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Yuuri can’t really remember the last time Wolfram actually yelled at him, but yelling was definitely the proper word to describe what he was currently doing.
Yuuri had only just waddled his way over to the bathroom, splashing his face with warm water, when Wolfram, angry with the rage of a thousand soldiers, started yelling—yelling!—at him. Yuuri could only understand about half of what Wolfram was saying—and what he could understand made Yuuri upset, too.
Wolfram had yet another dream (read: dream) that Yuuri was engaged to another. He dreamt of Yuuri accepting the proposal and completing the ceremony (on a beach, of all outlandish places) all without looking back at Wolfram once. Wolfram explained the beach wedding in detail and with great disgust.
It was just so ridiculous! All this anger was directed toward a version of Yuuri that wasn’t even real! Not to mention how shallow and cruel Wolfram’s subconscious had made his fiancé. Really, Yuuri should be the one yelling at him, if anything.
All this anger began to bubble up inside Yuuri, causing him to turn around just to try to ignore the conversation. That only made Wolfram more upset, and he began accusing him of “turning his back on their engagement” or something equally as insane.
Yuuri snaps his head around, grabbing Wolfram by the shoulder. He’s about to yell back that his accusations are ridiculous considering they are not real (a beach wedding? Really?), when suddenly the world lurches, the sink water pulls and then—
They’re gone.
Yuuri hits the ground hard, air knocked from his lungs. Wolfram lands half on top of him, and for a second neither of them moves.
…Sand. There’s sand under his hands. And…
...Oh God. Is…Is that actually the sound of a seagull that I’m hearing?
Wolfram blinks his eyes open, his anger briefly subdued from shock. He pushes himself off Yuuri, frowning when he feels the material beneath them.
He stares at the sand in his hands. The waves crash and seagulls cry overhead.
“You…” His hand tightens. “You cheater!” He hurls the sand straight at Yuuri’s face.”You—cheating wimp! Why would you take us to a beach of all places?!”
Yuuri squeezes his eyes shut and squirms away to avoid getting sand in his eyes. “Wolf! How many times do I have to say that it was a dream?!” He scrambles back, frantically brushing sand out of his hair and clothes. “We’re only at the beach because you put it in my head! I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Wolfram bristles at that and grabs more sand, tossing it haphazardly in Yuuri’s general direction. “Sure it was a dream—but it’s something you’d do, you cheater.” He winces, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the blazing sun. “...It’s so bright out here—” He squints harder. “Why can’t you control your powers yet? Were you just trying to get out of your duties again? Wimp.”
“I was not,” Yuuri retorts quickly, emphasizing by throwing sand back at Wolfram. “And it’s not something ‘I’d do!’ I was literally asleep next to you!” He shifts to his knees, then stands, brushing himself off with a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just go to the ocean so I can send us back.”
“Hmph!” Wolfram gets to his feet as well, crossing his arms theatrically and pointedly avoiding eye contact with Yuuri. “Fine! Gunter’ll throw a fit when he finds you gone, anyway.”
Yuuri roughly grabs Wolfram’s hand to drag him to the water. He squats down into the shallow waves, keeping a steady hand on Wolfram’s, before closing his eyes and focusing. He focuses and focuses and focuses…until he feels a fish nudge its face against his hand.
He shoots upright with a small, strangled scream. “Eek! I can’t! The—The fish are attacking me!”
Wolfram rolls his eyes and splashes water in Yuuri’s direction. “The fish are not attacking you–you’re just being a stupid wimp.” And then a fish runs into his foot as well. “Ack!” He recoils and grabs onto Yuuri. “The fish are attacking me!”
Yuuri dares to snicker at Wolfram. “Who’s the wimp now—AH—!” A much bigger fish nibbles at his feet, and he jerks violently, shoving Wolfram splashing into the waves with him.
Wolfram yelps as he crashes down, Yuuri sprawled on top of him. The water is shallow enough that his bottom hits the sand (hard, might he add). He opens his mouth to yell at Yuuri for being a clumsy fool when a wave comes crashing down over his head and sends him flying. He ends up face down in the sand, and for a moment he has half a mind to just stay there and accept his fate.
