Yuuri woke to Gunter calling his name outside the door. He sighed. It felt early. He hadn't slept very much. A lot off tossing and turning, odd dreams he didn't quite remember when he woke. He wasn't even sure why the dreams were disturbing him. For some reason, emotion slid away with the memories. It was a bit strange. A nightmare should stick around and defend itself. That was just right.

Greta sat up beside him. "Morning Gunter! We're coming!"

"Yeah, let me get dressed, okay?" Yuuri yawned and rolled out of bed. He really wanted to keep sleeping. But he'd ducked out on Gunter all afternoon, and it was probably his own fault he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I certainly don't want you to inconvenience yourself."

Yuuri smiled at that, tugging one of the several school uniform replicas from his wardrobe. It was a little rumpled, crooked on the hangar and shoved in clumsily. That wasn't like the maids. They tended to take such pride in their work.

"Greta, did you move anything around in here?"

"Nope. It's just your clothes. Maybe Gunter had to hide?"

"Maybe." Yuuri shrugged and shook the uniform a bit to fix the wrinkles. He dressed quickly and helped Greta with her hair. Which he was not very good at. With his own straight hair, he'd never had much trouble with tangles.

Greta sighed. "Wolfram has to come back and sleep with us again. You're awful with a comb, Yuuri."

Yuuri just coughed. "Well, when Wolfram's awake he can probably help you straighten it up. Don't bother him now, though. He needs to rest up. Remember, we're going out to try out the camera today."

"Ooh, yay!"

"Now, while I finish up my work, why don't you go find something fun to do? I'll come find you once I've fulfilled my kingly duties." Yuuri waved Greta off down the hall and followed Wolfram to the study, where he applied himself to assorted documents with resignation.

Yuuri yawned and slid into his seat, taking up the pen. He made good headway even if his handwriting was wandering sleepily over and under the signature line. He'd discovered that, from his hand, even a senseless scrawl pretty much counted, though he tried not to do that too often. Once in a while getting away with laziness was alright, but making laziness a habit led to trouble. ...And Yuuri was mortified to realize he was quoting his mother without realizing it.

Gunter made idle conversation while pouring over papers of his own. Yuuri had only been working about twenty minutes when the doors were flung open with a delighted cry. Anissina swept inside. "Ah, Gunter, exactly the man I was looking for to power my latest device. Time to meet Mr. Improved Automatic Security!"

Gunter made a sound like a started Siamese cat and jumped out of his chair. "You'll find that I'm very busily engaged in aiding his majesty—"

"Oh, nonsense, Gunter. Besides, you only need to function as a battery. You're acting like I've asked to torture you. Now come here!" She leapt over Gunter's desk, giggling when he dodged away and was stopped rather abruptly by a cabinet's corner stabbing him in the spine. That produced a sound more akin to that same cat releasing a hairball.

Yuuri watched with amusement as Anissina chased Gunter out of the room, brandishing the sword she'd stolen from his belt. As Gunter's cries for mercy faded and Yuuri considered a prayer for the repose of his soul, Lady Celi let herself in.

She set a black box the size of Yuuri's palm, wrapped in a black and gold ribbon, on the corner of his desk. "It arrived last night, but Your Majesty was with Wolfram. I didn't think you'd want an audience for the delivery."

"Uh, no, that's right. Thank you, Lady Celi." Yuuri picked the box up and slid it into his pocket. He wasn't sure when he was going to give it to Wolfram. Sometime today, but it wasn't even nine o' clock yet. So he had a lot of time to get his courage up. Or possibly talk himself out of it... No! He was not going to be a wimp! No! "For everything."

"You are a cutie, Your Majesty. Wolfram's so lucky." She smiled and curtseyed before leaving the room. Yuuri sighed and got back to his work. He could give it to Wolfram when they went out to try taking pictures. But Greta would be with them. Fond as he was of his little girl, Yuuri would be nervous enough with no audience at all. And he'd be explaining things to her for twenty minutes. After dinner? Maybe that would work better. Or after Greta went to sleep. Though Wolfram usually didn't stay up much past Greta lately. He'd deny it, but the assorted injuries were still wearing on him.

He'd do it sometime.

