Chapter 1:
evillyn0404 : wah, thank you! ((: I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 and hopefully this chapter ^^
melodyz07: I'm glad you liked it ^^ You're such a sweetie all the time; thank you very very much.
Miss-Stoneflower: Thank you so much for reviewing (:
Yuuram2fangirl : thank you! Hopefully you liked chapter 2 (:
AsuraChan: I'm glad you're curious. Hopefully you stay curious!
Qwertyuiop: Ahaha! Anon reviews FTW. Thank you so much for the writing style ^^ and sorry about the Sunday thing…I got a little distracted LOL
Me: awww thank you! That made me real happy ^^ glad you like my stories
Marianneblacklands: ahaha (: hope it does stay interesting for you!
yuUrAm-.a.-riwOLf: WHOA. Thank you so much for the super long review ^^ I LOVE long reviews so it made me really happy. And Wolf is living on his own because he didn't want to impose on the Shibuyas ^^ ohh maybe I should add some flashbacks xD maybe for chapter 4 oho? Oh, maybe I should have mentioned Elizabeth in this chapter LOL but I forgot about her in lieu of adding sexy Murata in haha. I know soccer is such an amazing sport *o* Wolf's slim figure is great for soccer. And yup, lots of rough roads to add lots of drama 8D.

Chapter 2

Irmina: I know what you mean. But this is slowly turning into an angst story and I don't even know why LOL. Stupid brain D:
Miyuki meiru: sorry it took so long!
Eclst: awww (: you say as if you're surprised orz. Hope you liked it though!
Dylanclark: LOL but at least drama makes it interesting yes? And yuuri was hurt, unbelievably hurt ^^ but at least it makes him realize that he really cares for Wolf.
AdvanaRene: Awww! Though I doubt you'll like this chapter any better because it's filled with drama D:.
Tenshi No Nanimo:WOW. Thank you so much for this wonderful review ^^. I love long reviews so it made me really happy to get this. And the way you compliment me really made me blush / I know! I really like Asaki too. I hope people don't hate him too much D:! He's not just a tool /sobs he's my OC. xDD
Nara317: xD glad you thought so.
yuUrAm-.a.-riwOLf : ahaha yes Yuuri is a little stupidhead. But don't worry ^^ he'll get better sooner or later and finally prove to Wolf that he deserves him.
sighcoe: YOU SWEETIE YOU. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews you left ^^ I really should have just mailed you a response but sigh TM is so addicting XDD and got me distracted. And WHUT NOOO D:. Don't hate Asaki! He doesn't mean to be so so so…evil XDDD I know. Yuuri's a stupid wimp
second soul of a cat: ahaha xDDD Yes, Yuuri got jealous! 8D Now he needs to get more jealous so he can finally realize how much Wolfram means to him.
And to all reviewers: thank you so freaking much for reviewing xD. You kicked my lazy ass off the floor and onto the computer to write chapter 3. ahaha.

bachiari
Chapter 3: A Muddled Step

This time, when Wolfram awoke, he awoke to silence. Of course there were the usual birds chirping in the background and the random dogs barking over their territory, but what Wolfram really wanted to hear was not there. Thus, silence was what greeted him and not the usual husky voice of his fiancé. With the realization came a flash of disappointment and regret, and he sat up on his bed, a grimace on his face. He couldn't believe that it was just yesterday he was so hopeful that the two were heading in the right direction; he had hoped so hard that by the end of summer Yuuri would have proposed a wedding date for the two of them.

But by the rate it was going now, it was more likely that Yuuri would cancel the engagement than anything else. And Wolfram supposed that would be better; he didn't want the two of them to be stuck in a loveless marriage and with no way out (the mazoku world frowned upon divorces between royalty). If it came to that, Wolfram was sure that he would cancel the engagement himself.

He frowned at the thought and stared down at his hands, mind whirling. He didn't understand Yuuri. Sure, he had known Yuuri for almost four years now, but he didn't really know Yuuri. What he meant to say was that he still didn't quite understand the core elements of the Maou. He knew that Yuuri hated injustice and that he sometimes went easy on people because he was a wimp but he didn't know what pushed Yuuri to do what he did. He loved Yuuri, he knew that, but he didn't understand Yuuri enough to avoid making Yuuri angry at him. He supposed it was rather impossible to understand someone well enough to never have any fights, but the way they were now, it was as if they were magnets slowly trying to get closer; once they got too close, they were forced to spring apart because of the tension it caused.

