Kyo Kara Maoh: One Last Chance
Yuuri’s footsteps echoed in the empty halls of Blood Pledge Castle. He didn’t know how he’d gotten here, since the last he remembered…well, he didn’t remember much at all, actually. He just had a vague impression that he was somewhere else before this. Or…was that even right? He’d been here an awful long time, hadn’t he? His senses were foggy, his sense of time was shot, and he kept almost slipping into sleep, but Yuuri didn’t let that stop him.
He was looking for someone. He didn’t know their name and couldn’t picture their face, but he could hear their voice calling to him from out of the darkness and it spurred him on.
Hey! Get moving! What are you doing just standing around?
Literally, most times. Yuuri didn’t think the voice liked him all that much. It certainly didn’t take him seriously.
You wimp. Like anyone would ever take you seriously.
The words were harsh, but the voice sounded affectionate. Suddenly, Yuuri had a name. Wolfram. He’d been looking for Wolfram all this time.
Now Yuuri was wide awake, because he’d wandered all over the castle and he hadn’t seen anyone. He spun on his heel and started to run in the direction of their bedroom, calling his fiancé’s name at the top of his lungs.
“WOLFRAM!”
He arrived completely out of breath and stumbled against the door. He knew, he just knew that Wolfram was behind it. He had to be. Yuuri slowly turned the knob and opened the door…onto an echoingly empty room. He staggered over to the bed and slumped to the floor beside it, resting his head against the thick mattress.
“Wolfram,” he whispered, “I was so sure you’d be here.”
“Well of course I’m here, wimp. This is our bedroom. Where else would I be?”
Yuuri looked up quickly, sure that it would all be a trick if he didn’t prove it was real now. Wolfram stood before him with his hands on his hips, wearing his favorite blue uniform and a thunderhead scowl. Yuuri opened his mouth to speak, but his voice stuck in his throat. Wolfram’s expression softened.
“What are you doing here, Yuuri? Why were you looking for me?” he asked, holding out a hand to help Yuuri up.
Yuuri allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, then kept moving forward until he was tucked up against Wolfram’s body, with his head on the prince’s shoulder. Wolfram huffed in mock irritation and Yuuri smiled to feel the warmth of his breath against his ear.
“What do you think you’re doing, wimp?” Wolfram demanded in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. His arms slipped around Yuuri’s waist, belying his half-hearted criticism.
“I’m thinking,” Yuuri whispered. “You asked me a question. I’m thinking about my answer.” It was an odd way to respond to a familiar question, but Yuuri was only distantly aware of that. Wolfram just held on tighter.
“Stupid wimp.”
“Yeah,” Yuuri breathed, hearing the words and feeling the emotion behind them. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on answering Wolfram’s question. Why was he looking for him? He thought back to the cloudy beginning of this strange chain of events as best he could.
“I wasn’t afraid,” Yuuri said out loud, his eyes still closed and his mind still far away. Wolfram just listened. “I really wasn’t. I just needed something. I don’t remember what it was, but I know-wait. No. I needed to say something. Then I heard your voice.”
“What did you need to say?”
And unexpected trill of fear swept through Yuuri. He started to tremble and his hands, which had been resting lightly on Wolfram’s chest, clenched into fists. I can’t, he thought desperately. Almost without realizing it, he started to cry, and the feel of Yuuri’s tears against his shoulder seemed to be more than Wolfram could bear silently.
“Yuuri!” Wolfram cried. “What’s wrong? Tell me!”
“I can’t, I can’t, I can’t,” Yuuri sobbed repeatedly. “I can’t say it, it’ll make you leave!”
“I won’t,” Wolfram declared fiercely. “Nothing you can say will make me leave you.”
“It’s not like that, it-“
“Doesn’t. Matter,” Wolfram interrupted firmly. “Listen to me, you stupid, stupid idiot. I won’t leave. Say it.” He pushed Yuuri away from his chest and held him at arms length. Yuuri kept his eyes squeezed shut. Part of him was terrified and utterly convinced that if he said what he came here to say, everything would disappear. A bigger part of him couldn’t help but remember all the times he had said, thought or done something hurtful or unforgivable or just plain stupid. Wolfram had stayed with him so far, hadn’t he? So…maybe this would be okay, too?
“Of course it will. Didn’t I just say that? And if you’re going to start thinking out loud, could you at least think of something useful?”
Just like before, Yuuri’s eyes shot open at the sound of Wolfram’s voice. The sight of his fiancé’s expression shocked him into speechlessness. Wolfram wasn’t wearing any of his usual masks. He didn’t look bratty or know-it-all or Royal With A Capital R. He looked worried, frustrated and as beautiful as the day they’d met. I love you, Yuuri thought involuntarily. The fear came back with a vengeance. It wasn’t strong enough to sweep him under, though, and that was when Yuuri understood.
Yuuri’d come here to tell Wolfram he loved him, because this was the only chance he was ever going to get. He smiled sadly, and reached out a shaking hand to stroke Wolfram’s cheek.
“Yuuri?” Wolfram questioned, starting to look genuinely afraid.
“It’s okay,” Yuuri said firmly. “I get it now. It’s okay.” Wolfram looked a bit skeptical at that, but he nodded and fell silent anyway. Yuuri’s chest began to hurt. “I never deserved you,” he murmured. “As weak as I am, as many times as I’ve failed…it’s unforgivably selfish of me to even feel this, much less say it out loud. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Yuuri, what-“
Yuuri reached out and covered Wolfram’s mouth with his hand. He shook his head. Not yet. Wolfram seemed to get the message. The frantic look left his face, what Yuuri could see of it, and he nodded his head. Yuuri slid his hand over to cup Wolfram’s cheek. He tried to summon a happier smile, but he just couldn’t, not while he knew how this would turn out. Stop procrastinating and say it, Yuuri, he thought. You’ve made him wait long enough.
“I love you, Wolfram.”
Wolfram’s hands tightened almost painfully on Yuuri’s arms, but his face lit up with joy. Yuuri slid his hand around the back of Wolfram’s neck and began to pull him in for a kiss. After so much time spent dancing around each other, pushing each other away only to pull back together, Yuuri and Wolfram were finally moving together as they should have all along.
The moment was broken when Yuuri’s alarm clock blared in his ear. He woke to a dark, empty room with tears on his face.