#murayuuram

"Thanks, you two," he said with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. Taking the silver knife, he sliced off a corner of the cake. “I’ve officially entered my second hump."

“Second hump?” Wolfram asked.

"It means that I have possibly already lived half of my life," Ken explained far too easily as he cut two more pieces of cake with steady hands.

Meanwhile, the room was closing in on Wolfram. Halfway through his life? His heart constricted, and his hand reached out for Ken’s arm, as if touching him would keep him tethered to the mortal plane. “Let’s not talk about that.” His words came out sharper than he intended.

Ken’s smile faded as he looked at him. "Life's too short to not acknowledge milestones," he countered softly, but with an underlying firmness.

"Then we’ll celebrate them, but we don’t have to turn them into reminders of your mortality," Wolfram argued, his throat tight with emotion.

 Yuuri’s voice soothed at the atmosphere. “Let’s just focus on being together.”

"Alright," Ken conceded, turning eyes with genuine warmth Wolfram’s way, “for you, I'll put a pin in it."

Wolfram didn’t like how Ken was singling him out as if he was somehow more delicate than Yuuri when it came to this matter. They both loved him. He was a soldier. He was more accustomed to death than Yuuri was. And Yuuri was the one who had traumas related to it. And yet…Wolfram hated that it was true. Human lifespans were far too short to ever feel enough. His time with Ken would never feel like enough.

Ken offered him one of the pieces of cake. Wolfram took it and began to eat, but it was mechanical. The sweet taste was blander in his mouth due to his troubling thoughts.

Yuuri changed the subject, forcing laughter from all of them, and as the evening wore on, the illusion of timelessness enveloped the room once more.

As the night wore on, the warmth of the celebration lingered, but Wolfram's thoughts remained heavy with the weight of Ken's words.

When morning found him alone in their bed, the pain settled into his chest once more. This was how it would be in the aftermath, he realized. Yuuri would leave early in the morning, and he would be left cold and alone. That was how it should have been. If he had never given into this arrangement he could have saved himself this pain. As soon as the thought came, he renounced it. Sparing himself the loss would have denied him all of this happiness and the memories they shared together. He’d always treasure these years with Ken, even if those years felt far too few in number.

When Yuuri returned, Wolfram was standing on the balcony gazing out at the expansive grounds of the castle, thoughts of Ken and mortality still circling his head.

“Hi!” Yuuri greeted him, the chipperness of his voice a stark contrast to Wolfram’s mood.

“Hi,” he returned in a more subdued tone.

His husband put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Is last night still bothering you?”

Wolfram finally turned to meet his eyes. “I can’t stop thinking about how much time we have left. If he’s halfway through his life, then that means we’re already a third through our marriage.”

Yuuri winced. “It doesn’t help to think about that. You have to just live day by day. Any of us could die at any time, you know? All we can do is make the best of our time together.”

Wolfram took a deep breath. “I know that. But unless something happens, I will have so much life left. Without him.” His voice dropped on the final statement.

Yuuri pulled him into his arms. “You’ll still have me.”

Wolfram clutched onto his back. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He paused, biting at his lip. “Even so, you’re only half. I’ll still outlive you.”

“I know this is selfish, but I’m glad you will.”

“Yuuri…” he whined. “We’re both hopeless.”

“I guess we are.” He lifted his face up with his hands so that he was forced to meet his eyes. “It’ll be okay, Wolf. I promise. You’ll be okay eventually.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you,” he said with a hint of teasing.

“Yeah, but I’m a wimp.” There was a small infectious smile on his face. “You’ve always been stronger than me.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

They fell into silence, staring out at the castle grounds together. “He said he’s possibly halfway through his life. How long do humans usually live?

“Well…” He fidgeted with his hands on the balcony railing. “It varies. People tend to live longer in Japan, and living here in Shinma without the normal pollution and chemicals should make that life expectancy even higher.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

Yuuri groaned. “Ken’s right. It’s around eighty.”

Wolfram had to brace himself against the railing of the balcony. Only 80 years. Fewer years than he had lived before meeting either of them. “We’ll make the time count, then,” he said, forcing his voice to remain steady.

Days slipped into nights, and nights into days. Time continued its relentless march, and with it, Wolfram’s heartache worsened until it was lodged permanently in his chest.

Then, one ordinary evening, Ken examined his reflection, and he let out a low chuckle. "Look at this, Wolfram," he called, pointing at a strand of hair. A single gray spot nestled in the black. "Seems I really am getting old."

The jest twisted, sharp and cold. Wolfram couldn't find humor in a visual manifestation of his deepest fears. "Don't say that," he snapped, sharper than intended.

Ken met his gaze in the mirror. "We should appreciate these good looks while they last, shouldn't we?"

The word appreciate inspired a sudden desperate need to capture something far more permanent than memory. "I'll paint you," Wolfram declared.

"Paint me?" Ken turned.

"I'll immortalize you on canvas—so that even when time has had its cruel way, your image will remain untouched, as vivid as the day it was painted."

Ken studied him for a long moment, then nodded once, solemnly. "Alright. Paint me with all the love you hold in your heart."

Wolfram held so much love in his heart. Painting Ken once, or even in one style would never be enough. He needed to pour everything into these pieces—these fragments of what made Ken up—so that their emotions would live on.  

“Would you be up for posing daily?”

Ken’s face twitched. “Daily?”

“There is so much I need to capture.”

Yuuri spoke up from the writing desk. “How about I help by taking pictures, too?”

Wolfram tilted his head. “Take pictures?”

“You know those photographs you saw in Japan?”

“Oh!” His chest warmed at the remembrance of seeing pictures of Yuuri and Murata as kids. He turned to look at him. “That’s a wonderful idea, Yuuri! Then we’ll have realistic images to compare with my paintings.”

Yuuri scrunched his brow. “Can’t you just paint one if we take photos?”

Wolfram huffed. “I keep telling you, a painting isn’t just an image; It’s expression. Sure, your photos can capture the moment, but my paintings will capture the essence.” He puffed his chest out. “I will make sure that we can remember all sides of him and our feelings for him.”

“Wolf…” Ken took his hand. “I appreciate the sentiment, but you don’t need to go so far for me.”

“I’m not doing it for you. I need this.”

He looked at Yuuri who said, “It will be nice to have…after….” His voice trailed off at the end.

Ken sighed, but his face was soft with compassion for what he was putting them through. “Alright. It sounds time-consuming, but I will pose whenever and however either of you like.”

They began painting that day. The three of them gathered in the art studio. Ken posed on a wooden stool while Yuuri sat behind Wolfram to watch as he worked.

The weight of his emotions pressed into each brushstroke. Colors of love and fear bled together upon the canvas. He stood before the easel, taking in every minuscule detail of Ken’s face. The curve of his smile, the gentle slope of his nose, the light dancing on his glasses.

He meticulously mixed hues, paying particular attention to creating shades that perfectly matched the depth of Ken's black hair. It took fervent concentration to capture a realistic image rather than the abstract method he was most familiar with. He would create those as well—to represent all sides of Murata Ken through a cubist render—but he knew that his face was what he would need the most help remembering.

“Is it strange that watching you paint makes me feel loved?” Ken asked, breaking the silence of the room.

“No stranger than loving you through painting.”

“It’s beautiful,” Yuuri said.

"Thank you," Wolfram breathed out, his hands trembling as they set the brush and pallet down. He stared at Ken’s face immortalized in watercolor. His eyes burned with unshed tears at the silent vow stamped on the canvas—to always love and remember.

He painted every idea that came to mind. Simple realistic captures in the garden and the library, abstract cubist renders, as well as more nuanced art pieces. He personified Ken as an elegant and enigmatic black fox with eyes gleaming with wisdom transcending lifetimes. He overlayed Ken over the sea to symbolize the vast depth of his soul. Then he painted Ken and Yuuri as a joined sun and moon. Yuuri had compared that painting to something called a yin-yang. Each painting held a distinct memory and energy. But there were deeper, burning emotions that could not be held within the confines of still images. They needed to be felt.

He eased them into them. First, he captured his fatherhood with a candid painting of him sitting with Greta. Next, his friendship with him chatting with Josak. Another showed him busying himself with work for the shrine maidens.

Only then did Wolfram ask to paint his husbands together. Both of them holding hands as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Yuuri sleeping with his head in Ken’s lap while he read. The two of them pressed close together as they slow danced in dim candlelight. A depiction of them still snuggled together on the bed in the morning hours.

Yuuri reached out, fingers nearly touching the painting’s surface. “These are lovely, Wolf, but they’re all of me and Ken. What about you?”

Wolfram frowned understanding the reasoning behind his concern. “Even if I could paint myself correctly, my posing would look unnatural.”

 Yuuri smiled. “How about I take pictures of you two and then you can paint them. That way you can see yourself.”

“Wow, Yuuri,” Ken said, “sometimes you can be pretty smart.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked while knocking him to the ground.

Wolfram chuckled at their antics. “I would appreciate that very much.”

Yuuri grinned at him, still planted atop their husband. “Of course, Wolf. You deserve to remember how you were with him as much as I do. Speaking of, mind taking a picture now for me?”

Wolfram shook his head but did as he asked.

Using Yuuri’s photographs as a template, Wolfram was able to create beautiful paintings of him and Ken as well. Ken riding behind him on Roselind, the two of them laughing on a picnic blanket, their heads bowed together as they read a book together, and Ken brushing through Wolfram’s hair. They are more painful to paint. Each frozen moment felt as if it may be the last.

Finally, he asked his husbands to kiss. Not still, but a moving, breathing display which he sought to reflect. Wolfram’s hands sped over the canvas, causing paint to drip in his haste, a testimony to the sentiment he craved to immortalize.

It wasn’t enough. Even painting himself and Ken kissing did not measure against the enormity of their passion.

After finishing his painting, he spoke up, feeling uncertain of his requests for the first time since they had begun. "Would you allow me to paint you nude?”

Ken’s dark eyes met his with unmatched intensity. “I told you, I will pose however you like.”

Wolfram gulped. “Thank you. Then, will you lie on the bed?”

The session is quiet, reverent even. As Ken shed his clothes, it was as if he was peeling away layers, leaving his naked soul to be witnessed.

With each stroke of the brush, Wolfram worshipped him. The final piece was tender and raw, capturing his beauty into its purest form.

Yuuri stared at the portrait for an extended moment before speaking. “How about we go ahead and capture everything? You know…”

There was a wry smile on Ken’s lips. “That’s fine with me as long as we make sure to keep them secure. We can’t have intimate pictures of the Maoh and Great Sage leaked to the public.”

It was clear from Yuuri’s face that he had not thought about that, but Wolfram answered immediately, “Of course, I have already cast a protection ward over a safe specifically to house this painting. We can add the others to the collection.”

Yuuri perked up. “So, I can take pictures during sex?”

“Wolf?” Ken asked.

Wolfram nearly protested, but even before the words began to form in his mind, longing overtook him. He wanted to see the photos—to see snapshots of their most intimate moments so that they could live on forever. If he already wanted them this badly, then he knew he would be ravenous for them in the distant future. “I think we should appreciate the moments we have. Besides, having some pictures would make our times away from each other easier to deal with.”

Ken smirked, his eyes meeting Wolfram’s with intensity. “Then, shall we get started?”

It felt different hearing the camera clicking every few seconds and knowing that their image was being documented for ages to come. It was as enthralling as it was intimidating. Wolfram couldn’t help feeling somewhat self-conscious, as if he needed to “get it right” somehow. Sensing his inner conflict, Ken’s hand found his hand, giving a comforting squeeze.

“This doesn’t have to be anything special.”

He was wrong; it already was special. Because it was with him. But also because the idea was lodged into the back of Wolfram’s mind. This was how he would remember their lovemaking when the memories turned fleeting. He wanted to project as much of his adoration and desire into his actions, to showcase the love buried in his heart into the images.

Yuuri kept taking pictures even after they both came undone. Their husband stood there, erect, but giving them the fondest look Wolfram had ever seen.

He beckoned him to them with a hand. “Come here, wimp.”

Yuuri fiddled with the camera before Wolfram snatched it from his hand. “You’re going to be in these pictures, too, you know?” Without waiting for a reply, Wolfram snapped a quick shot.

“Hey!” The protest died when Wolfram took the head of his cock in his mouth.

The camera clicked again.

Still, it didn’t feel like enough. Looking at photos only conveyed so much, and Wolfram needed to hold onto that feeling of ecstasy within him so that it would never fade.  

“Let me paint the two of you,” he said one night when they were preparing for bed.

Yuuri tilted his head. “But you’ve already painted us.”

“Not like this. I want to paint you having sex.”

Ken’s brow twitched with interest, but Yuuri looked troubled.

“But then you’d just be watching. Can’t you just paint from a photo?”

“Yes, but what I want to capture is the feeling. If I don’t paint in the moment, it won’t come out right.”

Ken put a hand on his shoulder. “If that’s really what you want.”

Wolfram set up the space. He placed his brush and paints beside an easel with a large blank canvas. It was positioned so that he could see the bed fairly well from all angles. Candles lit the room in a warm glow.

“Be natural. Pretend I’m not here.”

Yuuri met his eyes. “I can’t do that.”

Wolfram laughed. “You sap.”

Yuuri grinned.

“Still, don’t pose or anything. I want this to be raw and real.”

Ken smirked. “You know I like it raw.”

Their figures entwined on the crimson sheets like entangled vines, a tangle of limbs and sighs. Wolfram worked his brush feverishly to capture every detail, every nuance of the moment. Their lips met in a heated kiss, burning reds onto the canvas.

Ken’s fingers trailed down Yuuri’s spine, causing his back to arch, granting him access to the luscious valley between his legs. A moan escaped his lips as their husband teased his entrance with feather-light touches, all the while nibbling on the sensitive skin of his neck. Yuuri’s eyes were half-lidded, a mix of pleasure and trust shining through. It took Wolfram back to that night when he and Yuuri had returned to Ken after their honeymoon when they had reassured him that he was included in their relationship.

The scene unfolding is the embodiment of the path they have walked to bring their love to fruition and the fight it took to get there. Wolfram poured every ounce of his heart into his brushstrokes, determined to give their love proper justice.

The candlelight danced shadows over their intertwined bodies as Ken slipped his fingers into Yuuri’s welcoming heat, eliciting a strangled moan from his lips.

They continued to move, with driven purpose, the atmosphere was thick with the electricity of playing muse. Yuuri tossed his head over Ken’s shoulder to glance Wolfram’s way. His gaze holds enough intensity to send a shiver down Wolfram’s spine.

The canvas filled with raw outlines and quick, fluid strokes. His hands moved with urgency, capturing the essence of their movements, the depth of their longing. Life could never fully be replicated by art, but how Wolfram tried. The scene unfolded, raw and beautiful, as Ken filled Yuuri, their moans and sighs composing an aria of rapture. The paint told of both the infinite and finite reality of love.

The crescendo of their lovemaking mirrored the urgency in Wolfram’s art.

And then, as if on cue, their movements ceased, punctuating the silence with the finality of a closing book.

The spell broken, Wolfram stepped back to survey the image in its entirety. Tears welled in his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered, nearly in reverence.

“That good?” Ken asked.

Wolfram looked back to the bed to find them nuzzled together like two halves of a whole. “You can see it tomorrow. For now, let’s sleep.”

The collection was complete, for the time being at least. At last, the pattering anxiety in his chest had died down. The pain would come, but he would never forget.

He arranged the many paintings on display around his art studio. His husbands marveled at the sight of them all in unison, a collage of their relationship.

“Thank you,” Yuuri said first, voice thick with emotion. “These are beautiful.”

Then, Ken followed with his own thank you. “I didn’t want to live on, but I’m glad to know that this part of me will.”

Wolfram sucked in a breath, trying not to cry, as he pulled both of them into a hug. They held onto each other for a long time, just breathing in the others’ presence.

When they finally took a step back, Ken’s face was exceptionally soft, a rare occurrence even after all these years. “Does this make it better?”

“Yes,” Wolfram asked easily.

“I’m glad. Still,” he took Wolfram’s hand and brought it up to his chest. “I’m here now. That’s what matters. When you forget that, all you need to do is remember.”

Wolfram could feel the soft patter of his heart. The organ pumping blood, keeping him alive. As much the source of his life as his love.

He could understand now why his own heartbeat put Yuuri at ease. Smiling, he moved Yuuri’s hand to his chest and Ken’s to Yuuri’s. “We’re all here, right here, right now.”

Yuuri met his eyes with a look both serious and understanding. “The rest we can deal with later.”

He should call Murata…something. If Wolf was his fiance, what did that make Murata? His mistress? Just the thought of that word made Yuuri blush. His side hustle? He wasn’t a job!

He was more like a boyfriend. But that seemed too insignificant compared to Wolf. Wasn’t Yuuri’s whole point before that he didn’t actually care more about Wolf than him? If he was acting like he was in love, it had to be done equally to both of them, right? But they couldn’t both be his fiance. That would be ridiculous! Unheard of! Not to mention illegal!

Then maybe he was his l–love? That was..far too embarrassing to say out loud. Never mind out loud, it was practically too embarrassing just to think.

So, his only choices then were boyfriend or partner.

Yuuri made a face. Maybe he’d ask Murata to choose. Not that he could even use the term in public anyway.

He couldn’t, right? That would be too…abnormal, right? How many people had multiple partners? Especially kings.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he knew of a lot of kings who’d had mistresses and affairs. Wasn’t the king over the law?

What was he thinking? Yuuri wasn’t one of those high-and-mighty kings. He was a good, law-abiding citizen. At least, he was until his life had somehow gotten so complicated. When exactly had that happened again?

He sighed and stared down at the stack of papers that he had not even begun working on. His head already hurt just from thinking about his love life. He didn’t need other people’s problems on top of it.

Wolf should be finishing up his drills soon anyway. He should just go meet with him.

As soon as he stood up, though, he received a glare from Gwendal who had taken up residence at the opposite desk in the office.

“What do you think you are doing?” asked the first son.

Yuuri gave his best innocent smile. “Going to see Wolf.”

Gwendal didn’t look impressed in the least. His head was resting on firmly folded hands. “As impressive as it is that you are actually rendezvousing with my brother, your work is still substandard. Did you even sign a single document?”

“Well…” Yuuri hesitated not meeting Gwendal’s intense glare. “I can’t focus, so it’s better if I just get back to it tomorrow.”

Gwendal gave a heavy sigh. “This has to do with my brother, I take it? Do you think that seeing him now will give you better focus tomorrow?”

Probably not. “O-of course,” he said.

Gwendal unfolded his hands. His fingers stretched out before the palms of his hands came down onto the table. “Fine. Go. But tomorrow I expect you to get through twice as much work to make up for it.”

Yuuri rushed out of the door before he could change his mind. Sheesh. He’d never be able to get through that much paperwork even if he could focus. There was no way one evening with Wolf would fix his lack of focus either since this was also about Murata. Not that Yuuri could tell Gwendal that.

To be honest, it was a bit disappointing that he only ever had limited time to see Murata anymore. Too bad he couldn’t just go see him whenever he wanted. Tomorrow was definitely out now. But maybe he could send him a request to come to the castle.

Yeah! Okay, he’d ask Wolf about it.

Yuuri wasn't surprised to find Wolf sweaty after his training. That didn't make him any less sexy. A siren went off in the back of his head, but he ignored it. He could find Wolf sexy. He should find Wolf sexy because they were in love.

Yeah.

"Yuuri?" Wolf picked up a cloth off a folding table and used it to wipe the sweat off his brow.

Yuuri kind of wished he was that cloth. Or better, he could just walk up and take a swipe with his tongue–

Too much, Yuuri!

That was fully worthy of a siren. He should get sent to horny jail for that thought.

He shouldn't sexualize him just because he wiped some sweat off. Wasn't that like objectification or something? Like he could only sweat for Yuuri?

Besides, they were in public!

Luckily, Wolf's men were already disbanding, so Wolf was really the only one who noticed his floundering.

The athlete-pinup-worthy blonde gave him a questioning look. "What are you worrying about now?"

"Huh?" Yuuri blinked. "N-nothing…"

Wolf didn't look satisfied. He tossed the cloth back down onto the table. "Sure." He turned toward one of the men still loitering around. "Jaques, take care of these."

The redhead stiffened at being addressed. He bowed before answering, "Of course, Sir."

Content, Wolf turned back toward Yuuri and they started walking down the castle corridors. "You're done with work a bit earlier than usual today."

"About that…"

"You ran out, didn't you?"

“No,” he denied immediately. “I got permission.”

Wolf still didn’t look convinced. “I’m not buying that you impressed him with your work ethic.”

They turned a corner. “Don’t worry about it. I might have to stay late tomorrow, though.”

Wolf stopped and glared at him. “What did you do, wimp?”

“I sorta…” Yuuri wrung his hands, “didn’t get any work done today.”

Wolf sighed and started walking again. “You’re more of a wimp than I thought.”

“Hey!” Yuuri hurried after him. “It’s because of you I couldn’t focus.”

Wolf stopped again and whirled around. “What did I do?”

Yuuri looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling shy. “N-nothing.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

Wolf gripped onto his shoulders and pushed him back against the stone wall. He pressed in close so that Yuuri couldn’t get away. Not that Yuuri wanted to. Right now, he wanted very badly to lean in and kiss that scowling face. And maybe miss his lips the first time so that he could get a hint of leftover sweat.

“You can’t just use me as an excuse to get out of work.”

“I’m not. I just…” His eyes fixated on his downturned lips. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Wolf sucked in a breath and his hands fell away from him. Yuuri felt a little disappointed at the loss of contact.

Yuuri continued, “I mean, I still don’t know if I’m doing this right or not.”

“Doing what right?”

“L-loving you.” It still felt awkward to say.

“I hate that you can be so cute.”

“No way!” Yuuri yelled. “You’re the cute one.”

Wolf smiled. “We’re both cute. Anyway, I think you’re doing fine.”

“Yeah, but…” Yuuri dropped his eyes. “Am I actually making you happy?”

Wolf lifted Yuuri’s chin up. “Yes, so stop worrying.”

“But–”

Wolf cut him off with a kiss. Yuuri sagged back against the wall. His hand found Wolf’s and entwined their fingers.

Wolf pulled back when Yuuri let out a moan.

“Hold that thought,” Wolf said.

Yuuri whined, which only made Wolf smirk.

“Don’t worry, we can have fun back in the room.”

The rest of the walk felt extra long, especially since all Yuuri could seem to think about was being taken against the castle’s stone wall. In hopes of easing his sudden arousal, he asked in an almost casual tone, “Do you mind if I invite Murata over tomorrow? It sucks that I can’t see him very much.”

“Didn’t Brother say that you have to get through all the paperwork? You won’t even have time to see him. It would be better to invite him over the next day and use that as motivation to actually get through your work for once.”

Yuuri swallowed. “M-maybe he could spend the night.” He must be hornier than he thought to actually suggest that.

Wolf fell silent.

Yuuri breathed rapidly waiting for his reply. It felt like such a taboo question. It could have been innocent, but they both knew it wasn’t. Yuuri was asking if he could stay in their bed. He was panicking that he upset Wolf. But hadn’t he let Murata stay over that one night? But maybe things were different now that they were in love. Maybe he should apologize and just forget about it.

“Okay,” Wolf answered in a steady tone.

Yuuri swallowed again. He couldn’t believe that he had agreed and so easily. “Realy? You’re sure you don’t mind?”

