It was starting to feel like all Yuuri was capable of doing was sleeping. He had lasted a bit longer after Wolfram finished feeding him and got him some medicine. Then he'd woken up again for a bathroom break and to stretch his legs a bit. He'd felt a lot better and had even complained to Wolfram that he was bored. The blonde had started quizzing him on etiquette and social customs and Yuuri had had fun riling him up by pretending to still not know about accepting a duel or marriage proposals. But now he found himself waking up without ever remembering falling asleep. He wasn't cuddled up against Wolfram like he'd been the last few times he'd woken up, but his head was still pillowed on the other man's thigh.

Nothing seemed blurry when he opened his eyes, and he hoped that meant he was starting to get better. Wolfram had his other leg bent up and seemed to be absorbed in writing something in a book he had propped against it. Yuuri watched him in mild fascination as he frowned at the paper before switching his pencil out for an eraser. This level of concentration seemed vaguely familiar, but Yuuri couldn't quite place it. It was interesting to watch, though, like getting a peek at yet another side of Wolfram. He felt like he was getting a lot of peeks, lately. Or maybe he was just finally paying attention.

Green eyes eventually flicked down to him and Wolfram jumped when he saw him watching him.

"Good morning." Yuuri greeted, giving the blonde an unabashed smile.

"We're about to set up camp, you lazy bum." The book was closed and slid into Wolfram's bag so fast Yuuri had a suspicion he was trying to hide it.

"What? Already?" he asked, sitting up in a bit of an alarm. The sun was in fact starting to set and everyone was starting to move off the road. "It feels like we just left Hilvera." he looked back at Wolfram with a bit of a pout. "I feel like all I'm doing is sleeping."

"It's alright. Vensa says it's what you need to heal." Wolfram said, pulling up his other leg before hugging both and resting his chin on his knees.

"I guess. But I feel like I should be doing something."

"What's there to do? We're just riding back home."

"Yeah, but… We're going to set up camp, right? I should help."

Wolfram snorted. "You say that like you're any good at pitching a tent when your head isn't split open."

"Well now you're just being rude."

Wolfram smiled at him. "You're fine, Yuuri. We all just want you to get better. And you have to rest to do that. I'll put up our tent. It'll be faster that way anyway."

Yuuri stuck his tongue out at him but sighed in defeat.

"Are you feeling better, though?"

"So far." Yuuri nodded as they lurched to a stop. "My head doesn't even hurt that bad right now. More like just a normal headache."

"Well," Wolfram said, climbing to his feet. "That doesn't mean you get to push yourself until it gets bad again, okay? I'll have Vensa come give you a check up while I do the tent."

Yuuri was pouting at the unspoken order to stay in the cart, but then Wolfram leaned down and planted a kiss on top of his head. The other man was hopping off the cart before Yuuri could do more than blush about it, so he just buried his face in his hands instead.

There was a hazy memory of a forehead kiss as he drifted off after the bread earlier, too. He'd been too warm and comfortable to think about it much when it happened, but now… Wolfram was dishing them out so casually, like they weren't a big deal. And, maybe they shouldn't be, but they felt like something bigger that he should really be considering before he did something stupid and managed to hurt Wolfram again. He had always thought-

"Your Majesty?" he opened his fingers to see Vensa looking at him worriedly. "Lord von Bielefeld said you were feeling better, are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh! Yeah. This," he gestured to himself and then immediately felt awkward about it. "Isn't about that. I actually feel almost normal."

He wasn't sure if Vensa's smile was a little too knowing or if he was just nervous about it, but she accepted his explanation without comment. She asked him a few more questions and had him follow her finger with his eyes. "I'm glad you're feeling better, but you are still definitely showing signs of your concussion. I think it's still going to be awhile before that is actually healed. So be gentle with yourself, alright?"

Yuuri's shoulders slumped a bit. He just wanted to get back to normal. He felt so useless like this, and he only tended to feel minimally competent on a good day. "Okay." he agreed reluctantly.

Vensa smiled, and now he was sure it was too knowing. "I still want you to take the pain medication after you eat something, just to make sure it doesn't flare up again. Shall I give it to you or Lord von Bielefeld?"

Yuuri gaped at her. She couldn't actually know what she was essentially asking, right? Though Wolfram did try and repeat last night out in the open this morning, and hiding under the blanket with the bread couldn't have been that subtle. Vensa just sat with a patient, expectant look, waiting for a reply even though he was pretty sure he'd been gaping longer than warranted.

