Consequences of the Maou\'s Heart

Chapter 13

Yuri sighed heavily as he pushed his chair back from his desk; he’d been working since Murata left his office and now he could see the moon from his windows. A few curious people had made excuses to get in to his office in order to check on him. Most he knew were only looking for gossip, one maid bringing him something to eat was normal but he had four different ones come bearing some sort of supper. Some he hadn’t minded, Dakauscas had been stopping by every few hours to inform him of the status of the search for Wolfram. In the beginning it was just Gwendal and Conrart looking for their brother, but as the hours passed without finding him others were dragged in. It was ridiculous how well the blond had managed to disappear inside the castle walls. None of the sentries had reported him leaving, so the search remained limited to the castle. Silently Yuri vowed that if he wasn’t found by morning they would expand the search. With the second sigh in as many minutes, Yuri stood and stretched. His hands clasped together he reached to the sky and arched his spine, little pops escaped from joints unaccustomed to sitting for such a long period of time. On the plus side he’d managed to nearly finish the pile of paperwork he had started the morning with, one less thing for Gwendal to be mad about. Logically, Yuri knew that as Maou he outranked Gwendal but the man still evoked his fight or flight instincts. A quick glance at the remains of his paperwork lead to a decision to quit for the night.

Leaving his office, Yuri headed for his chambers. As tempting as crawling straight into bed sounded, the thought of a soak in the bath sounded even better. Bypassing the bedroom he headed towards the royal baths. Once inside the doors he striped down quickly, throwing his discarded clothing towards a basket. Wolfram always cursed a blue streak when he left his clothes on the floor, something about impropriety. Even though he ended their relationship himself, it felt odd to think that Wolfram wouldn’t have reason to yell at him about such things anymore. Everyone else in the castle might suggest that he do or not do something but he could always count on his fiance to make sure he knew when he was doing something inappropriate. Not that Wolfram usually explained why it was inappropriate. He chuckled lightly at the memory of an irate Wolfram throwing his black attire in his face because he’d left it at the foot of the bed. His mirth faded as he remembered the blond’s face when he’d been woken with a kiss that afternoon. Sighing for what seemed the millionth time, he grabbed a towel and his favorite soap before heading to the pool they called a bath. Steam drifted upwards reminding Yuri of the smoke from earlier; it seemed the world was conspiring to make sure the Maou did not keep Wolfram far from his thoughts. Stepping slowly into the bath, Yuri allowed the hot water to relax the day’s tension from his muscles. Once he was fully submerged and sitting on one of the ledges under the water, he closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to drift.

“So this is where you’re hiding…Wimp.” Wolfram’s voice echoed in the cavernous room. At the sound Yuri’s body went rigid with tension and his hands flew to the front of his body, covering himself.

“W..W…Wolfram! Ah…ha…ha… what are you doing here!?” Yuri stammered pathetically, peering into the misty air to catch a glimpse of the blond.

“Checking up on my dear fiance of course,” instead of sounding angry or possessive like he normally would have saying those words, Wolfram sounded bland and detached.

“I… but… this afternoon… the engagement,” as he spoke Yuri’s eyes settled on a pale figure approaching him. Wolfram was nude, save for a small towel tied around his waist. Yuri couldn’t help but notice a slice of pale hip left exposed just below the knot in the towel.

“Mmmm oh I remember this afternoon. You bending down to kiss me, pity you missed my lips.” Wolfram strolled casually toward the edge of the bath before kneeling down to test the water’s temperature with his hand. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Yuri’s face as he watched Wolfram. The Maou began to worry that Wolfram was possessed again, or maybe he’d driven the older Mazoku over the edge of sanity.

“Um… Wolfram you know w… what that kind of kiss means, right?” Yuri’s voice was near a whisper. Wolfram sat on the edge of the bath, tone legs slowly kicking in the water. Despite his worry, Yuri noted that the towel Wolfram was wearing rode up higher on his thighs while sitting.

