Kyou Kara Maou Fan Fiction ❯ Watch out for the Green Eyes ❯ Part 25 ( Chapter 25 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou! I'm not making any money.

Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), Yuuri x Wolfram. Some other pairings.

Summary: The action takes place six years after Yuuri and Wolfram got together/six years after the events in “Working out the Paradox”. Yuuri and Wolfram have been married for four years.

A/N 1: Age: Yuuri - 22, Wolfram - who the heck knows?!

A/N 2: I hate Greta; she is nonexistent in this story, and Yuuri has never adopted her.

 

 

Watch out for the Green Eyes

 

by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by Redmarshin

 

Part 25

 

His husband had lost some weight recently and his hair had gotten considerably longer. But Wolfram's face was finally getting some color, Yuuri noticed. The blond was sleeping soundly, not caring about his breakfast and taking his time to wake up. Wolfram had already been sleeping for ten hours straight and it was becoming a little disturbing.

 

On the other hand, it was an absolutely normal occurrence - usually after sustaining a wound and absorbing a great amount of healing majutsu, a Mazoku would shut down while his body used all the energy for healing and recovering. Wolfram was always like that after absorbing the healing majutsu and if at the beginning of their acquaintance it made Yuuri anxious, later he didn't worry when Wolfram would sleep like the dead through earsplitting noise and anything at all.

 

Yuuri left the side of Wolfram's bed and sank into the newly brought armchair at the end of the room. He had been deadly tired and spent the night in the ward together with Wolfram, sleeping next to him. It had been wonderful to feel Wolfram's warmth against his body again.

 

XXXXX

 

Amae shifted in his sleep as something flitted above his face then curled next to his temple. Not opening his eyes, he smacked at the disturbance with his right hand. Frowning, he roused from his sleep as it didn't help and the tickling sensation on his face returned. From his back he turned to his side and finally opened his eyes. Confused, he stared at blue fabric right in front of his eyes. After raising them, Amae saw that he had been gazing at Kyota's blue shirt. Kyota was sitting on his bed next to him.

 

“Mmm?” Yawning, Amae rubbed his sleepy eyes. “What is it?”

 

“We are going to have breakfast then we'll go visit Wolfram,” Kyota said.

 

Amae rolled over, turning him his back. “We were dismissed until further notice and I'm not going to spoil Wolfram's time with his husband,” he yawned again, pulling the covers tighter around himself with an intention to go back to sleep.

 

Kyota frowned down at him. “Fine,” he said. “I'll go alone then. But let's have breakfast.”

 

“For fuck's sake, go and have your breakfast; why are you waking me up?!” Amae snapped at him.

 

Kyota's lips pressed into a tiny dash. “Amae, we, of course, could leave it be as one convenient fuck and be done with it, but we could also try to make more of it. Aren't you even willing to try?”

 

Amae was silent, and Kyota thought that he had fallen asleep. But then the younger male shifted under the covers, turning around to face him.

 

“Of course, I'm willing to try, you idiot! But I don't really…” he faltered for a moment then decided to go with it, “…trust you and...”

 

“…And Wolfram is someone you would trust with your life,” Kyota finished for him. He rolled his eyes. “It's okay; I'd be surprised if it was any other way. But you need to be careful around Yuuri and stop running after Wolfram. Yuuri hasn't ever been overly jealous, but he, just as Wolfram, is very protective of their relationship and treasures it very much, and in your case, for some reason, he seems to be very suspicious of you.

 

“I can take you to Delam,” Kyota continued, “to the county that my mother rules over - it's within territory of Yuuri's jurisdiction and isn't that far away from Shin Makoku. You can try to find your place there. We could always use a good healer. And in case you didn't like it there, you could always go back to Shin Makoku.”

 

Amae stared up at him for a few moments. “I need to think about this,” he said finally, although the idea already seemed to be quite appealing.

 

Kyota nodded. He presumed that Amae would have a word about this with Wolfram and ask for his advice. He was calm about it - he already knew what Wolfram would say - the blond would encourage Amae.

