Previously:
Rationality whispered a quick "It wasn't a dream" before Wolfram growled in frustration and was forced to surrender to the unconsciousness that welcomed his aching head.
oOoOo
Two kings, one frequently-reincarnated advisor and a Head Guard dived for the suddenly-limp body, falling on top of each other as their mess of limbs stopped Wolfram from falling out of his seat and onto the floor.
There was much shouting.
"Get the smelling salts!"
"It's not my castle! I don't know where anything is!"
"I'm not talking to you, you fool! Hedrid, I know you always have some on you!"
"Here, Your Majesty"
A tiny glass bottle was uncorked and waved under Wolfram's nose, the blond now slumped in his chair, Yuuri fluttering behind him anxiously. Mikael kneeled in front of Wolfram, Hedrid standing close to his king. Murata, once he had coughed and detached his leg and arm from under a sprawled Yuuri, sat with his legs crossed on the sofa from before.
Trust Bielefelt to make such an entrance. And things are going to get so much more funwhen he wakes up.
oOoOo
… what happened?
His eyelids refused to cooperate, so Wolfram stopped trying to wrench them open by sheer force of will alone, muscle control a skill suddenly forgotten. He could hear voices and chattering, all familiar, all annoying.
He growled, because his voice box hadn't forgotten how to.
"He's coming to!"
Yes, shout in my ear, what a brilliant incentive to get me to wake up. And what sweet Shinou is that smell?
Wolfram's sense of smell chose that moment to kick-start itself, and green eyes shot open as a hand knocked away the source of the pungent smell, before he leaned forward gasping for clean air.
He panted for breath, thoughts rearranging themselves as he tried to fill in the blankness in his mind, but he didn't get much of a chance.
"Wolfram!"
Hands grabbed his shoulder, and he was turned to face a worried Mikael.
"If you weren't feeling well, you should have just stayed in your room! Hedrid's an adult, he could have found me by himself!"
Wolfram blinked a few times, determined to use fuzzy-headedness as an excuse to avoid replying Mikael. Like any well-trained soldier, in the tense situation he had snapped to full consciousness almost as soon as he woke, but feigning wimpiness was better than allowing Mikael to guess that he had been lonely. He, Wolfram Von Bielefelt, had been craving company, and therefore had ignored the warning signs his body had put up in order to lead Hedrid in his search for Mikael.
And of course, I would have been perfectly fine and conscious if it wasn't for the blasted idiots.
Wolfram groaned at the memory he wished was a dream, even though he could feel Yuuri's presence in the room. Closing his eyes to slits, Wolfram did a swift headcount while Mikael warbled on about the importance of bed rest for exhausted demon nobility.
Mikael fussing like a woman? Check.
Green slivers alighted on the tall man by Mikael's side, and Hedrid shivered without quite knowing why.
Introverted talkative assassin-guard? Check.
He spied Murata sitting across him, and a black blur just out of sight. He sighed, brushed off Mikael's hands, and straightened with a scowl.
Stupid sage and the heart-breaking idiot? Bloody here too.
"I am owed an explanation"
Yuuri nervously wrung his hands, Wolfram's cutting goodbye still fresh in his mind.
Well, obviously he was tired and not thinking straight when he first saw us! He thought we were a dream, or something. Now's my chance to tell him the tru-
Yuuri's train of thought and passage into Wolfram's line of sight was stopped by the weighty frown Mikael concentrated on him. Over Wolfram's head the two adolescent kings had a battle royale of wills, Mikael demanding Yuuri back down and melt into a wall, Yuuri flatly proclaiming no.
Wolfram could feel the bad feelings swishing overhead, and it did not help his headache.
Murata looking amused and fiddling with his glasses proved to be one annoyance too many for an irritated, confused Wolfram to take.
And Wolfram hated being confused, hated not knowing what in hells is going on, and the discomfort borne from being in the dark had him shouting.
"Stop it, both of you! If you want to behave like bad-tempered obstinate idiots, don't do it near me. You" he pointed to Murata, "and you" he glared at Mikael, "follow me to another room. We're going to have a chat, and if I don't find out exactly what is going on, pray really hard to your deity of choice that the esoteric dampening is stronger than my irritation"
Despite having no clue as to the layout of the castle, Wolfram stood up and stomped to the door, huffily pushing his bangs out of his eyes. When his hand reached the doorknob, he turned to glare at the other four unmoving occupants.
"What are you waiting for?!"
"Coming, my Wolf!"
Mikael almost ran to him, Murata following at a more sedate pace, wiping his glasses on his undershirt.
"Umm… Wolf?" The voice was so small, that had the room been anything but deathly silent in the face of Wolfram's wrath, it would have went unheard.
