For EagleTsubasa
….Age Six
Yuuri Shibuya could barely contain the level of excitement in his tiny body. Today was going to be the best day ever! Today was the day Conrad's little brother came to stay! Yuuri would finally have a friend to play with! A little friend, just like him! Conrad was great, and let him have cake for breakfast sometimes when Yozak took the morning off, but it wasn't the same as having a kid friend!
Yuuri had even ordered every art supply he and Conrad could think of cause Conrad said his brother liked that kinda stuff. Yuuri didn't color much, but it had to be more fun with friends! Maybe his new friend could teach him to color better!
"Can I see the picture again, Conrad?" Yuuri begged, tugging on the hem of the man's shirt as he hopped in place.
"He'll be here in person soon enough." Conrad said, even as he pulled out his phone.
"I know, but-!" His argument fell away as his eyes lit on the phone screen, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. Conrad's brother was so pretty! It was hard to believe he was a little boy like him. "Wolf… ram." He said, taking Conrad's phone from him. "Am I saying it right?" The boy asked, looking up at his guardian with slightly panicked eyes.
Conrad chuckled. "You're still separating the parts too much and giving the last half too much 'a' sound. Wolfram."
"Wolfram." Yuuri diligently repeated, looking back down at the picture. "Wolfram Wolfram Wolfram. I hope he likes me!"
"He'll probably need some time to adjust and warm up to you, Yuuri. But I'm sure you'll get along eventually."
The ding of the elevator made Yuuri gasp, hurriedly handing Conrad his phone back. "He's here! He's here! Wolfram's here!" He cheered, running to the foyer.
"Yuuri!" Conrad called, reminding the boy at the last minute that he had to stay behind his guardian. He stopped at the arch separating the living room from the foyer and let Conrad step out ahead as he anxiously watched the numbers climb higher.
"NOO!" Could be heard through the heavy metal doors before they even dinged again to warn the suite's occupants of their impending opening. "I DON'T WANT TO!"
The doors slid open to reveal a grown up lady version of Wolfram's picture, dragging the boy himself behind her. "Come now, my sweet little Honey-chan! It's only for a little while!"
"NOOOO!" The little blonde boy screamed. Yuuri had to resist putting his hands over his ears cause that seemed like a rude thing to do. The face that had been so pretty in Conrad's photo was currently red and tear streaked, his bright green eyes glaring as he struggled against the hold his mother had on his hand.
"Don't you want to spend some time with your big brother Conrart? Look, he's right here!"
"NOOO!" His screech managed to hit an even higher pitch than before and he just kept going, yelling 'no' over and over again.
The pretty Wolfram didn't want to be here? Didn't want to become his friend?
His mother sighed, turning her attention to Conrad. "I'm sorry, dear," she said over the screaming. "I just don't know what to do with him when he's like this. I promise he was excited to see you yesterday."
"It's alright, Mother." Conrad assured, stepping forward to give the lady a hug. When he tried to put a hand on Wolfram's head, the boy swung his free arm at him, then kicked at his feet when Conrad went to get his luggage instead.
"That's not nice!" Yuuri scolded. The screaming cut off as angry green eyes landed on him. Wolfram seemed to puff up like those angry cats Yuuri saw on TV sometimes. It made Yuuri nervous and he didn't want Wolfram to look at him like that, so he half hid behind the arch.
"GO AWAY!" The words finally burst from Wolfram when he couldn't seem to puff up anymore. Yuuri flinched and Wolfram resumed his struggle to return to the elevator.
At least the screaming had stopped.
"Aw!" The blonde lady cooed, leaning down to be closer to eye level with Yuuri, seemingly no longer noticing her son trying to pull them both backwards. "Is this the new little King to Be?"
"Your Majesty Yuuri," Conrad said, setting down the luggage closer to the hallway with the bedrooms. "This is my Mother, Cecilie von Spitzweg and my brother, Wolfram von Bielefeld."
Yuuri bit back a frown. He didn't like it when Conrad called him 'Your Majesty' but he knew it meant he had to be his most polite. He stepped back out so he wasn't hiding anymore and stood up as straight as he could. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"What a little gentleman! Wolfram, come say hello to His Majesty!"
"NO!" Wolfram yelled, stomping his foot. "He's stupid! This place is stupid! I wanna go home!"
"You shouldn't say such things about the young Majesty, Wolfie!" His mother scolded lightly. Wolfram just let out another scream and she looked to Conrad hopelessly.
Yuuri's guardian sighed and scooped the boy up into his arms, making Wolfram scream even louder and flail against him. "Mother needs to go now, Wolfram."
"NOO!"
"I'll be back before you know it, darling," Wolfram's mom said, struggling her way through his flailing limbs to plant a kiss on his cheek. Then she was getting back into the elevator.