 

Kyota stood up from the bed while watching Amae who had turned away again and seemed to be intending to sleep further. “Not going to get up, I see?”

 

“Kyota, I don't want any breakfast yet. I just want to sleep, will you quit bothering me?”

 

“Fine.”

 

Frowning, Kyota started walking toward the door.

 

“I'll think about it, Kyota,” Amae said. “But probably my answer will be positive. You are a very annoying man but I am even more so, so I believe we fit together nicely.”

 

Kyota couldn't help rolling his eyes at Amae's back. “Lovely,” he muttered before leaving the room.

 

XXXXX

 

About an hour later after falling asleep, Yuuri was woken up by something falling to the ground noisily. After his eyes had shot open, Yuuri saw the smashed vase with the white roses lying on the floor, a puddle of water spreading underneath the smithereens. Wolfram was holding and trying to support his weight on the cupboard, his eyes wide, knowing that one more second and he would fall over. But he never hit the ground as Yuuri's air element had prevented him from collapsing.

 

“Good morning,” Yuuri frowned at his husband after Wolfram had exhaled loudly in relief. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

 

Wolfram brushed the sweat off his forehead. “Wrongly assuming that since all the tubes are gone from my privates, I would be able to walk to the bathroom on my own,” he said. “Well, aren't you going to let me down?” he asked since Yuuri was still holding him upright with his element. “My ass is showing.”

 

Yuuri looked down at Wolfram's behind where the bluish cloth was open at the end and slightly fluttered at the whirls of compressed air beneath it. “Actually that's a good thing,” Yuuri said, grinning. Wolfram's bluish cloth flapped up at the slight movement of his index finger.

 

“Hey, cut it out!” Wolfram glared at him.

 

Yuuri lowered his finger. “You should have woken me up first.” He walked over to his husband while easing Wolfram back onto the bed with his air element. “Does your wound hurt?” he asked.

 

Wolfram shifted on the bed to get more comfortably and felt Yuuri's air element dispersing from underneath his back. He nodded. “A little. I really want to the bathroom, Yuuri.”

 

Yuuri nodded at that. “Sure, but you'll use this,” he motioned at the wheelchair that was standing near the door.

 

“A cart?”

 

Yuuri smiled. “Sort of. I promise you'll like it.”

 

It took Yuuri some time until he had gotten Wolfram into the wheelchair while trying to aggravate his wound as less as possible.

 

“And you are heavy…” he huffed after Wolfram had finally been seated in the wheelchair.

 

Wolfram glared at him. “Yuuri, do you have a death wish?”

 

“Jesus, hardly standing and still aggressive as hell…” Yuuri muttered, reaching out for the cover. “And it's no wonder after all that stuff you ate yesterday…” He wrapped it around Wolfram's midsection and covered his knees then tucked his bare feet in warmly. “You didn't resemble that much of a patient while gobbling everything down.”

 

“Yuuri, I get the impression you feel bad about me getting better.”

 

Yuuri chuckled at that and patted Wolfram's head with his hand at which Wolfram smacked vigorously and then groaned loudly in pain in his chest.

 

“Don't kill yourself, sweetheart,” Yuuri chuckled again. He started to wheel his husband toward the door.

 

“Oh. It's kind of nice,” Wolfram said a minute later when they were wheeling down the corridor. “I'll get one for myself in Shin Makoku for you to drive me in it the entire time.”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “You'd get fat.”

 

“Being fat doesn't really scare me that much, but I'm afraid that some week later you'd accidentally let me roll off some steep slope…”

 

Yuuri grinned. “You sure think bad of me.”

 

“No worse than you of me.”

 

Yuuri stopped in their way to ruffle his husband's hair affectionately. He felt the blond head lean into his palm. Yuuri's lips tugged into a smile - he had missed this closeness between them.

 

“Yuuri?”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“What should I call you here?”

 

Yuuri retracted his hand out of Wolfram's hair. “What do you mean?” he wondered.

 

“After I had called you my “husband” that doctor gave me a very funny look and said something about wanting to check how my brain worked.”

