Voiceless

Title: Fight or Flight

Pairing: Wolfram X Yuri

Rating: M

Story Contains: Yaoi, Rape, Violence, Language, and most importantly Unrequited Love

Chapter Warnings:

Summary: Wolfram makes it to dinner, but not everything goes as planned. With meddling mothers and unsure children, nothing can ever turn out well, can it?

Chapter Number: #8

Author Note: It may start cheery, but don’t expect it to stay that way. Originally part of chapter seven, but to save you all from one long chapter, I split it in half.

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“Wolfram had lunch with me today!” Greta said, bounding into Yuri’s office ecstatically. “Just me! No one else! Isn’t it great, Yuri? He said he overslept this morning because he was up late reading!” Yuri forced on a grin and scratched his head.

“Reading, yeah, that’s right.”

“He felt really bad about it and promised to have dinner with me and everyone else today and promised that he wouldn’t miss it!” Her excitement couldn’t be contained, and she didn’t waste all of it on Yuri. In several minutes of delivering her exciting news, she left to visit others.

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Yuri made the connection when he saw Wolfram struggle to sit up and when he struggled to stand. He noted it when the blonde demon walked and when he moved to sit and in the new posture that he had when he sat. He slept next to an unsheathed sword, didn’t sleep at night, hurt his voice screaming. Someone had raped him the night that he’d canceled the engagement. The night that Wolfram slept in his own room, weakened by depression and blinded by rage.

It was like Conrad had said, he had been too harsh. He called it off and he never even told Wolfram why. Never explained, just smashed the love that was in his hand and tossed it to the floor. He’d broken Wolfram’s heart, and then set up for someone else to break his body.

No matter what anyone said, no matter how much Gwendal insisted that the whole mess had nothing to do with him, Yuri knew that it was his fault. If his powers as Demon King could turn back time he wouldn’t go back to when he accidentally proposed and stop it from happening…Rather, he would go back and stop himself from calling it off. He didn’t know why he had. The love that had been in his hand was beautiful. It blossomed and flourished. He’d never meant to destroy it.

He did, he felt, have some sort of feeling towards Wolfram that, he was positive, wasn’t love but was close enough, on the border of it; so close that one small push could send him fly off the ledge into a pool of the jaggedly shaped emotion.

He was afraid that the strings that yanked his heart so violently hard when he realized what tragedy had befallen his close friend had pulled him off of that ledge by force and now he hovered above it, not sure when the strings of sanity would snap and he’d fall into the painful canyon.

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Wolfram sat at the table stiffly, a look of discomfort on his face that was quick to turn to a smile whenever Greta’s eyes locked with his. Yuri couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He looked so strong, but he knew by the dazed look that constantly occupied previously vivacious eyes that Wolfram didn’t feel strong at all. He felt weak and probably powerless. He probably felt like a fool after being discarded. Probably felt like a wimp for not being able to fight off whoever attacked him.

“So, Wolfie Darling, why have you been hiding from me for so long? Don’t you know I get so lonely when my boys aren’t around?” Lady Celi said in her usual seductive tone.

“I haven’t been hiding, Mother,” Wolfram replied dryly.

“Oh, dear. You don’t sound like you feel well. Have you caught a cold from sleeping all by yourself?” She giggled quietly, not aware of the trouble she was causing. And if she was, it was her strictest intention to cause it.

“Mother!” Wolfram croaked, discomfort in his eyes.

“That must be it then. Caught of cold from the Demon King’s cold heart. How tragic.” She batted her eyelashes playfully, but Wolfram didn’t see it like that. Neither did the Demon King.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much, Mother?” Gwendal said over his plate.

“I guess you’re right, Gwendal,” Lady Celi said softly. “I’m sorry, Wolfie Dear.” But her eyes said a different story.

“Wolfram!” Greta piped in after sensing the cloud of dismay that encircled the table.

“Yes? What is it?” Wolfram asked quietly, voice more shaky than rough.

“You’ll come tuck me in tonight, won’t you? I miss having you do it! Yuri doesn’t do it right!” Yuri looked half offended, Greta’s face was stuck in a permanent smile because she knew that Wolfram wouldn’t refuse, and Wolfram looked like a man masking agony with a smile.

“Of course, Greta. If that’s what you want,” he said, taking a drink from his cup. Talking made his throat hurt.

