Hey guys! It's Lexie! Sorry it's been so long since my last update, but I think you will like this one. I sure loved writing it.

This one is inspired by Measure of a Man by Clay Aiken. I do not own the song, but I do love it! Let me know what you think of this short story in a review please!

Measure Up

Conrad rubbed his temple in an irritated way. Yuuri and Wolfram had been arguing for the past twenty minutes over something insignificant and quite frankly…Conrad was tired of it. It was then that he found the perfect time to intervene.

"Just stop it Wolfram! You always jump to conclusions about everything. Just leave me alone!" Yuuri shouted at the blonde, who was glaring daggers at the young king.

Yuuri had been tackled to the ground earlier that morning by Annisuna when trying to make an escape, and Wolfram had found the two in quite the compromising possition. Yuuri had no intention of pursuing a relationship with the red headed mad scientist, but Wolfram jumped to every wrong conclusion in the book.

"I am not stupid Yuuri! Do not treat me like a child! You know as well as I do that the only reason that I react so strongly to your actions is because I love you!" Wolfram retorted simplistically. Yuuri rolled his eyes.

It was always the same. Wolfram would scream and yell and use his love as an excuse to make it all okay. Yuuri threw his hands up in the air.

"You use that word so freely Wolfram. If you really loved me, you would just trust me and leave me alone." Yuuri bit out quickly then quickly regretted it as he realized how much his words had just affected Wolfram. The blond had looked down to the ground quickly, and then battled with himself to regain composure before replying.

"You just…don't understand anything Yuuri." Wolfram said softly, almost inaudibly. Yuuri almost said something to him, but couldn't find the nerve to do so; instead he walked into the castle without another word.

Conrad walked over to Wolfram, letting his footsteps be heard so that Wolfram could decide whether or not to talk to him.

"Why is it that he doesn't understand Conrad?" Wolfram asked his brother without turning towards him. The older man sat down on a ledge nearby his sibling and motioned for the blond to join him. Wolfram sighed, defeated, and joined the brunet on the small wall. Conrad thought for a while about what to say so that Wolfram would have no trouble understanding.

"If by some chance you found Yuuri broken down on the street. No King's title, no royal bloodline to protect him, no money to prove that he can provide for you, and no powers to protect you; do you think any person would be able to ask him to prove his love for you, or would they simply see it in his eyes?" Conrad asked casually. Wolfram considered it for a moment, seemed to doubt the possibility of it, and did not answer. The elder man saw the look in his brother's eyes, and continued.

"Yuuri has a subtle way of showing his love for people. He shows it through kind words, or through a smile, and even through his cluelessness at times. Yuuri shows his affection in an entirely different manner than you do." Conrad said with a small chuckle. Wolfram rolled his eyes. He knew that Yuuri showed affection, he was just upset that Yuuri showed no more affection to him than to any other individual demon, human, or inanimate object.

"Yeah…it also shows through his cheating, and his foolish amount of trust in others, and his obsessive idea that I am overreacting to everything." Wolfram's voice dripped with sarcasm, and Conrad sighed. He was having a more difficult time getting through to the blond than he thought he would.

"Maybe we need to look at this through a different light. Do you trust Yuuri?" Conrad asked. Wolfram nodded and sighed, his grumpiness still shining through.

"Yes." He replied curtly.

"With your life?" Conrad continued. Wolfram nodded again, the anger dissipating, but his eyes were still narrowed.

"Yes."

"To what ends would he go to help you?" Conrad questioned, "Would he walk on water? Run through a blazing fire?" Wolfram could only nod again, but his frustration was still evident.

It was true. Yuuri would go to the ends of the earth if it meant that Wolfram would be safe. In fact…Yuuri had already risked his own life for him on countless occasions, but that was love that he showed to everyone. It wasn't special or meant only for him...was it?

"And would he not stand up for your beliefs even if it meant that his own would be compromised?" Conrad inquired curiously.

"Well…yeah, he has stood up for me even when you all were against me…but Conrad-" Wolfram started.

"What else could you possibly want him to prove?" Conrad interrupted. Wolfram blinked. "He has already given up his former life to be what he thinks everyone wants. How has he failed to measure up to anyone in your standards?" Wolfram could not reply. Instead, he stood up and walked into the castle without another word.

Conrad sat on the ledge a bit longer, and then went to find Yuuri. He knew that both boys were in serious need of a reality check. He had gotten through to Wolfram on some level or another. Leaving the blond speechless was not an easy task.

"Yuuri?" Conrad announced his presence when he stepped into the King's office. Yuuri looked up from his deep concentration on the cracks in his wooden desk and nodded to Conrad.

"Yes? What is it?" Yuuri questioned. Conrad knew the young king was still upset, so he shut the door behind him and sat down across the desk from his godson.

"I couldn't help but overhear your argument with Wolfram this morning…" Conrad prompted. Yuuri huffed and leaned back in his chair.

"Bet the whole castle heard. Why is it that Wolfram always overreacts to everything?" Yuuri replied in an exasperated tone. "He says he loves me…but he never trusts me at all!" The king continued whining. Conrad chuckled and leaned back in his own chair.