 

“Oh, you mean that.” Yuuri shrugged. He continued to push the wheelchair. “It doesn't bother me a bit. The only problem it's that we don't have any proof that we are married.”

 

Frowning, Wolfram tried to turn around but then refused the thought as it started to hurt. “What do you mean?” he asked, and the man who was passing them stopped and turned to them. Yuuri waved his hand apologetically, and the passerby continued further.

 

“Well, let's say we would have had much more problems if this hospital didn't belong to Shori,” Yuuri said after the man was out of earshot. “Actually, on Earth, jurisdictionally I have no right to make decisions concerning you or your wellbeing as officially we aren't related in any way.”

 

“You mean that we need to get some stupid document stating that?” Long ago he had learned that Yuuri's world consisted only of signing papers, writing papers, stashing papers and then accumulating even more papers.

 

“I'm proud of you,” Yuuri grinned at Wolfram's annoyed tone. “Why stupid? -Even in Shin Makoku the date of our wedding is inscribed in the temple of the Goddess of Love. It counts as a proof that we really are married. The same is on Earth, only besides that you'd also get a stamp in your passport.”

 

“In my what?”

 

They finally were at the bathroom and Yuuri pushed the door open to wheel Wolfram inside. “Passport. Remember? -That small book with your picture I showed to you when you came to Earth for the third time?”

 

“Ah, that one.”

 

Yuuri nodded. He pushed his husband into one of the cabins. It was enough of space inside and once the wheelchair was comfortably maneuvered to the water-closet, he reached out for the cover on the blond's knees.

 

“I think I'll manage, Yuuri,” Wolfram pushed at his hand before he could remove the cover. “You will wait outside.”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “Oh, c'mon, Wolfram, don't be ridiculous. -You can hardly stand; I won't risk you fainting and twisting your neck off in a lavatory.” He rolled his eyes again as his husband frowned at him. Ignoring Wolfram, he tugged at the cover once again but the blond's fingers curled around it, pulling it back.

 

Despite his protests, the cover was removed and Wolfram found himself standing and then sitting on the water-closet. His angry look didn't worry Yuuri a bit.

 

“Call me when you are done,” he said before closing the door.

 

“And I already thought that you would hold my hand while I'll be on it,” Wolfram snorted.

 

“Nah,” Yuuri said while walking over to the window that was farther in the room. He leaned on the windowsill.

 

“I really don't like you seeing me like this,” Wolfram muttered behind the closed door.

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “You worry needlessly - I am too lost in bliss that you are alive to mind several farts.”

 

“Yuuri!”

 

Yuuri could tell that Wolfram was blushing brightly behind that thin door. His husband was quite sensitive in the department of that kind of decency. Even after six years together Wolfram would still freak out if he would see him naked when it was not planned, to say nothing of those times he had walked in on Wolfram masturbating in his room or their bedroom. Wolfram's face then would put any boiled crayfish to shame. Sometimes he liked teasing Wolfram just to see him flustered.

 

“I didn't mean it like that,” wafted a muffled voice from behind the door.

 

Yuuri let out a deep sigh. “I know. It's that to me it feels only natural to… Actually I feel glad while being able to do something for you…and I'd do so much more for you… I… I had been thinking for awhile about your words before and after leaving Shin Makoku and it really felt as if you were the only sacrificing and contributing yourself to me and my work. I want to somehow repay it all and…”

 

“You are an idiot, Yuuri,” came an amused voice. “As if I didn't know whom I was marrying to. You owe me nothing, moron. As soon as one of us starts thinking like this, you can expect trouble - it's not some seller-buyer relationship, Yuuri. If you start counting, you'll be lost.

 

“I…” the blond started again after a pause, “I just wanted to spice our lives up. Well, yes, also to feel more appreciated, but it hadn't been a bill that I presented to you.”

 

Yuuri rubbed his forehead, a bitter smile appearing on his face. “So what about that divorce - still thinking that our life lacks excitement?” he asked.

 

A soft laugh was heard from the cubicle. “I believe I'll be sated for quite some time.”

