Chapter Text
“You and my brother seem to be getting on better lately,” Conrart observed, tossing the baseball with a practiced arm.
“Yeah, I guess we have,” Yuuri shrugged, the faintest smile curling his lips as he threw the ball back. It was getting harder not to smile when he thought about Wolfram lately. It was a beautiful late winter afternoon, and the courtyard of Covenant Castle was just starting to show signs of spring on the horizon. Wolfram loved the gardens in spring. Yuuri’s daydreaming very nearly distracted him from the baseball hurtling at his head.
Conrart smiled as he flung the ball back. “It’s nice to see the both of you not fighting so often.”
“What are you talking about?” Yuuri laughed, snagging Conrart’s throw from the air almost lazily. “We fight all the time. He was ranting this morning about the fact that I don’t work on my combat training enough.”
“That is bickering,” Conrart said with a smirk, catching Yuuri’s throw. “It’s most certainly not the same as fighting.”
Yuuri gave him a skeptical frown, “It sounds like fighting to me.”
“I’ve been bickering with Yozak for more than eighty years now,” Conrart replied. “Trust me, it’s not the same.”
“I guess I have to concede that one on experience,” he shrugged, tossing the ball back, rolling his shoulders and shaking out his arms. “It’s been almost four years. I’d like to think we’ve both grown up.”
“You’ve certainly matured,” Conrart said.
“Hey now,” Yuuri gave him a warning look as Conrart chuckled.
The last year had been difficult for all of them, no one more than Yuuri himself. He swallowed, shaking off the dark cloud of the past, focusing instead on the present; the beautiful day, the time spent with his godfather playing a game he loved, and the promise of an evening spent with Wolfram later.
Yuuri brushed his hair back from his face, it was getting longer, nearly shoulder length now. “I suppose it helped when I said I wasn’t going to go to university. I think all the back and forth put a strain on him. On all of you really, I can’t keep leaving all my responsibilities on someone else’s shoulders. I’ve had more than enough time to settle into the job by now.”
“Do you regret not going to university?” Conrart asked curiously.
“Not really,” Yuuri shrugged. “I mean, I’m sure I would have got a lot out of the experience but I think Gwendal’s right in that I wouldn’t have learned anything about running a country that I couldn’t learn here.”
“I thought,” Conrart paused a long moment, studying the ball in his hand before throwing it back. “I thought you might like to study something else.” Yuuri snagged the ball out of the air, rolling it in his palm as he frowned.
“Conrart, are you asking me if I really want to be King?” Yuuri asked cautiously, pinning his godfather with a piercing look.
“I suppose in a way I am,” Conrart nodded. “You’re fast approaching the point where there will be no turning back and I guess I’m concerned that you might... have some regrets.”
“You’re wrong,” Yuuri shook his head with a smile, letting the ball fly. Conrart gave him a quizzical look. “I’ve already passed the point where I could have turned back. This is what I want, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that,” Conrart admitted. He hesitated before tossing the ball back. “Especially after last year.” Yuuri caught the ball, watching his godfather cautiously. There was a cold, hard look in Conrart’s thousand yard stare that made the king tense with worry but as suddenly as it had appeared it was gone.
“I…” Yuuri let out a long sigh before meeting his godfather’s gaze. “I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself if I let that influence me.” There was a tightness in Conrart’s shoulders as he gave a sharp nod in reply.
“Yuuri!!” he looked up at the sound of Greta’s voice, a smile lighting his face. His daughter was leaning over the railing of the second floor colonnade, waving and grinning at him brightly. Wolfram stood beside her, the barest smile tugging at his lips and his eyes narrowed as he gazed down at Yuuri.
“Did you finish your lessons?” Yuuri asked, attempting to look serious. Greta nodded excitedly and he laughed. “Well don’t stand there, get your glove.” Greta’s head disappeared with a delighted squeak.
“Your arm looks terrible,” Wolfram observed, but there was no bite in the words.
“Maybe you should come down here and show me how it’s done,” Yuuri called back.
Wolfram seemed to consider this a moment. “I’m not sure you’re worth the effort.”
“Brat,” Yuuri muttered, glaring at him. “Just get down here!” Wolfram laughed, turning away from the railing.
“Bickering,” Conrart pointed out.
“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded. “Real mature.” Greta skipped down the steps at a dead run, Wolfram trailing in her wake as she tackled Yuuri around the waist.
“All right, spread out,” Yuuri said as Conrart tossed the ball to Wolfram.
“How’s the arm feeling?” Wolfram asked, gently tossing the ball to Greta.
“Good as new,” Yuuri said with a smile, catching Greta’s throw and tossing it hard to Wolfram as if to prove his point. “I think I’ll have it back up to par in a couple of weeks.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not a pitcher,” Wolfram said with a faint smile.
“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded in grudging agreement.