He sits up again, spitting sand from his mouth, his cheeks burning red from embarrassment. “What the hell, Yuuri?! Do you not know how to stand anymore?”
Yuuri laughs—he laughs so hard his stomach begins to ache. He knows it’s so incredibly cruel but he can’t help it when Wolfram looks so defeated—he looked like some sort of beached sea creature.
He catches his breath before walking over to Wolfram. “Yeah? Who’s the one actually standing right now? Serves you right for accusing me of cheating.” He holds his hand out for Wolfram to take, ready to help him up.
His whole face goes scarlet at that. He grabs Yuuri’s hand and yanks him down into the water with him.
“There,” he says triumphantly. “Now neither of us are standing.”
Yuuri wheezes, pinching the bridge of his nose to clear the water before shooting Wolfram a glare. He splashes water at Wolfram. “You’re going to drown me. That’s murder. You draw the line at cheating, but murdering your fiancé is fine?” He grabs Wolfram’s hand again with a huff. “Let me try to bring us back again. Hush.”
He clicks his tongue, letting his hand fall limply in Yuuri’s. “We went down together, Yuuri. That’s a sign of our love—not murder.”
Yuuri shoots wolfram a look. "Hush.” He brings his eyes back to the water and sighs heavily. “What kind of love involves drowning? What in the world have you been doing to previous suitors?”
“There have been no ‘previous suitors,’” Wolfram snaps quickly. His honor is on the line here. “I’m not a tramp, unlike you.”
“I am not a tramp!” Yuuri objects loudly, completely losing focus. “And how long are you gonna keep talking about this?”
“It’s the principle of it!” he replies. “You cheated on me in my dream!”
“But I would never actually do that.” He grabs Wolfram by the shoulders and lightly shakes him. “You can’t seriously be mad at me over principle. Is this really how you view me? Woooooow, Wolf.” He pushes away from Wolfram and stands, shaking his head. “I don’t even want to send us back anymore. I’m going on the beach.”
“You would, though,” Wolfram says, trailing after Yuuri. “You flirt with everyone. Everyone! What am I supposed to think?”
Yuuri kicks water towards Wolfram. “That I’m loyal! That’s what you’re supposed to think.” He makes his way to the shore and sits down, arms crossed and annoyed.
“Then act like it,” he fires back, stopping just short of the shore. His words lose their heat then and he looks away, crossing his arms tight and furrowing his brow. “You don’t…take it seriously.”
Yuuri throws his head back and groans. “How am I supposed to take your dream seriously?” He’s ready to yell more, but when he looks at Wolfram’s face—at that strangely solemn expression—he falters.
…But something in Yuuri is still mad that Wolfram thinks any part of his stupid dream could actually happen.
“It—It wasn’t even realistic.” Yuuri drags a hand through his hair, agitated. “I wouldn’t do that. I can’t believe that’s how you think I really am.”
“It’s not—” Wolfram breaks his sentence off with a frustrated groan. “Ugh, it’s not about the dream anymore, Yuuri. It’s—” He waves his hands around vaguely as he speaks, clearly struggling to find the words. “You don’t take me seriously.” He falters, jaw tightening. “Or any of this, for that matter.”
Yuuri sort of flinches at his words–both at the sudden seriousness and because…that can’t really be how Wolfram thinks he feels, right?
“I take you seriously,” Yuuri defends lamely. “Just…not when you’re making stupid accusations.”
He stares closely at Wolfram’s face. Something tells Yuuri he’s not actually understanding something about this situation, but he’s not sure what it’s really about.
Wolfram clicks his tongue. “See, that’s what I mean.” He shakes his head, frustration bleeding through. “You’re not even listening to me.” A beat. He waves his hand flippantly. “Forget it.”
He scoffs and turns away, marching further up the shore. He drops down into the sand, shivering as the water in his clothes meets the cool wind.