"NO!" Wolfram's screech was ear piercing and Yuuri just had to cover his ears this time. "MAMA! DON'T GO!"
Wolfram's tears made something twist in young Yuuri's gut. The other boy's mother smiled sadly as the doors started sliding closed. "Be good for Conrart! Mama loves you and will be back very soon!"
There was a brief pause in Wolfram's screaming as the doors closed and the numbers started going down. The blonde seemed shocked that his mother was gone and he was still here. Then he started to puff up again and Yuuri quickly stepped back, shoving his fingers in his ears. Conrad also sensed danger and set his brother down and backed towards Yuuri.
Wolfram went into full meltdown mode, screaming and crying, banging his small fists against the metal elevator doors.
"What's wrong with him?" Yuuri asked his guardian, wincing even with his ears plugged.
"He's just upset, Yuuri. Best to leave him be for now."
Yuuri frowned. Wolfram had thrown himself onto the floor when the doors wouldn't open for him and was kicking and wailing his arms as he kept screaming and crying. Yuuri hadn't even cried this much when they had come to take him away from Mama, Papa, and Big Brother when he was little. He had wanted to, though. He hadn't wanted to leave them. But they had all been crying enough and he hadn't wanted to worry them more. But, on the inside, he had been screaming and crying as much as Wolfram was now.
And it had felt incredibly lonely.
Yuuri crept back into the foyer despite Conrad cautiously saying his name and kneeled down just out of range of the flailing. He winced as he unplugged his ears, but he didn't want to be rude. "She'll be back." Yuuri assured. "You don't have to stay forever." Not like him.
Green eyes turned to him and they were so angry. Yuuri did know how Wolfram got from his back to his knees so fast, but suddenly one of those small fists were swinging at him, bright red from being pounded against metal and marble.
"Whoa there!" Wolfram was getting pulled up and away at the same time arms were lifting Yuuri up. Wolfram's fist hit nothing but air. "No hitting the Young Master, Lord Brat."
"Yozak!" Yuuri brightened from Conrad's arms at seeing his red headed other guardian holding a struggling Wolfram. "Good morning!"
"PUT ME DOWN!"
Conrad sighed, carrying Yuuri out of the foyer. "Sorry for waking you, Yozak."
"Not like I could sleep through this monster." Yozak said, jostling Wolfram and making the boy screech. The man ignored the kicks and punches he was receiving completely.
"Bring him in on the carpet so he's less likely to hurt himself." Conrad said, carrying Yuuri further into the suite. Yuuri twisted in Conrad's arms so he could watch Yozak heft the still screaming seven year old over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before carrying him over to the couch and dumping him.
The muscular man had done the same thing to Yuuri, much to the young King's delight. Wolfram, however, gave another insulted screech and started flinging whatever pillows he could reach at Yozak.
Conrad set Yuuri down on the counter of the kitchen island and started going through the fridge. "How about a snack, Yuuri?"
"What about Wolfram?" Yuuri asked, watching as Yozak let the pillows bounce off him with crossed arms. The red head didn't look impressed. "How long is he gonna be like that? Will he still want to play with me?"
"I don't know, Yuuri." Conrad confessed. "It might take him some time before he'll be interested in making friends."
Yuuri pouted, crossing his legs so he could rest his elbows on them and his chin on his palms. He couldn't actually see Wolfram anymore because he was behind the back of the couch. But a fist or foot would occasionally rise high enough to be seen, and he could certainly still be heard. "What kind of snacks does Wolfram like? Maybe that'll cheer him up."
Conrad gave him a smile. "Wolfram likes sweet things. You still have a cupcake leftover from dessert last night if you'd like to share it?"
"Mm!" Yuuri said with a quick nod. They had been really good cupcakes. If Wolfram liked sweet things, he'd be sure to like it!
Conrad's smile warmed "Let's wait until he's calmed down a bit before offering it to him, alright?" He said, setting down a plate with celery and peanut butter on it for Yuuri to happily dig into. "You and I can play in the meantime."
Wolfram kept going for a while. It was kind of impressive. Yuuri wasn't sure he'd ever hear right again by the time he quieted to simple sobs. Conrad still held Yuuri back from checking on him until he had seemed to quiet completely.
Yuuri got the cupcake from the fridge himself before hesitantly peeking around the side of the couch. "Wolfram?"
The boy had been laying on the couch sniffling, green eyes still wet with tears but they didn't seem nearly as angry. When Yuuri said his name, he immediately rolled over, hiding his face against the back of the couch.
Yuuri bit his lip at the reaction, but Yozak gave him an encouraging wave from where he was sprawled out on the other couch, so he pressed on. "You missed snack time, but you can have this if you like." He said, holding out the cupcake. Wolfram didn't even turn his head to look so he sighed and set it on the coffee table. "O-once you feel better, we can color together if you want! I got a bunch of different stuff for you. Wanna come see?"
