Yuuri gently stroked his fingers through Wolfram's hair as he sat at the edge of his bed, watching him sleep. When it came to the long voyages over seas, sleep was really the only way to escape the vomit inducing sway of the ship. Yuuri was glad to see him unconscious, mouth parted with a breathy snore as he drooled ever so slightly on a pillow. Yuuri's pillow, he noticed. He didn't mind. That they were permitted to share a double bed in the ship's private quarters below deck was enough to make any concession on who got to drool on what. They were married now, if only as far as the Trebic people were concerned. It made Yuuri's heart feel lighter and his mood invincible against all other worries or concerns. He'd won. He'd grant Alfgeir a respectful reprieve for his part but at last no one could take Wolfram away anymore or ever again. Yuuri had never considered himself the possessive sort-but then again he'd never thought himself the jealous type either. He'd always been very good at sharing things he wanted. When it came to love it was much more than a want; Wolfram was a need. He needed him to be in his life much more than he wanted to be married at his age. Just another concession to the cogs turning and slowly winding up the gears that powered the events in his life. If he was old enough to bear the responsibilities and hardships of being king to a large kingdom, he was certainly old enough to chose who he wanted at his side to help him keep his balance among sycophants and critics.

He'd thought Murata would be his largest critic when word had gotten out but his friend had hardly even seemed surprised. Gunter feinted, Gwendal fumed, Conrad had been quiet. Celi had credited herself with having arranged the magic night in question and began her own preparations for the Shin Makoku ceremony. She had been a surprise accomplice in their little lie. Yuuri felt better and better about his choice as things continued to fall into place. It had only taken a day to prepare the ship for its voyage and after several more the shores of Trebic were now visible, a beachy path of forests and towns set to guide them to the capital city. Iorund was a nervous wreck by observation, constantly exchanging doves with the wind and pacing in his room at night. His footsteps and muttered tirades had kept Yuuri awake for an hour of curious eavesdropping through thin walls. Conrad worried they were walking into a very hostile homecoming. The only worries Yuuri bothered keeping were the ones that made Wolfram hold on to him so hard at night that it hurt. He still had not said what had made him change his mind and come running to him in the middle of the night. A bad dream, Yuuri surmised. The longer Wolfram's melancholy clung to him, though, the more Yuuri wondered. They were married in one country and effectively engaged in their own. He'd have thought whatever it was would have passed by now under present conditions.

Wolfram nuzzled his cheek against the pillow, eyebrows pinching his face into a pout as he closed his mouth and turned restlessly. Yuuri stopped petting him long enough to let him settle again then returned to his gentle stroking of his hair. He smiled when green eyes peeked open at him, having secretly hoped to have woken him eventually even though he knew the sleeping helped.

"You're going to make my hair all greasy," Wolfram warned, closing his eyes again.

Yuuri shrugged his shoulders. "Probably."

The prince consort sighed and turned over on his back, resigned to consciousness again as he felt out Yuuri's hand. He held it, stroking his knuckles with his thumb as Yuuri continued to sit at his side. Yuuri enjoyed the simple moments. Sometimes words ruined the feelings in the air and so long as it wasn't an angry silence, Yuuri was in no hurry to fill it. He gave Wolfram's hand a squeeze, smiling at him. Wolfram's return smile was hesitant but genuine as he squeezed his hand back harder.

"Yuuri?"

"Yeah?"

"No matter what we're both going home, right?"

Yuuri rolled his eyes, tugging on his arm. "Wolfram, I should hope I've established by now that I'm not letting you go."

"What if you have to?"

"I'm still not."

"What if it's not something you can control?"

"Doesn't matter. You're coming with me."

"What if I have to go somewhere you can't follow?"

"Well, I'll be very, very confused how you managed that since I'll be holding on to you like this every step of the way." Yuuri squeezed his hand again, sorely tempted to lay back down on the bed beside him. It was past noon, though, with several hours more till they arrived. He didn't need to greet the already likely irritable nobles with bed head and a a rumpled shirt.

Wolfram continued to stroke his knuckles, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he laid there with his eyes closed. The sunlight pooled in through the small port-side windows but was too short to reach his face, only close enough to make the dust light up and dance in the air over beams of white gold on the deep wooden backdrop of hull and floorboards. His peaceful expression only held for a moment, though, again slipping away to worry.

"Yuuri, would you want to know how long you'll live?"