Yuuri, despite his constant dodging, was nearly caught up with his work. And he'd learned enough to keep signing papers without hesitation while waiting for Gunter's return. It only took another hour to finish what was on the desk before him.

Yuuri walked to the window when he finished. A pitiful wail drew his gaze to the gate. Anissina had Gunter wired to some sort of machine that resembled a barbed portcullis attached to a series of small catapults. He didn't want to know. Gunter would be mourned as a hero.

Now he'd finished his work and had no one to give him more. So he could go find Wolfram, assuming he'd be awake. Yuuri's nerves had increased tenfold with the weight of the ring in his pocket. But he knew he wasn't handing the present over yet. So he wouldn't worry yet, either.

Yuuri slipped into the hall. He looked around for Greta, hoping she hadn't wandered to some far corner of the castle. Well, one way or another she'd have been hungry, so a good starting point would have to be the kitchen. He headed down there to find Giesela taking a tray from Lasagna.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. I'm just about to take Wolfram up his breakfast. Would you mind coming along? With you there I probably won't have to force him to eat. And that's better for everyone." There was a wicked twitch at the side of her mouth and Yuuri shivered.

"Um, sure." He glanced at Lasagna. "Have you seen Greta?"

"Oh, she's giving Sangria a hand with the spice inventory, Your Majesty." Lasagna pointed to a small door. "Just through there. She wanted to know why cookies tasted so good. I'm afraid Sangria took advantage of her enthusiasm a little."

Yuuri shrugged. Greta was the kind of person who actually could make chores fun. She was probably enjoying tallying jars of spice. He opened the indicated door, finding it led to a small, cool room cut into the earth. He walked down and saw Greta perched on Sangria's shoulders, counting tiny brown bottles.

He waved when Sangria jumped a bit and spun around to look at him, eliciting a pleased cry from Greta. Grown-ups made great rides. "Um, could I borrow my daughter back? It's time to make Wolfram eat before the Flybone Tribe starts mistaking him for one of his own."

"Oh, of course, Your Majesty. Thank you, Greta. You were very helpful." Sangria lifted Greta down from her shoulders.

"Sangria says I'm a great inventory-er," Greta informed Yuuri as they walked back up into the main kitchen and took off with Giesela.

"You're a talented girl, Greta." Yuuri smiled, then turned to glance over Wolfram's tray. He hadn't actually had breakfast yet himself. He considered asking to bring up his own meal, but Yuuri didn't want to hold them up anymore. The tray held a tiny teapot, fragrantly steaming scents of mint, cloves, and hibiscus. There were two covered dishes, one smelling like cinnamon and syrup, the other spicy and savory. A tiny pot of honey and a ceramic creamer shaped like a dragon sat beside an empty cup. Yuuri was sort of jealous, and his stomach growled a bit.

Giesela giggled at him, but didn't say anything. She was trying to train the Maou to be a bit more assertive. If he wanted something, he'd have to get it himself or ask.

Greta told Yuuri about the spices she'd inventoried in very solemn detail. He was hearing about nutmeg when they reached the door to Wolfram's room. Yuuri held it for Giesela and walked in behind her.

Wolfram was asleep. He wasn't sprawled as usual but curled up elegantly. His hair fell over his face gently, blond waves outlining his high cheekbones and delicate jaw line. That frilly pink thing he insisted on wearing looked, as usual, like an explosion of cotton candy and rose perfume. Come to think of it, the room did smell faintly of roses. Wolfram usually did, so Yuuri didn't think about it much anymore.

He looked glorious. Yuuri thought he might be a bit pale, but it was probably just that he was sleeping. Altogether, the effect was angelic, and the Maou had a mad impulse to pull the ring out now. But he wasn't that crazy.

Greta skipped into the room. "Wolfram! It's time to get up and have your breakfast and go out to play with your cam-er-a with me and Yuuri!" She shook Wolfram's shoulder—the side opposite the stab wound—gently. "Up and face the day!"

Wolfram grunted and pulled his pillow over his head.

"Wolfram, get up or I'll jump on you!"

There was a muffled response that Yuuri thought was "No jumping on the invalid," but for all he knew might have been "Snow pumping marmalade." Wolfram slept on very thick, downy pillows, and he didn't enunciate that clearly when he was sleepy anyway.

