Giesela had taken to sleeping in the maid's quarters just off Wolfram's room. Like Yuuri, she was more worried than she even felt was justified, more than Wolfram's gradual recovery from being stabbed in the chest could reason away. Her sense of foreboding had almost been put to rest as she brushed her hair that night, perched at the tiny desk already ready for bed.
The Maou's frantic cry sent a nasty reproach through her. Getting complacent! Trying to make herself do it! That was shameful for a doctor. She ran out into Wolfram's room, her hair flowing behind her and clad in a billowing white nightgown, looking much less the cute-but-severe supergirl she liked to appear and… well, actually, a lot more like Gunter. They were in fact related—albeit distantly—by blood.
"What is it?" She didn't doubt that something was very wrong. The Maou wouldn't panic over nothing, and he seemed unlikely to have misjudged something. Also, he'd practically screamed and she didn't hear Wolfram arguing.
"I don't know, but it's bad." He was barely restraining himself from gibbering. Yuuri had gone almost as pale as Wolfram. "Cold, and sweating a lot, and not moving, and…" He took a deep breath. "Well, you're the doctor."
"Yes. Move." She was a doctor first and a subject second. Giesela wasn't particularly gentle in shoving Yuuri out of the way. She bent over Wolfram, looking close. Yuuri's vague list of symptoms held true. Rapid pulse, shallow, erratic breathing, and hypothermia. But he was sweating, too. Giesela opened one of Wolfram's eyes with her thumb. The pupil was contracted to a pinpoint, and even that didn't get a response.
She hung her head in shame. There was only one thing it could be, and she should have seen it. "Your Majesty, I'm so sorry."
"No!" Yuuri didn't know what was going on, but he knew he refused to lose Wolfram. "No! He isn't going to die!"
"I can try, Your Majesty, but…" It was probably hopeless. "There are two forms of the Tears of El. One very fast acting, one very slow. The knife must have been coated with both." Poisons weren't her specialty, but when Anissina had told him what their human antagonists were using, she'd been studying. "These are textbook symptoms of the slow acting form." Giesela placed her hands over the wound, throwing as much power as she dared into Wolfram. He made a tiny noise, but otherwise it seemed to have little or no effect.
"I thought I stopped the poison." He'd failed to protect Wolfram…
"Your power is very strong, Your Majesty, and you have a flair for healing." Giesela had been tempted to ask Yuuri if he wanted more training, but didn't think it would be fitting for the Maou to study the arts of a healing witch. "But you're untrained, and all the power could work on was the poison attacking him then. This toxin hadn't even spread through his system then. And Wolfram hid his worsening condition from both of us."
There was a knock on the door. Neither Yuuri nor Giesela looked away from the bed or bothered to acknowledge whoever was requesting entry. There was a more insistent knock, solid and mildly irritated, and then the door was open. Gwendal stepped inside. "I heard—" He took in the tragic tableau before him, Wolfram looking like a corpse already, Yuuri clinging to the bedpost shakily, a bead of sweat rolling off Giesela's nose as she forced power out of herself.
Gwendal was a soldier. He didn't want to risk interrupting the doctor, and he needed only basic details. "Your Majesty?"
Yuuri couldn't tear his eyes from Wolfram. "Slow acting poison on the knife." He swallowed, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "He wouldn't tell anyone."
Which sounded exactly like Wolfram. Gwendal was certainly no healer, but he could perceive the problem immediately. The damage had gone too far. It would take incredible power to pull Wolfram back from the edge, whereas if the poison had been caught earlier, it could probably have been defeated with ease.
"Giesela, who in the castle is likely to be of help to you?" She couldn't do it alone. No one could. Gwendal's heart was pounding in his chest. His little brother was… But he couldn't lose his cool.
"Anissina. Father. Sangria. Hube." Only the first two had any healing training, but there was raw talent to the maid and to the veteran warrior she'd have loved to tap. But Giesela could spare no more attention from Wolfram than to bark the names. She was afraid she'd falter soon. Wolfram needed so much help, so fast… Power wasn't meant to flow like that, and flow it didn't. She had to put a lot of her energy into forcing it out. She was rapidly putting herself in the same condition Yuuri had been in after the attack. Giesela knew how inadvisable that was, unlike the Maou, but she didn't try to prevent it. If she could hold on until some other healers could arrive…
Yuuri finally pulled himself together. He put his hands on Wolfram's chest as well, figuring that was where the poison had spread from. He hoped Giesela was right about his "flair" for healing.
It did flow more easily, he realized. Yuuri still had to slip out of himself and let the power of the demon king flow through him to summon even his familiar water dragons, never mind his golems of earth and debris. He didn't even feel unlike himself as he moved the soft, living energy through his hands, into Wolfram. He could feel the battle that went on there, his and Giesela's strength against the toxic, hateful force destroying Wolfram's body.