 

Yuuri stared at the door. There were many pressing things that they needed to discuss but he wanted Wolfram to regain his strength first. Besides, his husband obviously wasn't keen on talking about them yet. This wasn't a problem - he could wait until Wolfram was ready.

 

“Why is it that we can only talk in a lavatory with a door separating us?” Yuuri asked, mostly meaning it to himself. Wolfram wasn't the one to talk about feelings or discuss their relationship, but even Wolfram had been at a loss when, two months ago, he refused to mention or at least see that there was something wrong with them both. Wolfram did want to talk then. Only he hadn't listened.

 

“Let's not make it a habit,” Wolfram said.

 

Yuuri hear water being flushed. “Need help?” he asked.

 

“I'll manage,” came the reply.

 

A few minutes later Yuuri entered the cubicle to find Wolfram already sitting back in the wheelchair. Yuuri felt angered at his husband's ashen face. “You'll choke on your pride one day, Wolfram,” he muttered, covering his husband with the cover, making sure his feet weren't freezing.

 

Wolfram didn't say anything, only rolled his head backwards to rest it. Yuuri started to wheel him out of the cabin. When they crossed the long corridor and were back in the ward, Wolfram was almost sleeping again. It had taken for him more strength to go to the bathroom than he had saved up while resting.

 

As Wolfram was visibly drained after the short trip and to not aggravate his husband's wound too much, Yuuri helped him to get back into the bed with his wind element. He tucked his husband back in, and Wolfram's eyes closed tiredly.

 

Wolfram felt his hand being moved then his head turned to the sound of something clasping around his right wrist. His bracelet. The old one - he could see the dent that had appeared on the bracelet when he had once knocked it against a stone while falling off his horse.

 

“How… Where did you find it?” Wolfram wondered. He raised his hand to look at it closer. The shiny piece of luxurious metal clinked softly.

 

Yuuri brushed his finger over his golden bracelet on his husband's wrist. “Kyota gave it to me.” He chuckled at Wolfram's currently wide eyes. “He either forgot or didn't want to give it back to you. I'm not sure. He was mumbling and stammering quite a lot while giving it to me…”

 

“Bastard,” Wolfram muttered. “I'm sure he has been hiding it somewhere.”

 

Yuuri shook his head at that. Kyota had always been a very jealous man but he had his own pride; he didn't think Kyota would lower himself to that. “Nah, I believe he either forgot it or didn't want you to start hurting again. Doesn't matter,” Yuuri leaned in to press his lips to the bracelet, “it's yours again.”

 

Wolfram sighed, closing his eyes tiredly. “Where the hell have you been, Yuuri? I've almost lost hope that you'd ever…”

 

Yuuri leaned away from his husband and took the chair next to the bed. Yet it seemed that they were going to have this kind of conversation. Wolfram was staring at him, his green eyes open again and expectant. He had wanted to postpone this conversation to not tire Wolfram too much because he knew that his share of experiences will lead to Wolfram's and he wasn't so sure his husband was ready to talk about his.

 

“Actually,” Yuuri started, “the time warps took much more time than me staying in Ekara. When I came to Ekara out of that burning house, half-suffocated on the smoke and with a barely alive woman on my hands… I don't really remember much, but I think I just lost my consciousness.” Yuuri ruffled through his dark hair sheepishly. “When I came to, I was in a cart pulled by a few horses. Well, as my head hurt terribly, I decided to leave it be and go with the flow. The people appeared to be friendly and we reached some village, regained our strength and I took us back to Shin Makoku. When I came back, it appeared that you were absent. Then I took some supplies and came back to Ekara and this, measuring from Ekara's point, took me three weeks, and then another one until I found you. Simple as that,” he finished.

 

“Simple as that?” Wolfram repeated, frowning.

 

“Yes, I still have no idea who opened the gate from Ekara, but…” Yuuri drawled. He shifted in his chair, unsure but at the same time wanting to start questioning. “Kyota was ready to hack me to pieces yelling what an irresponsible bastard I was to leave you hanging like that and how much you had to go through… There was a lot of wrong and hurt heard in his voice…”

 

Wolfram felt a smile tug at his lips and he turned his head away to hide it from Yuuri. He could always count on Kyota to tell his piece of mind to his husband and defend his interests, even if that was unneeded.