"Wolfram has a very…different way of showing his affection. I'll give you that." Conrad said good-naturedly. Yuuri scoffed.

"Yeah…he shows it through anger, accusations, and violence. I don't even think he knows what the word 'love' means" Yuuri said sarcastically. The older man hung his head slightly in dissapointment.

"Wolfram, more than most, knows the meaning of that word." Conrad said seriously. Yuuri looked doubtful. Conrad sat up and continued using a similar tactic that had worked on the blond.

"Suppose all Wolfram could do was give you those three little words Yuuri. You have him bending to your every whim already and you know it. Wolfram would do anything for your sake. Are those words not deep enough for you at the end of the day?" Conrad asked. Yuuri pondered this.

"It would be enough Conrad. But it isn't the 'I love you's that I hear. They come only at the end of a fight. All he ever does is tell me how much of a wimp I am, or how much I fail at my job. Wolfram only cares about how much I suck and how much he can tear me down!" Yuuri complained. Conrad had heard enough of Yuuri ignoring the truth, he stood up in a mildly frustrated manner and approached the desk. Yuuri sat back and watched Conrad intently.

"Wolfram tells you every day that he loves you. If all he spouted were niceties, how would you know if he was lying or not? Wolfram reveals your flaws to you over and over to help you grow from them, but he never fails to end the argument with 'I love you.' He loves you despite your flaws Yuuri. What more do you want from him?" Yuuri stopped for a moment. He had never considered it that way.

"Now, I'm not saying that Wolfram is perfect or anything...he is far from it. But isn't it better that he is frank with you? If he kept his mouth shut like the rest of us, then you would not know nearly as much about your job than you do. Wolfram believes you are ready to run the kingdom and is willing to make you angry in order to make you stronger. We hide things from you Yuuri, to keep you safe. Wolfram tells you anyways, to make you face the things head on and become a better king. Do not think that all he does in order to anger you is not done for you. He cares more than you know." Conrad was finished then. He stood up and walked towards the door, leaving Yuuri alone to organize his thoughts.

The brunet's work was done. What happened next was up to the king and his consort.

Wolfram sat on the edge of Yuuri's bed and waited for the boy to enter the room. It was late evening and Yuuri would soon be readying himself for bed.

The blond had considered deeply, his brother's words, and decided to talk to his king about their arguments. Wolfram now knew that his king loved him, even if he was bad a showing it.

When Yuuri entered the room, he was expecting Wolfram to still be fuming. What he saw surprised him. Wolfram was sitting on the edge of their bed and looking rather serene.

"Wolf?" Yuuri said cautiously as he entered. The blond looked over to him and patted the spot next to him on the bed.

"I need to talk to you Yuuri." Wolfram said too quietly…too calmly. Yuuri tensed as he did what the blond asked. The king was waiting for an explosion that seemed to be waiting under the blond's seemingly harmless expression.

"Yes?" Yuuri replied nervously once he was seated. Wolfram was amused by Yuuri's fear for some reason. Here Wolfram was, trying to be calm and collected, and Yuuri was interpreting it as suppressed rage. He almost laughed, but he retained his composure. Instead of throwing a fit, he mused more to himself than to Yuuri.

"You have never given up on anything as long as I've known you. You dream big and follow your ideas through till the end no matter what. The entire world revolves around and echoes your beliefs now." Yuuri blinked a few times. Wolfram's words had sideswiped him. Yuuri waited to see what else the blond had to say.

"Conrad spoke to me earlier Yuuri…He made me realize that you do love me…even if you don't always show it in the most obvious ways, or the ways that I want you to. Believe it or not, you are my anchor when times seem most dark, and you love me in the best way that you know how to right now. I need to be more patient with you…but I admit that it will not be easy for me." The look in Wolfram's eyes was killing Yuuri. The blond was taking all of the blame for their problems. Yuuri put a hand on the other boy's shoulder to stop him.

"Wolf, stop. It's not just you. Our problems are just that. Ours. We both have things we need to work on. You need to trust me more, but continue in everything else that you do, and I need to show you that no one else in either of our worlds could ever measure up to the man that you are, or the love that you already give me. I don't want anyone, or anything else. And I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize that." Yuuri stated. Wolfram just stared at him for a while, then smirked.

"Conrad talked to you too didn't he?" Wolfram asked with a small grin. Yuuri nodded sheepishly.

"Damn…now I'm going to have to acctually thank him." Wolfram cursed halfheartedly. Yuuri burst into a fit of laughter that was quickly joined by Wolfram.

Conrad smiled as he backed away from the royal bedchamber's door. Eavesdropping wasn't his normal line of duty, but he would be looking forward to a quality conversation with his brother in the morning, and a few days of much needed peace. Not that it was likely to last.

Well…There's my sappy love story for the summer xD I've got a few more short stories in mind and I'm sorry I haven't done much this summer. I'll try and get a few more out before school starts. Please review…I need the inspiration. Thank you!