It was, he realized, a battle, with its own weapons and rules of engagement. But the enemy was death itself, and the battleground the spoils of the victor. Fighting within Wolfram was fighting for Wolfram. Yuuri and Giesela had to win this fight, or the triumphant Tears of El would carry away his pretty fiancé.
Yuuri wasn't feeling too heroic right now, not the knight in shining armor who was a match for the fearsome villain attempting to make off with his Wolfram. It was a nice metaphor, but he would rather lose Wolfram to some concrete rival than to the painful death waiting to swallow him.
Wolfram convulsed, and Yuuri slipped out of his trance. He'd been feeding power steadily behind Giesela's, shoring her attempts up, defending against the poison as Giesela tried to actually heal. The real problem was that the poison, now entrenched in Wolfram's body, was undoing all their work as they went. Ravaged and weakened by his silent and avidly denied striving against the poison, Wolfram was rapidly succumbing to the toxin.
It was outstripping the Maou and the doctor now, even as Anissina bounded into the room and slapped her hand onto Wolfram's stomach, backing them up without bothering to ask questions. Like Yuuri, she had a lot of unrefined power, and figured it would find a way to help. Healing magic was a lot more versatile than the kind of raw energy that foolish men were always pouring out to destroy each other.
Yuuri refused to lose. He felt Wolfram slipping as he twitched again. He tried to redouble his efforts, which didn't work well. Yuuri was already trying his hardest. How could he not, with Wolfram on the line?
"Your Majesty, please try to hold him still!" Giesela looked very tired. "The… the last stages of affliction by the Tears of El…" She saw the look on Yuuri's face when he took in what she'd said and regretted it. "Are very painful."
So now it was torturing Wolfram to death? There was a furious spark in Yuuri's eyes. He grabbed Wolfram's emaciated wrists (was that an effect of his slow poisoning, too?) and pushed down on them, keeping him from moving.
Gunter entered the room, clad in a nightgown identical to Giesela's, with a little stocking cap hanging over one eye. There was no trace at all of the sillier aspect of his personality despite looking so overpoweringly cute. "Giesela!"
"Yes, Papa." She was almost fainting, and let him pull her back, immediately taking her place. But in the split second he took to replace her, Yuuri felt something slip further. He could feel Wolfram's pulse under his hands, and it was quickening. Wolfram whined, a thin, high-pitched sound, and childish. Painful.
Yuuri was vaguely aware of Sangria hurrying into the room, looking for space around the bed to join the healers. In fact, his senses seemed sharpened, the world slowed. There were three sets of heavy footsteps running toward them and one very light set that clicked a lot. Gunter's eyes narrowed as he focused power he was a little rusty with into the young lord's body. There was a little clicking noise on the window sill, where a curious Bear Bee had landed. The door swung open to admit Hube, Gwendal, Conrad, and Lady Celi.
In the sharp clarity of the moment, Yuuri was well aware that something unspeakably horrible was about to happen. He was almost calm about that, but only because he could feel his heart beginning to freeze, knowing that misery he'd never known the like of was about to hit.
And that was when Wolfram's heart stopped. His body had been rigid, shaking with pain, but he went entirely limp, Yuuri's name on his lips, the word barely formed and no breath left to provide the least sound. Yuuri cried out wordlessly, hot tears streaming down his cheeks.
Gunter cried out in mortified anguish, Anissina cursed, and Sangria started to cry. Taking their cues, Gwendal whirled around, covering his mouth in his hand, Hube's mouth thinned to a line, and Lady Celi descended into loud sobs. Conrad fell limply against the doorframe. Giesela covered her face in her hands, wracked by shame and too tired to cry. Down the hall, Greta was roused by the assorted cries she heard and a gut-wrenching sense of doom. She was alone. Yuuri had left her, and something terrible had happened. Inaudible in the chaos of misery that Wolfram's room, a little girl several doors down began to cry.
"I will not allow this."
No one's eyes had been on the Maou. They all whirled at the deep, commanding voice that was so unlike Yuuri—most of the time. Sure enough, the bumbling, wide-eyed youth he was most of the time had vanished, replaced by the fierce-eyed and wild Maou.
But this aspect of the Maou looked far different than what anyone there had seen before. Where usually angry and disdainful, he was smiling determinedly, admiring, even looking pleased. He was also leaning over Wolfram rather than standing straight and posing, holding the thin wrists tight. The Maou lifted Wolfram's hands to his chest with that odd smile still in place.
"It has always been my wish to give life."
"Nogisu!"
"Nogisu!"
"Nogisu!"
Three Bear Bees had assembled at Wolfram's window, and as though on cue they leapt through, beating their wings furiously, sending a cloud of shed scales at Wolfram and the Maou. The miasma of tiny scales swirled for a long moment, hiding the bed, before all settling upon Wolfram, dissolving at the touch of his damp skin. The Bear Bees made happy little buzzing sounds as two of them flew away again, a third sitting beside the bed.