Wolfram ending up with the medicine practically guaranteed he'd want to feed it to him again. Was that something Yuuri actually wanted? He wasn't sure how much his neutrality about it last night counted, since he'd already been pretty out of it. But he had ended up enjoying the bread, and Wolfram had said he had liked giving him the medicine. Something about the idea of it happening again, in the privacy of their tent while he was more or less fully aware made a strange, fluttery kind of excitement start to spin in his stomach. He wanted it.

Yuuri felt his whole face blush and he buried his head in his hands. "Give it to Wolfram, please." he said in a voice that definitely sounded an octave too high.

"Of course, Your Majesty." Vensa said in the same, pleasant tone. "I think stew is on the menu tonight, and they've already got the fire going. If you get cold waiting for Lord von Bielefeld, you have my permission to go sit by it."

Yuuri peeked out at her suspiciously. Conrad had said no one had taken his recent actions as a rebuttal, but he wasn't entirely sure what they had taken them as. And he couldn't tell if she was actually nudging him toward Wolfram or if he was reading too much into it. Or, maybe she thought they were already together? The engagement was well known by now, so maybe she just assumed all this stuff that was new to Yuuri was just their normal relationship.

Part of him still bucked at the thought of anyone assuming that, but then Wolfram telling him he felt worthless popped into his mind, followed by the memory of sitting in his lap, under a blanket, joking together as Wolfram gently fed him bites of bread. A forehead kiss. A casual kiss dropped onto the top of his head like it was no big deal…

"Do you need anything else, Your Majesty?" Vensa asked, making him blink and lift his head again.

"No, I'm okay. Thank you, Vensa. I really appreciate all your help."

"Of course! I'm happy to do my duty." she said as she slid off the back of the wagon. "And remember, be gentle with yourself!"

He gave her a smile as she walked off. He hadn't thought he was cold until she had brought up waiting for Wolfram. He did have her permission, and he was a bit sick of the cart at this point. Yuuri wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and was exceedingly careful climbing out in case his dizziness returned now that he was moving. Wolfram would be furious if he fell and just the memory of the pain from earlier made his gut twist painfully.

A soldier offered him a spot on a log by the firepit and Yuuri accepted, happy to sit and listen to them telling stories while one of them worked on the stew.

"How are you feeling, Your Majesty?"

Yuuri blinked and looked up to see Conrad looking down at him with his usual soft smile. "Conrad! Hi." He grinned. "I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. Wolfram insisted on putting up the tent on his own and Vensa said I could hang out by the fire. Have I missed anything important while I've been sleeping?"

Conrad shook his head. "Everything's been normal as far as we can tell. We should be back in the city before lunch the day after tomorrow. Would you like to stop at Shinou's Shrine and see if the Priestesses can help with your head?"

Yuuri perked up a bit at that. If he could be rid of the concussion before he had to interact with Gunter again, that would be great. The man meant well, but he could be loud and more overwhelming then Wolfram at times. "Yeah, that'd be great! And it'll give Murata his chance to scold me, too. Or make fun of me. Probably depends on his mood when we get there."

"Get where?"

Yuuri looked over to see Wolfram joining him on the log and brightened. "Conrad suggested stopping at the Shrine to see if they can fix my head before returning to the castle."

"Oh."

He couldn't read Wolfram's expression and he found himself getting more and more frustrated whenever he couldn't. "What's wrong?"

He could see Wolfram wipe the expression away and shake his head. "Nothing." he said with a smile, but it seemed brittle. "Sounds like a good idea." Yuuri frowned but Wolfram pressed on. "The tent's all set. We can swipe the blankets from the cart before bed if you want."

"Yeah, sounds good…" he said, still trying to figure out what that expression had meant, but Wolfram wasn't looking at him, instead leaning forward to grab two bowls. Had Yuuri been careless and said something to hurt him again? He couldn't think of what. Was he jealous that he'd been talking to Conrad? Wolfram's jealousy was usually hotter and easier to read than whatever that had been.

"Here, Yuuri." Wolfram said, pushing a bowl of stew into his hands. "You need to eat so you can take your medicine, right?" and now his smile was just slightly too mischievous, like he had guessed Yuuri's thought process in telling Vensa to give the medicine to him.

Yuuri narrowed his eyes at him even though he could feel a light blush heating his cheeks, but decided he'd come to regret any reply to that. So, instead, he just shoved a heapping sporkful into his mouth.

Wolfram grinned. "Well, you don't have to be that eager about it."

Yuuri nearly choked at the implication and struggled to swallow. "I hate you." he glared but that just made Wolfram snicker.

"Enjoy your dinner, Your Majesty."