 

“About those hardships…” Yuuri continued. It didn't go unnoticed that Wolfram's body tensed as soon as he mentioned that. “Kyota seemed really pissed off… I'd like to hear your part of the story and why he was so agitated.”

 

Wolfram's smile was swept away as if it had never been there. Yuuri was no fool, and this time Kyota really overdid it. “Well,” he started softly, “I was taken captive by Faraya. It hadn't been a pleasant stay in that cell. It was dark and it stank.” He shook his head lightly on the pillow. “Doesn't matter. It's over now.”

 

Yuuri gazed back at him and Wolfram wondered whether Yuuri really didn't know or he was testing him, watching how much he would tell. In the latter case Yuuri would be furious. He was immensely relieved when Yuuri didn't say anything, nodding only.

 

“So how did the war end?” Wolfram asked, steering the conversation away.

 

Yuuri sighed. “Kyota's men besieged the entire city. I don't know how it would have ended, but after I had come, I dispersed the troops of both sides and now we have a peace pact. All efforts are being laid to draw in as many countries as possible.”

 

Yuuri shrugged. “We'll see how it goes. Despite Faraya being a very ambitious and quite aggressive man, he appeared to be a quite compliant and he actually agreed to all the pacts. He seems to care about his people a lot. Currently he's imprisoned in Shin Makoku but I'm thinking about restoring his leadership over his kingdom. He seems to be a clever man, but I'm not that sure that he will agree with all the conditions I'll require in that case.”

 

Wolfram was silent for some time. “So that easy, huh?” he muttered then, not liking the idea at all but knowing that if he protested, it would only make Yuuri suspicious.

 

Yuuri shook his head, chuckling. “No, not really. Just as I met him, despite seeming not well, he attacked me. Well, it was the first time I fought with someone that strong, but it went quite well.”

 

“I'd have liked to see that,” Wolfram muttered.

 

Yuuri laughed softly. “There wasn't really much to see - it was over in a few seconds.”

 

“Where do you keep him?” Wolfram interested. “He's a dangerous man.”

 

“Well, my and Murata's power barriers work just fine in preventing him summoning his element outside it.” Yuuri thought for a moment. “You can probably imagine it as a big bubble with him inside it…” He chuckled then. “What is most interesting is that he doesn't know a thing about opening the gate. His knowledge is limited. I mean the soul that he has, enables him to know some things that he wouldn't know otherwise but he still lacks quite some.”

 

“The same as you. If not for the Great Sage, you'd never be able to open the gate in first place,” Wolfram pointed out.

 

“Quite true,” Yuuri agreed. Murata was really the one that pointed out many things that he could do with his power.

 

They were silent for some time then Yuuri decided that he had to press further. “He wants to see Amae.”

 

Wolfram's lips pressed into a tiny dash, his eyes narrowing. “Oh.”

 

“Where did you meet Amae, Wolfram?”

 

Wolfram cursed in his head softly; he knew it had been a bad idea to take Amae with him. “Well he…” Wolfram faltered. “Accidentally, in Beshan…”

 

“He said that Amae was his concubine and that you had kidnapped him.”

 

Wolfram blinked at Yuuri. Did Faraya really think that or was it just a means to pressure Yuuri in letting him see Amae? “Well…not really. After I had escaped from my cell, he went together with me on his own free will.”

 

“I'd appreciate it if you told me everything,” Yuuri demanded. “Faraya seems to be sure that you have kidnapped him and he is quite angry and wants Amae back.” Yuuri decided to keep silent about all the insults he heard being thrown Wolfram's way - Wolfram would flip out hearing himself called that.

 

“Amae went with me on his free will,” Wolfram repeated, his tone now angered. “You saw yourself that he doesn't want to go back to Faraya or to Ekara at all.”

 

“Okay,” Yuuri nodded, “I believe you but it's tricky having in mind that he is Faraya's subject and that Faraya demands to see him… He didn't really make any demands after being captured but this is something he is really obsessed about…” Yuuri drawled, unsure.