"Well, then I suppose he must be feeling ill again. Wait right here while I fetch your medicine, Wolfram. Yuuri, you'll have to hold him still while I check all the bandages and wounds for possible infections." Giesela grinned evilly and began to roll her sleeves up. "We might have to cauterize a few things. The only way to stop an infection that can even beat magic without having to amputate. And I suppose harder splints would take care of those legs."

Wolfram sat bolt upright, shying back a bit from Giesela. "I'm awake! I'm awake! Call her off!" He let the pillow fall onto his lap and yawned. "What time is it?"

"By now? About ten thirty," Giesela said dryly. "So you can ease up on the righteous indignation."

Yuuri felt a little guilty, but he'd left Wolfram alone fairly early. "Didn't you go to sleep after I left?"

"Well, actually, I felt like practicing after you and Greta liked my playing so much, so I was toying with the bass until about two, and..." Wolfram suddenly clamped his mouth shut and Yuuri sighed. His fiancé was insane.

"Well, then it's your own fault. Here. Some tea will buck you up." Giesela poured a steaming cup and added copious amounts of cream and honey. She handed it to Wolfram and finally his look softened. He was a sucker for good tea, and Giesela's medical mixes managed to always work as well as they tasted.

Yuuri smiled and walked to the bed while Wolfram drank the tea. "After you eat, I thought we'd go walk around the grounds and you can try out your camera, do some portraits and some landscapes so you can get used to the lens." He knew only the rudiments himself. Maybe he should ask Shori to visit again and show Wolfram how to do it properly. They'd have to see how the first roll came out.

"Good idea. But I'm not hungry. So I'll just get dressed and we can get going."

"Yes you are," Giesela said sweetly, lifting the lids off both dishes. Yuuri wondered what you called French toast in a world with no France. The other plate was a mess of eggs and sausage all scrambled together and topped with cheese, chopped onions, and mushrooms.

"What's this dish called, anyway?" Yuuri was willing to help bully Wolfram into eating enough. He just really wondered. Maybe there was a France.

"Cavalcadian toast, Your Majesty." Well, that made sense. Sort of. He supposed.

"I said I'm not hungry. For this or anything else. Here, Greta, why don't you have this?" Wolfram lifted the Calavcadian toast (which left Yuuri still mildly nonplussed) and held it out to his daughter. Greta seemed to like the idea, her sweet-tooth as strong as ever. But Yuuri shook his head and she stepped back.

"Wolfram, you're going to eat your breakfast. All of it." He couldn't be nearly as imposing as Giesela, so he was forced to throw his rank around. "I'm making that a royal order. So eat the toast or it's treason." He couldn't believe he'd said that. Even Giesela was snickering, while Greta squealed with laughter and half collapsed against the side of Wolfram's bed.

Wolfram scowled and sullenly took a bite. His expression lightened a bit when he tasted Doria's specialty, which Giesela had asked her to put special effort into. She understood that Wolfram had no appetite and didn't really enjoy making things unpleasant for him. "Fine. But I can't stomach all this. You'll have to help me."

"Stop trying to get out of it, Wolr-" Yuuri stopped short when a forkful of Calvalcadian toast was shoved in his mouth. It was very good. And the look on Wolfram's face, a smug but affectionate smile, was cute. Yuuri didn't even try to pretend it wasn't. But there was something very disconcerting about being fed by Wolfram. Giesela's rather shocked giggle didn't make him feel any better.

"Ooh, can I have a bite too? It smells really yummy." Greta leaned on the mattress right beside Wolfram, mouth open and tongue out like a baby bird until Wolfram popped a morsel into her mouth.

Yuuri swallowed a little sullenly. He found himself just watching Wolfram. He wasn't sure how long. Probably only a few seconds.

There was a slight toss of his hair as he leaned forward to sip his tea, a tiny stirring of a scowl at the eggs mounded on his fork that narrowed his eyes, the batting of luxurious eyelashes against his cheeks as Wolfram tried to blink the last vestiges of sleep away.

He was so beautiful.