"Oh!" Yuuri said, turning back to look at Conrad, instantly feeling guilty for forgetting he'd been standing there. But Conrad just gave him a happy looking smile and stepped away. "Thanks…"

Wolfram's snickering had stopped by the time he turned back to him, but his smile still looked far too self satisfied so Yuuri kicked at his foot. Wolfram squawked, barely saving the bowl he'd had resting on his lap. "Yuuri! You almost made me spill it!" he said, kicking back at him. It quickly devolved into a squabble with them trying to kick each other's feet while not spilling their stew.

"I don't think this is what I meant when I told His Majesty he could sit by the fire."

Both of them froze, looking across the fire to where Vensa had paused eating her own stew to give them a disapproving look. They both shrunk back a bit and set their feet firmly on the ground. Vensa nodded and went back to eating.

They both ate in silence for a bit before Yuuri side-eyed Wolfram and muttered "Jerk."

"Wimp." Wolf sniped back immediately, side-eyeing Yuuri in return. There was a beat before they both collapsed into snickers.

They fell into a more or less normal conversation after that. Trying to predict what trouble Greta had gotten up to in their absence and Yuuri lamenting the amount of paperwork likely waiting for him ("You're the one that ran out here to shirk your duties!") Yuuri was even hungry enough for seconds. By the end of the second bowl, though, his headache was getting worse and the flickering of the firelight in the dark was starting to hurt. A particularly big twinge had him rubbing at his temple.

"Ready for bed?" Wolfram asked, already taking his empty bowl and handing both off to another soldier.

Yuuri sighed. "I'm really not tired yet, though."

Wolfram just shrugged, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "You seem to get tired after you've had your medicine, though. Come on." he led him back to the cart first to steal a couple of the blankets before going to the tent. Yuuri had to admit, it looked a lot better than whenever he tried to pitch a tent on his own.

"Do you like camping?"

"Huh?" Wolfram asked, stopping at the mouth of the tent to look back at him, confused.

"You're so good at putting up a tent."

"It's part of soldier training, dummy." he said, dragging him inside.

"Oh. Do you like it though?"

"I mean," Wolfram said, letting go of his hand to set up the blankets. "A tent is better than out in the open, but I don't know if I'd say I 'like' it. I'd much rather be in our bed back at the castle. Why?"

Yuuri shrugged, sitting down as Wolfram unhooked his sword from his belt and laid it down, signalling he was finished with the blankets. "I had just never considered it, I guess."

"Considered what?" he asked, sitting down across from him. "That I like things?"

"Well, camping specifically, jerk." he said, stretching a leg out to nudge him with his foot. "But kinda I guess? I know you like to paint, right?"

"Mm." Wolfram said with both a nod and a shrug which didn't seem very committal to Yuuri. "And you like baseball."

"Yeah!" Yuuri said, perking up at the mere mention of the sport. Wolfram gave a snort and shook his head. "I like a lot of manga and anime, too."

"A lot of what?" Wolfram asked, blinking at him in confusion.

"Oh! Right. Manga is a kind of book that's made up of drawings and Anime is a kind of television show-" at Wolfram's blank look, Yuuri's shoulders slumped. "You know, I manage to forget how different this place is from Earth until moments like this. A television is this screen that projects a bunch of images really fast in sequential order so it looks like things are moving."

"That sounds like something Anissina would come up with." Wolfram said, scrunching up his nose.

"No, it's really good! It's a great medium to share information. And, when the pictures are all drawn then it's an animation, which is what anime is!"

"What would they be if not drawn?"

"Um, just... Pictures?" Yuuri said, at a loss. "Camera's don't exist here either." he said, dropping his head into his hands. "I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to explain it well. It's just, a way to capture a record of real life?"

Wolfram's silence didn't fill him with confidence that he'd done a good job. "Is that were…. su-mo comes from? Your picture books?"

"They aren't just picture books." Yuuri said, looking back up. "And no. Well, there's manga about Sumo, but it's an actual competitive sport."

Wolfram wrinkled his nose again. "How is pushing someone out of a circle a competitive sport?"

"Just because you lost at it doesn't mean it's not competitive." Wolfram scowled and started giving his legs multiple, rapid kicks, making Yuuri laugh. "It's the truth!"

"Whatever." Wolfram said, relenting. "I still think it sounds stupid."

"Okay." Yuuri laughed. "You're allowed."

"Why are we talking about this?"

Yuuri shrugged. "I just… wanted to know what you like."

"So why are we talking about Sumo?"

"Because you started asking me things!"

Wolfram shook his head. "How's your head?"

"Fine now that I'm away from the fire. Don't change the subject!"

"I don't want to talk about Sumo!"

"No!" Yuuri sighed, shoulders slumping. "What else do you like?"

"I don't know." Wolfram said, looking down. "Art, I guess. Sure."