"No." Wolfram grumped. "Go away."
Yuuri sighed. "I guess I'll just have to color without you, then." He said, backing away. Yozak was smirking so Yuuri hoped that meant he'd done a good job.
Yuuri wandered back to the table they had filled with art supplies and dug out a coloring book that looked fun and the big box of crayons. He did his best to ignore the sound of shuffling from the couch a few minutes later, and the crinkle of a cupcake wrapper after that. But he couldn't help a smile as he kept his eyes locked on his picture. Yuuri had just known he'd like the cupcake!
It was a few more minutes before Wolfram wandered over. Yuuri couldn't help but glance up at him. Wolfram had scrubbed his face on his sleeve so it wasn't wet anymore. But his eyes were still red and his face blotchy and a frown was still firmly in place, chin held high. But, despite all that, Yuuri still thought he looked pretty.
"Coloring books are stupid." Wolfram said, looking down his nose at what Yuuri was working on. "You should make your own pictures!"
Yuuri shrugged. "I'm not very good at that. Can you show me?"
"Hmf." Wolfram threw himself into a chair and Yuuri bit back a smile. "I'm thirsty. Conrart, bring me juice!"
"You're supposed to say please." Yuuri said with a frown, not liking how the boy was talking to his best friend. Wolfram just scowled at him and Yuuri felt like he was the one puffing up, now. "Conrad! Don't get it for him until he says please!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Conrad replied, sounding like he was laughing.
Wolfram looked absolutely outraged. "He's my brother!"
"That doesn't mean you don't have to say please!"
"That isn't even how you say his name, idiot! Con-rart! C-O-N-R-A-R-T! Conrart!"
"He said I could call him Conrad so I call him Conrad!" Yuuri said, returning the green eyed glare with his own. "Are you too much of a baby to even say 'please'?!"
"I'm not a baby!"
"Then prove it!"
Wolfram puffed up again and Yuuri braced for more screeching, but instead he turned to look at Conrad. "I want to go stay with Big Brother!"
"You're staying here, Wolfram." Conrad replied. "Gwendal's too busy to look after you right now."
Wolfram gave a high pitched angry whine from his throat, picking up the nearest crayon and throwing it at Yuuri's head.
"Wolfram, that's enough." Conrad said, sounding stern for the first time.
"I'm never going to show you anything!" Wolfram said fiercely. "You're mean!"
"You're the mean one!"
"Am not!"
"You don't say please, you probably don't say thank you! You hit and kick and scream! You're definitely the mean one!"
Wolfram gave another high pitched whine as he buried his face in his arms. "Not not not!" He cried, kicking his legs against the legs of his chair.
Yuuri huffed, going back to his picture and ignoring the continued whines coming from the mess of arms and blonde hair. When Wolfram was still going at it when Yuuri had finished his page, the Boy King sighed. "You're just making yourself more thirsty."
"Nnn!" Was the only response he got. Maybe he had to lead by example? That was something his teacher kept saying.
"Conrad, could I please have a glass of water?"
Conrad gave him a smile. "Of course, Yuuri."
A green eye poked out to glare at Yuuri as Conrad handed him a glass of water. Yuuri made a bit of a show of drinking it, before setting the glass down as far from Wolfram as possible. "Thank you!"
The green eye disappeared again and the whining was replaced by muffled grumbling. All Yuuri could really make out was 'not a baby'. Then Wolfram sat up suddenly, face looking like he was eating a whole lemon raw. "Please can I have some juice?!"
Conrad gave Wolfram the same smile he gave Yuuri and it made Wolfram puff up a bit. "Apple?" The blonde gave a stiff nod and Conrad was soon bringing over the glass
"Thanks." Wolfram said, sounding like the sulkiest person to ever sulk. But Yuuri couldn't help but grin.
"Look, Wolf!" He said, excitedly holding up the paper he'd been working on after the coloring book. "I made a baseball!"
Wolfram looked it over with narrowed eyes while he sipped his juice. "You should add grass or something for it to sit on."
"Oh. Like little green lines?"
"No, like this, here…"
Conrart smiled at the two boys as they were finally talking amicably. He leaned against the back of Yozak's couch.
"I feel like it's cheating to have your charge teach your kid brother manners, Captain." Yozak said with an arm over his eyes.
Conrart chuckled. "I don't know, I think it might work better this way. Wolfram will try harder to live up to someone his own age, instead of refusing us out of spite."
"Still seems like cheating."
"Go to sleep, Gurrier."
