Waking up the next morning was so casual and domestic it made Yuuri wonder why he ever freaked out over sharing a bed with Wolfram in the first place. He had come to consciousness with the feeling of lazy circles being rubbed into his back. Yuuri tried to play possum in order to keep enjoying it, but his breathing must have given him away.

"If we don't hurry up, they'll leave without us."

"I mean, they won't." Yuuri mumbled in reply. "I'm the King and all."

"Yeah, but you're also the one insisting on risking further brain damage yesterday just because you thought you were holding us up."

"Nn." Yuuri protested. "This is more important than potential brain damage."

Wolfram snorted and it sounded strange with his ear pressed to his chest. "You are impossible. Come on, wimp."

Wolfram looked so happy the entire time they were getting redressed, it left Yuuri with warm fuzzies even though his head was still aching.

Yuuri's headache was worse than it had been yesterday afternoon, so Wolfram insisted on taking down the tent on his own while Yuuri went and got breakfast. After food and medicine (he just took it himself, since the tent was already gone and hiding under a blanket felt too on the nose.), they were packed back onto the cart. Yuuri was still bored, but decided to do his best to take advantage of the free time. Afterall, once they were back at the castle, he'd have to be locked away signing papers for who knew how long and he doubted Gwendal would let him do that while snuggling with Wolfram.

He dozed off again at some point, and woke to find Wolfram scribbling in the same book as yesterday. "What are you doing?"

Wolfram jumped, just like last time. "Yuuri! You-" just like last time, he started quickly putting the book away. Yuuri snatched his bag out of reach, making Wolfram squawk and fumble with the book. "What are you doing?!"

"I asked you first." He said, wrapping his arms firmly around the bag as he sat up. "You were working in that book yesterday, too. And you tried to hide it then as well."

"I'm not hiding it." Wolfram said, a light blush rising in his cheeks. "It's just private!"

"Is it your diary? I haven't noticed you keeping something like that before."

Wolfram made a face. "It's not a diary! It's-" his shoulders slumped in defeat. "It's just a sketch book."

"Oh." Yuuri's mind went to the strange painting Wolfram had done of him and his interest in the book dwindled. But, still, art was the only thing Wolfram seemed able to come up with when he had asked him what he liked. "Can I see?"

"W-why?"

"You like art. And I wanna see what you're making." Wolfram seemed torn, actually hugging the book to his chest. "Please? Just one thing. You can pick."

Wolfram chewed on his lip for a moment longer before sighing. "Fine. Come here. But you're not allowed to say anything."

Yuuri scurried back over beside him, excited despite himself. Wolfram opened the book up to what seemed to be the last filled page and Yuuri gasped. His own face was looking up at him, not distorted like the painting had been, but incredibly accurate, as far as Yuuri could tell. He looked a bit tired but was wearing a small smile that he'd never actually seen on his own face before. "Wolfram-"

"I said don't say anything!"

"This is amazing." Yuuri said, pulling the book from Wolfram's grasp with minimal resistance to look at it closer. "You really drew this? And while in a bumpy cart, too? When was this from?" he asked, looking back at Wolfram. He almost felt bad. The blonde's entire face was bright pink. Not quite the crimson it had gotten to last night after the medicine incident, but the same amount of coverage. His leg had also started bouncing anxiously again.

"It's… when you first opened your eyes, after you hit your head yesterday."

Yuuri looked back down at the picture. The memory was cloudy from the amount of pain he'd been in, but he remembered being happy to see Wolfram more relieved than scared and feeling thankful that he still had his arm to hold. "Can I see more?"

"You said just one!"

"I know! But this is so good, Wolfram!" he praised, looking back at him so he could see how much he meant it. "Really! I didn't know you were this good! Can I please see more?"

Wolfram's blush darkened and he yanked the book back. "You're not allowed to just flip through it." he grumbled, purposefully angling the book so that Yuuri couldn't see. Yuuri resisted the urge to strain his neck to try and see what he was hiding. Did Wolfram put down his fantasies in there? But then Wolfram was tilting it back for him to see and Yuuri's face lit up.

"Greta!" There were several drawings of her across the two pages. They weren't as detailed as the one of him but they still captured her expressions perfectly. "Wow. Seriously, Wolfram, this is really good."

"Thanks." Wolfram said, sounding sheepish, but his leg had calmed at least. He flipped several pages over at once to a page his finger had been holding. This spread had several sketches of people from the castle with varying levels of detail but they were all immediately recognizable.

"Wolf…" he said in awe as he flipped to another spread that was taken up entirely by a scene from the castle garden with Greta sitting in the middle of the flowers, reading a book. "How come I haven't caught you doing these before?"

Wolfram shrugged. "I usually only do it when you've gone back to Earth. Or are busy with Gwendal and Gunter." he said, his thumb tracing over Greta's face. "I usually bring a book with me, but we rarely have the time for me to do anything with it."

"I love them." Yuuri said, marveling at the details each flower had, even the individual bricks on the far wall. Yet Greta was still the undeniable focus, the lines around her a bit thicker to make her stand out.

"R-really? You hated my painting."

"I didn't hate it." Yuuri said, not sure if he was lying or not. "I just didn't get it. I still don't think I do, sorry. These are amazing, though." he said, looking back up to Wolfram's face. "Can I watch you?"

"Wha-!" Wolfram sputtered, blush darkening. "N-not drawing you!"

"Okay." he said with a shrug. He wasn't sure what the big deal was, but it was Wolfram's thing. "Something else, then? Oh! Can you draw me you?" he asked, perking up at the idea.

Wolfram wrinkled his nose. "That's too hard to do without a mirror." He said. "Believe it or not, I'm not vain enough to stare at myself for hours for no reason."

Yuuri smirked "But you stare at me that much?"

Watching Wolfram's blush flare again was oddly satisfying, but he lifted his chin in that proud way of his, clearly not ashamed. Yuuri expected an exclamation about how it was his right as Yuuri's fiance or something, but Wolfram just stared at him definiantly until Yuuri nudged him with his shoulder, chuckling. "So something else, then."