Wolfram's eyes hardened, and he looked at Yuuri, who unconsciously took a step back at the glare he received.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Umm… I'll follow too, right?"
"You will not. You aren't the monarch of this castle, you do not have free reign. Stay here and talk about girls with Hedrid, anything, whatever, I truly do not care. Leave this room at your own risk. The adults need to speak, so if you will excuse me," Wolfram threw the door open and marched out without looking back. Murata smiled apologetically at Yuuri before rushing after the blond, and Mikael just looked desperately at Hedrid before exiting last, pulling the door closed behind him.
A shaken Yuuri collapsed onto the sofa, throwing a hand over his eyes as he tried not to scream or run after Wolfram.
This can't be good for my sanity.
Hedrid dutifully stood by Yuuri's seat, having long since given up the hope of understanding what went on when the things that went on involved both Wolfram and Mikael. All he could do was do his duty as he should, and, scarily, put his total faith in two boys with behavioural insanity, fingers crossed in the hope that things would end for the best.
He did spare a swift, angry-father look at the youth sunk in the cushions, but it wasn't noticed.
Yuuri found the situation unbearable, and the clutter in his mind threatened to drown him in his mind. As was his usual tactic, when confused, he reverted to an indelicate form of verbal diarrhea.
In this case, Yuuri desperately attempted to engage Hedrid in polite small talk, hoping that the charm other foreign nobility always said made him so approachable and lovable would work its magic on Hedrid.
Then maybe I can convince him that Wolf didn't mean what he said, not really, and we could go after them and make him see sense.
"So, Hedrid, was it? Nice weather, isn't it?"
Yuuri had removed his arm and sat up a little, offering a goofy smile.
Hedrid was tempted to quote Wolfram and answer a testy don't say a word.
But Hedrid had been brought up to respect noble blood, even when, as in this case, he didn't particularly like the person through whose veins said noble blood flowed.
Though internally he would have liked nothing better than to lecture the double-black on how one should treat a fiancé, Hedrid resisted. Instead he kept his stony façade unchanged, thought about the beach he would bring his family to after this whole messy affair was resolved with Wolfram staying here, and muttered a noncommittal "Hmm"
Yuuri wanted to kick something.
oOoOo
They were standing in front of a door, staring at each other. Wolfram glowered at the world from his position slumped against the wall, Mikael alternated between glaring at his feet and glaring at Murata, and Murata stared at Wolfram.
"Are we not going in?"
"You keep quiet. Under the best of circumstances I find you annoying, Sage, and these aren't the best of circumstances"
"Exactly!"
"And you. Oh, when I find out what actually happened, you'll probably be in even more trouble than this one" Wolfram nodded in Murata's direction, "and that other one. Both of you just agree on one thing. Will I want to kill somebody when I hear the superbly stupid stunts you people have pulled?"
Neither Murata nor Mikael had the full picture, but both could intelligently estimate what had transpired. Pretty it was not.
"I think you'll want something for your headache before we talk, Wolf"
"And definitely a chair to sit on, Lord Bielefelt. Try not to get angry enough to summon fire, that wouldn't help your condition at all"
Wolfram leaned more heavily on the wall with the secret conviction that it was the only solid thing in the world he could trust.
Not dead kings, not teenaged rulers, not wise men, not magic, not family. Just this wall.
"What time is it, actually?" It really was too late in the day for this kind of discussion. It wasn't that Wolfram's mind could not keep up with the information; the problem lay in the fact that his patience was all but gone, and he couldn't rely on his self-control not to start hitting important people over the head with heavy furniture.
And there were so many important people who needed to get hit with heavy furniture.
Mikael was a study in hardly-controlled worry.
"It'll be dusk in a couple of hours. Hey Wolf, whatever you ask I'll answer, but let's get you seated and fed, alright? It's pointless for me to keep being so nice to the uninvited guests if you faint on your feet"
He moved to take Wolfram's elbow to lead him by, but kept his silence when the blond just growled and jerked his arm away.
"We can't just let Yuuri starve, but I refuse to go and call him back after telling him to stay put like a nice little idiot king. I have my pride, thank you very much, if everything else that's rational has been taken away by you both."
Murata frowned. "It was unwise to leave him out of this discussion just because you two are having issues, Wolfram. Pride is the least of your worries now, this has escalated into being an international incident."
"Don't you start, you short mouthy man. Wolfram's been through enough without you ranting about his temper! Wolf, tell you what, since it's for you, we'll go and get something to eat, and I'll get Hedrid to drop him off after you feel slightly… steadier on your feet" Mikael flashed his most hopeful smile, pointedly ignoring Murata's flashing glare at being called "short".
