Zafira: thanks for following the story :)
bishies'82: Heya :) Yup, finally, the icing on the cake, as I say XD
The two of them are so strong-willed! It can become quite annoying when none of them is unwilling to step down even a little. Hmm…I think I'm already talking about some other couple. I think Wolfram finally came to terms with what he is and what he wants. He isn't afraid to lose control. Well, he is, but he trusts Eldara. Is it wise to trust the duke, though?
gleish26: Be calm, no one will interrupt them XD Wolfram took his chances and he wasn't wrong in doing so.
Oh, Yuuri will have to fight tooth and nail for Wolfram if he decides to win him over. Yuuri hasn't proved to be reliable in the matters of love. Not that he has ever been in love. Maybe about time?
I'm glad you fully entrust the future of the characters into my hands. Nah, I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just glad that you trust me to do well no matter which course I take :)
Haha, I like your vision of Hadorian. I never gave any thought to his teeth, but I imagine him big and sleek and always playful just as you say. A bit on the naughty side, too, liking pranks.
Krapo: here it is. Enjoy :)
Narudi18: You're absolutely right about their relationship. There will be a chapter which will reflect on what Wolfram thinks about all this and what he expects to happen, so I won't tell much now. I just hope you'll like the development :)
Raywolf Shibelt: thanks :)
kkmbigfan1: I'm not sure about Murata. To tell you the truth, I completely forgot he existed (I watched the anime like 7 years ago, can't blame me, can you? XD Anyway, he may appear or he may not, depending on whether I need him once we move back to Shin Makoku. But that won't happen for quite a long time.
alguien22792: Your prayers have been answered :) Well, Wolfram cares about Yuuri, he just doesn't let himself to react.
O~o~O
Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou! – It belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I'm not making any money from writing it.
Warnings: yaoi (male x male), violence, swearing, angst, drama. Wolfram-centric, out of character, original character.
Summary: With Yuuri's upcoming birthday, Wolfram makes his decision. Where will it lead him and what is to become of them? Should eventually be Yuuri x Wolfram.
A/N 1: Yuuri – 18 years old. Wolfram – 21. Eldara – 32. Halea – 20. Athara – 18.
A/N 2: Greta doesn't exist.
A/N 3: European/American/Japanese standards all at once depending on the plot requirements.
A/N 4: A tendency to ignore the anime/manga and supplement the story with my own imagined facts.
A/N 5: Season III is not taken into consideration, except for the fact that Wolfram's uncle exists.
A/N 6: The umlaut in Gunter's name is a bother.
A/N 7: This chapter contains a sex scene. To comply with FanFiction net's policy, I cut it. If you want to read the scene, go to AdultFanFiction org or ArchiveofOurOwn org.
Bloom
by chayron (lttomb yahoo com), beta-read by chriscut
Part 24
Wolfram lowered his glass to the table. It was only water, but he felt as if he were pleasantly buzzed. It had to be both from the tiredness and excitement. Across the table, Eldara was finishing his water, and Wolfram was watching him with unconcealed interest. He was a little bit nervous with the bed looming only a couple of meters away from them. He was somewhat uncomfortable about his inexperience. He wasn't certain what exactly he expected from this night but hoped that Eldara would make sure he had a good time.
Wolfram's eyes followed the duke's glass until it was emptied and pushed aside. Eldara stood up, and Wolfram followed his suite. He circled the table and faced the duke. The look in the blue eyes was eager and inviting. Wolfram's excitement grew.
"Come here," Eldara said, reaching out for Wolfram's waist. He drew the younger man to his body and leaned in to capture his lips. Wolfram's mouth opened for him obediently, his arms coming around him, his fingers sliding into his hair again. It seemed that Wolfram was positively fascinated with his long hair.
Wolfram was noticeably getting better at kissing, Eldara decided. It was only the third or fourth time that they were kissing, and the obvious improvement made the duke wonder about the blond's previous lovers. He slid his hand in between them and, blindly, started unbuttoning Wolfram's jacket.
At some point, Wolfram felt the back of his thighs prop against the table. His jacket was unbuttoned, and, in a moment, his shirt was spread apart as well. Eldara's hand slipped under the loose fabric to caress his stomach. Wolfram moaned softly at the feeling of the other man's warm hands sliding over his bare skin. The hand caressed his stomach then moved upwards to his chest. It touched him there, circling and smoothing then rubbed over his left nipple.
Touching the blond's nipples didn't earn him much of a reaction, and, since Wolfram was apparently less sensitive there, Eldara changed the tactics. He pushed Wolfram's jacket and shirt apart to give himself more access to the blond's neck and collarbones. He sucked lightly on the pale column of the blond's throat, which earned a few shuddery gasps and a silent groan. By the morning, he expected to catalogue the majority of Wolfram's preferences.
To comply with FanFiction net's policy, I cut the following scene. If you want to read it, go to AdultFanFiction org or ArchiveofOurOwn org.