Wolfram relaxed. "Like what?" he asked, setting the book back against his leg and flipping to a clean page.

"I dunno. One of the horses?"

"Animals can be annoying." he muttered but started lightly sketching some basic shapes, looking out the back of the cart at the horses being ridden behind them. The reminder that they were constantly being watched made something in Yuuri's stomach twist, but none of the riders made eye contact, either talking to each other or looking out at the scenery.

Looking back down at the sketchbook, the basic form of a front on horse was already forming from the overlapping basic shapes Wolfram was lightly putting to paper. Yuuri rested his cheek on Wolfram's shoulder, watching in awe as he slowly pulled lines from the mess of shapes to bring the horse to life.

Wolfram eventually had line work he was happy with and started erasing the lighter shapes he had started with. "Did you go back to sleep?"

"Mm-mm." Yuuri shook his head. He didn't even feel tired at the moment. "Keep going! It looks really good."

He could almost feel the heat radiating from Wolfram's cheek. "Is this actually enjoyable to you or are you just that bored? We can do something else."

"No, I like it!" Yuuri insisted, tilting his head back a bit to try and look at him without sitting up. "Unless it's bothering you… I've never watched someone draw before. It's really cool."

"It- it doesn't bother me." Wolfram said softly. From what Yuuri could see of his face, his eyes looked soft and he had a small smile on his face. He started working on the drawing again and Yuuri focused back on the page. "No one's ever watched me like this. I guess my teachers did, when I first started as a kid, but even they'd just eventually check on my progress. Mother likes to see them, and I show Gwendal sometimes, but…"

"You don't show them to other people?" Yuuri filled in. "But, why? They're so good."

"They're just sketches. They're practice for real art."

Yuuri frowned. "That doesn't sound fair to them at all. They're beautiful, Wolf. They're already art."

Wolfram shook his head. "Art is always big paintings and things for people to stand around and admire. And lots of people can do realism. There's nothing special about that."

Yuuri's frown deepened further and he sat up, shifting to face him and gently taking Wolfram's chin between his fingers to turn his head to lock eyes with him. "If that's what your teachers told you, they sound stupid. These drawings are special to you," because it was clear that they were from the care he put into them. "And they're special to me. That's more than enough to make them art."

Wolfram blinked at him with wide eyes and Yuuri vaguely wondered what he looked like right now. Would whatever his expression was wearing right now also get immortalized onto paper by Wolfram's steady hands? "Okay," Wolfram finally breathed, licking his lips. The motion made Yuuri suddenly aware of how close they were and how easy it would be to pull Wolfram's chin closer and close the gap- "If the King declares them art, they must be art."

Yuuri smiled, happy enough with that for now. He'd keep on convincing him to make sure he truly believed it, but he also knew how seriously Wolfram took his word. So it was enough for now. He ran his thumb over Wolfram's bottom lip before letting go. He had already decided that kissing him before he'd recovered wouldn't be fair. And part of him was still conscious of the people surrounding him. The gesture made Wolfram look dazed, which didn't help the temptation, so he snuggled back into his side so he could hide from the look.

It took a few moments, and Yuuri didn't push, before Wolfram cleared his throat and started working on the drawing again. Some basic shading, then working on details. Erasing and darkening parts of it until it looked like you could reach out and pet the mane. Eventually, Wolfram set his pencil down. "If I work at it anymore, I think I'll ruin it."

"It's gorgeous." Yuuri said from his shoulder. "Thank you for letting me watch."

"Mm." Wolfram sounded. Even though he wasn't looking, Yuuri was pretty sure Wolfram was blushing again. "Do you want to keep it?"

"Can I?" he asked, perking up. "I don't have a safe way to transport it, though. It'll get all wrinkled."

"It's just a horse drawing- ow!" Yuuri had pinched his arm. "What was that for?!"

"Quit talking down your work. It's amazing and you did it for me. So it's not 'just' a horse drawing. Keep it safe for me till we get back to the castle?"

"... Okay." Wolfram said, but his voice sounded warm as he closed the book. "Can I have my bag back now?"

"Oh! Right." Yuuri said, sheepishly lifting it from where he'd stowed it beside him and handed it back to Wolfram. Wolfram stowed the book in the same pocket he'd put it before and set it to the side. Then he shifted, slipping an arm behind Yuuri and pulling him even closer. Yuuri smiled, snuggling even more into his warmth and felt his eyes close of their own volition.

When he started to wake again, his head was pillowed against something soft but he couldn't feel Wolf's warmth touching him anywhere. He was put off by this enough that consciousness rapidly ascended on him. "Wolf?" he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. When there wasn't an immediate response, Yuuri sat up with a jolt, realizing they weren't moving anymore.

"Morning, Your Majesty." Yozak said with a grin, still on his horse that was standing beside the cart. "No need to fret. You're pretty prince will be back in a minute."

Yuuri blushed at the comment but tried to push the embarrassment away. "Are we taking a break?"

"We passed some traders and decided to stop. Best to stay in the cart, though, Your Majesty. We don't want a big to do about you being on the road." Yuuri's shoulders slumped, excitement immediately dwindling. He wanted to see what the traders had, too! "Your Majesty, may I offer some advice?"

Yuuri tilted his head. "On what?"

"We are all very adept at minding our own business, but tent walls aren't very sound proof." Yuuri's face went beet red so fast his head throbbed and he felt a bit dizzy. "And it can be even worse if you just catch the loud bits. So, if your goal is privacy, you might want to keep your voice down, Your Majesty."

"G-good to know." Yuuri squeaked, trying to remember what parts they might have heard.

"And if you ever get sick of the bratty princeling, my tent is always open, Your Majesty."

"W-what?!" Okay, that one he caught. "N-no, thanks. I think I'm good where I'm at."

Yozak grinned, but he was looking over Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri turned to see Wolfram glaring at Yozak and brightened. "Wolf!"

