Tension Tamer

Title: Tension Tamer
Author: antilogicgirl
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: almost Yuuri/Wolfram, eventual Gwendel/Yuuri
Summary: Paperwork, ruling a country, and a jealous fiancé have Yuuri stressed, and a game of footsie produces a mystery that can only be solved in one way.

A/N: Hey, guys. I wrote this story in two days. It was like I was possessed. And in a way, I suppose I was. The Gwendel fangirl simply took the reins, so to speak. I’ll apologize to Wolfram fans in advance for this. He and Yuuri work well together, but only if they get really mad at each other first. So, I had to give the poor kid the boot. No worries, though, because I have a nice Yuu/Wolf story brewing. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

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Chapter 1: Paperwork and Footsie.

Paper. There was a sea of paper. It was piled up on the desk, scattered over the tables, and there were pools of it on the floor. Yuuri’s stomach dropped as if he had just taken that first dive on a particularly wicked roller coaster. His hand felt as if it were going to fall off, he had signed so many papers, and his eyes were dry and achy from focusing on the strange script that was the standard writing of Shin Makoku.

“Your Majesty,” Günter’s cheery voice came from behind one extremely tall (and rather wobbly) stack of documents, “Conrad is bringing more papers from the other office. I’m afraid it might be another wheelbarrow sized load.”

Yuuri let out a strangled sob. “I’m doomed.” Pale purple eyes peered around the stack at him, puzzled. He glared ineffectually at Günter, whose eyes crinkled at him. The man was smiling. “I am never going to finish with this!” At those words, his advisor’s smile faded, the eyes drooping in concern. “It’s just that I read and write too slowly, Günter. I feel like a small child trying to read advanced philosophical texts. Half of the time, I don’t really understand what I’m looking at! And my hand hurts.”

The tall man swept quickly around the desk, and took the quill pen from his hand. With practiced ease, he began kneading at the muscles in Yuuri’s hand. Black eyes immediately slid shut. “Ah…God, that feels amazing…” His head dropped back against the chair, and he groaned. Günter’s thumb was pressing into the heel of his hand, rubbing a hard circle. “Ha…oh, that’s wonderful…it’s so tense…”

A loud crash startled the young king out of his massage-induced stupor, and he looked around the tall stacks of paper to see a pair of enraged green eyes. His ‘fiancé’ had just entered the room, and was glaring at both Yuuri and Günter. “For the very last time, Günter…don’t touch him.” Wait…how had he known what Günter was doing?

Yuuri’s eyes narrowed. “Were you listening at the door, Wolfram?”

The glare that the blonde man was shooting Günter turned into a look of shock. “I—“

Setting his face into a mask of seriousness, Yuuri said plainly, “Wolfram. I will not tolerate such acts of open suspicion. If you do not feel that you can trust me, then you are well within your rights to dissolve our…engagement.” His pause showed both men in the room what he thought of that. The entire situation was a farce perpetrated against him when he had no idea of how the customs of this place worked. Wolfram’s face turned a delightful shade of red, and he huffed, clearly affronted.

“Are you invoking your right as Maou?” The stubborn blonde asked petulantly.

“I am.” Yuuri replied. “If I have to, I’ll order Dorcas and the others to keep you from snooping.” Now that had Wolfram’s face darkening into a deep crimson. Yuuri couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or just angry beyond words. “Now, please, Wolfram, I have a lot of work to do, as you can plainly see.” He was quite glad for Conrad having told him about certain customs, especially those that concerned the Maou and his—as Conrad put it—lovers, concubines, and other romantic attachments. It seemed that this was the only way to keep Wolfram from screaming at him incessantly.

Wolfram’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but when he spoke, his tone was clipped and formal. “I will speak to you later, Your Majesty.” The stress on Yuuri’s title showed just how little respect he had for it, and he knew he was going to need earplugs when he finally dragged himself to bed later. As he watched Wolfram storm out of the room, intentionally slamming the door hard enough to knock papers over all around the room, Yuuri fell back into his chair, sighing.

