Work Text:
“Extra honey!! And Nectar!”
There’s a clanking of glass as Lilia fumbles with the two mugs he’s holding. He has to spin in place while doing an odd hop in place in order not to drop them. Once finding his balance, Lilia lets out a relieved breath. He thinks he hears several quick chirps outside and with an irritated glance, flicks his fingers to close the curtains over the sink.
With that taken care of, he finally looks towards the reason why he almost had broken shards around his feet.
“At this rate, your drink will be more of those things than actual milk you silly girl! And stop getting underfoot!”
Wide, bright green eyes look up at him pleadingly. Lilia could only roll his own eyes in return.
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me if you can’t sleep. Where’s Malleanna?”
“Uh...” He watches as Sierra rocks back and forth on her feet. With her hands behind her back, her brow furrows for a moment before she lights up. “Oh, right! Malleanna’s at the window again. They wanted to make sure we didn’t miss Papa if he comes back today.”
Hearing that makes Lilia pause. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but it still leaves a sense of unease.Withholding a sigh, he finishes preparing the drinks and sets the mugs on the table.
“Don’t touch, it’s still hot.” he warns.
He’s barely out of the kitchen before hearing a yelp and rolls his eyes once more.
Shaking his head, Lilia steps into the living room area. Sure enough, just as Sierra said he finds Malleanna sitting on the back of the couch to look outside better. When he calls their name, red eyes turn to him quickly before looking back outside. This time he can’t fully hold in his sigh. So he walks over, and kneeling on the couch cushions, he leans against the back of it to peer outside with them.
It was raining. Rather heavily at that. Luckily, he could tell this was natural rain. Though he had a feeling if a few more days pass, that will change.
“Will Papa be back in time?” Malleanna asks quietly.
“Of course he will. He’s never gone for long. Let alone miss such an important day coming up.” Lilia leans his head against their small shoulder. He doesn’t like looking out the window like this. It brings back memories he’d rather forget. “Your Papa...he doesn’t like going away if he can help it. So he makes it as short as possible.”
“Why does he go if he doesn’t like it?”
“...so he can stay here. It’s not often he goes to the castle, but when he does it’s so he can stay here.”
It’s the closest to the truth that Lilia can get without outright revealing the reason for it. It was best to keep their children in the dark a little longer. As much as they could at any rate.
“...I don’t get it.” Malleanna says after awhile.
“You will when you’re older. Just know your Papa will be home soon. And you and Sierra can greet him, and then we can go back to preparing for your special day and Halloween.”
Lilia pushes off the couch and holds his hand out to his child. “Come here, I made drinks for you and your sister. Time will go faster when you’re not staying up waiting.”
“Are you gonna sleep, too?” Lilia wonders about that. He’ll probably take a power nap later as usual. “Can Sierra and I sleep with you? I wanna sleep in Papa and Father’s bed.”
Well. That answered that. Picking them up with a laugh, Lilia carries Malleanna to the kitchen. “Of course you can.”
Lilia hated it when Malleus had to make the rare trip back to the Castle. And more than that, he hated the fact that he hated it so much. The memories of after the twins were born still too fresh in his mind even after over 15 years. And he greatly dislikes the fact Malleanna started to wait for Malleus’ return. Seeing them always looking outside, looking around the woods...the disappointment in those red eyes when there was nothing yet. It made Lilia feel as if he were watching himself. He wonders if thats how he seemed to Silver all those years ago.
He knows Sierra misses her Papa as well, but rather than quietly wait, she impatiently asks repeatedly when he will come back. And when she isn’t asking, she’s trying to get extra attention to make up for the missing parent. But every now and then, she’ll be looking outside with Malleanna before growing bored of it and returning to her toys. Both missing their Papa so much in their own ways, no matter how short the time he’s away.