"Go be a pervert somewhere else."

"Yes, Little Lord." Yozak said with a chuckle, guiding his horse forward.

"What kinds of things did the traders have?" Yuuri asked, leaning over the edge of the cart to try and see the bundle the blonde was carrying. Wolfram didn't reply so he looked up to see him staring. "What?"

"You noticed that one, did you?"

"Well, it was pretty blatant. But I don't think he was serious. Seemed more like he was teasing you than anything else."

"Hmf."

"Either way, I said no. You have no reason to call me a cheater."

"This time." Wolfram said, moving to the back of the cart and setting down what was in his arms. "Want to see what I got?"

"Yes!" Yuuri said, happy to abandon the potential cheating lectures to move forward for a better look.

"For Greta." He said, taking a handmade doll off the top of the pile.

"Aw! She'll love it."

"And you like these, right?" He asked, passing over a bag of sweets.

Yuuri gasped, picking it up in excitement. "Yeah! They're probably my favorite I've had from here. Thanks!"

Wolfram's smile seemed quite proud of himself. "I got these for me," Yuuri leaned over curiously, taking note of the small, marshmallow-like candies. "And a bag of trail mix to share. Conrart's bartering for something to cook for dinner tonight."

Yuuri smiled, wondering what had brought out Wolfram's use of his brother's first name. "An excellent job, Lord von Bielefeld."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wolfram replied as he climbed back into the cart.

Yuuri scrunched up his nose. "Yeah, no, even as a joke that sounds weird coming from you."

"What about," Wolfram said, leaning down as he passed so he could whisper in Yuuri's ear, voice pitched low and husky. "Your Majesty."

The tone made something flutter in his stomach, but Wolfram using his title was still weider than anything else and he shook his head. "Stop."

"Yuuri?" He tried in the same tone and that made heat rush straight from Yuuri's gut to his face. Wolfram smirked, leaning back to gather his purchases from the edge of the cart.

"You can't just do that." Yuuri hissed, desperately trying to calm both his body and his blush. How could Wolf just saying his name have such an effect on him?!

"Why?" The jerk was still smirking as he added things to his bag. "It's fun. Especially now that you actually seem to notice."

Yuuri grumbled some nonsense insults at him while he tried to remember tricks he'd overheard in the locker room to help with this sort of thing. A cold shower wasn't an option. Picturing his grandmother naked? Just the thought of attempting to do so seem to help calm matters.

"Sit back, Yuuri, we're going to head out again." Wolfram said, grabbing his arm and sliding him back toward him.

"Wolfram, you know how I told you yesterday that you could be a bit much?"

"Yeah?"

"That- was a bit much." He said, cheeks warming a bit at the confession. "A-at least, right now. And out in the open like this."

Wolfram blinked before frowning. "Oh. But I-"

Yuuri shook his head to cut him off. "I'm not mad, or anything. But, um, that voice seemed a little... too powerful? So, maybe hold off on using it for a while."

Green eyes went wide. "Oh." Then he smacked him on the arm.

"Ow! What-"

"Have you heard what you sound like when you transform?" He said accusingly. "That combined with the amount of power you throw around? Shinou save me."

Yuuri blushed harder at the implication. "I-I don't have a lot of conscious control over that."

"I know. And there's always some life or death situation going on too. But that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it again later."

"Well that sounds like your own fault." He said, feeling light headed at the hint of what Wolfram fantasized about. "And definitely doesn't warrant you smacking me."

"It wasn't even that hard, wimp." Wolfram said with a shrug. "But, fine. I won't do it again unless you want me to."

"Thank you." He said, already trying to figure out how he'd even ask for such a thing should he decide he wanted it. Would he just try to mimic his Maoh voice and hope Wolfram would follow suit? Could he even mimic his Maoh voice? Would it work the same on Wolfram? He was tempted to try, but it felt like cheating after just requesting Wolfram not do it to him.

He opened his bag of candy, but before he could do anything else, Wolfram reached in and pulled one out to hold it in front of him. "Ah?"

Yuuri blushed for what felt like the hundredth time since waking up and glanced toward the back of the cart. But there was no one behind them yet, since they hadn't started moving. "One." Yuuri specified before opening his mouth.

Wolfram smiled, gently placing the candy against his tongue, fingers slipping back as he closed his mouth around it. Feeling bold, Yuuri leaned forward and pressed his lips against the retreating fingertips.

"I should rile you up more often if you're going to be this cute about it after." Wolfram said softly. Yuuri pouted at that and tried to snap at his fingers instead, but Wolfram had already pulled them away with a snicker.

"Gimme your bag." Yuuri demanded, reaching around him for it.

"What? Why? They're mine!" He complained, trying to block Yuuri's hands.

"I want to feed you one."

That made Wolfram freeze and Yuuri snatched up the bag. "Me?"

"Yeah." Yuuri said, opening the bag. "It's only fair. You've fed me a bunch. 'Ah'!" He said, holding out the marshmallow thing with a victorious grin.

Wolfram stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before slowly leaning forward. Yuuri couldn't tell if he was purposefully exaggerating his movements or if he was just paying that close attention. His pearly white teeth sunk into the middle of the soft treat, lips brushing Yuuri's fingers as he bit through. Then his tongue came out, slipping between Yuuri's two fingers, wrapping around what was left of the candy, and pulling it into his mouth.

Yuuri stared, dumbstruck until the cart lurched into motion. "A-are," he had to stop and swallow hard. "Are you trying to turn this into a competition or something?"

Wolfram licked his lips before answering, the bastard. "That wasn't what you were doing last night?" He asked, sounding far too innocent.

Yuuri's blush flared again; he should just paint his face red at this point. "You're the worst."

"I think that depends on if I'm winning or not."

"Of course you're winning! Have you seen you?"

A blush finally appeared on Wolfram's cheeks. "I don't know, I don't think I've managed to leave you in a complete state of sexual confusion yet."

Yuuri snorted. "Are you kidding? I've been living in that state the last two days. And you keep making it worse."