“Yuri,” Wolfram’s eyes sparkled darkly as he spoke, “I know lots about kisses. Want me to show you?” A wicked smirk slid on to the former prince’s face when Yuri began stuttering out nonsense. Pushing off gently, Wolfram slid into the water and treaded towards Yuri.

“W… Wolfram w…what…?” Yuri found himself desperately trying to keep his eyes away from the man approaching him. While staring studiously at the water, he noticed a white rectangle of fabric floating away on the ripples of the water, “Ah Wolf your um towel is…” Instinctively Yuri looked towards Wolfram as he spoke and wished he hadn’t. The blond had closed the distance between them and now stood only a foot or two in front of him. The steam in the air had condensed on Wolfram’s body and formed little beads of water that trailed down his skin. Yuri’s eyes unconsciously focused on a single drop as it made it’s way down a slim neck, past a dusky nipple, and finally over a taught stomach to join with the rest of the water.

“Yuri? Are you with me?” Wolfram’s words were a question but his tone was far from inquisitive. The husky quality laced in to every word sent shivers down Yuri’s spine. The Maou closed his eyes, trying to focus on something other than the man in front of him. Seconds later he felt a wash of heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water and a firm weight settle onto his thighs. Whimpering, Yuri opened his eyes to confirm what the rest of his body was telling him. A pair of green eyes stared into his only inches from his face. Dropping his eyes from the intense gaze, he was met with a sight that nearly made him pass out. Wolfram’s thighs were spread so that his knees rested on either side of Yuri’s hips. The Maou could feel the tension in those legs as the blond easily kept his balance. Pale arms surrounded his head, while Wolfram gripped the lip of the bath on either side. Yuri cursed the water for being so clear, because he could easily see the hard pink flesh jutting up from a nest of blond curls.

“Now then what did you want to know about kisses?” Wolfram leaned closer in to Yuri as he spoke. The movement made Yuri aware of something he’d been refusing to see when he’d glanced at Wolfram. The Maou’s body had been treacherously reacting to the blond’s presence. Wolfram let out a musical laugh as he felt Yuri’s hardness brush against his own. “Perhaps it’s not kissing you want to learn about.” As if of their own volition, Yuri’s hands slid around Wolfram’s waist and rested at the bottom of his spine. The smell of honey drifted past Yuri’s nose as Wolfram lowered his lips those last few inches.

*Thud* With a startled cry Yuri bolted upright in his seat, clutching at his forehead. With a panicked look, he searched his surroundings. The usual furnishings of his office greeted his eyes. He pulled his hand away from his head and stared at his palm. There wasn’t any blood; however, a bright red blotch adorned his hand. Judging by that mark and the fact that he’d hit his head fairly hard on the desk, he assumed he’d managed to fall asleep resting his chin atop his palm. With a deep breath, he pushed his chair back a bit and looked down at his lap. The tent in his trousers wrought a groan from his lips.

“Ah hell not again!” he whined while holding his head with both hands.

“I’m sorry Heika… did I interrupt something?” Gunter’s voice drifted from the doorway, sounding both puzzled and amused.

“ACK!! Gunter what… NO you weren’t interrupting anything…” Yuri fought down the urge to hyperventilate. Since he hadn’t heard the door open, he had no idea how long his adviser had been standing there. He prayed that Gunter hadn’t caught him looking at the problem in his pants.

“I suppose that’s a good thing Heika,” Gunter still looked bemused but continued on anyway, “I thought you might like to know Lord Bielefeld has been located.”

“That’s great Gunter… um where was he?” Yuri focused on the information Gunter was giving him in hopes it would provide a distraction from the sensations still running through his body.

“It seems he went to the barracks to sleep. His personal guard did not feel it necessary to inform anyone until after Lord Bielefeld had fallen asleep.” A perturbed frown crossed the older man’s face.