"Okay." he waited for Wolfram to elaborate or share something else, but he just kept staring at the blankets. So Yuuri cast around for something else. "What about being a soldier?" he said, almost instantly regretting it as he remembered they had been in the middle of a bad war when Yuuri had been born. "Is- is it something you wanted to be? Or- did you feel like you had to be?"

Wolfram scowled but there wasn't much heat behind it. "It's more complicated than that. I was still basically a kid during most of the war. Gwendal and Conrart are the ones that really fought in it." he shifted to be more cross-legged and then one of his knees started bouncing. Yuuri didn't think he'd ever seen Wolfram like this and it bothered him that he couldn't place the emotion in his friend's expression. "I- I resemble my mother a lot. That made a lot of people assume I was just as… disconnected as she was. Other nobles would say it was a good thing I was pretty enough to not need a personality."

"That's horrible!"

"They never said it to my face."

"That's even worse!"

Wolfram finally looked up at him, expression somewhere between exasperated and fond. His knee was still bouncing and something about that bothered Yuuri so he crawled over to sit beside him. "I wanted to prove them wrong." Wolfram continued, watching as Yuuri settled beside him before looking back down at his lap. "A lot of things I did for fun as a kid were things I did with her. So I pulled away from them and just focused on my training and making my elemental pact. I wanted- I had to prove that I was smart, capable, and strong. More than 'just a pretty face.'" he said with a scowl, like he was hearing someone else say the words.

Yuuri looped an arm through the crook of Wolfram's, setting a hand on his knee and gently pushing until it went still. "You are all of those things, Wolfram." Yuuri said sincerely. "And you most definitely have a personality."

Wolfram gave a soft snort, scowl still present even if it wasn't as dark. "I'm not sure it ended up being a very good one."

Yuuri's jaw dropped, insulted on Wolfram's behalf. "Don't say that! I wouldn't hang out with you if you were some terrible person!"

"Not like I've given you much choice."

"Hey!" Yuuri reached out, cupping Wolfram's opposite cheek so he could make him look at him. "If I really thought you were bad, I would have fought being involved with you at all. I certainly wouldn't have become your friend and appreciate you as much as I do." he said, using his thumb to pet his cheek. Wolfram was looking at him, but something was off about his eyes. The usual fiery confidence was missing and he looked vulnerable. Like he was confessing his darkest fears to Yuuri. "You are a good person." Yuuri whispered despite the passion in his voice. "Sure, you're hot headed, but you are also kind, and gentle and passionate. About everything you do and it's honestly just amazing to watch sometimes. You're brave and noble. You're powerful both with your sword and your magic. I trust you with my life."

Staring into Wolfram's green eyes while he listed off all the things he admired about him was like watching ice crack. His eyes grew glossy and Yuuri hoped they were good tears.

"I killed the raider that hurt you." Wolfram confessed, the spark reigniting in his eyes after he wiped at them. "I stabbed him through the heart and I don't feel bad about it."

Yuuri tensed at that and he felt Wolfram start to flinch away in response so he quickly moved his hand from the blonde's cheek to the back of his head to keep him there. "I-I mean…" Yuuri said, trying to push his brain through the sudden moral turmoil Wolfram had just thrown him into. "You know I believe there should always be another option. But it's not like it was in cold blood. You thought I was dead, and he was definitely trying to kill you. I know you'd do whatever it takes to protect me. I don't want that to include killing, but I'm not going to blame you for doing your job when you didn't have a chance to stop and be rational about it." Or had even been capable of rational thought. The memory of Wolfram's terrified face was far too easy to conjure up and it wasn't hard for Yuuri to imagine the rage that had likely come before it at someone daring to actually hurt Yuuri. He got mad enough when strangers just touched him.

"You don't hate me for it?"

Yuuri snorted. "No. I don't want you to do it again if you can help it, but I also don't think either of us wants my head to nearly get knocked off again either so I think that should be doable, yeah?"

Wolfram finally relaxed and leaned over to let his forehead rest against Yuuri's. "Yeah, that's doable."

"Good." Yuuri said, burying his fingers in blonde hair and gently rubbing at his scalp like he remembered Wolfram doing to him back on the horse. A thrill went through him when Wolfram immediately seemed to melt, his eyes falling closed. It felt like finding a cheat code in a difficult video game. "While we're talking about tough topics, why don't you want us to go to the shrine?"

Wolfram made a whining noise in his throat, rolling his head so that it dropped onto Yuuri's shoulder instead. "It's nothing. Just- me being selfish."

"Selfish?" Yuuri asked, bewildered. He dropped his hand into Wolfram's hair again so he could continue trying out his cheat code. "How?"

Wolfram let out a heavy sigh as Yuuri's fingers started moving again. "I- it's horrible, because you've been so miserable. But… I like this you."