Wolf turned and cradled his face in his hands. “You’re still mine alone tonight.”

Yuuri shivered. That was true. He wondered what he had in mind. After nodding, he resumed walking. He didn't even realize how fast he was walking until Wolf chuckled.

They crashed against each other as soon as the door was shut behind them. Yuuri nearly knocked them over in his hast to press his body against his fiance’s.

They had messed around some, but they hadn’t gone all the way since his emotional breakthrough. He still wasn’t sure what made “making love” different from regular sex. What was Wolf wanting from him?

They made it to the edge of the bed. Yuuri broke their kiss, running his hands down the muscles of Wolf’s arms. “How, uh, should we do this?”

Wolf sat down on the edge of the bed. “You want me to give orders?”

Yuuri looked away from his beautiful face. If he kept looking he’d say yes in a heartbeat. “I just want to know what you want.”

“It doesn’t always have to be about me.”

“I know that,” he said, looking intently at the tiled floor. “But you want to make love, so…”

Wolf took his hand which pulled Yuuri’s gaze back to meet his. “I never meant to put so much pressure on you. Just be with me, okay?”

“Yeah, but…” Yuuri felt like that had to just be him compromising yet again. He didn’t want that.

Wolf sighed. “Okay, how about I make love to you instead? That way you don’t have to think about it.”

That sounded perfect! But wasn’t that another form of avoidance? “I shouldn’t.”

Wolf sighed again. His other hand cupped his face. “I’m not telling you not to think. I’m telling you to let me take care of you.”

Yuuri nodded instantly. He could do that if that’s what Wolf wanted.

Wolf undressed him slowly. It was as if he was doing it with pure tender loving care. It was a bit overwhelming.

“Undress me too, wimp.”

Yuuri tried his best to imitate the way Wolf did it, but his fingers fumbled over the clasps and buttons. He hoped the care showed through his actions, though. It was strange. He felt like he was playing the role of an actor, yet at the same time what he was trying to convey was real. He knew that he cared about Wolf, so maybe all he needed to do was learn how to show it better.

As soon as they were both undressed, he pulled Wolf in close to him to try to do that, but Wolf pushed away. He frowned at the face Yuuri made.

“I’m just getting the lubricant, wimp.”

Yuuri watched Wolf’s beautiful form as he got the item. The effect of his artistry was mellowed due to Yuuri’s realization that he was in fact a huge wimp. Why was he so worried about rejection? If anyone had the right to worry about that it was Wolf. He let out a loud sigh.

Wolf came back over with a frown. He flicked Yuuri right on the forehead. “What are you worrying about now?”

Yuuri stared down which gave him a lovely view of Wolf’s exquisite thigh. He wished he hadn’t sighed so that he could be touching it right now. “N-nothing.”

Wolf sighed at his denial. “Fine, but you better not be holding anything stupid in. I’m holding you to this relationship 100%.”

Yuuri figured he could touch his thigh now, so he did. Wolf sucked in a breath at the contact. “I want to be.”

Wolf’s hand covered his own. “You like my thighs, don’t you?”

“Uh…” Yuuri could feel his cheeks heating. “I like all of you, so…”

Wolf grinned. “You really are too cute for your own good.”

“Shut up! It’s not like I try to be.”

Wolf pressed their foreheads together. “That just makes you even cuter.”

Yuuri groaned. “You’re cute, too.”

Wolf just grinned wider. “I know.” He ran his other hand down Yuuri’s arm. “Are you sure you’re okay with me topping?”

Yuuri nodded. He kind of preferred that actually. It felt safer.

Wolf exhaled through his nose. “Okay. Get up on your knees. It’ll be easier to prepare you that way.”

Yuuri crawled up onto the bed on all fours and stuck his ass out. He felt a tinge of shame roll over him, but it sent a jolt of arousal through him as well.

Yuuri couldn’t see him, but he could feel Wolf move up onto the bed behind him. Wolf cupped his right ass cheek, then kissed the left one.

Yuuri swallowed around his arousal. “Have you ever done it before?” he asked. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his own horrible first time screw up.

“Not besides myself, but I know how to do this. Anyway, I was there during Murata’s fingering lecture, wasn’t I?”

If Wolf practiced on himself, he probably had a lot more practice than Yuuri did. The mental image of Wolf spreading his legs and fingering himself was so sexy, he was surprised he didn’t get an instant nosebleed. He hoped he got to see it one day.

His mental image dispersed at the cool feeling of his lubed finger prodding at him, His body jolted a bit on reflex, but then he relaxed as the coolness faded. Wolf’s finger slid in slowly. He was a lot more careful than Yuuri had been. It made him feel cherished, but also remorseful. Wolf had deserved better from him.

He remembered how sure and calculated Murata’s fingers had been the first time. If they hadn’t and Yuuri hadn’t been running on pure lust, he would have had a complete meltdown. He should have treated Wolf the way he wanted to be treated. He should have cared about him more than his own defenses.

"Sorry for before," he said.

"Sorry for what?" Wolf asked while adding another finger.

Yuuri planted his face into the mattress in hopes that it could give him more courage. "For hurting you before.”

“What?” It took a moment, but then Wolf continued. “Oh, that? It’s fine.”

Yuuri rolled over to face him. “No, it’s not. I should have taken care of you, too.”

Wolf gave him a sweet smile and cupped his face. “You’re trying your best, and that’s all I can ask from you.”

Yuuri shook his head. “No! Tell me to go beyond. You deserve it.”

He could see a flicker in Wolf’s eyes at his words. He obviously noticed how Yuuri twisted the context from asking to telling. “Are you telling me to be more selfish?” Wolf teased.

“Yeah,” Yuuri answered resolutely. He shouldn’t be the only one being selfish.

Wolf’s hand came down and gripped Yuuri’s erection. “Then, let’s get on with it.

Immediately, Yuuri nodded unconsciously. Rolling back over took a bit of work, though, because his body didn’t want to give up that sweet touch.

Wolf chuckled at the groan he made when he did manage to roll back over. “Just a second.” He reinserted his fingers and added a third in short order. “Alright, I think you’re good. Lay back against the pillows.”

He did as instructed, and Wolf closed in on him right away. Yuuri wasn’t sure if he liked seeing him above him or under him better, but right now, he was most caught by the realization that he could fully wrap his limbs around him. It was ironic somewhere in the back of his mind that he used to complain about Wolf doing the same thing unconsciously in his sleep. The forefront of his mind, however, moved his body to wrap him up and pull him in close.

Wolf kissed the edge of his hairline. “Didn’t I say to get a move on?” he said without any real annoyance.

“I just…want to feel you close.”

“I could be even closer if you let me move into position.”

Sighing, Yuuri loosened his limbs. He couldn’t stop his thoughts wandering as he watched Wolf coat himself with the lube, though. “If you’re fine topping, why didn’t you just take control before instead of asking Murata to help me?”

Wolf placed the bottle of lubricant down on the far side of the bed, cheeks blazing a beautiful shade of red. “Because I wanted to get pounded,” he nearly whispered.

“Do you still want to?”

Wolf let out a tiny laugh. “Do you still want to pound me?”

The answer was out of Yuuri’s mouth before he could even think about it. “Always.” Then more consciously, he added, “But I like getting pounded, too.”

They shared a laugh over how silly it sounded. Then Wolf sobered. “Are you ready?”

Yuuri bit his lip but nodded.

It had been a while since he’d been able to do it with Murata, so he expected the stretch when Wolf pushed inside of him. It was…different. It wasn’t better or worse, but every nerve of his body was reminding him that this was Wolf .

Yuuri clung to him again, which pushed him deeper inside. Wolf huffed at the movement since it disrupted the slow and steady slide he had begun. Once he bottomed out, Yuuri forced him into a kiss.

Wolf breathed heavily through his nose. He was trying to keep a slow pace, but with each thrust, he was losing the battle. Yuuri rolled his hips up, wordlessly spurring him on.

Wolf broke the kiss, speaking with broken words, “Sorry, I…didn’t mean to do it like this.”

Yuuri held onto the space where Wolf’s neck and shoulders met. “Don’t worry, I like it rough.” He could feel his cheeks heat as soon as the words are out, but Wolf drove into him harder which made the embarrassment worth it.

“Good,” Wolf forced out. “I wanted to show you how special you are. But it’s…harder than I thought.”

Yuuri kissed his words away. He didn’t care about that, especially when he hit that spot inside him. His head fell back with a cry.

Wolf grunted with focused effort and hit that spot again.

Yuuri kept his head back but clutched onto his biceps as he thrust in again and again.

His orgasm found Yuuri sooner than he would have liked. His head was spinning like the whirlpool of the star tours. Words fell from his lips unbidden.

I love you.

Wolf stilled momentarily, just staring at him in shock. Then he started moving again, movements broken and fast-paced. “Yuuri!” he cried out.

Wolf’s crumbled onto him as his breathing steadied. When they had both recovered from their orgasms, he leaned back up and kissed Yuuri’s face. “I love you too, wimp.”

Yuuri’s chest fluttered. He hadn’t meant to say that, and definitely not right now when it shouldn’t have sounded genuine, but for the first time, he knew it was the truth. Maybe it was his mind and body and heart responding to Wolf’s own emotions being conveyed through the act, or maybe he had just finally stripped all his layers away, but Wolf seemed to understand, so that’s all that mattered.

The realization was strong and comforting, like the weighted blanket his mother used to put over him to calm him down as a child. He felt that he should say something else to Wolf, but he didn’t want to break the moment.

When he looked down at his face which had fallen back onto his chest again, he realized he didn’t have to. Naturally, Wolf had fallen asleep already.

Yuuri smiled and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Apparently, Wolf was like this regardless of his role in the act.

Yuuri ran his fingers through his silky hair, then down his back, and tried to catch some sleep himself.

Yuuri woke up earlier than usual but felt surprisingly well-rested. He savored the pleasant feeling in his chest before expertly wiggling out of Wolf's embrace so as not to wake him up. After getting dressed in his running gear, he sat down to write his letter for Murata since there was still some time until Conrad showed up. It took him a few tries to finally figure out what to say. Now that he finally knew what love felt like, he knew that he really did love both of them. Short and simple was best, though, he decided. A love confession should be done in person.

Right after he rolled the parchment up for sending, a light knock sounded on the door.

Conrad was smiling as usual when Yuuri answered the door. "Good morning, Your Majesty. You look like you are in a good mood this morning."

Yuuri smiled back. "I am in a good mood. But it's Yuuri, remember."

He shut the door behind him and started walking down the hall alongside Conrad. About a minute into the walk he waved the letter. "I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to send this off before we run."

"Of course, Yuuri. Who is it for, if you don't mind my asking?"

Yuuri gazed down at the letter. "Just Murata. I haven't seen him in a while."

Conrad's smile didn't waver. "It's nice to have such good friends on your side."

Yuuri looked anywhere but at his face. "Yeah."

Wolf was still asleep when he returned. He didn’t want to just head off to work without even saying good morning, but he figured that was the best thing since he had to get all that paperwork done before he could see Murata. His head hurt just thinking about looking at that many papers. After changing into his day clothes, he looked again at the peaceful face of his sleeping fiance. On a stroke of genius, he realized that he could write Wolf his own letter. Short and simple, he decided again. Smiling triumphantly to himself, he set the letter down beside his sleeping fiance on the bed and left their chambers once more.

Wolfram woke up feeling more content than he had in a long time. Yuuri said he loved him! Sure, he had said it a handful of times by now, but this was the first time he had seemed sure of the words. Wolfram knew Yuuri might still stumble, but he felt assured at last that Yuuri really did want this relationship rather than just wanting to make him happy.

His arms stretched across the bed. He was disappointed but not surprised to find it devoid of his fiance. He was surprised, however, to find a note.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes so he could focus on the words. A small smile spread over his face.

Morning, Wolf,

I figured I should head to work bright and early today. I wanted to say hi first, though, and let you know that last night made me happy.

Wolfram set the note down and made himself presentable. Dressed and ready to head down to the dining hall for a quick brunch before his drills, he picked the note up and tucked it into his jacket pocket. It felt childish, but he wanted to keep a bit of Yuuri close to his heart.

Yuuri actually seemed to be taking his work seriously, since Wolfram didn’t see him at lunch. Figuring that he shouldn’t be disturbed, Wolfram instructed the guards to inform him instead of Yuuri when Murata arrived. He still hadn’t been contacted by the time he was finished with his drills, so he headed to take a bath.

It was still pretty early in the afternoon when he finished up, since drills were dying down due to the weather growing colder. He would have loved to take a ride on Roselind, but he had to stay within the castle’s perimeter to meet their guest, so he instead headed to the library and read up on ancient elemental practices. It was nearly an hour later when he finally received a summons.

Murata smiled when he saw Wolfram approach. “Lord Wolfram,” he greeted with a bow.

Wolfram wasn’t sure how to feel about the gesture. They had not really had a proper discussion since that day back at the shrine when Murata had propositioned him. Wolfram still wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about that, but he figured by allowing Yuuri to invite him over to spend the night , he had kind of already agreed to that proposition.

“Thank you for coming,” he greeted back. After a moment, he added, “for Yuuri.”

Murata grinned at him. “Of course.”

“He’s still working.”

“I figured,” Murata said. “His letter said he might be late.”

“For now, you’re stuck with me. Unless you’d rather do something alone until then.”

Murata’s hand found his upper arm. “Now, why would I do that when I could spend this lovely time with you?”

Wolfram almost complained about the unsolicited physical contact but then he remembered how he was the one that told Murata to “do what he wanted.” He wasn’t ready to paint himself a hypocrite.

Trying to dispel the slight unease at being touched, he folded his other arm over his torso. “Well, then, what would you like to do? I take it you are not much of a rider.”

“No, not really.” Murata gave a self-mocking chuckle. “My body doesn’t really appreciate it the way some of my last ones did. Although I wouldn’t mind visiting the stables if you would like to tend to the horses.”

Wolfram shook his head. “No, that’s okay. We might as well stay inside so Yuuri can find us easier. I was just reviewing ancient elemental practices, if you’d like to join me in that?”

Murata’s eyes sparkled. “Ancient elemental practices? Like, alchemic crystallization and ambient kinesis?”

Wolfram smiled. “You know about it?”

Murata crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course! I know about all of the ancient mysticisms as well.”

Wolfram’s eyes widened. “Even those not detailed in the ancient texts?”

The Great Sage smirked. “Of course. I remember the time before those texts were written, you know?”

Wolfram grabbed the Sage’s hand and dragged him off to the library.

Yuuri heaved an exaggerated sigh when he finally finished signing the last piece of paper on his desk. He picked the paper up and slammed it down hard onto the completed stack. “And finished!” he cheered toward Gwendal, who was resolutely still working as well to make sure that Yuuri did as instructed. Yuuri actually felt a bit bad for keeping him longer than usual because of his own antics. But, oh well, it wasn’t really his fault, was it? No one told Gwendal he had to stay late with him.

Gwendal looked up from his own paperwork. Yuuri hadn’t exactly expected a smile or a “good job,” but he had expected more than an utterly blank expression.

The eldest son dismissed him with a wave of the hand. “Get going with you, then.”

Yuuri wondered if something was troubling the man, but he wasn’t about to dawdle later than he needed to, so he fled from the room without another word.

He checked his chambers, even though he had doubted he’d find his fiance and “partner” there anyway. He assumed Wolfram was not the sort to bring someone back to their room to “chill” even when the implications of what tonight would be were clear.

He felt a little guilty again thinking about that. Wolfram really was too good to him.

Next, he checked the dining hall since they would need to have eaten dinner. Still no luck. Knowing they both enjoy reading, he went to the library. What he found were the two of them huddled near each other glancing down at a single book. They were whispering between themselves as if afraid of getting caught by a stern middle-aged librarian. It made Yuuri smile.

Feeling a little bad about breaking the scene up, he cleared his thought and lifted his hand in a wave. “Hey.”

Murata’s eyes darted up first. “Yuuri!” He pushed the book onto Wolfram’s lap and ran over to hug him.

Yuuri stumbled back a little with the force but chuckled and returned the embrace. “I missed you,” he answered honestly.

Over Murata’s shoulder, Yuuri could see Wolfram shut the book and set it down on the seat cushion. “Go on,” Wolf said. “I’ll stay and read for a while.”

Yuuri frowned and pulled away from Murata so that he could face Wolf head-on. “Please stay–or, come with us, I guess. I didn’t mean to kick you out of our room by inviting him over.”

Wolf looked from Murata’s eyes to Yuuri’s. He wore a bittersweet smile. “I know. Don’t worry about it. I’ll,” he looked down at the cover of the book, “catch up in a while.” He looked back up at Yuuri. “I promise.”

Yuuri still felt odd about the situation as if he was doing something wrong by leaving him behind, but he decided to trust him. “Okay.” He looked at Murata and took his hand. “Let’s, uh, go then.”

Murata looked ecstatic over him holding his hand. He began walking out with Yuuri immediately, but when they reached the doorway, he called over his shoulder, in a strangely inviting tone, “See you later.”

Yuuri wondered if something was going on between them that he didn’t know about.

They were mostly silent all of the way to the royal chambers. Yuuri would have continued holding his hand the entire time, but he figured he shouldn’t when the guards could see. He sighed sadly when he had to let go.

Murata craned his head over toward him. “Yuuri?”

Yuuri startled. “Oh. I, uh, just…” They were almost at the door by now. “Let’s get inside.”

He practically pushed Murata inside the room. Luckily the guards were posted a bit down the hall. They could hear shouts but shouldn’t be able to hear other things that went on inside the room. Still, Yuuri wasn’t dumb enough to believe that the guards weren’t beginning to suspect that he and Murata had something going on after he had visited their room this many times. At least, he told himself, different guards were probably posted each time, and without proof, they couldn’t really spread false rumors. He could be inviting Murata to their room for purely innocent intentions.

But, of course, he wasn’t.

As soon as they were safely within the confines of the room, Yuuri pulled Murata close to him against the door. “Push me against the wall?” It was a poor imitation to any of the orders they had given him, but it did the trick.

Murata instinctively knew exactly how Yuuri wanted it. He pushed him backward by the shoulders while grinding their clothed groins together.

Yuuri let out an extremely embarrassing sound. Murata grinned at the reaction, though, and gave him a kiss as well.

“Are you going to answer my question from before, or we’re just going straight at it?”

Yuuri blinked to regain his focus. Oh, yeah. “I just,” he couldn’t meet Murata’s eyes, “didn’t want to let go of your hand.”

“Well, then.” Murata moved one of his hands down to grasp Yuuri’s.

Yuuri breathed out a short laugh which ended up turning into a moan. “I just want to feel you, ya know? And after last night with Wolf, I, uh, want a night with you…” He started to push Murata back. “But you’re right, it isn’t fair to call you over here just for sex.”

Murata held his ground. “I didn’t say I wasn’t into it.”

Yuuri huffed and shook his head. “You’re too much sometimes.”

Murata smirked and kissed the corner of his mouth. “You love it.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said shakily.

It took a moment for the depth to dawn on Murata. He actually allowed space between them, although it still wasn’t much. “You actually sound like you mean it.”

Yuuri swallowed. “Y-yeah…You know how I didn’t understand what love was exactly? Well, I sorta figured it out last night.”

Murata snorted. “Which means you’re telling me you loved me for a while, right? Typical Yuuri behavior.”

Yuuri smacked him playfully on the arm. “Hey! It’s not like I did it on purpose.”

“Just like how you don’t do anything on purpose. Such a typical Yuuri move.”

“Yeah? Well, then…” Yuuri frantically tried to think of something he could do that wasn’t “Yuuri behavior.”

He launched himself at the other double-black. They both fell to the ground with Yuuri on top of him. Murata tried to cry out in surprise, but Yuuri’s lips smashed down onto his. One arm wrapped around his neck while the other traveled down to cup over his growing erection. Murata let out a groan at the contact which made Yuuri smile.

“See? I can be unpredictable!” he argued.

Murata laid all the way back against the rug. “That was uncalled for.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri asked defiantly. “Calling me nothing but predictable was also uncalled for. Talk about rude.”

Murata lifted his eyebrows. “You want to see rude?” saying this, he flopped over with all of his weight.

Caught unsuspectingly, Yuuri was helpless to the change in position and landed right on his back with Murata towering over him. It wasn’t a bad position at all, but from the gleam in Murata’s eyes, he knew he wasn’t in for anything good right now.

Murata’s fingers jabbed into his sides, armpits, and neck unrelentingly. Damn, Murata for knowing all of his weaknesses! Laughter bubbled out of him on impulse. His body attacked back defensively, trying in vain to knock him over or work past his arms to hit his partner’s own weak spots. Even though he was failing miserably in whatever game this had become, he couldn’t help the real laughter intermixing with the automatic. It felt nostalgic to be scuffling on the floor again. Years back, they had more wrestling and less tickling, though. So much laughter came out, Yuuri’s cheeks and sides began to ache.

“Okay!” he screamed out through the laughter. “I surrender!”

Always a good sport, Murata’s assault ceased instantly. Still, he smirked down at him. “What do you surrender, Your Majesty ?”

The way he said his title only made Yuuri smile harder. “My dignity.”

“Er! You never had that.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes at that. “My body?” he offered with a hint of sarcasm.

Murata just shook his head, looking far too high and mighty. “Wrong again. You already gave me that.”

Shit. Shit, shit…Yuuri needed out of this tickle fight, but also he really wanted to kiss that look off of his face, so he had no choice but to tell him what he wanted to hear. Right?

Yuuri turned his head to the side so that he wouldn't have to watch the look of triumph he knew would take over his partner’s face. “M–my h–heart?” He hated that it came out stammering.

Murata didn’t seem to mind, though. “Ding, ding, ding!” the double-black hollered happily. “We have a winner.”

Yuuri still wasn’t looking at him. “If I’m the winner, then what do I get?”

“You get to decide how we fuck tonight.”

Yuuri finally looked at him. He wasn’t smiling anymore. “That’s not right!” he pouted. “I’m supposed to be making love to you tonight, or whatever.”

Murata’s eyebrows lifted. “And what exactly does that entail?”

“I guess it means going slow and treating you special.”

Murata let out a short laugh. “You don’t have to go slow to treat someone special. Besides, I’ve always tried to treat you special anyway.”

Which meant Murata’s always been making love to him. Actually, wasn’t Wolfram always doing the same? His heart felt like it might explode out of his chest.

“And now I know that you’re treating me special,” Murata continued, oblivious to Yuuri’s possible cardiac arrest. “So, it’s fine. We don’t have to do anything different.”

Yuuri could feel heat in his cheeks. “What if I want to do something different?”

Murata smirked at him. “Yeah?” he asked suggestively. “What’s that?”

“For you to pin me to the wall again.”

Murata’s eyes danced. “I can, but the best you’re gonna get that way is a good grind. I’m definitely not strong enough to lift you up and fuck you against the wall.”

“Oh.” Yuuri couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of disappointment. But maybe Wolfram was strong enough to do that.

Focus! he yelled at himself in his mind. What else did he want to do?

“Lie back on the bed, then.”

Murata looked a little skeptical. “Should I undress first?”

Right. “I’ll do it!” he offered quickly. They stood up and Yuuri intently began to remove each of his items of clothing. He paid extra physical attention to each bit of skin he exposed, too.

Murata was giving him a look.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he complained. “Like I said, I’m showing you you’re special.”