“Well… I guess it’s good that he’s safe.” The distraction was working; Yuri found it difficult to be aroused when he thought about how badly he’d hurt his friend.

“Heika?” Yuri looked up questioningly as Gunter spoke, “Ah perhaps it would be best for you to retire for the evening. It’s getting quite late and I’m sure your day will be busy tomorrow.”

“Oh um yeah, you’re right. I’ll head to bed in a minute.”

“Alright Heika. I will see you in the morning for our usual lessons.” Gunter bowed slightly in Yuri’s direction, a few strands of pale hair slipping past his shoulders.

“Sure Gunter good night,” Yuri vaguely noted Gunter exiting the room and closing the door. Slumping in his chair, Yuri let his pulse finally settle down to its normal pace. Locating Wolfram provided a sense of relief that surprised the Maou with its intensity. He really was glad Wolfram was safe, but on the down side he’d had one of those dreams again. Erotic dreams weren’t that uncommon for men his age, but he was sure most men actually remembered what happened in those dreams. For the past few years, Yuri had woken up, on occasion, hard or worse yet spent with no idea as to why. Normally it happened while he was visiting Earth, but lately the dreams happened more frequently and in Shin Makoku as well. Luckily he hadn’t had any while Wolfram was in bed with him; he could imagine the beating he’d get if the former prince found him like that.

Groaning, Yuri stood and glanced down at himself. He had managed to calm his erection to the point it wasn’t blatantly obvious. Fighting back another sigh, the Maou left his office and headed towards his chambers. Normally he preferred to take a bath before going to bed, but for some reason a bath sounded less than appealing. He was also sure that the idea of a bath did not in any way cause a tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach, nor did it make him wish the front of his uniform hung down lower in front of his body.

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With his head peeking out from around the corner, Gunter watched Yuri exit his office. He wondered briefly if this was the sort of things spies did. He’d been a warrior for many years, but this whole sneaking around thing was out of his realm of experience. Never the less, Gunter darted around behind Yuri while doing his best to stay hidden. He watched the double black walk towards his chambers. Everything seemed to be normal, if one didn’t take into account the Maou pulling awkwardly at the hem of his jacket every few steps. A fleeting thought of asking the tailors to lengthen Yuri’s jacket passed through Gunter’s mind, accompanied by the scandalous thought of the Maou wearing nothing but the jacket. Quickly shooing the image from his head, he thought it a bit odd when Yuri bypassed the baths and when directly to his bedchamber. Perhaps the day just been too taxing on the young Maou. Secure in the knowledge that Yuri wasn’t going to spend the night drooling on paperwork, he turned to retire for the night himself. He was barely able to contain a squeak of surprise when he saw the figure standing behind him.

“Spying on the kiddo? I’m surprised Lord von Christ. Though if you find yourself in need of a good disguise, my closet is always open,” despite the soft volume of Yozak’s voice, the mirth at having caught Gunter was clearly audible.

“I was most certainly not spying on Heika. I was simply insuring the safety of our beloved Maoh.” Gunter hoped his face reflected cool dignity, instead of the flush of a child swiping sweets from the kitchen.

“Sure… making sure he is safe, in Covenant Castle, during a time of peace, with more people awake and wandering around at this time of night than I’ve seen in a dog’s age. Sounds perfectly logical to me.” Yozak always found it amusing when he found one of the nobles acting anything less than noble.

“I… well yes… What are you doing here? I thought you were away on assignment,” Gunter hoped the spy would let the subject go if given something else to focus on.

“That’s right I was, but the blacksmith guy I was looking in to wasn’t supplying the local ruffians with weapons. He was just taking his apprentice out for a little late night loving where the wife wouldn’t find them,” a devious grin lit up Yozak’s face as he continued, “I think he would have rather had everyone thinking he was involved in something illegal, than let his old lady find out he was sharing more than his knowledge with his nubile apprentice.”

“Gurrier!” Gunter’s eye twitched as he stared aghast at the man in front of him, “Is there any reason you felt the need to tell me this, instead of your commanding officer?”

