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"You're going out to drink?"
Yuuri stills as soon as the words leave his mouth, his outburst leaving him wide-eyed and flustered, and overall just about ready to let the marble flooring swallow him whole. He didn't intend for his question to sound accusing, the Maoh reasons to himself. The comment was a lapse of judgment on his part - an aberration - seemingly brought about by the discomfort of finding out Wolfram has a life outside of being his fiance.
But who can blame him?
Their relationship has never been something one can call conventional, and the much older, and wiser Yuuri admits to having a hand in the whole accident. Nevertheless, the incident that led to them being engaged just mere hours after meeting one another, was yet again a lapse of judgment on his part - another aberration - and one that was brought about by the Mazoku prince's unrivaled talent for getting under his skin so quickly.
Wolfram became his fiance first, his friend and closest confidant second before he eventually became something more. Even the soul-binding companionship they now enjoy blossomed atop the shaky foundation laid upon by their accidental engagement. Looking back at it now, Yuuri realized how all odds were stacked against them from the start.
It's close to a miracle that neither of them cracked under the pressure of it all.
Yuuri had come close quite a number of times.
If not for Wolfram and his benevolent heart, he wouldn't be where he is right now, which is happy and crazy in love.
This leads us to Yuuri's current dilemma.
The young Maoh was ecstatic to finally have a nice evening alone with his family when Wolfram told Greta he couldn't read her a bedtime story tonight. The three of them were on their way to their daughter's bedroom when the conversation happened.
But the oddest thing about the exchange was, despite her initial disappointment over the blond's confession, Greta seemed to have understood why her Papa Wolf needed to go. She even went so far as to chastise the Mazoku prince right after he said there may be drinking involved. "...But not too much, okay?" Her sweet voice fills the hallway, her words sounding like a doting parent sending her child off to his first-ever house party. "You don't want to get a bad hangover tomorrow."
What?
Wolfram's cheeks colored a bright red at his daughter's teasing. "Greta, that was one time..."
What?
"I know," she quickly replies.
Yuuri's brain is just short-circuiting.
Their little girl only zeroes her chestnut-colored eyes on her other father's emerald ones after that. How she crosses her arms makes her appear ten times older than she originally is. "But you don't want your head hurting during the squad's monthly census with Sir Hughes tomorrow, right?"
The father in Yuuri screams at the casualness of the exchange.
An image of his fiance, stumbling along the castle halls with a bottle of alcohol in one hand, popped into Yuuri's mind. He saw a distraught Greta in the corner, reaching out to Wolfram, and questioning why he never comes home sober. Her tears struck a chord in the Maoh's heart.
Where did he go wrong?
What did Greta mean by 'have fun'?
Is drinking out with friends more important to Wolfram than tucking their daughter to bed?!
Yuuri's mouth got ahead of him before his brain could process the words.
"Are you going out to drink?"
He stills as soon as the words leave his mouth. He didn't intend for his question to sound accusing. It was a lapse of judgment, or so he kept on telling himself.
"...With who? Do I know these friends of yours? How come you never introduced them to me?" Yuuri's questions kept firing at the speed of his own thundering heart.
Greta stops him from his ramblings. "Yuuri, Wolfram's friends are Wolfram's friends! I can't believe you didn't know that." If earlier she had her hands crossed in front of her chest, her hands are now on her tiny hips whilst scolding him.
Is he being ganged up on?
Yuuri chooses to zip his mouth shut before he can further make things awkward.
He may be overthinking all these .
Perhaps he simply didn't take into account that, much like any normal guy in their youth, his fiance goes out to have fun sometimes. After all, Yuuri has his tiny clique back at school too. They go to the arcades in their free time and grab fast food after a stressful exam week.
Typical semantics of an ordinary high school student, as you may call it.
But then again, Wolfram is not a high school student, and nor was he an ordinary guy. His pretty boy looks aside, the guy used to be a goddamn prince (personally, Yuuri thinks he never really stopped being one) and is seven times his age. They don't have arcades in Shin Makoku either, and it's not like fast food is a boom amongst the populace.
What they have here are pubs, tiny motels, and a lot of other questionable places the adults, and mostly Yozak, like to indulge.
So, who's to say his fiance isn't getting himself into something dangerous?
Wolfram disappeared into the night before Yuuri could corner him into a serious discussion about: The Role of Parents as Upstanding Examples to the Innocent and Hopeful Eyes of a Child.
He has seen the effects of neglect being played out in a lot of TV dramas.
A child with a drunkard father turns into a rebellious, thrill-seeking delinquent who dyes their hair in ridiculous colors, and gets edgy tattoos and numerous piercings on their body to compensate for the obvious lack of affection they received in childhood. The Maoh thought of how difficult it would be to raise their daughter all on his own now as he lay awake in bed.
