SweetHeaven: Oh, I can never be friends with the person who breaks my heart. It's probably because of many reasons. First, it's a self-preserving action against more pain. Second, it's an attempt to salvage the last drops self-respect. I suppose it's a selfish way of dealing with it, but to each his own. As long as it works. So I have Wolfram adapt this kind of thinking as well.

Well, you'll certainly see Wolfram try and mend his relationship with Conrart. I really like the idea of them making up ^_^

I'm glad you liked Eldara and Wolfram's fight with their elements. It's really dangerous and Eldara shouldn't have done that no matter how eager he was. Well, he got punished, or, more precisely, his hair was punished XD

This chapter also includes a sex scene. Well, they don't go all the way. Not yet. My sex scenes aren't so deep as to necessarily read them. If you miss them, there will be no problem in following the story further.

Wolfram won't compare Eldara to Yuuri during sex. He and Yuuri have never gone that far, so he will be too preoccupied with what Eldara is doing to him to even try and think what or how Yuuri would do one or another thing in bed. For now at least. Wolfram will have thoughts about the whole issue but that won't be during sex.

krapo: Well, at the rate things are going, it will be really difficult for Wolfram and Eldara to stay away from each other. They have a lot in common and understand each other well.

Kix3Ran: Well, Bloom is a slow-paced story, so 26 chapters didn't cover much. It's kind of… I suppose it's more of a drama than anything. Yuuri won't appear for a while.

DrakePitt: Thanks :)

gleish26: Yeah, poor Eldara's hair. But don't worry, losing his hair didn't make him lose his charm. He's as charming as ever, haha Wolfram can confirm that ^_^

xxxx

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 sexy 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 bishie82

Part 27

"Your Grace," the barber greeted with a bow after entering the duke's chambers.

"Good evening, Armant," the duke answered without turning around. He was sitting on the chaise lounge reading a letter, the meek light from several oil lamps illuminating him. Eldara lowered the letter onto the coffee table in front of the chaise longue and pointed at his head. "Do something about this."

The barber gasped in horror when the duke turned around. Bemoaning the imminent loss of the long beautiful hair, Armant closed the door and approached to take a closer look. The damage became even more apparent. With a regretful shake of his head, the barber lowered the satchel he had brought with him onto the coffee table and started unpacking.

"What happened, Your Grace?" he asked, his gaze following the duke, who had stood up and went to take two unlit candelabras from the table in the middle of the room. "Did Your Grace fall asleep with a cigar in Your mouth?"

"You know I don't smoke," Eldara said reproachfully. Without elaborating any further, he carried the candelabras to the coffee table and started lighting them from one of the oil lamps. He briefly turned to the door when someone knocked. Turning back to what he was doing, he said loudly, "Enter."

Roldan Efibus entered the room, his eyebrows immediately rising at the sight of plentiful lights on the coffee table.

"Ah, it's you, Doctor," the duke said. "How is von Luana doing?"

"He's as good as he can be, Your Grace," the doctor said. "I joined the bones together. Considering his age, it's going to take a long time for him to heal. He was in a lot of pain after waking up, so I gave him a calming herbal mixture to relieve it. And, in case it's not very effective, a bottle of rum. I left my instructions with the nurse, so she will take care of that. He is going to spend a lot of time in bed."

The duke nodded. "I sent letters to inform his sons about the accident; I expect they will pay him a visit sometime next week." He turned to the doctor to see him eyeing his head curiously. "I was met by an unfortunate event during my outing today."

The doctor's eyebrows rose lightly. "Is that unfortunate event in any way called Wolfram von Bielefeld?" he asked, not hiding the amusement in his voice. "I'm rather surprised it's only Your hair that is missing, Your Grace."

Eldara sighed. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"How could I, Your Grace!" The doctor was grinning now. "Since no one called for me earlier, is it safe to assume that the other party is faring better than Your Grace?"

The duke rolled his eyes. "Yes, I believe he's completely fine. He does get nauseated and disoriented easily, though. That was exactly the cause of this," he motioned at his burnt hair.

"An awful sight, if I may say, Your Grace. Could have been much worse, though," he added, his voice now serious.

The duke agreed with him inwardly but said nothing. He walked to pull a chair closer to the coffee table and sat down. Armant, who was done preparing, immediately stood behind the duke awaiting instructions. Eldara shook his hair out of the lose band and heard another gasp from his barber.

"Just cut all of it off," Eldara said. "It will grow back. A bit of a pity in winter, though."

"I think you needn't worry about getting cold this winter, Your Grace," the doctor said, smiling meaningfully.

Eldara turned his head to him. "And how could my father st-"

"He couldn't, Your Grace. We've already agreed on that," the doctor said. "I will depart now if Your Grace will excuse me. I'll visit the patient in the morning to see how he's doing."

"Ah, yes, goodnight, Doctor. Thank you for coming."

"Oh," Wolfram said at the sight of the duke, who was walking towards the baths. Wolfram had already washed himself and was on his way to his room, being accompanied by Yozak.

They stopped in front of each other, the blond's eyes fixed on Eldara's head. He stared at the older man for a few seconds. "I have to admit that this may suit you even better than your previously long hair," Wolfram finally gave his verdict.

The corners of the duke's lips curled up at the compliment. "Thank you," he said with a pleased chuckle. "Armant has outdone himself indeed. I didn't believe there was still something left to be salvaged." He brushed over his now considerably shorter hair. It felt strange under his palm. His head felt much lighter than usual, the hair was now barely chin-long. Since it weighed less now, it had also become wavier. It was parted, so it fell more on the right side, over the burnt patch there. He wasn't used to this kind of haircut and kept brushing the unruly strands out of his eyes and behind his ears.

"Going to bed already?" Eldara asked Wolfram, his fingers reaching out for the left lapel of the younger man's bathrobe as if to feel the fluffy material. At Wolfram's side, Gurrier tensed but the duke ignored him; the captain better get used to these displays.

Wolfram inclined his head, his emerald eyes reflecting curiosity. "I was. Do you have anything else in mind?"

"I do have a few ideas," the duke said softly. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in taking a bath one more time?"

"I certainly would be," Wolfram said, smiling. "However, Gunter and Athara are taking one as well at the moment. Whatever you have in mind… Let's just say I'd prefer you to reveal it in the privacy of my room."

"Oh. Of course," the duke agreed gladly.

With a nod at each other they went in opposite directions.

"Have you gone into rut or something?" Yozak grumbled while they were climbing the stairs to the second floor.

Wolfram stopped to give him an annoyed look. "I thought we have already discussed this. This is no business of yours."

"That may be so, but I never said I'd start liking him. He drives me mad!"

Wolfram rolled his eyes and continued climbing the stairs. He doubted Yozak would change his opinion about Eldara and, in fact, he didn't think Yozak should. He just wished the captain would stop reprimanding him every time he saw the duke and him together. He was already nervous enough even without Yozak and Gunter's constant over-sensitiveness regarding the matter.

The captain saw Wolfram to his room, exchanged a few words with the guard at the door then was about to leave but changed his mind. He knocked on the door and after receiving permission, entered. Wolfram was sitting in an armchair with an empty glass resting on the coffee table in front of him. Gurrier gave it a suspicious look but it seemed that there had only been water.

Wordlessly, Yozak crossed the room and stopped in front of Wolfram. A little surprised, the blond leaned back into the armchair and looked up to address the captain.

"Did something happen?"

Yozak shook his head. "No, it's just that…" he trailed off. An embarrassed and angry flush spread over his face, making Wolfram wonder. "Ah, to hell with it!" Yozak grunted. His hand dove into the right pocket of his trousers and when he pulled it out, there was a sudden rain of shiny packets on Wolfram's lap.

"What's this?" the blond asked, holding one of them between his fingers. It was not something he had seen before. The material was glossy and had an unnatural smell. He squeezed it to discover that something inside it felt a little spongy. It didn't seem like the packet was from this world.

"You do know about condoms and all that, right?" Yozak muttered, wishing it were Gunter instead of him here telling this to the blond. Wolfram was way past the age for these kinds of conversations. He saw the blond blink at him then continue to stare at him with confused eyes.

"Eh? Huh? Why?" the blond grunted, frowning, not quite understanding why Yozak had mentioned that. Condoms made of sheep intestines were widely used all over Shin Makoku to prevent undesirable pregnancies. There were a few more remedies for that, but this was the most common.

"These are much better."

"Huh? But…"

"These," Yozak cut him off, "can prevent venereal diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea and… I am probably too late in giving them to you though, but still it's…" he trailed off at the look Wolfram was giving him. "Okay, so I'm not too late," Gurrier concluded. He saw the shiny packet drop from the blond's fingers. "Yes," the captain nodded slowly as if talking to a child, "use them."