“Ah you see I’ve been looking for the Captain, to give him a full report of course. But it’s the strangest thing, he hasn’t been in any of his usual places or any of his not so usual places,” the smile on Yozak’s face remained unchanged, but his eyes hardened significantly, “And even though way too many people are still up, no one seems to know where he his. But they all seem to want to talk about the newest juicy tidbit. So tell me is it true? Did the kiddo really try to suffocate the brat to get out of their engagement?”

“WHAT!” Gunter yelled before shoving a hand over his mouth.

“So I take it there’s a little misinformation floating around?” Yozak took in the distressed look on Gunter’s face. The older man fluttered around a bit before taking off in a rush. Finding himself alone in the hallway, Yozak muttered sarcastically to himself, “Was is something I said?” Giving a mild glare towards the door to the Maou’s chambers, Yozak wandered off to continue his search for Conrart.

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After word of Wolfram’s location reached Gwendal, he checked in on the barracks just to be sure his youngest brother really was there. Two guards stood outside the room Wolfram was in. Gwendal recognized them as being some of Wolfram’s guard but couldn’t remember their names. Talking with them briefly, he was assured that the blond was resting comfortably and that Simon and Edward were in the room with him in case he needed anything. The information took a small measure of the weight off Gwendal’s shoulders. Those two men were the closest things to friends his closed off brother had made since he’d joined the army. Mollified, Gwendal returned to the castle proper to rest, if not sleep, for the night. The footsteps he could hear echoing from inside his rooms took away from the surprise of finding Gunter pacing back and forth when he opened the door. After entering and closing the door behind him, Gwendal took in his companion’s appearance more fully. Normally sinfully silky hair stuck out at bizarre angles, pale hands gripped each other rhythmically, and his eyes showed white around the edges. To put it simply, Gunter looked a wreck. Moments after Gwendal entered, Gunter’s whirled to face the stoic man. Instead of acknowledging his presence, Gunter merely stared pleadingly at his lover.

“Gunter what are you doing here?” Though the two had been intimate for years, both felt more comfortable keeping their relationship unofficial. Most rendezvous were planned a head of time, so finding Gunter in his quarters was a surprise to Gwendal.

“I.. They’re.. Oh it’s just horrid!” Abandoning his momentary stillness, Gunter began pacing again. His hands flew about as he spoke, “The damned rumors have started,” Gwendal’s eyebrow raised questioningly before Gunter continued, “I knew they wouldn’t be good but this is just morally reprehensible!” Gwendal allowed surprise to show across his face, he couldn’t imagine what sort of rumors would send his lover in to such a state. He feared the beating his brother’s reputation must be taking. The lavender haired man had never shown much interest in Wolfram, other than to call him lazy from time to time, so for him to be so agitated lead Gwendal to believethat the rumors must be truly nasty.

“What are they saying?” Bracing himself for the worst, Gwendal awaited a response.

“It’s just awful! To think he would do such a thing.” The pacing continued until Gwendal couldn’t take it any more. Strong hands gripped Gunter’s shoulders, halting his movements.

“Gunter! What are they saying?” The words were nearly growled into Gunter’s face. Shocked eyes stared up at Gwendal briefly before Gunter answered.

“I.. They’re saying Heika made an attempt on your brother’s life in order to end their engagement.” Gunter waited for his lover to agree that indeed this was a terrible thing.

“So the reason your so upset… *snort*,” Gwendal let Gunter go only to cover his own mouth. His eye twitched and a flush rose to his face.

“Gwen…?” Gunter spoke softly not wanting to further Gwendal’s obvious distress over the situation. Unfortunately, the older man had completely misinterpreted Gwendal’s reaction. Unable to contain himself, Gwendal allowed the laughter he’d been fighting to escape. Not even the angry face of his lover could stem the flow of laughter. Masculine chuckles filled the room even as Gunter puffed up like a riled chicken. After a few moments, Gwendal managed to curtail his mirth. Gunter turned his back to his lover and let out a small huff of indignation.