Murata chuckled. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“I’m done, now, so you should get on the bed. I’ll get the lube.”

Murata climbed onto the bed while Yuuri undressed and went around the bed to get the lube out of the drawer. When Yuuri joined him on the bed, Murata reached out for the vial.

Yuuri shook his head and held it close. “No. I’m doing it today.”

Murata lifted his eyebrows. “Really, now?”

Yuuri could feel his cheeks flush. “Not like that. I’ll, uh, prepare myself. Although, I, uh, wouldn’t hate that…If you wanted it.”

Murata sat up and wrapped an arm around him. “You’re really cute when you get shy, you know that?”

Yuuri didn’t know exactly how to feel about that, so he pushed him back down and straddled his lap. “Okay. I’ll get started then.”

He clamped his eyes shut as he did the work of preparing himself. He wanted to show Murata that he was willing to put in more effort, and he figured Murata was enjoying the show since he sure enjoyed Wolf’s show in his imagination from yesterday, but he still couldn’t help feeling super embarrassed about it.

As soon as he felt stretched out, he pulled his fingers out and moved over Murata’s now thick erection.

He finally met Murata’s eyes which were dark and staring into him so intensely Yuuri wondered if he could see his soul.

He licked his lips and swallowed. “Are you ready?”

“Gods, yes,” Murata sighed. His hands gripped his hips, pushing him down more which caused the base of Yuuri’s balls to slide along his shaft.

Yuuri bit his lip at the sensation, then shifted so that he could line the tip of Murata’s dick into place. He lowered himself down slowly until he was fully impaled. It was a familiar sensation by now, but it felt different being this in control of the situation. Murata helped his movements but didn’t try to guide them. For the first time, he felt in charge.

It was oddly empowering.

After a while, Murata’s hand found his dick and started pumping him. Yuuri threw his head back, really feeling it now. He panted, riding wave of pleasure after wave of pleasure.

His chest filled with each upswell of pleasure. Finally, it was too much for Yuuri to bear and he had to arch himself over to kiss him. It was messy and fervent.

Murata did guide him some now. He encouraged him to speed up and to angle a bit lower.

Yuuri broke their kissing to cry out when he hit that extra sensitive spot inside him. Murata leaned up as best he could to reclaim his lips. Yuuri wanted to take his face in his hands and kiss him senseless but he needed his hands to hold himself up. He rocked up and down until he couldn’t even think anymore.

The next thing he knew the world whited out. When he blinked his eyes open, he was curled up beside Murata in the bed. Murata must have wiped them both clean.

“Back with me?” Murata teased.

“Yeah,” Yuuri said with an embarrassed smile.

Murata placed a kiss on the top of his head. “That was definitely special.”

“Really?” Yuuri asked hopefully.

“Yeah.”

Yuuri sighed in relief. “Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask you something. Since Wolf’s my fiance, what do you want me to call you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” Yuuri rubbed the sheets between his fingers. “Are you my boyfriend or my partner or–”

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”

Yuuri smacked his chest. “I’m being serious.”

“So, am I.”

Yuuri sighed. “I just want to show that you’re more special than a friend.”

“You already did that, though.”

“Still,” he continued defiantly, “I can’t have a fiance and a friend. I need a fiance and a partner.”

“Okay. Then I’ll be your partner.” He was smiling as if it wasn’t a totally huge deal.

Yuuri sighed trying to tell himself it really didn’t have to be. “Okay, partner.” It felt weird coming off his tongue.

Murata was still smiling, so it probably didn’t sound as weird.

Yuuri was still clutching onto Murata’s chest when the door opened. It took his brain a second to process that it was Wolfram returning. When it did process, he sat bolt upright which naturally caused him to wince. “Wolf!” he called out in an uncharacteristically loving tone.

Wolfram smiled at his greeting, but his eyes darted over to Murata who was still naked beside him. Yuuri could see the way his eyes took in all of his attractive details. Yuuri couldn’t blame him, Murata was hot!

When he didn’t come over immediately, though, Yuuri whined and stretched his arms out for him. It was a crime that he still hadn’t been able to kiss his fiance yet today.

Wolfram chuckled and came over to his side of the bed. “You’re acting like a child,” he said before giving him the kiss he wanted.

Yuuri just sighed and sagged against him. “I don’t care. I told you you didn’t have to leave.”

“It was only right to give you two a bit of privacy.”

Murata had never seemed upset watching him and Wolfram have sex, but maybe Wolfram would be upset watching the two of them instead.

However, Murata didn’t share his concern and teasingly asked, “What about me? Don’t I get a kiss?”

After an extended moment, Wolf leaned over Yuuri and did kiss him. It wasn’t exactly a chaste kiss either.

Yuuri was dumbfounded. He pointed an accusatory finger at Wolfram and then Murata. “I knew it! Something is going on between you two.”

Immediately, Wolf flared up in denial. “Not really.”

Murata smirked. “We were up in the air, but I guess we’ve landed.”

Confused, Yuuri looked to Wolf for elaboration.

Wolf groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “A while back before your whole breakthrough, we kissed.”

“We could have done more,” Murata said in a sing-song tone.

Wolf glared at him. “Like I said before, we had to sort things out with Yuuri before anything else.”

Yuuri nodded trying to put the picture together. It felt like he had jigsaw pieces that wouldn’t quite fit together all the way. “What does that mean exactly?”

“I don’t know,” Wolf answered with more emotion than necessary.

“It means," Murata cut in," that Wolfram needs to figure out what he wants and you need to tell us right now if you have some weird hold-up about us doing anything together. Although considering you orchestrated this little sleepover, I highly doubt that.”

Yuuri’s brain was shooting sparks off. This was weird and shouldn’t be happening, it said. But Yuuri took several deep breaths and tried his best to douse the reaction. It might be weird, but there was absolutely no reason it shouldn’t be happening. He was over here claiming them both and wanting to see Murata more often and wanting him over to sleep with them. It would be better, wouldn’t it? Different, sure, but wouldn’t it be better?

He looked at each of them and felt the unique way his heart fluttered in response. He realized that it had always been there but he had somehow just not noticed.

Taking in one more deep breath, he took one of each of their hands in his. “I want this to work.”

He could see Wolf swallow. “Okay.” The blonde’s eyes met Murata’s seriously. “What exactly are you wanting, though? You never made yourself clear.”

Murata shrugged. “What are you offering?”

Wolf groaned. “That’s not what I asked. Don’t act dismissive. I told you to be selfish, didn’t I?”

Murata hummed in thought. “I suppose I’d just like to see what happens. No pressure.”

Wolf pursed his lips in thought. Then, he nodded. “Okay, I can work with that.” His face hardened a bit, though. “But I’m not putting out right now! It’s late and I’m tired.”

Murata smiled. “I wasn’t asking you to.”

Yuuri smiled and kissed the crease on Wolf’s forehead. He was being way too cute. “I take it you’re ready for bed, then?”

“Duh. It’s past my bedtime already.”

Yuuri chuckled and pushed him up off the bed. “Get ready, then.”

Wolf huffed but headed over to the closet. Yuuri got up and started to follow his lead. Only after he had finished putting on his pajamas did he realize that Murata didn’t have anything to change into. “Oh my god!” he panicked.  “You don’t have anything to change into, do you?”

“Can I wear one of yours?” Murata asked in a pitiful tone.

“Sure, no problem.” Yuuri passed him a purple set of pajamas. He couldn’t help but stare as he put them on. They looked really good on him.

When the attractiveness of the sight diminished somewhat he realized something. “Hey!” he yelled, pointing a finger at him. “You knew you were staying over. Why didn’t you bring clothes?”

Murata smirked, not even trying to hide that he had planned this. “I wanted to sleep surrounded by your scent.”

Yuuri made an unintelligible sound.

Wolf was the one that managed to respond with an actual counterargument. “The whole bed reeks of us.”

Murata was still smirking even though he lifted the collar of the shirt up and took a giant whiff. “I know.”

Yuuri sighed in defeat. “Whatever. Let’s just get some sleep. Maybe I made a mistake. Being around both of you is tiring,” he complained as he climbed into the middle of the bed.

Wolf huffed loudly. “I’m tiring? What did I do?”

Yuuri waved his hand. “Nothing, just come to bed.”

Wolf groaned but did climb in behind him. His arms tugged him back against him. “Tell me or I won’t let you go.”

As if Wolf would let him go during sleep anyway. “Really, nothing.”

“Tell me.” This time Wolf spoke directly into his ear and it made his toes curl.

“You didn’t do anything today. I was just thinking about the future.”

Wolf’s arms held him closer instead of releasing him as promised.

Murata settled in on the other side, face-to-face with Yuuri. “The future, huh?”

Yuuri could feel his face heating and tried to hide it in the pillow. “Yeah. Is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all.” Murata sounded really happy which made Yuuri happy.

Yuuri’s arms wrapped around Murata as best as he could. He felt…a lot. Safe. Protected.

Loved.

The last thing he remembered before the void of sleep took him was the thought that he loved them. Whether he spoke it aloud or just thought it was unclear, though.

Yuuri woke up feeling hot and smothered. He groaned and opened his eyes to see Murata in front of him.

Oh, yeah.

He couldn't help but smile.

It was crazy to think about how different he felt just a few weeks ago, even more so a year ago. It was like he was an entirely different person from who enrolled in college or even the person who was pulled into this strange land.

And even though Wolf played a major role in the change, he really owed it all to Murata.

He was still hot from the covers, but it was more important to show his appreciation.

Murata startled awake from his kiss. "Yuuri?" he asked.

"Morning," Yuuri practically chirped.

"Morning. You sure are happy to be up this early."

Yuuri gave a cheeky smile. "Well, I'm always up this early to run with Conrad. I wanted to hurry and thank you before he got here."

"Thank me for what?"

"For daring me to kiss you."

“You shouldn’t thank me for that. I was taking advantage of the situation.”

Yuuri stood firm. “I don’t care. Deep down, I wanted you to.”

“I shouldn’t have made you kiss me the second time.”

Yuuri shook his head. “You never made me do anything.”

Murata’s face contracted. Yuuri might have thought he was close to crying but he had never actually seen his friend cry before.

Yuuri brushed over his cheek. “I’d never have gotten here without you beside me.”

Murata closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Then he smiled back at him. “Thank you for saying that.”

“I mean it,” and Yuuri did. He said before that he wanted to keep Murata beside him, but he doubly meant that now. He didn’t just need him because he took care of him, he helped him grow. Besides, Yuuri wanted him beside him.

Yuuri took his hand in his, and they fell into silence.

Eventually, Murata started to sit up. “I should leave so you can get back to your work.”

“No!” Yuuri cried. Expertly, he unwrapped himself from Wolfram’s octopus limbs and straddled Murata so that he couldn’t escape. “I wanted us all to have a picnic or something. I don’t want you coming all the way over here just for sex.”

Murata smiled. Yuuri could tell he appreciated that. “You still have to get your work done. Being Maoh is pretty important.”

Yuuri pouted. “I still deserve a day off every once in a while.”

A knock sounded at the door. “Your Majesty?”

“Crap!” Yuuri jumped off the bed and threw the blanket over Murata’s head. “Hide,” he whispered.

As soon as he opened the door, he stepped out of the room and shut it behind himself.

"It's Yuuri," he complained out of habit.

Conrad gave him an amused look. Yuuri probably reeked of sex and looked like it too. Conrad definitely knew what he had been up to.

Okay! Yuuri could handle that! He already told his godfather that he was going to "act in love," so this shouldn't be a big deal. Yeah, it was fine. Yuuri didn't need to have a freakout. But he would have a full-on panic attack if he found out he was getting freaky with Murata in there in addition to his baby brother.

"Can we run this evening instead?" he asked.

To his dismay, Conrad smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. He probably thought Yuuri was anxious to get back in there to have another round. Yuuri assumed he wanted to congratulate him on this development but thought that might be too much too soon. If only he knew how long this had actually been going on.

"Of course," Conrad agreed.

“Thanks,” Yuuri said before sliding back inside his chambers.

“Phew,” he sighed.

Murata was sitting up and smiling at him. “Nice diversion.”

Yuuri scowled. “I didn’t lie or anything.”

Wolfram’s arm stretched out. He grabbed a pillow and threw it blindly. “Shud uup, bof ohf yu. Tarying ta slaep.”

Yuuri smiled and went over to kiss the top of his head. “Sorry to wake you. But, since you’re up, let’s go have a picnic.”

Wolf groaned and sat up. “You can’t just take off work,” he said in a much clearer tone.

“But why not?” Yuuri whined. “I worked really hard yesterday.”

Wolf scowled. “That was all catch-up. You wouldn’t have had to do all that if you would have just focused in the first place.”

Yuuri crossed his arms with a pout. “I don’t see you spending all day working on paperwork.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the Maoh.”

Yuuri hated that he had a point. “But it’s the weekend. I deserve a day off every so often.”

Wolf scowled deeper. “What’s a weekend? Anyway, you take off more than every so often.”

“Yeah, but today is special. Murata’s here.”

Murata chuckled at that. “He’s right, though. You shouldn’t use me as an excuse.”

“But that’s not fair to you!” Yuuri argued. “Wolf gets to see me all the time.”

Wolf sighed in defeat. “Fine. I'll help you with your work since I don't have drills today.”

“Really?” Yuuri asked hopefully. He’d rather not do any paperwork, but that was better than nothing. “Thanks, Wolf.” He wrapped him up in a hug which Wolf readily returned.

When they broke apart, Wolf looked to Murata. “But if I'm helping, so are you.”

Murata lifted his eyebrows. “Am I?”

“Yep.”

“I didn’t think I was the one that took orders around here.”

Yuuri could feel his body heating up at that statement.

Not noticing the effect on him, Wolf just leaned back on the bed. “Maybe it’s about time you started.”

Murata smirked. “We’ll see.”

With the three of them splitting up the work, they managed to get through all of the paperwork in only a few hours. Yuuri felt more relieved than ever to be finished with the stack. “You should help me every day,” he suggested.

Wolf shot him down right away. “No way.”

“Aw, but why not?”

“You’d get spoiled.”

Yuuri pouted. “What am I, a dog?”

Wolf smirked at him. “I don’t know. You sit when told to.”

“Hey!” Yuuri jumped up and tackled him. They both fell onto the floor in a laughing pile.

They stayed there wrapped around each other laughing for a good while. When their laughter petered out, Murata came up and stretched his hands out to help them up. He was also smiling. They each took a hand and he helped hoist them up.

“You two really are a good match.”

Yuuri glared at him. “So, are we.”

Murata gave a short laugh. “If you say so.”

Yuuri put his hands on his hips. “I do say so. I also say that we get out of here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Wolf nudged Murata with his shoulder. “Looks like you are taking orders.”

“Who knows? Maybe we all like taking orders every once in a while.”

They had a picnic. They had several picnics. And a horse ride (with Murata riding behind Yuuri because he’d rather not be in control of the horse, thank you). They went to Earth, too. They gorged themselves on pizza and ice cream and showed Wolf all the cheesy movies Murata and Yuuri used to watch together. They even read some manga together, some nostalgic and some new pieces that ended up being…enlightening.

Overall, they did a lot together, and Yuuri realized more and more each day how incredibly lucky he was to have met both of these wonderful men.

It wasn’t a cakewalk and Murata and Wolfram didn’t just fall in love as if it was nothing, but, well, Yuuri wanted it to work, so they made it work.

He liked to think they were all happier for it.

None of them could really know how things would have worked out any other way, but anymore, he could see more shared smiles than not. As long as they were all happy, he liked to think they had finally figured things out.

Sure, it took a bit of maneuvering, especially in the bedroom, but that was manageable, too. Murata seemed to take pleasure in the challenge of it anyway, and Wolfram, well no one could deny that he enjoyed himself.

Still, they both missed him. Wolfram said it was nice to monopolize the bed and Yuuri again, and both were probably true, but Yuuri knew he still missed him. He could tell each time he looked up from his book ready to rant or ramble on about the plot. His face would be alive with sparked emotion, but as soon as he remembered he only had Yuuri to tell about it, he would shrink somewhat.

As hard as Yuuri tried (which actually wasn't that hard), he couldn't follow half of the things Wolfram would ramble on about from his books. Yuuri should try harder, but it wasn't like Wolfram tried hard to understand baseball either.

Which was why Yuuri first decided to write him letters. His and Conrad's baseball team was making amazing strides this week and he just had to get the excitement off his chest. He had shouted gleefully at Wolfram about it the first day, but there was only so much baseball talk Wolfram could stand.

"So, the ball went fast," Wolfram said in a monotone. He was outstretched on the bed, looking entirely disinterested.

Yuuri, who was standing beside the bed, flailed his arms animatedly. "Well, yeah, but it was really fast! It went 75 miles per hour!"

"Soo," Wolfram dragged the word out, "it went really fast."

"You don't understand how amazing this is! That's a new Shinma record!"

"Congrats."

Yuuri frowned at his lackluster tone. "Can't you pretend to be excited?"

"If you don't like my reaction, then tell someone who actually understands and cares."

"Fine, I will! I'll write Ken about it!"

Wolfram shrugged. "You do that."

He wrote him one letter, then two. He started writing in Mazoku out of habit, but when he started writing about baseball, Japanese slipped out without him realizing it. Before he knew it, the smile on his face had nothing to do with baseball or talking to Ken but everything to do with the enjoyment of writing in his native tongue after a long time of disuse. Over half of the letter ended up in Japanese, and all of the following letters were written entirely in Japanese.

Five days had passed since Ken's departure, and Wolfram was noticeably restless. "You're writing him again?" he asked from the bed in an irritable tone.

"Yep!" Yuuri chirped entirely unfazed by his husband's sour mood. "You should write him too. It'll be fun."

He glanced up from the desk to see him scowling at the suggestion.

"No way," Wolfram scoffed. "It's only a week. I don't need him thinking I can't live without him."

Yuuri pushed his chair back from the writing desk and smirked at him. "Sure you can't. You married him after all."

Wolfram clutched his pillow, a clear sign he might throw it at any moment. "That's not the same thing. That was because I chose to live with him, not because I couldn't live without him."

Yuuri stood up and walked to the bed. He leaned down into the blonde's personal space. "Are you saying you can live without me, too?"

Wolfram groaned but met his eyes in challenge. "Maybe I am."

Still smirking, Yuuri leaned in to steal a kiss. His husband relaxed at the contact, and Yuuri used that opportunity to snatch the pillow from his grasp. He tossed it down on the bed and plopped down on top of it.

"Yuuri!" Wolfram yelled in protest at his weapon being taken.

"Sorry to break it to you," Yuuri said, "but I can't live without you."

A soft smile formed on Wolfram's face. "I already knew that," he said before leaning in for his own kiss.

Afterward, he stood up and walked to the desk. "Fine, maybe I will write him. But I won't tell him I miss him. At least, not until he's back."

Yuuri's smile grew when he noticed the pink hue on his husband's cheeks. Being that pretty should deserve a medal.

Wolfram started shuffling the papers around to find a blank one. Soon into his search, he stopped and spun back toward Yuuri. He had a scowl back in place and a single paper in hand. "What the hell is this?" He demanded.

Yuuri's face fell in confusion. "My letter."

"I got that. What is this writing? It's Japanese, isn't it?"

"Yes," Yuuri admitted. Why did it suddenly feel like he did something wrong?

Wolfram huffed, then fell silent. He put the letter down before crossing his arms. He stood there in apparent thought for a long time. Then, without explanation, he said, "I need to see your mother."

"Uh…" Yuuri ran a mental check in his head. There was no way he could catch up on all of his paperwork for a trip. He'd already taken a lighter load this week due to baseball training. "I can't leave right now."

"Good. I want to go by myself."

Yuuri didn't like the sound of that. "Why do you want to go all of a sudden?"

"That…doesn't matter. I need to visit your mother."

Yuuri sighed. "At least wait until Ken's back to go with you."

"I don't need him to protect me."

"I know. He wouldn't do much in a fight anyway, but I'd still feel better knowing he was with you." To make sure Wolfram didn't do something naively stupid like using his maryoku in public and getting taken by the government for experimentation.

Wolfram looked ready to protest but surrendered with a sigh. "Fine. He'll be useful as well."

"What are you talking about?"

Wolfram sat down at the desk and picked up the quill. "Don't worry about it."

Yuuri made Wolfram wait a day before leaving. He needed to catch up with Ken before he left again! Which was good because they ended up being gone an entire week. By the time they finally returned, he was close to being worried sick. Not to mention lonely. He'd spent a whole week without Ken, and then a whole other week without either of them.

When he heard the news that they had returned, he literally dropped everything and raced to meet them at the front entrance. He nearly knocked Wolfram over, he was so eager to hug him.

Ken chuckled, patiently waiting for his own hug.

"Calm down, wimp," Wolfram said, returning the hug. "It was only a week."

Yuuri smiled, recognizing that as a coded way of saying he had missed him too. "I can't live without you, remember?"

When he moved on to hug Ken, he realized he was wearing a heavy backpack.

"What'd you bring back with you?" Yuuri asked.

Ken gave him a secretive grin. "Don't worry about it."

Most days, Ken would help Yuuri with his paperwork, at least for a portion of the day, but for weeks afterward, Ken would either ask to stay with Wolfram for the day or take his leave after lunch. Yuuri found it curious but not enough to actually spy into the matter. Maybe they had just missed each other more than he'd realized. Or they were doing something together they didn't want him to know about. If that was the case, he was sure he'd find out sooner or later. He hoped sooner because if they were having fun without him, he'd rather enjoy the fun as well.

Finally, his birthday arrived. He still had no idea what the two of them were up to, but they both wished him a happy birthday and offered to spend the entire day with him. They had a picnic with Greta, then went horseback riding and took a swim in the nearby river. The swim turned into a splash war. Many laughs and kisses later, they returned to the castle still dripping wet.

Gunter cried at their sorry state while Conrad just smiled fondly and handed them each a towel.

They decided to take a long bath together which turned into more than just a bath.

By the time they were getting ready for bed, Yuuri was sure it was the best birthday he could have asked for. It wasn't elaborate, but he never cared for elaborate in the first place. Honestly, he was just happy Wolfram cared enough to celebrate with him considering birthdays weren't typically celebrated in Shin Makoku.

Yuuri was all ready for bed, but he lingered near the closest looking at husbands. Ken was setting out some new candles on the counter while Wolfram brushed his hair at the vanity. He was so lucky to have them.

"Thanks, you guys," he said.

Wolfram rushed past him to the desk. "The day's not over yet."

"But it's been wonderful-"

"Here." Wolfram thrust a stack of papers toward him. There was a huge grin on his beautiful face. "Happy birthday, Yuuri."

Yuuri smiled and took the offered gift. "Thanks, Wolf. What is it?"

"A letter," Wolfram answered proudly.

Yuuri looked down at the writing.

「拝啓 へなちょこ,」

"This is…"

"Japanese," Wolfram finished for him.

Yuuri looked back up at him. "Did Ken translate for you?"

Wolfram shook his head. "Nope! It's all me."

"Wolf…" He paused, feeling an overwhelming warmth in his chest. "You learned all this for me? Is this why you wanted to visit my mom?"

"Well, I couldn't learn by myself and it had to be a surprise."

Yuuri made sure to put the letter down safely. Then he threw his arms around him. "I love you so much! This is the best gift ever!"

Wolfram's arms held him securely back. "But you haven't even read it yet."

"I don't care what you wrote. I'll treasure every word."