"What do you mean 'this me'? I'm just me."

"This you that wants to be close to me all the time. That picks me over Weller and who actually lets me care about you without constantly freaking out."

"Wolfram…" it seemed like his standards were too low, given that he had still freaked out that morning.

"And what if that goes away when you get better? You go back to old Yuuri, or worse you hate how you've been acting while you were out of it and want even less to do with me."

"That's not going to happen!"

"You don't know that. This whole thing could just be a side effect of your brain nearly getting smashed."

"Hey," he said, shifting and pulling Wolfram up so they could face each other again. "I feel completely lucid right now and I still want to be here with you. I know I've been a jerk about us in the past and haven't taken your feelings seriously but-" Yuuri frowned, trying to word the thoughts that had seemed to be fluttering just out of reach the last few days. Wolfram was watching him with a guarded look to his eyes that Yuuri hated, especially since it was his own fault that it was there.

"I don't actually remember the raider fight. But I think there must have been a split second there that- that I thought I was going to lose you. I remember seeing your face, right after I got hit. I didn't know what was going on but I desperately wanted to comfort you, make you not afraid anymore.

"I think that, combined with just how wonderful you've been, has made me realize how stupid I've been. All the concussion did was make me loopy enough to not get distracted by whatever stupid mindset I usually have and let me actually realize the things I felt and wanted. And- I'm sure I'll still end up awkward and stupid about things, but, now that I have an idea of what Ive been missing, I don't want to go back."

Wolfram's expression was still cautious and it made Yuuri's chest tighten. "I'll prove it to you." He promised, reaching up to bury both of his hands into golden hair. "Once I'm better. I'll figure out a way to prove it."

"Just… if you do change your mind, don't… don't blame me for it, okay? I've tried to be good, and only give you what you've asked for and not take too much. So just, don't blame me."

"I won't blame you." He said softly, bringing his hands down enough to run his thumbs under too-sad green eyes. He wished he could convince him that this wasn't just some fluke of a busted head, but he didn't think that was going to be possible until they eliminated that possibility. And maybe he had already done enough damage that Wolfram still wouldn't believe him. How many times had Yuuri made him feel worthless? Would he ever be able to make up for it? To fill the cracks he'd made?

He wished they were starting now with a clean slate instead of a complicated history that felt all backwards. They were engaged and had a daughter together before ever even being a couple. But, if none of that had happened, would he even be close enough to Wolfram now to want something like this?

Wolfram sighed, bringing Yuuri out of his thoughts. "You should take your medicine." He said, digging it out of his pocket and holding it out in the palm of his hand for him to take.

That made Yuuri want to pout. It had been a conscious choice to have Vensa give it to Wolfram and he was surprisingly upset at it not turning out the way he wanted. So he decided to be stubborn. "Ah!" He said, opening his mouth.

Wolfram tensed and Yuuri wished he could sooth it away. "Yuuri, are you sure-"

"I'm sure." He said firmly before opening his mouth again. He had decided he wanted this back on the cart. His reaction to Wolfram not initiating it only confirmed it. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he definitely wanted to do it.

Wolfram hesitated, but Yuuri continued to hold his mouth open expectantly while holding the sides of Wolfram's face until he sighed and started unwrapping it. "You are going to be the death of me, Yuuri Shibuya."

"Nope! Not Allowed! I forbid it. Declaration as King."

Wolfram's eyes finally warmed into a look that was impossibly fond. "Shut up and say 'Ah'."

Yuuri grinned and opened his mouth again even as nerves started swirling in his stomach. This shouldn't be this nerve wracking. They'd already done this and it wasn't a big deal. But Wolfram had said he liked it and Yuuri was actively asking him to do it again and that felt like a big deal.

He could feel a blush growing as Wolfram lifted his hand. Was he moving in slow motion or did it just feel that? The bit of medicine was small enough that Wolfram was holding it between two fingers. This time he rested his fingers against Yuuri's teeth before hooking them down to push the medicine against the base of his tongue.

Yuuri closed his lips around his fingers in some kind of weird reflex and red immediately bloomed across Wolfram's face. Yuuri knew he was supposed to lower his tongue so the medicine could dissolve, but Wolfram's fingers had frozen so he had to push his tongue underneath them. Wolfram made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a choke.

He knew his tongue had brushed his fingertips last time, but he didn't remember that being enough to leave a taste. This time, Wolfram's fingers were warm and tasted oddly salty, mixed with the leftover taste of the medicine.

"Y-Yuuri!" Wolfram finally seemed to gasp as he pulled his fingers free. Yuuri was disappointed at this, since he was pretty sure there were other tastes mixed in there that he just hadn't had time to suss out.