It was an odd question and one that took Yuuri quite by surprise. He quirked his brow. "Um... I don't know. Why are you asking me that?"

"Just answer."

He sighed, scratching at his head with his free hand. "You mean do I want to know when I'll die?" he asked.

Wolfram shook his head. "No. Just how long you'll live. If someone said you'd only live to be a maximum of thirty years old, would you want to know?"

Yuuri leaned back against Wolfram's legs, trying to seriously ponder the strange question if only because of his insistence. It seemed a very odd way to phrase a pretty standard if not slightly macabre inquisition. He'd always heard it the other way, with the focus on when death would come. Wasn't it pretty much the same thing? He worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he pondered. Could live to be thirty and would live to be thirty were actually very different the more he considered it. Of all the weird things kids ask themselves in their idle time at school, he was surprise this one had never come up.

"So I could live less but not more?" He clarified. Wolfram nodded and Yuuri leaned back into his knees more. "I really don't know. If my life was going to be that short, I think I'd be better off not knowing. It'd kind of be the same as knowing when I was going to die but without the benefit of knowing everything before that would be things I could survive."

Wolfram nodded again, angling his legs to better serve as Yuuri's backrest. "What if it was someone close to you. Would you want to know how long they'd live?"

"Yeah. I would." Of that he didn't even have to think. Yuuri tried not to have his thoughts dwell much on death at any given time but he imagined everyone had had someone close to them become hurt or sick and had felt those regrets if only for a moment. It wasn't a pleasant feeling; not worse than the loss but harder to reconcile. "I mean, I have a lot of friends and my family is kind of really far away so knowing I only have a certain amount of time left to spend with someone I care about would be very important to me. I guess, if you're dying, you don't have to worry about making precious memories because once you're gone, so are they. But memories are all that's left for everyone else so making sure there are plenty of good ones to remember them by is very necessary."

"You're wrong," Wolfram said. "Dying people worry about precious memories too. They don't want to be forgotten."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right."

There was something in the way he said it that made Yuuri's chest feel tight. The melancholy, the outburst and crying, the strange, random questions about death. It filled his mind with the color green, a lingering doubt as to the long term effects of the houseki or a terrible side effect of the means by which they had to remove it. Gisela had said he was fine but maybe something had changed. Maybe she hadn't noticed something before or maybe it was something else that they'd only just realized. He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat not budging as the pain in his chest grew. Maybe he really didn't want to know. Maybe it was better not to know...

In the end, though, he'd never want to leave anyone to deal with that alone. Least of all a friend. Especially not Wolfram. He squeezed his hand, unable to look at him but finding his voice to be clear though hesitant. "... Wolfram, are you dying?"

"No," he answered plainly.

There was no finer relief. Yuuri leaned his head back, feeling the tightness release and his heartbeat and breathing return to normal. He almost wanted to hit Wolfram for making him worry like that but he supposed it was more his own fault. "Oh, thank god. You really scared me, Wolfram, with all these morbid questions."

"I'm only going to live to be about a hundred and fifty," Wolfram continued.

Yuuri smiled at him. "That old, huh?"

"Old? Yuuri, my mother is two-hundred and forty."

"She's going to kill you for-" Yuuri stopped mid sentence as his brain sent up a warning signal, red, bright and loud. Celi was of a reasonable adult appearance but certainly not old at well over two-hundred. Yuuri hadn't ever bothered to ask how long mazoku lived, knew only Wolfram's age now that he thought of it. Eighty seemed very young when put into the context of his lover. A hundred and fifty seemed very short in comparison. He turned his face, looking at him though Wolfram's gaze was averted to the porthole. "Wolfram, why aren't you going to live that long too?"

"Even if you are half human, it's your maryoku which matters. Strong maryoku like yours, you can live to be six-hundred I bet. I bet they let you stay king the whole time too."

"Wolfram." Yuuri didn't like his avoidance or the way he rattled on like he hadn't heard him. This was serious. He let go of his hand and turned his face by his chin, forcing him to look at him. His green eyes were not defiant or fiery as he generally saw them. He simply looked tired, worn down. He pushed Yuuri's hand from his face, sitting up. The pink lace nightgown Yuuri had bought for him clung to his frame with the sheets pooling in his lap. Wolfram rubbed his face, cradling it in his hands for a moment before letting his hands fall to his bent knees.

