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Idia Shroud and Malleus Draconia had been hanging out recently. Idia didn't really get it. Why someone as OP as the literal heir of Briar Valley would even give him the time of day was a mystery. Their friendship started slowly. Malleus was curious about a game Lilia had mentioned, and that somehow led him to Idia.
Malleus somehow seemed so interested in him. He’d ask questions that would quickly end in a 20-minute rant from Idia. The prince never seemed bothered by it either. Idia undeniably loved the attention from Malleus, he liked being able to rant to someone freely. He didn't even mind the unskippable dialogue Malleus would add when they were together. He even began to get into some Gargoyle-centered games just to impress the Fae.
Recently Malleus had been asking to hand out more and more. And at said hangouts the two would end up a bit too close. With that, Idia's feelings towards him were slowly shifting into something other than friendship.
-
It was the middle of the night. Idia had stayed up grinding an event for one of his mobile games. He was perfectly content doing the same motions for hours if it meant he could get the SSR card of his favorite characters.
All of a sudden a knock came from his door. Idia froze and listened closely for a moment. Surely he was hearing things, why would someone be outside his door at, he looked at the time, 1:21? This wasn't some unexpected horror event? Were there ghosts in Ingnihyde like in Ramshackle now? He listened for a few more seconds but heard nothing. He chalked it up to him being crazy. Just as he reabsorbed himself back into his game the knocking was heard again.
Idia hesitated before realizing it might be Ortho. He couldn't just ignore his little brother so he reluctantly plucked himself from the bed. He threw his covers off, instantly missing the warmth, and dragged himself across the room to the door. He pulled it open expecting his small humanoid brother but instead was greeted by a large figure in dark clothing.
A small surprised noise left his mouth and he jumped backwards. ”Mal- Malleus..??” He looked up.
Malleus smiled at him. “I hope I didn't wake you. I wished to ask if you would accompany me on one of my nightly walks?” What kind of person went for walks at 1 am?
”No.. You didn't wake me.” Idia rubbed his face and yawned. He wasn't tired, he often stayed up far longer than this. “Why are you inviting me out this late..?”
”I often go out for walks at night. I simply wanted you to accompany me.”
Idia felt a small blush creep up his cheeks. He didn't really want to go, he would much rather curl back up in bed with his phone. But the way Malleus was smiling at him, he'd feel bad if he said no. There was also no one out this late, no chance of odd cutscenes with others. Also, the idea of brushing fingertips or bumping shoulders was an enticing factor. Although it would instantly drop his HP bar to zero. Idia let out a sigh before standing up straighter and nodding slightly, he avoided making eye contact with the taller student.
The acceptance of his offer made Malleus’s ears twitch with delight. The prince stood in the doorway patiently as Idia slipped on a pair of slippers. “Shall we?” Malleus extended one of his gloved hands. Idia smiled weakly and took his hand. Just the small touch caused him to heat up. He felt like the protagonist in some romance anime.
A small glimmer of green appeared and they ended up at the main campus. The teleportation made Idia quite a bit dizzy, he didn't think he'd ever get used to it.
They stood there for a moment before Malleus released Idia’s hand and began walking. Idia quickly matched his pace and walked beside him. He wondered how odd he must look next to him. He was dressed so nicely and Idia was in an old, long-sleeved striped shirt and sweatpants.
They walked in silence for a bit. The night was really peaceful. The small nocturnal critters were really calming, it was quite different from Idia's usual loud nightly routine. The fae next to him suddenly broke the silence. “You seem tired.”
Idia shrugged. “Yeah, I just spent the last few hours grinding for this specific card with a less than 1% drop rate.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked over at the prince who was staring at him intently. Despite whatever gentle intentions Malleus had it was crazy intimidating to Idia. He immediately shifted his gaze.
”Did you succeed?” He hummed.
-
They had been walking for several minutes now. The conversation was mostly Malleus encouraging the other housewardens' rants.
Suddenly the prince slowed his pace, Idia not noticing accidentally ended up a few steps ahead. Malleus soon ceased walking and Idia walked backwards to his side. “What is it?” The prince was looking up at something.
”I wanted to show you this,” He pointed at a statue that was planted on the roof of the building they were in front of. “That gargoyle was recently restored.”
Idia looked up at it. Not really getting why Malleus wanted him to see it. It looked the same as any other gargoyle to him.