"What?" Yuuri managed to say without raising his tongue.

"What?!" Even Wolfram's ears were red. Yuuri knew he was blushing too, but Wolfram seemed to be taking it to an extreme. Which, honestly, tracked with Wolfram as a person. "What do you mean 'what'? What was that?!"

"You… giving me medicine?" Some of the words sounded off since he was still trying to keep his tongue flat.

Wolfram sputtered for a few moments, thumb rubbing over his wet fingertips. Yuuri cocked his head to the side, wondering why he'd want to spend the mess around instead of just wiping them off. "You're- you cannot be this clueless."

Yuuri frowned in insult, swishing his tongue against the bottom of his mouth to break up the last bit of medicine before deciding it was safe to speak. "Clueless about what?"

Wolfram sat up straighter before leaning forward, bracing himself on his fists. The intensity that was suddenly in his eyes made Yuuri lean back away from him a bit. "Yuuri. Do you find me sexually attractive?"

It was Yuuri's turn to sputter. "W-what?!" He asked, feeling his face go redder. Which wasn't fair because Wolfram's blush was calming. "Wolfram, I'm still wrapping my mind around wanting to hold your hand and cuddle and have you feed me things! I-I mean, you're definitely good looking, more attractive than I am, but..."

Wolfram's eyes narrowed slightly but Yuuri didn't think it was in an angry way. He gave a short nod before continuing. "Have you ever been sexually attracted to anyone?"

"Wha? Is this some weird jealousy thing?"

"No. Just answer the question. I promise I won't get mad."

"I-I donno! Sure, I've found people attractive!"

"Okay," Wolfram nodded and he really didn't seem angry. "But did you just find them esthetically pleasing? Or did you want to do things with them?"

"Things?"

Wolfram rolled his eyes in clear frustration. "Did you ever have sexual fantasies about them?"

Yuuri made some kind of embarrassing squawking sound as it felt like his face had burst into flames. "That's awful personal, isn't it?!"

"Please, Yuuri, I'm trying to figure something out."

"What could you possibly be trying to figure out?!"

"Just answer! Please?"

The intensity in his green eyes hadn't dimmed, which made this feel important. Yuuri didn't understand how they got here, but this didn't seem like a conversation Wolfram was going to drop. "N-not really." He confessed, pulling his knees to his chest and having to look away from Wolfram. "I never saw much point when no one ever showed any interest in me. I- I'd fantasize about stuff," his face felt like it was getting redder, if that was even possible. His head gave a warning throb despite having just taken the pain medication. "But it's always more about- like, situations? Rather than specific people. It always seemed like thinking about anyone like that would just make things awkward."

There was silence in the tent for a few moments before Wolfram groaned loudly and fell over, covering his face with his hands. "You sincerely don't get it. Shinou, why?"

"Don't get what?" Yuuri demanded, finally looking back at him. "You're being really frustrating right now."

Wolfram dropped his hands to give him an offended look. "I'm being-?!" He sat back up and in one swift movement grabbed Yuuri's hand and stuffed three of his fingers into his own mouth.

Time froze. The entirety of Yuuri's nervous system seemed to suddenly zero in on the ends of those fingers. It was impossibly warm and moist and the curious thought of what that mouth would feel like other places popped unbidden into his mind. Then Wolfram licked the fingers and-

Yuuri yanked his hand back and Wolfram let him. There was a heat in his gut he was desperately trying not to identify and every other inch of his skin was tingling in jealousy of his fingers. The point of the conversation fell neatly into place like it had just been waiting to be shaken loose. Yuuri had to gasp before speaking because he had apparently stopped breathing at some point. "You fantasized about me?" His voice was too high and he'd be embarrassed if it didn't feel like his brain was currently melting out of his ears.

"Yes, Yuuri." The bastard looked entirely unapologetic about what he'd just done. In fact, he looked relieved and Yuuri wasn't sure if that was better or worse than self satisfied.

"Like, only just now or…?"

Wolfram's expression was enough to tell him that was a stupid question and that implication made him feel dizzy. "I didn't think you were being suggestive on purpose, most of the time. But I hadn't realized you didn't even think of it as a possibility."

"I-I'm suggestive?" Would his voice ever go back to a normal octave?

Wolfram just sighed and seemed to study him for a moment. "Yuuri, I don't know what Earth's stupid standards are to make you think no one is interested, but here you are absolutely breathtaking." The way he said 'breathtaking' like Yuuri was actively taking his breath away made him feel light headed. "You could literally have anyone you wanted."

"Come on," he argued with a nervous chuckle, still finding that hard to believe. He knew the double black thing was unique here, but still. "Even next to you? That doesn't seem possible."

