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Idia stands on the roof.
He doesn't know how long he's been standing up there, but his fingers have gone numb from the cold atmosphere.
He sighs. He let his intrusive thoughts get to him, and now he's standing on the edge of the roof top.
Thinking back, he remembers what brought him up here. Graduation is coming up, and he's honestly not looking forward to it. His fate is sealed to become the next Watchman of the Underworld.
He doesn't even know why he even tries in life. What's worth living for at this point? It all just seems so pointless.
That is- until he remembers that he has a family at home, his little brother. How would they react about him being gone? Idia knows he can't leave his brother alone, his only source of joy.
Yet, this feeling that's been eating away at him.. it won't leave him alone. He wants it to go away, he just wants to feel better again.
Sighing, once again, he steps away from the edge. He feels ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous. Why is he even here? He still has things to do that he hasn't accomplished yet. Right.. he can't leave yet. His favorite anime hasn't finished, and he's still waiting on the latest chapter in his favorite mangas.
He doesn't feel strong enough to go back to his dorm room, so instead he lays on the roof of the building. It's.. peaceful. Quiet, but not the quiet where you can't help the thoughts that come to your head, it's the quiet where you feel serene, close to heaven. He closes his eyes for a few moments, until another voice cuts through his thoughts.
"Shroud."
Jolting into a sitting position, Idia yelps in surprise, turning towards the man who called his surname.
"M-Malleus??" Shocked to see Malleus of all people standing on the roof with him, he stands up so they meet eye to eye. "W-What are you doing up here? At this time?"
"I could ask the same to you." Malleus raises his brow. "Did you also come here to sight see the city? I did not take you as the type to be interested in that kind of activity." He smiles, "But I do not mind a little company. Come." Malleus gestures for Idia to follow him to the ledge.
Idia stares, Malleus didn't even let him answer. Rude he said in his head, because he didn't feel like becoming dragon prey tonight. "Uhm- I didn't- well- I uh...." Idia frantically tries to come up with a lie that doesn't expose the real reason as to why he came up here. "I.. didn't come up here to sight see.. actually." He rubs his arm and looks up at malleus in anticipation for what he'd say next.
Malleus turns around at Shroud's stuttering, and his face falls in mild disappointment. "Ah, I see. I apologize for my misunderstanding." He wears a small frown on his face, as he was truly looking forward to a joyful "hangout" with a friend(at least he thought they were friends, Idia would say otherwise).
"Uhm.. yeah. I actually have a lot to do so ifyoudon'tmindIshouldgetgoing-" As soon as Idia was about to rush out the door, Malleus interrupted.
"Shroud, if you were busy, why have you come here of all places? I cannot help but let myself wonder as to why you would need access to the rooftop of all places if you had things to do."
Idia tensed. Feeling attacked, he reflected. "Dude, that's kinda personal, don't you think? Like why is it any of your business?"
Malleus' eyes widened. "Ah, I did not mean to intrude. But it seemed like you were enjoying your time up here and.. as soon as I appeared you wanted to leave instantly. It felt as though you dislike my presence, and for that I feel offended." Though I supposed I should be used to it now.
Idia suddenly felt guilt- wait WHY? Why did he feel guilty for the high and might CROWNED PRINCE MALLEUS DRACONIA??? Because he is so stupid, Idia OFFERS to hang out. Him, Idia Shroud a totally lock in loser offered to hang out with one of the best mages to ever exist. Can Zeus strike him down already?
"Hahhh.. I mean just for a little bit if it'll boost your ego."
Malleus smiles despite feeling as thought Idia had insulted him in a way. "I appreciate it, thank you." He smiled, and once again called for Idia to follow him.
Idia adored his smile. A genuine smile from Malleus Draconia. OK, he needs to stop. Malleus is doing this just to make him feel bad and spend time with him, right?
They sit in silence, taking in the beauty of the city's glowing lights that honestly are hurting Idia's eyes and damaging his already poor eyesight.
Eventually, they started to make small talk and, surprisingly, Idia was enjoying himself- only a little.
"Shroud, may I call you by your first name? If it isn't too much too ask." Malleus suddenly asked out of the blue, it caused Idia to cut his rambling off and stare for a few seconds.
"I-I mean, of course? Why would you even ask, you can do whatever. I mean you're literally THE Malleus Draconia and I'm honestly even lucky that you wanna hang out with me rn and actually talk and listen to me ramble and-" He cuts himself off as he realizes he is rambling yet again. "I-I mean, yes. You can just call me Idia.."
Malleus smiles, probably for the 10th time that night, but this time he shows teeth, his lips grinning from ear to ear. He is.. delighted.