The Maou shook his head and took a sip from Wolfram's tea. It was way too sweet for his tastes, and the cream was peculiar. He set it down immediately, and met Wolfram's glare. "Oh, you're allowed to steal my drinks, but I can't steal yours?"

"That was an emergency." Wolfram took a gulp of the rapidly cooling tea, trying to look superior.

Greta tilted her head, cheerfully inquisitive. "Wasn't that an indirect kiss?"

"No!" Yuuri said, too quickly and very emphatically. Even the ring in his pocket made him less nervous than the least suggestion of him kissing Wolfram.

"Hmph, you should cherish the chance, you wimp." Wolfram took a much heartier bite of his toast, apparently forgetting his aversion to eating for a moment, engaged in glowering at Yuuri instead. And he kept eating steadily for a little while.

But Yuuri wasn't going to force him, and by the time both plates were halfway gone, Wolfram was looking very put off by the food. He shot a look at Giesela, who shrugged and nodded.

"Okay, you can stop eating. You don't want to make yourself sick. But you don't want to waste away to nothing, either." Yuuri considered inviting his mother back to make curry for Wolfram and coo over him. She'd enjoy that and it would take some stress off Giesela.

Wolfram nodded, looking very grateful, and set the tray down. Yuuri handed the toast to Greta and set into the eggs and himself, grateful for the nourishment. It would have to last him at least until lunch. If he had a moment for lunch today.

Giesela piled up the dirty dishes. "Wolfram, I do want you to go easy. Enjoy your walk, but please try and show a bit of common sense. Dredge it up somewhere. You put yourself under far too much stress at that party."

Wolfram just grunted. Yuuri assured Giesela he'd find a way to enforce her edict while Wolfram dressed, carefully and as properly as ever. He even insisted on combing Greta's hair properly before he'd leave, the camera bag slung over his shoulder, holding the bulky camera as instructed. Yuuri had to pretend to cough to hide a snicker. Against Wolfram's resplendent, medieval garb, the sleek camera looked ridiculous.

Wolfram teetered a little, but wouldn't spare a hand for the cane or even to grab Yuuri. He was too engrossed in the camera. Yuuri and Greta both walked very close, ready to catch Wolfram if he faltered.

He managed to snap a picture of Gwendal and another of Anissina before they even got outside. The former just stared at them a moment, grunted, and moved on. Anissina tried to steal the camera, and only directing her in Gwendal's direction saved it from being taken apart. Even the Maou's royal commands couldn't help when Anissina got that look in her eye.

Yuuri tried to give Wolfram general tips, but he didn't pay a lot of attention, ordering Yuuri and Greta to pose in front of things like the flowerbed and fountain and snapping pictures left and right. Yuuri figured half at least would come out blurry, but that was a real step up from Wolfram's usual success rate in art. And they'd have a lot of pictures of horses, the battlements, Conrad smiling tolerantly at them, and Greta splashing Yuuri in the fountain to admire at length.

He could even show them to his mother. Miko would appreciate this cheery, safe aspect to the alternate world.

"Yuuri, what's that noise?"

"A shutter constantly snapping?" Yuuri guessed. But he heard something too, a faint, faraway buzz that had nothing to do with Wolfram's frantic camera. He was on his second roll now. "I don't know. Wolfram, do you hear that?"

"Hmm? I wasn't listening." He whirled on Yuuri and snapped a picture. "You're going to be making a weird face in that…" Wolfram trailed off. The sound was getting louder, a buzz with something squeaky and oddly melodious following. There was a dark spot in the sky to the south, growing larger and more distinct. A lot of things flying toward them. They didn't really look like birds.

"That. Do you hear that?" Yuuri pointed, squinting toward them. The animals in Shin Makoku were so weird.

"Strange sound. Kind of familiar, though." Wolfram joined him in peering at them.

"Wolfram, use the zoomy thing! Bet you can see them then!" Greta's favorite part of the camera was the zoom function. It made a great whirring noise and just had a wonderful name for saying over and over. Zoom!

"Good idea." He used the camera sight as a telescope. Wolfram gasped and would have let the camera fall had it not been for the strap. "Yuuri, our children are home!"