A green glow began to emanate from the Maou, every inch of him bursting with power. The glow lasted just a moment before all shooting into Wolfram, shining so brightly the room was illuminated as though by lightening. Except that it was goldish green, a warm color, full of life and Yuuri and Wolfram, to those who knew them. Though power was only sent to Wolfram, everyone in the room felt warmed and rejuvenated. Even Giesela felt less like collapsing and more like getting up to help again, not that she was foolish enough to get in the Maou's way.
The flash of light faded slowly, until the only light in the room was the lamp, still flickering merrily with Wolfram's little spark of magic. Though far less impressive, it warmly illumined the bed.
Yuuri, back to his usual self, had collapsed flat on his face, which was now buried in one of Wolfram's pillows. His chest was across his fiancé's and his waist awkwardly bent as it hung off the bed. His knees dangled above the ground, so his stomach was taking most of his weight. Yuuri shook his head and pushed himself up, standing a little unsteadily. Still, he was in much better shape than usual for that kind of outpouring of power.
"Nogisu!" Yuuri smiled at the sound, which somehow gave him the courage to look down at Wolfram.
His cheeks had color again, and he was breathing normally. Yuuri sighed in tired relief, falling to his knees. He realized he was still holding Wolfram's hands too late. He jerked Wolfram onto his side, and those green eye's he'd thought he'd never see again opened slowly.
Wolfram sat up and yawned. He looked healthier than he had at dinner, really healthier than he had since the attack. "What happened?"
"Um…" Gunter was in Wolfram's general line of sight when he got up, so the question was vaguely directed at him. Gunter was also back to comical bemusement with the crisis past. He never could look serious in his billowy nightshirt and stocking cap, and he was hoping no one would look down. He was wearing his kitty slippers, a pair of adorable and wonderfully comfortable little cats that he'd found left outside his door mysteriously one day.
"That's actually a good question, considering he was dead," Anissina said contemplatively, getting herself a shocked and revolted stare from Wolfram which she entirely ignored. "Of course, his heart had only stopped for a few minutes, so it wasn't impossible. But it was still a very impressive outpouring of power. Even for the Maou. And I'm not entirely certain what part the Bear Bees played. This really requires further experimentation."
Wolfram looked helplessly around, and his eyes fell on Yuuri, who was half asleep against the side of the bed. "Yuuri, what happened?"
"Slow acting poison in the knife… Giesela and, um, everyone…" How had the room gotten so crowded? "Barely saved you."
"Actually, I'd say most of the credit goes to His Majesty." Giesela stood and began to flatten her hair primly. "It was his power that must have forced the poison out and done the damage."
"Actually…" Conrad coughed. "The reason Bear Bees have been so extensively hunted is the very strong purifying power of their wing scales. Just a few will detoxify a poisoned spring or nullify even something as strong as the Wincott Poison."
"Oh." Yuuri nodded. "So I guess they saved you."
"Nogisu!"
"With a lot of help." Giesela wasn't letting Yuuri be modest about this. "There is no contending that Your Majesty saved Lord Bielefeld's life." She patted his shoulder and determinedly helped him up.
"Well, I'm just glad you're okay." Yuuri looked bashful, with all these eyes on him. But he did garner the courage to squeeze Wolfram's shoulder. "I was really worried."
"Oh, so now I owe my life to a wimp again." But he smiled. Wolfram looked up at Yuuri in what could only be described as love, and the Maou made himself stay put.
Not for long, though. "Well, it looks like we could all use some rest. It's pretty late."
"Actually, it's only about nine-thirty." Hube blinked when the whole room looked around at him. He shrugged. It wasn't late. Elle wasn't even asleep.
"Well, Wolfram could use some rest!" Yuuri glared, looking more petulant than kingly and disapproving. But his subjects were used to that. Wolfram decided not to even gainsay him. He hadn't made a full recovery, just a step in the right direction, and he was worn out.
Lady Celi corssed the floor and hugged Wolfram. "Oh, my darling, I thought I was going to lose you!" She stood up and pounced on Yuuri. "Your Majesty, you've restored my baby to me again and again."
She was being sincere, which Yuuri found refreshing, but she was also being very… huggy. Yuuri was rather uncomfortable, and glad when she let go, back to her smiley self. "See you two later. Have a wonderful last few hours of your birthday, Wolfram!"
Wolfram rolled his eyes and looked slightly sulky. Gradually, everyone else filtered out, some simply bowing and getting on with their lives, like Sangria, while the last Bear Bee flew out the window. Gwendal and Conrad both lingered. Finally, Conrad hugged Wolfram and smiled tolerantly at the glare he got for it and left. Gwendal looked like he was about to do the same. In fact, Yuuri was sure he was. At the last second, approaching the bed, he pulled a fox from his pocket. Yuuri was pretty sure it was a fox, anyway. Though there was as good a chance it was a red panda, so he kept his mouth shut.