“Gunter,” Gwendal’s voice failed to bring a reaction from Gunter so he continued, “Surely you can see the humor in this?” Gunter remained turned away. “We’ve all been so worried what people would say about Wolfram, and yet the first rumors are about Heika. I know you’re worried about him, but things like this just don’t stick to him. He’ll flash a smile or two and walk around with puppy eyes, and before you know it everyone will think such a rumor is just as unimaginable as you do. Gunter?” He didn’t turn but Gwendal could see the anger leaving Gunter’s body. Taking a chance, Gwendal stepped up behind Gunter and slid his arms around the older man’s waist. “GunGun?”

“Oh fine! You’re forgiven. But I don’t want to hear you laughing at Heika’s misfortune again.” Gunter relaxed slightly and laid his hands over the ones holding him.

“Hum… I’m afraid I can’t promise you that,” Gunter tensed up again before Gwendal continued, “I’ll lay down my life and the lives of the men under my command for Heika, but my family’s happiness is very important to me. Heika has hurt my brother badly and I imagine that I’ll gain some measure of joy at his discomfort until Wolfram’s heart has healed. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I know better than to give you anything other than the truth.” Gunter sighed softly after Gwendal finished speaking. In truth, he wasn’t all that surprised at Gwendal’s reaction, even if he’d been hoping for a different one. He didn’t even notice the stress and anger leaving him until he rested his head against Gwendal’s shoulder.

“I know, I know. I just wish this whole day hadn’t happened.” Gunter closed his eyes and allowed himself to find comfort in the arms of his lover.

“It’s happened any way though. Tomorrow you’ll go see Heika and he’ll come up with some unbelievably naive plan to get everyone to stop spreading rumors. And to everyone’s surprise the plan will work perfectly, insuring that no one ever spreads nasty rumors in Shin Makoku again.”

“Heh.. If only.” Gunter smiled slightly at the idea.

“Now then it’s very late for you to be walking back to your rooms.”

“Oh is it now?” Gunter turned his head to look at Gwendal from the corner of his eye.

“Yes terribly late, it wouldn’t be safe at all.” A devilish smile bloomed on Gwendal’s face.

“Not safe? Not even for one of Shin Makoku’s most prominent swordsmen?”

“Oh especially not for such a man. Who knows what sort of person might be laying in wait to assault such a fine being.”

“Mmm… well in that case I suppose I’ll just have to spent the night here.” He turned to face Gwendal and slid his arms around his neck.

“Ah no wonder you’re Heika’s primary adviser. You come up with the most brilliant ideas.”

“And of course you’ll have to play the perfect host, keeping me… entertained.” Gunter trailed his fingertips along Gwendal’s back suggestively.

“Of course,” Gwendal allowed one last smile to grace his face before leaning down slightly to graze his lips over Gunter’s. Unsatisfied with such gentleness, Gunter pressed into Gwendal firmly. His tongue briefly slipped out of his mouth to lap at Gwendal’s lips. A groan made it’s way out of Gwendal’s mouth before he deepened the kiss, hands clenching into the fabric at the small of Gunter’s back. Taking control of the kiss, Gunter began maneuvering them towards the bed. Nimble fingers slipped buttons free of their holes, a trail of fabric fell to the floor with each step. Quickly, chests were bared to the cool air. Feeling more than seeing that they’d reacted his destination, Gunter broke the kiss and shifted, causing both men to tumble onto the bed. Gunter took a moment to enjoy the feeling of Gwendal under his body before rolling to the side to remove his boots, socks and all. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Gwendal doing the same. Not giving the dark haired man a chance to start in on his pants, Gunter climbed back on top of Gwendal. An annoyed grumble accompanied the movement, but it ended sharply when Gunter reached between their bodies to unfasten Gwendal’s fly. Not to be out done, Gwendal went to work ridding the older man of his pants.