"What?" Greta had been hopping up and down, hoping an added few inches would help her see. She looked over her shoulder and tripped, then stared up at Wolfram, then Yuuri, from the ground. Did she have flying, buzzy brothers and sisters all of a sudden?

"What?" Yuuri was just confused until Wolfram shoved the camera in front of him.

They were looking at a swarm of Bear Bees. Now that he knew what to listen for, the little squeaks became calls of "Nogisu!" They were approaching fast, and distance was hard to judge, but Yuuri was sure every one of them had at least doubled in size. Yuuri grinned, letting Wolfram try and explain it to Greta. Such memories. The adorable Bear Bees and their big, playful grubby forms, massive cocoons, sweet faces… Oh, that was all nice. Enough to make up for the final quashing of Yuuri's hope for a room to himself. But there was more to his wistful smile than the Bear Bees themselves. Winning an argument with Wolfram. The pretty smile on Wolfram's face as he admired their handiwork. Being so gently protected from falling debris. The way Wolfram's mouth had been right behind his ear for a second there…

Yuuri stopped himself. Quite aside from how wrong it was that he was thinking on things like that fondly, how had it stuck in his head for the months it must have been since it happened? No wonder the world was still reeling from the pleasant novelty of the Twenty-Seventh Maou. He didn't even understand himself sometimes.

"Quick, Yuuri, let's get to the guesthouse!" Wolfram grabbed Yuuri's hand and started to run. He fell immediately and Yuuri had to dive to catch him. He kept Wolfram from hitting the cobblestone path, but only by falling on it himself. Yuuri looked slightly embarrassed as he stood, helping his equally mortified fiancé to his feet.

"Let me give you a hand and we'll walk." Resigned, Yuuri hugged Wolfram around the waist. Again. He supposed he should just get used to it already. The tiny box bouncing against his thigh as he walked suggested the same.

Greta ran ahead, as the Bear Bees had finally gotten close enough to make out and she had ascertained they were excessively cute. Most denizens of Covenant Castle had noticed the approaching creatures by then. Windows were opened on every floor, with heads from Gwendal's to Celi's maid's sticking out in curiosity. At Shinou's Temple, Ken Murata and Ulrike looked up at the sky and smiled. The swarm was even visible in the closest human village.

They all landed on the roof of the guest house, but as Yuuri and Wolfram arrived, most of the Bear Bees flew down with calls of "Nogisu!" and furry, sweet hugs. As they were all nearly as big as their "parents" now, that was a bit of an issue, and Yuuri was knocked over.

They seemed to sense, however, that Wolfram wasn't in a conditioned to be tackled. They were far gentler and more restrained with him, though he still got some very tight bear hugs.

Greta was skipping among them with glee. "Yay! I have the best brothers and sisters in the world!"

Wolfram laughed. "No argument there." Then he saw Conrad smirking from behind a tallish Bear Bee and was so overwhelmed by the cuteness of his "children" he forgot to pretend he didn't care about being overheard.

Yuuri stood back up with a Bear Bee on his shoulders. They were wonderfully light. He supposed they had to be, to fly. "Hey, where's the really big one?"

"That was the male. He'll have left his sisters to join another swarm, and has no need to return to nesting grounds, anyway." Conrad stroked the nose of the nearest Bear Bee. "These are all the females."

"So I only have sisters here?" Greta pondered a moment and decided she didn't care. Her skipping resumed, and several of her sisters mimicked her clumsily. Wolfram snapped a picture of it, and once he'd remembered the camera started taking pictures of every Bear Bee in sight.

"Now we'll have a family album, I guess," Yuuri said, shrugging. There was a time he'd have been exasperated, but he'd given that up.

"I think you already did." Conrad sighed as Wolfram's relentless shutter found him. "I always hated having that done…"

"How many times have you had your picture taken?" There were those passports Bob had had made for them on Earth, but no one looked good in a passport photo.

"...You would be amazed at the things Jose thinks are funny." Conrad left it at that, and shoved Yuuri back into what was quickly becoming a fray. A fray of skipping Bear Bees and random cuddling, but a fray nonetheless.