“Fix your daughter’s grip,” Wolfram instructed, nodding in Greta’s direction. Yuuri obediently moved to her side, kneeling in the dirt as he helped her position her fingers.
“Don’t be so hard on him,” Conrart said gently, moving to stand beside his brother.
“He needs someone to be tough on him,” Wolfram replied, with a half smile, brushing blond locks from his eyes as he caught Greta’s ball. “Going easy on him like you do won’t get him back in shape when the season starts.”
“That isn’t what I meant,” Conrart protested as Wolfram tossed the ball back to Greta.
“I know what you meant,” Wolfram assured, jarring his brother’s shoulder playfully. “Throw it hard Greta.” The ball hit his glove with a snap and he smiled.
“Okay, now throw it to me!” Yuuri said excitedly, backing up from her as she caught Wolfram’s throw.
“I guess you did, didn’t you?” Conrart asked, clapping him on the back affectionately.
“That was a good story,” Greta declared excitedly, her fingers balled up in the blankets as if she were holding on for dear life.
“Anissina’s illustrations are downright disturbing,” Wolfram declared, turning the book sideways as he stared at the last page. Yuuri stretched out on the foot of the bed, watching them with a smile. His insides fluttered as the blond brushed his hair from his eyes. The newness of it all hadn’t worn off yet and Yuuri felt his cheeks coloring as Wolfram sensed eyes on him, looking up at the King with a nervous, shy smile.
“We could read the one about the ghouls again,” Greta said hopefully, tilting her head and gazing up at Wolfram with wide, watery eyes. He cringed, looking very much like his eldest brother for a moment.
“I think that’s enough stories for one night, Greta.” Yuuri said with a laugh, careful not to make eye contact as he said it. Greta snuggled closer to Wolfram and he gently brushed the hair back from her face.
“Greta, I need to talk to Yuuri about something tonight,” he said. “Do you want me to go tuck you in?”
“Oh,” she looked over at Yuuri and then back to Wolfram. “Is it anything bad?”
“No, it's nothing bad.” Wolfram assured, kissing her forehead. “I don’t get to spend time with Yuuri during the day because we’re both so busy. Being King is a hard job.”
“You have to promise you’re not going to fight,” Greta declared, crawling out from under the covers and standing up on the bed to loom over him, her hands on her hips.
“We are absolutely not going to fight,” Yuuri said with a laugh, swinging her down to the floor and wrapping both arms around her in a playful squeeze.
“If we were going to do that, I’d be the one leaving,” Wolfram stated drily, tossing back the covers and collecting up the books scattered across the mattress.
“Okay,” She said, skipping toward the door. “As long as you’re not going to fight.”
“Do you want me to tuck you in?” Yuuri asked.
“Oh, I’m fine!” She gave him a wide grin. “You two... talk.” she heaved the door open and scurried out into the hall.
“Why do I have the creepy feeling that my eleven-year-old knows what we plan on talking about?” Yuuri muttered to himself as he peered out into the hall after her. He decided he wouldn’t let it bother him as he closed the door, locking it.
“So,” he said with a grin, tossing aside his pajama shirt as he approached the bed. “What did you want to ‘talk’ about?”
“About our wedding,” Wolfram answered, seeming intent on putting Greta’s books away on the bookshelf.
“Oh,” Yuuri clambered onto the bed, flopping back against the pillows and tucking his arm behind his head. He frowned, watching his fiancé. Wolfram was being careful to seem distracted and Yuuri bit back a sigh, feeling suddenly guilty as Wolfram reshelved the same book for the third time. “Are there special wedding traditions when a Demon King gets married? Am I going to have to fight a sandbear again or rescue you from a black knight or something?” Wolfram turned, staring at him with a gaping expression.
“What?”
“You don’t mind talking about it?” Wolfram asked, crossing the room to kneel on the bed beside him.
Yuuri scowled. “I am going to have to fight a sandbear, aren’t I?” Wolfram let out a laugh.
“No you don’t have to fight a sandbear!” he replied, settling back against the pillows next to Yuuri. “Can you be serious for a minute?”
“I was serious about the sandbear,” Yuuri insisted, draping an arm around Wolfram’s shoulders. “What about our wedding?”
“I want to set a date,” Wolfram said uneasily.
“For when?” Yuuri asked.
“I don’t really know that much about planning weddings so I asked Mother,” Wolfram admitted. “She said she could have everything arranged next month.”
“As long as she thinks it’s enough time,” Yuuri said thoughtfully. “I don’t want everyone rushed. I’ll have to invite our allies won’t I? We need to give everyone a chance to make travel plans.” Wolfram stared at him in silence.
“What?” he asked in exasperation.