“It reminds me of one of the villains in a game you like.” The fae looked back at Idia, a small smile on his face.
Idia froze a bit as he looked at the statue. He couldn't make out most of the details but it did vaguely resemble one of the villain's henchmen from a game he played. But why would Malleus bother remembering that? He knew Malleus had to at least somewhat enjoy their conversations because he kept coming back for more. But Idia knew he couldn't have mentioned this specific character much nor ever shown him what he looked like. So why would he retain this small detail?
“You-You remember quite a bit..” Idia murmured.
”Of course,”
The two began to walk again, this time Idia was noticeably quieter. He was a bit flustered and his mind was going a bit haywire. There had to be some other motive for Malleus to care this much, there just had to be. No one would engage this much with a background character otherwise.
”Are you alright, Shroud?”
A small “eep” escaped Idia and he snapped his head towards the prince. “I-I yeah! Um-“ He stumbled over his words and fixated his eyes on the ground. “Though- why.. Why do you actually hang out with me..?” His voice came out far too squeaky for his liking.
The fae stared at him for a moment before looking away. “I just enjoy your company.”
”Cmon, that's not a good reason, way too vague!” Idia rolled his eyes and again put his hands in his pockets. “You.. You could be hanging out with anyone, I mean jeez, you're the prince of Briar Valley. Total SSR! " I'm basically nothing compared to you.”
Malleus let out a breath. “When I'm with you, i feel as though i am just Malleus.” He paused. “Not the heir to Briar Valley. We exchange interests and laugh. It is… refreshing to be treated merely as another student.”
Idia listened carefully. His brain began to try and nitpick the words. Yet his brain couldn't think of any way to twist it to be self-deprecating. Because of this his face began to form a small blush and the ends of his hair were tinted pink. “Uugh..” He shook his head. “You can't just say a cool protag line like that..”
Malleus laughed softly. Idia had made comments like that to him before. “You are also quite endearing.”
Idia’s face immediately flushed further and he was sure his whole head of hair was bright pink. Out of every word why did he pick endearing? Seriously? Who just says an instant kill attack like that? -50hp
Silence fell over them again as they kept walking. Luckily it wasn't too awkward. Their footsteps against the stone path were what Idia decided to focus on to calm his thoughts, and slowly his hair returned to its blue hue.
As they walked Idia couldn't help but steal glances at the fae next to him. The moonlight lit him up so perfectly… The way the light caught in his dark hair, made his horns almost glimmer, the sharp edges of his face, and-
…
No! What was he thinking? He shouldn't be thinking up these cringe BL lines!! Idia cursed at himself mentally. Despite his embarrassing thoughts he didn't stop himself from looking at Malleus every few paces. But as if sensing the eyes on him the fae looked over at him. Idia snapped his eyes away and didn't dare look back.
Several minutes passed and they were still quiet. They eventually ended up at a bench. “Would you like to rest for a moment, Shroud?”
”Yeah..” Idia muttered his response.
The difference in their postures was stark. Idia caught it immediately. The prince sat with effortless poise, back straight, his hands neatly folded in his lap. Meanwhile, Idia was slouched over like a shrimp. He awkwardly sat up a bit straighter. He did his best to ignore the discomfort.
”Shroud,”
”Huh..?”
”You do not need to correct your posture on my account.” Idia let his shoulders droop and let out a breath. “You looked quite uncomfortable.”
“Ugh, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck then leaned back. “I don't exactly have good stats for elegance like you do. Everything was dumped into intelligence, charisma, and stuff is stuck at level one.”
”Elegance is certainly not one of your strong suits.”
Idia grimaced. “Don't gotta rub it in…”
”You have far greater qualities.” The shorter housewarden glanced over at him. “Your passion, for one.”
Idia stared at Malleus as he stated a few things he liked about him. He could barely even make out the words as he was internally dying. How could a guy spew so many compliments, and why for that matter!! Idias' face and hair once again began to tint pink.
Malleus looked over at him, noticing the blush. “You've become flustered several times this evening.” He stated and Idia let out a tiny squeak. “Have I said something inappropriate?”
”Wh- What-? No-!” Idia spoke pretty fast. “I mean- kind of, er, idk..”
Malleus merely observed Idia for a moment. “Lilia once told me that causing another to blush can be associated with human courtship.”
