[multipart] Scientific Progress Goes "Whoops": Friend-ly Advice [4/5]
Title: Friend-ly Advice
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou!
Characters/Pairings: Conrad, Yozak; mentions of Yozak/Murata, one-sided Conrad/Yuuri and Conrad/Julia, and past Yozak/Conrad
Genre: Drama = Fluff x 2
Words: 796
Notes: After the last one, you all should've seen this one coming. XD
Part 1: Tea for Two
Part 2: Home Again, Home Again
Part 3: Cats and Bags
Yozak knew something was up when Conrad suggested they go into town for a beer. His lightweight captain tended to stay away from taverns as a rule, and usually had to be hauled into one over Yozak's shoulder. Such a change to the norm smacked of ulterior motive. He appreciated the warning, however.
Conrad nursed his first (and probably only) tankard and made small talk until the barmaid stopped lurking beside their table. Probably hoping for a chance with a soldier, though she couldn't be all that bright if she thought to try her luck with Sir Conrad Weller, world-renowned cold fish.
Hadn't always been that way; though instead of being all but asexual, the half-human prince seemed intent on sleeping with anyone willing, if only to piss off his mother and Gunter von Kleist. Yozak was the single constant partner he'd had, as far as the spy knew. But even then, their friendship matured beyond simply rolling in the hay for hormones' sake. And she had come along.
Yozak took a deep draw from his second round; Conrad needed to settle down with a nice girl or guy with a wicked kinky side and stop mourning Julia and pining for the kiddo. But that was just Yozak's opinion. That he never voiced for fear of having a similar argument tossed back at him.
Conrad sipped at his beer. "How did it happen, Yozak?"
Yeah, that was the topic Yozak expected; though the softly-spoken question had not been the one he anticipated first. Apparently his old friend didn't need any sort of confirmation of his suspicions. Interesting. Yozak took another pull of his beer. "That shit Lady Anissina gave him," he replied.
His captain raised an eyebrow. "He said that wore off months ago."
Yozak wasn't deep enough into his mugs to be truly insulted, but he shot the other man a nasty look anyway. "It did." He shrugged, finished off the beer and considered a third. It'd work as a useful prop, at least, if he didn't wind up finishing it. The barmaid took the mug and Yozak waved her off when she tried to flaunt her breasts at Conrad. A nice pair of tits wouldn't get the man's attention; look at his mother, for crying out loud. Besides, anyone could pull off a good rack; Yozak was particularly proud of his.
"You realize the risk you're taking, don't you?"
"I'm careful." Yozak leaned back in his chair, tipping it onto its back legs.
Conrad snorted. "Not so much as you think."
Yozak eyed him. "Well, I figured you'd figure it out at some point--"
"His Majesty told me."
All four legs were back on the ground as Yozak's brain threatened to melt in his skull. "You're joking."
The other man shook his head. "He saw you, and His Highness confirmed it."
Now, he hadn't expected that. Murata had been the one insisting on keeping things quiet. It had been a stretch to get him to agree to His Excellency's intermittent help. "He did, did he?"
Conrad held his mug up in both hands, elbows resting on the table. "Under significant pressure, it seems."
Knowing the kiddo, and knowing what the Sage thought about the kiddo, Murata's bean spilling made a lot more sense. Probably had made the Maou swear to secrecy, too; though he'd be damned if Yuuri could keep anything from Conrad.
Well, now things were a little more interesting.
"You don't approve, Mom?"
The captain frowned at him. "From a personal standpoint, I don't care who you're sleeping with." That figured. "But you are courting a world of trouble, Yozak."
Neither of them said anything when the barmaid brought Yozak his beer. She got the hint a little quicker this time and went to find some other patron to flirt with. Yozak downed half his mug before looking the other man straight in the eye. "Jealous, Conrad?"
Brown eyes stared back at him, calm and cool and very much like a younger version of Conrad that Yozak had known. "No."
The redhead snorted and shrugged. "Let me have my fun, Captain."
"His Majesty is very protective of His Highness."
Yozak chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment, then shrugged again, looking into his beer. "He's not the only one."
Conrad's brow had furrowed when he looked back up. "Yozak, are you...?"
The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he brought out his best insouciant smile and wink. "Now, that would be telling."
His captain looked at him hard for a minute and then sighed, shaking his head. "Always difficult."
The redhead grinned. "Bail me out, if the time comes, okay?"
Conrad snorted. "I'm not sure I'll be able to."
