damned_institute | Day 35: Bus 2

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Day 35: Bus 2

Wally woke as the intercom crackled to life and was surprised to find himself back in his room. The last thing he'd remembered was feeling relieved at finally beating off those dragonfly-lizard things. There'd been that weird intercom message, then... he wasn't quite sure what had happened after that, but he was certain it hadn't involved falling asleep. He'd be half-wondering if he'd dreamed the whole thing if it hadn't been for the nagging ache on his back and ankle from where he'd been bitten. A quick check revealed they'd been bandaged, apparently while he'd slept. He wondered if he had Kal to thank for that. Maybe he'd get the chance to ask later.

He jumped as the door swung open to admit the familiar face of the nurse who'd woken him yesterday. "Up already, are we?" she said cheerfully as she busied herself pulling out clothes. A blue shirt and a pair of jeans were passed to him. Wally blinked, he hadn't been here long, but he'd gotten the impression that the grey-and-smiley-face combo was standard.

"Does this mean I'm being released?" he asked, hope creeping into his voice.

The nurse turned back to him, pity etched on her features. "I'm afraid not, dear." She smiled brightly as she continued, "but today's when all the patients get a special field trip into town! Won't that be a treat!"

Wally stared at the clothes, his mind working away. He'd been trying to get into town and to a phone last night before he'd been attacked. But if they were going in today, this might be the perfect chance for him to contact the Justice League. He smiled warmly and thanked the nurse as she left to allow him to change, then happily allowed himself to be led to one of the buses, picking a seat about halfway down and sliding in to look out the window. It seemed like today was going to be brighter than yesterday, at least in the area of possible phone calls and rescues. About the only dark patch he could see was that the contents of his paper-bag breakfast were going to be nowhere near enough to fill the yawning pit that had taken the place of his stomach, and even that was tolerable when he was positive he wasn't going to be here much longer.

"And you say that time goes rushing by, but it seems so slow to me, and you see a blur around you fly, but it takes too long, it seems so slow to me..." he sung absently.

[Oh Captain, my Captain~]

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"I'm going, I'm going." Yuuri whined as he was pushed up onto the bus. When had Wolfram gotten so pushy?

Scrambling up the steps, Yuuri sighed before glancing down to find a free seat. "Hey, Wolfram, did you want the window seat?" Yuuri conversationally asked as he marched up towards the first free seats. Turning around, he waited for Wolfram to make his decision. "Oi, you don't think this will be like the trip we took to see Bob, do you?"

Wolfram debated with himself for a quick moment, then slid in before Yuuri to grab the spot next to the window. He'd only been on a bus one other time in his life, and even though it hadn't caused much of a problem, he'd discovered that being closer to the window helped a little with any possible motion sickness. The fact that Yuuri had offered was enough to make him relax and smile a little.

...But if Yuuri used the opportunity to sit somewhere else, he'd be in for it.

"I'd hope not. If we're lucky, we won't be driving around any cliffs this time."

He covered his mouth as he yawned widely, still sleepy but feeling worlds better than last night.

Yuuri grinned when it appeared Wolfram was taking his offer. He wasn't all that surprised, and it was these little sides of Wolfram that he enjoyed seeing. Slipping into the seat besides Wolfram, Yuuri didn't stop smiling as he glanced around the bus curiously.

"Yeah, I still get nightmares just thinking about it." He half-joked before turning his attention back onto Wolfram. "Feeling better this morning?"

Nodding in response, Wolfram finally took the opportunity to dig around at his breakfast bag while they weren't moving, pulling out the apple slices to nibble at.

"I'm fine. We should be able to explore tonight, I think. Maybe even get another prize."

He still hadn't told Yuuri about his adventures in the basement, but they had time for that.

"Did you get any rest? I'm not sure how long we'll be at... wherever this place is we're going."

Peering over to look inside the bag, Yuuri spied the apple slice being pulled out as he murmured. "Prize?" Flicking his gaze up to regard Wolfram, the young Maou blinked in confusion. "They hand out prizes for what? Winning competitions?" He seriously hopped it wasn't anything like the whack-a-sand-bear game Gunter had set up back in Shin Makoku.

Yuuri pulled open his own paper bag as he settled back into his seat. Digging through the bag for something to eat, he pulled out the muffin. Picking off a piece, he popped it in his mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully as Wolfram spoke. "I guess, the last thing I remember was you falling asleep on the bed, and before I knew it, I was back in my room." Shrugging his shoulders, Yuuri tossed another piece into his mouth and ate it before casually adding. "I guess I fell asleep or something as well."

"Not handed out," Wolfram corrected, chewing and swallowing before taking another bite. At least they offered some nutritious things, considering that they were waiting for something to happen next,

"Hidden. You have to fight things and solve puzzles to find them, I think. We don't really know what they do, though."

He found himself wondering if Aidou had made any progress on what they'd found. He guessed not, since the other boy had been too busy for him last night. Although considering what he'd found instead, it was more than a fair trade.