A couple of things about the conversation stuck with Yuuri, though.
One, Greta wasn't bothered about Wolfram going out so late in the night to drink.
Does that mean this wasn't the first time that happened?
Two, she commented how Wolfram deserves to have fun once in a while.
He sure does. His fiance is nothing short of hard-working, sometimes even to a point where Yuuri had to literally drag him to Earth to get some rest.
Three, she mentioned that Wolfram would be with his men tonight, including his second in command - Marquis Hughes. And if his memory serves him right, Lieutenant Hughes is an upstanding soldier with short ashen hair and soft grey eyes. Much like the rest of the Bielefeld elite squad, the Lieutenant is young and pleasing to the eyes.
He can't put a voice in the face quite yet, but he's positive that Greta was telling the truth. He has seen the man standing beside Wolfram often, with him being Wolf's right-hand man probably contributing to that.
So, Wolfram is out drinking with Marquis?
That fact alone should normally put Yuuri's mind at ease, only this time, it didn't.
Is Wolf even allowed to associate with his men outside work?
A more rational part of him says, he can. Even company bosses attend parties with their employees. They call it, 'team-building,' and all that.
Yuuri takes a glance at his G-shock sitting at the bedside table.
9:57 PM, the device reads.
His fiance bid him good night at around eight in the evening, clad in a lavender-colored dress shirt that looked way too good on him. Yuuri could remember in detail how Wolfram left with his shirt collar being three buttons loose, his sleeves rolled up his arm, and the hem of his shirt tucked in equally form-fitting dark-blue pants that the Maoh never saw him wear around him, ever.
What's up with that?
When Yuuri looked at the time again, it was already 10:31 PM, but still, no sign of him getting any sleep or of Wolfram returning.
It's now or never.
The young King carefully plans an escape in his head while fishing out a pair of casual clothes from the bureau. He imagines the route to the royal baths, and how he can best thread the path that leads to the courtyard from there without bumping into someone. He could pretend to be taking a late soak. Seeing as the palace guards often see him and Wolf head for the baths before bed, there's a high chance they wouldn't think much about seeing him out and about.
Still, Yuuri took the little wooden tub containing his bathing items on his way outside, just in case he did bump into someone.
A guard had come close to catching him as soon as he rounded the hallway that led down the stairs. He committed himself to the lie he came up with and he was thankfully left to his own devices as soon as he entered the royal baths. From there, Yuuri was able to execute the final phase of his plan.
He walks into the stables as quietly as he could whilst carefully recalling the steps on how to properly saddle a horse.
"First should be grooming," Yuuri mumbles to himself. "...Check for wounds that may- Huh. Where do they even keep the brushes?”
“Looking for this?” a man’s voice echoes in the stables.
“Oh! Yes, the brush! Thank you!” Yuuri excitedly reaches for the item without looking back.
The double-black quickly gets on with his task, happy that things are, so far, going according to his plan. Yuuri is halfway done grooming the horse when he realized he wasn't supposed to be hearing anyone else's voice in the stables.
The Maoh let out a blood-curdling scream at seeing Conrad behind him sporting a mischievous smile on his usually friendly face.
"Fancy a late ride, Your Majesty?" his Godfather teases as soon as the remnants of his terror die down.
Yuuri blushes, feeling embarrassed at both being caught red-handed and having someone witness him screaming like a little girl.
"I wasn't- It's Yuuri, Conrad."
"Okay, Yuuri.” The soldier chuckles, obviously playing along. “Where are we going, then?"
“N-nowhere! I mean-“ The Maoh cut his sentence short after catching Conrart's meaning. “We?"
"Yes. If you're planning on going out this late, it'll be safer if I accompany you. Besides-" the soldier briefly fixes his eyes behind the young king, making the latter get even redder. "…You look like you could use a hand.”
What a cruel man his Godfather is.
As if being caught earlier wasn’t enough, Conrad is now here insulting his saddling skills too.
It leaves him no choice. Yuuri works with the easiest excuse he can think of.
“It’s nothing! I just can’t sleep, and I was hoping a ride can help me exhaust the rest of my energy.”
That should work, right?
Only that, it didn’t.
Yuuri’s will crumbles under Conrart’s scrutiny. What he's about to admit is so embarrassing, he's contemplating silencing his Godfather for good after saying it.
"Fine!” The Maoh purses his lips. “It’s just- Wolfram has gone out to drink earlier this evening, and he hasn't come back yet."
There was a brief pause in the air, both seemingly waiting for a punch line of some sort, to land.
"I'm pretty sure Wolfram can handle himself, even more so, his alcohol,” Conrart said absently, finally breaking the awkward silence. “A couple of glasses won't get him wasted."