Wolfram relented. The prospect of a hot meal warming him was a welcome one, and if Hedrid could just distract Yuuri for a little while, Wolfram might actually be able to feel something other than pure, abject fury and betrayal when he looked at the double-black.
Besides, it is nice to see the Sage feeling insulted, even if I indirectly get called short in the process. Speaking bluntly trumps stupid riddling any day.
"Fine. We eat, we talk, and then all of you accept whatever punishment I decide to give like men" Wolfram pushed off, and headed in the general direction of the kitchen, Mikael following like a guard dog, Murata still annoyed at being called "short".
Yeah, reincarnated a hundred times over, a straight-A student, the Great Sage to the King of Demons, black hair, and he calls me short. Idiot young kings are idiots.
Mikael moved closer to Wolfram, bending to whisper in his ear so that Murata couldn't hear a word. "Wolfram?" The blond growled. "What?"
"Wolf, do you think you will decide to never see me again if you hear all the things I did to get you here? Because that wouldn't be good for me, my heart may actually stop in despair, but if you really hated me, I don't think I would be able to keep you"
The demon sighed, and rubbed his aching head. There were really too many wimpy idiots in his company. It couldn't be healthy. "I don't know if I will want to see you after I know everything, but I wouldn't hate you. The way you can't hate dumb creatures, I will chalk up your behaviour to love-sick folly on top of general idiocy. And have you not realized yet, Mikael? I may want to hate someone so much it burns, but I am not talented at holding lasting loathing grudges. I probably would not be in this problem if I was better at hating"
He couldn't decide if he was happy or not. Yes, Wolfram had given him a glimmer of hope that the blond wasn't completely against staying at Petrach, but Mikael felt inexplicably foul at the thought of things being bad enough that Wolfram actually wished he hated better.
"I'm very sure I love you very much. Just so you know, Wolfram Von Bielefelt"
"Happy to know at least someone does"
oOoOo
"So… have you known King Mikael for very long?"
Yuuri's quest to pry information from the Head Guard was fast going nowhere. Hedrid had a biased view against Yuuri, and his dislike made a strong shield against Yuuri's natural charm on people.
It did not mean Yuuri would stop trying.
"Umm… Is Wolfram okay? Because he was hurt when this all started, and there're lots of esoteric stones here, and-"
"My king has taken excellent care of him, Your Majesty. His lordship is fatigued, and the unexpected matter of the letter he received yesterday, as well as this meeting has taken its toll on him"
Guess I really am a tiring person to have around, aren't I, Wolf?
"You don't like me very much do you, Hedrid?"
In a fit of petulant childishness, Hedrid felt the urge to roll his eyes.
"Do you wish for honesty, Your Majesty?"
Yuuri perked up at the reply that did not sound automated. Enthusiastically he nodded, sitting up straight to see the man properly.
Hedrid decided that if honesty had worked with Wolfram, it would work with Yuuri. Besides, he had no interest in cluttering his mind with cheap lies to maintain diplomacy.
Mikael has already caused irreparable damage by stealing Lord Bielefelt away. I think I have a right to speak what I believe; the Gods know the situation cannot get any worse than having the princeling, sage and king of the Demon nation effectively held captive.
"Your behaviour offends me. I do not like you, Your Majesty"
If his wife knew, she would probably be ashamed of Hedrid's gleefulness at the sight of Yuuri's shocked face.
Because the missus is a kinder person than I, and because she's never met Lord Wolf.
Yuuri frowned; he had expected as much, but the sensation of being disliked by a man he had not known existed yesterday was an uncomfortable one. And being called offensive ruffled his already mussed feathers. Years and years of being immersed in Japanese culture and the force of nature that is, Shibuya Miko had pounded into his brain the importance of being non-abrasive.
The thought of offending anyone scared Yuuri, and for a moment the dig for information played second fiddle to genuine curiosity.
"What have I ever done to offend you? We've only just met! Was I supposed to shake your hand, or something? Or is it because me and Murata broke into your castle? It's not like we did it for fun, it's because Wolfram-"
"I have no duty to tell you why, and you have no authority to make me answer. You also do not have to worry about my opinions of you. I'm just a lowly guard"
It was Hedrid's truth.
Yuuri shook his head, rejecting the idea.
"What everyone thinks is important, and your job is important. I wouldn't make you tell me even if I could if you really didn't want to, but everybody's opinions should matter! I wanted to know what you find so horrible about me, so that I can change and-"
"Make me like you?" Hedrid was confused. It was understandable to want to be popular with people when the job required so much social contact, but he could not see the point of niggling over every single matter, worrying endlessly over the appearance that was being shown to the world. You do what you can, and after that having some complainers was something to be ignored.