"Time.... shifts at night. That's where you'll always end up." The thought made Wolfram frown. He would have preferred that Yuuri could stay with him. But then again, nothing was fair about this place.

"Eh?" Looking questionably over towards Wolfram, Yuuri stared wide-eyed at the blonde. Hidden? Why was this suddenly reminding him of all of the RPG's out in the shops? Although, Yuuri couldn't deny feeling a little excited over the thought of solving puzzles for prizes.

"Well they're pieces to a puzzle, right? You'd need to get all of the pieces before you can figure out what it does." Grinning widely as the thought settled in his mind, the young Maou muttered. "It's like trying to figure out what the jigsaw puzzle is when all you've got is the first piece."

He didn't know if it was just him, but Yuuri found himself lost by Wolfram's explanation about what happened at night. "Time shifts?" That didn't make a whole lot of sense to him. "I don't get it."

Yuuri's words made Wolfram blink, and he paused in his eating long enough to turn and stare in disbelief at the young Maou. He looked... happy at the thought of solving a puzzle. This was supposed to be a chance for freedom, not some game!

"...Hmph. Just forget it, wimp." Wolfram rolled his eyes and turned to staring out the window instead, resting his head against the cool glass.

"No one 'gets it'. It's just the way things are."

Yuuri simply continued grinning when Wolfram stared at him in disbelief. His grin faltered; however, when he was suddenly called a wimp. Bunching up his shoulders, Yuuri half-heartedly glared as he briskly denied. "I'm not a wimp!"

Continuing with eating his muffin, Yuuri remained silent for a short while before softly murmuring. "We'll all get out of this eventually. I'll make sure to get everyone home."

Wolfram kept the silence for a while, moving on to snack on his own muffin. He leans his shoulder the tiniest bit closer into Yuuri's, knowing that the other boy would refuse any more direct versions of reassurance.

"So since we have to go out anyways..." he eventually started in a conversational tone, "And since I did you a favor last night, you can stay with me today. You are still my fiance after all, even if you never act like it."

Blushing the tiniest bit, he avoided looking at Yuuri's eyes.

As they both fell into silence, Yuuri took the opportunity to finish off his muffin. It was nice, but he was honestly missing the cooking from Shin Makoku. He didn't let that get him down though, and Yuuri was more than well aware that he could hardly accomplish anything on an empty stomach.

Reaching out for his juice, the young Maou began humming happily as he unscrewed the lid. The opened bottle paused just shy of his lips; however, when Wolfram decided to break the silence between them.

"Eh?" Lowering the container, Yuuri glanced over towards Wolfram. "I guess so, but I don't know where else I would have gone either, Wolfram." He stated before finally taking a drink of his juice - the slight blush on Wolfram's face going entirely over Yuuri's notice.

Wolfram sighed heavily, shaking his head in disbelief. Did he have to spell it out for him? Why was Yuuri so completely dense?

...Although he supposed he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Well, I hope that I wouldn't be your last resort," Wolfram shot back, sounding a little miffed. "Although I'm not sure what kind of place this is or what's there. Hopefully it's nice enough for a suitable date."

He kind of doubted it, because this place had taken everything else away from them, but he could hope at least.

A wide smile curved on Yuuri's lips at Wolfram's shot back words. "Of course you're not." Yuuri murmured. He did enjoy spending time with Wolfram in all honesty, and... waitaminute!

"Date?!" Yuuri's eys opened wide as he loudly exclaimed that single word. But they were in a mental institution?! Maybe Wolfram was crazy... or him... BUT THAT WAS BESIDE THE POINT! "What do you mean date, Wolfram? Oh I get it, did you find a cute litle girl to take out on a date?" He asked while playfully nudging Wolfram's side.

Because Wolfram definitely didn't mean him at all, but hadn't the blonde Mazoku said moments ago that they'd spend the whole day together? "Although I don't know how you can go on a date with someone else and want me around." Yuuri pondered out loud as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"A cute...! Y-You'd think that I'd...!"

Wolfram glared at him darkly, green eyes burning with a mix of both anger and pure hurt at the thought. Sure, he'd allowed himself to enjoy some company with some of the others that were trapped here. He'd had to interact with them just to keep sane. But that was different. Yuuri was gone on Earth forever.

But now he was here, and Yuuri was once again his first priority. And he was being accused of wanting to go off with some girl. Was Yuuri really that repulsed at him?

"I know that you're so keen to forget, but you are my fiance, and I'm not a complete cheater like you are!"

He couldn't deal with this. Not after the last three days and nights of hell. Arms crossed and the rest of his food forgotten, he turned to face the window, eyes closed as he attempted to temporarily forget Yuuri's existence and his lack of caring.

Yuuri blinked at the dark glare he received in response for his questions. Maybe Wolfram had a date with another boy and not a girl? No, that wasn't right, was it? And Wolfram's following words only cemented home his thoughts as well. He did try and forget about their engagement. He wouldn't deny that - mentally at least - but it wasn't until that moment that Yuuri realised that this Wolfram hadn't been around for his embarrassing explanation to the blonde.