Yuuri gritted his teeth, a little mad that Conrad is making sense. It's true that while Wolfram may not look like it, his fiance is not the type to get wasted in just a couple of drinks. Still, the double-black is not willing to let the issue go just yet.
"But you're still worried about him,” his Godfather stated matter-of-factly, stopping him from embarrassing himself further and effectively cutting his thoughts short. “…Did he say where he has gone off to?"
Thankfully, Yuuri was able to get that information out of his fiance before he left.
"In a tavern called Little Rover, in the capital city," the king quickly replied.
Conrart nods to himself. "I see. It must be a special occasion. He rarely goes there unless he's with his men."
"He is with them!" Yuuri shouts, cringing at his outburst. He could feel a dull ache forming in his chest, his brain already going miles per hour. "I m-mean-" Great. Now, he's stuttering. "...I think he is with them. Greta told me he's going with Lieutenant Hughes."
"Oh! Then you don't have to worry, Your Majesty. Wolfram and his men know themselves well enough to stop when they've had too much to drink already." Conrart cheerfully commented, shooting him an encouraging smile that did nothing to alleviate his distress.
'No!' Yuuri wanted to argue. "That's not the point!"
Did Conrad's whole opinion shift the moment that guy Marquis was mentioned?
The glaring trust his Godfather put in the said man is making Yuuri feel a little inadequate. What was once a dull affliction in his chest suddenly got sharper - turning, twisting, and pushing his insides by the minute.
"I j-just-" Yuuri started, his fists balled tightly on his sides.
How can he possibly say what he feels without sounding bitter and incredulous?
"You want me to check if Wolfram is okay?" Conrad tries once more.
Yuuri stays quiet, taking a sudden interest in picking on his nails
How could he even admit to Conrad what he wanted without, again, sounding bitter and incredulous?
"No?” The soldier hums quietly to himself. “You want me to get Wolfram back, then?"
Yuuri chews on his lip. At the very least, the Maoh finds talking with Conrad about matters of the heart far less scary than speaking directly with the person he’s crushing on.
"...Can I come with you, please?" Yuuri said with a small voice.
"Why, though, if I may ask?” the soldier furrows his eyebrows. “He's with his men, and I'm confident they wouldn't let anything happen to their captain."
Conrart's lack of urgency is depleting the king's temper quicker than what is acceptable. And while he is quite aware that getting angry isn't going to solve any of his problems, the urge to hit something remains.
"Why?! I think he should've told me before agreeing to drink with them" He screams. "It pisses me off that I had to find out through Greta”
What's this sudden sting in his eyes?
It's not particularly windy in the castle tonight, is it?
Voiced pinched, Yuuri goes on with his tirade too fast and too loudly, his tone walking the line between bitterness and incredulity. “…I'm his fiance for crying out loud! Shouldn't I at least be given the courtesy of knowing where he is and who he's spending time with?!"
Conrart’s playfulness falls away after that. When Yuuri's breathing evens out, he regards his Godson softly. "You just came back from Earth this morning, Yuuri. That's probably why he never got the chance to tell you."
And with that, Yuuri let out a sound that is akin to a whimper. Conrad is right, yet again. He couldn't think of any other way to convince him to let him go. “Just help me, please.”
The soldier let out a huge sigh. "Alright. Just give me a moment to fix the horses."
Yuuri and Conrart arrived at the capitol in record speed thanks to the latter's guidance. The city, although it is already quite late, is surprisingly still bustling with life. Soldiers on break and tourists hailing from different parts of Shin Makoku (and her allies) crowd the establishments. The Little Rover isn’t any different. Laughters, cheers, and music assault the duo’s senses as they enter the tavern. Yuuri knew of the ways adults spend their time after a hard day at work. It was, after all, pretty common among Japanese salary men, to stop by midnight diners on their way to their homes. The scene in front of him can attest to the fact that Shin Makoku and Earth have their fair share of similarities, much like they have their differences.
That never was the issue though. He just never imagined someone as princely as Wolfram would engage in something so… common.
When he thinks of relaxation in conjunction with the Mazoku prince, he imagines fencing, painting, playing the piano, reading, or lounging on a plush couch while drinking a glass of exquisite red wine. Drinking out with your fellow soldiers and squeezing through a crowded pub in the middle of the city, sounds like something Yuuri can associate with Adalbert more than anything.
As if on cue, a loud laugh piqued the double-black boy’s attention and towards a table on the far right of the room.
Seven guys, with six of them seated by threes on each side of a rectangular table and one blond man at its head, caught Yuuri’s eyes. The Maoh notes how the man who laughed loudly had his hands on his stomach while the brunette across from him glared daggers in his direction. The other men at the table watch in amusement at the exchange, their laughter mixing with all the noise in the room.