They woke up five hours later to the sound of someone pounding on the door.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
"What is it?" Wolfram croaked, rubbing at his eyes. He saw that Eldara had already sat up and was looking around for his clothing. A few reddish scratches were marking his back, and the blond blushed lightly.
"There's a duel in the yard!"
"I think he's actually come for you," Wolfram muttered at the duke's back. "So tactful."
"Ask him what the duel is about," Eldara said, climbing out of the bed. He bent to retrieve his underwear from the floor.
Tearing his eyes away from the pleasant sight, Wolfram repeated the question to the guard.
"They are fighting over a woman! One of them is half-Demon! There is…"
"Mother."
The duke turned to Wolfram, who had suddenly jumped out of his bed as if he was chased by a hundred dragons. He was scurrying around the room, picking up pieces of clothing.
"Will be there in a moment!" the blond shouted.
"Are you sure it's her?" Eldara asked while pulling his trousers on.
"Believe me, it's her."
"Why doesn't she stop it, then?"
Wolfram laughed hysterically. "Stop it? She will be clapping her hands to spur them on! Those damn idiots!"
They left the room simultaneously. Wolfram was trying to button his jacket with one hand while in the other he was carrying his coat. The duke was dressed already. There was no surprise on any of the three guards' faces, and Wolfram figured that at least half of the castle was already well-informed. The guards fell into the step behind them.
"So who is fighting?" the duke asked.
"Arlen von Schnauzer and Liuthor von Ferdinand."
"Oh, just great!" Eldara grunted in disbelief. "One is a half-Demon, the other a full-blooded one!"
"I'll fry both of them," Wolfram spat. "Those fools!"
They tore outside into the cold morning air and then sped towards the crowd of onlookers. The fight was already on, the ice bolts flying left and right while lumps of ground rose here and there. Annoyed even more by the spectators' lack of understanding that they could get hurt at any moment, Wolfram ran into the field before anyone could stop him. A gigantic wall of fire rose between the two duelists.
"Stop it this instance!" Wolfram growled. "What do you think you're doing? You're the guests in this house yet you dare fight here! Such a disgrace!"
"But, Wolfie dear, they…"
"Quiet, Mother!" Wolfram snapped at Cecilie.
He turned to Liuthor von Ferdinand. He knew Liuthor, at least had seen him a few times in Blood Pledge Castle. He was from the territory Gwendal ruled, and technically von Bielefelds had hardly any influence there, and Wolfram was no longer the Demon King's fiancé. It was common knowledge, however, that it was best not to anger the landowner's brother. Wolfram knew that. He also knew that Liuthor would not want to face him in a direct fight. The man would lose spectacularly.
"You're a guest here!" Wolfram repeated. "Stand down!"
Liuthor hesitated for a few moments, then lowered his hand and bowed. "Your Highness." He started walking in the direction of the castle.
"Where are you going?" Arlen von Schnauzer shouted after him. "We are not done here!"
"You are!" Wolfram snarled at him, dispersing the wall of fire.
"What gives you the right to interfere into our duel?" von Schnauzer protested.
Wolfram glared at him. "Common understanding that you should respect your host!"
He could see that von Schnauzer was about to follow Liuthor. He didn't know von Schnauzer, and the man didn't know him and was going to ignore anything he said. Besides, von Schnauzer was older than him by at least a decade; older men didn't tend to listen to younger men so easily.
"If you make at least one step towards him, it will be me you'll be facing," Wolfram snapped at von Schnauzer.
"Fine, then!" von Schnauzer snarled, squatting down with an intention to press his hand to the earth.
Wolfram could not believe this. With a flick of his wrist he tossed von Schnauzer backwards before he could summon his Earth Element. While the panicky man was rolling on the ground, trying to put out the fire on his coat, Wolfram summoned a fire lion and sent him forward.
"Try anything and it will take your head off," Wolfram warned when von Schnauzer put his hands on the snowy ground. He saw the man stare at the burning beast above him. The heat coming off it must be scorching. Von Schnauzer raised his hands. It was starting to sink in that he had picked a fight he had no chance of winning.
"Do you yield?" Wolfram asked in a few moments, having given the man some time to assess his situation. Von Schnauzer nodded frantically, and Wolfram dispersed the lion. "If you want to duel, do it somewhere away from here, where you can't hurt anybody," he said.
"But Wolfie, why do th-"
"Go back to the castle, Mother," Wolfram said watching von Schnauzer stand up and embarrassingly brush his ruined coat off the snow and ash.
Cecilie quieted down and, with a sigh, headed for the castle. Aware that the show was over, the rest of onlookers started walking in the same direction. Von Schnauzer traipsed about in the yard for a minute and then walked off as well.
"Well done!" Eldara said cheerfully, siding to Wolfram in the field. Now there were only the two of them and their soldiers left. "I don't even know what I keep my guards for!"
"Are you angry that I interfered?" Wolfram asked. He started walking towards the castle, following the crowd.