My king certainly doesn't let the lords he dislikes dictate his behaviour.
Yuuri sighed, and closed his eyes.
"It's important to me to be liked; it means I'm doing things right, and I'm not hurting anyone. You might think that's stupid of me, but I can't help myself. I want to know what I've done to offend you, because I want to stop offending you, because I hate being offensive to anyone"
"It is not my place to question your decision, Your Majesty. If you're seeking wise counsel, my king is wiser. If you're seeking counsel that is as honest as honest can be, Lord Bielefelt has proven several times that he is the best choice. I personally think it is unwise to worry so much over your appearance to the world"
The boy cocked his head to the side, eyes still closed. "What do you mean, Wolfram? You haven't known him for very long, how could you possibly know what kind of advice he'd give? Wolfram's not usually the one I go to for an opinion. He's very… emotional about everything"
Hedrid suppressed a shudder as memories of the verbal abuse he had been put through getting Wolfram to the castle swamped his mind. Annoyed Wolfram was a Wolfram he prayed strongly to never, ever see ever again. The internal wounds were still tender.
"Lord Bielefelt is sincere, sire, and his lack of concern for everything but the things he loves is… startling. If you have not long ago noticed his… burning wisdom, that itself is an offence"
There was a weighty pause as Yuuri repeated the words to himself, grasping for understanding.
"… Oh my god, is it because of Wolfram that you don't like me?"
The guard kept his silence, face betraying nothing. It didn't matter, not when he was speaking to this boy-king with his head in the clouds. With Mikael it was a careful choosing of words, because he would slice through every single syllable, reading between the lines to reach the conclusion Hedrid often wished he couldn't.
With Yuuri, subtlety was a wasted effort. Covert annoyance was a wasted effort.
Anything but an upfront declaration was a wasted effort, and imagining the spitfire, assassin-tackling Wolfram with fire for eyes living with Yuuri was almost enough to induce a headache in Hedrid. His previous determination not to let Yuuri know why exactly he didn't like him, because he knew it would be unspeakably rude to speak to a monarch that way, had become a long past memory.
"It is, isn't it?! Oh god… Are you in love with him too?"
"I am happily married, Your Majesty, thank you for inquiring"
"I didn't mean to-… What I want to say is, is… I don't know what I'm trying to say, but… Wolfram. All of us… and Wolfram. It's just so… I'm not smart enough to handle this! Wolfram is ours, and you shouldn't know him well enough to like him so much you don't like me, and this is just so… stupid! I don't know what to do, and I don't know anything except that something is wrong!"
"Affairs involving other people are not neat things sire. They are messy and tiring, but life is unbearable without them. Whining about it does not change the matter of the fact"
Yuuri groaned. "Thanks for the vague insult. It's not like I don't get enough of that back home from Wolf-…" He couldn't complete the sentence. He couldn't actually put the words "home" and "Wolfram" in a sentence until they could get him back.
"My pleasure, Your Majesty, to stand in for His Excellency"
Wolf, this guy says he isn't a fan of yours, but when he talks like this, we know better don't we? And it's totally normal for me talk to you when I'm thinking. I bet everyone does it with their best friend. Yup. Normal.
"You aren't very nice, you know"
And from what I understand, nor are you, Your Majesty.
"As you like, Your Majesty"
"Can we go after them?"
"No, Your Majesty"
"Will you let me bring him home?"
He already is.
oOoOo
The bowl of cherrywood soup didn't have a chance.
Murata almost felt sorry for it, but any and all sympathy he held he directed at himself. Things were steadily becoming more uncomfortable, and he knew, of course, that the ones who would bear the brunt of Wolfram's anger were the "idiot prancing royals!", himself included.
But still… The glare of burning fury directed at the bowl inspired pity for its victim, inanimate though it may be.
Wolfram was fuming. Had there been the slightest possibility of him calling fire there, the soup would have been Mikael and Murata's funeral pyre.
Instead of lunging at whoever was closest, Wolfram tightened his grip on the mug of tea he held in his hand.
Less than half a week! A few bloody days and everyone was either crying or fighting! Mother thought I had died, everyone thought I had died! Mikael didn't lie about sending a second letter of explanation, but a lie would have been kinder than orchestrating my death. And I didn't even notice that my hair was cut! And if Mikael was honest, and I am beginning to suspect the idiot cannot lie but has problems with honest honesty, he only did it because I was being treated badly.
Which is probably his mind-influencing way of blaming this ALL on Yuuri. And maybe that isn't completely wrong, but it does not prevent it from being completely stupid.
"Has anything been left out?"
Murata and Mikael eye each other, each individually going over the recounting in their minds. Small details that were a matter of national security were omitted, such as how exactly they found Wolfram, and how Hedrid got Wolfram to Balera so fast without magic. Small facts, important facts, but not facts that could stop Wolfram from glaring at his food.
"No"
With a hand trembling in anger Wolfram gulped down a spoonful of the now tasteless soup, the thick liquid coiling heavily at the back of his throat, disbelief and anger making swallowing difficult.
"And after all this. All these stupid things everyone has done, and I'm dead but not dead and missing but here… And the broken engagement with His Majesty, and being abducted…" He growled. "After all this, now what? Am I to choose between two countries? So many affectionate people everywhere, how in hells do you expect me to make a decision? This mess has been dumped on my lap, and Shinou, I wish I could burn something to cinders, because this is all so annoying!"
Murata drummed his fingertips on the table, mentally going through his options. Manipulation was obviously in order, but he couldn't decide if it would be better to play mind games with Mikael or Wolfram. There was also the slight worry that things have gotten so enormously difficult, that even grade A specialist maneuvering couldn't get them out of this mess unscathed.
"We could simply bring you back to Shin Makoku and give a vague story about your disappearance. Shibuya's well within his right as king to order you back, you know."
What Murata meant was, you don't actually have much of a choice.
"Attempt to dislodge Wolfram from my castle with force, and be prepared to see me get really angry. None of this is his fault, it's mostly yours, partly mine, and I will not allow you to dictate his behaviour! As the ruler of the land you are standing on, I declare Lord Bielefelt is allowed to decide. Sounds odd to you, does it, giving someone other than your precious king a choice in this matter?" Mikael's tone was cold, calm and cutting, an abject departure from the warm, affable human that had been close to Wolfram's side for a few days now.
Wolfram admitted to himself that it was nice to have someone fight for him.
Even if it was his kidnapper.
And self-proclaimed protector.
"How good for you to own this castle, sire, but Lord Bielefelt is a demon of Shin Makoku, and everything of Shin Makoku is subject to Shibuya's wishes. You may proclaim heroically all you want, but legally, you have no say in this matter"
"And nor do I, isn't it, Great Sage? All the trouble I've been put through, the errors both sides made, and in the end I do not even have a voice to speak with." Wolfram clinked his spoon into his bowl and clenched his fists, anger and despair playing merry hell with his feelings. "The engagement is broken, my name dragged through the mud and spat upon, and you expect me to accept your wise counsel without a single objection?!"
"Your mother, brothers, daughter and friends would agree with me"
Wolfram it is then.
Wolfram paled. The dream-like quality of this insanity that had enveloped him had stopped him from remembering the fact that most of his family thought he was dead. And while a large part of him was screaming for him to stay here, and enjoy the warmth of being wanted, the subdued voice that was telling him that his old life was not so bad, that he should just give up ever hoping to be respected and adored and go back to make everyone happy, refused to shut up!
Mikael pulled his seat closer to Wolfram, and scowled at Murata.
"You will not force him to your decision! Lord Bielefelt can stay here, and his family can come visit whenever they want, I'll grant them special citizenship, gods, they can stay here if it would make Wolfram feel better, so don't you dare use the people he loves against him!" The king carefully put his hand an inch away from Wolfram's, intending to offer support but worried that a pat would be rebuffed.
"Aren't you embarrassed that you have to resort to emotional blackmail to get him to go with you? Tell me, smart boy, why would you need to do such a thing if his lordship really wanted to go back to your king and country?"
Murata's glasses flashed angrily, Mikael responding by nonchalantly flicking his hair off his face.
"It is not blackmail to state the obvious. It is manipulative to purposely leave the question of his family out of the discussion. I am attempting, in the kindest way possible, to get Lord Bielefelt back home, because he has to come home, and we have a right to take him back home. This is not a game, he is not a doll you can decide to take a fancy to and take away, do you understand?" Murata shook his head. "This matter is bigger than your little crush. The emotional well-being of the Demon King hangs in the balance!"
"No it doesn't. All he needed to know was that I was alive, Sage. After this I assure you he will happily leave for Shin Makoku and quickly look for a pretty girl. Or a boy, because if I remember the letter he sent correctly, the problem with our engagement wasn't my gender. It was me" Wolfram spoke with quiet certainty, eyes unflinchingly trained on Murata. Conviction burned in the green, and the wise man was worriedly entranced by the flames.
Crap, crap, crap, crap. Dear pretty boy Wolf, you are not supposed to be so convinced that Shibuya doesn't want you. You're making an already difficult job much, much harder for me.
"Don't be so certain, Bielefelt. This event has set some wheels turning in Shibuya's head, and the end result might be the one you want. Even I'll admit Shibuya's dense, but trust me, he'll get there eventually"
Seriously, trust me. The way Shibuya's feeling now, I give him two months tops before he blows a fuse and screams his gay love for you.
"Eventually may include the minute before I die. Excuse me if I am not excited by the prospect"
"When he thought you had died, Wolfram, he went a little bit… insane. Actually, he was completely crazy and we had to drug him to get him to listen to us. I think this whole thing is beginning to make Shibuya see… more"
Mikael snapped.
"I am not performing a social service here! Getting Wolfram is not me being a handy tool in knocking realization into that idiot's head! I did not orchestrate and bet and risk so much so that you can tramp in here with your silly glasses and tell Wolfram that all's well, my turn as the villain has pulled the wool off King Shibuya's eyes, and he should go back to the horrible treatment of before!"
The tall boy growled and stood up, slamming his palms on to the table so hard tea sloshed out of Wolfram's mug.
"I am not a bit player whose importance ends once Prince Charming realises the truth. If it was up to me, I'd be Prince bloody Charming so that Wolfram wouldn't have been so unhappy to begin with! Stop trying to buy him over with things that might end up hurting him, or I swear I will issue a command banning you from speaking in Balera." Mikael smiled predatorily, teeth bared in an expression of smugness. "On pain of death, even"
"Get Yuuri here"
Wolfram's words were so softly spoken, they were almost lost in the glaring contest between Murata and Mikael. Even then it took both boys a few moments to correctly comprehend what had been said.
The atmosphere grew thicker with anxious anticipation; Wolfram had made a decision.
And as Mikael lunged for the door to order someone to call Hedrid and Yuuri, Murata wiped his glasses clean on his undershirt, wondering how this would end yet unable to help feeling distinctly amused by Wolfram taking control of the situation.
As the Great Sage, Murata appreciated interesting people, and though by his guess the whole thing would end in tears, observing a supposed-to-be-broken Wolfram behaving as though the world was obliged to listen to him was hopelessly fascinating.
Guess even my sense of humour is a sado-masochist. Or irrational. Either way, no one can say this little event was dull or uninteresting.
oOoOo
The silence was oh-so unbearable.
It was painful.
It was one-sided, and for that Yuuri was annoyed.
Hedrid had given up all pretence of being an attentive captor with a malleable soul, and was standing silent as a rooted tree behind the sofa Yuuri sat on, staring at the opposite wall like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Yuuri worried, slightly, that to Hedrid the stone really was worth more attention than he, the 27th Demon King.
The silence was deafening. Yuuri's ears hurt.
What is taking them so long? Even if Wolf is angry at me, leaving me to this, this… Silent Torture is really evil! Hey Wolf! Where! Are! You?!
Making a din in his head lessened the silence, even if only internally, and Yuuri relished the sound of something, mentally shouting for Wolfram, for Conrad, for a pot of tea, for a pair of long pants.
He was so absorbed in himself that he nearly missed the sound of polite rapping on the door, and before he could stand to react Hedrid was already there, having a quiet talk with the knocker. Yuuri craned his neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of gold, but was disappointed when all he could see was the metallic dome that was the customary headgear for the soldiers of the castle.
He pouted, even though no one was looking at him.
The soldier left, and Hedrid turned to look at Yuuri.
"His Majesty and His Lordship have asked for you in the dining chambers, and I am to accompany you. Please ready yourself"
Yuuri shot to his feet, raring to go in all his disrobed glory.
Hedrid pointedly eyed the thin singlet he was wearing, and Yuuri had a thought in his mind that was not Wolf-related.
The thought swum in embarrassment, and Yuuri laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"Umm… Is there a coat, or something, I can borrow? I know Murata's out there dressed just as… um, lackingly as I am, and I know I'm not exactly your favourite person, but… it's kindof drafty. And I want to make a good second impression on Wolf, since the first impression wasn't very nice. Please?"
Hedrid did not have the heart to say no, so he shrugged off his heavy uniform coat and handed it to Yuuri, who took it gratefully. Hedrid's advantage in height meant that while the coat ended shortly past his hips, on Yuuri it swirled about his knees.
Hedrid had realized a terrible, terrifying thing about himself, in dealing with Wolfram; he could not resist cute people.
Yuuri smiled gratefully as he buttoned up the coat, delighting in clothes.
Hedrid rationalized the pleased feeling he had at the smile. He did not bother believing himself, and quietly prayed that Mikael would not find out about his obsessive fathering tendencies and taunt him mercilessly about them.
He left a silent plea to the gods to make sure that Wolfram didn't find out either. He could only take so much emotional abuse before I break down and start writing weeping sonnets, gods be praised.