Green eyes narrowed at him a bit. "I'm not sorry."

"I didn't expect you to be." Yuuri said with a smile. "My point is, you're way better at whatever this game is."

"Maybe," Wolfram said with a shrug. "But so far you're a natural. You haven't even been trying."

"Yeah, well, lower any expectations you may have now that I'm at least aware. I'm just going to awkward all over the place."

Wolfram's eyes warmed and he gave Yuuri the most sincere smile. "I'm just glad you're willing to play."

Yuuri let out a breath, reaching up to cup Wolfram's face with both hands. "That expression," he breathed. "I want to capture it forever."

Of course, it immediately changed then. Green eyes went wide and a blush covered Wolfram's whole face. Yuuri sighed but gave him a smile.

"Y-you're ridiculous." Wolfram sputtered, grabbing Yuuri's wrists and pulling his hands down while looking away from him. "Insisting you're bad at it then going and saying something like that. Jeez."

Yuuri grinned. Maybe this game wasn't as hard as he thought.

They had apparently bartered for fish for dinner. Wolfram had still insisted on putting the tent up on his own, even though Yuuri's head had been doing much better. Vensa gave him a quick check up at the fire this time and Yozak started singing a song that Yuuri assumed was some kind of sailing or fishing song, given the lyrics. Either way, Yuuri was content to close his eyes and listen as he waited for dinner to cook and Wolfram to come back.

By the third verse, Yuuri felt a hand land gently on the top of his head. He smiled at the warmth of it. "Hi, Wolfram."

"How did you know it was me?"

Yuuri opened his eyes and tilted his head back to smile up at him. "Chances were it was either you or Conrad. And you're warm."

Wolfram raised an eyebrow at him, moving to sit beside him. "And Weller isn't?"

"Not as warm as you." he said, watching him as he sat. "So far no one is."

"What do you mean?" Wolfram asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Yuuri shrugged, not sure how best to explain it. "It's just… something I've noticed since I first woke up after the fight. Everyone else who touches me feels the same. But you're always warm. I was even able to tell you weren't the one to lift me into the cart after I was sick the other day, just because whoever did wasn't as warm as you. My current theory is because of your fire magic."

Wolfram frowned "That shouldn't have anything to do with my body temperature. Have I always felt warmer to you?"

Yuuri also frowned and tilted his head in thought. Wolfram had always found excuses to touch him, many of them being rough housing in retribution for perceived infidelity. "Not that I noticed before? But I have been paying a lot more attention to your everything since the fight."

A light blush lit Wolfram's cheeks and it was only then that Yuuri realized that could be less innocent than intended. But, even then, it wasn't really inaccurate so he didn't bother trying to correct it. "It's… not unheard of for people to be able to sense Maryoku." Wolfram said, turning his head to look into the fire. "I think Gunter has some skill in it. But I've never heard of it developing after getting hit in the head."

"Maybe it was the near death experience?" Yuuri wondered, leaning into Wolfram's side to mooch off of the very warmth they were talking about. "Or, maybe it's just cause it's you? Maybe it's our bond deepening or something weird like that. Is that a thing? It sounds like it'd be a thing here."

Wolfram looked back at him and there was the smallest spark of hope in his green eyes that Yuuri desperately wanted to nurture somehow. It was certainly better than the hopeless looks Wolfram had been giving him more and more as the day went on. Like he was already preparing to lose something. "I've never heard of something like that, but you are a weirdo, so who knows."

Yuuri grinned, taking the insult for the amount of affection he could hear behind it.

"Either way, you're the only other one here with Maryoku, so we can't experiment until we're back at the castle."

"Mm." Yuuri said distractedly, shifting closer to him to get more comfortable before lifting Wolfram's arm and draping it over his own shoulders.

Wolfram gave him a surprised look. "You're getting more comfortable." he said, casting a quick glance around the campfire.

Yuuri felt a blush heat his cheeks and he looked down, trying to ignore how aware he suddenly was of everyone else around him. "I.. Might still get weird, once there's a new group of people around." He said softly, making Wolfram lean in a bit to hear him. "But, nothing bad has happened with this group, so…"

"What exactly do you think is going to happen, Yuuri?"

"I don't even know!" he sighed, burying his face in his hands. "It just makes me nervous. Like, someone's going to jump up and start yelling at me and- and I'll get in trouble or something."

"Is that what happens on Earth?"

"It can be a lot worse than that on Earth. People have been beaten up or worse for other people just thinking they might like other guys."

The arm Yuuri had draped around himself tightened and Yuuri could imagine Wolfram's green eyes flashing. "That is not going to happen here." Wolfram said in a tone that was clear he had translated that as people existing that would dare to try and hurt Yuuri. Yuuri's heart melted a bit at the protectiveness and he lowered his hands. He didn't think he had ever minded this part of their relationship, even if the overprotectiveness could be overbearing at times. He was always grateful to have Wolfram there beside him when bad things happened.

"Besides," Wolfram continued, calming a bit. "It's way more accepted here. And you're the King. Who's going to dare try and yell at you? They'd be the ones in trouble."

Yuuri laughed a bit. "I mean, yeah, I guess that makes sense. But considering I still have trouble remembering I'm King sometimes, that's kind of hard to drill into my brain."

"Well, if it does happen." Wolfram said, raising his chin a bit. "I'll just yell louder."

Yuuri snorted. "That I believe," he said, slipping an arm around Wolfram's waist.

Wolfram dropped a kiss onto his forehead that made Yuuri blush again. "Are you still cold?"

Yuuri shrugged. "Even when I'm not, your warmth still feels good. Like a good bath after a long day."

"I'm like a bath?" Wolfram said, sounding incredulous.

Yuuri rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's comforting." And safe. And felt like it could soothe anything wrong with him. Like some kind of mythical hot spring. But that all felt a little too big to say out loud.

"Your Majesty. Lord von Bielefeld."