"Well then, Idia, I want to thank you for accompanying me tonight. You were.. very lovely to be with. If I may ask.. could we maybe do this again? Sometime. It does not have to be soon, but I rather enjoyed our time and hope that you did as well, and we could come with mutual feelings to hangout, as friends next time."
Idia flushed. He could tell that his hair was turned pink Oh GOD how EMBARRASSING can he just die like RIGHT NOW???
"Urkk Malleusshi you are flatter me I am so honored wow-" Idia brushes his hair strands out of his face behind his ear. "I- yes. We could hang out some time, preferably inside tho- oh! And could you give me your number? It's easier to stay in contact that way."
"?" Malleus looks at him puzzled. He didn't understand how the word "number" was used in this context. "My.. number? What do you mean, Idia? I do have a phone but .. oh."
"Uhm, yk a cellphone, how you call people yeah? Ykw, just give me ur phone, pls."
Malleus hands Idia his phone, and Idia, the technology genius, easily exchanged their phone numbers(but it doesn't take a genius to do that, Malleus was just bewildered by the action).
"There. Now we can text each other. Just lmk when you wanna hang out." Idia hands his phone back, but paused before looking back at Malleus. "You do know how to text someone, right?"
Malleus pursed his lips together. "Well.. I occasionally send messages to Lillia, but I often do not have the opportunity as my phone is always broken. I tend to.. break it often because of its fragility."
"Oh. Well. Not a problem! At all! Yeah, it's fine. Totally. We'll figure it out, dw." Idia says in a totally not sarcastic tone.
"I apologize for I am not very well trained with technology." Malleus frowns. "But I have learned some from Lillia. He has said that his phone is the "love of his life." I feel joy for him, though I cannot understand how one could feel that way towards their device."
They both stare at each other for a moment, before Malleus opened his mouth to say something. He hesitated, but asked anyway. "Phones are.. not living things, right..?"
...
...
Idia snorts. "Hehe.. fuihihi!" He bursts out laughing, probably the hardest he has in a while. "No.. NO of course not! What kind of- what even made you think of something like THAT? LOL"
The other man pouts. "Hmph, laughing at me. I was being serious, you know."
He crosses his arms, looking away. Though, a menacing smile creeps up on his face and he takes a step closer to the person laughing in front of him. "Have you forgotten who you are speaking to, Shroud?"
Idia stopped, and gulped. Oh shit. Suddenly aware, Idia remembered who he was standing in front of. Well fuck me.
"M-Malleusshi, I-"
Malleus interrupted with a laugh, and a very, very amused smile. "Haha.. Idia, the fear on your face truly is to my amusement. Forgive me, for I cannot help but laugh at how your face paled in that moment." He smirked at him.
"You .. well fuck you, crowned prince." He swore under his breath, salty. But, even after the prince's stunt, he couldn't bring himself to be mad or even annoyed. He could only laugh. For the first time, Idia felt like he was enjoying himself.
They laughed together, like losers. They shared a connection neither of them even knew of.
Though, soon after, Malleus broke the moment, all of a sudden turning serious. "Idia, have you .. have you ever felt lonely? Even when you have people who care about you, do you still feel like you are alone?"
Idia widens his eyes at Malleus. "Uhhh why are you asking me this?? Holy shit Malleus are you venting to me rn??"
They hold contact, before Malleus(surprisingly) was the first to look away. "Sorry, I felt the need to.. let my emotions out. As of recently, I have been feeling as though my heart has a hole in it. Like it is hollow, with nothing inside. It won't go away, no matter how hard I try to change it."
...
"Sorry if I ruined the moment-"
"Yeah, I get it. Heh, it seems like you and me aren't that different after all." Idia looks up at him with his toothy grin. "Can I tell you a secret? Promise you won't tell anyone ever! "
"Your secret is safe with me, do not worry."
Idia smiled. He fidgets his hands. "Truth is, I originally came up here to... Clear my thoughts, basically. They were literally eating me alive, I thought I was gonna die!" He chuckled nervously, "that is, until you showed up. Then, I didn't feel so bad anymore. You made me feel.. happy, I guess."
They both flushed.
"Ahem. I am truly moved by your words. You.. spending time with you was truly meaningful. I would say, this night had filled part of the void inside my heart. Idia .. you know what I am saying, right?"
"UHm... WHAT? Malleus, are you saying that you are confessing your love.. to ME?" Idia was flabbergasted. Mouth literally hanging open. He blushed, avoiding eye contact, suddenly wishing he was wearing a hoodie so he could pull it and cover his red face.