 

“Amae's father was from Shin Makoku. Amae is half-Mazoku and therefore he is your subject,” Wolfram spat. “And if you won't make him your subject, I'll make him my subject!”

 

Yuuri frowned at that. Wolfram wasn't able to do that without his permission, but it was obvious that by not giving the permission, he'd complicate his own life, and Wolfram was a master at complicating one's life. This was really important to Wolfram.

 

“Fine. He's my subject,” Yuuri gave in. “But do you think he would like to meet with Faraya?”

 

“I don't know. You'll have to ask him.”

 

“I'll do that,” Yuuri nodded. “There's another thing. If Amae decides to go back to Faraya, what will you do then?”

 

Wolfram looked at him confused. “What do you mean `what I'll do'? It's his business what he does with his…” his voice trailed off in surprise. There was something in Yuuri's eyes, something which was quite well known to him, although this time it was overwhelming. “Yuuri...are you jealous of him? Do you think that I…?” Stupefied, he stared at Yuuri when his husband didn't answer anything.

 

Frowning, Yuuri turned away from that green gaze. “And what the hell am I supposed to think, Wolfram? You said I should marry him! I have never thought it might be possible to hear something like this from you! -What kind of the relationship do you have with him?!”

 

Wolfram continued to stare at him then his face was split by a huge grin. “Ha!”

 

Yuuri's anger intensified tenfold at that. “Wolfram!” he growled. “It's not a `Ha!' matter!”

 

Wolfram's face darkened then. “No, it's not a `Ha!' matter. It's `How the fuck can you think that of me?!' matter!” he hissed, his face now being one huge storm. “I see the way you fucking mind works! -Looking for a convenient lay everywhere and then accusing me of the same?! How dare you say that to me?! Fuck knows what you did during the time you were absent and fuck knows what you do on Earth and I don't start accusing you each time when you come back, you cheater!”

 

Yuuri closed his mouth without saying anything or commenting. It was a lost cause now. Once Wolfram started this kind of monologue there was no stopping him. Nothing he would say or do would calm his husband down. It was better to keep silent.

 

“Speak when I'm talking to you!” Wolfram yelled up at him.

 

“I…”

 

“Aha! Already justifying yourself!” the blond hissed. “So what gave you the fucking right to accuse me of that?! Big deal you see - I brought some fucking concubine! Who said I'm fucking him?! As if…”

 

“I didn't say you were…”

 

“Shut up! You said I was fucking him! I am not fucking him!” Wolfram yelled.

 

“Yup, he's not fucking me and I am not fucking him either.”

 

Wolfram and Yuuri turned to the door where Amae appeared. Kyota waved behind him, his face apologetic for the interruption. He pushed Amae into the ward quite rudely, hoping that the younger male would keep his mouth shut.

 

Yuuri flushed bright red.

 

“See?!” Wolfram stared at his husband. “We are not fucking! It's Kyota who is fucking him!”

 

Absolute silence reigned in the ward now.

 

“Fucked,” Amae said matter-of-factly, raising his index finger into the air. “Only once,” he added.

 

“Yuuri,” Kyota said after regaining his composure, “would you mind smiting them both?”

 

“Not really,” Yuuri answered while glaring at his husband. “But I'm afraid to damage the building.” His gaze then left Wolfram and settled on Kyota. “Are you two really…?”

 

Kyota groaned, his face flushing. “A long story.”

 

“Not really,” Amae snickered, angry with Kyota. “A quite short one.”

 

“I'll hit you,” Kyota threatened.

 

Amae rolled his eyes. “That wouldn't make it longer.” He pushed past Kyota and went to Wolfram. He suddenly noticed a golden bracelet on the blond's hand. Wondering, he pointed at Wolfram's right wrist. “Where…?” Wolfram's face was telling that he was going to kill him right now. “Where are the flowers?” Amae asked instead.

 

“Wolfram smashed the vase as he decided to walk around,” Yuuri snorted.

 

Kyota turned to glare at Wolfram. “I'll tie you to the bed!”