Yuuri blinked, looking up at the soldier handing them both plates. "Oh! Thanks." he said, reluctantly unwrapping his arm from Wolfram's waist to accept the dinner.

"Cheers!" The soldier said with a smile before heading off again.

Wolfram started to move his arm off Yuuri's shoulder and Yuuri gave a whine of protest. He was being obnoxious now, he knew, but he also didn't much care. He'd put that arm there and he wanted it to stay.

"How else am I supposed to eat, Yuuri?" Wolfram demanded, but had stopped moving his arm.

"Mm… I could feed it to you?"

"Really?" Wolfram asked, sounding disbelieving. And, now that he had a chance to second guess it, Yuuri did think that sounded a bit too much for him right now.

"I'll cut it up for you so you can eat it one handed." he decided, already starting.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Yeah, well, you're enabling me, so who's fault is it really?"

Wolfram shook his head but stopped arguing, so Yuuri considered it a win.

After they finished eating, Yuuri dropped his head onto Wolfram's shoulder and watched the fire, feeling too content to move. He hadn't realized he'd nodded off until Wolfram was gently shaking him awake. "Come on, let's go to bed. You still need your medicine."

"Nn." Yuuri protested, but let Wolfram drag him to his feet. He wiped the sleep from his eyes so he wouldn't stumble over anything or one on the way to their tent. "Did you already get the blankets?"

"Yeah, I just grabbed them as we left the cart."

"You're the best."

Wolfram glanced back at him with a light blush and Yuuri wondered at how such basic praise could get that reaction.

Medicine was a calmer affair then last night, once they'd settled. Yuuri managed not to trap and lick Wolfram's fingers again, but he did grab his wrist before he could pull away and placed a kiss into his palm. That made Wolfram blush, but something about his eyes was too reserved for Yuuri's liking. Was he already thinking about what he thought tomorrow would be like? "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Wolfram asked, giving him a small smile. "You're the one dropping kisses in suggestive places."

Yuuri scowled. He didn't really see how his palm could be all that suggestive. And he wasn't sure how to quantify what he wanted Wolfram to stop. He couldn't be sure that was what he was thinking about, but he wasn't sure what else would have that effect on the blonde at the moment. "Just- stop acting like you're going to lose me."

"Is that what I'm doing?" Wolfram asked, raising an eyebrow. Yuuri couldn't explain it, couldn't quite put his finger on what was different. But it wasn't just the look in Wolfram's eyes. It was in the tone of voice he was using right now, even though it sounded normal. Maybe it was because it just sounded normal. There was no teasing or flirtation in it. There was a tension to his movements, like he had to be extra careful of everything he did.

"Just- Stop!" Yuuri said, grabbing both Wolfram's shoulders and giving them a shake. "Stop… bracing for me to hurt you! I hate it. It's like the first day in the cart. You just looked so resigned to me changing my mind, even though you'd be hurt if I did!"

"In all fairness," Wolfram said in the same even tone Yuuri was starting to loathe. He took Yuuri's wrists and tried to pull them away but Yuuri held firm. "You did warn me."

"That wasn't about this!" Yuuri said angrily, shoving hard at Wolfram's shoulders and letting him fall back. Finally, something else appeared in his green eyes, even if it was just shock. "That was about me probably getting anxious about public displays of affection, not me suddenly deciding that I hate you, or whatever you've decided is going to happen! I don't want you to be hurt by anyone, least of all me, and I definitely don't want you to just lay down and accept it!"

The shock shifted to a spark of anger, which Yuuri would gladly take. "What else am I supposed to do, Yuuri?! I can't say no to you. Even if I could, then you'd be hurt! There's no good outcome here!"

"You can listen to me, you idiot!" Yuuri said, throwing his arms out wide in frustration. "I want to be with you! There's no evidence to support that that's suddenly going to change once my head is healed. If anything, there's evidence to show the opposite. I know I can't prove it to you right now, but I'm going to! I just need you to have not already given up!"

Wolfram looked away from him and Yuuri fumed. The last time he had wanted to hit Wolfram's stubborn, beautiful, frustrating face this badly, the blonde had been insulting his mother. Now, it was like he was insulting himself and the desire to knock sense into him had never been so strong. He wished slapping his cheek didn't have such a heavy connotation to it or else he'd do it again just to prove how serious he was.

"Do you really think so low of yourself that it's impossible to believe I'd want you, after all of this? That I could only recognize your feelings as being real when I have brain damage?" Wolfram flinched at this, convincing Yuuri he'd finally found the real sore point in all this. He crawled over Wolfram's still splayed limbs and grabbed his chin to make him face him. The green eyes that stared back at him were wide, vulnerable and scared. "You are not worthless, Wolfram von Bielefeld." he said with all the power and force he could muster. Wolfram's face actually became illuminated in a dull blue glow and his eyes went even wider, making Yuuri wonder if his own eyes had turned to slits. Yuuri still felt in control, though, and getting his point across felt more important than him potentially going Maoh. "Even when I was an ass to you, I still wanted you by my side. Still depended on you. The only thing that's changed is that I've realized what an idiot I've been. Nothing about tomorrow is going to make that realization go away. Do you understand?"

He could see Wolfram swallow before he nodded, the grip Yuuri had on his chin making the motion stunted.

"And I want you to know. The only reason I'm not kissing you right now is because, when I do, I want to be sure you believe it." And, just like that, all of his energy was gone. The blue light faded and he fell on top of Wolfram. Yuuri had enough time to wonder how he would possibly be so drained when he hadn't lost control or done any magic before his body aggressively pulled him into sleep.

Yuuri groaned as he came to consciousness. He could hear birds singing, so he hoped it was only the next morning. But he didn't feel Wolfram wasn't against him at all. Had he gotten too upset last night and left? Yuuri opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by staring green ones only inches away. "Gah! Jesus, Wolfram."

Wolfram's eyes narrowed, but he looked more tired than angry. "You went Maoh on me."

"Is that why you're not cuddling me right now?"

"You're obnoxious!" Wolfram said, running a hand through his own messy bedhead.