"Why do you think I get jealous so easily? People are constantly throwing themselves at you."

"They don't-" but Wolfram shook his head, cutting him off.

"They do! And I thought you were just- lapping up the attention even though I'm always right there. Which made me wonder how bold you were when I wasn't around and it would drive me up a wall."

Yuuri just stared at him. "But… that doesn't feel like what's happening at all. Sure, people tend to be friendly, but I figured that was more because I was King than anything else. And it'd feel rude not to be friendly in return."

Wolfram shook his head again, this time in some kind of fond disbelief. "You are the King, Yuuri. People should be standing back and bowing, not running up and throwing their arms around you."

Yuuri frowned a bit at that. That was how things tended to be for important people on Earth, but… "The second time I came here, I popped out in a bath. Three naked guys dog piled me."

Wolfram's green eyes became razor sharp. "Who?"

Yuuri held up his hands. "I don't even know! And that's not the point. I just thought people here were a lot more touchy feely here. Gunter hugs me all the time!"

"And he's constantly making passes at you!" Wolfram cried, sounding frustrated.

"What? No!"

"He isn't even subtle about it, Yuuri!" Wolfram said, throwing his hands into the air. "He gets nosebleeds around you constantly!"

"...that isn't just some kind of medical condition?"

"Gah!" Wolfram exclaimed before burying his face in his hands. "Shinou help me." He mumbled into them.

They were quiet for a long moment, Yuuri feeling very awkward and Wolfram seeming to need time to recover from Yuuri's obliviousness. "...Does this mean I need to change how I interact with people?" Yuuri finally asked. "Nothing ever actually happens, even if they are flirting with me. And no one ever seems to mind when I'm just friendly in return. And I don't want to be the kind of King everyone has to stand back and bow to. I like being open and personable. I feel like it makes people trust me and feel cared for, and that's how I want them to view me. Is that really so bad? Now that you know that isn't where my head's at..."

Wolfram lowered his hands but was looking off to the side instead of at him. "I don't know," he said softly. "I don't know if that's enough for me to feel okay with it. And clearly I'm the only one that has an issue since Weller let's you do whatever you want." he said with a small huff. For some reason, that made Yuuri smile.

"I think this has been some of the most intense conversations we have ever had." Yuuri said, lowering his legs and poking Wolfram's knee with his foot. "And I think they've all been very important, and probably things we should have talked about before now. But it's all seriously making my head hurt."

Wolfram blinked and finally looked back up at him before nodding. "Yeah, let's go to bed. You've usually passed out by now after taking medicine."

Yuuri started taking off his shoes but got distracted by Wolfram starting to unbutton his outer jacket. Last night they'd just passed out fully clothed, and while he knew the pink nightie wouldn't make an appearance while they were on the road, Yuuri knew Wolfram stripped down to just his undershirt and pants to sleep. He kept that much on in case anything happened during the night and he had to fight. So it's not like a ton of skin would suddenly be shown, but he watched the jacket slide off his shoulders with rapt attention anyway.

"What-" he had to stop and swallow because his mouth suddenly felt dry. "What all do I do that's suggestive?"

Wolfram looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you asking so you can stop, or do it more?"

"I… don't know yet?"

That made Wolfram snort and he just went back to getting ready for bed. Yuuri pouted at this and crawled closer. "What do you even think about, anyway?"

That made Wolfram stop and turn to him, but his green eyes seemed darker and it made Yuuri's heart beat faster. "What did you think about when I put your fingers in my mouth?"

Yuuri gulped, his brain adding in the memory of Wolfram's face pressed against his neck and his breath sneaking under his shirt to the memory of Wolfram's tongue on his fingertips and the rest of his body wanting it-

Wolfram's expression had shifted to one of fond amusement. "Okay, now I just feel mean. You look like your head is going to explode." he reached up and ran his fingers through the hair above his bandages. "Ask me again when you're better, if you still want to know."

"Okay." Yuuri managed to squeak, trying to push the images away. They were too overwhelming right now. He hadn't lied when he said he was still trying to adjust to the idea of wanting to just cuddle Wolfram. The rest of this new stuff felt heavy and a little scary. Was he just reacting this way because Wolfram said he thought about him like that, and that had never been a thing of him before? Or was it something he actually wanted? He was a teenage boy, and his mother had always told him to be respectful when it came to thoughts he didn't have control over. But did that still count when someone was actively trying to make him think those thoughts? And was it an issue that that someone was a guy? Was it a bigger issue that that guy was successfully making him have those thoughts?

"Yuuri?"

Yuuri blinked and looked up, seeing Wolfram fully dressed down and watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you need help with your jacket or something?"