He still would not look at Yuuri but at last he did speak. "I died, Yuuri. Shinou gave me the rest of Alfie's life in order to bring me back. So that's all the time I have. I have what he would have had."

Yuuri didn't know what to say. The consequences of Wolfram's death, the fact that he had even died, were things he hadn't given much or any thought to. Other than the acknowledgment of his cool sounding nickname, Yuuri had considered tales of his death to be mostly fantastic. He felt like an idiot for never asking. There had been so many other things that had seemed so much more important. "How long have you known?"

"A few days. Murata told me. That night."

Yuuri cursed his stupidity and blindness. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I still don't believe it. And I don't want to believe it. But I can't ignore it either. Not if I want to put everything I wanted to do into just seventy more years."

"I won't let it be like that. We'll find a way to-"

"I don't want to hear that, Yuuri!" Wolfram's anger was quick to light but slow burning. He gave Yuuri a steely glare, temples pulsing as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. He was angry but not at Yuuri, and the king at least had the presence of mind to know that. Wolfram clarified none the less. "I know you mean well but It's not comforting. I'd be living like Morgif only instead of souls I'd be stealing years of other people's lives to prolong my own. I'd be a monster." He shook his head hard, obviously having given the matter a great deal of thought over the past few days. His breath trembled but his voice maintained the strength of conviction. "I'm lucky, Yuuri. I really am. I'd rather live a short life than a long one built on death and decay. That is not going to be my legacy."

Yuuri loved him; love his maturity and selflessness, two things he'd never thought he'd ever attribute to the young man. He loved his strength and his frailty, even if he was still hesitant to let him see the latter if he could help it. He loved his stubborn pride and insecurities. He loved that he was going to be with him for many years to come. He wasn't sure what he thought about the rest but of all the things he was sure of, he knew it was going to be okay.

"So this is my warning?"

Wolfram nodded. "Yeah. It's your warning."

"You know... most humans don't get to spend that long together. So.. I think in that way, I'll be lucky too."

Wolfram smiled just slightly as he leaned forward, laying his head against his knees and Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri leaned his cheek against his hair. He probably should have cried, he thought. He probably should have been more upset. Seventy years still seemed like a long time to Yuuri and he wagered it would still seem that way until seventy years was almost up. He was alright waiting that long for it to hit him. They still had a human lifetime to enjoy together.

"Yuuri?"

"Yeah?"

"If you thought I moved too fast before, I'm going to give you whiplash now."

Yuuri chuckled though it was a nervous sound. "Just remember, they're supposed to be precious memories. Precious."

"Precious like the nightgown you gave me?" Wolfram asked, shifting the sheets a little to show the generous portion of upper thigh and-if he wasn't mistaken-ass on display under the short lace hem.

Yuuri swallowed. "... Well, a couple naughty ones might be okay."

"Way more than a couple." Wolfram wrapped his arms around him and pulled him down despite the king's useless flailing. Yuuri landed across him as they turned and shifted, mostly by Wolfram's positioning as Yuuri continued to try and escape.

"Wolfram, we have to meet with the Trebic court in a few hours."

"It's not going to take that long."

"What's not?"

"Just trust me."

Yuuri did but it was not exactly a comforting answer. Wolfram had him on his back again, straddling his hips with his thighs parted wide. Even if he was more or less allowed or even encouraged to look, Yuuri still felt like a dirty old man for taking advantage of an up-skirt opportunity. The nightgown had come with matching panties. He was more mortified than ever now at having been seen by the sales lady checking the outfit out. Pink lace panties without enough coverage to even pretend to be decent. He was never going to show his face on earth again.

Wolfram sat up straight, fingers spread over Yuuri's clothed stomach as he moved his hips in sweeps and circles, gyrating very intently over the king's groin. Yuuri's eyes went wide as his imagination gave unnecessary help to Wolfram's movements. Without the clothes, with a little preparation, those same movements, that same spot... his body was fired up and far more eager than Yuuri would have liked. He would have preferred to have at least been able to pretend these weren't the first times he'd been excited like this with another person. It would have been nice to have come across cool and mature and not like the horniest closet-case to ever to have crossed dimensions. It pleased Wolfram to feel him hard beneath him, though. He could tell. Wolfram was just as bad at hiding when he was pleased with himself as Yuuri was at pretending he wasn't completely out of his depth.

"N-not with clothes, remember!"

"You're not close already, are you?"

Yuuri bit his lip, hands holding on tight to Wolfram's hips. "I can't help it if you're going to be like this." He couldn't keep himself still. His body ground back in response, finding a pace once erratic movements proved less effective.

There was a knock at the door. Yuuri, out of panic and instinct, grabbed Wolfram and threw him off him, rolling on top of him with the blanket to try and hide him. Wolfram made a startled yelp.

"Yuuri, what-!"

"Someone's at the door," Yuuri whispered.

Wolfram grabbed the blanket and fought with him to pull it away. "Yes. And they already know we're in here. Both of us!"

Of course they did. Yuuri chastised himself and let Wolfram get the blanket off his face, blonde hair a mess and green eyes fierce as he emerged with the tingle of static. "What exactly was that about?" the prince consort demanded, looking rumpled and ravaged and exactly what Yuuri had thought he was avoiding by hiding him.

He smiled sheepishly, trying to diffuse his anger. "I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea.. er.. the right idea... I mean Conrad."

Wolfram rolled his eyes, throwing the blanket back at Yuuri. "Conrad's not going to do or say anything. Not to you, anyway."

The knock repeated. "Your Majesty?" It was indeed Conrad. The door unlatched as he opened it slowly, pausing to make sure there was plenty of time for either of them to let him know the moment was not right. That in itself was just about too much. Yuuri put his face in his hands. His godfather thought he was doing naughty things to the younger brother. Whether he approved of not, it was still more than Yuuri really wanted anyone to know. No warning called at his disturbance, Conrad came into the room and closed the door behind him. "Yuuri, we're within sight of the castle. Lord Sturla says the nobles are already convening for an emergency meeting and we will be lead to the conference room upon arrival."

"Right... good... okay. We'll-uh... We'll be ready." He wished he didn't sound guilty. Wolfram fixing his hair and adjusting his nightgown from being pushed off so suddenly just made it worse.

Conrad nodded, either not noticing or not all that bothered. "Shall we go over our escape tactics should things become aggressive?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Actually, Conrad," Wolfram said, sweeping the last bang into place. "I need a few more minutes alone with Yuuri. Can you wait outside?"

Conrad gave his brother a look Yuuri hadn't seen on his face before. He was beginning to see what Wolfram meant by Yuuri not being the one the soldier would want to have a serious talk with about their relationship. "Can it wait, Wolfram?"

"No. It can't."

Conrad looked at Yuuri who had no desire to be caught between the two. "Yuuri?"

Wolfram pinched his thigh hard. "Ah!.. Uh... five minutes?"

The soldier sighed slightly, shoulders slumped in defeat. "Alright. I'll be back shortly." He gave his brother one last look as he reopened the door and made his way back into the lower decks of the boat.

Yuuri turned to Wolfram, rubbing his thigh. "What was that about?"

"Don't tell him."

Yuuri hesitated a moment, confused. "About what you told me? Why don't you want Conrad to know?"

"I don't want anyone to know." Wolfram was back to being serious again, the playful spark extinguished after its brief return. "I don't want to have to deal with them. It's enough to deal with as it is. It's not like they can help, so... Really, it's just better if it stays between you, Murata, and me."

Yuuri nodded, though keeping a secret from Conrad was not going to be easy. "If you don't act like things are okay once everything is all better, they're going to think something's up."

"No they won't. They'll just think I'm still messed up over everything that's happened."

He was probably right.

Wolfram crawled out of the bed, tossing his nightgown off and into his hardwood chest with gold finishings where his uniform was waiting to be dawned once more. Yuuri hoped to never see him in scarlet again once this was over.

"Regardless, I don't plan on moping around, Yuuri. Don't worry. I just need a few long days of just... feeling it. Then it's time to move on; worry about it later."

"Is that really alright?"

Wolfram looked up from tying on the black ties on his underwear. He smiled just a little though his eyes remained soft. "I have you now. That makes everything alright."

Yuuri got off the bed and gave him a kiss, hands resting on the bare skin of his shoulders. "I won't tell anyone," he promised.

Wolfram gave him a brief hug then went back to pulling out pieces of his formal attire from the chest. "Hurry up and see Conrad before he decides he has to rescue you from my lecherous clutches."

"You mean he doesn't?" Yuuri asked jokingly.

"With less than five minutes? That may be enough time for you but not for me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Wolfram shrugged innocently as he stepped into his trousers.

As the king left him to it, he was relatively assured he would be wearing his embarrassment for the rest of the night.