"You're not allowed to be mad at me. You deserved it."

"Mad isn't the right word." Wolfram said, rolling onto his back. "I can't believe you went Maoh on me! That has to be cheating somehow."

Yuuri glared at the side of Wolfram's head. "I tried talking to you about it, but you refused to listen! And I wasn't trying to go Maoh, I was just trying to make you believe me." That anger was still there, too. Just because Wolfram had nodded in the face of the Maoh didn't mean he actually believed him. "And something must be wrong, because you're not even touching me. Do you still not-"

"I was holding you, earlier." Wolfram cut him off. "We just… ended up this way by the time you woke up."

Yuuri frowned, lifting up onto his elbows to get a better look at him. Wolfram looked exhausted. There were slight bags under his eyes and his eyelids were drooping. "Have you not slept?"

"I did. Technically. For a bit once I finally calmed down after facing you in Maoh mode."

Yuuri winced. That at least was fair. Wolfram had to be used to his Maoh form meaning danger. And having it directed at him, even though Yuuri had still been in control, probably hadn't been the easiest to recover from. "What do you mean, technically?"

Wolfram shrugged, avoiding looking Yuuri in the eye. "It just... wasn't very restful."

Yuuri frowned. "Was it a nightmare?"

Green eyes quickly turned back to him, suddenly sharp and alert. "How did you-?"

"You had one the night before. I was able to make it go away."

"What? How?"

Yuuri shrugged. "Laying on you. Was it about me getting hurt? You said my name, before…"

Wolfram looked away from him again. "Kind of. It started with what actually happened, but then it just got worse and worse…"

Yuuri's heart clenched, any remaining anger draining away. "What time do you think it is?"

Wolfram blinked a couple times before looking back at him. "Early, but I'm pretty sure I heard someone starting breakfast already."

Yuuri's shoulders slumped. "So there's no time for you to nap now." He said before sitting up and starting to put on his shoes. "I'll take down the tent this time. You go get food and then you can nap in the cart."

"What?" Wolfram asked, jerking up into a sitting position as well. "No, I'm fine, I can do it. Besides, you're injured."

"I feel fine today. Don't even have a headache." He said as he put his jacket back on.

"But-"

"I'm not letting you win this time, Wolf." Yuuri said, reaching over and cupping Wolfram's cheek. Wolfram leaned into the touch and Yuuri felt his heart swell. "I'm sure you're capable of forcing yourself, but you don't have to. I can handle a tent. And I'm allowed to take care of you."

"But it's my job to take care of you." Wolf argued, looking sulky.

"It's our job to take care of each other." Yuuri corrected, petting his cheek with his thumb. "Now, are you going to let me or do I have to start dishing out official orders?"

Wolfram gave him a glare, but he looked too tired for there to really be any heat behind it. Finally he sighed, shoulder's slumping. "Fine. You can have your way. And people call me spoiled."

Yuuri grinned and pulled his head forward enough to press a kiss to his forehead before letting go and starting to gather up the blankets.

"Yuuri?" Wolfram said softly after a moment. "Did you mean what you said last night? About us having a bond?"

Yuuri stopped folding blankets and looked back at him. He was in the middle of tugging on his second boot and was staring at it resolutely, but that didn't stop his expression from being vulnerable. "I don't know if it's magical or actually has anything to do with you feeling warmer to me." he said, sitting back on his heels. "But we definitely have a bond and it's definitely gotten stronger these last few days."

"Was it there even before you got hurt?"

"Definitely." Yuuri nodded. "You're my best friend, Wolf. I know it's not as much as you've wanted to be, but it's still important. Even if I still wasn't interested in trying to be more, now, I wouldn't want to hurt my best friend."

Wolfram finally looked back up at him, that spark of hope from last night brighter in his eyes. "But, you do want to try being more?"

"Duh. Or else I wouldn't have been so angry with you last night."

Wolfram smiled, a light blush on his cheeks. But his expression looked so wholesome that Yuuri didn't think the blush could be from any dirty thoughts. That shifted a heartbeat later when the smile became a smirk and- just like that- he was Yuuri's usual Wolfram again. "So, you meant what you said before you passed out, then?"

"Hm?" Yuuri freigned forgetfulness as he went back to folding the blankets. It didn't feel like he was blushing, which he was thankful for. Because he wasn't embarrassed by that declaration. Maybe it was because he had been using his Maoh power, but he'd never felt more confident about stating a desire.

"About kissing me." Wolfram said, crawling toward him now.

"Sorry," Yuuri teased, purposefully not looking at him. "You know I don't remember things from Maoh form well." he said, but couldn't hold back a smile as Wolfram got right beside his face.

"I've almost kissed you," Wolfram said in a low whisper that made desire flicker in Yuuri's gut. It wasn't quite the voice he'd promised not to use, but it was close. "So many times."

Yuuri turned his head to look at him. They were so damn close their noses nearly brushed. "Why didn't you?"

Wolfram gave an annoyed sigh, expression shifting to one Yuuri associated with him being annoyed at having to follow Conrad's orders. "It didn't seem like the gentlemanly thing to do, when you were so out of it."

"I would have let you." Yuuri said. Because he would have. Now that he acknowledged that he wanted to kiss him, he recognized the desire as far back as that night in Hilvera, when he had been confused that Wolfram had ended up against his neck instead of doing something else.

"I know." and, for some reason, that admission is what made Yuuri blush. The fact that they'd both been dancing around it filled Yuuri's chest with nervous butterflies.

Yuuri reached up to bury his fingers into Wolfram's still messy bedhead. "Once my head's healed. And you can't doubt it anymore. Okay?"

Wolfram swallowed, tongue coming out to run over his lips in an absolutely agonizing way. "Just a few hours, then, yeah?"

"Yeah…" that made the butterflies speed up, but the longer they hovered so close together, the more the heat between them seemed to build and the closer he came to throwing waiting out the window.

Someone dropped something out in camp that banged loudly and another hushed voice scolded them. It was enough to break the spell and both boys pulled back at the same time.

"You're really not going to let me take down the tent?" Wolfram asked and Yuuri was thankful for the topic change.

"Nope!" he said with an excessive amount of cheer. "And, if you don't hurry up, I'm going to make you let me dress you, too."

"You say that like it'd be a punishment." Wolfram said, and Yuuri blushed again. But he recognized the return to the game, now, and felt confident enough to play.

"Wouldn't you rather I be taking it off of you?"

Wolfram made a squawking sound, face flushing red halfway through putting his jacket on.

Yuuri grinned, counting it as a win.

Wolfram didn't put up much of a fight to Yuuri taking down the tent after that. He accepted the bundle of blankets and let Yuuri comb his fingers through his hair to fix the bed head before being shooed away to get breakfast.

Despite Yuuri assuring Wolfram that he could handle taking down the tent, actually fitting it back into its bag was another story entirely. He was attempting to force it when Wolfram returned, munching on some kind of sandwich that Yuuri assumed was today's breakfast.

"That looks atrocious."

"Well," Yuuri said, giving up even though a third of it was still sticking out. "It's not like it has to stay in there long."

"You're hopeless."

"Did you bring me one?" Yuuri asked instead, hefting the messy tent bag under one arm. Wolfram held out a second sandwich that Yuuri accepted gratefully.

"Vensa gave me your medicine, too."

Yuuri finished chewing the bit he had in his mouth as they headed back to the cart. "I really don't know if I need it. I haven't had any twinges, even while wrestling with the tent."

"Are you sure?" Wolfram said, looking at him like he was trying to decide if he was lying or not.

"I'm sure." Yuuri laughed. "Besides, it should be healed soon anyway. If something suddenly flairs, I'll take it. But I think I'll be okay until the Shrine."

"Okay." Wolfram agreed, climbing onto the cart first and offering Yuuri a hand up.

"I feel like this is going against the whole 'me taking care of you now' thing." Yuuri complained as he stowed the tent bag and took Wolfram's hand. Wolfram just rolled his eyes at him.

"I'm not too tired to help you into a cart."

"Fine. But I'm still making you nap."

"Ugh."

Yuuri was 80% sure the arguing was just for show, since once he had settled and patted his own lap, Wolfram had the smallest smile as he laid down and pillowed his head on Yuuri's thighs. Yuuri even made a show of covering him with a blanket and tucking him in.

"You're ridiculous."

"You love it."

"I do."

That made Yuuri blush and Wolfram's smile turned self satisfied. Fine, he could have that point.

"Go to sleep." Yuuri said, giving his forehead a light shove.

"Scratch my head again?"

"Realizing the perks of the role reversal, have you?"

Wolfram just smiled and Yuuri obediently buried his fingers in his hair and started rubbing at his scalp. Wolfram melted, just like before. His eyes slipped closed and not even the cart jerking into motion roused him.

"Your Majesty," Yuuri looked up a few minutes later to see Conrad riding beside the cart. "Has everything been going alright? The… shouting and light from your tent didn't go unnoticed last night."

Yuuri's eyes widened. "That- We- It's complicated. We had an argument but we're okay now."

Conrad raised an eyebrow. "It… must have been some argument."

"He wasn't listening to me, and I… may have gone overboard trying to get my point across." he said, feeling bashful about transforming for the first time. "I was in control, though, nothing actually happened."

"Alright."

Yuuri studied his protector's face for a moment, but it was as pleasantly neutral as ever. "Conrad, what's your opinion on all this?" He asked, using his free hand to gesture between him and Wolfram.

"My opinion, Your Majesty?"

"Yeah. You're probably the one person that really cares about us both equally. You've never really commented on it aside from the other day."

Conrad sat back in his saddle a bit and just watched them. Yuuri suddenly became extra aware of Wolfram's warm cheek on his thigh and the feel of his soft hair, a bit greasy from traveling, between his fingers. "I think," Conrad said at last. "That you've both made it more complicated than it needed to be. But you've been good for him. Wolfram's grown a lot since you arrived. And, as long as this is something you actually want, I think you can be good for each other."

Yuuri let out a breath that he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. Some small weight seemed to lift from his shoulders at Conrad's approval. If Conrad thought it was okay, surely it must be? Even if someone else might not, Conrad supported them.

"However, I do hope you are actually serious about this." Conrad continued and Yuuri felt like he was being scolded by the man again. "Wolfram doesn't take his relationship with you lightly. I would hope you would give that the gravity it deserves."

"I do!" Yuuri insisted.

"Good. Because you are my King, but he is still my baby brother."

Yuuri felt a shiver run down his spine. It hadn't been a threat, and Yuuri couldn't fathom Conrad actually doing anything to hurt him, but he definitely never wanted to get on Conrad's bad side.

"He's been scared I'll change my mind once my head is healed. That'll I'll go back to acting the way I used to or worse." he said, looking down at the blonde's sleeping face. He wore a soft, relaxed smile, his hands lightly curled and resting near his chin, one hand barely touching Yuuri's outer thigh. "I won't." Yuuri said firmly before looking back up at Conrad. "But if I somehow do, I want you to tell that other Yuuri he's an absolute idiot and knock some sense into him."

Conrad's serious expression shifted into a fond smile. "Is that an order, Your Majesty?"

"Yes."

His smile warmed and he gave a firm nod. "Understood. Enjoy your ride, Yuuri."

Yuuri grinned at the use of his actual name. Conrad gave him a last fond look before urging his horse back to the front.

A downside to making Wolfram nap and not feeling tired himself is that he had nothing to entertain himself with. He was starting to feel like a creeper for how often he ended up just staring at Wolfram's sleeping face. If he had a fraction of Wolfram's artistic talent, he would capture how the blonde looked right now. Or a camera. Could he bring one over sometime? They made ones that went underwater…

A small noise brought him out of his vague plotting. Wolfram was frowning again, like he had the other night. Yuuri frowned and rolled him onto his back. He didn't want to wake him, and he worried that shifting enough to lay on him would do just that. Instead he pressed down on his chest as gently as he dared to see if the weight would be enough. Wolfram murmured something in sleep, but it didn't devolve into the thrashing it had the other night.