Wolfram looked shocked. "Perilous Sly?"
Gwendal coughed. "I had some help from Anissina and Greta." He dropped the toy on Wolfram's lap, whirled on his heel, and left the room in a definite hurry.
Yuuri was completely confused. "What's a Perilous Sly?"
Wolfram looked like he'd forgotten Yuuri was there. "Oh, um, there was a stupid stuffed fox I had when I was a child. That was its name. Mael set it on fire because I didn't want to go hunting with him and some girl and her little brother. I guess Gwendal remembered… for seventy-six years…" He swallowed, looking very touched and like he was trying to hide it.
"Oh, so it really was a fox." Yuuri nodded, pretending he hadn't noticed Wolfram was being sentimental about a toy. "No wonder he had help. I thought it looked a little more, um, recognizable than usual."
"Oh, it's an exact replica, even the little black ears, and—" Wolfram swallowed. "Anyway, you were probably right. I should probably sleep."
"Oh, yeah, goodnight." Yuuri nodded and walked out almost as quickly as Gwendal. He'd just remembered he'd left Greta completely alone.
When he walked in, she was sitting on the bed, playing with some wooden horses Dorcas had carved for her. Yuuri sat next to her and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, Greta. Wolfram took a real turn for the worse, and I had to go help him."
"I know," she said with a smile, making the black horse run up Yuuri's arm. "Hey, it's Ao! Neigh! Now he's gonna ride you!"
"Oh, well, ok—Wait. How did you know? Did Gwendal tell you?" He hoped not. Even Gwendal wasn't callous enough to tell a little girl her father might be dying. Actually, it seemed he wasn't really very callous at all, if Perilous Sly was any indication.
"Nope. A ghost told me. Neigh! Here comes Pearl! Can you be the brown one? I don't know what his name is yet."
"Alright, Greta, I am not a racetrack." Yuuri looked at her oddly. "A ghost told you?"
"Mm-hm."
"Um, what kind of ghost?" Maybe she'd had a dream. But what an oddly specific one.
"Um, he had fancy clothes, and yellow hair and blue eyes. Looked a lot like Wolfram, but older and taller. He said not to worry because you were taking care of Wolfram, and that he had to go for a while but we'd see him again pretty soon."
"That's pretty creepy, Greta." Yuuri glanced around, as though waiting for a blond ghost to appear. He wanted to call it a dream, but how had a dream told her what was going on? Vaguely, perhaps. Maybe she could have put it together herself. Wolfram was doing poorly, Yuuri wasn't there… He tried to dismiss it. He couldn't say there were no such things as ghosts, but he hoped he could say there wasn;t one roaming his castle.
"No, he was nice. Very polite." Greta bounded Ao on Yuuri's cheek a few times and yawned. "But Wolfram's okay, right?"
"Oh, he's going to be fine. There was a thing with poison, but Giesela and I and, well, about half the castle got rid of it. He actually looks a little better than he did today, so I'm sure he'll be back to annoying us all pretty soon."
"Good." Greta jumped off the bed and put the horses in her toybox. "So I guess we should go back to sleep now?" Usually she wasn't nearly so eager for bed, especially when there was a chance of getting a story out of someone, but if they were going to get up early and play with the Bear Bees, she'd acquiesce.
Yuuri nodded. "Okay. I'll tuck you in. Just a second." He changed into his nightshirt, remembering as he did so that he'd left the ring for Wolfram. Now he wanted to hand it over personally. Having Wolfram effectively die in his arms (or undergo temporary cardiac arrest in his hands, whatever) had once again changed something, and Yuuri wanted to at least see Wolfram's face when he found the ring.
He tucked Greta in and lay down beside her, waiting until he heard her snoring. Yuuri wondered what it was like to sleep in silence. He figured that at this point he'd never know. He didn't even get under the covers, knowing he was just getting up again.
Once he was sure Greta was asleep, Yuuri stood and pulled his clothes back on. He felt silly for undressing, now. But Greta would have been suspicious. Yuuri didn't fasted up his jacket, leaving it open and exposing the comfy linen undershirt underneath, and he was barefoot. After all, he was only walking down the hall. He hadn't even really had to get dressed, as he slept in a Spartan white nightshirt and was incapable, therefore, of looking as silly as his peers.
He slipped silently into the hall and headed for Wolfram's room. Pity. Now the ring wouldn't be a birthday present. But he supposed it wasn't that significant, as much as he'd wanted to miff Wolfram with it. Gwendal and Greta had had their turns.
It suddenly occurred to him that Wolfram was no longer deathly ill, and would therefore not necessarily sleep like a rock through Yuuri's skulking. He did not want to be caught sneaking across Wolfram's floor empty-handed. If Wolfram woke up after he had the ring, then fine. He'd get his present after all. But if he woke up with Yuuri halfway to the bed… Well, he wasn't sure. But he didn't want to know.