"You are really something else."

Yuuri pulled back enough to meet his eyes. "You love me for it."

Greta’s first visit to Cavalcade had been cut short due to their upcoming wedding to Ken. Even though she had only been away for a little over a month, Yuuri and Wolfram (Yuuri especially) had missed her intensely. Her absence had felt like a missing piece to the family puzzle they had finally formed. The only reason Yuuri had sent her away so quickly was because it had felt like the right thing to do as a parent. Now that she was safe and back in front of him, everything in his life seemed aligned, and his mind drifted to that of his daughter’s happiness.

“Did you have fun?” he asked with anticipation.

“I guess so…” she mumbled in a subdued tone.

Yuuri released his grip to cup her cheek. “Didn’t you make friends with Beatrice?” he asked with anticipation.

Greta fidgeted, her gaze shifting uncomfortably. “…I don’t want to go back.”

Yuuri’s heart plummeted. He didn’t mess up her future because of his actions, did he? Would she and Beatrice never become close now? He could never live with himself if he was the reason that Greta didn’t get her own dream wedding.

“Don’t say that, Butterfly.” He gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Wasn’t Beatrice nice? I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun together.”

Greta frowned, turning herself more toward Wolfram. “I’d rather be with you, though.”

Wolfram smiled, gently stroking her hair. “That’s okay. As we said before, you can come home whenever you want to.”

Yuuri gave Wolfram a look, silently urging him to help with his coaxing. “Please, at least go back and try it out one more time. I’m sure you’ll like Beatrice,” he pleaded, hopefully.

Wolfram gave him a questioning look. “Why are you being so pushy about this? Let’s just be happy to have her back for now,” he countered with a touch of annoyance.

Yuuri gave a self-conscious chuckle. “Yeah.”

Ken, observant as ever, studied Yuuri’s actions, obviously reading him like a book. Finally, he spoke to the girl. “Greta, it is lovely to see you again,” he greeted in a calm tone, greatly contrasting her other fathers’.

Greta beamed at him, momentarily forgetting the disagreement. “You, too, Papa Murata.”

Looking at Ken’s soft smile and Greta’s radiant one, Yuuri decided that his concerns could wait until later.

Right now, being together as a family was what mattered.

It was a long day spent bonding and catching up. Greta and Ken were still building their father-daughter relationship, and the girl had spent much of the day asking him about all of the sorts of things she thought only he would know. He told her old folktales by heart, and her eyes gleamed with every word, her feet kicking out excitedly beneath her seat. By the end of the night, she wiggled into his lap as he read her a bedtime story. Yuuri and Wolfram watched on from the windowsill, head cozied up to each other.

It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, but by the time she did, Wolfram was already beginning to doze as well.

Picking Greta up gently, Ken laid her down in her bed and tucked the covers around her. Then, he met eyes with Yuuri and tilted his head toward the door.

Yuuri shook his head, looking fondly at his husband. He didn’t have the heart to wake him just yet.

Ken let out an airy laugh. “Meet me in your room when he’s up.”

Yuuri broke his gaze from Wolfram to meet Ken’s eyes. “Our room,” he corrected.

Ken’s lip curled up. “Yes.” Without another word, he left the room.

Yuuri sat in silence for a long time, just breathing in the tranquility. He was so fortunate that he had gotten everything to work out. Everyone he loved was safe and happy. There really was nothing else for him to worry about right now. Except that his mind wouldn’t stay focused on the present.

Greta was happy now, but would she still be this happy in the future? He remembered how excited she had been when she had gotten engaged. Her entire face lit up when she told him that she was going to marry her very best friend in the world.

Yuuri sighed into the silence of the room. He had to do everything that he could to make sure that they still became best friends. If not, then Greta’s happiness would be limited, and it would be all his fault.

What was the point of getting his own happy ending if it ruined his child’s?

“Stop thinking so much, wimp,” Wolfram grumbled.

Yuuri chuckled. “Sorry. Guess I woke you.”

Wolfram sat up straight and rubbed the back of his head. He had an adorable grumpy look on his face. “Let’s just get to bed, so I can actually sleep.”

Yuuri smiled. “Yeah.”

They walked back to their room in silence, but as soon as they were inside, Wolfram demanded with palpable frustration, "What the heck was that about?"

Yuuri feigned ignorance, trying to defuse the tension. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Wolfram narrowed his eyes, poking a finger at Yuuri's chest. "Why are you so set on Greta and Beatrice being friends? She doesn't have to make friends with everyone just because you do."

Ken settled himself into an armchair, crossing his legs and chiming in with a knowing smile. "That is because Beatrice is the one Greta is destined to marry, isn't that right?"

Yuuri froze. "You pieced that together?" he asked, his surprise evident.

"That is the most logical conclusion given the information you told me," Ken replied with a calm certainty.

Wolfram let out a frustrated sigh. “Great. We haven't even married Ken yet, but you’re already set on planning her wedding as well?” he grumbled.

“Hey!” Yuuri exclaimed. “That’s different. I’m not planning her wedding, I just want to make sure things stay on course.”

Wolfram crossed his arms, expression unimpressed. “If they worked out last time, then they will work out this time too. Just leave it alone,” he insisted.

“But, what if I changed things by sending her there at a different time?” Yuuri’s voice quivered with worry. “What if I ruined their happiness?”

“Then things changed. She’d survive and find new happiness.”

Yuuri’s lip trembled. “But, they were so happy. It’s so sad.”

Wolfram sighed, expression and tone of voice softening. “Trying to fix the future is turning into a poor character trait, you know? I get it, but it’s no good being so pushy about it. No one likes that.”

“I agree,” Ken said calmly. “Children tend to rebel when their parents attempt to control their lives.”

Yuuri's pout deepened. “I’m not controlling her life. I just want to make sure she’s happy.”

Wolfram placed a reassuring hand on his husband’s shoulder. “She’s happy now.”

Yuuri’s heart ached. He knew that Wolfram was right. He should trust Greta to decide the life she wanted to live. Shouldn’t he be the prime example that sometimes a greater happiness can happen by changing things? But he found greater happiness by expanding instead of letting go of the happiness he already had with Wolfram.

Yeah. If he had abandoned Wolfram, there was no way he could ever be as happy as he was right now.

So Yuuri knew that Greta really would find the most happiness marrying Beatrice.

For now, though, he would drop the topic.

Greta did return to Cavalcade. Eventually. After months of holding her ground, a letter from Beatrice herself arrived, requesting that she come back to play with her again. That warm invitation was enough to sway Greta’s heart enough to leave for the agreed six-month period.

When she returned from her trip, it was apparent to everyone that she did consider her a friend. Each time Beatrice’s name was mentioned–by her or someone else–her eyes brightened and her face spread into a toothy grin. Before they could even ask, she set into animatedly telling her fathers about all the games they had played and everything they had learned.

Yuuri listened with rapt attention to every detail, asking as many questions as possible, eager to know everything that had transpired during her time away. Greta’s eyes shone with delight at his interest in her tales. Her other fathers listened attentively as well, but she could tell that they weren't hanging onto every detail. Wolfram especially seemed to lose some details right after hearing them.

"No, papa. I just said this happened," Greta interjected, her amused tone laced with the tiniest bit of impatience before repeating the vital information.

Wolfram blinked, a sheepish smile gracing his features. "Sorry," he chuckled, his fingers absentmindedly twirling a lock of her brown hair. "My mind must have wandered for a moment. Please, go on."

Greta's laughter filled the room, a warm and joyous sound. She continued her lively narration, relishing in the attentive audience and cherishing the connection she had forged with Beatrice.

As the evening wore on, Greta only seemed to become happier and happier. Yuuri squeezed her hand tight, feeling that his worries had almost entirely disappeared.

He couldn’t have messed up the future if she was already this happy to be with her friend.

This cycle continued. Greta would leave for Cavalcade and return with a million smiles and stories. Yuuri would immerse himself in her tales and happiness while Wolfram and Ken would smile encouragingly. It seemed that these bonding moments were making them an even closer family than the last time around.

The kingdom was at peace, and Yuuri didn’t have a single real worry on his mind.

Then, Greta became a teenager.

Teenage girls are a force to be reckoned with. Wasn’t there a saying like that? Yuuri couldn’t quite remember, but he did know that many fathers were ready to pull their hair out during the teenage years. Girls were said to be more rebellious than boys and there was the whole teen pregnancy thing. Not that Yuuri ever thought that was a problem with Greta.

Right?

He couldn’t even let his mind go there.

Still, she was pretty and a princess, both by birth and adoption. The entire kingdom surely had their eyes on her. Marriage requests were already coming in, and although Yuuri rejected all of them, Geta insisted on meeting each of the suitors. She danced with everyone who asked and had even asked a couple of times if she was allowed to date.

She hadn’t been this headstrong before.

The first time around, he had driven himself crazy keeping suitors away from his precious little girl. At least Wolfram had been on his side that time to help. Neither of them had been ready to let their little girl fall prey to a wolf hiding in sheep’s clothing. The only reason Beatrice had been able to sweep Greta off her feet was because neither him nor Wolf had thought anything would develop between them, and by the time it did, they knew the girl well enough to trust her with their daughter's well-being.

This time, however, Wolfram was less adamant about keeping suitors at bay. Yuuri figured that was his fault.

Before, Wolfram hadn’t been ready to let Greta leave them–Yuuri was sure he still wasn’t–yet, this Wolfram knew it was inevitable. Because of Yuuri, he already knew that Greta was destined to marry Beatrice when she turned 20, which meant that he was already mentally preparing himself for her leaving the nest.

What Yuuri couldn’t understand was that Wolfram prevented him from telling all the guys that asked to dance with her at every ball to take a hike.

“She doesn’t need to dance with them. She’s going to marry Beatrice.”

Wolfram smirked. He actually smirked.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just that you said you used to dance with everyone that asked you to because it was the polite thing to do. Isn’t it the same for Greta? She isn’t even promised to someone, unlike you.”

Yuuri blanched at that. He scratched the back of his head. “I mean, yeah…but she is! She just doesn’t know it.”

Wolfram sighed and put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “You need to let her make her own choices.”

Yuuri looked at his other husband for help. Ken was remaining decidedly neutral about Greta’s love life. Light sheened over his glasses. “It isn’t up to you to decide the life she lives, Yuuri.”

Ouch. Okay, Yuuri got that. But he was only trying to help her. What if she was swayed by one of these men and forgot all about Beatrice?

Ken tilted his head causing the light to dissipate. “If she really loves her, then none of these men will matter.”

Yuuri chewed on his bottom lip. Just like how none of the women had ever mattered….

He let out a long exhale. “I just don’t want her to make a mistake.”

Wolfram’s shoulders stiffened. “That is her mistake to make.”

“What if she gets pregnant, though?” Yuuri asked, changing tactics. He knew that Wolfram would never stand for that.

Wolfram’s fists clenched. “Oh, she better not! If any of them even touch her, I’ll burn them to a crisp.”

Yuuri laughed and tried to calm him down. “Alright, alright. But maybe don’t incinerate them just for dancing with her.”

The sun bathed the royal gardens of Blood Pledge Castle in a warm, golden glow as Yuuri and Greta enjoyed a refreshing afternoon tea. The temperature was just right and the tea and pastries were exquisite as usual. Wolfram really was missing out because of his training.

Yuuri’s mind was just drifting off to what Ken must be up to today at the temple when Greta once again, ruined a perfectly fine conversation by bringing up dating.

“No,” Yuuri said with finality.

“But, Dad!” she insisted, setting her teacup down loudly on its saucer. “It’s not fair! You married Papa when you were 16.”

Yuuri refused to be swayed. “That was different.”

She crossed her arms, imitating Wolfram’s pissed-off face nearly perfectly. “Different how?”

He had already lived an entire lifetime. He had already known without a doubt that he didn't want to live his life without him. “I knew that he was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“Which you knew because you spent time with him. That’s the whole point of dating.”

Yes, it was. But she already knew Beatrice, and that was enough. If he let her date then…then!

He wasn’t about to let his little girl get taken advantage of by some horny teenage guy!

“I said no, so it’s no.”

Greta groaned, kicking her legs out at the bottom of the table childishly. “I bet you wouldn’t say that if this was about Beatrice.”

Yuuri’s entire demeanor changed. “Is this about Beatrice?”

“Ah!” she shrieked. “Why are you obsessed with my relationship with her?”

“Because I can tell how happy you are when you're with her."

Greta fidgeted in her seat. "Well, yeah, she's my best friend."

"You know," he drawled, leaning over the table, "both Wolf and Ken were my best friends, too."

"Dad!" she whined.

"What?" he chuckled. "It's true."

Greta poked her bottom lip out in a pout. "You're meddling. You want me to date her."

Yuuri froze, unsure what to do now that he was busted. "Uh…Yeah?" he answered in the form of a question.

"I knew it!" Greta pointed a finger at him. "You want me to be like you."

Yuuri leaned back in his chair. "Not really. If I wanted you to be like me, I'd want you to date Beatrice and ...” he paused for a second to think, “ Irina."

Greta threw her head back with a groan. "So, basically you just don't want me dating guys."

“No,” he said unconvincingly. “I just think you and Beatrice would make a really cute couple.”

She snapped her face toward him. “I guess not, since I’m not allowed to date. Her or anyone else.”

Yuuri had royally screwed up.

From then on, Greta’s rebellion worsened in retaliation. She refused to return to Cavalcade, telling Yuuri that it was “unseemly to spend so much time alone with a suitor.” It didn’t matter how many times Yuuri pressured her or Beatrice invited her with nothing but kind words.

“I’m going to make her go,” Yuuri announced one evening as he settled into bed for the night.

Wolfram set his brush down on the vanity, turning around in his chair to look at him. “No, you’re not.”

“But, Wolf!” Yuuri whined.

Both Ken and Wolf shook their heads. “Stop being so childish about this,” Wolfram said. “It’s your own fault she’s doing this.” He sighed. “I feel bad for Beatrice. The poor girl must wonder why she stopped visiting all of a sudden.”

“Yeah…” Yuuri agreed. He had thought Greta was a better person than someone who would knowingly hurt her friend.

Not that he hadn’t knowingly hurt Wolf in the past as well…

Ken sat down on the edge of the bed. “Why not invite Beatrice here, then? That way you aren’t controlling Greta, but they will still have to spend time together.”

Yuuri bolted upright and threw his arms around him. “You’re a genius! I love you!”

Ken chuckled, holding onto his arms. “I know.”

The three of them decided that it was best not to tell Greta about Beatrice’s visit ahead of time. That way she couldn’t make an excuse to leave or to tell her friend not to come. She arrived as quietly as possible, as instructed. An envoy sailed to Shinma with her, but only a single carriage driver made the rest of the journey to the castle. Yuuri himself was only aware of her arrival when one of the guards brought her to his office.

Beatrice wore a silver dress and a smile light enough to match. She bowed her head and gave a shallow curtsy. “Thank you so much for inviting me, Your Majesty,” she greeted with all of the polite sophistication she must be learning from her lessons.

Yuuri grinned. “No, thank you for coming. I know you must’ve missed Greta.”

Beatrice’s smile wavered. “Yes. It saddens me that she did not invite me here herself.”

Yuuri gestured to the chair across from him and she moved to take it. “That’s probably my fault.” The girl tilted her head in question. He sighed. “I think my parenting has come off as too strong.”

Beatrice held her hands together in her lap. “Do you not approve of our friendship?” she asked in a subdued tone.

Yuuri shook his head. “No!” he exclaimed, earning himself a confused look. He paused, taking the moment to calm himself. “I guess she thought she could change my mind on something.”

“I see,” Beatrice said slowly.

Yuuri shifted in his seat. “But you didn’t come to see me. You should go talk to her about it. She’s probably in her room.”

Beatrice stood and inclined her head. “Thank you, again.”

Yuuri waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

Greta sat on the windowsill in her room, gazing out at the rolling hills beyond the walls. Somewhere beyond those hills the sea began, and across that open water, Beatrice waited impatiently for her reply. Greta leaned her head against the windowpane, trying to ease the knot forming in her chest. It had been months since she had last seen her friend, and over a week since she had decided not to reply to her friend’s request to see her. There were only so many empty excuses she could make up.

It weighed heavily on her heart. She knew she was hurting her, and really, all she wanted was to see her again, but she refused to give in to her dad’s control that easily.

A knock sounded at her door. “Greta? Are you in there?”

Greta’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice immediately. It was Beatrice.

She jumped up and straightened out her clothes. Why was Beatrice at the castle? A rush of emotions rose in her chest–excitement, embarrassment, and relief.

The door creaked open, and Beatrice stepped inside, a glowing smile on her face. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

"Greta!" Beatrice exclaimed, her voice and face bursting with joy. Her friend bolted over to her, wrapping her in a friendly hug.

Still frazzled, Greta hesitated to return the hug. Her cheeks burned. “Beatrice! I…I’m so glad to see you,” she stammered.

“I’m glad. I was worried my showing up unannounced might upset you.”

Greta returned her hug, eyes glistening. “Of course not. I missed you more than I thought I would.”

“Oh…” Beatrice pulled away. “Why haven’t you visited me, then? I thought maybe you didn’t want to be my friend anymore.” Her lip trembled, mirroring the hurt in her voice.

Greta’s heart sank at the sight of how her absence had made her friend feel. Frowning, she grabbed onto Beatrice’s arms with sincere urgency. “No, of course, that's not it! You’re my very best friend.”

Beatrice met her eyes, seeking answers. “Then why?”

Greta’s grip on her arms loosened slightly as she let out a full-body sigh in frustration. “Because of my stupid Dad.”

“Which one?” Beatrice asked with a hint of amusement.

Greta’s lips turned up at her friend’s attempt at lightening the mood. “Mr. Maoh.”

Beatrice giggled at the title. “Would he not let you come?”

Greta averted her eyes guiltily. She didn’t want to hurt Beatrice, but she knew she had to be honest. “No. Actually…He wanted me to go.”

Beatrice’s merriment faded back into sadness. “Then why didn’t you?”

Greta plopped down on the windowsill. “I’m just sick of him thinking he knows what’s best for me,” she admitted, laying bare all of her emotions.

Beatrice joined her, sitting down a comfortable distance away. She gave her friend an empathetic look. “So, you just wanted to be able to make your own choices?”

“Yeah, and….” She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s just a bit more complicated than that.”

Beatrice gently placed a hand on Greta's shoulder. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“But I haven’t been fair to you. You deserve an explanation.”

Beatrice put a finger on her chin. “I do , but as your friend, I’ll overlook it. As long as you make me a promise.”

“Name it.”

Beatrice grinned. “No more pulling away from me. You have to come visit almost every time I ask–I know that things come up!--and let me visit whenever I want to.” She kicked her legs out as she waited for Greta’s answer.

Beatrice looked as youthful as ever with her smile and posture which struck a nostalgic cord in Greta. Part of why she enjoyed spending time with Beatrice so much was that they were free to act as childishly as they wanted with each other. Her friend’s hair was even adorned with little white flowers, which brought back memories of the two of them picking out the best flowers to stick into each other’s hair.  Yet as Greta really looked at her, she noticed that Beatrice’s charm was more refined today. Her dress was fit for a maturing young woman. The elegant silver bodice and flowing skirt were layered and cut to accentuate her slender frame.

She looked lovely and delicate, like the flowers in her hair, and Greta realized that she didn’t really want to look away.

Beatrice’s face scrunched. “Soo?” she asked again.

“Oh!” Greta couldn’t believe she had forgotten to answer. She nodded. “Yeah,” she answered, licking her lips. “Of course.”

Beatrice studied her intently, then stuck her pinky out. “Pinky promise?”

Greta giggled. “Pinky promise.”

Warmth spread from where their pinkies touched.

Beatrice stayed for a week before returning to Cavalcade. During the time, the two girls were practically joined at the hip, much to Yuuri’s amusement. Every time he looked at them, Greta just scowled.

She was cute, much like her father.

No wonder Beatrice fell for her.

Patting himself on the back for a job well done, Yuuri put it upon himself to play matchmaker by inviting Beatrice to visit more often. He planned more balls, crafted other social diplomatic events, and invited Beatrice over for casual family outings. Each time, Greta protested, but as soon as Beatrice arrived her protests died down, replaced with delight and subtle bashfulness.

One day, as Greta and Beatrice wandered through the castle gardens, Yuuri conveniently bumped into them. "Oh, Greta! Beatrice! What a nice surprise!"

Greta glanced up, her expression turning from surprise to a mixture of annoyance and suspicion. "Dad, what are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms defensively.

Yuuri feigned innocence, holding his hands up. "I was just taking a walk since the weather is so nice today. Seems you both had the same idea."

Beatrice blushed slightly, casting a shy glance in Greta's direction. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Your Majesty."

Yuuri grinned.  "Same to you, Beatrice. I hope you're both enjoying your time together."

Greta huffed, casting a sidelong glance at her father. "We were having a nice time before you showed up."

Beatrice looked aghast, but Yuuri chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting. You probably want your privacy.”

“Dad!” Greta yelled, cheeks dusted pink. “We’re just taking a walk.”

Yuuri chuckled. “Did I say you weren’t?”

She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “Your intentions are perfectly clear."

Beatrice looked between them in confusion.

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Yuuri whined playfully. “I just wanted to make sure you two were getting along.”

Greta narrowed her eyes. "Yes, as you can see. We've been spending time together, so just lay off it."

Still smiling, Yuuri raised his hands. "Alright, but remember, Beatrice is a wonderful young lady. You might regret it if you take too much time.”

“Dad!” Greta cried in a mix of embarrassment and defiance. "We're just friends."

Finally realizing what this was about, Beatrice diverted her attention to her shoes, cheeks a deep shade of pink.

Silence fell between the three of them, the flower-scented air filled with unspoken feelings and possibilities. Satisfied that he had planted a seed in Beatrice’s heart at least, he chuckled and waved.

“Okay, I’ll leave you two alone now. I’m sure Gunter’s looking for me.”

When Beatrice took her leave for the day, Greta stomped down the castle hall toward Wolfram’s studio. The room smelled of disgusting paint, but she would gladly take that over Yuuri’s meddling. Wolfram looked up immediately at the sound of her slamming the door behind her.

“What’s wrong, Greta?” he asked with concern.

Scowling, she plopped down on a chair, folding her arms across her chest. “I can’t believe Dad!”

Wolfram sighed and put his paints down. “What did Yuuri do this time?”

“He ambushed me and Beatrice in the gardens. We were having a fun time, and then, bam, there he was. And he basically told me to hurry up and court her before someone else does. Right in front of her!” She threw her head back at the embarrassing memory. “How can I even show my face in front of her again?”

Wolfram chuckled lightly. “I mean, it is true.” His face turned serious when she set a glare at him. “I’m sure Beatrice understands that Yuuri is overstepping. You have told her that he is acting this way.”

“Yeah, but…” She wrung her hands. “I didn’t tell her what it was about…”

“It’s okay to be embarrassed.”

Greta frowned. “It’s only cause of Dad, though. He’s making things…weird.”

Wolfram approached Greta, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Greta, Yuuri just wants to make sure you’re happy. He probably thinks that since you two are best friends, Beatrice would be the best match for you."

Greta's frustration wavered, replaced by a mix of confusion and vulnerability. "But I want to make my own choices."

Wolfram nodded, his grip on her shoulder gentle. "I understand. Your feelings and choices should always come first. I’ve told Yuuri this already, but well, he has made it a habit to interfere when he thinks it’s necessary.”