They left the room.
oOoOo
"Lord Bielefelt, since it's obvious that you've come to a conclusion, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what it is, before Shibuya gets here"
Because while the evil-laughter-inclined, temptation-whispering part of him believed that Yuuri should be the first to hear what Wolfram had to say and let the fireworks fly, sensibility overpowered everything and demanded Murata to at least be forewarned of the upcoming debacle.
Both parts agreed on the debacle bit. It was obvious, obvious, told of in the air.
"I would have appreciated being told that I was a key to the boxes, Sage. You can wait for Yuuri"
Wolfram seemed almost mischievous in withholding the information, a familiar smirk decorating his lips. The stressed frowning was gone, and the blond was attacking his soup with gusto and glee. He wasn't exactly chatty, but Wolfram seemed a lot more at ease than he had been in a long while.
Like something was resolved, like a burden had been thrown off.
Murata worried what the enlightenment entailed; hardheaded, tactless Wolfram, grown so adult and mature in recent years, yet still so very single-minded in his determination.
What a terror to face, when he decided on something.
Something, that Murata detachedly suspected was not the thing he and Yuuri would have liked for the blond to decide upon.
Or maybe he's going to give Shibuya another chance. Bielefelts are hopeless romantics after all. God, it's so annoying to try and read the minds of adolescents! They don't know what they want half the time, and the other half they decide on something amazingly stupid but refuse to listen to reason.
It made things interesting, but it also made it impossible for Murata to know how things were going to turn out.
But he had a title to live up to, and settled for a knowing grin and a faux-relaxed recline in his seat, arms crossed as if he was hearing a joke only he could understand.
Mikael saw, and snorted. Confident in his own intelligence, and having absolutely zero knowledge as to what exactly Wolfram would say, Mikael had no doubt that the "Great Sage" was as clueless as he was. Luckily Mikael was a man in love, pride long since relinquished in his quest for Wolfram, and had no qualms about staring at Wolfram and annoyingly, repetitively asking what was going on.
"Wolfram, you're going?"
"Quiet, you. A lord is trying to eat in peace, all right?"
"Wolfram, you're not going to leave me right?"
"Quiet, Mikael. Patience is a virtue"
"Virtue isn't exactly at the top of the list of things I want. What is, isn't telling me if he's staying or leaving"
"I'm not playing favourites. If His Eminence is not told anything, nor will Your Majesty. Now please. Shut. Up."
Mikael fidgeted, untied his hair then tied it up again in a higher ponytail, pulled lint off his shirt, and quietly recited the national anthem to himself. Then he gave up trying to distract himself.
"I refuse, Wolfram. If this is the last time I ever get to sit next to you, I might as well spend my time wisely, right?" said Mikael sadly, convinced that he had lost the fight. He pulled his chair even closer to Wolfram's, and pulled up his legs to seat in a scrunched cross-legged position, thighs propped by the arms of his chair.
Mikael started a monologue, Wolfram pretended to ignore him, and Murata listened attentively without showing it.
A most human villain, abductor of the pretty prince, stuck in a room with his victim and a young old wise man, telling a story of his childhood as the pretty prince unprettily ate his way through half a banquet, as the wise man listened and marveled at how things could change, would change from this moment, yet everything felt stunned in honey; heavy, with the distinct bitter-sweet flavour lacing everything.
Or something like that. I've never been good at being poetic, in any life.
"-and the worst part was I didn't know I was allergic to bee stings, and my father was worse than my mother when he saw it swelling so badly. Mother just told me to keep calm and breathe slowly, because, you know, mother got just as badly when she's stung, so I'm glad that the stupid insect decided to attack me. Obviously. And father was screaming and running around waving his arms and shouting at people then stopping and panicking quietly then running again. Hedrid was there, he's always there, and he was gone and back with the doctor before father had done a third circuit around the field. The man rubbed something on my arm, gave me something awful to swallow, and I felt much better immediately"
Mikael laughed softly as he remembered the day years and years ago. The queen had spent a week not saying a word to the king in her personal boycott, because Thrombel had been too busy to even eat with his son. The picnic was a peace offering to both him and his mother.
"Father knighted the doctor on the spot, and was going after Hedrid to knight him too before mother told him to behave himself and stop traumatizing innocent guards. After that day Hedrid used to get really twitchy when father was near him with his sword unsheathed, though no one knows why he's so against the idea, and-"
The doors to the dining hall opened, and Hedrid announced the entrance of His Majesty Shibuya Yuuri, the monarch looking over Hedrid's shoulder in his borrowed coat.