Like what had happened yesterday.

Just when Wolfram had thought the two were on the right path, misunderstandings happened and the two were forced apart once again.

Though that doesn't mean Yuuri didn't want this to happen. Maybe he wanted to get back with Amiko, the grim thought popped into his mind without any preamble and the thoughts they instigated made Wolfram wince.

He shook the thoughts out of his mind and with a loud groan, made his way to his shower. It was still a school day after all, and even with all the things happening with Yuuri, he wasn't going to ditch. He wasn't Wolfram von Bielfield for nothing.

With his determination set, Wolfram made his way into the shower.

To his surprise, when Wolfram made his way into his kitchen, breakfast was already waiting for him. It was different from yesterday's; this time the breakfast was an American one - sunny-side up and bacon with toast on the side.

It took him awhile to gather up his courage, but eventually, he raised his head to look at the person who brought the food to him.

He was greeted with warm black eyes and a toothy smile.

Before he could stop himself, disappointment filled him and he had to avert his eyes to hide the emotion.

At his actions, the man in front of him huffed and placed his hands on his hips. "Jeez, Wolf, can't you act a little more excited to see me?"

Wolfram forced a smile on his face and a small chuckle, "Sorry, geika, I just have a lot on my mind." With the words, he moved over to the table, pulling out the seat that the food was placed before. He nimbly sat down, and started to eat dejectedly.

It was a while before Murata decided to respond; after Wolfram had started eating, he had stared off in the distance, seemingly thinking hard. Now that he did speak, it was in a firm, strong voice, "Wolf, you have to move on."

Wolf interrupted him with a weary laugh, "Move on? I don't know what you're talking about, geika."

Murtata seemed unfazed by his answer, instead pressing on to finish his goal of lecturing Wolfram for the day, "Wolf, I think you know exactly what I mean. Shibuya," he broke off, apparently second guessing the words he was about to say, "Goddamnit, Shibuya's not going to choose you, Wolf!"

Wolfram winced at the words and kept his eyes determinedly on his breakfast. He knew his resolve would break down if he saw Murata's eyes filled with pity. He wasn't – he wasn't doing this because he wanted others to pity him, he was doing this because he had to do this. That loving Yuuri had made him realize that there was no other way for him to be happy; that, for him, there was no one else who could possibly take the place of Yuuri.

The thought made him clench harder onto the fork he was using and he stared unseeingly at the food in front of him. When had it gotten this bad?

A light touch on his shoulder made him glance up and Murata's worried face came into his view. "Wolf," he murmured softly, his brows crinkled together, "I hope you know I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just, I can't just stand here and watch you get hurt, Wolf. It's not right."

Wolf brought hard eyes to meet Murata's dismayed expression. "I don't…geika, I can't leave him. If I did, I would hurt more. You see," he gave a small, sad chuckle, "I can't imagine life without Yuuri. Yuuri makes me happy, even if he is only willing to marry me out of duty."

He only kept from crying because he had cried all his tears last night. And the fear of letting Murata see him so weak stopped him. He didn't want the wise Sage to drop opinion of him, after all.

Murata touched his hand, "Look, Wolfram. The Bielefield's are pressuring you to marry Shibuya because he's the Maou?"

Wolfram gave him a startled glance and numbly nodded, not quite sure what Murata was trying to work at.

"And Shibuya is pressured to marry you because of the Bielefield's and your and his mother, correct?"

Again Wolfram nodded.

"Then, marry me, Wolfram. With my status, your family will accept me. And Yuuri knows I can make you happy. I can make you happy, Wolfram." With the words, he clasped Wolfram's right hand in both of his. He crouched so he could meet Wolfram's eyes head on and slowly brought Wolfram's hand to his mouth, pressing a chaste kiss upon his smooth skin.

Wolfram, startled, could do nothing more than to blink and gape stupidly. Of all the suggestions that he had expected the Sage to make, he had not expected this. To suggest this, it implied that the Sage cared for him more than a friend and not as he thought the Sage thought of him which was simply his best friend's fiancé.

He wondered if the Sage was doing this to help his best friend, when he caught sight of Murata's eyes.

They were intense, burning with emotion.

Wolfram startled at that; the last time he had seen such an expression was when he had seen his father look at his mother.

He flushed and brought his eyes away from the Sage, his heart beating fast.