Yuuri gave in and laughed, hugging the first of his children he could get a hold of. They were snuggly enough on their own that he didn't have to chase them very much. With a gleeful giggle, Greta threw her arms around Yuuri along with three of her new sisters. Yuuri grinned, then grunted in surprise when he felt Wolfram's arms around his neck, too.

He went a little rigid at the unexpected hug, but not much. Whatever. He did suddenly remember the last time Wolfram had glommed onto him from behind, when they gave their warmth to the sickly cocoon. Wolfram seemed to be thinking the same.

"The love you give comes back to you, hmm?" He smiled brightly, grinning as one of their daughters licked his cheek. "You really did win that one, Yuuri."

"Yeah, well, I have to get something right once in a while." He supposed he should try to get out of this hug, but it was pretty comfortable, surrounded by the assorted, adorable members of his very makeshift family.

Wolfram laughed as Greta was enveloped by a three-way, furry Bear Bee hug. His cheek suddenly pressed against Yuuri's, and they both froze. Yuuri felt an intense shock travel through him, an electric sensation that began where Wolfram's soft, smooth skin rubbed against his and traveled instantaneously down to his toes. They both abruptly tore apart with uncomfortable coughs and a bit of incoherent stammering.

Wolfram went back to taking pictures, yelling at Yuuri every time he went through a roll of film and demanding it be changed. He plowed through the five they had in less than half an hour, and Yuuri had to promise to take them back to Earth to be developed as soon as possible.

Yuuri found he preferred it once the camera stopped snapping, hanging innocuously in its bag over Wolfram's shoulder. He was dubious about everything, from the insistent weight of the carefully chosen ring to Wolfram's repeated insistence that the Bear Bees were the children of their love. But he couldn't mind the whole mismatched family cavorting adorably around on the castle grounds for what turned out to be several hours. Yuuri didn't know where the time had gone when The Bear Bees began to wander into the guesthouse.

"They're going to scope out the nesting grounds," Conrad said wisely. He had wandered off and come back several times, increasingly surprised at how nice Yuuri and Wolfram were playing. They'd had a lot of spectators coming and going, mostly unnoticed. Gwendal had lingered a long time, transfixed by the incredible cuteness of the Bear Bees. Doria, Lasagna, and Sangria had loitered as long as they dared to neglect their work. Anissina had not only cooed over the creatures but collected bits of shed fur for unknown reasons. Even Lady Celi stopped to admire.

"How long are they going to stay?" Wolfram looked utterly exhausted, pale and disheveled, his hair tossed in every direction and his eyes hooded. But he was smiling.

"Several days, at least. If they find they like the climate, maybe longer. But no more than a week. Bear Bees always move around a lot." There were almost none left outside now, and it felt cold and quiet as a result after an afternoon of furry hugs and constant "Nogisu!"

"Aw, I wanna play with them longer!" Greta stuck out her lower lip, waving at the last Bear Bee as it strolled into the guesthouse.

"So we won't have long with our children." Wolfram sighed a little melodramatically. "Pity. But we'll have to make good use of the time we do have." He smiled very gently at Yuuri. "At least we can show them how much our bond of love has deepened since." Yuuri just grunted, not looking at Wolfram and flushing just a little.

"I think you need some rest. Giesela's already going to have my head for letting you stay out this long anyway." Yuuri didn't like just how fatigued Wolfram looked. They'd been rougher than they should have been, cavorting with Bear Bees all day, and it was, Yuuri realized, about five hours or more they'd been outside. Wolfram had been on his feet the whole time. Of course he was tired. But, though the Maou had always been lousy at first aid, he had a sense Wolfram shouldn't be this tired.

"I'm fine." Not that Yuur had expected him to say anything else. "Maybe a little worn out, but it was certainly worth it so see all our children."

"Right. Here, come on inside. Greta, get his other hand and don't listen if he whines." Yuuri hooked his arm in Wolfram's. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Well, I am." Yuuri considered. "It'll be dinnertime in… What, about an hour?" Greta nodded as she clung to Wolfram's other hand. "Why don't you have a quick nap before then, and then we'll all go down and eat together?" Wolfram had been showing up for meals about half the time.

"That's totally unnecessary. If you don't have real work to do, you could probably use some practice with—" Wolfram wasn't allowed to finish.