Wolfram was really good at drawing. He'd willingly draw anything Yuuri requested and seemed to bask in the awe and praise Yuuri heaped onto him. But Yuuri was an energetic little boy and could only stay still coloring or watching Wolfram for so long before he was running off to tackle Conrad or begging Yozak to throw him.
Wolfram always pouted at the loss of Yuuri's attention and would eventually trail after the boy to try and regain it. He didn't like wrestling with Yozak, though, and he broke a vase when he tried playing catch with Yuuri and Conrad. Tag worked for a bit but he got tired a lot faster then Yuuri did. Wolf also didn't have much patience for hide and seek unless he and Yuuri were hiding together. But then he wasn't good at staying quiet.
Watching TV was a decent option, but only if it was cartoons or nature-y shows. Baseball bored him to death, apparently, and Yuuri couldn't find the grown up shows Wolf seemed to love interesting at all. Yozak said he didn't think little kids should be watching 'Soap Operas' anyway.
"But I have to let Mama know Rosalie left Sir Patin for Romeair!" Wolfram had protested when Yozak had tried to convince them to change the channel. "What if she doesn't see it while she's gone? What if she doesn't know Amelia is about to have her baby!"
Wolf usually didn't even notice when Yuuri rolled out of his spot beside him on the couch to go play with Conrad while those shows were on.
One thing they did both seem to enjoy was reading. Wolfram was better at it than Yuuri, so he'd read the story books out loud to him, then they'd both play pretend and act out the story they had just read, sometimes changing things just to see how they thought it would go.
Wolfram definitely liked sweet things. Conrad often had to bribe Wolf with desert just to finish his meal. Rewards of candy for picking things up when they were done playing with them suddenly became a thing. Yuuri had never needed the incentive and usually saved his to give to Wolfram later. He liked the way the blonde boy smiled at the gifts, green eyes warm and happy. Wolfram said those candies tasted better, somehow.
"Wolfram," Conrad called two weeks later, making both boys look up from the chess game they were playing. "Mother will be here tomorrow to pick you up. Do you have all your things packed?"
Wolfram instantly began to pout and he threw his arms around Yuuri's shoulders. "But I want to stay with Yuuri!"
Yuuri couldn't help but smile. Wolf gave good hugs when he could be bothered to. And Yuuri wanted him to stay, too. It was nice to have a friend.
"No, Wolf. It's time to go home."
Wolfram started to puff up again and Yuuri quickly wrapped his arms around Wolfram as well. The boy had only had one other tantrum early on and it hadn't lasted nearly as long. He calmed down fairly quickly once he realized it would just make everyone ignore him. Wolf got lonely easily. "It's okay, Wolf! You can always come back! And haven't you been missing your Mom?"
Wolfram deflated, but was still pouting. "Yes…"
"See? So you can go see your Mom and come back here later!"
"But what about you?" Wolfram said, looking at him with his wide green eyes and Yuuri could only blink for a minute.
"W-what about me?"
"Who will keep you company if I leave?"
Yuuri pulled up a smile, but it felt harder than usual "I'll still have Conrad and Yozak!"
Wolfram frowned at him for a minute before shaking his head and stomping his foot. "I'm staying!"
Yuuri felt tears prick at his eyes and hugged Wolfram close so he could hide his face in golden hair. "You have to go visit your Mom." He whispered, throat feeling thicker than usual. Longing for his own mother suddenly gripped him so hard he thought he really might cry. He wouldn't get to see her until his birthday, almost a month from now. Yuuri didn't want his friend to ever feel this way. "You have to show her all the pictures you made for her! And tell her about all the stuff we did. And about the Soapy shows." He couldn't hold back a sniffle and Wolfram's arms tightened around him in a bear hug. Wolfram gave really good hugs. "And- and be on your best behavior so you can come back really soon!"
"I will." Wolfram whispered back. "I promise. I'll come back to you real soon. So don't get lonely, okay? I- I'll even play catch with you, next time!"
Yuuri snorted. "You hate catch."
"But I'll play it with you! So don't be sad, okay?"
"...okay."
They built a blanket fort and slept in it that night. It was nice to have an actual person to cuddle with instead of just stuffed animals. Even if Yuuri woke up with that person sprawled all over him in a tangled heap.
Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and then Wolfram's mom was back, sweeping in with hugs and kisses for Wolf and Conrad both. She even had one for him! Wolfram left much quieter than he'd come, only pulling free of his mother's hand as the elevator doors opened to run back and give Yuuri one last hug. This time it was Yuuri who wanted to kick and scream and make his friend stay. But he had told Wolf he wouldn't be sad, so he let him go after his Mom called him five times.
Yuuri kept his smile up until the doors slid closed, he and Wolfram waving to each other until the last possible second. Then his hand fell and it was like a signal for the tears to start. Conrad scooped him up into his arms and little Yuuri clung to his neck.
"Can I call my Mama, please?"