"A bit," the duke said with a nod. "What if you were injured?"
Wolfram shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Von Schnauzer doesn't even know how to properly wield his element! Besides, it's my mother who started this mess." He snorted. "One more voyage to find love gone wrong."
"Ah, one of those. I've heard of them."
"She must have used her perfume again. Honestly, that woman!"
"And you feel responsible?"
"Well, of course." Wolfram shrugged. "You'll have to forgive me for the spectacle, but I don't think there was a better way to stop it."
"A few Esoteric Stones would have done the trick. They would have lost any wish to use their magic in my land for a long time."
Wolfram gasped. "You wouldn't!" He gave the duke a more careful look. "You would," he reconsidered mournfully. "And you promised me not to use them!"
"Wolfram, I promised not to use them on you or your suite. These are two different things."
Wolfram rolled his eyes. "Well, of course," he said sarcastically. There was, however, no point in arguing. He had already accepted that there was nothing he could do to change the duke's view concerning Esoteric Stones.
"I wish you wouldn't rush off into dangerous situations like that," Eldara said in a moment. "But never mind that. All's well that ends well. Tell me one thing – why a lion?"
"Mm? Oh, it is because it is fast, has sharp claws and teeth and, generally, people are afraid of lions. It wouldn't have the same effect if I summoned a fire giraffe, would it?"
Eldara laughed. "No, it wouldn't. It would probably be just as dangerous, though."
"Slower and less effective," Wolfram corrected him. "I can replicate any species, of course, but lions are most effective. I like dragons, too. But the ones I create are much smaller in comparison to the real thing, so I prefer lions. I've been summoning them for so long that now I don't even need to think about the shape. Just happens mechanically."
"I see. It was a big animal you summoned just now, and I am under impression that you can summon at least three more of that size."
Wolfram was surprised. "I don't think I've ever summoned more than two. Four of them would probably be impossible. Even if I were able to, I don't think I'd be able to fully control them. I may end up killing myself."
"Hmm…" Eldara laughed softly. "Now I look forward to our small outing to train with our elements even more."
"To watch me kill myself?"
"No, Wolfram, to watch you excel. I think you aren't aware of how much you have improved."
They entered the castle while Karela held the door for them. Wolfram wondered about the duke's words while wiping his feet on the doormat. The previous time he had summoned a lion, he had noticed that it was larger than usual. However, wasn't that just because he still hardly had any control over his element and misjudged the size?
"By the way, since I don't think we'll have time to discuss this alone," Eldara said, taking off his coat, "what do you think of the previous night?"
Wolfram blinked in unexpectedness. His neck started cramping with the need to look at Fajdal and other guards behind him to see their expressions. "I liked it," he said. "I'd like a continuation."
"That's wonderful," Eldara said, pushing his coat into one of his guards' hands. "Well, I'm off to the baths. You're welcome to join me."
Wolfram blinked again. "Um. Alright. I'll just get a change of clothing."
When Wolfram entered the baths, he was both relieved and disappointed – there were about fifteen men inside. He should have expected this with so many guests in the castle. Walking past the soaking, washing, and drying people, Wolfram settled for the bath in the corner. He started taking his clothes off. It was somewhat awkward, but he used to undress with so many people around him while at Lesa's Fort.
The blond managed to wrap his lower body in a towel without flashing anything too much, found a free bar of soap and a basin, and set about his business. Yet, he could tell that he was being stared at. When he had washed himself and climbed into the bath for a soak, it seemed as if everyone suddenly decided that there was something magical about the bath he was in and climbed after him. Wolfram frowned. Deciding to just ignore them, he leaned his back against the wall of the pool and closed his eyes, relaxing.
"Do you know that you have a hickey?"
Wolfram recognized the voice as Reikia's and kept his eyes closed in hopes that the other man would just go away.
"Here."
Fingers brushed over his neck, and Wolfram went rigid, his eyes opening. He turned to give Reikia a glare. "Touch me one more time and I'll break your arm. I'm not kidding."
Reikia raised his hands to show that he meant no harm. "Fine, fine. Such sensitivity." He watched Wolfram touch the side of his neck unconsciously. So Eldara had made his move. Well, now things were in their rightful places.
Wolfram's hand froze in place when he noticed men staring at him. A few averted their eyes as soon as their gazes met, others, yet, gave him inviting looks. The tub was fully packed. What was with that exaggerated reaction? The blond wondered where the duke was and then realized that he was probably at the other side of the baths, covered by the steam, intentionally avoiding him. It was a good idea since Wolfram could remember a few scratches he left on the other man's back. With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes again. This was nothing, however. Instead, he was afraid to even think what reaction his family members were going to have to him and the duke playing around. Gwendal would probably flip. Conrart…well, he didn't particularly care about his reaction. Cecilie…maybe she already knew. Wolfram relaxed again. Hmm…wasn't so bad, was it?
Tbc