“You handled that surprisingly well,” Günter said from his right, chuckling. Then, he looked at Yuuri, taking in the bloodshot nature of his eyes. “Can you continue, or should I work on these for a while?” Yuuri looked up at him hopefully, his eyes wide and almost sparkling. The older man’s tone became conspiratorial as he added, “I won’t tell.” The young ruler was so overjoyed that he jumped from his chair and hugged Günter.

“Thank you!” Yuuri cried happily, before letting go and backing away. Giving a little cough, he apologized due to the stunned expression on Günter’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, Günter. How long would you like to work? I can come back in an hour…if you like.”

Still rather dazed, Günter shook his head. “No…I think it would be all right if you took the rest of the day off from this. We really should step up your lessons. Perhaps that is what is needed, rather than making you read these.” One white-clad arm made a sweeping gesture toward all of the papers, and then said, “Rest, if you can, and tomorrow we’ll start a new accelerated reading program.” They switched positions, Günter now sitting at his desk, and Yuuri standing.

Laying a hand on Günter’s shoulder, he smiled at the man. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” A tiny smile crossed over the advisor’s lips, and he rested a hand atop Yuuri’s.

“Think nothing of it, Your Majesty. After all, it is my duty to assist you in any way possible. You have only to ask, and it will be done.” Those violet eyes rested on his for a long moment, and then it finally clicked in Yuuri’s head to exactly what Günter was alluding. His cheeks colored slightly, and he gently pulled away, excusing himself. Before he had gotten around the first table, he heard Günter ask, “Will I see you at dinner, Your Majesty?”

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the way Günter’s fingers played over a sheet of paper, absently stroking the smooth surface as his eyes stayed glued to where Yuuri stood. He nodded slightly, and murmured, “Of course,” before quickly making his exit. That had been awkward. Usually, Günter’s enthusiasm for his job was just that: enthusiasm. But just now…Yuuri could have sworn…innuendo? Yes, he thought as he walked through the halls, he was insinuating something, all right. Yuuri was not altogether sure he was keen on what the man had been hinting at.

Rounding a corner on his way out to the gardens, he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Struggling, he windmilled his arms, trying to gain some form of balance, only to have both hands grabbed and pinned behind his back as he was shoved hard against a wall. His face pressed against the stone, and the hand that kept his wrists captive squeezed mercilessly. “Yuuri…” Wolfram. His voice hissed into Yuuri’s ear, sending shivers of fright through him. “You won’t tolerate me…will you?” The grip on his wrists shifted, pulling up and putting painful strain on his shoulders. “What are you going to do? Break the engagement shamelessly like some…coward?” Yuuri growled deep in his throat. “What? You don’t like that? You don’t like it when I call you a coward?”

A small muscle twitched under his eye. He might be a lot of things that Wolfram accused him of…for instance, he could be rather wimpy at times, and he surely did not intend upon honoring their sham of an engagement. But one thing he was not was a coward. Using his hips, he pressed into the wall, shoving backward as hard as he could. This motion knocked Wolfram off balance, and he was forced to let go of Yuuri’s wrists to steady himself. Yuuri whirled around and lunged at his ‘fiancé’. Taking two handfuls of blue uniform jacket, he pulled hard, nearly yanking Wolfram off of the floor.

“Can I ask you something, Wolfram?” he hissed, mindful of the guards he could hear coming down the adjacent corridor. He was working under an assumption at the moment, and it could come back to bite him in a very uncomfortable place later, but Yuuri was pretty sure of the reason for Wolfram’s aggression. This theory only needed a little testing.

The smug smile on the blonde’s face made him even angrier. “Go ahead, wimp.”

Yuuri pulled a bit more, and their faces were only an inch apart now. “Why are you keeping up this farce?” Tilting his head slightly to one side, he cocked an eyebrow tauntingly. “What about this…coward…makes you want to stay? Following me…” Wolfram’s breathing was beginning to be ragged as he inched closer, “…eavesdropping…” His lips barely touched the other boys as he growled, “…and sleeping in my bed?”