"But you'll try."
"Of course."
On to Part 5
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou!
Characters/Pairings: Conrad, Yozak; mentions of Yozak/Murata, one-sided Conrad/Yuuri and Conrad/Julia, and past Yozak/Conrad
Genre: Drama = Fluff x 2
Words: 796
Notes: After the last one, you all should've seen this one coming. XD
Part 1: Tea for Two
Part 2: Home Again, Home Again
Part 3: Cats and Bags
Yozak knew something was up when Conrad suggested they go into town for a beer. His lightweight captain tended to stay away from taverns as a rule, and usually had to be hauled into one over Yozak's shoulder. Such a change to the norm smacked of ulterior motive. He appreciated the warning, however.
Conrad nursed his first (and probably only) tankard and made small talk until the barmaid stopped lurking beside their table. Probably hoping for a chance with a soldier, though she couldn't be all that bright if she thought to try her luck with Sir Conrad Weller, world-renowned cold fish.
Hadn't always been that way; though instead of being all but asexual, the half-human prince seemed intent on sleeping with anyone willing, if only to piss off his mother and Gunter von Kleist. Yozak was the single constant partner he'd had, as far as the spy knew. But even then, their friendship matured beyond simply rolling in the hay for hormones' sake. And she had come along.
Yozak took a deep draw from his second round; Conrad needed to settle down with a nice girl or guy with a wicked kinky side and stop mourning Julia and pining for the kiddo. But that was just Yozak's opinion. That he never voiced for fear of having a similar argument tossed back at him.
Conrad sipped at his beer. "How did it happen, Yozak?"
Yeah, that was the topic Yozak expected; though the softly-spoken question had not been the one he anticipated first. Apparently his old friend didn't need any sort of confirmation of his suspicions. Interesting. Yozak took another pull of his beer. "That shit Lady Anissina gave him," he replied.
His captain raised an eyebrow. "He said that wore off months ago."
Yozak wasn't deep enough into his mugs to be truly insulted, but he shot the other man a nasty look anyway. "It did." He shrugged, finished off the beer and considered a third. It'd work as a useful prop, at least, if he didn't wind up finishing it. The barmaid took the mug and Yozak waved her off when she tried to flaunt her breasts at Conrad. A nice pair of tits wouldn't get the man's attention; look at his mother, for crying out loud. Besides, anyone could pull off a good rack; Yozak was particularly proud of his.
"You realize the risk you're taking, don't you?"
"I'm careful." Yozak leaned back in his chair, tipping it onto its back legs.
Conrad snorted. "Not so much as you think."
Yozak eyed him. "Well, I figured you'd figure it out at some point--"
"His Majesty told me."
All four legs were back on the ground as Yozak's brain threatened to melt in his skull. "You're joking."
The other man shook his head. "He saw you, and His Highness confirmed it."
Now, he hadn't expected that. Murata had been the one insisting on keeping things quiet. It had been a stretch to get him to agree to His Excellency's intermittent help. "He did, did he?"
Conrad held his mug up in both hands, elbows resting on the table. "Under significant pressure, it seems."
Knowing the kiddo, and knowing what the Sage thought about the kiddo, Murata's bean spilling made a lot more sense. Probably had made the Maou swear to secrecy, too; though he'd be damned if Yuuri could keep anything from Conrad.
Well, now things were a little more interesting.
"You don't approve, Mom?"
The captain frowned at him. "From a personal standpoint, I don't care who you're sleeping with." That figured. "But you are courting a world of trouble, Yozak."
Neither of them said anything when the barmaid brought Yozak his beer. She got the hint a little quicker this time and went to find some other patron to flirt with. Yozak downed half his mug before looking the other man straight in the eye. "Jealous, Conrad?"
Brown eyes stared back at him, calm and cool and very much like a younger version of Conrad that Yozak had known. "No."
The redhead snorted and shrugged. "Let me have my fun, Captain."
"His Majesty is very protective of His Highness."
Yozak chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment, then shrugged again, looking into his beer. "He's not the only one."
Conrad's brow had furrowed when he looked back up. "Yozak, are you...?"
The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he brought out his best insouciant smile and wink. "Now, that would be telling."
His captain looked at him hard for a minute and then sighed, shaking his head. "Always difficult."
The redhead grinned. "Bail me out, if the time comes, okay?"
Conrad snorted. "I'm not sure I'll be able to."
"But you'll try."
"Of course."
On to Part 5