"Umm…" Wolfram drawled awkwardly. "I… Umm… I'm pretty certain he doesn't carry anything like that."

"Don't be a fool," Yozak snorted. "You can't know for sure."

"Umm…" Wolfram hummed. His face was slowly turning pink. He lowered his eyes back to his lap where at least ten of the shiny packets rested. He took one of the packets again and the blush on his face came out in full force.

Faced with the sight of the rarely embarrassed Wolfram, Yozak felt he was regaining his own confidence. "You open it, take it out and hold it by the tip and roll it down your…" he trailed off with a tactful cough.

"Ugh…" Wolfram grunted whether in protest or embarrassment, most likely both. "Where did you even get these? It's not from Shin Makoku, is it?"

"They are Gunter's. I think he took them in hopes of…" Yozak trailed off with a frown. He waved his hands frantically. "I don't even want to speculate why he brought those here."

"Neither do I," Wolfram agreed with him. "Umm… Thanks," he said, his cheeks reddening again. "I'll…"

"Just use them," Yozak said, taking pity on the younger man. "You'd save us and yourself a lot of trouble. Besides…"

"Thank you," Wolfram said, raising his hands and wishing for Yozak to disappear out of his sight. "I understood it already."

When the captain left, Wolfram gathered the packets off his lap and placed them into the first drawer of the nightstand, which stood next to the bed. He could not shake off the weird feeling that overtook him – Gunter stocked up on condoms before leaving Shin Makoku. That was his policy – better ready than sorry.

Gunter was discreet concerning his sexual encounters. Wolfram himself had never been introduced to any of his lovers, but he intuitively knew that there had to be more than a few. Then, in Kardera, von Christ and Yozak must have had an enlightening conversation about him and Eldara, which resulted in the decision that he was the one who needed those condoms most.

Disgruntled and embarrassed, Wolfram flopped sideways onto the bed. He then rolled on his back and, in the dim light provided by a few candles, stared at the ceiling. He was startled when he heard a knock on the door. He had already been drowsing. Sluggish, he went to open the door.

Eldara chuckled at the sleepy sight of him. Today had been full of events and it was not surprising at all. The blond tried to stifle a yawn and Eldara reached out to ruffle through his hair affectionately. The blond hair felt soft and smooth under his palm. It had almost regained the length that he remembered from King Shibuya's birthday party.

"Mm?" Wolfram hummed, giving a sleepy look to Eldara from under his palm.

"Well, whatever I had in mind," the duke said, smiling at him, "is probably best postponed for tomorrow." He lowered his hand and looked around the poorly lit room.

"Are you sure?" the blond asked him with a playful pout. He rubbed at his eyes.

Eldara chuckled. "You don't look very convincing, Wolfram. Just go to sleep." He felt the younger man's hands curiously touch his still damp hair. Wolfram had been fascinated with his long mane and the novelty seemed to intrigue him.

Their eyes met and Wolfram leaned in to press their lips together. The kiss was slow, unhurried and soon Eldara found that he wanted more. His palm reached to cradle the blond's nape as he slipped his tongue in to deepen the kiss – his other hand pushed the door shut. Wolfram still felt somewhat awkward, but he answered eagerly. It became obvious that Wolfram wasn't going to get his rest as soon as he should.

Wolfram grunted when his back pressed against the wall. Now, Eldara had him trapped in the corner, just right next to the wardrobe. They were still kissing but he could feel the duke's hands working on the knot of his bathrobe. His eyes opened in surprise when one of the hands found the opening between the folds and slid effortlessly in to caress his left thigh. It felt good. He closed his eyes again, melting back into the intense kiss.

The blond's hands were roaming over Eldara's bathrobe, trying to feel him over it. Then, finally, they started working on the fluffy belt. Wolfram undid the belt and parted the bathrobe. He ran his fingers across the smooth chest. He tensed when Eldara's hand left his thigh and gave him a few slow teasing caresses between his legs. He was already hard, and his cheeks colored since the older male wasn't so excited yet.

Sensing his discomfort, Eldara chuckled, breaking the kiss. He found it endearing that Wolfram could find time to worry about such trivial things.

To comply with FanFiction net's policy, I cut the following sexy scene. If you want to read it, go to AdultFanFiction org or ArchiveofOurOwn org.