Greta’s frown deepened. “Why does he think it’s necessary? If we really like each other, we shouldn’t need his meddling to realize it.”

Wolfram sat down in the chair near her. “That is something that you should discuss with him. But I promise you, he has good intentions. He loves you just as much as Ken and I do. If you have an open, honest conversation with him about your feelings, I’m sure he will listen.”

Greta nodded, a sense of determination settling in her heart. "I'll have a conversation with him. I'll make sure he knows that I appreciate his concern but that I need the freedom to figure things out on my own."

Wolfram squeezed her shoulder gently. "That's my girl. No matter what, I’ll support you."

A sense of relief washed over Greta as she looked into her dad’s caring eyes. His support gave her confidence in the conversation to come.

Wolfram, with his fiery golden hair and piercing emerald eyes, stormed into the royal study, his steps resolute and determined. Yuuri, engrossed in paperwork, looked up in surprise as his husband's presence filled the room with intensity.

"Wolf, what's wrong?" Yuuri asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

Wolfram planted his hands firmly on the desk, leaning forward to meet Yuuri's gaze with a mixture of frustration and protectiveness. "Yuuri, you need to stop meddling in Greta's love life."

Yuuri frowned. "But, Wolf, I think I'm finally getting somewhere."

"Then, you've definitely done enough. You embarrassed her so much today, she told me she wasn't even sure how to face Beatrice again."

"Oh." Yuuri hadn't meant to cause her distress. "I just thought that maybe I could nudge Beatrice to confess if Greta won't."

Wolfram let out a long sigh. "What if she does, but Greta rejects her because of everything you've done? I know you're trying to help her, but Greta deserves the freedom to choose her own path, just like we did. You changed your future, so shouldn't she be allowed to too?"

Yuuri's shoulders slumped. He hadn't thought of it like that. "You're right. I guess, just because it happened one way before doesn't mean that's the best. I'll apologize tomorrow."

Wolfram's face softened. "You should tell her, Yuuri. Tell her why you did what you did."

"Huh? But wouldn't that just be more meddling?"

Wolfram shook his head. "I think what is upsetting her the most is not understanding why you are being so pushy. She thinks you want to control her."

Yuuri's frown deepened. "I guess I was."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you if you apologize and explain. But maybe don't tell her they got married. That would probably freak her out."

Yuuri gave a small smile. "Probably."

He rose and wrapped his arms around Wolfram. "Thanks, Wolf. I guess I thought I knew what was best since I knew what was best for me."

Wolfram returned the embrace. "You need to stop looking toward the future when the present is right in front of you."

"You sound like Ken."

Wolfram laughed. "That means it's true, then."

Laughing as well, Yuuri said, "I guess so."

The next morning, Yuuri found Greta sitting outside on a bench near the fountain. When her eyes met his, they were filled with determination.

"Morning," he greeted her with a tentative wave.

"Good morning," she said. "Papa talked to you, didn't he?"

Yuuri laughed. "You could tell?"

Great brushed the tips of her fingers over the edge of the bench. "You seem a bit nervous."

Yuuri laughed again and sat down. "Yeah, well, I realize now that wasn't being fair to you. I just wanted to make sure you were happy but I didn't go about it the right way."

"You keep saying that," she said with a hint of annoyance, "but I don't understand why you're so obsessed with it. Do I seem unhappy?"

With him, yes, a bit, but he figured it was better to keep that to himself. "I owe you an apology and an explanation." Sighing, he took placed his hand over hers. "I'm going to tell you something I probably should have told you a long time ago. It's going to be hard to believe, though."

Greta looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Yuuri swallowed. "Well, it's the reason why I married Wolf so young, decided to marry Ken, and acted the way I did to you. You see, I actually died and got sent back in time."

Greta's eyes bulged. "What? That's so cool!"

Yuuri chuckled, letting go of her hand. He was surprised that she believed him so easily, but she had always been a fan of Anissina's wild tales. "It wasn't fun at first, but it was definitely worth it."

She blinked. "Oh, sorry," she said quietly. "You said you died. That must have been scary."

"Yeah," he admitted. "But that wasn't the scariest thing, so it was fine."

"It wasn't?"

He gave a sad smile. "Don't worry about that. What matters is that I was given the chance to fix things with Wolfram."

She frowned. "Were they broken?"

"Yeah. I just hadn't realized it. So, this time around I made sure to treat him right."

Greta smiled, then began bouncing in her seat. "Can you tell me all about it?"

"How about later? I think you have enough to think about as it is."

"Aw." She made a pouting face, then gasped. "That's why you were so nice to me!"

Yuuri took her hand again. "I would have never been unkind to you, Greta."

She giggled. "I know. You're one of the nicest people on the planet."

"Aw," he gushed, pulling her into a hug. "And you're the best daughter I could have asked for."

When he pulled back, she was smiling warmly. "Sorry, I've been acting so rude lately."

"That's okay," he said, waving the concern away. "I wanted to make sure that things went just as well for you now as it did before, but your dad made me realize that I made new choices, so I need to allow you to too."

Greta rubbed over her hand. "Then, uh…Beatrice and I…"

Yuuri smirked. "Yep. The cutest couple ever."

Her face flared, voice quivering. "I do like Beatrice. But I didn't realize right away, and then, I couldn't bring myself to admit it because I wanted to make my own decisions."

Yuuri's eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I was worried that my actions were going to change things, so I tried forcing you two together. I should have trusted you to forge your own path like Wolf did."

Relieved tears welled up in Greta's eyes. "Thanks for caring so much about me."

He bumped his shoulder against hers. "Of course. That's what dads do."

She laughed and hugged him. "So, if I do tell Beatrice how I feel, you promise not to make a huge deal about it and embarrass me?"

He took a moment to reply, pretending to think about it. "I guess I can do that."

"Dad," she complained even though she was laughing.

Greta's heart raced with both nervousness and excitement as she approached Beatrice's home in Hildyard. She had spent hours rehearsing how best to express her true feelings. Taking a deep breath, Greta knocked on the door with a trembling hand.

The door swung open, revealing Beatrice herself. Her pretty eyes widened in happiness. "Greta! I’m so glad you made it!” She pulled Greta into a warm hug. “Come in.”

Greta stepped inside, keeping her gaze locked with Beatrice's. She could feel her palms growing clammy, but she pushed through the nerves, reminding herself that she owed Beatrice this confession after all of the confusion she had been causing her. "Beatrice, there's something I need to tell you," she began, her voice steady but filled with emotion.

Beatrice's eyes widened, curiosity and anticipation shining in them. "What is it? You seem serious."

“Are your parents around?”

Beatrice squinted her eyes a bit at the change in topic. “No.”

Good. They wouldn’t hear her then. “Okay, maybe we should sit down first, though?”

Beatrice rubbed her arm. “Greta, you’re kind of worrying me.”

Greta smiled comfortingly. “It isn’t anything bad, promise.”

Beatrice sighed in relief, then walked over to the couch. Greta walked over slowly, taking time to gather her thoughts. She sat down, took a deep breath, and began. "I know that I’ve been acting strangely lately. I need you to know that it had nothing to do with you. Well, it did, but it wasn’t anything you did. As you’ve probably guessed by now, my dad has been trying to set us up.” Beatrice opened her mouth, but Greta continued before she could interject. “That got me thinking a lot about our friendship and what it means to like someone. My dads are a bit obsessed with each other, so I guess I figured that’s how you knew you loved someone. I realized that I think about you more and more often. I thought that it was because my dad kept bringing you up, but when I was ignoring you, you were pretty much the only thing I could think about. You’re also so pretty, and I’ve always admired you. You have this certain grace about you. You know all of the best recipes and memorization tricks, and you make me feel giddy without even trying. What I’m trying to say is that I think I like you more than a friend.” Finally, Greta paused, gauging Beatrice's reaction.

Surprise flickered over Beatrice’s face before bashfulness replaced it. “I have been thinking about it, too. I had wondered for a while now, but then I heard your dad mention it, and that’s all I’ve been able to think about since then.”

Relief washed over Greta, a wide grin forming on her face. "So, you feel the same?"

Beatrice nodded, smiling herself now. "I believe so. I care about you so much and love spending time with you more than anyone. And," she broke their eye contact to look at the floor, “I think you’re really pretty as well.”

Greta could feel her cheeks flushing at the compliment. Her heart soared with joy, and she couldn't help but reach out to hold Beatrice's hands in her own. "This is amazing! I was nervous to admit my feelings, but I'm so happy that I did. I can't imagine being without you, Beatrice."

Beatrice's cheeks flushed with a rosy hue as she squeezed Greta's hands. "I feel the same way, Greta. Does this mean that we are girlfriends now?" She giggled at the unfamiliar word.

Greta giggled too. “If that’s what you want. You’re the one person Dad gave me permission to date,” she said with a playful eye roll.

“Then…” Beatrice shut her eyes and leaned in.

She didn’t move, but Greta knew what she wanted. Her heart pounded in her chest as she closed the gap between them, softly pressing her lips against hers. It was only a quick peck, but it was enough to shoot butterflies off in her stomach.

As they pulled apart, their eyes locked, and Greta's heart swelled with affection and gratitude. Beatrice's voice was filled with warmth and affection as she asked, “What now?”

Greta squeezed her hand. “We keep walking forward hand-in-hand and see where this takes us.”

Greta entered Yuuri’s office to find him frowning at a large stack of papers. “Are you busy?” she asked hesitantly.

Yuuri shifted his gaze away from the papers to her, smiling instantly. “Not any more than usual.” He laughed. “The paperwork never ends, no matter how much I try.”

Greta gave a laugh as well. It wasn’t really funny, but if he could find humor in it, she would as well. Would she have this much paperwork if she reestablished Zorashia? Now that she thought about it, if she did end up marrying Beatrice, they would end up ruling Cavalcade together. An image of them sitting around in their own office splitting the paperwork played through her mind. Her heart began to pound just at the thought.

“What’s up?” Yuuri asked.

She took a seat across from him, fiddling with her hands. “I talked to Beatrice…And I guess we’re dating now…”

Yuuri’s face lit up like a lantern. Unable to control his excitement, he jumped up from his chair and came around the desk to pull her into a tight hug. “That’s amazing, Greta! I’m so proud and happy for you!”

Greta laughed, hugging him back just as tightly. "Thanks, Dad. I'm glad I went through it.”

Yuuri released her from the hug, his eyes sparkling. "So it did make you happy?"

“Yeah,” she admitted, chest feeling warm. “More than I thought it would.”

Yuuri cupped her cheeks. “I’m so glad. That’s all I wanted.”

All of Greta’s previous reservations evaporated. She liked Beatrice and her dad was genuinely happy for her. She took a step back, expression earnest. "Dad, I appreciate your support, but I need you to understand that Beatrice and I are going to take things at our own pace. I'm not ready to get married or anything yet."

Yuuri's grin softened into a warm smile, his eyes filled with pride and affection. "Of course, Greta. I’m done being a busybody, promise. Take things at whatever pace you want. Just know that your fathers are all here for you and supporting you." He smirked. “Which means that you’ve got our blessing to pop the question whenever you want.”

“Dad!” she complained through a giant grin. She was actually relieved to know that she had all of their support in this. “Thanks,” she said in a soft tone.

Yuuri brushed over her hair. “You’re our daughter. We just want the best for you, and we know that Beatrice will treat you right.”

Greta smiled. “And so will I,” she said with determination. “We’ll figure things out together."

Yuuri nodded, pride shining in his eyes. "Just follow your heart, Butterfly."

Ken knew something about forever. It was a word that was frankly overused. No one lived forever, and even if someone could, they wouldn’t want to. Ken had memories from 4,000 years ago. Most were pleasant, even downright joyful, but too many were painful, even tragic. It took a lot out of someone to carry that with them, even if the memories were not necessarily your own. Everyone had karma, but Ken’s was strong enough to cause PTSD if he let it.

Ken would never in his lifetime make a promise of forever. It would be a lie, and a distasteful one at that.

Still, it was a word used far too often, even as a promise. Shin Makoku’s traditional wedding vows included the line: “And under Shinou’s watchful eyes, I promise you forever. From this day forward until the day death parts us, I will stand beside you. No matter the trial that attempts to shake us apart, we will weather the storm. Forever, will our love triumph.”

It brought a bitter taste to his mouth. You could choose to love someone for as long as possible, but you could never promise that nothing besides death would part you from them. That was something his soul had learned early on. Love did not always triumph.

But somehow Yuuri’s had. For now at least. That reckless loverboy managed to somehow rewrite time in order to make his love last. He even risked all of his progress on someone like Ken.

If anyone could achieve forever, it would be someone like Yuuri.

Perhaps forever wouldn’t be so bad if it was with Yuuri and Wolfram.

Shinou asked him once if he would consider changing his mind. All it would take would be a snap of his fingers for Daikenja’s soul to continue on as before. He could remember his love for these two men for centuries. For a moment it was tempting. More for their sakes than his own. He knew how the reincarnation thing went, though. He’d remember them, but he still wouldn’t ever be Ken Murata again. A part of him may still love them, but he wouldn’t choose them. Even if the thought occurred to him, his soul was always too defiant to repeat the same decisions again for the sake of proving that he really was his own person.

The three of them didn’t really discuss the matter. Ken preferred appreciating the now that he had with them rather than dwelling on the day that it would end. He knew that the idea of his shorter lifespan troubled Wolfram, and Yuuri didn’t even want to think about it at all. The few times it did come up, though, he always spun that distasteful promise on its head. He couldn’t promise forever, but he could promise now. He could remind them that his decision to start anew in his next incarnation had nothing to do with them.

Grasping their hands, he would push their own together as well. They would be fine without him, he said. It wasn’t a wish, or even a promise. It was an assurance. Ken could always see the flash in Yuuri’s eyes because the king knew it to be true. They could live a long and happy life together even if he wasn’t by their side.

Chapter 2: Wolfram

“I hate it,” Wolfram said, not caring one bit that his voice was frigid. It was halfway Ken’s fault that he was feeling this way. It was childish and pessimistic, but he hated to look at him. He hated the wrinkles creasing his skin, the greying of his once-midnight hair, and the pity that now stared back.

It had been bad enough when Ken first appeared older than either of them, but now it was ridiculous. To anyone who somehow didn’t know who they were, it would look like they were dating someone old enough to be their grandparent.

Wolfram hated it. He hated it more than he had hated anything in his life, which was saying something.

He hated to see how time was draining the man he had come to know. He hated knowing that it would one day take him away from them. He hated that there was nothing he could do about it.

Wolfram wasn’t crying. His emotions were all channeled into rage, heat spreading across his skin. Even so, Ken brushed a finger under his eyes as if searching for tears.

His face wrinkled further when he smiled sadly. “I know,” he said in a now raspier voice.

But you won’t do anything about it, Wolfram thought bitterly. He was being selfish. He knew that. Swallowing down the bile in his throat, he demanded as haughtily as possible, “Kiss me and make up for it.”

“Of course,” Ken said easily, kissing him just as easily.

It wasn’t a soft kiss. Ken knew what Wolfram was asking for. The Mazoku wrapped his arms around his husband, locking him into place. The universe would take him eventually, but not right now. Not while he was safe in his arms.

Eventually, they had to break apart to breathe. Wolfram didn’t let him go, though. He didn’t take mercy on him either. His mouth found the junction of his shoulder and neck and bit, hard . Ken was his and Yuuri’s alone. He would tell the universe that if he had to.

Ken’s hand cradled the back of his head. “Wolf…”

Wolfram growled at the nickname. He was overflowing with emotions: anger, sadness, love and lust. He needed him. He needed him to stay .

“I’m here,” Ken whispered, a bit breathless.

“I know,” Wolfram said. I know, he repeated to himself. “And as long as you are, you’re mine and Yuuri’s, you got that?” He punctuated his words with another bite.

Ken gasped, hand tugging on Wolfram’s hair, either intentionally or accidentally. His husband replied shakily, “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but today, I’m all yours.”

Wolfram hated it. He hated when he spoke like this. Mostly, he hated it because it was the truth.

He pushed the man in a non-gentle manner onto the bed. “Prove it.”

Ken closed his eyes, obviously not pleased by his childish behavior. He was also turned on by it. Wolfram could tell and used it to his advantage, maneuvering himself squarely within his personal space. He let his breath run hot over his husband’s face and collar. His thigh rubbed against his when he reached down to tease over the outline of his erection through his trousers.

“Wolf,” Ken sighed out at the touch. His eyes flickered back open, and thank Shinou above, that horrifying pity was gone, replaced with unfiltered lust.

“Prove it,” Wolfram demanded again, keeping his touch as teasing as possible.

Ken surged forward to claim his lips. Wolfram’s eyes closed as a semblance of relief settled over him. His hand pushed harder around Ken’s erection, and the man flipped them over in response.

Wolfram sighed knowing that he still had enough oomph in him for some manhandling. Using his free hand, he entwined his fingers with his, just holding on for a moment. Then he moved the other man’s hand to his chest so that he could feel his heart, before moving it down to his own erection.

He covered up his emotions with a smirk. “Are you going to claim me or not?” he asked in a mocking tone.

Ken’s own smirk was a better mask, but Wolfram had learned to see around the edges by now. “I think I’ll take my time about it. We have plenty, after all.”

Wolfram sucked in a breath that had nothing to do about the suggestiveness of that statement. His fingers clenched over Ken’s even as he rocked his hips against his touch. “I’d like to see you try,” he said.

Ken smirked for real now and so did Wolfram. His heart felt easier now.

Chapter 3: Yuuri

It had been a week since Ken died, and Wolfram was still a mess. He wouldn’t even get out of bed, let alone leave their bedroom, except to use the toilet. It was extremely troubling.

Yuuri was actually surprised he was taking it better than his husband given how badly he reacted back when Wolfram died. He supposed there were many reasons for that, though. He was older and much more mature now. While he had blamed himself for Wolfram’s death, there was no one but nature to blame this time. Yuuri held absolutely no regrets this time around. He had made the most of their time together, and that’s all he could wish for.

Ken had lived a long and happy life. 90 years was a great achievement in human terms. Wolfram didn’t see it that way, though. To him, that was nothing but a blip in time. Yuuri couldn’t blame him. The two of them supposedly had hundreds of years left to spend together. Just the two of them.

It was unsettling if he thought about it too hard. Would he one day forget what Ken’s face looked like? Not the face painted on canvas but the real flesh and blood face that he could feel and kiss.

“Wolf,” he coaxed with a hand on his husband’s back, “lunch is here. You should really eat something.”

“I’m not hungry,” he mumbled back.

Yuuri couldn’t have that. At this rate, he would lose weight. “Pleease, for me?”

There was a second of silence before the blonde huffed and flung the blanket off of his head. He didn’t look well. His honey locks were tangled and dark circles rimmed his reddened eyes. His eyes took in the tray of confectionery. “That’s not lunch, it’s dessert.”

Yuuri smiled nervously. “Well, I thought this might cheer you up.”

Wolfram’s frown sunk lower. “Sugar doesn’t make up for losing him.”

His words cut into Yuuri’s heart like a sword. “I know that! I just hate seeing you like this.”

Wolfram tore off half of a doughnut and shoved the entire thing into his mouth. “Go do paperwork or something, I’m fine.”

Yuuri shook his head, firmly placing his hand over his. “I’m not leaving you alone until you feel better.”

Wolfram glared. “Then get settled because I don’t think I’ll ever be ‘fine’ again.”

Yuuri frowned. “Don’t say that. Ken would hate that.”

Wolfram almost looked ready to cry again. “What am I supposed to do? We only had like half of my life together. And I have all this time still.” He flopped back against the pillows. “I should have just kept hating humans. It’s better that way.”

Yuuri leaned over him, forcing him to meet his gaze. “No, it’s not. You had all that time with him. That’s what matters. And you still have me.”

Wolfram searched his face, and Yuuri could see his walls crumbling. His mouth trembled before the dam broke. A wretched cry tore from his throat as he clung to Yuuri as if for dear life.

Yuuri held him silently waiting for him to let everything out. He started crying at some point as well. He wasn’t sure if he was crying for himself, for Wolfram, or for Ken.

Eventually, Wolfram stopped shaking as his voice came out wet and somber. “Yuuri, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Do I have to stop loving him?”

“Never.” Yuuri never intended to.

He couldn’t see Wolfram’s face, but he could feel him stretch his neck. “Good…I don’t think I can.”

Blindly, Yuuri groped for his hand and entwined their fingers. “Neither can I. We’ll love and remember him together.”

“For–” Wolfram cut himself off abruptly. “Yeah.”

Yuuri squeezed his hand tighter. “Until we can’t any longer.”

It took a long time for Wolfram to reply, and when he did it was almost inaudible. “Yeah.”

Well, Wolfram wasn’t having it, especially not this early in the morning. His arms were crossed and the scowl on his face was unforgiving. “I get that you both need to go to Earth every once in a while, but why the hell do both of you need to go together?”

“You can just admit you’ll miss us,” Ken teased.

Wolfram turned his scowl solely on him. “Of course, I’ll miss you! I’d miss either of you anyway, but leaving me here alone is just unfair.”

Ken wasn’t swayed by the show of anger. He was actually grinning as if he didn’t think for a second that Wolfram would do anything about the anger. “You’re adorable when you’re angry.”

Wolfram groaned. Maybe he wouldn’t burn his face off, but he was definitely not against chucking a pillow at his face.

“As much as I’d like to stay here with you,” Ken continued, “I really have to go this time.”

“He’s right,” Yuuri added. “You know my mom’s always going on about how I don’t visit often enough, so it’s not like I can skip. But then Ken hardly ever visits his family since they are practically never home…” He trailed off. Wolfram guessed the pause was because he was coming up with some lie on the spot. “Apparently, they found out he hasn’t been home in nearly a year and called my mom about it.”

It was definitely an excuse. He had learned by now how to tell when Yuuri was hiding something. Wolfram hated it when he was hiding something. “That still doesn’t make sense,” he pressed. “Ken could go first, and you could go after. I’m sure Mama won’t mind that much.”

“Well…” Yuuri gave a cheeky grin and scratched his cheek. “Ken’s parents will probably blow up at him over moving out without telling them. So, I should go and support him, you know?”

“Fine, but I’m going, too,” Wolfram said. “I should support him as his husband, too.”

“You can’t!” Yuuri exclaimed. Definitely a guilty response.

Wolfram narrowed his gaze further. If they wanted to go to Earth, he wasn’t going to stop them, but screw them for lying about the reason.

Quickly, Yuuri backpedaled. “Someone needs to run things while we’re gone.”

“Brother can do it. I’m sure he won’t mind. He’s done it plenty of times before.”

“Yeah…” Yuuri agreed. “But we were dealing with important matters. There are three of us. We shouldn’t just throw work on him just on a whim. That’s unfair to him.”

Wolfram grumbled. He hated that Yuuri made a good point. “You know, sometimes I hate that you take being Maoh seriously.”

Yuuri chuckled. “I never thought I'd hear you say that. Before, you'd always call me a wimp for not working hard enough.”

Wolfram scoffed, turning to the side. “Yeah, well, you shouldn't neglect your husband either.”

Yuuri pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head.

“Don't pout. It will only be for a day or two. We'll make it up to you when we get back.”

Wolfram eyed Ken who was still grinning. “You better.”