 

“He has his husband to tie him to the bed. You'll have to manage with me. I'll also let you use that belt you had been boasting about,” Amae said absentmindedly while eyeing the bracelet again, wondering about the entire thing.

 

His face red, Yuuri turned to look at Kyota, his eyes quite wide in disbelief. But Kyota was staring at Amae's back, his face also burning.

 

“Your Majesty,” Amae suddenly turned around, bowing. “Can I have a word with His Majesty's Consort alone?”

 

Yuuri blinked a few times at the man's face that despite managing to throw everyone out of balance with his comments was absolutely serious now. He really didn't like Amae. “Well, yes, of course. Only make it short - he's tired.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Amae bowed again.

 

“Where the heck did you get that?” Amae pointed at Wolfram's wrist as soon as the other men left. “I think…”

 

“It's my husband's. He gave it to me on our wedding day,” Wolfram answered, yawning. “It has nothing to do with the concubine's bracelet. It's a tradition. There's also his royal sign on it.”

 

“Just like Faraya's,” Amae looked at his own wrist where a similar bracelet was seen. “What a paradox that similar things can have absolutely different meaning in different cultures…”

 

Wolfram's eyes slightly widened after realizing that Amae was still wearing the bracelet. He had taken it off soon after they had escaped from the palace, but now Amae was carrying Faraya's sign again.

 

Amae noticed the blond's wide eyes. “It's pretty,” he said, shrugging. He pushed the bracelet back up under the sleeve of his shirt to hide it. “I want to ask you some advice,” he said then.

 

Wolfram nodded. “What is it?”

 

“Kyota offered me to go to Delam. He also promised that I'd be able to go back to Shin Makoku if I didn't like something there.”

 

“Did you agree?” Wolfram wondered.

 

Amae shrugged. “I'm going to. But I'm not that sure about the entire affair. He annoys me. It's not that I don't like him, but he really annoys me. Sometimes I really want to drown him…”

 

Wolfram wasn't even sure what to say. “Well…” he started carefully, “I usually don't like people who annoy me…”

 

Amae rolled his eyes. “I'm a masochist, Wolfram, you know that, and your friend is quite a bitch to deal with, just like yourself. But I'm afraid that after we are through, one of us will need some serious mental help. And very likely it would be me.”

 

Wolfram stared at him. He shook his head finally. “I'm sorry but I don't understand you. Judging from what you said it seems that for some reason you are forcing yourself in staying with him. You don't have to. Run away before it's too late.”

 

Amae sighed. “I'm not sure if I don't want to, I just…”

 

“Amae, you want to, you just…” Wolfram shook his head. “I think you need to be away from all that for awhile until everything's settled in your head or maybe you need to seek some healer.”

 

Amae chuckled darkly at the thought of himself appealing to a random healer with his problems. “I think pasturing goats wasn't a bad idea…” he muttered then.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Kyota. After he showed that picture to me, he said that your husband would send me pasturing goats for that,” Amae explained. He thought for a moment then. “Is there any monastery or a temple in Shin Makoku where…?”

 

“No way,” Wolfram cut him off. “They will all flip out after a few days with you.”

 

Amae frowned at him. “It's not that I'm going to…”

 

“You will be bored to death and I know how you get while bored,” Wolfram snickered, remembering Amae flirting with him every free minute.

 

Amae glared at him but didn't say anything.

 

“Faraya wants to see you,” Wolfram said then, and the reaction was instant: Amae's head shooting up, his wide eyes staring at him awash with emotion. “Do you want to see him?”

 

“I…Yes,” Amae nodded finally, swallowing thickly, his fingers brushing over the bracelet underneath the sleeve unconsciously.

 

Wolfram watched him for a few long minutes then gave a nod. “You'll have to talk about the arrangement with my husband, then.”

 

“Okay. Thanks for everything,” Amae smiled at him. “I'll go now - you seem really tired.”

 

Wolfram waved at him, sending him off. “Yes. Don't forget to tell me your current decision concerning Kyota. Oh, and tell Yuuri that I want to see him for a moment.”