“It’s not funny! I was genuinely surprised, okay?!” the brunette complains, pouring himself a glass of beer in indignation.
The loud man laughs even harder at seeing his companion sulking. “I know, but how can you not see it coming?”
Yuuri tuned out the rest of the noise when he spotted Wolfram right across the room, twitching a perfectly arched eyebrow while watching the scene in front of him. He fixes the cloak over his head unconsciously as Conrad approaches him from behind. “Your Majesty, should we walk up to them?" his Godfather whispers to him. The Maoh only clutches at the brooch keeping his overgarment in place, watching as the blond boy at the head of the table flicked the guy who laughed the loudest into his forehead, its force strong enough to send the latter tumbling backward.
"Couldn't you laugh with more finesse?” He heard Wolfram say through gritted teeth. “You're embarrassing me."
"Ah. Oscar is already far too drunk to worry about his table manners, Captain." the boy to Wolf’s left, comments. "I say we kick him out before he's gone wild."
Wolfram rolls his eyes. “I’m not carrying him. That’s for sure.”
From an outside perspective, the group appears to be nothing but your typical group of friends hanging out in a bar. Yuuri would’ve probably thought the same if today is any other day and he’s in a more rational state of mind. The events from earlier this evening and the one currently in front of him suddenly became too much for him. It left him winded, and unable to move. It is certainly not because there is something wrong about the exchange he’s witnessing, but more of how ignorant he feels about assuming his fiance didn’t have a life outside of… well, being his fiance .
‘They seem to be having so much fun,’ said a more rational voice in Yuuri’s head. ‘He seems more relaxed here than he is with you,” said a more insecure part of him in return. He couldn’t help it, though. Living all your life being average in just about everything isn’t going to do wonders for one's confidence. His fiance could meet a dashing prince or a courageous knight from a distant land any day and he won’t have anything to convince him that he’s the better match. Wolfram doesn’t even like the things he likes, doesn’t eat the things he eats, and he couldn’t stand next to him at formal gatherings without doing something remotely embarrassing. Even the group of men currently sitting with the Mazoku prince got him beat in the looks department by a mile. If Yuuri didn’t believe that ‘love is blind’ before, he certainly does now.
"Thomas, stop laughing and help Oscar up, will you?" It was Wolfram’s voice that brought him out of his trance. He whispers something inaudible at the back of his throat while pinching the bridge of his nose, and the guy named Thomas quickly obliges.
"Buddy, the night is still young. How can you be drunk already?" Thomas chuckles, shaking the remaining laughs off his body.
"Ah! It's because he's a light drinker, Sergeant,” someone from the far left of the table replies. “It’s why Oscar’s no fun at parties at all!"
A chorus of laughter ensues.
Then a more reserved man to Wolfram’s right, one that Yuuri could only assume was the famous Lieutenant Marquis Hughes, decides to lay down his own joke on the table, the target being the person nobody dared to tease yet. "Well, that's a real shame. He won’t survive a night drinking with Captain Bielefeld. We all know he can down a whole bottle of wine like its water.”
The joke earned Marquis a heated glare from the ‘captain’ himself, and yet he wasn’t deterred.
"I don't 'down' a bottle like a pig, Hughes,” Wolfram protests. “I have manners."
"Sure, Captain," the lieutenant grins.
The rest of the table got a little rowdy once more, each man telling the group a lighthearted story about the times their usually formal captain beat them into a drinking game, one after the other.
Yuuri clenches his fist for the nth time that night.
He wants to be out there with Wolfram too!
They are friends, aren't they?
So how come he never jokes or laughs this much with him?
Even the simplicity of his fiance’s choice of attire this evening irks him as it speaks volume to how comfortable he is in his squad's company. The Wolfram he knew is always clad in high collars and elaborate silk laces. His hair always smells good and not a strand of gold can be seen out of its usual curl. This version of the Mazoku prince, albeit still looking extraordinarily beautiful, seems much more carefree - one that the Maoh rarely gets to see.
What is it that he is doing wrong, exactly?
Yuuri didn't have the faintest idea of what came over him, but the next thing he knew, his body was already moving on its own and was crossing the room in quick strides. His focus stayed solely on his fiance's laughing face, noting the tiny spark in his eyes and the way he threw his blond head back like a little kid.
The Maoh’s tunnel vision fails to notice the woman holding a tray of beverages heading to his right. The noise of shattering glass reverberates around the room, and the feeling of something viscid running down his back snapped Yuuri out of his trance. The display effectively draws all the ruckus around them to a halt. Conrart’s quick reflexes may have saved him from possible injury, but it did little to divert the crowd's attention to himself.
“Y-Yuuri?” Wolfram quickly recognizes him.