Yuuri waved like an idiot, and smiled his widest, silliest smile. Murata was envious of the coat, putting more energy into forgetting the slight itch of the leather of the cushion against the exposed skin past his shorts.
How he had forgotten it in the first place was miraculous.
Wolfram smiled back. Mikael frowned.
"I need to speak to you, Your Majesty"
"Wolf, this is one thing I don't want you copying your brother! It's Yuuri, Yuuri!"
So what do you wish I had copied from Weller? His soft heart? His humanity? Or his skills as a lover, maybe, cheater?
Wolfram reminded himself of his goal, his burning intention. His smile did not fade, and Murata was surprised that Yuuri wasn't being drowned in a bowl of gravy for the insulting insinuation. He was also surprised that Wolfram wasn't sobbing, thoroughly shattered.
He had to ask. He raised his hand to halt the conversation.
"One moment. I have a question for King Mikael; are Bad Omen birds a local species here?"
All eyes turned to him, but Murata's face was dead serious.
"Umm… They aren't. We depend on our senses to tell of coming bad fortune. We don't base it on a bird"
Good, then it appears I have one attached to my brain like a phantom limb, and it will not stop squawking. I always knew I had over-developed senses.
Wolfram started again.
"Anyway, Yuuri, you are relieved to find that I am relatively healthy and completely alive, right?"
"Of course I am! It was horrible when we thought you'd died, everyone was moping and sad and miserable. I really am glad to see you're okay, Wolf"
Yuuri's smile would have melted the heart of an unrepentant villain. Even Mikael grumbled his acknowledgement of the general warming of the soul the sight induced.
"Was everyone… very upset, when they got that second letter?"
Wolfram's question was asked almost shyly, like he couldn't believe he was actually asking about other people's feelings. Yuuri grinned widely, walking towards the blond.
"Everyone was hurt really bad, you know. Your mother, your brothers… Umm..."
"And… Greta?"
"She thinks you're away on duty. Give me some credit as a parent Wolfram! The minute we found out you were alive, no way was I even going to hint that you'd disappeared. It was really quiet and weird, when you were gone. It was horrible"
Wolfram stood up, a dreamy look in his eyes, and Mikael barely managed to hush the groan that welled up; Wolfram was standing, Wolfram was moving away.
Wolfram was moving to meet Yuuri half-way, and by the brightening of the darker boy's eyes, it was obvious he was thrilled.
"It's time to return, don't you think, Yuuri?"
Yuuri's smile was so bright it was almost painful to look at. A living, breathing Wolfram, pale but otherwise looking better than any of the half-crazed dreams he had had while grieving for the blond, and he was within an arm's length of Yuuri, and all was right with the world.
"Of course! We can be back before tomorrow if Murata can help! You know, I think we should throw a party for your safe homecoming! Gunter would enjoy it, he's been behaving really stern and serious lately, a nice festive event is definitely going to cheer him up, and-"
His hands were outstretched, fingers crooked waiting for the blond's arms to grasp.
Wolf, why have you stopped moving?
Wolfram snorted, and flicked his hair off his face, folding his arms in a familiar gesture.
Yuuri froze. That was Wolfram's "You're being really dumb and oblivious, you wimp" pose. That wasn't the pose he wanted to see right now. He would prefer never to see it, but he could live being looked down the nose at for the rest of his natural life, as long as Wolfram didn't do it right now.
"I don't think you understood me, wimp. It's time the both of you return, and tell everyone that I'm alive and well."
Wolfram smiled, and Yuuri was having trouble breathing, because he had been looking at that smile, that beautiful smile the whole time, and now he could see Wolfram's eyes, and Wolfram's eyes were broken.
"I will be staying here"
WBC (will be continued. Just to sound EXTRA reassuring)
Not a lot of humour in this chapter, which was really, really hard to write. 17 chapters in and I do believe I still fail at angst… and fluff. Hah.
Hands up how many people expected Wolfram's decision? Because while I did try to aim for suspense, I've been told I am unusually gullible. Hah.
Also, can anybody tell me whether or not reviews will be deleted if I consolidate the first few chapters? I reckon I should even out the distribution of words. Hah.
I love doing A/Ns, even if I suspect most people don't even bother reading it. I'm venturing into a weirder writing style right now, and have also collided most solidly with an awesome case of writer's block. So the next update won't be in a while. Sorry.
I like funny stories. It's my aim in life to get better at writing them. As always, read and review, and you guys who professed the urge to lurve Mikael if he gets dumped… You have my eternal gratitude. Seriously, you guys wouldn't mind being paired with an OC?
My OC, no less XD Just wondering, in all honesty, who doesn't mind a wolf and mikael pairing? And would anyone rather not have any pairings at all?
Thanks!