Idia almost yelped in surprise. His mind came to a halt. “As- as in like relationships??” He choked on his words.
”Yes,” The prince nodded. “Though, Lilia's explanation was rather incomplete.” Idia didn't get how he could just say things like this. He guessed that when you're that OP and cool you can just say whatever.
”Incomplete…?”
”Lilia had become distracted midway.” Malleus shook his head. There was a brief pause. “Could you explain it further?”
Idia stared at him a moment before snorting. “Ooh, I am not your guy to go to for romance. I'm an otaku shut-in loser.”
”Hm.” The fae hummed softly. “You've spoken about characters in romantic relationships. I thought you were knowledgeable.”
Idia blinked a few times and fiddled with his fingers. “That's… that's fiction. Otome games and manga don't really count… Literally ask anyone else. I bet Vil would know at least something.”
”I asked you,”
”..Why?”
”Because I value your perspective.”
Idia didn't look over at him, he kept his eyes fixated on his hands. “You're.. You're messing with me.”
”Why would I do that?”
”I-I don't know- you're just- ugh..” He groaned in frustration, not really knowing what he was frustrated about.
It was silent for several moments. Neither really knowing what to say. Malleus was looking directly at the shorter student. The way his hands were fidgeting, his tense shoulders, he noticed it all. The prince’s mind wandered for a moment before he scooted a bit closer to Idia. Idia noticed it. Malleus’s hand was far too close to him, it made his cheeks heat up.
“Idia,”
Idia flinched at his first name being used. He looked up, locking eyes with the other. The fae was always so formal, he always used his last name. “H-Huh-“
”May I kiss you?”
Idias' eyes widened, they might as well have popped out of his skull. Was he serious? He was silent, his brain effectively fried as he tried to process what Malleus had just asked him.
Malleus took the silence as rejection and distanced himself quickly. Averting his gaze back in front of him. “Forgive me. That was presumptuous of me.”
Idia blinked a few times before jumping into action. “W-wait-“ His voice came out extremely quiet but it still dragged Malleus’s eyes back to him. Idia continued to internally freak out. He could feel his palms getting sweaty and nothings even happened yet. “I- it- was-wasn't a no I just-“ He stumbled over his words, taking way too long to say what he needed. He felt like he had at least 100 debuffs placed on him. “I-I just like blue-screened for a moment…” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“It wasn't a no?” The prince asked thoughtfully.
Idia squeaked, not being able to say anything else. He shook his head a little, nervousness was written all over his face.
”Then…” Malleus began, turning his whole body towards Idia and moving closer once more. “May I ask again?” His hand moved up and cupped Idia's cheek. Idia shuddered at the touch, his whole body tensing up. His face and hair flushed as his eyes darted anywhere but Malleus’s face. “May I kiss you?” He asked once again.
Idia felt his insides melt. He couldn’t form a reply so he just nodded. The fae leaned down, closing the distance between them. Idia gasped at the contact when their lips met. The kiss didn't last long, barely a few seconds. Yet it felt amazing. His lips felt like they were on fire from Malleus’s touch.
Malleus pulled back, removing his hand from Idias' face. Idia finally let himself look at the fae's face. It looked like he was blushing. The sight of Malleus blushing gave Idia a sudden surge of confidence. Somehow, Idia, the loser shut-in, made THE Malleus Draconia, heir of Briar Valley, one of the top mages in the world, blush. He did that.
Idia didn't hesitate, if he thought about it too long he would most definitely back out. He grabbed the back of Malleus’s neck and a fistful of his shirt, pulling him back down into another kiss. Unfortunately, it didn't land very well and their noses bumped uncomfortably. Idia squeaked, embarrassed at what he had done. Malleus laughed, only making Idia more flustered. He quickly removed his hands from the prince.
Malleus didn't let him go far. He caught Idia's hand and guided it back up to his cheek, leaning into it. Idias' hair began to spark and burn brighter, if it wasn't already pink it was now. Malleus gazed at him gently, not releasing his hand. Idia felt small under his eyes, he didn't know why.
Idia lowered his eyes and exhaled shakily. “That was my first kiss.” He spoke quietly.
“It was my first as well.” Malleus hummed as he shut his eyes.
Idia didn't believe him and let out a laugh. “Hah! