Yuuri declaring that he was bored was always a mixed bag. Sometimes it meant he was about to run off to find some sort of trouble to stick his nose into. Sometimes it meant he was going to drag Weller off to practice his 'baseball.' And, sometimes, it meant that he'd focus all of his attention on Wolfram in a silent demand to be entertained. This was, of course, Wolfram's favorite option, even if Yuuri could be completely obnoxious about it at times.

Here in the cart, Wolfram might have been his only option, but Wolfram still counted it as a win. He knew Yuuri was being a brat as he quizzed him, but that mischievous look in his eyes was just so damn adorable that Wolfram just played along, letting himself get annoyed and flick Yuuri's nose instead of the more aggressive retaliation he might have usually taken. Of course he knew what their engagement and duel challenging customs were!

"I don't know how I'm the one that still gets called a brat." Wolfram complained.

"Murata says it's just cause you've been around longer." Yuuri grinned, his head pillowed in Wolfram's lap. He used to act like this position was the most offensive thing in the world, but now he was as content as a Goala bear in a tree. It made something in Wolfram's chest flutter.

"Hmph." Wolfram sounded, threading his fingers into Yuuri's loose hair while trying to keep up a scowl. "Fine. What about placing a flower behind someone's right ear?"

Yuuri's nose scrunched up in thought, seemingly not even noticing Wolfram's fingers. "That's… something to do with courting, right? That one is at least kinda close to a lot of Earth customs."

Wolfram blinked in surprise. "Really?" Yuuri always complained about how weird all of their customs were. "What are Earth's?"

"Well, flowers are pretty customary gifts on first dates or anniversaries. It's usually bouquets. Brides'll carry them at weddings too. Putting them behind ears isn't anything specific, though."

"Hm." Wolfram said thoughtfully, filing that information away for later. Maybe he should try and learn more about Earth courting customs. Yuuri might be more open to them. "Well, here, a couple placing the same kind of flower behind each other's right ear is a show of them choosing to take their relationship seriously. If it's a new relationship, then yes. It's a signal that they are officially starting a courtship." he said, reaching a finger over the bandages to run it behind Yuuri's right ear, just to see if he'd let him.

Yuuri shivered, reaching up to lightly bat at his hand. "Stop it, it tickles." he said, but there was a smile on his face and he didn't actually knock his hand from his hair, so Wolfram counted it as a win. "Why'd you specify a new relationship? If it signifies they've started courting, wouldn't it be a new relationship?"

Wolfram shrugged. "If it was an arranged match, it's a sign that the two have come to genuinely care for each other and that challenges to the union would be frowned upon."

"Arranged? Like arranged marriages?"

"Usually. Or those originally agreed to for purely political purposes."

Yuuri frowned at that, scowling a bit in the general direction of Wolfram's stomach.

"What's wrong?"

"Do arranged marriages happen a lot here?"

"They're fairly common among nobles." Wolfram said with another shrug.

"Are they forced to do it?"

Wolfram frowned. "There's plenty of ways to challenge and contest it if both parties aren't of the same mind." His gut twisted as a thought occurred to him and he let his hand fall from Yuuri's hair. "...Do you want to learn about them?" Handing Yuuri the tools to end their engagement himself sounded like the ultimate torture but…

Yuuri looked up at him. "Why'd you stop?"

"What?"

"Playing with my hair. It felt nice."

"Oh. Um…"

Yuuri reached above him, grabbing Wolfram's wrist and plopping his hand back onto the top of his head. "What's the weird one about bumping elbows again?"

Wolfram had just finished putting up the tent when Vensa came up to him. "His Majesty seems to be doing well. I gave him permission to go sit by the fire." she said with a smile as she held out a wad of medicine to him. "He requested I give this to you."

Wolfram's eyes widened. "R-really? He asked for that?"

"Mmhm." the girl nodded. Wolfram didn't know her well, but he could swear there was a certain glint in her eye.

Still, he felt his face break into a grin as he accepted it. Yuuri wanted him to have it. So he must want him to give it to him. Not even Yuuri could be oblivious enough to not realize how he'd want to do that, right? "Thank you, Vensa. He's really doing okay? Even after everything this morning?"

"Mm. It doesn't seem to have set back his healing much at all, as far as I can tell. He still needs plenty of rest, mind you, but he should be fine."

Wolfram gave an exhale of relief. Yuuri had been acting significantly better, but it could be hard to tell how much pain he was actually in if he thought letting you know would bother you. The wimp.

"...Probably depends on his mood when we get there." Yuuri was talking to Weller as he approached and Wolfram was kind of surprised the fact didn't irk him as much as it usually would. Maybe it was because Yuuri had been so focused on him since this morning, or maybe it was the slight bulge of the medicine in his pocket.

"Get where?" he asked as he climbed over the log. Yuuri turned around and absolutely beamed at him. Wolfram may have fell the last few inches onto the log from the force of it, but no one seemed to notice.

"Conrad suggested stopping at the Shrine to see if they can fix my head before returning to the castle."

"Oh." He took back what he thought about not being irked. Something cold and slimy curled in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Yuuri getting healed sooner and he hated himself for it.

-He won't cling to you so desperately- the thing in his stomach seemed to whisper. -He'll be mortified by how he's been acting. He'll hate you for it. You'll lose him anyway-

"What's wrong?" Yuuri's brows had creased with concern as he tried to study his face. Wolfram immediately schooled his features, shaking his head to try and rid himself of the shameful thoughts.

"Nothing." he said, giving Yuuri a smile. "Sounds like a good idea." Yuuri was still frowning so he quickly changed the subject. "The tent's all set. We can swipe the blankets from the cart before bed if you want."

"Yeah, sounds good…" Yuuri was still staring at him like he was a puzzle and Wolfram couldn't stand the thought of him figuring out what he'd been thinking, so he leaned forward and grabbed the first two bowls of stew that had been ladeled out.

"Here, Yuuri." he said, pressing the bowl into his King's hands while trying to shove his selfish thoughts into a very separate box, instead focusing on the much larger mental box in his head. "You need to eat so you can take your medicine, right?" he said, feeling the mischievousness of his own smile, already distracting himself with anticipation of Yuuri's reaction. Blushing? Whining? Pouty puppy eyes? Playing along? It was honestly difficult to predict.

A blush was his reward, but Yuuri was also glaring at him, clearly seeing through his game this time. There was a beat of silence while Wolfram wondered if he'd respond, but in the end Yuuri just ate a heaping mouthful of stew.

Wolfram's smirk grew and he purposefully waited until the spork was out of his mouth to say, "Well, you don't have to be that eager about it."

He should probably feel bad about nearly making the injured love of his life choke, but honestly the sight was just glorious. "I hate you." Yuuri said with a glare but neither had any heat and just made Wolfram snicker.

Weller dismissed himself and it was clear Yuuri had completely forgotten he'd been talking to the man. That fact was so extremely satisfying that Wolfram felt like he'd just won something. Then Yuuri kicked at his foot. The immature squabble that followed was just plain fun. It was rare for them to fight with so little heat or reason. Even with getting scolded by Vensa, Wolfram was fighting back a smile. Then their sniped insults had them both breaking down in laughter. If he thought making Yuuri laugh was nice, it was nothing compared to laughing with him.

Their conversations in the tent that night had been rough. Yuuri suddenly taking interest in his likes made Wolfram uneasy and he tried to talk around it to little avail. He had thrown himself into being a soldier and a noble at such a young age and pushed away from anything he had deemed childish or too much of a connection to his mother that he didn't feel like he had many 'hobbies' anymore. Certainly nothing Yuuri would be interested in. Not like Weller and his knowledge of baseball.

Wolfram wasn't sure he had ever talked so plainly about his mindset in becoming a soldier before. His mother had been against it, since both Gwendel and Conrart had been pulled into the war and she had wanted to spare him the same burden. But he had something to prove and hadn't backed down.

And then there was admitting his selfish thoughts about Yuuri being healed. The cold, slimy thing that had taken up residence in his stomach stretched out, making the feeling crawl up his sides. Wolfram hated himself for these thoughts, for the quiet wish that Yuuri stay this way forever. But he couldn't deny them. Not when Yuuri had asked so blatantly. He had been so earnest, insisting that nothing would change. But Wolfram just couldn't trust it. It sounded too good to be true, after all this time. He always pulled away. There had to be a reason Yuuri hadn't wanted him before now. Just because he had temporarily forgotten what it was didn't mean it was gone. Wolfram was still very much 'a guy.'

So, after all that, Wolfram didn't think he should push his luck with the medicine. When Vensa had said Yuuri had told her to give it to him instead of just accepting it himself, it had made him so happy and excited. And Yuuri had only reinforced that excitement with his reaction to his teasing over dinner. But now, after confessing that he thought this was all just temporary, it just felt like the ultimate act of selfishness to try to feed it to him again.

But when Wolfram had held it out for his King to take, Yuuri had stubbornly refused. Had actually pouted over it. Maybe Wolfram was just weak willed, or maybe his selfishness knew no bounds when it came to Yuuri, but he had given in.

When Yuurri's lips wrapped around his fingers, the same fantasy from last night bursted instantly into his head. Yuuri wasn't sucking on them, but his tongue was pressed up against them and he was wearing the same, thoughtful expression that he did when trying a new food he would ultimately declare a liking for. And Wolfram just couldn't. The urge to tackle him backwards and start ripping at Yuuri's clothes was nearly overwhelming as he pulled his hand back. Yuuri looked disappointed as Wolfram's fingers had slipped from his mouth, but otherwise was acting so oblivious that Wolfram had to run his thumb over his fingers to make sure he hadn't hallucinated the whole thing.

"Yuuri. Do you find me sexually attractive?"

Getting an answer out of the other man had been like pulling teeth, and despite promising him not to be angry, Wolfram's gut had been in knots expecting him to list off all the other people he had actually fantasized about. But once it clicked that Yuuri just didn't do that...

Wolfram groaned, falling backwards. He had spent so much time and energy feeling jealous and spurred, when his adorable idiot wasn't even capable of having the thoughts he'd been assuming had been going through his head! No wonder he always insisted he wasn't cheating. He hadn't just been trying to placate Wolfram, he hadn't even realized there was flirting happening to reciprocate! "You sincerely don't get it. Shinou, why?"

"Don't get what?" Yuuri demanded, "You're being really frustrating right now."

"I'm being-?!" How dare he. He still didn't get it. Didn't realize what he'd just put Wolfram through. Had been putting him through since he had proposed! Sitting back up, he grabbed Yuuri's hand and captured some of Yuuri's fingers in his mouth.

In hindsight, Wolfram wished he'd made more of a show of it. It was the first purposefully sexual thing they'd done together, after all. But in the moment it was more about getting his point across, and if he'd been slower about it, Yuuri might have pulled away. As it was, the way Yuuri's face instantly changed made the small regret worth it. His frustrated scowl shifting to a lustful kind of awe, his eyes darkening with a heat Wolfram recognized as they zeroed in on Wolfram's mouth. Good, he was starting to get it. Wolfram ran his tongue up the underside of Yuuri's fingers and watched Yuuri's eyes go hungry for a split second before he pulled his hand back. Wolfram let him go, since he was already pushing hard on a boundary he'd probably regret pushing later.

"You fantasized about me?!" Yuuri practically squeaked. He was cradling the hand that had just been in Wolfram's mouth like he wasn't sure what to do with it. His eyes were still dark, though largely mixed with shock, now.

"Yes, Yuuri." He really was a gorgeous idiot. But Wolfram was relieved to see that spark of attraction at all. He had been starting to wonder if it was something Yuuri was capable of feeling. And, even if he could, Yuuri had always protested that he was only interested in women. That hungry look he'd had when he'd licked his fingers gave Wolfram some small fraction of hope that, even if Yuuri did revert back, that he wasn't quite as anti-men as he had claimed.

Even with sparking some small awakening in Yuuri, he'd still had to explain to him how unbearably attractive he was and how the way literally everyone reacted to him was not, in fact, normal. Then he'd earnestly asked if he had to change and a war started to rage in Wolfram's gut.

Part of what he loved about Yuuri was how the people of Shin Makoku had grown to love him. His Uncle had been actively despised and his Mother largely dismissed if not actively disliked. He obviously hadn't been alive for any other King's reign, but few were spoken of with the same reverence as people spoke about Yuuri. And a large part of that was because of how open he was with everyone. But Wolfram also selfishly hated watching Yuuri treat everyone else the same way he treated him. He had very little of Yuuri that was just for him.

Even this selfish confession was met with a smile. The cold thing in his stomach whispered that he didn't deserve it.

Then they were getting ready for bed.

"What-what all do I do that's suggestive?"

The question sounded so innocent, but when Wolfram looked over his shoulder, Yuuri's eyes had grown dark again and he was staring at Wolfram's shoulder instead of his face. Only attracted to women, huh? "Are you asking so you can stop, or do it more?"

"I… don't know yet?"

Wolfram snorted and went back to taking off his boots. He was well aware of his appearance and how easily he could fluster people who hadn't just had the epiphany of sexual attraction. It was an enticing look on Yuuri, but he had already pushed too much tonight.

"What do you even think about, anyway?" Yuuri's voice sounded like a challenge and made Wolfram stop and turn to look at him properly. Did he actually want to play this game? Yuuri had moved closer, was currently on all fours and staring at him with those dark, black eyes. "What did you think about when I put your fingers in my mouth?"

Yuuri's eyes immediately went wide and Wolfram could see his throat move as he swallowed. Red spread up from his neck, quickly darkening his entire face. Was he seriously watching Yuuri have his first sexual fantasy about a person right now? He looked so surprised about it that Wolfram couldn't find him anything more than adorable. "Okay, now I just feel mean. You look like your head is going to explode." he said, running his fingers through the black hair above his bandages. Yuuri had said he was still wrapping his mind around just wanting to touch Wolfram. And, with his head already cracked, exploding might be an actual possibility. "Ask me again when you're better, if you still want to know." Yuuri squeaked out an acknowledgement and Wolfram went back to undressing so Yuuri could finish his thoughts in relative peace.

As he was getting ready to lay down, he looked over to see Yuuri had yet to move. His expression was less shocked and more thoughtful, making Wolfram wonder what he was thinking about. "Yuuri? Do you need help with your jacket or something?"

Yuuri had blinked and finally registered him before blushing a bit again. "I… think that'd be a bit much for me, right now." he said, but finally returned to getting ready for bed.

Wolfram shrugged and layed down, opening an arm to Yuuri when he looked back at him. A thrill went through him when Yuuri eagerly accepted. It was so much nicer than having him squished against the side of the tent to try and put room between them and having to fall asleep trying not to feel hurt by it. Still, this probably wasn't something he should be letting himself get used too. Once Yuuri was better… shit. The cold in his stomach reared up, like it had been waiting for him to have this realization.

Yuuri'd probably regret everything from tonight.

Wolfram felt like a knife was twisting in his chest. So much of tonight had felt like progress, but once Yuuri was back to normal- at best he'd beg Wolfram to forget any of it had ever happened. At worst he'd want nothing more to do with him. Would it be enough to straight up banish him? Would he lose Greta, too? The coldness spread through him and made him feel sick.

Yuuri snuggled more against him with a happy sigh, oblivious to Wolfram's turmoil.

-Better savor it while you can- the cold seemed to cackle.

Wolfram pressed a kiss onto the top of his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to push the cold from his mind. "...Please don't blame me."

Yuuri's arms slid around him and it felt so nice. "I won't. I promise."

As Wolfram drifted off, he tried to believe him.