“Wolf!” Yuuri follows after until he’s squatting in front of Wolfram. “Hold on—I’m trying to listen! Just… what are you mad at me for?”
“Do you even…” Wolfram looks down at the sand, poking at it aimlessly with his index finger. “...want this?” He pointedly avoids eye contact. “To be engaged to me?”
“What?” There’s a seriousness in Wolfram’s tone that catches Yuuri off guard. “I—of course not—”
He pauses, cutting himself off. Yuuri had never really considered this a choice. It happened that a slap in the face was somehow a proposal, and it happened that he ended up engaged to Wolfram. Did Yuuri want that? Well, frankly, no. Not back then. He just hadn’t known what that slap actually meant—which is why he’d rejected Wolfram time and time again. He never really imagined his future to be with another man.
But…so much has happened since that first encounter. If Wolfram asked if Yuuri regretted their engagement…well, that would be a no.
Yuuri takes a breath. “...No, that’s not—that’s not what I meant. I mean… At first, no.”
“And now?” Wolfram squints up at Yuuri, tilting his head just so. “What about now?”
“Uh—” Yuuri feels Wolfram’s gaze too strongly, and it makes him…nervous. He wipes his sweaty palms on his pants. “Now…well, um. Now, we’re…closer. So. I don’t mind it.”
Wolfram lets out a short laugh. “You don’t mind it,” he echoes hollowly. “That’s reassuring.” He exhales sharply, eyes narrowing. “That’s not what I’m asking and you know that.”
What do you want me to say? he thinks in exasperation. That our engagement is the best thing that’s happened to me since I got sucked into a toilet portal? That I actually really like being engaged to you? Yuuri shakes his head internally. No, no I can’t say that—too embarrassing.
“...I prefer it,” Yuuri says finally, staring intently at the sand.
Wolfram rolls his eyes and looks away. “You make it sound like it doesn’t matter all that much.” He pauses and sighs. “...Nevermind.” He clears his throat, brushing the sand from his hands, and waves Yuuri off. “Go figure out how to get us back before I die from heat stroke, you wimp.”
Yuuri almost does.
He almost jumps back into the water and prays it does something.
But he doesn’t.
“Wait, no, Wolf, it—” He swallows his embarrassment and continues, “it matters to me!” He pauses. “A lot.”
Wolfram stares at Yuuri for a moment and processes his words. Something in Yuuri’s eyes looks honest, at least. He takes a deep breath. “Then prove it, Yuuri.”
Yuuri’s brow furrows in confusion. Prove it? What does that even mean? He looks at the seams on Wolfram’s shirt, like the answer might be there somehow.
Prove it.
“...You want a huge wedding,” he hears himself say, and it sounds so lame out loud. “With a big, decorated cake and those stupid cake toppers that look like us.” He lifts his gaze. Only now does Yuuri realize that he’s smiling at the thought of their wedding. “And you want to be in a white suit. I’m in the black one.”
“You’ve…” Wolfram blinks, a small flush forming on his face. He clenches and unclenches his fists, a little nervous, and looks away. “...You’ve been listening to all that?”
Yuuri feels himself flush and quickly looks back at the sand. He clears his throat. “O–Of course.” He might kill himself later for stuttering. “You talk about it a lot.” He steals a side glance at Wolfram before muttering, “And…it’s my wedding, too.”
“Oh,” is all Wolfram manages. Usually he’s the one talking about such things—it’s almost strange coming from Yuuri’s lips. Foreign. “That’s…” He hesitates and chews at his lip, flushing a little more. “...nice.”
Yuuri huffs out a laugh and nods slowly, like if he moves too quickly he’ll break this strange little bubble he’s put them in. The words prove it ring hollowly in his head—not like a challenge, but like a plea. Like Wolfram genuinely didn’t believe him. And it’s such a sad thought that it overrides his embarrassment.
“I do…like being engaged to you, Wolf,” he says slowly, like he’s laying down something important. Because he is. “Everything about it.” Then, so quiet he’s not sure if Wolfram will even hear it, “I really—I would never cheat on you.”