 

When Yuuri came into the ward he found his husband already dozing. Wolfram's eyes fluttered open after he had heard him enter. Yuuri went closer to him and put a bundle of wrapped up paper he had been carrying onto the bedside-cabinet.

 

“Amae agreed to see him,” Wolfram informed him. “But you'll have to assure his safety. Faraya might…” Wolfram fell silent as Yuuri nodded. “Just have a word with Amae and decide on how you arrange it.”

 

“You need to have breakfast,” Yuuri said instead. “I got some sandwiches,” he took the bundle off the bedside-cabinet and started unrolling it. “Leave it all to me.”

 

Wolfram sighed tiredly. “Fine.” He wasn't hungry but he knew that Yuuri could be a pest when he wanted to be one.

 

XXXXX

 

A few hours later Wolfram woke up to find himself alone in the ward. Lying still for a few minutes, he realized that he was able to hear sounds wafting from the room next to his. He listened to them closer and recognized Kyota's voice then there was his husband's that joined him.

 

The men in the room fell silent when Wolfram wobbled through the door. Yuuri jumped from his seat.

 

“What the hell are you doing walking again?” he demanded.

 

Wrapping himself tighter into the cover Wolfram ignored him. He looked around in the room, while looking for a place to join Kyota, Shori, Great Sage and his husband in the obviously important conference.

 

“Wolfram!”

 

Wolfram glared at Yuuri daringly and didn't even budge. He found a place next to Kyota and wanted to sit down.

 

“Kyota, take him back to his bed,” Yuuri ordered calmly, having had enough. He ignored Wolfram's openmouthed face. “If he resists, lock him up.”

 

From Kyota who rose to advance to him, Wolfram's eyes skidded to his husband. “Yuuri! Yuuri, you can't!” He tried to push Kyota away but stumbled himself and would have fallen if not for the blue-haired male grabbing him by his waist. Kyota hefted the stunned blond up into his arms. “Kyota!” Wolfram spluttered indignantly when the man turned to the door. “Let go of me! How dare you?!”

 

“Stop making a scene, Wolfram,” Yuuri's voice was firm.

 

Gritting his teeth in humiliation, Wolfram fell silent. It was a wide-spread knowledge that Yuuri could hardly refuse his husband anything he wished but there were times when Yuuri turned firm as a rock.

 

After the conference Yuuri came back to Wolfram's ward causing his husband to stir from the light sleep he had spent several hours in. Yuuri sighed at green hostility directed at him. He probably shouldn't have pushed Wolfram around like that and even in front of so many people, but the blond had ignored his orders - he didn't tolerate that and Wolfram knew that himself. But the most important thing was that Wolfram needed to rest and he could see that he did.

 

“Well, aren't you going to shout?” Yuuri asked after he had sat down next to Wolfram's bed and his husband still kept silent, only his emerald eyes glaring at him.

 

“What's the point?” Wolfram bit out. “You don't listen to me anyway.”

 

Yuuri sighed. He reached his hand out to stroke the blond locks. “I do, Wolfram, I always do, but I wish you would also sometimes listen to me…” Wolfram's angry look slid off Yuuri's face to stay anywhere but Yuuri, but his husband's hand slid to his right cheek and applied some pressure to the blond to make him look at him again. “You scared me, Wolfram,” Yuuri said seriously. “Your wound is serious. I know you wish to be in the middle of the events, but it's not possible right now and I won't risk you fainting or falling back. Until you are fit enough, you won't set your foot outside this ward.”

 

“Yuuri?”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“I hate you.”

 

Yuuri chuckled softly. “The feeling is mutual, babe. I'm so sorry…” Yuuri kissed the blond brow.

 

“Why are you apologizing?” Wolfram bit out.

 

Yuuri stroked the blond locks tenderly. “For leaving you alone,” he sighed. “You look like an angel,” Yuuri said softly after a minute.

 

“You know perfectly that I'm far from that,” Wolfram retorted, smiling already.

 

Yuuri gazed at him silently then lowered himself into the bed, nestling beside Wolfram. “Yes, I know that you have sharp horns,” he muttered. “But it doesn't really matter.”

 

TBC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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