The mere thought of it made Yuuri feel awkward to the point where he diverted his attention to what was happening around the bus. There was a small ping of relief as he sighted Hohenheim boarding the bus. He'd been worried about the other man right up until that moment.

Shaking his head mentally, Yuuri glanced down at the bag in his hands as he started murmuring. "My mum sent you a present the last time I came through to Shin Makoku, but considering you're not from the time I'm from, you probably didn't know about that, right?" Glancing up to Wolfram - despite the blonde ignoring him - Yuuri smiled as he mentioned. "She keeps telling me how great it is having another son in the family."

Wolfram's eyes flickered open for the briefest of moments as Yuuri started talking, but then he closed them again, feigning disinterest in the subject. He guessed that the other boy was trying to make amends for his careless words, but right now Wolfram wasn't so quick to forgive.

But something did intrigue him. Jennifer had mentioned him as a son? "What do you mean, another time? Are you saying we're married in your future or something?"

Now that was strange to think about. He hoped not.... he wanted to actually be able to remember their wedding.

"Married? Ahh no, we're not married, Wolfram. I'm not that far into the future, you know." Yuuri said as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he as engaged to another boy, let alone that he might have to actually marry Wolfram at some point.

"You know what my mum's like," Arranging the bag better on his lap, Yuuri used the opportunity to distract himself for a short moment. What had he gotten himself into? "She's all excited about getting you as another son in her family that doesn't matter if there's a marriage or not."

The words made Wolfram relax a little, and he shifted to lean his head more in Yuuri's direction, resting against the back of the seat.

"Well, your mother is very sensible," Wolfram agreed softly, the anger mostly gone from his voice but still wary of being hurt again.

"Are you... Do you really come back to Shin Makoku?" he asked, trying not to sound too curious.

"She definitely has her moments." There was a subtle nervous laugh in his voice as Wolfram agreed to his words. What was he digging himself into? But at least it seemed that the blonde Mazoku was no longer mad at him. That was something.

"Mmhm. I was moping around for days when it seemed that I couldn't go back to Shin Makoku." Nodding his head at the question, Yuuri smiled brightly.

"Murata finally got sick of me whining and ended up pushing me into a pond which sent me back." The smile never once left his face at the memory. "I don't think I've ever seen you as shocked as I did when I appeared in the fountain."

So as far as Wolfram could tell, Yuuri was coming back. That was a lot to think about.

"For days?" he finally said softly. "It was longer than that for me. Weeks of trying to sleep without you there. And then the council..."

He paused, clearing his head. "Never mind. I guess it won't have to come to that if you can come back. I always hoped that you..."

He felt awkward and a bit embarrassed admitting how depressed he'd been before arriving here in this strange hospital.

"I'm sorry, Wolfram." Smiling comfortingly at Wolfram as the Mazoku spoke, Yuuri's expression softened at the other's admittance. He could understand how Wolfram felt in all honesty. The thought of not being able to see anyone from Shin Makoku again weighed heavily in him. There was no doubt within his mind that he would have been a complete mess if he hadn't been able to go back, but thankfully that was something that didn't matter anymore.

"You had to go through and make a lot of hard decisions while I was gone." Picking out the apple pieces from his bag, Yuuri studied the piece thoughtfully for a moment before popping it into his mouth and chewing it. A small smile curved on Yuuri's lips after he swallowed his bite, and after a moment of silence, he softly murmured. "When we manage to get back to Shin Makoku... just know that what happens in your future... it's the right decision, Wolfram."

He still vividly remembered just how far Wolfram went when dealing with his uncle, and it was something Yuuri held close to him even if he wouldn't ever tell the blonde. To see Wolfram go to such lengths had showed him a lot he hadn't even realised, and if the outcome had been different, he knew that Wolfram would have made a fantastic King.

It kind of bothered Wolfram that Yuuri knew about things that had yet to happen. Even in a country where majutsu was dominant, that kind of knowledge was still more than a little unusual. But he supposed it couldn't be helped, and it was something he'd deal with if it meant having Yuuri back.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he frowned, trying to puzzle out the other boy's words. It seemed that he might have a lot to think about in the future.

"Although if you're really sorry, you'll go out with me today. Hmph."

"Ahh I'm sorry Wolfram, but I can't say." Yuuri said while holding his hands up in front of him. Even if he wanted to tell Wolfram Yuuri knew that it wasn't something he could do. "I don't want to be the one responsible for accidently changing the future." Besides, it meant that he didn't have to be reminded about that embarassing conversation he had with the blonde Mazoku afterwards.

Blinking, Yuuri sounded a long and surprised 'Eeeh?' as Wolfram's words hit home. Reaching up to rub the back of his head, the young Maou laughed nervously as he muttered. "Ahh, I'll go on a date with you, Wolfram."

It was then that the full realisation hit him. He'd never been on a date before, and he didn't know the first thing about them either. What had he gotten himself into?

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Day 35: Bus 2

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