Ken crouched down with a gleam shining over his glasses.  “We could also make it up to you now if you'd like.”

“Jeez,” Wolfram complained. Didn’t they ever stop? “It's not like that's why I'm annoyed. I can handle a few days without sex.” Unlike two specific someones.

He thought that, but he didn't protest when Ken moved closer to him

After saying a “proper goodbye,” his husbands took their leave. Since it was still mid-morning, this left Wolfram in charge of all paperwork for the day. Both his head and his hand hurt by the time he made it through the entire stack of papers. At least he was able to relax in a nice hot bath, but just as he feared, it was hard to get any sleep alone anymore. The bed was too big and cold without his husbands. As much as he hated himself for waking her, he ended up slipping into Greta’s room to sleep there. It still wasn't the same, but it was better.

It was now morning. He was still tired, but at least he had managed to get a little bit of sleep. As much as he did not want to, he figured he should get up and start on the stupid paperwork. Then maybe the day would pass sooner and his husbands would return and he could actually get a good night's sleep

As soon as he sat up, Greta opened her eyes

“Papa? Are you going to work already?”

Wolf smiled and brushed her cheek. “Yeah. Sorry. I think Yuuri and Ken will be back today. Then I can shove the work onto Yuuri and play with you.”

Greta puffed her cheeks out. “I want to play with Daddy, too.”

He chuckled. “Alright. I'll work hard to get everything done so he can play.”

Greta smiled and latched onto his side.

Getting through the paperwork today was easier since he was doing it for Greta instead of Yuuri.

Still, that wasn’t enough to stop him from feeling annoyed that he was the one stuck doing this while his husbands were off doing whatever. If they wanted time alone they should have just said so. He could have stayed in his old room for a day and would have even offered to help with the paperwork. He would have hated it, but he would have done it. For them. Because they asked. Leaving him like this with an excuse was just rude. This didn’t only affect him either. They should have thought about Greta. If they had just wanted time together, they could have stayed here and at least seen her for a little bit during the day.

They were both being selfish as far as he was concerned. If either of them thought he was giving them any tonight, they were sorely mistaken. And if they weren't back today, well, they better get used to the hottest cold shoulder imaginable.

He worked all the way until dinner, only stopping for a short lunch with Greta in the garden. By the time he was finished with dinner, he had a permanent glare. He was not going to appreciate another night of poor sleep.

Yet somehow, Yuuri and Ken managed to promptly return right after he was finished eating. Greta raced ahead of him to the fountain while he walked casually. He was far too tired, full, and disgruntled to put in any unneeded effort.

Much to his annoyance, his irritation mostly evaporated when he spotted their goofy grins. Yuuri's was expected. That hopeless romantic seemed to lose his shit every time he reunited with him regardless of the circumstances. Ken’s, however, was interesting. It was only two days. Normally, he'd be met with a more reserved smile or maybe a smirk. This made him realize they must have been up to something.

"Wolf!" Yuuri cried ridiculously. He was hugging Greta, but he gently stepped away from her so that he could launch himself at Wolfram.

Greta looked a little disappointed but she smiled at the display anyway and moved on to giving Ken his hug.

“It was only two days, wimp,” Wolfram said but he hugged him back anyway.

After a long moment, Yuuri pulled back so that Murata could hug him this time.

“Greta,” Yuuri said, “Can you go play in the garden? Your daddies need a bit of privacy, then we'll come play with you. Promise.”

Greta glared. “You better keep that promise.”

Yuuri laughed. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“No!” She exclaimed, honestly looking frightened by the statement. “Don't die.”

Yuuri just smiled, unfazed by Greta’s worry. “I won't because I won't break the promise.”

“Alright,” she said still looking a little worried

Shaking his head fondly, Wolfram watched her run off. “You shouldn’t make promises you might not be able to keep.”

Yuuri brushed his thumb over his cheek. “But I will keep it.”

Wolfram could feel himself softening but pushed it away. “You can’t promise what I will do, wimp.”

Yuuri just smiled. “Because I’m sure you want to go off by yourself we’ve been gone.”

Wolfram steeled his face into coyness. “Maybe I do.”

“But we came bearing gifts!” Ken announced, holding up a cutely decorated purple felt bag.

Wolfram eyed it in suspicion. Then he realized that Yuuri had one identical except that it was yellow instead of purple. “What did you bring me?” he asked trying to hide his anticipation.

The twinkle in Ken’s eye showed that he did a poor job of hiding it. “Chocolates.”

Wolfram furrowed his brow but snatched both of the bags. “Why did you bring me chocolates?”

“What?” Yuuri asked. “We can’t just treat our husband?”

Wolfram gave him a look. “This is a lot for a simple treat. Besides, I know you two planned this. What exactly is this about?”

Ken chuckled. “I told you he’d catch on, Yuuri.”

Yuuri sighed. “Oh well. I was going to tell anyway.”

“You see,” Ken started, “today is what we call on Earth Valentine’s Day.”

“Valin Tines Day?”

Ken grinned and repeated the name slower this time. “It’s a day when people give each other chocolate as a sign of affection. Then in Japan, we have another day called White Day where those that received gifts return gifts.”

Wolfram licked his lips. “So, I need to return a gift on this White Day.”

“No,” Yuuri said immediately.

Wolfram tossed his head. “Why’s that?”

“We did this because we wanted to, not because we wanted you to give us anything.”

Wolfram planted his hands on his hips, making sure he kept a good hold on each of the bags as he did so. “Yeah, well, maybe I want to do this for you guys too. I don’t see any chocolates for each other.”

“We did this for you, Wolf,” Yuuri said.”

Wolfram glared. “You’re going to explain to me how to do this White Day, or else I’m going to make you both split these with me.”

“No!” Yuuri cried as if that was a horrible fate. Wolfram had to suppress a smile.

Ken sighed. “Okay, fine. Traditionally, in Japan, girls give boys homemade chocolates on Valentine’s Day, and then on White Day, the boys give girls white colored items.”

“Like marshmallows?”

Ken chuckled. “Yes, you could give those. It doesn’t have to be food, though. It also doesn’t have to be white-colored, just like how it doesn’t have to be girls giving gifts on Valentine’s Day and boys giving gifts on White Day.”

Wolfram nodded his head taking this all in. Then his eyes bulged. “Wait, you made these handmade?”

“Yep!” Ken stated proudly.

Wolfram clutched them to his chest. “I changed my mind. No way am I sharing these with you.” They were precious once-in-a-lifetime treasures. “You can go on ahead of me.”

“Why?” asked Yuuri.

“Because I have to go hide these before Greta asks me to share.”

Both of his husbands chuckled at him, but he didn’t care. He was going to eat all of these chocolates and savor every bite of them.

The chocolates weren't the most extravagant dessert he had ever eaten, but to Wolfram, they were the best thing ever. Yuuri claimed that was to be expected because they "made them with love." Well, Wolfram wasn’t about to be outdone. He could make his own goodies “made with love.”

He didn’t know how to make chocolate. Maybe a cake would be better. No, that seemed too easy. Besides, neither of them were huge on sweets. He’d either have to make one joint cake or he’d end up having to eat some, which was not what he wanted at all. It was all for them! Weren’t there tiny ones you could make called cupcakes? That could work. He could even write little messages in the frosting. Oh! And he could make white cake with vanilla frosting to match this White Day tradition. It was perfect.

Even though he had no clue when this White Day wis, he set to work inside the kitchen the next day. With Yuuri back, he had the day free and he needed to perfect his recipe in time. Of course, his plan didn’t move along without any issues. The maids were not exactly thrilled to have him taking up space and ingredients on his little “experiments.” Plus, it only took a few hours for Greta to track him down.

“What are you making, Papa?”

Wolfram wiped flour off his hands. “Just something for your dads.”

The girl perked up. “Can I help?”

“I…” Wolfram wanted to say no. These were his gifts after all. But looking at her hopeful smile, he knew he couldn’t say no. She was his precious little girl after all. And he was sure his husbands would eat the cakes up even more knowing that Geta helped as well. “Yeah, okay. You can mix the ingredients, and I’ll pour.”

It took 15 batches before they seemed “good enough.” They still weren’t up to the standards the maids would have produced, but they were surely better now. As much as it hurt his pride, most of the success was due to Greta’s help. She had caught that he had turned the oven up a tad too high and wasn’t pouring the batter evenly enough. She had even suggested that they add sprinkles to the mix, which inspired him to add some cut-up fruit as well.

The icing was all up to him, though. That was a job he put his foot down on. He remembered once when Yuuri gave him these little heart-shaped candies on Earth that said cheesy lines like “Sugar is sweet and so are you.” He took inspiration from that, adding little messages in pink icing. Classier messages, mind you. Classy, thoughtful, and personal. His favorite just said “WIMP” in bold lettering. He was sure Yuuri would love that one, too.

There was a skip in his step as he carried the tray of cupcakes down the hall. The guards gave him looks, but he ignored them. They should mind their own business.

“You seem really happy, Papa,” Greta said.

“Of course, I am,” he said proudly. “I get to show them that I am just as capable of giving meaningful desserts.”

Greta giggled. “They’re going to be so happy. I bet they’ll give us both really big hugs.”

Wolfram held back a laugh. Knowing them, he’d be getting a lot more than a hug for this. “Yeah, I’m sure they will.”

He knocked once before opening the door to Yuuri’s office.

Yuuri looked up, and immediately stood up. “Wolf? Is that–”

Wolfram puffed his chest out. “You bet it is!”

An enormous grin broke over Yuuri’s face and he rushed over to them. “You made these?” he asked incredulously.

“Don’t sound so surprised. I can bake when I want to.” Wolfram smacked Yuuri when he pursed his lips.

“I helped!” Greta chimed in from beside him.

Yuuri looked down at her. It didn’t seem like he had even noticed she was there. He crouched to her level and put a hand on her head. “Thanks, Greta. I’m guessing you didn’t come up with any of these cheesy sayings did you?”

“Hey!” Wolfram exclaimed. “They aren’t cheesy. They’re heartfelt.”

Yuuri stood up and stared closer at the cupcakes. “Baseball boy?” he asked, holding the cupcake up.

Wolfram turned his head to the side. “Yeah, well you are one.”

“You got me.” He chuckled. Then his voice fell into seriousness. “Ooh…Wolf….”

Wolfram looked to see which one he was holding up now. Till the End of Time . “It’s true,” he said.

Yuuri pulled him into a hug. “Thank you. I love them.”

Wolfram returned the hug, pushing his head into the crook of his neck. “You’re welcome.”

The hug lingered until Greta eventually tugged on Yuuri’s pants. “I want a hug, too.”

Yuuri shook like he was exiting a trance. “Right, sorry, Greta.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you so much, Greta. I’m sure they taste delicious. Do you want anything special next time I go to the market or to Earth?”

“Nuh-uh,” she said, shaking her head. “I only helped cause I love you and Papa.”

Yuuri squeezed her tighter. “You are such a good girl!”

She giggled. “Ow, Daddy, that kind of hurts.”

“Sorry, sorry!”

Wolfram smiled and set the tray down on the bit of empty space on the desk. “I’m going to go find Ken to give him his. Meet us later?”

Yuuri met his eyes. “Always.”

Wolfram shook his head at the overflowing sappiness on his way out.

Ken had returned to the shrine to make sure everything was okay after his absence. It took about two hours to get there by carriage. Horse would have been faster, but he wouldn’t have been able to make sure the cakes weren’t messed up during the trip. He could have waited until that night when he returned to give them to him, but he was too excited.

Now that they were married, he was allowed free access to the shrine, so he didn’t have to worry about any shrine maidens spying on his beautiful cupcakes. He found Ken in the back room rehanging a giant portrait of Shinou.

Wolfram grimaced at the sight of it.

“Hey!” Ken said when he spotted him.

“Hey, can we go somewhere else?” Wolfram asked, gesturing to the door. He didn’t want to do this under Shinou’s watchful gaze.

Ken gave him a look, then looked suspiciously at the covered tray. “Sure, follow me.”

He led them to a cozier room with plush seats. “What brings you here?”

“I come bearing gifts obviously.” Wolfram shoved the tray into his hands. “Happy White Day.”

Ken laughed. “White Day isn’t for practically a month.”

Wolfram wasn’t amused. “Yeah, well, whatever. No one told me that part. Are you going to accept them or not?”

“Oh, I’ll definitely accept them.” Ken uncovered the tray so that the decorated cupcakes were on display. “Wow.”

“Greta helped some,” Wolfram said. “I didn’t think I should bring her all the way here, but you owe her a hug when we get home.”

“Of course…But you,” he looked back at him, “deserve a kiss for this.”

Wolfram tossed his head. “I would hope so.”

Ken snickered. “I don’t even know if I can bring myself to eat these.”

“You have to!”

He smiled wider at Wolfram’s insistence. “If only I could take a photograph first.”

“Photo graph?” Why would he want a graph of photos?

“It’s an image that you can keep. Sort of like a painting.”

“Oh,” Wolfram said even though he did not really understand. “You want to remember what they say?”

“Yeah. These actually mean a lot.”

Wolfram took his hand in his. “You don’t need a photo graph. Yuuri and I will keep saying these things to you forever.”

Something passed over Ken’s face. Maybe sadness, maybe relief, or maybe something else. Possibly it was a mix of all of it.

“And if you really want,” Wolfram continued, “I can write down a list of everything I wrote for you to keep.”

“Would you do that?”

“I’d do anything for you, Ken. You just have to ask.”

Ken sighed and squeezed his hand back. “I love you.”

Wolfram smiled and leaned in, stopping just short of his lips. “I love you, too.”

Ken sealed the kiss. It was laced with desperation, and Wolfram pulled back quickly.

“Set them down before you ruin them,” he demanded.

As soon as Ken did, he pulled him back into the kiss. With his hands free, Ken seized the opportunity to hold his waist. Soon they were meshed together on one of the chairs. They kept kissing until Ken broke it to mouth at his neck instead.

The Great Sage unbuttoned the top of his dress shirt so that he could get easier assess. He licked a stripe over his skin and Wolfram couldn’t help laughing at the ticklish sensation.

“I’m really glad we left that other room,” he said.

“Why’s that?” Ken asked as his hands reached lower to Wolfram’s behind.

“Because I wouldn’t have let you go this far in front of our Almighty Shinou.”

Ken chuckled into his neck. “I’m sure he would have loved that.”

Wolfram held his head closer to him. “I’m even going to let him look at you anymore.”

“He saw me just earlier, you know,” Ken said right before biting down.

“You know what I mean. You’re mine and Yuuri’s. I meant everything I put on those cupcakes.”

Ken lifted his head. “I know…And I am. Yours.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before he pushed Wolfram back into the next seat. Ken got up and picked up one of the cupcakes. “How about we share one?”

“I made them for you two alone.”

“Come on, please?” He made that pouty face he learned from Yuuri. Damn them for always wearing him down.

“Fine.”

Grinning, Ken dipped his finger into the frosting and stuck his finger out. Wolfram knew what he wanted, so he opened his mouth so Ken could feed it to him. He couldn’t see well enough to know for sure, but he guessed the cupcake Ken was holding was the one that said “My whole life.”

The frosting was sweet and melted on his tongue. He sucked on Ken’s finger even after the frosting was gone.

When he extracted his finger, Ken dipped it back into the frosting and stuck his finger into his own mouth. He sighed at the taste. “It’s sweet just like you.”

“Isn’t Yuuri the sweet one?”

“Why can’t you both be sweet?”

“Because I’m the hot one.”

Ken gave a hearty laugh. “I can’t argue with that.” He took a proper bite out of the cupcake and Wolfram held onto every second it took him to chew.

“Is it alright?”

Ken shoved the rest of the cupcake into his mouth. “I don’t think I need that list. I won't ever forget these cupcakes.”

Regardless, I'm looking forward to this date. I have had Earth "dates" with Ken before but never any I could actually call dates. It’s funny to think that I was free to hold his hand but not to flirt, and now it’s the other way around. I'll just hold Wolf's instead.

I can't wait to see that open amazement as Wolf takes in the crazy Japanese culture.

We each pick a date spot. Wolf, unsurprisingly, chooses the local art gallery, and Ken chooses the local history museum. I can’t say I’m too interested in either, but I’ll go for their sake. As for me, I’m caught between an amusement park and the arcade.

At the art gallery, Wolf flutters around each painting like a moth to a flame. His face is shining like a child in innocent wonder. He rambles on about the different art styles and color uses and stuff. I can’t make heads or tails of most of what he’s saying, but it’s adorable to see him this excited. I just smile encouragingly, but Ken, cultured as he is, is able to actually provide feedback on the techniques. Each time he does, I can see a glint in Wolf’s eyes, an appreciation for his conversational ability.

Since this is Wolf’s date, he gets to choose the food as well. We end up at a street vendor selling hot dogs. I doubt his refined pallet will appreciate the meat blob, but he insists on trying it since he’s heard it’s the trademark baseball food. He follows my lead and orders a traditional one with just mustard, while Ken goes all out with a chili cheese dog.  

Wolf’s face scrunches up at the first bite. He’s gotten a bit of mustard on his lip.

“What do you think?”

“It’s…bland, yet I still want to eat more for some reason.”

Ken chuckles. “It’s the MSG.”

“MS what?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. I wipe the mustard off his lip with my finger before popping it into my mouth.

“Yuuri!” he complains, looking around at the people on the street.

I take his hand and start walking us down the street. “Relax. No one knows us.”

“Still…”

In the past I would have cared as well, but I’m past that. I don’t care about holding back due to stupid judgments that can’t hurt me.

At the museum, it’s Ken rambling, although his is more structured. He seems to know enough history to be a museum tour guide. I lose count of how many times he points out a flaw in the information plaques posted around the displays.

“How many lives have you had on Earth?”

“I’m not sure. I stopped counting lives after the first 10. I’ve been on Earth for quite some time now, though. I had a life as a historian, so I know all about the ancient civilizations of the world. I’m less knowledgeable about modern times.”

It’s really interesting, but I know that by the time we return home I won’t remember a thing. Wolf looks just as interested, but oftentimes grows confused. Ken is really good at picking up on it and explaining more context in the simplest terms possible. Perhaps he should become a tour guide for Mazoku tourists on Earth. As if that’s needed. But maybe it is an idea worth exploring.  

It’s Ken’s turn to pick the food. He picks a fast-food burger place.

“Really? More ground-up meat?” I give him a judgemental look. “This isn’t even fit for a date, let alone fitting for a Mazoku. I know Wolf wanted to try hot dogs, but we really should be feeding him higher quality products.”

Ken shrugs. “I figured we might as well give him the true Earth experience. Burgers are a tried favorite.”

I shake my head. “You do like hamburger, don’t you?”

He smirks and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Not as much as you like hot dogs.”

My eyes widen at his words. How am I even supposed to reply to that? I do like hot dogs. I also like hot dogs . I can’t pretend it isn’t true.

Wolf gives us a look, hands on his hips. “Stop secretly flirting. If you’re gonna do it, you better do it in the open.”

Ken raises his eyebrows. “Oh, I was just commenting on how much Yuuri enjoys hot dogs.”

Wolf makes a face. He probably isn’t piecing together the innuendo. Maybe it’s the hunger or Ken’s easy charm, but I’m bold enough to lead in and whisper in Wolf’s ear this time.

“Don’t worry, Wolf. I love your hot dog.”

He makes a high-pitched noise as he realizes just what we are talking about. “I…” He glances around at the few other patrons in the store before saying firmly but quietly. “I’d better hope so.” With that, he stomps up to the register leaving both of us free to chuckle at his reaction.

Finally, it’s time for my date. We stand in a long line at the entrance to the seasonal carnival. I figured this was the best option since Wolf probably can’t ride any of the rides. Here, there will be carnival games and sweet food as well. Wolf is angling his body to try and take in as much as he can of the carnival while we wait. Once we get inside, he stands in awe taking in the sight of the bright lights, the sound of excited screams, the smell of greasy sugar, and the feel of the wind coming from moving rides. That awe dies down when he realizes just how fast most of the rides are moving.

“Yuuri,” he says evenly, “you know that I have motion sickness.”

“Y-yes,” I say feeling a little nervous.

“Why did you think this was a good choice, then?”

“Because it’s a dating staple! Yeah, that’s right! Like Ken said about hamburgers, you need the full Earth and dating experiences, right? Besides, we can do other stuff than ride the rides. I bet you’ll love funnel cakes. And I can win you a giant stuffed bear.”

“A bearbee?” he asks, adoration in his eyes.

“No…they don’t have those here.”

“But,” Ken cuts in, “we might be able to find a bumble bee instead, if you’d like.”

“What is a bundle bee?”

Ken smiles. “Here, why don’t we look around and see if they have any.”

Eventually, we do find a bumblebee. It’s the grand prize for the shooting gallery. If it were bottle toss, I’d be confident in my throwing skills, but I’ve never been good at shooting. The aerodynamics are different. I give it a good try anyway and fail miserably. Wolf’s calling me an incompetent wimp and I’m challenging him to try then if he thinks it’s so easy. We’re both too caught up in arguing to notice that Ken has picked up the gun until the buzzer dings at a direct hit.

One, two, three. His score racks up until a singsong melody plays from the speaker proving that he has won a first-place reward.

My mouth gapes when he presents the gigantic bumble bee plush to a grinning Wolf. My fiance takes the plush and immediately smooshes his face against it. “I’m going to call you Randolph.”

“How did you do that?”

Ken shrugs as if it was no big deal. “I play shooting games.”

“Win me one, too.” I sound spoiled but I really want a gift from him, too.

He chuckles and I wonder if he’d be patting my head like a child if he could. “Alright. Which one do you want?”

I study the display of brightly colored animals. It's hard to see at first, but buried beneath a pile of teddy bears is a little grinning black fox. The eyes are squinted so you can't see the pupils. It immediately reminds me of Ken for his sly wit and hidden nature. It's nice on the eyes as well.

"That one."

"A fox? I thought you liked dragons best."

"I want the fox."

"Suit yourself."

He wins easily again and I can't decide if I'm jealous or turned on. When he hands it to me I decide impressed is the safest emotion.

Wolf's face is hidden by his plushie. "It’s only right you have one, too.”

Ken sets a winning smile at him, but with his face hidden as it is, I doubt he can see it. “You pick it out for me, then.”

“Oh, uh.” Wolf scans the animals, clearly thinking deeply about the decision. “The wolf,” he finally says, pointing enthusiastically.

“Why that one?”

“That way you’ll never forget which of us picked it out for you.”

Ken’s still smiling at him. I wouldn’t have put it past him to kiss the back of Wolf’s hand, but we’ve both been on good behavior.

Again he wins the plushie. He does mess up more this time, which makes me feel a bit better. The wolf required the least amount of points anyway.

We play a few more games. I do fine on bottle toss, cornhole, and darts. Ken is naturally the most versatile of us, doing decently at practically every game. Wolf takes the ones he tries far-too seriously. He throws darts with a frightening intensity and battle cry. With basketball, he throws the ball so hard against the rim, it bounces off and into the attendant’s face.

Ken is still laughing about it. “How about we take a break and eat?”

“Yeah, we should find the funnel cakes.”

We begin walking, looking at the different vendors we pass.

“I bet he’d also like deep-fried cheesecake bites,” Ken says.

“What? I didn’t know they make those. Why don’t we split a set? I want a big pretzel myself. You?”

He smirks. “Chili cheese fries.” I can’t tell if he is just picking that to egg me on about the hamburger comment.