"You're okay." Yuuri said, brushing blonde hair back off his forehead, "I'm safe. You aren't going to lose me." Wolfram's frown gradually smoothed out, but Yuuri kept the steady pressure on his chest just in case. Eventually, Wolfram rolled back onto his side of his own accord, curling around Yuuri's arm. His expression shifted back to the soft smile and Yuuri smiled in return, leaning down to kiss his temple.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Wolfram continued to sleep peacefully and Yuuri was grateful he was able to make up for not helping him last night. He really was incredibly beautiful. Yuuri spent most of it trying to think of different ways to both prove himself to Wolfram and to just make him feel special.

Once Yuuri finally started recognizing the scenery, he gently shook Wolfram's shoulder.

"Who, what?" Wolfram mumbled, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. Yuuri wasn't sure he'd ever seen something so adorable.

"Sorry, but we're almost there. I thought you might want to be awake."

Wolfram gave a disapproving groan but hauled himself up into a sitting position. "I actually slept the whole way?"

"Yep! Almost like I was right."

"Don't let it go to your head."

Yuuri grinned, fishing out a water skin and handing it over. "Do you feel better, though?"

"I guess." Wolfram yawned, shifting to sit beside him. "I won't complain about the pillow. Or the view on waking."

Yuuri snorted. "Pretty sure my view had you beat," he argued. "I definitely had mine longer."

"Hm." Wolfram said, narrowing his eyes at him. Yuuri was pretty sure he was trying to come up with something to say to make him win, and Yuuri was excited that he seemed to be getting the hang of this game. Wolfram apparently decided to just let him have the soft point since he just took a long drink in the end.

The cart finally lurched to a stop and they both looked up to see Murata already running towards them.

"Shibuya!" he greeted with a grin, half leaping onto the side of the cart. "Heard you forgot your helmet. And your bat."

"Haha." Yuuri said, putting a palm to his friend's forehead and shoving him back off of the cart. "Do you think Ulrike can help?"

"One stop head repair shop, coming right up!" Murata laughed, already heading back toward the shrine and waving to Conrad and Yozak. "Can you walk or do we need to break out the stretcher?"

"You're hilarious. Real comedian." Yuuri said as he pulled himself to his feet.

Before he could move to climb off the cart, Wolfram grabbed his hand. Looking down at him, it was obvious that the nerves were still there, and Yuuri hated that he still thought he'd change his mind. But, even as Yuuri watched, Wolfram seemed to build himself back up. "You're kissing me when you come back out, right?"

Yuuri smirked, leaning all the way down and planting a kiss on the tip of Wolfram's nose. Wolfram going cross-eyed to watch him made it very hard to keep a straight face. He was trying to be smooth and romantic, here! "Definitely." he said, giving Wolfram's hand a squeeze before standing back up and letting go, hopping off the cart.

"You know, Shibuya," Murata said as he caught up. "I'm a little insulted that I wasn't asked to come on this very important 're not the only one that likes slacking off."

"It wasn't very exciting." Yuuri said with a bashful shrug as they entered the Shrine.

"And yet you still almost died." Murata said, giving him a fake shocked look as he opened the door to the inner temple. "Ulrike! He's here!"

"Your Majesty!" Ulrike greeted, hurrying forward to take his hand. "I'm glad you are alright. Please, sit and let me heal you."

Yuuri obeyed, sitting at the base of the stairs so Ulrike could step up and properly take off his bandages.

"Um, Your Majesty... you aren't injured." Ulrike said after a moment. "Not even a scar."

"What? That can't be!" Yuuri said, reaching up to touch the back of his head for the first time in days, bracing for a stab of pain. But none came. His scalp felt as smooth as it always had. "But- it was definitely there! I have a traumatized fiance to prove it!"

"It is strange… Hold still a moment, Your Majesty." Ulrike said before beginning to glow. It was a weird sensation, feeling her magic move through him. "Yes, you seem to be completely fine."

"The concussion's gone too?!" he exclaimed. "But- how?!"

"No one has used their powers on you?"

"No! No one's even-" Yuuri stopped, eyes going wide. "Accept me. I... sorta went Maoh last night. I did it? I could have healed myself the whole time?!"

"Your abilities tend to be unpredictable." Murata chimed in. "It's hard to tell if you could have purposefully healed yourself. What made you transform?"

Yuuri flushed a bit. He'd hold firm that Wolfram deserved it, but explaining it to anyone else made it seem excessive. "It's not important." he deflected before looking back at Ulrike. "So I'm really okay?"

"Mm. Perfectly healthy."

Yuuri slumped a bit. That meant Wolfram had been free game to kiss that morning! "Arg, I can't believe this!" he said, rubbing his face with his hands. "Since when can I heal, anyway? Isn't that supposed to be a kinda rare skill?"

"You are very powerful, Your Majesty."

"It could also be Shinou being an asshole." Murata suggested.

Ulrike gasped "Your Eminence!"

"What?" Murata said innocently.

"Well, thank you, Ulrike. It's good to have it confirmed, at least." he said, pulling himself to his feet. "I should get back to the others."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Ulrike smiled as Murata walked him out.

"Are you all still in there?" Murata asked, knocking lightly on the side of Yuuri's head with his knuckle. "Didn't lose any of that math test, did you?"

"I mean, probably. But the real question is was it ever in there to begin with?" Yuuri replied. They were halfway through the courtyard. He could see Wolfram through the entrance arch. He'd gotten out of the wagon, but had his back to him, talking to Conrad. Yuuri had just opened his mouth to call out when Murata grabbed his arm and yanked him off balance.

With horror he realized what was about to happen when it was too late to stop it. "Murata N-!" but then he hit the water of the fountain and was sucked down into oblivion.