For once, Wolfram was totally speechless. This was a fact for which Yuuri was grateful. It allowed him the satisfaction of seeing Wolfram completely put out when he let go of his uniform and backed away. Smoothing the wrinkles, he smiled slyly, still very close to the other’s face. “I am many things, Wolfram. None of those is a coward.” Turning on his heel, he gave a backward wave. “I’ll see you at dinner, darling.” The use of such a term of endearment was worth hearing the other young man sputter incoherently as he exited the castle. Breathing deeply, he sighed as he could still hear Wolfram’s shrieking. After that incident, he decided that his theory was indeed correct. Wolfram was sexually frustrated in the extreme. The second part of the theory was a bit less pleasant, and much less amusing. That was, of course, that the blonde man wanted Yuuri to alleviate that situation. “Why me?”

The question was asked to the air, and no response was expected. The only sounds he wanted to hear were those of the leaves rustling in the treetops as he walked the little gravel-lined path through the gardens. His feet crunched on the tiny pebbles, and he began to relax, feeling the knots in his back begin to release. They didn’t get very far.

“Your Majesty,” He heard Gwendel’s low, brooding voice from behind one of the trees, making him jump a little. He turned to look at him. The sun fell on the left side of Gwnedel’s face, illuminating the blue of his eye, making it seem to burn from within. His hair had taken on a strangely iridescent quality in the intense sunlight, shimmering as the breeze blew it. These things, coupled with the chiseled lines of his face, and the deep tan from either outdoor activity or natural skin tone, provided a very pleasing picture. “Your Majesty,” he said again, stepping forward, “I see you’ve decided to get away?”

Smiling to himself, Yuuri nodded. “The paperwork is stressful, and my reading is still not very good. I’m afraid that your brother doesn’t make things any better.” Gwendel smiled slightly at the mention of his fiery younger brother. “He really…how do you deal with him, Gwendel?”

A tiny laugh came out as almost a cough before the older man stopped himself. Then, regaining his composure, he said in a very serious tone, “I ignore him unless he’s being particularly self-destructive, or if he’s going to embarrass himself.” Yuuri laughed, but he decided he couldn’t possibly ignore Wolfram. That would only get him into a mountain of trouble, and he would lose half of his hearing, if not go completely deaf when his ‘fiancé’ started screaming the roof down. Gwendel seemed to sense this, and said, “I have a hobby that helps me to relax.”

“You mean the little animals you make?” Yuuri blurted before he could restrain himself. He rather liked the cute, helplessly misshapen animals that the other man created. They had a charm that the stuffed toys one found in the store did not, and he smiled to himself even as he blushed at his lack of tact.

Gwendel nodded, completely serious as he described how the knitting helped. “There’s a kind of…distraction in it that is very beneficial. You start to focus so much more keenly on the task itself, that everything else simply drifts away. Stress, anxiety, fear, it all just fades into the background of your life and allows you a period of peace.” It was clear that this man enjoyed his hobby greatly, even if his skill was less than he might like it to be. “If you like, you can come to my office after dinner. I could teach you.”

Yuuri immediately tried to protest. “I wouldn’t want to disturb—“

With a short wave of his hand, Gwendel silenced his objection. “It will not be a bother to me. In fact, it would be the perfect excuse not to test any of Anissina’s new gadgets.” The mention of the red-haired woman sent shivers through both men. Yuuri had also been the victim of her inventions several times, and he wished never to have a repeat of the last one ever again. If he could help the man out of that kind of predicament, he would. And if he could learn something that might take his mind off of paperwork and Wolfram, so much the better.

“That sounds wonderful, Gwendel.” His answer seemed to please the blue-eyed man, who nodded and gave a bow before excusing himself. Learning to knit…and being taught by a stern-faced army General…it seemed that his day only became more and more interesting.

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Dinner was, as usual, a rather stuffy affair. At least, it was on the surface. Conrad and Annissina seemed completely clueless to the undercurrents of tension that pervaded the air, and certainly would be, for they were not privy to any of the day’s discussions. Gwendel sensed it, though, Yuuri knew. He made minimal conversation and tried to ignore the glares that Wolfram was sending Günter. Yuuri, on the other hand, was having a very hard time ignoring things. Partway through the meal, he felt someone’s bare foot slide up the leg of his pants and into his lap.