After a brief tussle, more bits of green and white fabric joined the rest on the floor. The laughably small bits of cloth typically worn as underwear by nobles provided little resistance to roaming hands and the men reveled in the unhindered access to the other’s body. Crawling backwards on his elbows, Gwendal worked to move them to the head of the bed. Gunter moved with him, laying random nips and licks to Gwendal’s neck and chest as they went. Blindly Gwendal groped around the small table next to his bed. Gunter noticed Gwendal’s fumbling and glanced towards the table. Eyes lighting on a familiar, if innocuous, bottle, Gunter snagged it and drew it onto the bed with them. Gunter sat up determinedly and uncorked the bottle. The scent of flowers, Secretive Gwendal to be specific, wafted from the bottle. Gunter smirked; Celi always took great delight in embarrassing her sons when giving them gifts. Ignoring the reddened state of Gwendal’s face, Gunter poured a slow trickle of the oil from the bottle on to both of their laps. Re-corking the bottle, Gunter made a great show of placing it back on the table and returning astride Gwendal. His body slid deliciously slow against Gwendal’s and when he looked down at his lover he saw near animal desire in his eyes.

Gwendal trailed his hand through the pool of oil and wrapped that slick hand around both columns of hard flesh he found. Gunter let out a soft moan and thrust gently, trapped between strong fingers and pulsing flesh. A second thrust had an answering moan coming from Gwendal. They set a slow rhythm, rocking back and forth. Gunter used one hand to brace himself on Gwendal’s chest, while the other dipped lower to caress and stroke the flesh not covered by Gwendal’s fist. Focusing his ministrations on Gwendal’s pleasure, Gunter was rewarded by the tensing of muscles that usually accompanied his lover’s release. Moments latter Gwendal added to the slick between them, riding out the waves of his climax. Gunter let out a self satisfied chuckle, despite still being painfully erect. His laughter was cut short as he found himself deftly flipped onto his back. Two hands settled on his hips, one wet and slick against his skin, the other dry and rough. Thoughts on the contrasting sensations quickly left his head as a warm, wet mouth engulfed him in one move. Writhing from the unexpected pleasure, Gunter gripped the bed covers with one hand and slipped the other into Gwendal's hair. Already close to the edge from their earlier actions, Gwendal easily drew a fast orgasm from Gunter. A small cry echoed though the room as Gunter spent himself. Gwendal released the now soft flesh from his mouth and crawled up to kiss Gunter soundly. The couple shared a lazy kiss before stopping to catch their breath. Gwendal gazed down at his companion, expecting to see the relaxed countenance of a man thoroughly enjoying the afterglow. Instead, his saw Gunter trying to contain a fit of giggles.

“What?” Gwendal growled the word, annoyed that Gunter found something so funny after their lovemaking.

“Hahaha…. Your hair….*snicker*,” his trembling hand pointed at the aforementioned hair.

“Eh?” reaching up to touch the top of his head, Gwendal figured out what had caused Gunter’s laughter. His dark hair had been mussed terribly by Gunter’s grip, sections were pulled half out of his ponytail. Growling at the still snickering man, Gwendal pounced and launched a tickling assault on Gunter’s unprotected sides. They wrestled briefly before settling down with their arms around each other. The fluids drying on their stomachs prompted Gwendal to retrieve a handkerchief from the bed table and efficiently wipe away the worst of the mess. The bit of cloth was tossed off the side of the bed as the men pulled back the blankets and slipped between the sheets. Once again curled around each other they drifted to sleep. A last stray thought about bribing the maid doing laundry in the morning crossed Gwendal’s mind before he slipped into the darkness.

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AN: Ok lemony (maybe) goodness kinda snuck up on me here. Wow, hope it didn’t suck….. or rather perhaps I should say, hope it wasn’t horrible. Anyway, our dear Yuri may have more going on than his innocent little mind can deal with.