"Yes.. I suppose I am."
"YOU MEAN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW?"
They both stare at each other, again, like two little idiots.
"Well, how do you respond, Idia? Do you reciprocate my apparent feelings?"
Idia thinks for a moment, before deciding. "I- I don't even know TBH. This is a lot. Actually a lot has happened tonight and I think I just reallywannagobacktomyroomandsleep."
"It is okay to reject me. I will take no offense." Malleus reassured.
"That's.. No! I mean, no, I don't want to reject you, I think. Please just give me time I am super overwhelmed and tired and burnt out from all this socializing tonight so like." Idia gestured with his hands, trying to convince Malleus to understand him.
"Well, if time is what you need, I have plenty of that. Please come to me when you have decided. You are always welcome to come visit in Diasomnia."
"Ugh, that's a hard pass for me."
---
"Nii-san!" Ortho called from behind Idia's door. "You didn't tell me you had plans to go out, with a friend at that!"
Idia groans into his pillow. How did Ortho even find out before he could tell him?
"Yeah.. it's nothing rlly, just gonna hang out with a friend of mine. Who told you about that anyway?"
"Well, actually it was Lillia Vanrouge! He came up to me in the Ignyhyde lounge room and asked me to give this to you. It's a letter from someone with the initials M.D." Ortho hands the slip of paper to his brother.
"I WONDER who this could be from." Obviously the letter was from Malleus Draconia, but why did he write him a letter instead of texting him? Or even talking to him in person?
The two boys look inside the letter. It read:
Dear Idia Shroud,
I am writing to you because I am unable to text you, as I have broken my phone, once again.
I would have liked to find and speak to you in person, however that task has been rather difficult, considering I have two fellow classmates who will not stop tracking my trail, and everytime I stop by Ignyhyde, you are never there. So, forgive me, but this was the easiest way to contact you. I have sent Lillia to make sure that you receive this letter.
Moving on to the topic at hand, I wanted to invite you over to my dormitory, Diasomnia. I would be delighted if you would come over and spend time with me. It has been a few days since our last time together.
If you accept this invitation, please come to the Diasomnia lounge room on Saturday, two forty P.M. I shall meet you there and escort you to a secluded place if necessary.
-Sincerely, Malleus Draconia
Wow.. Idia supposed that Malleus WASN'T kidding when he had said that he wished to spend more time with him... what a boost to his ego.
But pfttt- did this guy really have to send him a letter? Of all things? It made Idia laugh(on the inside. He only showed a slight smirk, small enough so Ortho wouldn't notice it).
"Big brother, are you gonna go?" Ortho, filled with excitement, asked. "I'm happy that you made a friend, but out of everyone, I never expected it to be Malleus Draconia!"
"Uek, he's not a friend, Ortho. Don't get ahead of yourself. You know how hopeless friendship is for us."
"Awww. Don't be like that Idia! It doesn't have to be this way, you know.." Ortho looked at him sadly, but hopefully. He knew that convincing Idia was a lost cause. Once his brother had his mind made up, it was nearly impossible to change it. But, even so, he still wanted his brother to try!
Idia sighed. He really didn't want to have this conversation right now. "I mean, I guess I could clear my very busy schedule this Saturday to hang out.. Oh- but anyways, Ortho, wanna play some Star Trek together? I heard that the devs have announced the sequel to be released soon!"
"Oh, yeah I have heard people talking about it online. Are you excited Idia? It's our favorite game after all!"
"Of course I am, whee hee! I can't WAIT till it's released. We'll finally get some new content after all these years!"
For the rest of the night, the two boys played Star Trek as they talked about Star Trek(lol bunch of nerds). It makes Idia completely forget about his "play date" with Malleus the next day. He and Ortho stayed up way too late and he, well, kind of slept in a little too late.
He was sleeping soundly until the pounding on his door, startling him awake.
"AH! W-What the hell?? Who is it?!"
"It's me, Sebek Zigvolt, Idia-Senpai! Open up this door this instant, as my Liege requests your humble attendance!"
"EEp!" Idia gasped out loud. Malleus SENT his bodyguard to come get HIM? "G-Give me a s-second! I-I just woke up so..."
He cursed under his breath and scrambled around his room dressing himself as quickly as he possibly could. Deciding on his typical baggy sweat shirt and sweatpants, he opens the door to an impatient Sebek.
"Human! You shall follow me as I escort you to Malleus Draconia in Diasomnia. He expected you to arrive one hour ago, yet you have the nerve to keep him waiting?" Idia could feel his glare stab straight through him. Yeesh!
"uhm, yeah sorry I guess. Can we just go?"