Wolfram’s eyes examine Yuuri’s face, like he’s trying to decide if he means it. “...You’re serious?”
Yuuri’s torn between throwing sand at Wolfram or drowning himself in the ocean at this point. But then he sees how those big, green eyes are so bright against the sun, and Yuuri just knows Wolfram’s pale face is going to burn from this small amount of sunlight. The thought makes his chest feel just as warm as his back is from the blazing sun. “Yeah,” he replies. “Yeah, I am.” He pauses. “Is…that okay?”
There’s a small beat of silence as Yuuri’s words hang heavily in the air. And then something warm roots itself deep in Wolfram’s chest. It spreads through him until his cheeks flush pink and a smile tugs at his lips despite himself. “Of course it’s okay, you wimp.”
Yuuri’s mind goes blank at the sight of Wolfram’s bright smile, his bangs tousled by the wind. He feels his entire body relax.
“Good,” he mumbles, feeling himself scooting forward. His hand finds itself against Wolfram’s forehead, gently brushing his hair back into place. “I’m sorry my dream self cheated on you.” He chuckles lightly, fingers softly brushing against Wolfram’s cheek. “Do you forgive me?”
Wolfram goes still at the touch, breath catching slightly in his throat, and the pink dusting his cheeks deepens. He leans into the touch before he can stop himself. “Do you even need to ask?” He tries to scoff, but it comes out a little weak with slight embarrassment and softer than intended. “I forgave you already.”
Yuuri has never felt like he could hold the world in his hands until now. His thumb shakily brushes against Wolfram’s soft cheek, and he can’t help but scoot even closer, until their knees knock together.
“W-Well…just in case…” He doesn’t give himself a moment to think before he surges forward, tilting Wolfram’s head and landing his lips between Wolfram’s blushing cheek and his nose. “There!”
He pulls away just as quickly, one hand stubbornly staying on Wolfram while the other comes up to cover his mouth. “Make up kiss. It’s an—uh—Earth tradition. We’ve made up, and now you—you can’t be mad at me anymore.”
Wolfram freezes. “You—” He unconsciously presses a hand to his cheek, like he can still feel Yuuri’s lips, his face burning scarlet. He swallows hard. “An…Earth tradition, huh?” His eyes slowly lift to meet Yuuri’s, and he pouts ever so slightly. “...Do it properly.”
Yuuri’s eyes snap to Wolfram’s and he hopes he’s interpreting his words the right way. He inches forward ever so lightly.
“Properly,” he repeats, turning the word over in his head. Wolfram’s eyes are on him, watching his every move.
He doesn’t let himself think—because if he thinks, he’ll be too nervous to do anything, and he really, really wants this—before leaning in, maybe a little too quickly. He captures Wolfram’s lips in his own, and, God, his lips are soft, so much softer than he could’ve imagined and—is he really doing this? He’s actually kissing Wolfram. Like on the lips. It’s sloppy and it’s awkward and Yuuri’s clearly inexperienced, but he really, really likes this.
There’s a brief flicker of hesitation before Wolfram moves. He leans in, his fingers curling into Yuuri’s hair, tugging him closer as he kisses back. His other hand sneaks around Yuuri’s back, holding him tight like he’s afraid he might disappear if he lets go.
The feeling of Wolfram’s hands in his hair makes Yuuri gasp, his head tilting further and mouth parting just enough to get Wolfram closer. Somehow, it’s still not enough—Yuuri slides one hand to the back of Wolfram’s neck and the other down his arm, trying desperately to keep Wolfram from breaking the kiss. And it works. Wolfram takes a moment to pull away, relishing in the feeling of Yuuri’s lips finally against his.
Eventually, he moves away just enough to breathe, their foreheads brushing. Wolfram’s hand doesn’t leave Yuuri, his fingers still loosely curled in the other’s hair. The waves continue to roll behind them, slow and steady.
There’s no bite in his voice when he softly murmurs, “...Took you long enough.”