So either he could leave the ring and miss the look on Wolfram's face, or he could come up with an excuse to be there and avoid a tongue lashing from Wolfram and probably worse. Yuuri considered for only a moment before he began to pour over excuses.
Well, Wolfram had just nearly died. Yuuri would be justified in worry, and could just be checking on Wolfram. That would work. But he had a sudden additional thought, out of nowhere. A thought that he sort of preferred to a mundane and reasonable excuse. He was already crazy enough to be giving Wolfram the carefully engraved ring, so why not take an extra step? To ward against being caught empty handed, he would simply have something else to give.
Yuuri padded down the stairs, his bare feet rather enjoying the plush carpet. He should run around barefoot more often. It made him much quieter. He'd never been able to sneak by Gunter's room before.
He found his way out of the castle and shivered. It was getting late for real now. Greta had taken a long time to really fall asleep. But for a few lanterns there was only the moon for light, and except for a few guards, the grounds were perfectly empty. The ground was cold beneath Yuuri's feet.
But it was kind of nice at the same time, the quiet and the silver light. He'd have preferred that Wolfram be out with him. Yuuri had stopped trying to dodge thoughts like that.
He walked to the flower bed. He hoped no one would mind him picking a lot. No one stopped Greta, but she was a little girl, and only ever took one or two at a time. There was a lot of Beautiful Wolfram, though. Yuuri plucked the flowers randomly, taking them from several places throughout the flower bed.
As he bent down to pick another flower, something fluttered to the ground beside him. He looked down to see the ribbon that had been around the ring's box. It must have been riding around in his pocket all this time.
Yuuri picked it up and stood. He had eight. That was a pretty good number. He wrapped the ribbon around the stems, tying it as elegantly as he could. Which wasn't very. Elegant wasn't exactly Yuuri's specialty. He managed a bow that wasn't too crooked, and hoped the silky black ribbon with gold thread would bring the bouquet up to Wolfram's standards.
He really had to find out if the Mou's fiancé was allowed to wear black. That would thrill Wolfram and let him enjoy an ego trip, but Yuuri was thinking more of how much it would bug those brothers of his.
Yuuri turned and walked back inside, walking past a patrol of guards and blushing. If they found it funny to watch the Maou walk by carrying a handful of yellow flowers and barefoot, they very politely restrained themselves. Yuuri hurried up the stairs and opened Wolfram's door.
He was snoring. Yuuri took that as a good sign. He tiptoed along, completely stealthy, almost to the nightstand. He'd leave the flowers and take the ring. They could be a teaser. Sneakily, he slid across the floor, complimenting himself on ninja abilities he hadn't even known about.
And then he knocked into a chair, tripping himself, grunting loudly, knocking the chair over, and tugging the blanket off Wolfram as he tried to catch himself and ended up grabbing the bedclothes as they draped off the mattress. He landed with a crash that woke Dorcas sleeping two floors below.
Wolfram could sleep through almost anything. He was rather infamous in certain circles for having pulled a pillow over his head and dosing on as a hurricane flooded the first floor of the house he was in and tore the roof off the third. But not even he could sleep through that, though it did take him a while to actually sit up, long enough for Yuuri to halfway recover himself, getting his face out of the carpet, at least.
Wolfram just stared at him, looking unsure whether to be annoyed or amused. Yuuri blushed furiously, scrambling to his feet. The bouquet had rolled under the bed and escaped Wolfram's notice. Yuuri snatched it as he stood. He thrust the handful of flowers forward bashfully, unable to enunciate at all. "Thisisforyou."
Wolfram stared another moment. "You snuck into my room to give me flowers, you wimp?" The words sounded sort of shaky, and Yuuri noticed Wolfram's voice seemed to have crept up half an octave. The insult was just a reflex. He pulled the bouquet to his chest, still staring at Yuuri in what was slowly moving from shock to… Yuuri couldn't name what was shining in Wolfram's eyes, but it involved awe, delight, and adoration.
"Um, well, I was hoping they'd make you feel better, so—"
"Beautiful Wolfram." He'd only just realized. It was dark, the room lit only by the moon, and it wasn't a particularly fragrant flower that he could recognize by scent.
"…It suits you." That had been lame, but Yuuri knew it was true. "I mean, Lady Celi gave it the right name, and since you're getting better, I thought maybe it'd help in getting back to yourself if you had such a good, um, symbol of yourself…" He was babbling now. Yuuri shifted slightly, casually, and his fingers closed around the velvet box Wolfram had failed entirely to notice.
"Oh." Wolfram's eyes fell a little. One had to know him as well as Yuuri to notice, but there was a definite downward shift in his mood. "Well, it was a nice thought, if about as moronic as I'd expect from you." It was still nice that Yuuri had been thinking about him…
Yuuri took a deep breath. Wolfram loved him. He shouldn't play games with that delicate heart anymore, not after all it had been through and not now that he knew he was doing it. Yuuri had gone so long thinking the engagement was a fluke and Wolfram's involvement a combination of pride and the urge to be annoying. It was hard to adjust to thinking of it as Wolfram's serious intention.