"I can't answer now," he stammered out, forcing himself to work moisture into his lips, "I need –

"Time," answered Murata, with a half smile. He released his hold on Wolfram's hand, dropping both of his hands back to his side and straightening up. "If you want, I can talk to Shibuya for you."

"No," blurted out Wolfram before he could stop himself. He flushed, but pressed on, "I need to tell him myself."

Murata blinked and then nodded with a small smile, "Well, I guess you can't let go of him that fast. But, you know, Wolf, I'm not going to give up so soon, either. Shibuya may have your heart, but I'm going to win it back and you're going to give it to me willingly." Then the sage laughed and nodded at the food that Wolfram had forgotten, "Eat. It's almost time to leave for school."

Wolfram, still flushed, turned to his food. But the conversation earlier had forced his appetite to dissipate, so he only managed a few bites of the eggs and bacon before pushing the dish away. He sat there for a second before he turned to Murata, "Are you doing this because of Yuuri? Did you propose to me because you wanted Yuuri to marry someone else? Or was this really out of pity?"

Murata, who had been idly wandering around his apartment, stopped in his tracks and whirled to face Wolfram with the same burning eyes he had before. "Wolf, you can't truly think that I would propose to a man out of pity, do you?"

Wolfram flushed out of shame but refused to back down from challenging Murata. "Not out of pity then, but surely out of duty to your King?"

Murata scowled at that and took one step closer to the blonde prince. "Wolf, maybe you misunderstood something about my proposal. I'm proposing to you because I'm in love with you." Wolfram must have had an expression of disbelief on his face, because Murata smiled and gave a throaty chuckle, "I do, Wolf. I didn't at first – to tell the truth, I thought you were a little bratty. But after watching you mature because of your relationship with Shibuya, my opinion of you changed. You're strong, Wolfram. Even if you do sometimes yell at Shibuya for the things he does wrong," he brought a hand up here to caress Wolfram's left cheek, "you don't get truly angry at him. You keep it within yourself because you don't want Shibuya to be hurt by you. That's what I love about you. You're resilient, beautiful, strong, – it's hard to describe, but I'm in love with you because of these characteristics. When I saw the way you love Shibuya, I thought I wanted to be loved like that too. And that Shibuya was a dolt for not realizing how lucky he was to have you loving him. I wanted to return that love to you because someone like you should know the feeling of being loved. I love you, Wolf, and that's why I proposed to you. Not because I wanted to make Shibuya's life better, but because I wanted to make yours better. You deserve happiness and I know I can give that to you."

It took Wolfram a while to answer because the words took a while to settle in and make sense in his mind. When it did, he flushed and pulled away from Murata's touch. "I," he started but Murata shook his head and smiled.

"It's okay; I know. I'll give you time. I gave you too much to think about, hm? I'll see you later, Wolf."

And true to his word, Murata left the house after bidding him good-bye once more.

And he left Wolfram sitting there, confused.

How he got to school was a blur of a memory to Wolfram. He remembered leaving the house and getting on the train but only blurrily. Still, his body remembered the way and currently, he was sitting quite dismally in his seat.

Asaki had avoided him. Of course, given the way Wolfram had threatened him yesterday and the way he had broken down crying a second later might have scared him off. Still, despite what Asaki had done to him yesterday, Wolfram had thought he was a friend. That Asaki had avoided him made him feel a bit…sad. Even though he probably had every right to be angry at the man.

Thoughts of trying to make it up to the man were pushed to the back of his mind however, since the teacher made them take a math final and Wolfram needed his whole mind to concentrate on passing that.

But the thoughts resurfaced around lunch when Asaki didn't come over to his table like he usually did. He gripped the table hard with his fist, his mind whirling. He didn't want Asaki to hate him; Asaki was his first friend here. Not only that, Asaki understood him and the problems that he had with Yuuri. That the man would hate him now only made his heart clench in pain.

He grimaced and got up from his seat. If Asaki wasn't going to come over then he might as well go up to the roof to eat. He was walking up the stairs to their roof when he ran straight into another body. He blinked in surprise and looked up into Yuuri's apologetic eyes.

He startled; all the thoughts of Asaki were immediately replaced by thoughts of the man in front of him. He had forgotten that he was still on a bad footing with Yuuri with the worries he had about Murata and Asaki. Before he could apologize, Yuuri spoke first.

"Wolfram, I just wanted to say that well, I'm sorry."