But it couldn’t be helped. It was part of the deal Malleus made with the Court, and most importantly with the Queen. If they wished for Malleus to remain Heir Apparent, they had to agree with Malleus living away to raise their children until he becomes King. If Malleus wished to be allowed this freedom, he had to agree to checking in once in awhile.
Unfortunately, another part of the deal was soon reaching it’s time limit. One that Lilia constantly pushed to the back of his mind.
“Why do you spend longer doing Malleanna’s hair?” Sierra pouts.
“Because Malleanna actually sits still and likes their hair being done. And it’s longer.” Lilia responds. He holds back a laugh when he glances to the side to see his daughter lightly tug at her own shorter, newly brushed hair with a pout. He gets the hair tie in place at the end of Malleanna’s braid and gives it a light tug. This time he does laugh when they scowl over their shoulder at him over it. “There you go.Hair cleaned, dried and braided for bed. Bangs properly in place. Any requests for bedtime?”
Right on cue, Sierra lets out an offended whine. “Why do they get to pick!?”
“Because you picked the last two nights.” Lilia points outs, crossing his arms.
“She can pick...” Malleanna mutters under their breath.
“Nope, it’s your turn and you can’t give it away this time. What do you want before bed, Malleanna?”
“...a story about you and Papa?” Malleanna glances almost shyly up at him. “When you did school with Brother and Uncle?”
“Oh, yeah! Tell us a story about school!” Sierra grins.
“A story, huh?” Lilia taps his chin. He turns away, ‘hmm’ing and ‘huh’ing over it. And then a quick glance over his shoulder lets him see two pairs of eager eyes watching. So he grins and says, “Alright, get in bed you two while I think of something.”
He’s greeted with cheers as the two scramble to get under the blanket. He blocks out the bickering over who gets how much of the blanket, trying to think back. There’s a few off the top of his head he can recall. He wishes Silver were home so he could help him remember better...
Oh!
There was one story at least he could recall very clearly. And he knows his twins will be very happy to hear it.
With a clap of his hands, he gets the two to settle down and sits on the edge of the bed.
“Okay, here’s one since your special day is coming up. It was during a Halloween when your Papa, Brother and Uncle Sebek and I were at school...”
Like many aspects of Lilia’s life, the twins weren’t planned.
He wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant. Not by Malleus at any rate. A Bat and Dragon have children in two completely different ways. Neither of them thought they’d be able to have a child together, let alone two of them at once. And for all the years they had been sleeping together without a single scare, why would that change?
And yet, change did happen. Malleanna and Sierra were here now. And just like with Silver, Lilia could no longer imagine his or Malleus’ life without them.
Their precious little Batdragons.
“I wanna practice Trick-or-Treat!”
“I wanna make lanterns!”
“Trick-or-Treat!”
“Lanterns!”
“Hey now!” Lilia’s quick to cut them both off once he feels sparks in the air. He doesn’t have the patience to figure out who they were from or if it was both of them. Or even him for that matter. “We have time for both you two. Though I don’t see why we need to practice when it’s something we do every year.”
“But this time might be diff-ent!” Sierra huffs. “Papa’s not here! What if he doesn’t Trick-or-Treat with me!?”
That brings Lilia up short. He wasn’t expecting that, and can’t think of a response. He glances at Malleanna and sees their eyes widen at their sisters words before they turn them on him.
“Is Papa not gonna be home?” They ask, sounding close to tears.
And despite being the first to bring it up, Sierra gets the same look as her lip trembles. “Papa’s gonna home, right?”
“What about Malleus?”
Lilia had heard the approaching steps. But he was so focused on the twins he still startles at Silver’s voice.
Right away, the twins run around Lilia to their brother. He kneels down to their height, his brow furrowed when they speak at the same time. Fumbling over their words in a rush to explain. After a moment, he seems to get the gist of it and looks to Lilia with concern.
With a hopeless smile, Lilia kneels down and holds his arms out. He calls Malleanna and Sierra to come back over, and pulls them into a hug once they’re within reach.