And even harder to realize it was serious for him, too. He couldn't just go on admiring Wolfram's looks, making ridiculous sacrifices for him, and shivering when they touched, and not admit his feelings to himself. He was pretty sure buying an engagement ring constituted admitting it, but that was only the first little step.
Yuuri had finally told himself the truth. The Maou realized now that Soushu could never really have taken control of his heart. Wolfram already had it under lock and key. So now came the hard part. Telling Wolfram.
"Right. Moronic." He couldn't decide if that was better or worse than being a wimp. "I also got you this." Yuuri blushed so brightly even the moonlight showed it when he held out the box.
Wolfram looked mildly annoyed. "Did Gwendal put you up to joining in this damn 'birthday' thing? They just won't let it go."
"Um, he didn't. It was my idea." With help from Conrad, but he didn't think that would make Wolfram any happier about it. Wolfram looked like he was about to go on a real tirade. He had that really sharp scowl and the aura of indignation ready to roll. Yuuri took a step back, defensive. "Conrad told me birthdays could be made into personal lovers' holidays!" He spoke very fast, but this time every word was clear.
Yuuri was probably the first person to truly leave Wolfram speechless. All his righteous fury melted away, and he was left halfway through an angry gesture, pointing at Yuuri with a fist half raised. His face was still set to "glower," but his eyes had completely changed expression.
Yuuri took the opportunity to shove the box into his hand. Wolfram opened it as though he was in a trance, lifting the shimmering ring from the velvet cushion inside. In the moonlight it looked rather different, the silver sheen brought out much more, muting the dancing green, blue, and purple a bit. The gold even took on a different sheen. Everything about the ring was quieter, softer.
It seemed the gem could match Wolfram moment to moment. Yuuri supposed that was crazy, but he liked the idea anyway.
Wolfram still looked stunned. The silence dragged on too long. Had he made a horrible mistake? Yuuri swallowed nervously. "It reminded me of you. The stone."
Finally, Wolfram looked up at him again. "It's beautiful, Yuuri." His voice was very soft and wavering. All the posturing was gone in that moment. Wolfram wasn't trying to be anything but himself, for perhaps the first time since Yuuri had met him. Not a lord, a warrior, the perfect son or sorcerer or even fiancé. He was simply Wolfram, a young, passionate, and uncertain, abruptly swept off his feet by a love he'd nearly given up on.
"There's, um, a tradition on Earth of giving the person you're going to marry an engagement ring." He'd been debating internally whether he'd admit what it was. Yuuri hadn't realized that particular internal struggle was over until he spoke then. "It symbolizes…" He wasn't sure, actually, what it symbolized besides being engaged. But everything in Shin Makoku seemed to have meanings beyond meanings, and Wolfram would prefer it that way. "The strength and purity of the promise that binds you to your fiancé." That sounded reasonable. Yuuri was so pleased with himself for making up a good symbol he almost forgot to panic.
The ring could have been explained away. Maybe. Not once Wolfram noticed the engraving, but Yuuri could hold onto the fantasy. But he had sealed himself in this engagement now for good and for all. And he didn't mind.
He wanted to marry Wolfram.
Wolfram was about to answer—what, he didn't know, but he felt he had to say something to that beautiful pronouncement—when his fingers brushed the ridges of the inscription. He looked down and could make out only his own name from the Japanese. Gunter was the only one who could read the Maou's language at all. Wolfram had just bullied his own name out of Yuuri once, when he was bored.
But he did notice the inside after a moment of being perplexed. His lips formed the words, but he was too stunned to even whisper. To Wolfram. From Yuuri. With Love.
Yuuri could see he was reading it, and his heart stopped for a moment. Yuuri finally knew what he wanted, was prepared to take whatever came of his confessed feelings and the affection for Wolfram he was tired of rejecting. But that was only half the journey.
He knew Wolfram loved him. Or he thought he'd known. Doubt began to set in suddenly. For all he knew, he'd misread everything and the whole affair was a matter of Wolfram's pride and propriety. And even if that wasn't true, he'd inadvertently been stomping on Wolfram's delicate heart for months. What right did he have to expect a favorable yield from this endeavor?
Yuuri was so engrossed in the sudden and vicious resurgence of his insecurities that he missed Wolfram sliding the ring onto his finger, finding it fit perfectly (that was thanks to Lady Celi, who had slipped Jaurah the measurement), and smiling shakily. He was overwhelmed. In all his most cherished daydreams, it was never so sweet. Inept, yes. Awkward, yes. Cute, unexpected, and romantic; check, check, and double check. But even Wolfram hadn't been able to imagine his beloved fiancé so disarmingly sweet.