Soaking wet and mortified, the king simply ran out of the tavern as far as his legs could take him. He barely heard the woman apologizing to him repeatedly, or the chorus of people calling for him, as blood pounded in his ears. ‘How embarrassing!’ he thought to himself. Not only did Wolfram see his pathetic display, but the rest of his men also did as well.
"Yuuri!" He heard Wolfram shout, following close behind him. "Hey, wait up!"
The king tries to outrun him, pumping more energy into his legs as if his life depended on it and hoping that his experience in running bases can match his fiance’s years of military training.
He didn’t have enough time to ponder his odds though.
A pale hand grips onto his arm and pulls his body in the opposite direction the second he loses focus. The force of the person's tug spins Yuuri's head around, making him a little dizzy. He then comes face-to-face with the prettiest emeralds he has ever seen, and all the fight in him slowly melts away. The flicker of streetlights dancing around the stunning irises leaves him breathless, but it was Wolfram's next words that completely knocked the air out of him. "I finally caught you," his fiance giggles cutely, cheeks flush with exertion.
I finally caught you. Yuuri repeated the words in his head.
When he tries to respond to Wolf's query about his current state, no sound comes out of his mouth. The words his fiance had spoken to him some years ago still make his heart flutter even to this day.
And Yuuri allows himself to be caught, just as he did before.
"Shit.” The Mazoku prince curses unbecomingly. His beautiful face morphs into something close to panic. He then started randomly patting his pockets until he was able to take out a white silk handkerchief. The Maoh didn't even realize he was crying until the soft fabric touched his skin. "What happened?" his fiance asks again, worry etched into his usually sonorous voice.
Yuuri couldn't stop the tears from falling.
"I'm s-so sorry, Wolf!” he chokes on his words. “I-I don't u-understand… I don't understand wh-what's wrong with m-me either."
The double-black noticed how it appears to be getting harder for him to breathe. His palms are starting to sweat and his chest is hurting. Unclasping the sticky cloak off his body did nothing to ease his frantic breathing. But when Wolfram draws him into his arms, suddenly, the world seems calmer.
It's odd how something so faint can stand above all the noises around him, it clears his head and brings his consciousness back to the present. The sound of his beloved's steady heartbeat is like a soft melody guiding him through a pandemonium. Yuuri feels a pair of warm hands rubbing circles into his back. He feels a gentle touch of lips at the crown of his head, and later, hears a voice telling him that everything is going to be alright. He wholeheartedly believes in their gentle words. It soothes his fears and quiets his doubts unlike any other. He then grips the owner of the voice tightly by the waist, seemingly afraid that letting go would entail the noise would return.
"W-wolf?" Yuuri breaks the silence, his voice still a little shaky but more coherent than a little while ago. "Wolf, we're friends, aren't we?"
When Wolfram didn't respond, the double-black king loosened his hold on his fiance to get a better glimpse of his face. He notices that the Mazoku prince has a look of confusion on his gorgeous face.
"Sorry. I still don't get what you mean, but-" Wolfram pauses briefly to think.
"...if you want to get technical, I don't think you can call us friends."
The weight of those words feels like a ton of bricks just crashed down into him. The Maoh’s face shifts at least four times before the blond pretty-boy realizes how wrong his statement sounded.
"Wait, no! It's not like that!" the Mazoku prince cries. "We get along fine, like friends, if that's what you were asking! But above all, we are engaged, aren't we?"
"Y-yeah." Yuuri sniffs, wiping the remainder of his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "But I don't see why you have to say we're not friends."
"Well…” Wolfram’s voice trails off, unknowingly making the double-black even more anxious.“…Telling you we're just friends feels like undermining what we really are."
"Then what are we, Wolf?" Yuuri is getting desperate, he is way too emotionally charged right now, to have the patience to solve riddles.
Wolfram purses his lips at his fiance’s impatience. "I think the right word would be, lovers."
"Oh," Yuuri reddens at the word, briefly speechless. "Yes, l-lovers. We're lovers." He feels like a fool for jumping to conclusions yet again. "...And that's more than being friends."
"Y-yeah," Wolfram stutters, his cheeks equally reddening. "But I'm still your friend, though. It just comes with ummm…” The blond shifts his weight from left to right, refusing to meet the other boy’s eyes. “…benefits that your other friends don't have."
"Y-yeah, I-I won't kiss any of my other friends." The double-black Maoh blanches at the cursed thought. "Yeah, no. That'll be weird."
"And it better stay that way, you cheater!” Wolfram sighs before getting into the more pressing matter. “So, as your lover…" He observes his fiance’s expression for any sign of discomfort with the word. Yuuri may have come a long way, but that doesn’t mean the wimp is no longer a wimp that suddenly got comfortable with everything overnight. He continues when he reads no change in the atmosphere. "Care to tell me what was that all about? Why the sudden obsession over silly labels?"