As he looked around the table, he considered. Who was it? The foot had now begun rubbing at his groin, and it was making him very, very uncomfortable. There were only really a few people who were in a position to reach him: Günter was sitting directly across from him at the long rectangular table, while Wolfram sat to the left of Gwendel, who was to the left of Günter. Judging by the way Günter was behaving earlier, it could very likely be him. Yuuri remembered how those pale violet eyes had seemed to burn as they looked at him after asking if he would be at dinner. The very thought of being…involved with Günter was not one he relished.

Then again, Wolfram could also be the perpetrator. The ragged breaths he took as Yuuri taunted him told of pent-up desire, as well. The last suspect was Gwendel, but the man could not possibly be the one who was now kneading at the erection Yuuri tried to ignore. Sure, he needed to relax, but that was not the kind of relaxation Gwendel had in mind…was it? Well, he thought, there’s only one way to find out, really.

Yuuri knew for a fact that all three men sitting across from him wore knee-high boots. While it might be a simple thing to remove one of those by wiggling one’s foot and gripping the heel with the toe of the other boot, putting the thing back on was another matter entirely. Taking another sip of his wine while attempting to ignore the undeniably pleasant feeling of toes stroking his clothed but now fully erect length Yuuri took a deep breath through his nose. Quirking the corner of his mouth allowed a small amount of wine to dribble down his chin. Pulling his napkin from his lap as he set down the glass of Merlot, Yuuri smiled nervously. “I suppose I’m a bit sloppy…” he said, dabbing his chin quickly with his napkin, only to drop it to the floor as he tried to replace it in his lap, “…and clumsy…”

Bending swiftly in his chair, he pulled back the tablecloth and reached for his napkin, taking a peek at the feet of the men across from him. All three of them had both shoes on. When he looked around, he saw that everyone else was in the same state. Was he going insane? Picking up his napkin, he sat back up again, dusting off the white cloth and letting the table linens fall back into place. Could he be having strange, erotic fantasies at the dinner table? He could not remember ever having them before, so he was unsure that he would start now.

Whatever the case, he needed to take care of his apparently hallucination-induced erection before he went to see Gwendel. If he did not, he would not be able to concentrate. So, he pushed back his chair and stood. “Please excuse me,” he murmured before turning and leaving the room.

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The door locked, and a chair thrust under the doorknob, Yuuri drew the curtains. It was always difficult to find any privacy in the palace, what with advisors, maids, and Wolfram storming his bedroom at all hours of the day and night. If he did for some reason feel the need to relieve tension, he did it in the lavatory, which was the only place he could be alone. Tonight, he did not want to be confined to that cramped space. Unbuttoning his coat, he threw it over a chair before pulling his shirt from his pants. Once he had removed all of his clothing, he lay on the bed.

Cool silk sheets met his slightly heated skin, and he squirmed into them. He had not been hallucinating. Someone had been playing footsie, and the proof was standing rather proudly right at that moment. Yuuri closed his eyes, allowing his hand to repeat the movements that talented foot had done to make him so very aroused in the first place. His breathing sped as his fingers smoothed over his skin, imagining someone else doing this to him. Another hand holding him, teasing him to the point of madness, and finally—

A pounding at the door startled him out of his fantasies. “Yuuri!”

An annoyed grunt came from his throat as he willfully closed his eyes and moved his hand faster. “What do you want, Wolfram?”

“Let me in!” the voice on the other side of the door was angry, and it took everything he had not to just stand up and start yelling back.