And then he was kissing Yuuri. Neither of them had quite noticed when he actually got out of bed, and suddenly Wolfram's arms were around Yuuri's neck, his lips pressed hard and hungrily to the Maou's. It lasted about half a second and overwhelmed Yuuri with shock.
Wolfram just thought it had to be presumptuous. The miniscule moment he'd followed impulse had been incredible and intense, but he'd second-guessed himself so roughly his head spun. He couldn't believe he'd been so crass. To spoil this wonderful moment of receiving Yuuri's love with a lustful, lowbrow action like that was unconscionable. He;d practically jumped backward, letting go of Yuuri completely
Yuuri just reeled, quite unaware of what was spinning through Wolfram's head as he pulled back almost the moment he'd started. He'd almost convinced himself he was about to be rejected when his first kiss took by complete surprise. Yuuri was horrified to realize he didn't even remember it. He'd barely become aware he was being kissed when Wolfram tore away.
That just wasn't fair, not to have fond memories of his first kiss to dwell on. Yuuri was a romantic soul, though very good at subverting that to fuel his idealism. And baseball. He could be very romantic about baseball.
The only thing to do was make sure his second was good enough to make up for the loss. Yuuri surprised himself by reaching forward and dragging Wolfram back, grabbing a handful of his shirt and tugging. But he didn't have time to be surprised anymore when his mouth found Wolfram's.
He had to crane a little bit to reach. Greta was right. Wolfram was taller, if only by a little.
Much better. Wolfram's lips were warm and inviting, quivering against Yuuri's in the split second between meeting and more solid pressure. He didn't respond for a moment, and a horrible sinking feeling went through Yuuri, fear that he'd made a horrible mistake. But then Wolfram made a pleased little noise in the back of his throat that Yuuri was a little afraid to call a moan. His lips parted slightly, pressing harder against Yuuri's.
One of Wolfram's arms wound around Yuuri's waist, the other slid up from his neck and through his hair, holding his head still. The Maou had started it, but he had a sense he'd ceded all control. And really didn't object. How could he have, when Wolfram was holding him so close, strong arms clutching him to that lean, muscular body… Yuuri hugged back much less elegantly, wrapping his arms around Wolfram's neck and holding on.
Wolfram was a little shier about the actual kiss, Yuuri noticed. The Maou had been suspecting his fiancé of a real bit of practice, the way his hands had managed to settle places that made Yuuri shiver. But his more timid kissing suggested otherwise. Wolfram was actually just acting out his daydreams, based on watching other couples and reading romance novels he hid under his bed. They explained in detail the experience of being clutched to a lover's body, but were less specific about the actual liplock.
So Yuuri led the kiss, catching Wolfram's bottom lip and nipping gently. Maybe it was a natural gift, something that came with being the Maou. Kissing, dimension-hopping, and creating monsters from base elements. Or maybe it was simply that within the timid high school boy turned king of demons there beat the heart of a lover. Either way, Wolfram was lucky and Yuuri was blushing.
He grew bolder, sucking instead of just catching Wolfram's lips with his own. Wolfram made that noise again and Yuuri felt the tip of his fiancé's soft tongue flick against his upper lip. He returned in kind, trying to do Wolfram one better for the sheer joy of it. Yuuri's tongue slid over Wolfram's bottom lip, and he felt the other boy quiver in his arms. Yuuri's mouth opened and, before he could act, Wolfram stole his thunder, holding his fiancé's head still, his tongue moving into Yuuri's mouth, soft and velvety, but wonderfully intense and probing. Too intense. The Maou gasped and pulled back, a tad bit overcome.
So… He was pretty sure all that qualified as his second kiss. That about made up for the first disappointment.
Wolfram was still holding him tight, which Yuuri was glad for. He was looking around desperately for something to say that wouldn't be horribly awkward and shatter the mood. Once more Wolfram beat him to it, burying his face in Yuuri's shoulder with a long, contented sigh. "Oh, Yuuri…"
"Wolfram." His voice wasn't so breathy and cute, but Yuuri meant it. He wasn't sure what "it" was, but he was sincere. "I'm sorry. I should have realized I…"
"It was worth the wait." And then Wolfram was kissing him again, all traces of timidity vanished. Yuuri's advantage was fast vanishing. Wolfram's life of maniacal training had forced him to be a quick study.
Yuuri was panting when he was released this time. Clearly he was going to have to learn to kiss and breathe at the same time. "I love you." He'd just realized it hadn't actually been said yet. And he wanted to get something before Wolfram did.
Instead of kissing him again, as he'd expected, Wolfram let go and stepped back, holding up his hand. The ring glittered in the moonlight, which had traveled across half the floor while they were kissing, a fact Yuuri found both frightening and heartening. "I guessed."
"Oh, sure, be a snot about it." Yuuri tried to narrow his eyes, but he was still too exhilarated. No rejection, no more complication. He loved Wolfram and wanted to marry him.