“Yuuri, I thought,” Wolfram took a deep breath, twisting his fingers in the hem of his nightgown. “I thought you might not be ready to talk about it.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to talk about it?” Yuuri asked, a hint of nervousness showing through. Wolfram looked up at him a long moment before pulling out of Yuuri’s embrace and sitting so that they were facing each other.
“Because a wedding is a big deal, Yuuri,” Wolfram said firmly, his brow knitting in a scolding expression. “Are you nervous about getting married?”
“It scares me a little,” Yuuri admitted uneasily. “But mostly just because I’m not any good at that kind of thing. I have a track record for messing up ceremonies.”
Wolfram let out an amused snort. “I didn’t think about that, you could lose your pants or misplace Gunter.”
“Don’t rub it in,” Yuuri said crossly. He glanced at Wolfram through his lashes and smiled. “I think the castle rumor mill is starting to notice something. Conrart was fishing today wondering why we’re getting on so well.”
Wolfram gave him a coy look. “Gwendal did ask the other day if things were progressing between us, but if Conrart’s noticed we’ll have to come clean.”
Yuuri reached out, taking Wolfram’s hand. “I’m not ashamed of anything. But I don’t want you to look bad either.”
“Well we have been engaged for almost four years,” Wolfram said uncomfortably. “I’m sure there’s all kinds of gossip going around.”
Yuuri couldn’t help but bristle. He’d accepted from the start that being King would make him a target for tongue-wagers but he couldn’t shake the irritation when their remarks spread to those close to him. Wolfram seemed to sense his ire and he smiled softly, giving Yuuri’s hand a squeeze.
“It’s okay,” Wolfram assured him with an amused roll of his eyes. “I asked you not to say anything because of Gwendal mostly, and that had less to do with the lecture he’d give me than with his opinion of you. I didn’t want to tarnish that.” Yuuri felt his insides flutter and he pulled his knees to his chest as he leaned forward.
“He won’t object to you marrying me will he?” Yuuri asked hesitantly. Wolfram shook his head.
“He knows how much I care about you,” Wolfram said, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “The only thing he really wants is for me to be happy, and he knows I’d be happiest with you.” Yuuri reached out, caressing his cheek, his own face flushed.
“I suppose I won’t get away with a nice simple wedding like Hube and Nicola had?” Yuuri asked grudgingly.
“Well, we will have to invite our allies, and the Ten Aristocrats,” Wolfram admitted. “And it’s tradition to hold the King’s wedding in Shinou’s temple. But it’s not really that complicated.”
“Murata and Shori were witnesses at Hube and Nicola’s wedding,” Yuuri said. “I suppose we should ask Murata to officiate. Who should we ask to be witnesses?”
“In a formal wedding we’d each have two guards who escort us,” Wolfram said, looking extremely uneasy. “And I... I wanted to ask my brothers.”
“Really?” a soft smile spread across Yuuri’s face.
“You don’t mind?” Wolfram asked. “I know you and Conrart-”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Yuuri insisted. “Conrart would be honored.”
“Who are you going to ask then?”
“Well, I suppose I better ask Shori,” Yuuri decided. “I wouldn’t want him to feel left out. I just realized, I’m going to have to bring my parents and Shori here for the wedding.”
“It wouldn’t be right if they weren’t here,” Wolfram agreed. “Who else?”
“Actually, I think Gunter,” Yuuri replied. “I’ve caused him enough grief, this will be his consolation prize.”
Wolfram shook his head, choking back a laugh. “He’s going to pass out from the nosebleeds.”
“We’ll talk to your mother tomorrow, settle all the particulars and announce the wedding,” Yuuri decided. Wolfram looked stunned as if it had all gone far more smoothly than he’d planned.
“Yuuri, are you sure you’re okay with this?” Wolfram looked uncertain now himself as he leaned closer to the young King.
“Didn’t you-” Yuuri’s voice broke and he cleared his throat. “Believe me when I said I loved you?”
“Of course I believed you,” Wolfram insisted, tugging Yuuri down into his arms so that they were curled up together beneath the blankets. “I just expected you’d need a little convincing.”
“I can give you a dozen really good, practical reasons why we should get married,” Yuuri said, settling into Wolfram’s embrace. “I can’t come up with one sensible reason not to.”
Wolfram chuckled, giving him a squeeze before tilting his head to meet Yuuri’s gaze. “The last two months have been the best of my whole life. It might be selfish but I just want to know that I’m not going to lose what we have.” Yuuri’s cheeks colored, a strange feeling twisting his stomach. He’d made so many mistakes with Wolfram, he didn’t want to make any more.
“Then let’s set a date tomorrow,” Yuuri nodded, brushing a playful kiss on his nose. “There’s something else I want to talk about now.”
“What?” Wolfram asked curiously. Yuuri rolled on top of him, kissing him soundly. Wolfram shivered beneath him, his arms twining around his lover almost on instinct.
“Oh,” Wolfram blushed as their lips parted. “That.”