The smoothed stone corridors were freezing, and a lone boy looked for somewhere to sleep.

It wasn't that Yuuri didn't want to sleep in his room - he did very much, in fact. But no matter how tired he was, he found it almost impossible lately to sleep beside Wolfram, who took up most of the bed and often kicked Yuuri out of it. In his sleep, of course - whatever else he may have been, Wolfram was not cruel. But that didn't make it any easier for Yuuri, who had woken up on the floor with a stiff back many a time. He had already heard the snores coming from his room several minutes earlier and had not bothered to open the bedroom door. He was used to it in any case; the paperwork that he had finally taken up from Gunter and Gwendal meant that Wolfram was, for the most part, in bed long before Yuuri got there. Tired as he was (somehow sorting and signing papers took a lot more out of him that running or baseball did), Yuuri did not have the energy to wrestle a spot for him in the bed.

On occasion Yuuri slept in the office. He was sure that there were spare bedrooms around that he could have used instead, but the few times he had bothered to look, they seemed cold and lonely, usually unused. The office at least was warmer, and it meant that Yuuri didn't have to walk anywhere. Not to mention it was a convenient excuse for Wolfram if Yuuri could say that he had simply fallen asleep over his papers.

Yuuri was quite certain that Conrad knew. The soldier often kept Yuuri company himself - guarding, but under the pretense that he was doing something else - polishing armour or working through his own paperwork. Yuuri was grateful although also slightly guilt-ridden that he was keeping Conrad awake. The one time he mentioned it however, Conrad just smiled that calm smile of his and said he was used to it; that long nights and early mornings were just another part of a soldier's duty and that he was quite used to it. It seemed true - at any rate, Yuuri had never seen Conrad with circles under his eyes (unlike himself).

Still, Yuuri had no wish to sleep in the office tonight. He had told Conrad he could find his own way back to his room, to get some sleep himself. Conrad had bowed and left, but despite the formality of the bow (some things would never change), Conrad had also called Yuuri by his name, leaving a warm, satisfied feeling somewhere inside Yuuri's chest.

Yuuri wandered down yet another corridor, not yet ready to give in and go to his bedroom. Even so, the cold seeped in to his feet and upwards, despite Yuuri still wearing his shoes. He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself in an effort to keep the warmth in for just a little longer. Just somewhere to lie down and then he was sure he could sleep and ignore the cold; it was not quite winter yet, and Yuuri was tired enough that he was sure he could sleep anyway.

He rounded another corner and spotted the bench he had sat on with Conrad just hours ago earlier on that day. They had talked about baseball, and Yuuri had made Conrad laugh which was quite an achievement... Yuuri took off his shoes but lay down fully clothed - no mater how tired he was, it seemed foolish to make himself colder. The surface beneath him was hard and none too comfortable, but Yuuri was just glad that he had at least managed to find a spot to lie down in.

He slept almost instantly, although not too deeply. At some point in the night he must have been half awake and still dreaming, hearing rather than seeing the quiet events going on around him. He imagined them in his head, not awake enough to open his eyes and wake from the dream. Footsteps, reasonably strong. A man's steps then. A pause. Perhaps the someone had gone away although he hadn't heard that part. A lifting of his head, and then let down again. Something placed underneath, soft. A blanket or pillow? That question was enough to make him surface from the dream a little - he was vaguely conscious of a slight and sleepy-sounding groan - but then it was quiet about him again, and he slipped back under. Another soft thing covering him, very gently, not heavy enough to wake him again. Finally, a small thud and a metallic click. Yuuri had heard the click many times before; just enough to drowsily register that it was a sword being set down. He slept.

It was perhaps his bad luck that Wolfram found him first in the morning. He proceeding to yell very loudly, demanding to know why his fiancée had slept on a cold bench in an out-of-the-way corridor instead of in bed with him. Yuuri opened his eyes, suddenly very cold. His eyes first found the blanket on the floor that Wolfram had ripped off.

"What were you thinking, sleeping here instead of with me?! It's only right that you should sleep with your fiancée, when will you get it through your head that we're engaged? Wimp!"

Yuuri stuttered and stumbled his way through the next few minutes, by which time Wolfram had cooled down a little. They walked together to breakfast, and it didn't occur to Yuuri until later to wonder who had given him the blanket and pillow.