“Your Papa will be back. He will never miss your birthday. And he will never miss Halloween. Both are very important days for us. It’s okay to miss your Papa, but don’t forget he will be back. Just like he promised.”
“He’ll Tick-or-Treat with us?”
“And he’ll build the lanterns with us?”
“He will. Without a doubt.” Move back to his feet, Lilia places his hands on his hips. “Now then. Let’s get started on a lantern now that your brother is here. And then we can decide how to do the candy part this year.”
The evening goes by easy enough. Silver being here does help keep both children settled since they adore their brother greatly. An adoration Silver equally shares for his little siblings.
Which is probably why Lilia knows something is bothering him after Malleanna and Sierra are put to bed.
“Say what is on your mind, Silver. I hear the little bats flying around in that head of yours.”
Even now, Lilia can still read his son. He laughs at the hint of embarrassment that flashes across Silver’s face before he composes himself. He seems reluctant to say anything, but that gives him an idea of what was bothering him.
Glancing up at the ceiling, Lilia pushes himself off the couch and heads for the door. “Grab our coats. We’ll talk outside.”
They don’t go far. Just by the stream near the small bridge. But from here, they can see the window upstairs where the twins are asleep. And keeping that in view helps keep Lilia settled.
“You’re mad Malleus is still away.” He states bluntly. May as well get right into it. Silver always did better with being straightforward anyway. He was a lot like Malleus that way.
“Not mad.” Silver insists. He looks away for a moment, his half-ponytail swinging behind him. “Just...concerned. Worried.”
Lilia sighs, though his lips tilt into a small smile. He can’t tease or playfully scold Silver for that. Not when it comes to this.
“I know. But I’m not worried and that should be enough to reassure you.”
“But you are upset, Father.” Silver turns back to him with those bright aurora like eyes. His appearance may be a little different now at 37 years old compared to when he was 17, but the sincerity in those eyes has never changed. “I know you are.”
He wonders when Silver started to be able to read him as well. He has a feeling it’s been longer than he expects.
“I wouldn’t say upset.” Lilia starts. “But I wouldn’t say I’m happy either. Just because I know it can’t be helped doesn’t make it easier. What does make it easier is knowing Malleus wouldn’t go back at all if he had a choice.”
Silver’s fingers twitch. A brief scowl that disappears just as quick.
Lilia pretends not to notice.
“Malleus will be back for the twins birthday, Silver. And he’ll be here for Halloween.”
He can’t blame Silver’s worry. Even now, it was something that stays with Silver as much as it did him. But Lilia is confidant in his words, and he can see the moment his son allows them to put him at ease.
“...I know he will.” He eventually sighs. “I’m sorry. I’m not doubting Malleus-Sama, or you. It’s just...when it gets close like this, I remember that first year and...”
There’s a pang in his heart that has Lilia float off the ground so he’s at Silver’s height. He reaches out, pressing his palm to Silver’s cheek. “I know. It’s been a long time for you, but that pain lingers even now. It does at times for me as well. I won’t pretend it doesn’t. But the twins are turning 17 years old in a couple days. And Malleus has yet to miss a birthday for them.”
“Malleus loves his children, Silver. Just as he loves you.”
“I know.” Silver says without missing a beat. He says it so quickly that Lilia huffs a laugh. “I love him, too. The same way I love you. He’s my family as much as you and my siblings are. He always has been.”
“Make sure you tell him that when he comes home.” Maybe it’ll help ease the guilt he knows Malleus feels cutting it close to the date. “Are you staying here tonight? Or will you go back to your place?”
“...I’ll stay tonight. If that’s okay?”
“Silver, you never have to ask if you can stay in your home.” Lilia smiles. And as they make their way back to the cottage, he adds, “Even if you left us behind to live somewhere else.”
And as expected, Silver groans. Lilia pretends not to hear a mutter about hypocrisy and laughs, skipping ahead.