"Practice! Good idea. Greta, we haven't had time to practice baseball in a couple days now. We don't want to get rusty."

Greta hopped up and down and clapped. "Ooh! I'll go get our gloves, okay?" Greta hopped up and down and clapped.

Wolfram rolled his eyes. "I don't understand how you can find any interest in that tedious game." There had been one real game at the stadium that Wolfram had been dragged to by Conrad. He'd been bored out of his mind.

"If you'd learn the subtleties, you'd like it a lot more. If you don't understand the game, I guess it does just look like a bunch of guys hitting a ball with a stick." Yuuri hated to admit it, but he could, reluctantly, see where it was true. He was almost tempted to let Anissina introduce her line of baseball-related inventions to enliven the game. He gave her a lot of leeway, as she'd turned out to be his best shortstop and a pretty good batter, if a little given to fouls a hairsbreadth outside left field.

Greta had already run off in pursuit of their equipment, so Wolfram didn't whine anymore, just rolling his eyes. She returned and Yuuri happily tossed her easy pitches. He didn't want her to get discouraged, though he also didn't want to go too easy on her.

Wolfram sat back against a tree and watched them disdainfully. Yuuri and Greta played until it started to get dark. He forgot Wolfram was sitting there until he gathered up the gloves and ball and glanced over at the tree.

He'd fallen asleep leaning against the trunk. A leaf had fallen in his hair, caught in a curl and draped over his eye. Yuuri laughed and shook him awake. Groggily, he stood, leaning very heavily on Yuuri.

"So, you weren't tired?" The Maou tried not to laugh obviously.

"Anyone would drift off with nothing to watch but a little ball tossed back and forth. Sometimes I wish the populace could see what their beloved Maou gets up to, see if they still feel like fawning over such a wimp."

"Okay." Why argue? Insults were Wolfram's true medium as an artist, never mind the bass and the camera. "It's about dinnertime. Let's go."

"I'm not hungry, you know. I want that understood."

"And you're free to explain that to your mother."

The meal was uneventful, though Yuuri caught Lady Celi looking at him a lot. Gwendal seemed a little... less dour, probably afterglow from the ungodly cute Bear Bees. Conrad chatted comfortably throughout the meal. Gunter lectured Yuuri about getting absolutely nothing done while at the same time praising him for his rescue of the Bear Bees and agreeing with their adoration. So standard conversation with Gunter.

Wolfram continued to worry him a little. He still seemed tired and listless, though he'd slept a pretty long time. Maybe it hadn't been a very restful sleep, propped against a tree, but it should have done some good. He barely picked at his food in spite of all Yuuri's, Celi's, Greta's, and even Gwendal's cajoling, and barely took a bite even when Giesela stormed in and threatened him. He only grunted when spoken to and sighed occasionally. He looked close to falling asleep at the table.

Yuuri finished, finding his own appetite a little eroded with worry. "Wolfram you want to go upstairs now? You had a pretty long day. I'll walk you." He stood and held out his hand. Without much enthusiasm, Wolfram nodded and let Yuuri help him up.

"Wait for me!" Greta dropped her fork on her half-empty plate and stood up on her chair.

"Greta, I think Wolfram just needs to rest right now. I'll come back and read a story to you after he's settled in." Yuuri didn't want to exclude her, but Wolfram would force himself to stay awake if Greta was there.

She shrugged, thankfully not pleading. Yuuri doubted he could really say no to her. "Okay. And tomorrow we can get up early and play with the Bear Bees some more!"

Yuuri nodded and fell into step beside a very languid Wolfram. Once out of the dining room, Yuuri whispered, "You really don't look so good. We should have listened to Giesela."

"I'm tired, Yuuri. I'm just trying to recover. It's taking a little longer than I—" He stumbled and Yuuri had to catch him again. It was getting easier. Yuuri looked at Wolfram's hand in his and sighed. That wrist wasn't much fuller around than Greta's. The morning's breakfast had probably been his closest to a proper meal in a long time.

"Then take care of yourself!" Yuuri frowned, steadying Wolfram deliberately. "Get the sleep you need, eat proper meals, and listen to Giesela. Otherwise you'll probably keep making yourself worse."