Wolfram had been already getting ready to defend himself when the words fell on his ears and made sense. He paused and gaped at the Maou; of all the things he thought Yuuri would have said, he didn't think that it would have been that. He flushed, and tried to think of something to say.

Yuuri shook his head shamefully; apparently he had thought that the flush on his cheeks meant Wolfram wasn't ready to forgive him. He bowed his head, biting his lip. "I don't know what else to say, Wolf. I blew up. I wasn't thinking. I really didn't mean to hurt you." He said all this in a rush and he shook his head once more after the words left his mouth. "I don't want to lose you," he admitted in a soft tone.

Wolfram startled at the words, his eyes growing wide. He hadn't imagined that this would happen and thus he had no clue what he should say to the Maou. But if it was a matter of forgiveness, then for Yuuri, the answer would always be the same.

"Yuuri, of course I forgive you. You always come back to me in the end, anyway; you're not going to lose me, Yuuri. Ever."

Yuuri grimaced at his words and seemed dismayed at his answer, even though Wolfram had thought he had given Yuuri the right one. He was about to ask what was wrong when Yuuri spoke first, his dismayed expression still there.

"Wolf, I'm happy," though the words seemed to contradict the Maou's expression. A second later though, the Maou spoke again, this time his voice distraught, "But you shouldn't forgive me so easily, damnit! I don't deserve you, Wolf."

Wolfram was about to protest against the Maou, but he wasn't particularly sure of what he had done wrong. Wasn't forgiving him what the Maou wanted? "Yuuri, I don't –"

Yuuri interrupted him, his eyes glazed over with sadness, "I'm sorry. I just – I don't deserve you, Wolf. I'm happy you forgave me but I don't think I deserve that forgiveness." He paused, obviously struggling to find the right words, and then suddenly threw his arms up into the air. "I just don't know anymore, Wolf. Am I hurting you?"

"Hurt?" Wolfram murmured the word slowly. Was he hurt? He loved Yuuri too much – that the hurt that Yuuri caused was overcame by the happiness that Yuuri gave him. But how could he forget how much he had cried yesterday? He cried until he had no more tears left; he had cried until he felt raw, sore, unloved. He grimaced at the adjectives he used to describe himself; he hadn't thought that he had hurt that badly yesterday.

But what was yesterday compared to the countless other nights he had spent in bed alone?

Cold, lonely, depressed.

Without Yuuri, life was dull. Pain didn't even take root the way it did now. Neither did happiness.

He was about to tell Yuuri this when Yuuri suddenly started talking again, the words falling so fast from his mouth that Wolfram could barely understand him.

"Yes, hurt. Wolf, yesterday was a mistake, but it made me realize something. I don't – I don't mean to do this, Wolf. I care for you so much – it might even be love. But, Amiko is – "

Wolfram winced at the name and raised a hand to stop Yuuri from speaking. He couldn't bear to hear Yuuri describe Amiko in such terms; he feared that Yuuri would say that he loved Amiko so much more that he would marry her, and not him.

"No, Wolfram, you have to listen to me. I didn't tell you this before since my father had forbidden me from saying so, but Amiko is Bob's daughter. Remember the maou of Earth? But that's not why I'm dating her; it's because my father wants me to marry her. It was supposed to be Shori who took her as a wife, but Amiko chose me. I can't –"

"Yuuri," Wolfram interrupted, his eyes flashing and hard. "Look, I don't appreciate the excuses you make. I don't care anymore, alright, Yuuri? You don't have to make excuses to me. But," he added almost as an afterthought as he recalled what Yuuri had said earlier, "when you said you might love me, was that an excuse as well?"

"None of them are excuses, Wolfram. I – I care for you a lot, Wolf."

"Caring is different than love, Yuuri. You've been caring for me for a long time now. I don't want to be just your best friend, Yuuri. I want to be more," his voice broke and he lowered his eyes down to the floor. He thought he was already out of tears, but apparently it wasn't so. What do you do when you just couldn't take it anymore? When your heart is cut into two and then battered continuously until your heart can do nothing more than to love the person who had done this to you? Because if your heart was in tatters, who else could love the ruin but the person who had seen it whole and beautiful?

Suddenly, soft lips pressed against his.

Wolfram startled and almost pulled away, but when Yuuri wrapped strong arms around his slim figure, he couldn't find it in himself to push away the man he loved.

It was chaste, pure, and so Yuuri-like that Wolfram couldn't help but to love the kiss. When it ended, Yuuri was there, eyes as intense as Murata's earlier that morning, and smiling a soft smile at him.