The walk to the Diasomnia dorm was.. awkward, to say the least.
"Dude, could you like not drag me? It's not like I'm not gonna, run away or anything..."
"Quiet, Human! I am to escort you to my liege, and you will comply with no complaints!"
"OK, geez. Just stop yelling in my ear.."
---
"Ah, Idia, I am delighted to see you here." Malleus politely greets him when they arrive. Surprisingly, it was only them in the lounge(Thank God).
"I sent Sebek to check on you, incase you were trying to hide from me."
"Oh. Me? I would never, heheh.."
"Thank you, Sebek, you may go now."
"Yes, My Liege!"
When Sebek left, it was only the two of them in the room. Silence fell for a few seconds, before Malleus spoke up.
"Would you like to sit down?" He sat on one of the sofas in the room, and offered a seat next to him to Idia.
Idia sat down awkwardly. He almost started sweating from the silence that stretched across the room.
"Please, do not be shy. I have reserved this room for the both of us, using my privilege as the Housewarden." Malleus smiled as if proud of himself, but that only made Idia more nervous.
"Oh, wow, that's great. Yeah.. so uh. What did you wanna do?"
"I was thinking of a movie to start, but I do not really have a preference.. when it comes to you."
Idia flushes, and nervously chuckled. "Oooh kay. That was weird. Uh, thanks I guess?"
They settled on watching the Marvel Timeline, starting with Captain America.
Malleus wasn't too into it, though he enjoyed Idia's presence next to his, so he was able to tolerate it enough.
After the movie, Idia offered Malleus to choose the next activity since he got to choose the movie. Malleus suggested a walk, and though Idia was reluctant, he couldn't say no. No way am I going to refuse the crowned prince of Briar Valley!
It was already turning dark out, so they knew their walk wouldn't last long, but still, both of them silently treaded along the campus' sidewalks, side by side.
"Do you believe in afterlife, Idia?"
Idia blinked up at Malleus. "Hm, well, as you know, my family has to run the Underworld, where Hades keeps the deceased souls. I don't.. really believe any of that religion stuff, because, yk, I'm a science guy! All those believes aren't actually real I mean-" He forced himself to stop. "S-Sorry, I got carried away. W-What about you, Malleus?"
"Hmm, if there was such a thing, it would be easier to let people go. However, we do not know if that is even true, or such a thing exists. And because of that I..." He trailed off. The conversation got too personal, making both of them uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I get it. I mean like, I don't wanna lose anyone I care about either but- you just learn to move on in life, I mean you have to right?" That's ironic coming from you, Idia!!
"You are right, although I have many years to come, and I am forced to watch everyone die, while I live on with the pain for hundreds of years. It is not fair to me. I sometimes wish I wasn't born this way. Do you understand me, Idia?" Malleus stops and turns to face him. "You are my first friend, even though this is our first evening together, I have this feeling for you.. it is the same as I feel towards Lillia, but different. I do not wish to lose you, as I do to Lillia, but I also feel.. a sense of longing. This feeling I'm my heart, it pains my chest. I want to know you more, Idia. I want to get closer to you. Do you understand?" He inches closer, holding his upper arms, not breaking eye contact with the other man. "I want it, but it feels wrong."
The fire head man gulps. This just got intense! "I- Malleus, I think I might know what you feel but .. I don't know if I can help you. I'm not really ideal I mean! I'm just a nerd who plays video games all day! I don't even know why you want to be my friend, SRS!" He thinks for a moment before saying, "A-also, I don't mean to ruin the moment but it's really dark and this whole cliche scene in public is embarrassing! We could.. talk about this another time. Sorry"
Malleus let his own arms fall to his sides, and Idia rubs one of his arms out of nervousness.
"You are right. Let us discuss this over text . I shall.. see you next time, Idia. Goodnight."
"Y-Yeah, GN.." They nod before walking off in opposite directions.
Idia walks away with guilt inside him. He had basically rejected Malleus, right? Wait no- he didn't want to reject him but, he doesn't feel like he deserves this!? Ack! His brain is spiraling and his heart is pounding and he's overwhelmed and oh god he feels sick-
Malleus teleports to his dorm room, and sits on his bed. Using magic to rid of his clothes and put on his sleepwear, he thinks of one person: Idia Shroud. He liked him, he wanted to get closer to him. He wanted to be like best friends as humans label it. But it feels odd, because Malleus dreams of this man. Is that normal?
The moon shines over the Earth, and the two boys are left with complicated feelings they do not even understand themselves. Their next "date" awaits. That will be the day they clear their feelings, and become official.