"You idiot, I love you more than I can put into words." Wolfram grabbed Yuuri again and sat down on the bed with him, kissing him again. In the middle of this one, Giesela emerged from the maid's room to make sure Wolfram was doing alright.
She stared for a long moment and beat a fast retreat. That would be something rather important to report to the girls tomorrow. In fact, that might finish off the royal love pool and leave them to bet on something else. She's suggest wedding dress colors. Both Yuuri and Wolfram were too busy to notice the door opening and closing, or even the fit of giggles Giesela indulged in once closed back up in her room.
Yuuri very reluctantly extricated himself with a sigh after what he thought was a long and very pleasant time. Hard to judge the passage of time when he was having his tongue sucked. "Um, Wolfram, Greta's alone, so…"
"I'll go with you. Just let me—" Wolfram realized he'd never actually undressed and simply shrugged.
Yuuri considered arguing, but didn't think it was worth it. Or want to. He'd missed having Wolfram sleep beside him. "Okay."
Wolfram looked a little surprised at the lack of resistance, but moved on. "Yuuri, should I get one for you?" He held up his hand again. Yuuri suspected he just liked holding the ring up to the light, with his delicate, long-fingered hand prettily posed and the ring glowing like a star. And it did look beautiful when he did it, so the Maou wasn't complaining.
"Usually, only one person gets one. That'd be the woman, but…" Yuuri wondered which he was supposed to be. His mother had mentioned wedding dresses to Wolfram, but considering the way he'd just been kissed… "Anyway, the, um, symbol is there now, so it's not like there's any doubt. Let's go to bed."
He and Wolfram slunk down the hall, suddenly both very, very embarrassed. They were engaged, maybe, but that had been true for months and no one really thought anything was going to come of it. Greta was thankfully fast asleep. Yuuri scooched her over to the side of the bed and crawled in, not bothering to undress or get under the covers. It was really late. And changing into his nightshirt in front of Wolfram was suddenly a very awkward concept.
Wolfram followed him with similar trepidations, but he was exhausted, and he had barely set his head Yuuri's shoulder before he was snoring. Yuuri wasn't far behind. He hadn't been technically dead, but it had been a very long day anyway.
He woke with glaring, midmorning sun in his eyes because Greta had opened the blinds. She waved at him. "You were sleeping too long. I'm telling, um, everyone you and Wolfram were bein' snuggly. Bye!" Bored with her sleepy parents, she ran off.
Yuuri looked down. Snuggly was the right word. Wolfram was still where Yuuri had left him, head resting on the Maou's shoulder (and his right arm fast asleep as a result), arm around Yuuri's waist, and knee stabbing into his thigh just to make sure Yuuri couldn't sleep in comfort, however cuddly.
For the first time, he felt like he actually had slept with Wolfram, rather than just shared a bed. Not that the least thing had happened, Yuuri reminded himself in his mother's voice. They'd gone right to sleep and stayed that way. But sleeping in such a snuggly fashion was a world away from happening to share the same mattress while Wolfram kicked him a lot.
Yuuri pulled himself from his reverie. He adored Wolfram and everything was settled now, but he did have a bit of real life to attend to. He had slept late, left alone because no one was sure what the use of super-powered healing magic was going to do to him. Yuuri yawned, trying to worm out from under Wolfram.
It worked, but only by waking his fiancé, who blinked sleepily as Yuuri stood and walked to the mirror, realizing suddenly just how disheveled Wolfram had left him. His hair was sticking out in all directions, there was actually a tear in the collar of his undershirt, and… Yuuri's eyes widened in mortification, slapping his hand over the telltale blotch of red on his neck.
"Oh, I suppose that's a sign that I'm marked as your soulmate now!" It was high on his neck! His collar wasn't going to cover than and his hair would do a lousy job.
"No. It was just fun." Wolfram yawned and sat up with a smug smile.
"Wolfram, you gave me the world's most obvious hickey!"
"You didn't mind last night."
"Pervert!"
"Wimp!"
"Don't call me that!"
Author's Note: And that, my more astute readers may have noted, is the end of this story. God, I can already hear the dismay. Or maybe that's relief. Wouldn't know. But if you're of the number calling ninjas down upon me for ending this, that was the bad news. There's good news, too! Good news that tastes of caramel and has rainbows!
You see, I said this story. This was the story of Yuuri learning to accept his feelings for Wolfram. There was clearly a lot more going on in the world, which I assume is a prime motivator for being pissed at me for ending this. What about Wolfram's vile brothers, human assassins, Greta's ghost friend, and Gunter's mysterious kitty slippers? Well, while this story is over, another story has just begun, an epic tale of true love and high adventure in Shin Makoku. That's right. This was merely a prologue. So you may return to the edge of your seats, my lovelies. There's more to come. It'll just be a sequel. A way longer sequel. With a plot and everything.