"You're not just a best friend," was the hoarse whisper, and while Yuuri didn't say anything else for the reminder of the time they spent during lunch, Wolfram found that it was okay.

He didn't need explanations right now. All he knew was that Yuuri had kissed him without flinching or without being forced to. For now, that was enough.

When he got back to the classroom, Asaki was already sitting in the seat next to his. He flinched and averted his eyes to avoid a confrontation from the man. But the man already had a scowl on his otherwise perfect face and his mouth was twisted in an ugly shape. "He apologized to you, didn't he?"

Wolfram refused to humor Asaki and simply slid into his seat, keeping his gaze pointed at the window to the right of his seat.

However, Asaki seemed to be unable to let it go, "Goddamnit, he did, didn't he? It's written all over your face. Why do you keep on forgiving that scum?"

The derogatory comment soured his good mood and Wolfram turned on Asaki, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "He's not scum; he's my – "

His words tapered off when he caught a glance of Asaki's expression. It mirrored his expression all those nights he had been left alone in Yuuri's king-sized bed. When Yuuri had vehemently denied him the only thing he wanted from him - the acceptance that his love was not futile; he wanted Yuuri to accept that Wolfram's love for him wasn't something that he could throw away – it was pure and born for a purpose.

Asaki's voice broke, "Why, Wolfram? Why can't you choose me?"

Before Wolfram could respond, their teacher called for silence. He slid back into his seat, his anger already dissipated into the air with the sight of Asaki's expression. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or ungrateful that the teacher wanted to be silent right now. He liked the extra time given to him to think up the right words to say to Asaki, but he wanted to just fix their relationship so badly that the right words didn't seem important. He wanted to say anything to fix it, but he couldn't.

When class was finally over, Asaki quickly stood, and without waiting for anyone, briskly made his way out of the classroom. Startled because he wasn't paying attention when the teacher finally dismissed the class, Wolfram hurriedly packed his stuff and rushed after the man. He still hadn't figured out the right way to approach Asaki, but he didn't want to let Asaki leave without saying anything.

He caught up to Asaki when he was heading down the steps. He called Asaki's name, and although Asaki stiffened, he didn't stop walking. It was only when they had reached Asaki's car did Asaki whirl around, his eyes flashing with hurt, pain, and anger just as Wolfram's had earlier.

"You," Asaki practically growled the word out, his perfect face once again marred with anger, "you think you can come running after me as if that would fix everything? You can't fix this, Wolf."

Wolfram winced at the angry words, "Asaki. I don't mean to –"

"You don't mean to what? Reject me? Toss my confession out as if it was a piece of trash? Because that's what you did, Wolf. You hurt me yesterday and forced me to comfort you afterward."

"But," Wolfram bit his lip, unsure of what else to say when anger suddenly burst up in him. He didn't mean to toss aside Asaki's confession like that and neither did he mean to ask Asaki to comfort him afterward. "you kissed me! Without my permission!"

Asaki's expression hardened at Wolfram's outburst, "Oh? But you wanted it. You can't deny the way you look at me, Wolf. You," Asaki's voice broke and his expression softened. "can be happy with me, Wolfram."

"I didn't," he was about to protest wanting the kiss when Asaki finished his statement. Why was everyone saying that to him? He – he didn't need them to watch over him like that. Couldn't he decide what made him happy or not? What if Yuuri was who made him happy? "Asaki, I can't – I'm happy now, aren't I?" his voice wavered at that, because he knew he wasn't happy. Not happy like they wanted him to be.

Asaki laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Not like this, you aren't. I can't – I can't do this right now, Wolf. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Without even waiting for any form of consent from Wolfram, he got into his car and quickly backed up. He looked at Wolfram one last time, with burning eyes, before driving out of the parking lot.

Wolfram, alone, hurt, and confused, stood there for a long time.

A/N: Wow. :| This story is totally getting out of control LOL. And /sobs it's not even half as good as any of my other stories in the terms of reviews. Dear Diary got the same amount with only one chapter! Bleh, well, at least this story is so much fun to write. I mean who could not like writing about Wolfram getting fought over by sexy bishounen guys?

Yeah, still having no clue where this story is. No outline, just typing out what I think would happen. LOL yesh, I fail.
And I'm super slow these days because…well have any of you heard of Tinierme? It's so addicting *o*. My username is haori on there so add me! XD