In a few minutes, without talking much, they cleaned themselves up and went to sleep.

Wolfram woke up late. The bed next to him was already empty. With a yawn, he rubbed his eyes and rolled over on his back to sprawl under the warm cover. He felt rested. Actually, he felt better than he had in a while. Enjoying the pleasant warmth, the blond wondered if he was already too late for breakfast. After a few minutes of lounging, he finally made himself leave the bed with the intention of dressing. For some reason, the first thing that caught his eye as he got up was the fancy sword leaning against the wardrobe's side. He couldn't tell what exactly, but there was something that bothered him each time he looked at it. Now it had brought on a recollection about how they first found Morgif.

The memory made Wolfram brood over Yuuri and himself again. Chasing after Yuuri had a lot of influence on his outlook on various things. Now he had realized that it had also messed with his mind. Yuuri had never meant to, nor had he ever cared to influence him, it just happened spontaneously. Yesterday… It felt good to entrust one's first times to a more experienced partner – to someone who understood. Wolfram wondered how it would have been with Yuuri. Both of them would have been nervous wrecks, not certain about anything.

With a grunt, Wolfram checked himself in the mirror and closed the wardrobe. Daydreaming about these unrealistic situations always made him sad and miserable, and yet he somehow couldn't stop. There had to be something wrong with him for him to keep torturing himself.

When he appeared in the dining room, Halea had already finished eating. The others were nearly done as well. With a quick apology, Wolfram joined the table and one of the servants rushed to his side.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in," Wolfram told the duke.

The table went quiet for a few seconds. Then, politely, most of the chewing and clicking of flatware resumed.

Eldara was giving Wolfram a somewhat surprised look. He was able to mask his confusion quickly, though. "Well, you really looked like you needed your rest," he said casually. Keeping in mind that Wolfram had seemed to be reluctant about everyone knowing about them sharing a bed, he hadn't expected the blond to suddenly be so open. The duke cast a curious look around the table.

Von Christ was staring at his pancake with disapproval. Cecilie, who was obviously hardly affected by the revelation, was talking to Fredrick von Sarda. Halea, meanwhile, was giving him a reproachful look. The most interesting reaction, though, was that of his brother. Athara was gaping at Wolfram with something akin to amazement that was bordering on admiration. Mystified by this strange reaction, Eldara kept staring at his brother until Athara noticed and lowered his eyes back to his plate.

The duke wanted to talk to Wolfram after breakfast but the messenger from Neryan von Sedera arrived. Not wanting to make his old friend wait, Eldara met the messenger at once to see what he wanted. The matter appeared to be urgent, and he summoned Karela immediately. The Baristas had found the trail of the woman and her family. Neryan wanted them either gone from the country or turned in. Now it was a matter of principle, and Eldara ordered Karela to round the family up in a safe place and get in touch with Sharp Ronny. He arranged the matters quickly and scrupulously.

After being finished and done with that issue, he focused his attention to the attached message that contained the exhaustive account of trade between their lands for the last three months. It took Eldara the entire morning to go through it. It seemed that nothing was missing and he passed it to his trade advisor for further investigation and approval. Then he wrote his reply to Neryan.

Noon came, and lunch passed without any incident. Nevertheless, the duke could tell there was something that was bothering Wolfram. The blond was unusually glum. He also disappeared from the table as soon as they were done eating. To his surprise, Eldara later found him visiting Ernest von Luana. The recuperating man was in quite some pain even with the prescribed tea. Nonetheless, he was telling Wolfram about his past travels and battles in the sea with fiery passion. The blond was listening and nodding his head intently and Eldara could not help but wink at him. He was graced with a short amused smile and that most likely, meant that Wolfram wasn't angry at him. Not too terribly at least.

When von Luana noticed the duke in the room, he stopped talking, and instead started apologizing to him for causing inconvenience. They exchanged various pleasantries, and seeing that his presence didn't offer as much comfort as Wolfram's, Eldara took his leave. He returned to his study, where he dove into a pile of documents that had accumulated while they were celebrating their birthdays. He worked for an hour finding it more and more difficult to concentrate. Wolfram bothered him. The thing that bothered him even more was that, he was bothered by Wolfram. Seeing that it was useless to continue, the duke finally pushed the rest of the documents aside and left his chair to search for the blond.

Tbc