Warnings: This is Wolfram angst, so please don't read if you're a Yuuram lover, as this is a ConYuu fic, so yeah, if you don't like it then please don't read it.
Disclaimer: Don't own, so please don't sue.
Blind and Dumb
Wolfram was not an idiot. Nor was he blind.
And you needed to be both in order not to notice the obvious attraction between Yuuri and his older brother, Lord Weller.
And unfortunately, Wolfram mused sourly, no one in the castle qualified for both those qualities. Which meant that everyone, including the lowly officers who had never even been within 10 metres of the king, knew.
They must think I'm a fool for sticking with the engagement for this long, Wolfram thought bitterly.
And perhaps he was a fool, for thinking that Yuuri might learn to love him one day. That, maybe, they would actually get married, and raise Greta properly.
Lord Weller would make a great father. The thought rose, unbidden, in his mind.
Wolfram frowned. He could imagine it so clearly- the image of Yuuri, Conrad and Greta together. The perfect family. Loving, kind, nurturing. The epitome of happiness.
"Hey, Wolfram, you okay?" Yuuri's concerned voice cut into his thoughts.
Wolfram turned around, and saw Yuuri standing in the doorway of their bedroom.
No.
Not their bedroom. Yuuri's bedroom.
It had never really been Wolfram's bedroom as well- he had tried to make it their bedroom, but it had been obvious from the start that Yuuri hadn't wanted him there. Conrad was most certainly welcome, no matter the time or occasion, but Yuuri only ever tried to kick Wolfram out.
"Wolfram?" Yuuri took a step towards him, worry written all over his features. "What's the matter?"
Wolfram straightened, lifting his chin proudly, clenching his fists tightly. "The engagement's off."
Yuuri gaped at him, his dark eyes huge with shock. "... what?"
"I said, the engagement's off." Wolfram's voice started to waver towards the end. He took a deep breath, willing himself not to break down. He couldn't- not in front of Yuuri.
"B- but why? Wolfram, what happened?" Yuuri sat down on the edge of the bed, disbelief showing clearly on his face.
"Yuuri, I'm not an idiot." Wolfram sighed and sat down next to the raven haired boy. "I can tell that you don't love me, not in the way that I want you to. At the most, we're good friends. Brothers, perhaps. But not lovers, never lovers."
"... I'm sorry, Wolfram." Yuuri whispered, anguished.
"It's not your fault- I shouldn't have forced you to keep this engagement going in order to satisfy my pride. If I had let you call this engagement off from the beginning, then it would have been a lot easier for both of us."
"Are you sure that you want this, Wolfram?"
"Of course I don't want this." he laughed mirthlessly. "But I don't see any other way around this."
"I don't want to hurt you." Yuuri said, a little tearfully.
Wolfram smiled inwardly. It was just like him- never wanting to hurt anyone, even if it hurt him personally.
"So you would rather hurt him?" Wolfram asked quietly.
Yuuri stared at him. "Who are you talking about?" he asked, but Wolfram could see the realisation in his king's eyes.
"Lord Weller."
"I don't understand." Yuuri protested, but Wolfram could see that he did understand, even if he didn't want to.
"Don't play dumb, Yuuri. It's obvious to everyone that you love him." Wolfram rolled his eyes. Even though every word he was saying hurt him, he still had to act like he was superior. Like he was still in control.
Yuuri turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. "Is it?" he squeaked. "Do you think Conrad knows?"
Wolfram attempted a smile. It was so very, very painful.
"Lord Weller isn't too observant about such matters. You should tell him how you feel." the words were like poison, burning his throat and mouth, killing him on the inside.
"But what if he doesn't like me?" the painful hope in Yuuri's voice was too much for Wolfram to bear. He turned away, staring out the window so that Yuuri couldn't see the despair on his face.
"He loves you." the words had to be forced out. His voice sounded incredibly weak and thin, even to his own ears. But Yuuri didn't notice- he was too busy grinning, too busy thinking about Conrad to notice Wolfram.
I can't stand this anymore. I need to get away. Wolfram stood.
Yuuri looked up at him, a little confused. "Where are you going?"
"Away." Wolfram replied shortly.
"Huh?" Yuuri noticed the way Wolfram's hands shook, and frowned. "Why are you doing this Wolfram, if it hurts you so much?" he asked softly.
Wolfram paused. Why was he doing this? It would have been so easy, to carry on hoping in vain, to carry on pretending.
But no, Wolfram was a man of honour, and he cared far too much about Yuuri and, however loathe he was to admit it, his brother, to see them hurt themselves on his behalf.
"You and Lord Weller love each other." Wolfram sighed. "I'm not going to stand in the way and stop you from loving him Yuuri, because I love you too much to hurt you."
Yuuri gasped. "Wolfram..." he whispered.
But Wolfram couldn't bear to hear anymore. He moved to the doorway and opened the door, pausing for a second, though unable to look at the person he had loved so much. That he still loved, and probably would continue to love for the rest of his life.
"Goodbye, Yuuri." he left without looking back.
As the door closed behind him, he heard a soft, "Goodbye Wolfram. I'm sorry..."
He wiped his sleeve across his eyes angrily, hating the fact that he was so upset. Regaining his composure, he set off to Conrad's room, throwing the door open, not bothering to knock. The stoic soldier was sitting calmly at his desk, leafing through what looked to be reports. He glanced up at his younger brother, no hint of surprise on his face, unflappable as always.
"Wolfram." he greeted politely. "What brings you here?" he shuffled the papers together and lay them down on one side of his desk.
"You love him." That shook the soldier. Conrad flinched, surprise flitting across his face.
"What are you-"
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" Wolfram snapped.
He saw the guarded look in Conrad's eyes, and knew that it would take a lot of encouragement before Conrad would begin to accept that he loved the king. It hurt, having to encourage someone to accept their love for the person he loved. But he couldn't let Yuuri get hurt, especially not by Conrad.
"I've called off the engagement." Wolfram said, and he saw the tiniest flicker of hope pass across Conrad's face.
"Why? How is heika handling it?" Concern replaced the hope.
"He's... alright. You should go see him."
Conrad looked at him, and Wolfram could feel the soldier analysing him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine." Wolfram turned and walked towards the door. Encouraging others had never been his strong point, and all he really wanted to do was curl up and cry until he had no more tears left in his body.
"Wolfram." Conrad's hesitant voice stopped him just as he reached the door.
"What?"
"Thank you."
"I'm not doing this for you." Wolfram snarled. "I'm doing this for him, because he loves you. But if you hurt him, I swear to all the gods, I'll kill you."
"I won't hurt him." Conrad promised softly. "Not again."
Wolfram said nothing, but opened the door and left, hoping that he had done the right thing by letting Yuuri go.
He'll be happy now, and so will Lord Weller, Wolfram thought, running a hand through his blond hair. Even if I won't be.
Yes, he decided. He had done the right thing. Both of them deserved to be happy with one another.
Wolfram sighed, and made his way towards Gwendal's office. He would ask to be put on border patrol, or to be assigned somewhere far, far away.
Because even though it had been the right decision, the right choice, it didn't make it any less painful, didn't hurt him any less.
But he would learn to cope, learn to deal with the pain. And in time, he would find someone who could love him back.
CC welcome, flames are not. Thank you :)