One particularly nice stroke of his fingers made him bite back a moan. His voice came out unevenly, “Go away. I’m…” For an instant, he became lost in the pleasure of his own movement, “…I’m busy, Wolfram…”

There was a long pause, during which he was almost sure that the blonde man had left. Then he heard Wolfram say in a quieter voice, “What are you doing in there?” Something in that tone said he knew precisely what Yuuri was doing. That made Yuuri feel as if he were being watched…the keyhole! Was Wolfram watching him through the keyhole? At this point, he could not care. He was so…so close… A scratching sound at the door caught his attention before he heard Wolfram’s voice again. “Please…” The desperate tone he heard was nothing less than enticing. His breath hitched at the very sound, and he glanced at the door, but Wolfram said nothing more. Yuuri wondered momentarily if he should let the other man in.

Should he? His hand stopped moving, wondering if Wolfram had suddenly decided to give up. Yuuri stood and stripped the sheet from the bed. Pulling it messily around his body at the waist, he went to the door. When the chair was removed, he turned the lock and opened the door just enough to admit his head. Wolfram was on his knees in front of the door, his head bent. He looked up at Yuuri, and the Maou was almost felled by the look of need he saw there. Opening the door wider, he bent down toward Wolfram.

“Snooping again?” He asked, voice rough with desire. The charge was not denied.

Wolfram blinked slowly, trembling as his hands reached out. “Yuuri…” Fingers threaded through black hair, and Wolfram pressed his face close to Yuuri’s. “…let me…”

While he had some idea of what Wolfram was asking, he wanted the other man to say it. His voice lowered, almost to a whisper, “Let you what?” A slight hitch in Wolfram’s breathing told of his reluctance to say the words aloud. Yuuri’s free hand twisted in the lace ascot at Wolfram’s neck, tugging him closer. He could feel the warmth of erratic breathing over his face now. “What do you want me to let you do, Wolfram?”

Wolfram’s hands tightened in his hair. “Let me…touch you. Please, Yuuri…”

Using his grip on the cloth around Wolfram’s neck, he pulled the blonde man to his feet and into the room, closing and locking it behind him. Trapping the slightly shorter man between the door and his body, Yuuri said, “Only because you asked very nicely.” Watching the way Wolfram’s body shook, and remembering how he had been in the hallway earlier, Yuuri came to the conclusion that it must have been his foot that made him this way. As far as he was concerned, that deserved some form of punishment. The dinner table is not the place for such things.

He leaned in, licking at Wolfram’s lips, causing the other man to sigh loudly. “Go on,” he all but purred against Wolfram’s mouth, “touch me.” His hand let go of the sheet, and he felt it being pushed out of the way completely. The next thing he knew, his back was sticking to the door, and there was something hot and wet all around the entire length of his erection. His breaths came in short gasps as he looked down to see green eyes staring back at him. Wolfram had engulfed him completely. When he felt a tongue sliding over the underside of his erection, he groaned, his head dropping back and thumping against the wood of the door. “Un…it’s…your fault I’m…like this in the first…place…uhhhh…not nice to…use your feet at dinner, Wolfram…”

As suddenly as it began, that warm wetness stopped. He looked down, confused. Wolfram’s face had gone from lascivious to puzzled. “What are you talking about?” And that was when the realization hit Yuuri like a ton of bricks. Wolfram was not the one who had massaged him with his foot. Oh, hell, he thought, if it wasn’t him, then who was it? Yuuri’s eyes widened painfully at this question and he slid off of the door and away from Wolfram quickly.

Gathering up his clothing and shoes, he ran to the lavatory and locked himself in. In less than a minute, he was leaning over the toilet, one hand braced on the wall for support as he carried himself off toward his own climax. All the while, he was forced to come to grips with the fact that either Günter or Gwendel had been molesting him in front of everyone. Panting, he cried out as he came, making a minimal mess, and cleaning it up quickly. Rarely had he ever felt so unsatisfied after masturbation…

Splashing water on his face helped tone down the pink flush his orgasm gave him, and he hurriedly dressed and burst out of the lavatory door, dashing past Wolfram, who stood stunned in the middle of the bedroom, holding the bed sheet in his hands. “Yuuri, what’s going on?!” He cried as the other man ran from the room.

Popping his head back in briefly, he said, “I’ll explain everything later.”

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A/N: Ha. That was such a tease. I’m evil, and completely unconcerned about it. Hahaha. Now, how about you tell me what you think?