"I am not worse!" Wolfram glared at Yuuri. It wasn't a very effective glare with his face looking so ghostly. And when he yawned the effect was totally spoiled.

"Wolfram, you're really sick right now. You can argue all you want. It's still true." Yuuri surprised (but didn't really disturb) himself by tightening his arm around Wolfram's waist. "You protect me all the time. Now it's my turn to take care of you."

Wolfram blinked, looking downright confused by that. "It's my duty to protect you. You're my—"

"Fiancé. Yes. So what does that make my duty. I can't use a sword to save my life and my power is totally unpredictable. So nursing you is about the best I can do." Yuuri smiled. He might have won his second argument with Wolfram.

"At least you're trying." Wolfram tried to sound sulky, but he gave Yuuri a sleepy smile that melted the Maou's heart. "Fine. I'll rest now. But don't think I'm staying in bed all tomorrow."

"If you behave yourself now I'm sure you'll be better by then." Yuuri opened the door to Wolfram's room and eased him into the bed. Wolfram hung on a little longer than Yuuri felt was called for, arms around Yuuri's neck and a tired but sweet smile in his eyes.

Then he fell back and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Yuuri smiled and left the room, heading back to his own. He'd been glad the castle had fewer soldiers once, glad Wolfram could move into the small but luxurious suite he now occupied. But now he found he really wouldn't have minded Wolfram stretching out beside him. At least it would be easier to keep an eye on him. His sudden deterioration was really a bit frightening.

Greta had brushed her teeth and put on her nightgown by the time Yuuri got to their room. It wasn't that late, but she wanted a lot of stories and had been worn out a bit by the strenuous afternoon herself. Yuuri read her Mr. Deep Exploration Ship and the Sea Kingdom, Anissina Saves Cavalcade, Sunset in the West, and half of The Palace of Queen Karvelnikoff.

Yuuri went for a glass of water when Greta fell asleep, feeling rather put upon. That was a lot of reading. And the Maou himself had appeared as a character in The Palace, not in the most flattering fashion. His throat was scratchy and his pride just a little wounded. It wasn't that bothersome, if only because Anissina already scared him to the point of humiliation by her very existence.

He had his drink and started to pull his jacket off. There was a thump as the little black box fell to the floor. Yuuri groaned. He'd forgotten. Or he was pretty sure he'd forgotten. Maybe he'd forgotten just a little bit on purpose. But Yuuri refused to have his resolve shaken, now that he recalled it. There were only three hours left in Wolfram's birthday.

Wolfram was sure to be asleep, and Yuuri didn't want to wake him. Maybe he'd just leave the box? That was the wimpiest way he could think of to not be a wimp, but he could stand to take baby steps. He shoved the box back in his pocket and headed deliberately for Wolfram's room, his heart pounding in his ears.

Yuuri slunk in, opening the door slowly to avoid the smallest little creak. To his surprise, the light was still on. He was about to scold Wolfram for being up when he remembered his fiancé had fallen asleep without even undressing. Yuuri should have put out the lamp himself.

He walked to the side of the bed, opening the top drawer of the nightstand where the snuffer was kept. At first, Yuuri was very careful, moving in what was practically slow motion. But he realized Wolfram wasn't stirring at all. He was a pretty heavy sleeper, actually.

Yuuri smiled and glanced over. He'd put the lamp out after he had his gift where Wolfram was sure to find it.

He set the box on the corner of the nightstand even with Wolfram's eyes. He'd see them as soon as he woke up.

Wait. That was odd, Wolfram actually sleeping on the pillow and not taking up half the bed. He did it once in a while, surely, but… Yuuri looked closer. Wolfram hadn't moved an inch since Yuuri had set him down.

Worried, Yuuri reached for Wolfram's shoulder. His hand clamped down, but Wolfram didn't move, didn't react at all. Yuuri pushed him from his side onto his back, which at least got a tiny little grunt that sounded more like air being pushed from his lungs than any voluntary noise. Yuuri, his heart pounding hard in his ears, reached with a trembling hand to touch Wolfram's cheek.

The moment his shaking fingers made contact, he screamed for Giesela. The skin was cold and clammy, and Wolfram was paler than the sheets he lay on. He was barely breathing.