“And then you’ll stay until I fall asleep right?” Gwendal wanted to interject, but felt that the best thing to do would be to leave the conversation in the hands of the ones who it belonged to. He left the room and rapidly the others followed, leaving the broken couple and their…sort of…daughter behind. “Where are you all going?” She asked, watching as Gunter’s white cloak disappeared behind the quickly closing door. “What’s wrong with everyone?”

Wolfram had his teeth sunk into his lower lip enough to draw blood; Yuri had an expression of betrayed horror. He didn’t want to discuss their relationship with Greta so soon. If they talked about it now, he wouldn’t get the chance to take back his action taking back his proposal…Something he still wasn’t sure he wanted to do.

“Wolfram? Will you stay until I fall asleep?” Greta tried again, sadness flickering in her eyes.

“I don’t think I should, Greta,” Wolfram said with something like pain in his voice. Maybe it was just stifled bitterness directed at Yuri.

“But why not?” Greta said, pained. “If you and Yuri are still fighting then I’ll sleep in your room tonight and then Yuri’s the next day!”

“That isn’t a good idea!” Wolfram attempted, watching unsure as tears welled in his sort-of-daughter’s eyes.

“But why not? I want to spend time with you. Why don’t you want me to?” The tears fell and Wolfram looked to Yuri for either support or suggestions, Yuri couldn’t tell which.

“Because it’s not safe in my room,” Wolfram said quietly. Greta shook her head.

“Then stay in our room again! I miss you!”

“I can’t, Greta!”

“Sure you can,” Yuri said. The two looked at him, but with different versions of shock. Greta looked happy while Wolfram looked offended. “You can stay in my room and I’ll stay in yours, Wolfram.” Maybe, Yuri thought, maybe the attacker would come back and then he would be able to catch the man.

“No! Out of the question!” Wolfram stated loudly, hurting his voice more than intended, and regretting much more than the volume.

“But why—”

“It doesn’t matter where I sleep,” Wolfram stated, more compassionately this time. “As long as I’m there it isn’t safe for you.”

“Why not?” Greta was sobbing, and Wolfram couldn’t take it, but she deserved better than him running out because the situation had gotten complicated.

“Wolfram, stay in my room tonight.”

“No! I refuse!” Wolfram glared at Yuri firmly. Ever since he started speaking, the trouble wouldn’t end. He didn’t like being alone, but he couldn’t put Greta at risk too. And he couldn’t sleep in the same room as the Demon King anymore either. His pride would not allow it, even if it’s what Greta wanted. Sometimes children couldn’t have what they want.

“Why? You were in my room last night! And the night before that!” Wolfram cringed. Who had told? Maybe it was Greta…Maybe it was Gwendal or that guard that had caught him before. “Stay with Greta in my room. I’ll sleep somewhere else.”

“We already went over this,” Wolfram said, standing from his seat and grabbing Yuri’s arm, making him stand as well. “Come here.” He yanked the Demon King towards the door and out into the corridor, closing the door quietly behind them, but not so quietly dismissing the maids who leaned against the other side of the door.

“Listen, Wolfram. I know you’re mad at me, but Greta really wants to spend time with you. She’ll be safe in my room, and if you don’t believe that I can have a guard stand outside.”

“That’s not the point!” Wolfram said, voice cracking under the strain of yelling.

“The point is that you don’t want to be near me, but why then would you wait in my room all night and not even sleep?” Yuri inquired firmly. Wolfram glared.

“I was checking on Greta!”

“That’s not true, and don’t yell, she’ll hear you!”

“It is true,” Wolfram breathed, throat aching and soul weakening.

“If you were checking on her why would you leave when she saw you the first time? She said you were looking at me. Why? If you’re so mad at me, why would you come in and watch me sleep?” Yuri followed Wolfram’s gaze to the floor. “She says she knows you weren’t planning to hurt me, so why?”

“Why do you think?” Wolfram said, head dropping lower, eyes closing tightly. Then his mouth moved without his permission. “I still love you, Yuri,” he said, and fled from the doorway faster than he’d wanted.

“Fight or Flight” …This time he chose flight. He didn’t know why, but it felt like the better thing to do, even if part of him scolded him firmly. Another part, a much stronger part, felt like it was about to cry, and if he was going to cry, if more fluids dribbled from crushed, ancient petals, then Yuri was not going to see and Greta was not going to hear.

~Alice Von Wonderland

Closing Note: I thought I would make a small, Greta centered chapter, but I don’t know if I over did it or not. In her own way she’s helping to open communications, forcedly, but at least something is good enough. What is your opinion on this?

Until Next Time

R&R

Alice Von Wonderland