At least their home will feel a little less empty now.
There was a year where Lilia had done an internship during his fourth year as a student.
It wasn’t a full year, but it was close. And it was more difficult than Lilia cared to admit.
For all his travels, all the many years he’d spend going from place to place before returning to the Valley of Thorns...a simple year was both exciting, and a struggle.
Because before when he would travel, Lilia wasn’t tied to Malleus in a way that was mutual. His magic was in Malleus, but that was all. His magic and entire being wasn’t rewritten to be the same as Malleus. They didn’t share the same life. He didn’t have to be touching Malleus to use stronger magic. He didn’t have to touch Malleus to feel a connection that he still can’t describe even years later.
Lilia was used to being apart from Malleus. He was used to missing him.
But the pain in his heart now was still new. And as he lays in bed, waiting for any signs outside, he’s not sure he’ll ever get used to it.
Just as when Silver was little, Lilia can’t always predict what his twins will surprise him with. Sometimes it’s something they do, other times something they say.
This time it was a little of both.
“We wanna scare Papa!”
Lilia blinks. And blinks again. And then he looks over to Silver to confirm he heard the same thing. Seeing his bafflement reflected back at him at least confirms he heard right.
So he turns back to the twins, amusement mixing with the confusion.
Though their eye colours were different and their horn sizes just as much, it didn’t stop the matching determined looks Malleanna and Sierra had. Brows furrowed stubbornly, both with their hands on their hips. Lilia always thought the twins looked more like Malleus, but he can’t deny he feels like he’s looking at both of them right now.
“Okay...” Lilia says the word slowly. His confusion was already fading fast. “And how exactly do you plan on scaring your Papa?”
Trust his children to have a plan. A very basic and simple one considering their age, but a plan nonetheless.
The funny thing about their shared magic was that it made it impossible to sneak up on each other. At least before if they hid their presence from each other, they could scare one another. But now with this connection, Lilia knows the moment Malleus is through the wards in the woods. He knows when he’s close to the cottage, and knows he can’t help the way his heart skips a beat.
Had he not been so caught off guard suddenly feeling Malleus, Lilia might have been able to send some kind of quick message to Malleus to act surprise. If only Silver were home instead of running an errand. Then he could send him out to meet Malleus to warn him.
But neither was an option. So he quickly tells the twins to get ready, smiling when their eyes widen and they hurry to get the white sheets off the floor. Because of their horns, the sheets sit awkwardly on their heads. And in their rush to put them on, they miss the holes Lilia cut to make room. Even Malleanna’s much smaller ones don’t slip through.
So when the door opens and Malleus walks through, he’s greeted by two little Batdragons who barely reach his hips. White bedsheets already falling off their heads as they shout “BOO!” with their whole little beings.
And Malleus only stares.
The poor man looking so confused as he looks from his children to Lilia, looking for an explanation.
And the twins also turn to Lilia, their eyes wide and close to tears. Their bottom lips trembling as they ask if they did it wrong.
So it’s with a small sigh and smile that Lilia flicks his wrist, silently telling Malleus to go back outside. He snaps his fingers, getting the bedsheets properly in place on their heads. Both sets of horns fitting comfortably through the holes.
“Okay, try again my little Batdragons.” Lilia tells them.
The retry goes much better. Malleus walks in acting like the first time didn’t happen. When Malleanna and Sierra yell out again, this time Malleus clutches at his chest and pretends to gasp out in fright. Even his tail appears for added effect.
The twins cheer over their success and run to their Papa. Happy to see him, happy their planned ‘worked’. Thankfully Malleus gets the sheets off their heads before they trip as he moves to sit on the floor to hug them and hold them in his arms.
“Yes, yes, you were both very frightening!” He praised them with a laugh. “My scary little Batdragons. Did you plan this yourselves?”
“We did!” Sierra nods.
“Toto and Brother helped!” Malleanna adds.