Funny enough, the last question was what brought a reaction out of the double-black.
"Uhhh, can I not?" Yuuri smiles sheepishly.
"Okay.” Wolfram quickly drops the subject, settling instead with caressing his king's face and letting the comfortable silence envelop them. "I'm just worried about you.” the blond whispers.
“…Don’t worry.” Yuuri hums in satisfaction at his fiance's touch. "Now that you're here, I feel better now." He closes his eyes and reaches for the warm hand resting on his face. "I missed you, Wolf."
The blond boy laughs. "Yuuri, I've been gone for what? Three? Four hours?"
"You didn’t have to laugh that hard!” Yuuri pouts indignantly. “Besides, it's not about how long you were gone! I missed you, and that's just it."
Wolfram pokes him in the stomach. "And you call me clingy."
Yuuri grips his wrist. "Being in love does that to you." The Maoh then leans down for a kiss, abruptly drawing the argument to a stop. Wolfram can call him clingy all he wants as long as his smooth arms stay wrapped around his neck and sweet lips remain locked against his like this. He welcomes the occasional hitches in the blond’s breathing as well as the soft moans that he’s currently producing. Wolfram’s leg bumping into something, and making him break contact is not welcome. Yuuri honestly didn’t want to return to reality, but alas, he has to.
Looking around, both boys realized that their chase ended in a children’s park, thankfully around the more quiet part of the city. The whole kingdom would surely be in an uproar if anyone had seen them. Yuuri could already imagine how scandalous the morning headlines would be: The Royal Couple, Caught in a Passionate Kiss. Are They Eloping?
The Maoh would surely get an extra stack of paperwork once word gets to Gwendal. And yet, seeing Wolfram’s shy smile almost makes it worth getting caught. It took all his will to stop himself from throwing all caution to the wind and book them a private room just blocks away from where they are.
Yuuri contented himself with just pulling his fiance towards a nearby bench, just letting each other’s presence fill the silence between them. The double-black got a whiff of the fruity smell of Wolfram’s new shampoo when he rested his blond head on his shoulder. His fiance then started humming to himself, occasionally squeezing his calloused hands in tune with the heavier beats in the melody. Yuuri has no idea what the song is, but Wolfram’s voice is beautiful, much like pretty much everything about him. Even the tips of his fingers were nothing short of beautiful, he almost feels bad for touching his hand.
Yuuri’s hand isn't elegant like his fiance’s. They are rough and sweaty, his nails aren’t cut evenly, and they have breaks in them from baseball practice. Wolfram’s fingers are long, his nails appear almost manicured, and his palms feel soft. Although there are traces of calluses in them, it only makes the double-black appreciate him more. After all, the calluses he gained from sword training are a testament to how hardworking his fiance really is.
That reminds him…
"…When you said you were going out with friends, I got really curious, and I decided to follow you.” Yuuri’s voice trails off. "Then I realized, you never really introduced me to your friends before. Do they even know who I am?"
Wolfram lifts his head to look at him. "First of all, they weren't exactly friends. Acquaintances, maybe.” The blond then wraps his arms around his torso in an affectionate embrace, his cheeks now resting against his chest. “…And secondly, of course, they know you. You are their King."
Yuuri unconsciously fidgets with the loop of his fiance’s pants, willing himself just to get the issue off his chest so they can move on. "But you seem a lot more comfortable with your men. I've never seen you talk to someone that casually."
“Oh. It's because I and most of my officers go way back.” Wolfram was quick to respond. “…When you've been with people in countless life and death situations, you'll be more inclined to feel like you don't have anything else to hide from them.”
The Maoh, somehow, didn’t like the sound of that. “What about us, then? We’ve been in a couple of life and death situations.”
“We sure did,” the blond whispered wistfully.
“Then what’s the difference?” Yuuri could feel the dull ache slowly creeping back up his chest, yet he chooses to go on. Confrontations will always be his weakness, but being honest with Wolfram about his insecurities is necessary if he wants his relationship with the blond to last. He knows that now. “...You know, I kind of hate that I’ve missed a lot in your life. There are so many things I didn't know about you, and I can't help but feel inadequate about not knowing common stuff like your favorite color or your go-to drink."
"Hmm. It used to be blue, but now it's black. And surprisingly, my favorite drink isn't wine." Wolfram chuckles, unfazed by Yuuri's current crisis. "If I could have fruit juice all day, I would."
But Yuuri is equally undeterred."I didn't even know you and your men are so close you go out to drink together occasionally."
“That’s decades-long of my life before knowing you, Yuuri. None of that is your fault," the blond ultimately cups both of the Maoh's face in between his hands to stop his tirade. "Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Yuuri's lips quivered at his words.
