when he thought that he would give anything he had to see that expression again on Conrad's face. Suddenly Murata's explanations didn't matter anymore. After all, what could have been more important than the happiness of his future husband?
XXX
TBC
OMAKE 1. Why didn't Conrad have his soup? Did he know about the laxative?YUURI: Umm… Conrad, why didn't you have your soup?
CONRAD: Every time I touched my bowl, you would glare at me. So I thought you didn't want me to have it.
…That's it; our oh-so-considerate Conrad-kun had dodged the upcoming danger so wonderfully. –grins-
2. Is it possible that Murata-kun had misplaced the potion?YOU: Have you?
MURATA: -still smiling peacefully- A fairy could never make such mistakes, could he?
MEANWHILE…
GUNTER: Ugh… uh… my stomach… Excuse me! –runs to the restroom-
GWENDAL: …That makes it four times. Ask Gisela to examine him.
ANISSINA: No, it's five. My counter machine can never be wrong.
CHERI: Eeh? I told him to wash his hands properly after touching Pochi…
XXX
END OF OMAKE