“Really? Well, I’m happy to hear that. Tell me, what else did you do while I was gone?”
A mistake really to ask such a thing. Lilia doubts Malleus will be getting off the floor anytime soon. When Silver comes back, he’ll probably have to come in through the window. Lilia should probably get them to move. Eventually anyway.
For now, he just leans against the wall to watch them. His face already hurting from how much he was smiling. And when Malleus looks up to meet his gaze, his heart skips a beat once more.
At least the longing was mutual.
It took a lot of work of bribery of treats and toys to get the twins to allow their parents privacy for bedtime. And even then it was Silver promising to stay another night, and that they can sleep with him in his old room that really does it.
And once they know all three children are asleep, it’s easier for Lilia to curl up in bed with Malleus. Trading soft kisses and light touches. Sighing as their magic sings and lets off a subtle glow being close again.
They don’t do anything too intimate. Not tonight. Right now it’s just to feel each other. Feel the warmth and closeness of the other.
Eventually, Malleus finally says softly, “Sorry. I wanted to be back a day sooner.”
“Everything okay?”
“Mostly. Another lecture from the Court about skipping Halloween celebrations this year.”
“And the Queen?”
“Grandmother wasn’t...against it. She understands.” Malleus pauses. But he’s quiet for so long that Lilia frowns and sits up.
“What is it?”
“We...we discussed the deadline.”
The words don’t register at first. It’s like every part of Lilia rejects them at first. But once he realizes he heard correctly, Lilia tenses. “We still have a few more years.”
“I know.” Malleus sits up as well. He brushes back Lilia’s hair, his fingers lingering to stroke his knuckles against his cheek. “But the twins are turning 17 in two days. And three years go by quickly.”
“...it does.” Lilia agrees reluctantly. “I wish we could hold off until the twins are at least 50 to do the introductions.”
“If I could, I’d push it to when they’re 500 years old.” Malleus admits. He cups Lilia’s cheek in his hand. Lilia couldn’t help but lean into the warm touch. “But I did make it clear that we still won’t tell the Court their birthday. Grandmother agreed she won’t change her mind on that.”
“That’s a relief.” Lilia sighs. That was one weight off his shoulders. “Will she be able to come on the day?”
“...most likely not. But she gave me a card for both of them.”
“Better than nothing.” Lilia mutters under his breath. He can tell Malleus isn’t impressed with his words, but he doesn’t take them back. Nor would Malleus ask him to.
But Lilia doesn’t want his dragon to be frowning now that they’re together again. So he loops his arms around Malleus’ neck, crawling into lap to press against him for a kiss.
And he tells Malleus sincerely, “I’m glad you’re back. 17 years celebrating our babies birthday, and it still feels surreal they’re here.”
“...it does.” Malleus agrees after a moment. He gives Lilia a kiss of his own, smiling against his lips. “I was sad I had missed some of Silver’s birthdays when he was little. I’m glad I can be here for every one of Malleanna and Sierra’s. It’s a special day.”
“It is.” Pressing their foreheads together, Lilia smiles softly when he feels Malleus’ scale markings and closes his eyes. “Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow we can finalize the details for the 27th.”
“And then we can celebrate the day our family was completed.” Malleus hums. He pulls back just enough so he can press a kiss to Lilia’s forehead. Softly, he murmurs, “I’m home, Lilia. I missed you. Sorry I made you wait again.”
“Heh. Welcome home, Malleus. I missed you as well.”
It’s simple the way they fall asleep curled up together. Even more simple with how secure Lilia feels with Malleus almost like a weighted blanket. That unease from the last several days already long gone now that he has his family all under one roof again. Though he knows it’ll return, he doesn’t care to think of that now. Not when he can focus on the warmth Malleus gives him.
Soon they’ll be celebrating Malleanna and Sierra’s 17th birthday. 17 years since they had their little miracle Batdragons.
And as Malleus said, 17 years since their family was completed.