FIC: TAATS Chapter 9: Shifting Over the Year
Title: The Admirer and the Sage (Chapter 9: Shifting Over the Year)
Author: Batty_Gal a.k.a Tetra26
Rating: T+
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram x Murata
Word Count: 1292
Fic Type: Ongoing
Summary: Wolfram and Murata grow closer as the year passes.
Prior chapters: 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8
Chapter 9: Shifting Over the Year
From that day when Murata opened up to Wolfram, the two young men grew closer to each other. Often, when he wasn't training his troops or doing other duties, Wolfram could be found hanging in the shrine gardens with Murata - usually listening to more of his lifetime stories, among other things.
Both men found out interesting things about each other. Wolfram learned that Murata was generally a fun person to be around - and that even though the other man had been through lifetimes of pain, it hadn't stopped him from moving on and enjoying life whenever possible.
Wolfram took note of this, and it was his inspiration to move on and enjoy his own life as well. Gone was the insecure young man who hid behind anger; Wolfram had grown with the help of Murata.
Murata learned that Wolfram loved literature. Murata would find various books that he thought Wolfram might be interested in, and translated them for the blond. He also got the boy hooked on manga and American comic books involving superheroes, which he also translated.
Wolfram cracked up when Murata - who was surprisingly good at art - presented him with a drawing of Gwendal in a Wonder Woman costume for his birthday. They had both gotten more than a few glares from the older man for looking at each other and snickering during the next meeting after that. When Yuuri curiously asked them about it afterwards, they showed it to him - and laughed at how he couldn't keep his face straight when he saw Gwendal for several days afterwards.
It wasn't just the friendship between Murata and Wolfram that strengthened, however. Sometimes, when he did have some free time, Yuuri would hang out with the two. Though Murata didn't get into as intense discussions about his past with Yuuri as he did with Wolfram, there was a indescribable comfort between the three that hadn't been there before.
Sometimes, Wolfram went back to Earth with Murata for a few days or a week at a time. There, they'd scout various bookstores and manga shops. He would pick up whatever piqued Wolfram's interest, and translate it for him later on. Murata took him to various amusement parks, and though Wolfram avoided anything that made too much motion, they still had fun with each other and, sometimes, Yuuri.
The newfound friendship between Wolfram and Murata didn't go unnoticed to those around them. Yozak never failed to make a remark implying that the two were romantically together. Gwendal and Conrad raised their eyebrows whenever the two entered a room together, and commented several times about them being “attached at the hip”. Both men chose to pointedly ignored Yozak, who loudly mumbled “more like at the crotch” each time he heard them say so.
Though remarks linking them together made them deny it, they were sure that the others weren't convinced that they weren't in a relationship. Certain comments and rumors made about a physical relationship between the two made their way back to them. Wolfram had been furious about most of them, and wasn't very amused when Murata relayed them and laughed about them - especially the one about them and Yuuri secretly dressing like the maids and engaging in threesomes.
Wolfram got the last laugh, however, when they discovered that a betting pool between the maids and several guards was seventy-three percent in favor of Wolfram topping Murata. This caused the Sage to huff and get into a debate with Wolfram (which Yuuri fled so fast from that it prompted Murata to draw him dressed as “The Flash”) over which one of them would be the dominant one. When both men realized that they were arguing over a sexual relationship between the two as if it were inevitable that they would even have one, they both blushed brightly and mutually decided to not even bring up gossip and betting pools anymore.
It was after that particular discussion that both men started to seriously contemplate a relationship beyond just being friends, though they didn't admit it to each other. Both of them had their own insecurities, and couldn't believe that the other man could sincerely return their feelings.
For Murata, it was the fear that Wolfram would somehow be “settling” for him since he didn't end up with Yuuri. He knew that the other man had loved Yuuri for years, and had continued to love him after giving up on him. He didn't want to step in and essentially be the rebound lover; if he was going to be with Wolfram, he wanted it to be the real thing.
Another fear of his was messing up the friendship that they had gained. He had acknowledged to himself not too long after the blackouts ended that he had feelings for the blond, but he had pushed them to the back of his mind in favor of their developing friendship. However, the closer they got, the more intense his feelings became.
He was amused to realize, belatedly, that the reason why he had stopped being interested in going out and having flings before his accident was because he had wanted something real even back then. He remembered how, even then, he found himself often thinking about Wolfram. He couldn't quite pinpoint when he started having feelings towards the blond or what, if anything, triggered them - all he knew was that he could lose so much if he confessed those feelings out loud to Wolfram.
Wolfram's fears were just as complex. Though he knew that a part of Murata had feelings for him, he found it hard to believe that it was a big part. Or, rather, he found it hard to believe those feelings were intended for himself and not for Shinou, who the Sage revealed that he used to be with many years ago.
Wolfram wondered if that part of Murata had desired him only because of his uncanny resemblance to Shinou. He had been beyond shocked when the Sage had revealed that he had a short relationship with his lookalike, and it had jumbled his emotions something fierce.
That revelation had come not too long after Wolfram realized how deeply his affections had grown for Murata, and it was the cause of many a sleepless night, which was spent laying awake and brooding over having fallen for another unreachable target after getting over the first one.
These combined fears would continue to keep the young men apart for quite some time, until two men - one of them highly unlikely - would step up to the plate and give them the final push they so desperately needed.
Author's note: That's it for this chapter. This was a “bridge” chapter - leading into what's going to be the final part of the story. The comic book references are here for a reason *winks*. The things I do to Gwendal... Three more chapters until the end. Next chapter (one of my favorites): Yuuri shows a side of himself that Murata didn't know existed.
Next Chapter: 10
Author: Batty_Gal a.k.a Tetra26
Rating: T+
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram x Murata
Word Count: 1292
Fic Type: Ongoing
Summary: Wolfram and Murata grow closer as the year passes.
Prior chapters: 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8
Chapter 9: Shifting Over the Year
From that day when Murata opened up to Wolfram, the two young men grew closer to each other. Often, when he wasn't training his troops or doing other duties, Wolfram could be found hanging in the shrine gardens with Murata - usually listening to more of his lifetime stories, among other things.
Both men found out interesting things about each other. Wolfram learned that Murata was generally a fun person to be around - and that even though the other man had been through lifetimes of pain, it hadn't stopped him from moving on and enjoying life whenever possible.
Wolfram took note of this, and it was his inspiration to move on and enjoy his own life as well. Gone was the insecure young man who hid behind anger; Wolfram had grown with the help of Murata.
Murata learned that Wolfram loved literature. Murata would find various books that he thought Wolfram might be interested in, and translated them for the blond. He also got the boy hooked on manga and American comic books involving superheroes, which he also translated.
Wolfram cracked up when Murata - who was surprisingly good at art - presented him with a drawing of Gwendal in a Wonder Woman costume for his birthday. They had both gotten more than a few glares from the older man for looking at each other and snickering during the next meeting after that. When Yuuri curiously asked them about it afterwards, they showed it to him - and laughed at how he couldn't keep his face straight when he saw Gwendal for several days afterwards.
It wasn't just the friendship between Murata and Wolfram that strengthened, however. Sometimes, when he did have some free time, Yuuri would hang out with the two. Though Murata didn't get into as intense discussions about his past with Yuuri as he did with Wolfram, there was a indescribable comfort between the three that hadn't been there before.
Sometimes, Wolfram went back to Earth with Murata for a few days or a week at a time. There, they'd scout various bookstores and manga shops. He would pick up whatever piqued Wolfram's interest, and translate it for him later on. Murata took him to various amusement parks, and though Wolfram avoided anything that made too much motion, they still had fun with each other and, sometimes, Yuuri.
The newfound friendship between Wolfram and Murata didn't go unnoticed to those around them. Yozak never failed to make a remark implying that the two were romantically together. Gwendal and Conrad raised their eyebrows whenever the two entered a room together, and commented several times about them being “attached at the hip”. Both men chose to pointedly ignored Yozak, who loudly mumbled “more like at the crotch” each time he heard them say so.
Though remarks linking them together made them deny it, they were sure that the others weren't convinced that they weren't in a relationship. Certain comments and rumors made about a physical relationship between the two made their way back to them. Wolfram had been furious about most of them, and wasn't very amused when Murata relayed them and laughed about them - especially the one about them and Yuuri secretly dressing like the maids and engaging in threesomes.
Wolfram got the last laugh, however, when they discovered that a betting pool between the maids and several guards was seventy-three percent in favor of Wolfram topping Murata. This caused the Sage to huff and get into a debate with Wolfram (which Yuuri fled so fast from that it prompted Murata to draw him dressed as “The Flash”) over which one of them would be the dominant one. When both men realized that they were arguing over a sexual relationship between the two as if it were inevitable that they would even have one, they both blushed brightly and mutually decided to not even bring up gossip and betting pools anymore.
It was after that particular discussion that both men started to seriously contemplate a relationship beyond just being friends, though they didn't admit it to each other. Both of them had their own insecurities, and couldn't believe that the other man could sincerely return their feelings.
For Murata, it was the fear that Wolfram would somehow be “settling” for him since he didn't end up with Yuuri. He knew that the other man had loved Yuuri for years, and had continued to love him after giving up on him. He didn't want to step in and essentially be the rebound lover; if he was going to be with Wolfram, he wanted it to be the real thing.
Another fear of his was messing up the friendship that they had gained. He had acknowledged to himself not too long after the blackouts ended that he had feelings for the blond, but he had pushed them to the back of his mind in favor of their developing friendship. However, the closer they got, the more intense his feelings became.
He was amused to realize, belatedly, that the reason why he had stopped being interested in going out and having flings before his accident was because he had wanted something real even back then. He remembered how, even then, he found himself often thinking about Wolfram. He couldn't quite pinpoint when he started having feelings towards the blond or what, if anything, triggered them - all he knew was that he could lose so much if he confessed those feelings out loud to Wolfram.
Wolfram's fears were just as complex. Though he knew that a part of Murata had feelings for him, he found it hard to believe that it was a big part. Or, rather, he found it hard to believe those feelings were intended for himself and not for Shinou, who the Sage revealed that he used to be with many years ago.
Wolfram wondered if that part of Murata had desired him only because of his uncanny resemblance to Shinou. He had been beyond shocked when the Sage had revealed that he had a short relationship with his lookalike, and it had jumbled his emotions something fierce.
That revelation had come not too long after Wolfram realized how deeply his affections had grown for Murata, and it was the cause of many a sleepless night, which was spent laying awake and brooding over having fallen for another unreachable target after getting over the first one.
These combined fears would continue to keep the young men apart for quite some time, until two men - one of them highly unlikely - would step up to the plate and give them the final push they so desperately needed.
Author's note: That's it for this chapter. This was a “bridge” chapter - leading into what's going to be the final part of the story. The comic book references are here for a reason *winks*. The things I do to Gwendal... Three more chapters until the end. Next chapter (one of my favorites): Yuuri shows a side of himself that Murata didn't know existed.
Next Chapter: 10