That sent another blush across his cheeks. "I… think that'd be a bit much for me, right now." he confessed, but took the hint and continued getting ready for bed. It really did just involve taking his jacket off, since the logic of Wolfram dressing down was sound enough for Yuuri to follow it. Wolfram was already laying down by the time he was done, one arm open in invitation. Yuuri smiled at the sight. He knew, just a few days ago, he would have refused and tried to fit as much space between them as possible. Now, all he could think about was the warmth and comfort it offered. He slid into place against Wolfram's side, his cheek resting against Wolfram's shoulder. He didn't seem able to help the small, happy sound that escaped him as Wolfram wrapped his arm around him.

Wolfram pressed his lips to the crown of Yuuri's head and held it there for a long moment. Yuuri was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep like that when he whispered, "Please don't blame me."

Yuuri's eyes saddened and he squeezed one arm under the small of Wolfram's back and wrapped his other arm over his chest. "I won't. I promise."

Wolfram didn't say anything else and eventually his breathing evened out into the steady drum of sleep. Yuuri waited for sleep to come to him, too- the conditions were perfect. He'd had his medicine and was snuggled up against a wonderfully warm Wolfram and he had thoughts he didn't really want to think about. He'd been nothing but sleepy the last two days but now he felt wide awake. He tried to just focus on the sound of Wolfram's breathing and the rise and fall of his chest, but then he just found himself staring at where his neck disappeared beneath his undershirt and wondering about the thoughts Wolfram had about him. Had Yuuri managed to make him imagine getting licked and kissed all over like the images Wolfram had stirred in him? Were they even more explicit? Why did he suddenly want to know so badly? Did he actually want to try those things? They hadn't even properly kissed yet!

Fuck, he wanted to kiss him. That realization seemed to hit him like a semi truck and made him gasp, eyes having moved up to stare at Wolfram's slightly parted lips. Where had that come from? It felt like his feelings were snow balling at an alarming rate and he suddenly understood why Wolfram would be distrustful. It did seem like he was doing a 180 pretty fast. He tried to mentally take a step back and evaluate. If he thought back on their past interactions and discarded his aversion to Wolfram being a guy and took into account that he had apparently been unable to realize Wolfram could actually be sexually attracted to him, had these feelings been there before now and he had just pushed them away? The thought experiment was complicated, and the more he tried to focus on it, the more his head hurt. He finally gave up, only managing to settle on the fact that he had always thought Wolfram was beautiful.

The throbbing slowly faded and he found he was still staring at Wolfram's mouth. He could. He could kiss him right now if he wanted to! Wolfram wouldn't say no, he didn't think, but it also felt kinda mean, since the blonde was obviously scared Yuuri's desires were going to vanish once his head was fixed and Yuuri himself was still a bit overwhelmed by the sudden desire. Wolfram would see it as another thing Yuuri would regret, and not appreciate it in the moment. And that didn't sound fun at all. Once he was better, then, and had a chance to properly examine his own feelings. Maybe that would be enough to prove to Wolfram that this was real.

Wolfram made a noise in his sleep, which wasn't really unusual. Yuuri was kind of surprised he'd been so still for this long. But something about the sound felt wrong and he realized that Wolfram was now frowning. One of his legs gave an odd little kick and his head rolled to the otherside, making Yuuri sit up a bit to continue watching in concern. His head whipped back the other way and Yuuri was glad he'd sat up because he was pretty sure their heads would have collided. But Wolfram's expression was one of closed-eyed terror, a look that was sickeningly familiar to Yuuri.

"Wolf, it's okay." Yuuri tried, but now all of his limbs were moving, like he was struggling against something. His blonde head thrashing back and forth, making these terrified little noises that squeezed Yuuri's heart painfully.

"Yuur-" he gasped in his sleep and it sounded so heartbroken that Yuuri couldn't take it anymore.

Yuuri threw one leg over him to straddle Wolfram's hips and pressed both hands to Wolfram's chest in preparation of shaking him awake. But, as soon as the pressure was there, the movements and head thrashing started to calm. Yuuri hesitated, wondering if he should still wake him. His breathing was still a bit quick and he could feel Wolfram's heart pounding beneath his hand still. But, as Yuuri experimentally laid his weight on top of him, Wolfram took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and that seemed enough to calm his breathing, his heart rate gradually slowing. Was it a coincidence? It didn't seem like it could be. Wolfram had definitely been in the middle of a nightmare. But, even as Yuuri lay there on top of him, Wolfram's arms moved up to wrap around him and a small smile replaced the terrified look. He was definitely still asleep. Yuuri smiled, happy he'd been able to help and settled down against him. It was basically the same positioning as that morning, and Yuuri didn't plan on screwing it up this time.