We end up having to stop by multiple vendors. Which would be fine, except of course, Wolf ends up wanting to try carmel apples, cotton candy, and mozzerella sticks as well. As much as Wolf has always enjoyed sweets, he’s also always coupled that with healthy, organic proteins, frutis, and vegetables. I feel like we are tainting his healthy diet with this one trip. At least he’ll get some nutrients from the apple.

“Let me try your fries,” he demands as soon as we sit down.

“Sure.” Ken offers it freely and sets into his chicken tenders.

I take a bite of my pretzel as Wolf makes an agreeable sound. He sets his gaze on my pretzel. “Give me a bite of yours, too.”

“Don’t you have enough food?” I pass it over, though, and he pointedly bites from the same spot that I did.

Ken folds his hands over the table and sets his chin on them. “That isn’t exactly fair, Wolfram.”

Wolf smirks back. “Are you bothered by our affection?” He leans his head on my shoulder.

Ken lifts his cheeks higher. “Not at all. I would say it’s the opposite.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s…” Ken leans further across the table, “titillating.”

I choke on my drink. “Did you really just say that? Who uses that word?”

Ken sets his smile at me. “I do. Why, does it titillate you?”

“Dear lord.” I rub my forehead. He could probably make any word sound sexy, so yeah, I probably would be if he were whispering it to me under a different circumstance. But no, I’m not titillated by the word when we are sitting in public surrounded by unhealthy junk food.

“Just shut up and eat!”

“Yes, sir.” He tosses a cheesecake bite into his mouth and makes an obscene noise.

Okay, that was titillating.

“I think we’ve done everything,” Wolf comments.

“Not everything,” Ken says. He continues when Wolf gives him a look. “We still have the rides.”

Wolf crosses his arms. “Like I said, I can’t ride any of them.”

“Not true. You can probably ride the Ferris wheel.” He raises his eyebrows. “It’s a hotspot for lovers, you know?”

“Really?” Wolf turns to me. “Which one is this Ferris wheel?”

I point to the giant lit-up wheel. “It lifts you up slowly in a circle.”

He fiddles with the end of his t-shirt. “I think I can handle that.”

“You’re welcome,” Ken says, discreetly brushing his shoulder against mine behind Wolf’s back.

The line is short since most people are lined up for the roller coaster. Wolf’s smiling, but when we step into the swaying compartment, that smile wavers. He sits next to me, and I take his hand reassuringly.

“It’s safe, and if anything were to happen I would save you.”

He sighs in relief. Once he’s calm, he frowns at me and squeezes my hand back. “I’d save you, too.”

“I know.”

Ken has a bittersweet smile. “You two are…sweet,” he finishes after a long pause. He knows as well as Wolf about my issues. No use bringing them up and ruining the pleasant atmosphere.

“Look,” I point at the horizon that we are beginning to rise above, “isn’t it pretty?”

Wolf pushes his face close to the glass and Ken laughs. He really is cute, like a little excited pomeranian.

When we reach the highest point, Ken explains, “It’s tradition to kiss at the top.”

Wolf looks at him, then me. If Ken doesn’t mind, then I don’t see why not. “You need that full Earth experience, right?”

He huffs, but pulls me in for a kiss by the collar of my t-shirt. I expect something chaste considering our audience, but he pushes roughly at my lips. I moan against him, feeling the compartment rock slightly at his movements.

The sound of clapping fills the air. “Daamn.”

My cheeks feel hot for two different reasons.

“Jealous?” Wolf goads.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.” He leans in close. “But let me tell you a secret, Wolfram, it’s Yuuri I’m jealous of, not you. To have such passion thrust upon you, and by someone as exquisitely beautiful.”

I can see faint pink coloring my fiance’s cheeks before he whips it to the side to look outside the window.

“We should ride the roller coaster before we leave. What do you say, Yuuri?”

“I mean I want to, but…” I don’t want to leave Wolf out.

“Come on! It will be fun.”

“You should go,” Wolf says encouragingly. “I have the plushies to keep me company until you return.”

“If you’re sure.” We start walking over to the line.

“Remember when we rode this before? You were so scared you nearly broke my hand.”

“I wasn’t scared,” I lied. “I was excited.”

Wolf stomps up beside us. “I changed my mind. I’m going to ride, too,”

“But you’re motion sickness–”

“It’s seasickness!” he asserts. “I can ride a horse just fine.”

That’s not the same thing, but whatever.

It isn’t a large roller coaster, but it isn’t the tiniest either. Fortunately, it doesn’t do anything crazy like go upside down. Even I’d throw up if it did that. The cars seat two, so poor Ken has to sit alone behind us. If one of us had to, though, I sure he’s the one most capable.

The cars begin crawling up the long slope and already I can feel Wolf gripping my hand tightly. I want to ask if he’s okay, but it’s too late to get off now and I don’t want to make any panic worse. I squeeze the handrail as he death-grips my other hand as we take off on the descent. I can hear Ken’s scream of glee behind us. My own is a mixture of thrill and anxiety, but Wolf’s is downright dreadful.

I ache to do something to make it better, so I pull him in against me. This ends up being a very bad decision. Not a second later, he’s puking down my shirt. It’s sticky and unpleasantly warm.

Wolf looks miserable and ashamed as we stumble out of the ride. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I say that, but I’m going to have to stop by the gift shop for a new shirt. There’s no way I’m making it home in this filth. “Why did you think you could handle it anyway?”

He looks only at his feet. “I didn’t.”

“Then why?”

“B–because I was jealous, okay?”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Because Murata said you held his hand last time. I said no touching, and…I wanted you to hold my hand.”

I laugh and grab his hand. He looks up at me in surprise. “I wouldn’t have held his hand, and if you wanted me to hold yours, all you had to do was ask.”

He looks back at his feet. “It was stupid.”

“And petty,” Ken adds. I give him a look to say “not helping.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve asked a lot of you, so don’t be so hard on yourself. I do need to get out of this shirt, though.”

“Oh,” Ken says with interest. “Going to take it off for us?”

“I might throw it at your face.”

“Kinky.”

Yeah. He won’t be saying that when he has puke in his mouth.

Even though everyone praised me for my unparalleled beauty, comparable to Shinou himself, it was Daikenja that I wanted to imitate. This was an ideal I was forced to abandon after realizing that the fire of my element would never allow me to be as cool and calculating in my reactions. But that was a good thing, I decided. If I was destined to act upon my emotions, then I might as well embrace them with all that I am. People may call me overreactive, pretentious, or snobbish. Let them. I will make a name for myself beyond this beauty of mine.

My devotion to Daikenja lived on as I cultivated my mind with history and books of all kinds. A frivolous part of me dreamed about one day meeting The Great Sage and impressing him with my well-readedness. As if that could ever happen.

Except, I do meet the newest incarnation of The Great Sage, but by the time I know it, things are already…complicated.

Yuuri falls into my life. Literally falls right off of his horse, Ao, in front of me. Quite a wimpy display. I am convinced this “king” is a soft, naive child, entirely unworthy of respect and fealty. But then he has the nerve to defend his mother’s honor against my demeaning words.

By proposing to me!

It is brash! Impulsive and foolhardy. Not something The Great Sage would ever do, but I can’t help feeling an ounce of respect. Given my station and temper, few would dare display such boldness. If I think about it, it’s something I would do. But I’m nothing like this wimpy pacifist! I don’t want to accept that someone like this is worthy of taking up my mother’s mantle. Suppressed respect twists into anger and pride. How dare he propose to me? He knows nothing about me. He’s entirely beneath me and my ideals.

Embracing this anger, I challenge him to a duel, sure that I will win and that will be the end of it. Even if he does become the Maoh, I can return to Bielefeld and never have to see his infuriatingly inviting face again.

But things don’t go as I planned. This foolish boy turns into an impressive man before my eyes. Maryoku so strong no one could deney where it comes from.

The Maoh. The only other equal to Shinou and The Great Sage in the Mazokus’ eyes.

I’ve never idolized the Maoh the same way as Shinou and the Great Sage. It would be strange to when this spirit had inhabited my own mother for a while. Still, reverence is ingrained and seeing it first-hand takes my breath away.

Of course, my breath fully returns when the wimp passes out as soon as the maryoku dissipates.

But maybe he isn’t as much of a foolish wimp as my first impression.

Yuuri did not come to Shin Makoku alone. He came with a friend named Murata Ken. An enigma. Every book I’ve read has stated that Shinou’s power is the only way to travel between worlds. Sure, this power allowed Conrad to travel to this place called Earth, but otherwise, travel should be restricted to the Maoh alone.

Who is this friend, I wonder? He rarely speaks up, observing more than anything. A few times he catches me staring and flashes me a grin that can only be taken as a flirt. I’m used to flirts because of my beauty but usually, they come from strangers who stop once they get a look at my explosive tendencies. Oddly, Murata Ken does not. Odder still, this is coming from someone claiming to be a friend of my now fiance. I find it disconcerting until I realize he flirts with everyone.

After my duel with Yuuri, he insists on watching over him with me. It takes three whole days for him to wake up, and even when I excuse myself to eat and sleep, Murata stays planted at his bedside. I get that they are friends, but isn’t this too devoted? He has his fiance to look after him, after all.

I try to make conversation, but his responses are all frivolous.

How did you get here with Yuuri? Who knows?

Why are you so concerned with him when he isn’t even hurt? Because we’re friends.

Who are you really? What do you mean? I’m Murata Ken.

I give up and try not to read too much into it. Maybe friendships are stronger on Earth? Still, my pride could never survive it if I was cheated on right after getting engaged, so I make sure Yuuri knows I’m serious.

I sneak into his room the night before his coronation dressed…decidedly not slutty. Arousing. Yes, I am dressed arousingly. Although, the fact that I’m still wet from my bath is definitely seductive. But that’s fine because enticing him is the entire idea. I can see the reaction in his eyes, too. First surprise, but this quickly changes into excited nervousness. He asks me if I’m here to seduce him in not so many words, and the way he asks makes me wonder if that’s what he wants.

It’s obvious that he didn’t know what he was doing when he proposed, but if I didn’t know that, he’d seem smitten with me from the way he gravitates to me like a planet around the sun.

We sleep next to each other that night. It’s strangely relaxing to sleep next to another person and feel that body heat. Just as I feel ready to drift off to the thought that I could get used to this, I feel his arm drape over me.

The next day, immediately after his coronation, Yuuri asks to court me. It seems this boy from another world is full of surprises. Apparently, he is serious about this relationship. This news makes me happier than it should. It isn’t like I love him or anything! But I’m also a bit disappointed. We’ve been spending so much time together, but now we will be limited to the courtship allotments.

For some reason, it takes me a long time to fall asleep in my bed that night.

My emotions, already a mess trying to figure out how to feel about my fiance, are spun entirely upside down the next day.

Murata Ken is none other than The Great Sage.

The long-held dream from childhood has really happened. There was no fanfare, no grand entrance, and no gushing on my part.

It’s a lot to take in. This enigmatic, flirtatious, friend of my fiance is the same idol I used to fantasize about. I don’t know what to say or how to act around him anymore. What does he think about me? What sort of impression have I given him? I always wanted to hear his praise and now I fear he may think me troublesome. I want to ask but I’m too afraid of the answer.

We are having a celebration, which he definitely deserves, and I feel like I should say something. I should definitely say something, but I don’t know what. It would be too embarrassing to gush over him and his accomplishments now that he’s seen my uglier side.

Finally, I am pushed up to him by my brother. “Everyone else has already spoken their recognition. As the a former prince, you cannot shy away from your duty.”

I gulp as I’m brought face-to-face with The Great Sage’s grinning face. He’s attractive in a very similar way to Yuuri. Black hair, darker than Yuuri’s and longer. Black eyes, deeper than Yuuri’s, as if they are portals back in time to all of his previous lifetimes. They are a bit frightening, a bit intriguing. To learn all that he knows and see all that he has seen.

I can feel my childhood eagerness returning. Against my better judgment, I start to reach out my hand to touch his face near those endless eyes, but manage to stop myself at his contemplative look. Again, I wonder what he thinks of me. The overreactive pretty boy who is just standing in front of him without saying a word.

“Von Bielefeld.” He tips his head just slightly and I bow on impulse. He chuckles at my reaction. “No need for that. Thank you for attending my celebration. You would think I would be used to this by now, but this is the first time I’ve been the center of such a large event as Murata Ken, so it still feels a bit intimidating.”

“Really?” I ask. Because of course, this is what I end up saying rather than admitting to my deep admiration.

“Yes.” He leans back against the wall. Before now, he had been standing poised as the line of dignitaries greeted him in turn. Seeing as I was the last in line, I suppose he figures he can relax a bit. It certainly can’t be because I make him feel more relaxed. That would be preposterous.

“I have all of these memories, but none of them are my memories, you know?”

It takes a moment for that to set in. I suppose he’s right. Just because he knows that he lived through something isn’t the same as having experienced that same thing. How does it feel to experience something for the first time when you already have a memory of experiencing it? I long to ask him but the words rest unmoving on my tongue. “That sounds complicated.”

“You bet.” His expression is soft but there is a glint over his glasses so that I can no longer see into the pools of his eyes. Perhaps that is for the best.

A silence falls between us. I have waited my entire life to meet you. I don’t say. I dreamed of what you would be like. I definitely don’t say.

“Did you know Yuuri was the Maoh? Is that why you became his friend?” I do finally say.

Murata tilts his head and the glint leaves the lenses of his glasses. “Yes, I knew he was the Maoh. I have known that since before he was even born. Our roles are definitely what brought our souls together, but I like to think we became friends despite that. I like Yuuri. He’s a good guy.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I choke out. Jealousy fills my stomach. Yuuri is my fiance. Murata doesn’t have any right to like him. Except that he does. He knew Yuuri first and by right can ask for anything that he wants.

“If you give him a chance, I’m sure the two of you can be happy together.” His smile and tone are heartfelt and it feels like a blow to my stomach.

Here I am getting jealous over someone I deeply admire just because he has a friendly affection for my fiance. Why am I acting like a possessive spouse when I only like Yuuri?

“I’ll try,” I say. “What about you?”

Murata raises an eyebrow. “Hm?”

I can feel heat rising to my cheeks, so I lower my head. “Just forget it!”

“No,” he insists. “What did you want to know?”

Damn. I’m sure he can tell how flustered I am, but I have to answer. “Do you have someone you are giving a chance?”

His expression turns wistful. “That is a long story, and I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

The evasiveness is not lost on me. Suddenly, he feels closed-off and I realize that I poked at something I shouldn’t have. Love is not always pleasant, especially when you probably hold lingering feelings from lives long past.

“Apologises if I brought up something painful. I just wanted to say my regards.” With that, I bow again and make my leave.

I am excited for my first official date with Yuuri, but it is awkward that Murata is our chaperone. He is literally there observing us with that intent gaze as we attempt to charm each other. I wonder what he’s thinking. I don’t know how well I do, but Yuuri seems to have fallen head-over-heels from this one date and does a damn fine job of telling me so. It catches me off guard having such affection thrust at me.

I’m both disappointed and relieved when Murata calls the end of our time. As much as I want to hear more of what Yuuri thinks of me, I am worried I might do something I regret if I stay any longer.

Murata tells me to take my leave and gives Yuuri a look. It is encouraging but also something else, and I can feel that jealousy rising up again. I don’t want him to spend time alone with Yuuri when I can’t.

“I would prefer it if you accompanied me back instead, Your Grace.” The smile I give him is definitely forced.

Murata gives me an equally fake smile. “Certainly. See you later, Yuuri.”

We walk in silence for a long time, before he finally speaks up. “Did you have something to say, or did you just want to keep the two of us from being alone together?”

Damn it. Of course, he saw through me. “What is your relationship with Yuuri?”

He gives me an overly cheerful smile. “Why, I’m his friend of course.”

Of course…I sigh. Why do I feel so conflicted? My stomach drops every time I see him with Yuuri, but my heart still lights up when I see him. All I ever wanted was to have an amicable relationship with The Great Sage.

“What is your relationship to me?” I ask before I can stop myself.

He stops walking and turns to me. “That is an odd question. I’m not sure. What would you like it to be?”

“I…” Teacher? Adviser? Friend? Companion? “I don’t know,” I answer, voice quiet with the honesty.

“Alright then.” He begins walking again and I follow. “For now then, how about we just be Murata Ken and Wolfram von Bielefeld, friend and fiance to Yuuri. We can always find a different description later.”

“Okay.”

Things with Yuuri progress quickly but so sweetly I can’t help wanting to keep drinking in it. He annuls the courtship so that we can actually spend time together again, and thankfully without Murata lurking between us. I return to his bed at night, and he asks to hold me while we sleep It makes me feel warm and protected and loved in a way I’ve never known before.

I realize that I might be falling for this ridiculous romantic and challenge him to kiss me on the ship to Van der Veer. I don’t think he’ll do it since we are in public, but he does. It’s hot and wet and sweet and breathtaking. When he pulls back, all I want to do is kiss him again. I could love him, I realize. I could probably will myself to love him this instinct, but a part of me is hesitant. He’s been too smitten and too elusive about certain things he’s said. My instincts are screaming at me that he is hiding something and that giving in to him might get me hurt.

Murata tags along with us on our date the Fire Festival. Instead of awkward, this time his presence is more of a hindrance. I want to enjoy this romantic atmosphere and maybe kiss again, but I can’t say that now after complaining that I didn’t want to come. I try to ignore his presence and the fact that he offered to go on this date with Yuuri in my stead. It goes fairly well, until he mentions having seen us kiss.

I don’t have a right to be mad when I’m the one that asked for a public kiss, but I am. I’m livid. He might be The Great Sage, but that doesn’t give him the right to infringe on my privacy! Like he said before, we aren’t even friends.

When I confront him with anger, he drops a bombshell. He thinks we are both hot. Which means that I was right in feeling jealous, but that is not what my mind latches onto. He thinks I’m hot. The Great Sage thinks I’m attractive. The Great Sage might even consider me relationship material.

No! I can’t be having these thoughts. I’m engaged to Yuuri! Happily engaged to Yuuri!

I grip Yuuri’s hand roughly and lift it high into the air. “We are both taken, thank you very much. So, you can stop trying to hit it up with my man.” I’m not even sure if I’m more upset with him or me, but my voice comes out fiery, and the air trembles from the heat of it.

Murata licks at his lips. “Why are you so sure that I am trying to?”

“Because I’m not blind! I see the way you look at him and constantly want to hang around him.”

“Isn’t it natural to want to spend time with a friend? And second, you say you aren’t blind, yet you seem to have missed the way I look at you .”

No. That can’t be true. He can’t really have been trying to pursue me all of this time. Not when he has such strong feelings for Yuuri and I’ve given him no reason to look my way. Besides, who tries to steal their friend’s fiance away?

To make matters worse, Yuuri doesn’t seem upset in the slightest. He does squeeze my hand, though. “Wolf, I’m dating you,” he says reassuringly. “It doesn’t matter if Ken likes me or likes you, it’s not going to change that, okay?”

I tell myself nothing has to change because of it, but I find my eyes lingering on Murata more often now. Sometimes he catches my gaze and that same flirtatious smirk is directed at me, and I feel my face flush in response.

We visit Yuuri’s family to tell them about the engagement, and when we return, to my horror, my childhood friend Lizzy is waiting for us. As if my emotions aren’t already a mess enough as is, now I have her spewing words of love and some proposal I supposedly made when we were children. She challenges Yuuri to a duel, and all I can hope for is his victory.

I’ve guessed since our first date that Yuuri has wanted to tell me he loves me, but he says these words for the first time during their duel. It’s written in watery letters etched into the ground. My heart thuds in my chest with longing. Then, Lizzy unleashes a flaming tiger, and I know that if I do not interfere it will strike him down.

I can’t let the man I love die!

I jump in front of him, but before I take the hit, Yuuri knocks me down to the ground and shields my body with his own. He really does love me, I realize. It strikes red-hot into my heart as I fear the worst.

Thankfully, though, he manages to pull out his maryoku in time.

I reprimand Lizzy before staring down at Yuuri’s exhausted form. “Yuuri, I love you, too.”

Finally, Yuuri tells me the big secret I guessed he was hiding. It’s definitely not what I had thought it would be. I had thought he was cheating or a con artist or something like that. But no, his secret is that he has already done this all before. He had married me and died with me and now he is here again to love me the way he had failed to. If anyone else told me this, I might have wondered if they were lying, but Yuuri has been so earnest even while holding back the extent of the truth. His eyes are pleading with me to believe him, so I do.

I’m heady with the knowledge that he’s married me before and clearly wants to do so again. He loves me. Not in the frivolous way my mother often does but in a wholehearted way that almost feels like a weighted blanket. Comforting but heavy to hold up. I want to marry him, but it is too soon. This knowledge, however, nearly pulls the words from me.

Before I can speak them, though, Yuuri continues with a confession I had expected but never wanted to hear.

Murata loves him, and Yuuri maybe likes him back.

It feels like whiplash.

How dare he lift my spirits so high with a confession of love and then promptly smack me down to the ground?

I stand with fists clenched tightly at my sides. “Why should I believe anything you say? For all I know, I was actually married to him and you just wanted to steal me away this whole time.”

Things might be easier that way. Then I could just dismiss Yuuri as a liar and act on these feelings for Murata. Then I don’t have to feel conflicted about this strange web we seem to have between us.

I expect for him to defend himself or to talk back to me, but instead, he just asks, “Are you saying you could see yourself liking him?” As if he wants me to like him.

I look away so that he can’t see any truth shown on my face. “No, that’s not what I’m saying!” Because I can’t like Murata while in this relationship. Yuuri shouldn’t be able to either. “Why bother with him if you were already so in love with me ?" The words come out mockingly because he must be lying. There’s no way he can have as strong feelings as he claims and still be looking elsewhere.

"Because you weren't there. I needed something to get me through that loneliness,” he says managing to put this on me. As if it’s somehow my fault that he had to look elsewhere. Well, I refuse to believe that. He said it’s his fault I died in the first place, so it’s his fault he was lonely.  “A friendship, I wanted a friendship. But I'm trying to get everything right and I didn’t want Ken to keep suffering in silence. I used to think he had feelings for me but I just ignored them because that was the easy, wimpy thing to do. But that’s not who I want to be anymore, so I addressed them. So, yeah, he loves me, and I at least like him. But it isn’t the same that I feel for you. You're my top priority, Wolf. You always will be.”

I can feel my resolve wavering. Murata suffering loneliness in silence is definitely something I can imagine after seeing the depth of his black eyes. But still, that shouldn’t be our problem to fix when it involves our relationship. “If that’s true, then why even bother addressing his feelings?”

“Because I couldn’t just let him hold everything back in silence anymore.”

“Why, though? You aren’t his mother or his boyfriend. You don’t need to hold his hand. He’s The Great Sage. He, more than anyone, should be capable enough to stand on his own two feet.” That’s what I always told myself. The Great Sage is capable and independent. Those, at least, are traits I like to think I did develop.

There is a sadness in Yuuri’s eyes. His voice is melancholic as if he has thought about this for a long time. “That’s the thing. Everyone thinks he’s so strong and has no weaknesses because he’s The Great Sage. No one acknowledges that Murata Ken is still just a high school student. He has hopes and dreams and fears just like anyone else. He can stand sure, but not smile. He needs someone to recognize and love him for the person he is now, not who he was 4,000 years ago.”