The wimp has been such a mess tonight, Wolfram hates seeing his fiance undervalue himself over something he has no control of. "I trust my life in my men, as much as they entrust theirs to me. I have met many people in my life. They are important to me, but the life I have now, the one I'm living with you in it, is another thing I am grateful for."
Wolfram has learned early that 'clear and direct' has always been the best way to do things when Yuuri starts over-thinking. No room for misunderstanding, and just straight from the heart. He has no intention of holding back. "You're my fiance, and come hell or high water, I will always choose you, Yuuri."
Yuuri sniffs and promptly wipes the tears that escaped his eyes during his dialogue. Wolfram chooses to not drive the attention to it and simply waits for Yuuri to come to him, just like he always does.
"I-I didn't even say a-anything, and here y-you are answering all my questions." When he did, the king's voice cracked a tad bit. "I can't deal with you sometimes."
The blond took that as a sign to move into a much lighter topic. "You were never a good liar, wimp. It's all written in your face, you might as well just put a sign that says: I'm jealous. Please pay attention to me." He wasn't disappointed with the double black's reaction.
"I'M NOT JEALOUS! I'M NOT!"
Yuuri denies it with all his might, but Wolfram only smiles. At least they got that out of the way.
"Well, do you feel better? I think we should head back." Wolfram stood up and started moving towards the direction of the pub, but a firm grip held him back.
"Wait," the owner of the hand says.
The Mazoku prince raises an eyebrow when Yuuri keeps quiet.
"...S-so, there's no funny business going on with your men?"
Wolfram had to stop the undignified sound that almost came out of his mouth. "Hell, no. That's so weird to think about."
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Uhhm."
"Anything else?"
"Can you uh- I just-"
Call it telepathy or a wimp translator, but for some reason, the blond understood what Yuuri meant regardless of the broken strings of words he left hanging in the air.
The hard bench would probably be uncomfortable, but the wimp's lap surely wouldn't. So, he shamelessly straddles his king, as the latter grips his waist on cue.
When Yuuri eagerly closes his eyes to receive the kiss, Wolfram lets out a soft giggle. "What will I ever do with you?"
The tavern appeared less crowded by the time the king and his fiance returned. Some tables are still occupied, including the one the Bielefeld squad was sitting on. Yuuri thanks the lucky stars that most people who witnessed his mess earlier are now either passed out in a corner or are currently too drunk to recognize him. The waitress who bumped into him even offered a free drink, but he had to politely decline.
He may be of legal age now, but he prefers to stay sober and save himself from further embarrassment. He has made a fool of himself far too many times tonight to last him a lifetime.
At least Conrad seems to be having fun drinking with Wolfram's men.
It must be a soldier's thing.
But unfortunately for him, when his Godfather said Wolfram and his men can hold their alcohol, he didn't specify that they can remain at their wits throughout the night.
They were brutal.
Not one man held back from drawing attention to Wolfram's disheveled state. It didn't help that the two of them had been gone for quite a while and that Yuuri's lips were fairly swollen too. He swore they didn't go further than kissing!
A couple of threats from the blond eventually stopped them, but it came with a price. Quite literally, for his fiance burned the chair that his second lieutenant was sitting on when the latter joked about the prince's missing sleeve button.
Speaking of the second lieutenant, Yuuri learned that the guy's name is Julian, and he's supposedly the man of the hour (or night, for that matter).
The whole celebration at Little Rover was the guy's impromptu farewell party. Wolfram informed him that Julian asked to be on an indefinite break to focus on his upcoming wedding and his growing family. The boys at the Bielefeld squad were nothing short of supportive of their comrade's endeavor. Thus, before the morning came, they toasted Julian's happiness and the squad's future.
Their way back to the castle started peacefully. Seeing as everyone is already too tipsy to ride a horse, the group decided to sober up by walking instead, their horses in tow.
Conrad was whisked away by a muscular lady right in front of the bar, just minutes after they exited the pub. Wolfram brushed the whole thing off and casually said they will just get to the castle by themselves. Yuuri is quite sure the muscular lady looks too familiar, but he did not have enough brain power to think about it.
Now, the royal couple finds themselves walking hand-in-hand in the quieter version of the city. Yuuri's handy G-shock says it's already past two in the morning, and most of the establishments they've passed by are now starting to close. Some shop owners who recognized the couple had to blink their sleepy eyes a couple of times to confirm it was them, before waving happily in their direction.
The rest of the squad walks a distance ahead of them, with Marquis and Thomas trailing behind, carrying a passed-out Oscar by the shoulder.
The uphill towards the castle feels like a scene straight out of a movie, with the full moon lighting their path and billions of shining stars watching over them. Yuuri couldn't help but stop to admire the view.
"What's wrong, Yuuri? Something on your mind?" Their joined hands force Wolfram to stop as well.
"Oh! I'm thinking, do engagements usually don't take as long as ours?" Yuuri notices the brief sadness that manifests in his beloved's emerald eyes at the mention of their controversial engagement. "...Because with Julian, it seems like he proposed, and next thing you know, he's tying the knot in a couple of months."
"Well, typically?" Wolfram said in a softer tone, looking down at their hands. "...When people get engaged, both parties have the intention of going through with. If it's arranged, both families usually don't bother prolonging it, especially if the arrangement is out of necessity."
Yuuri expected the answer, and yet his heart still ached at the implication of his fiance's words. Every day, he is reminded of how much pain his ignorance has caused Wolfram, and how much of it was caused by information the Mazoku prince chose to hide from him for his sake.
But the Maoh is done hiding behind the excuse of being young and dumb. It's now his turn to protect Wolfram.
"How long does it usually last?"
"...A couple of months, maybe a year if it's super grand, like a Maoh's wedding."
He had a feeling that he was going to regret his next words, but a part of him genuinely wants to know how bad he fucked shit up.
"So what do people think when people go on long engagements, then?"
"Does it matter?"
"It matters to me."
"Yuuri-"
"Please, Wolf?"
When he heard Wolfram sigh, the Maoh knew he had won.
"Undesirable." the blond Mazoku murmurs. If they weren't standing so close to one another, Yuuri would surely have missed it.
"Pardon?"
"The one proposed to is treated as if they are undesirable. People read it as an indirect way of breaking the engagement."
Oh.
Yuuri only has a couple of words after that. He fucked up big time.
Wolfram has told him about how breaking the engagement after a certain amount of time could ruin one's reputation, but never the effect of letting it hang for too long. It was as if, no matter which way he goes, he will be hurting Wolf, and yet, he continuously finds it in his heart to forgive him for every single thing.
He doesn't deserve such a kind person .
"But, it doesn't matter what they think, Yuuri. It's not like our situation is typical anyways. When you're ready, I'll be here," the blond quickly added.
He was supposed to be the one protecting Wolfram, but here he is again, forgiving him without even hearing an ounce of apology from him.
"You know I love you, right, Wolf?" Yuuri squeezes his beloved's pale hands against his tanned ones, looking deeply into emerald eyes that always remind him of the bottom of the lake. And when his beautiful fiance smiles brightly, he knew it was worth it.
"I do," the blond prince blushes at the attention. "You say it a lot these days, how can I forget?”
Good.
“And you're not undesirable! I want you." Yuuri is quite proud of himself for not stuttering so far, his face though is getting way too hot. "...I want to marry you someday! If you would let me, of course. But right now-"
“Yuuri..." Wolf chuckles, squeezing back his hands for reassurance. "I know, and really, that's all I need at the moment."
"I will marry you," Yuuri repeated loudly.
"And I will wait for you," Wolfram reassures him. "So, stop overthinking, and let's go home?"
But the Maoh didn't move from his place yet, making the Mazoku prince all the more confused.
"Yuuri?"
"You didn't say it back."
"What?"
"I said: I love you, Wolf."
"I know- Oh!" Wolfram laughs louder this time, pulling a pouting Yuuri along. "I love you too, wimp."
And they resumed walking hand in hand. It didn't matter that they'd already lost sight of their other companions. It's just them, in their little world.
"And by the way, Yuuri…"
"Yeah?"
"Next time, if you're jealous, just tell me straight up instead of stalking me all the way to the next town."
Now, that's just plain rude. He won't tolerate such disrespect.
"You follow me all over the world because you think I'm going to cheat on you, you're one to talk, Wolf."
"Ah, touché," Wolfram concedes
They both laughed, realizing how different and yet similar they are in so many ways. It's the dynamic that drives them, and everyone watching them, insane.
Frankly, neither wouldn't want it any other way.
“Still, it would be nice to be informed where my fiance is going to be and who he's spending time with." Yuuri said absently, looking pointedly at the blond prince when the latter only rolled his eyes at his scolding. "It's not like I don't trust you, I just don't trust other people to get their hands off you.”
"If that's what it takes to stop you from going off the handle over your jealousy, then it's a little thing I can do," Wolfram teases him back. "I expect you to do the same though, cheater.”
Calling him a cheater was uncalled for, but no matter, he just has to prove Wolfram wrong.
"...Even if I don't tell you, you always find out anyway."
Wolfram became his fiance first, his friend and closest confidant second before he eventually became something more. Even the soul-binding companionship they now enjoy blossomed atop the shaky foundation laid upon by their accidental engagement. Looking back at it now, Yuuri realized how all odds were stacked against them from the start.
Yet against all odds, they chose each other.
…And they will continue choosing each other as they have promised.
FIN