Is that what Murata was trying to tell me back at his celebration? It feels like I’ve hurt him through my idolization. For all those years, I put him on a pedestal that I thought I was unworthy of meeting, and when I finally met him, I kept my distance because I didn’t know how to act around him. But Yuuri never had that problem. Maybe he is right, and he could help him in a way I never could.

“Still, why does it have to be you?” I ask quietly. I don’t want to lose him.

“Because he never found someone.”

“So? You said you lived 10 years in the future, right? That leaves plenty of time for him to find someone. You already have me, you damn cheat.”

“I didn’t know for sure you’d still love me. Plus, I…” His words trail off but his eyes widen a fraction with a realization.

He likes him. He really likes him. My heart is thumping anxiously in my chest. “Shit…you really like him, don’t you.”

“I guess I do. I didn’t realize how much until now.”

“You really are hopeless, aren’t you?”

“If you want me to tell him this will never work, then I will. But I had to at least try to make this work.”

What is he even talking about? You don’t make things work, you choose, and I chose Yuuri. “Make this work? What are you even talking about? It’s me or him, Yuuri, that’s how this works.”

“Why? Why does it have to?”

I shake my head to dispel the longing trying to bubble up. “Because that’s how relationships work.”

“That’s how proper relationships work. But didn’t you tell Conrad you didn’t care what anyone thinks when he said we aren’t being proper?”

My face burns at my words being used against my. “That was different! We’re in a loving relationship, so it doesn’t matter if we’re married yet or not.”

“Sure, sure, but couldn’t we be in a loving relationship?”

“I just said we are.” Then it hits me. He isn’t asking to cheat on me. He’s asking me to choose Murata as well. “Shinou…You’re talking about the three of us?”

“Yeah. I mean, if you’d try at least.”

“I…” I can feel hope I never fully realized was there ripening inside my chest. I shouldn’t want this but I do. “So, he wasn’t making that up when he flirted with me before?”

“No? I don’t think so. Ken literally flirts with everyone, though. But this has been the intention all along.”

“Holy shit.” I sit down on the bed feeling numb with the realization that I am considering this…deviation.

I do think about it. A lot. More than I should have to. I should just want Yuuri. He’s my fiance, and a wonderful fiance at that. He’s always dishing out compliments, spends so much time with me I have to demand my own space, and is always there and willing to make love to me.

I never really gave my ideal spouse much thought. Now, to my horror, I realize it’s because deep down I always wanted it to be The Great Sage but knew that was impossible. I know all that can be known about Daikenja, but in reality, I know nothing of Murata Ken. All I know is that he’s a student, he’s funny, he’s a jokester, and he’s carrying a unique form of baggage. That shouldn’t be enough to give me butterflies at the thought of possibly forming this triad relationship.

Yuuri leaves for Earth, so that I can spend time alone with Murata to get to know him better. It’s daunting. We decided to call each other by name, but I still don’t know how to act around him.

We meet for afternoon tea but sit in silence aside from the sound of teacups hitting on saucers.

Finally, Murata speaks. “Have you read The Dragon of Ishgon ?”

My face lights up. “Yes! It is probably my favorite novel. Saphera is such a noble, loyal dragon. It still depresses me remembering that she dies at the end.”

His smile is genuine and soft in a way I have not seen until now. “I agree, although I am more partial to Inges’ character.”

“Ah, yes. He is a fine dragon as well. Kind and wise. At least he didn’t die.” I huff and cross my arms.

He chuckles. “I am surprised that your favorite novel is one of the classics. Are classics what you usually read?”

“I read a lot of things, but I made it a goal of mine to read every classic at least once.” To impress you, I don’t say.

He sits up straighter. “Wow. That is a lofty goal.”

I can feel heat rushing to my cheeks at the praise I’ve always dreamed of. “I have standards.” I lift my head proudly. “For both myself and my suitors.”

He makes a sound of interest. “Tell me more about these standards.”

I should have expected that, but now I feel put on the spot. “Well, you need to learn from the past. I enjoy reading and really enjoy talking about books, but Yuuri doesn’t seem to like reading…But that’s okay,” I quickly defend him, “because he still puts in effort to learn about the past so that he can be a good king and he doesn’t mind if I ramble on about my books anyway.”

Has Murata’s smile widened or am I imagining it? “I like to read and would love to discuss books with you.” His voice is half flirty, half sincere, and it sends a little shiver up my back.

“What sort of books do you read?”

“Everything. Over the course of my lives, I’ve been more fond of a number of genres. This incarnation, I would say romantic tragedies.”

“Tragedies?” I hate tragedies. The inevitability of it all. The message that no matter how hard you fight for your love, that isn’t always enough. It’s a painful idea that I never want to fall into. I believe in the power of love and commitment. As long as you make conscious choices to uphold your love, then you can overcome anything! “What do you find appealing about sad endings?”

“The predictability of it. The hopelessness the characters feel as they try everything they can to avoid the inevitable. The anguish increases the beauty of it.”

I shake my head. “I guess I can see that in a way. There is an artistry to the stories, I’m sure, but I hate that message. I refuse to believe that some loves are just destined to never be. It’s a choice and you can make it work with effort.”

His lips straighten into a line. “You think so?”

“Yes, I do! Yuuri chose to be with me again and he chose to like you, and I am choosing to give you a chance. We all made choices and we are all putting in effort, aren’t we?”

“I suppose so.” The way he says it implies that he has more he isn’t choosing to say. “What about you, Wolfram? Do you enjoy romances?”

“Romance as a genre is nothing but flowery drivel, however, when it is incorporated into an actual good plot, then sure. I enjoy adventures and sometimes dramas.”

His lips have twisted back up some at the change in topic. “And why is it that you enjoy these genres?”

“Because I enjoy the sense of adventure! Traveling to distant lands, fighting enemies, heroic deads. And with dramas, you really get a sense of the character’s inner emotions. I guess you could say, that is my way of getting that artistic beauty you get from your tragedies without having to suffer the painful ending.”

“So, you don’t mind the pain as long as you get happiness in the end?”

The way he asks this makes it seem like a larger question than it is. I wrinkle my brow a bit. “I guess you can put it that way.”

“Interesting. Okay, then, go on. What other standards do you have?”

“Oh, uh, don’t act like a wimp.”

He laughs.

I growl. “What’s so funny about that?”

“It’s just that from what Yuuri’s told me, he used to be a total wimp. You’re the one that whipped him into shape.”

“Wait, I did?”

“Yeah.” He wipes his eyes. “He couldn’t fight or use magic or anything unless he turned Maoh. I guess it makes sense, though. That’s why you whipped him into shape, to meet your standards.”

“H-he’s the Maoh!” I protest. “He can’t be a wimp, regardless.”

“Sure, sure. What about me, though? I’m pretty much useless in a fight.”

“No, you’re not!” I say too loudly. I clamp my hand over my mouth in mortification.

Murata’s eyes sparkle in response. “You really do admire me, don’t you?”

“Um, I…Being useless and wimpy are not the same thing. You don’t run away and hide, and you are full of tactical knowledge that is beneficial for those who are fighting.”

“That actually does make me feel better. I often feel useless. Even at the temple, it isn’t like I really do anything.”

“You don’t have to do anything. You’ve already done so much for us.”

“Daikenja did. I haven’t done anything.”

I want to argue but I don’t know what to say. He isn’t exactly wrong in that thinking. “You stayed loyal.”

“Huh?”

“You waited for Yuuri and are still waiting for my answer. That exceeds my standards.”

“When Yuuri told you he waited all these years for you, I’m sure you ate it up, huh?”

My impulse is to deny it, but well, I suppose there’s no reason not to be honest at this point. “I’m pleased he did so rather than beginning anything with you. That was a long time to wait, but it would have been cheating.”

Murata chuckles. “Not really. You didn’t even know him yet.”

“That’s not the point!” I huff. “He would have been cheating in his heart, and he knows it. That’s exactly why he waited. Because he isn’t a cheater.” I feel I can finally believe this now.

“No,” Murata agrees in a somber voice, “he’s not.”

Has he been cheated on before? Given his many lifetimes, I’m sure he has. I don’t want to know how that feels. To lose all trust in someone you care about. “Trustworthy,” I say. “That’s my other standard.” I fix him with a serious look. “Are you trustworthy, Murata?”

He opens his mouth but takes a long time before answering. “Before this goes any further, you need to know this about me, I cannot promise you the truth. My very nature is shrouded in manipulation. I am deceptive and hide behind a mask. Do you still think you can accept me?”

Can I? He is different from how I envisioned him. He isn’t as benign or honorable, but does that erase the qualities I envied? Does it change the fact that his mystery acts like a magnet or that I want this to work for all of our sakes? Because really this is for my sake as well. So that I can stop pretending that I don’t feel this allure or have to always worry that, despite his words, Yuuri is still doing something behind my back. I want this to be open and honest, but that is what Murata is telling me he can’t be. But does that mean he has to be dishonest?

Carefully, I say, “Dishonesty is deplorable, but we all hold secrets.”

“What do you consider dishonesty?”

“Outright lies. Saying that you did or didn’t do something. White lies or omissions of truth I can live with. For example, if I asked you if you love Yuuri and you said that you never told him that you did to deflect from the true answer.”

“Fair enough. However, I cannot promise to never outright lie.”

“Why not?”

His smirk is devious. “Because we never know what may happen in the future. It may be necessary.”

I really hate that, but I return his smirk, regardless. “You really aren’t that honorable, are you?”

“I never said that I was.”

“I suppose you are right.”

We continue to meet, although it is a little difficult to find private spaces so that our frequent meetings do not seem suspicious. Just what I need are rumors that I am cheating on my fiance while he is away. Our conversations are lighter after the first. We discuss our favorite novels and even decide to read one together. It’s fun to finally have someone interested in the finer points of literature. Sentence structure, word choice, and symbolism. Yuuri listens, but he can never contribute to the conversation. Murata doesn’t just contribute, he gets it. Gets it better than I do most of the time, opening my eyes to deeper meaning and appreciation.

There is promise to this arrangement, I think. We each get something different out of each other, but I don’t want to rush into anything either.

We continue meeting even after Yuuri returns, but the longer it goes on, the more obvious it is that people have noticed. It is not an easy task to hide anything in Blood Pledge Castle.

I hate knowing that people either think I’m slutty enough to cheat on my fiance or stupid enough to not realize he is cheating on me. The final straw is when Conrad comes bursting into the library demanding to know if Yuuri is cheating on me. At least he takes my side, but still. It’s clear that we need to do something before my pride crumbles.

I don’t know what we can do, though. Yuuri can sleep with whoever he wants as the Maoh, but I’ll always be seen a cheat. I should have realized this sooner. I’m such an idiot! I toss a book across the room and just manage to stop before burning it to a crisp. There is no one to be angry at except for myself for thinking this could work smoothly.

No! It’s Yuuri’s fault. I can’t be mad at him, though. This shouldn’t be seen as wrong.

I’ve always hated cheating, but this isn’t the same thing. All Yuuri wants to do is love as fully as he can. Doing so shouldn’t shame me, but it does, and I hate that I hate that as much as I do. He’s done so much to try and treat me right, but I can’t even stand to bare this shame for his sake. Angry, traitorous tears well in my eyes and I plant my face into a chair cushion to soak them all up.

They find me some time later. Yuuri notices the moisture on my cheek and brushes it away. "Did he give you a hard time?"

"Not really. I did. Everyone either thinks I'm a floozy or have no self-respect. You put me in this position, Yuuri. You better make it up to me."

He kisses me in apology and holds me close to his chest. It’s nice and shoos some of the resentment away. "I'm hoping to change that. What do you say we get married?"

"But…" My voice cuts out as I struggle to catch my breath through the euphoria of those words.

"Listen, the rumors are that I'm heartlessly unfaithful and that you are knowingly ignoring it. So, the way I see it, us getting married says that I'm devoted to you and that you are staking your claim."

“Yes!” More tears betray me, but they are happy this time and my face is hidden my his chest. “I do want to marry you. Ever since you told me we were married before, I can’t stop thinking about it. But after all of this, you’re ready to just give up on Murata now? Wouldn’t that be the heartless thing to do?”

“Of course not,” he protests. “First, we get married, then we can officially announce that we are in a relationship with him.”

I laugh without humor. As if it could be that simple. “That will go over well with the council.”

“So, what? It isn’t against the law as far as I know.”

It’s Ken who replies. “If it were just Wolfram, then after your marriage it would be considered treason. However, you as the Maoh, are allowed, almost encouraged, to take on multiple partners. If you announce your approval on the matter, then no one can try him. However, confirming his extended sexuality publicly would be looked down upon. While you are excused by right, he would be viewed as a cheater regardless of your own actions.”

“That’s stupid and unfair.”

Yes, well that is life.

“Welcome to the world of politics,” Murata says.

“Which means that it would be better to just say that I am the one being unfaithful.”

“In a political sense, yes.”

“No way. I’m not going to let anyone think that I’m doing anything to upset Wolf.”

I sigh out his name. I appreciate it, but the best option is for me to just learn to carry this burden.

“Besides, I would really like the three of us to be together, if that’s agreeable. I’m not about to force Wolf to stay on the down-low whenever anyone is around. We’re doing this properly. Well, I guess not properly, but correctly.”

“Yuuri, I appreciate what you are doing, I do, but I must remain the voice of reason. It would be better to just get married and leave me out of the picture.”

He pulls out of the hug and flairs his arms. “That’s stupid. If you were just going to give up, then why didn’t you just tell me that from the beginning?”

Murata gives a sad smile. “Because I have hopes and dreams the same as anyone. Hopeless hopes and dreams seem more obtainable when they are in the distance.”

That sounds similar to something that would be in a tragic tale.

Yuuri refuses to back down. “I don’t care about that.”

“Okay, then tell me this. What are you going to do if I start to feel resentment? Do you really think that I can be happy forever when you are married and I am the lover on the side?”

“Then, we’ll just marry you, too.” He makes it sound so simple.

Murata shakes his head, smile bittersweet now. “Always so idealistic. The world doesn't work that way.”

“Then I’ll make it work that way. I’m Maoh, so I can make polygamy legal.”

“Now, hold on,” I interrupt. “You can’t just make up an entirely new law like that without the council’s permission.”

He grins smugly. “Then I’ll make them agree.”

“Fine,” Murata relents. “As if I could stop you anyway. Before any of that, the best course of action then is to assert that he is in this relationship due to your will. That way his actions are seen as your will rather than his. The same goes for me. You need to play this up as fully your idea. Although it really was all your idea, wasn’t it?”

Yuuri looks back at me. “What do you say, Wolf?”

“I want to marry you. As for what comes later, I’ll trust in you, I guess.”

He laces his fingers with mine. “Because of my positive intentions?”

I chuckle. “Naturally.”

“I guess we have a wedding to plan.”

“It seems so.”

We just smile at each other for a moment before Yuuri breaks the silence. “About our touching rule–”

Jeez. Yuuri can be slow sometimes. “You say all that and are now asking my permission to touch him? You do know you basically proposed to him as well just now?”

“Not exactly.”

I don’t even bother commenting on that lame rebuttal. “Murata, get over here.”

Ken comes over but just stands there in front of us. With a huff, I grab his closest hand with my free one. Exhaling, Yuuri takes hold of his other hand. It’s only right we had this touch together.

Sometime later, we are getting ready to leave the library, when Ken pushes Yuuri back against a bookshelf and into a fervent kiss. It feels strange but not unpleasant to watch. It’s obvious from the intensity of it just how long Murata has been holding himself back. It makes me feel a little bad for making them wait, but this is easily overpowered by my appreciation of seeing their first kiss. They are beautiful. Two double-blacks melding together into one. My fingers itch to paint them and my lips itch to kiss them.

He cups his cheek, keeping his face close when he breaks the kiss. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." He throws his voice over his shoulder at me. "I'll kiss you too if you want."

"Might as well," I say trying to hide my eagerness with coyness. “Keep in mind where we are. Anyone might happen by and spy us.”

Ken licks his lips invitingly. “Are you inviting me back to your chambers then?”

It’s still too fast for that! “N-no! I just meant that you should be quick about it.”

My pulse quickens as he leans into my space. His expression is so much more serious than Yuuri has ever been. It makes me feel like I’m being exposed, as if this kiss will pry me open for him to see everything within me. Then he’s closed the distance between us and I can feel his wet tongue against my lips, pressing and prodding for entrance. I open my mouth and he pushes inside. It feels so different and electrifying. His hand pulls my body against him and I almost rethink my decision to not invite him back to our room.

We break apart at the strangled moan Yuuri makes.

“Did you enjoy that, Yuuri?” Murata asks with a smirk.

“Should I not have?”

He chuckles. “I’d be offended if you didn’t.”

I feel dazed and flushed. “You’re…a really good kisser.”

“Years of practice.”

I nod. “I think,” I begin in an unsteady tone, “I would like to move forward with this.”

“So, he is invited back to our chambers?”

Yuuri’s giving me puppy dog eyes. I have to avert my eyes before I agree when I really need to mentally prepare myself first. Besides, even though I definitely want to kiss Murata again and take this further, they have both been waiting for this for such a long time. “If that’s what you want. I can stay here for a while longer.”

“What? You obviously want this too or you wouldn’t have said this all of a sudden. I can see that kiss affected you.”

“I do!” I blurt out loudly. Immediately, I clamp a hand over my mouth to get ahold of myself. “We’ve already dug a hole, so I might as well throw myself into it. However, I don’t think either of you can provide me with adequate attention until you get each other out of your systems first.”

“No, Wolf–”

Ken cuts him off. “That is a wise decision.” He pulls Yuuri back in against him. “Speak for yourself, Yuuri, but once I have you alone, I don’t think I’ll be able to think about anything but having my way with you.”

“It’s fine,” I say trying not to focus on the mental images coming to my mind. “But just know that you will both make it up to me.”

They do make it up to me. Multiple times. I’m thankful I had time to prepare my confidence because it’s overwhelming in a way I never could have imagined. Being taken apart at separate angles. Two sets of hands, two sets of lips, two cocks. I must be a shameful sight, writhing on the bed, but right now I don’t care. All I care about is the feel of them against my skin and the emotions rising up inside me like hot air. At this point, Yuuri’s love is familiar like an old friend, but Murata’s affection is fresh and potent. I willingly drown in it. In the taste of his lips on mine, the sensation of his hands brushing over my hips and thighs, the feel of his cock jutting into my stomach. I lock him in against me with my legs as I pull Yuuri close with my arms. So much weight presses down on me it should be crushing, but it’s not. It’s stimulation and assurance.

I kiss them both until my lips ache, but still, it doesn’t feel like enough. There will be tomorrow. It feels like a blissful wet dream and when we stop the intimacy it will fade away as dreams do. I can’t let it, not yet.

Words well up in my throat. They come out high and broken with pleasure. Yuuri repeats the words back to me. I smile and kiss his cheek since that hurts less. I look at Murata, but he just smiles and kisses right over my swollen lips. I groan a little at the oversensation and, although the words sit in my head like an anchor, it no longer occurs to me to repeat them. My only utterances turning to moans.

Yuuri and I get married. It should have been the happiest day of my life, but instead, a random child ambushes the ceremony and tries to kill Yuuri. If that isn’t bad enough, she claims to be his child. I told myself I would trust in him, but that’s hard to do when Yuuri seems content calling her his child.

The time it takes for Yuuri to return to me after taking her away feels like an eternity. An eternity of me with my doubts and anger. If he really cheated on me, he will have hell to pay!

When he finally returns, he says that we adopted her in the past. I choose to believe him, so I do. It’s made easier by the way he lavishes me with attention on our honeymoon.

He distracts me so thoroughly, I never pause to think about Murata or how he must be feeling. We call him to our chambers as soon as we return. There is something tart in his eyes that makes me feel horrible. We both apologize, but he shakes the words off as not needed. It doesn’t sit well with me. These are words someone intent on their own tragic ending would say.

Thankfully, Yuuri pushes back at his words so that I don’t have to.

We end up finding Gegenhuber for Greta’s sake. She's human, yet I’m putty when I officially meet her. Just like Yuuri said, she looks so sad and powerless. If Yuuri wants to adopt her, then I will step up to be her father. I will mold her into the perfect princess so that no one can ever look down on her for being human.

While we begin turning my old room into hers, Yuuri takes his leave to talk alone with Murata. Something feels odd about the air between them, but I try to put it out of my mind since Greta is so excited about decorating her new room.

I don’t find out what they talked about until late that night.

“I told him I loved him,” my husband tells me cautiously.

“Oh.” I fold my hands. I had kind of forgotten that Yuuri had not taken that step yet. Only Yuuri could practically propose to someone before loving them. “That’s good then.”

“You aren’t just saying that, right?”

“No. Thanks for the concern, Yuuri, but really, I’ve gotten over it. I can see how happy he makes you. I’m not going to take that away from you. Besides, I like Murata. I enjoy spending time with him.” More than that actually. I spoke words in passion that far exceed these, but neither processed the admittance, and when my rational mind set back, in I realized it was best to keep this hidden for now. I’m not sure yet how my previous feelings for The Great Sage and those for the true Murata Ken mingle and separate. Besides, it sounds like I should let Yuuri and him sort their own feelings first.

Yuuri tells me that Murata tried to back out of this arrangement, and I jump to my feet in anger. “What the hell?”

“I know. It was…odd. I could tell that he was putting up a front. He was intentionally trying to push me away. I still don’t fully get why, though.”

Because he thinks his life is a tragedy. Really he’s just a coward of facing the obstacles of reality. “He must be a wimp as well.”

Yuuri’s lips twist up in a hint of a smile. “Maybe, but he said something about waking up from the dream. I think he’s scared that we’re going to just ditch him after a while.”

“That’s preposterous.” We’re both putting ourselves out there for him. Why is he doubting us?

Because tragedies are inevitable no matter what you do.

“I know,” Yuuri says, “but he said some really hurtful things. I got really mad, and well, I accidentally proposed to him like I did you.”

I blink in surprise. “You what?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Seriously? Accidentally proposing to me wasn’t enough for you?”

He shrugs. “I guess not.”

I message my temple. I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me with these two. An impulsive, wimp, and a manipulative, self-sabotager. “Do I want to know what happened next?”

“He cried.”

“Cried?” That’s the last thing I thought he would say.

“Not just a bit either. It was like a dam broke. But then he said yes.”

“He said he’ll marry you–us?”

“He said he wants to.”

“But not outright that he will? I may not know him as well as you, but I know that you can’t trust him for something unless he says it outright.”

Realizing Murata could still try to leave again, Yuuri plans on announcing that they are engaged rather than just involved at his coming-of-age ceremony. I don’t think it’s a good idea and advise him against it, but he doesn’t listen.

I watch silently as the crowd erupts with his announcement. There will be talk of nothing else for a long time to come, I’m sure. I watch as Yuuri leads Murata into a dance. I am not close enough to hear their exchange of words, but it does not look amicable. Loud, upset words pass between them, until Yuuri cups Murata’s face, speaking from the heart. Emotion touches Murata’s face and he places his hand over Yuuri’s.

Somehow Yuuri has fixed this rift between them. Does this same rift apply to me, I wonder, or is there a new one needing to be exposed?

Yuuri kisses him so hard, he’s forced to take a step back to rebalance himself. They exchange obviously lighter words. Murata laughs and pecks my husband's lips and it puts my heart at ease. I smile enjoying the view of their ease and affection.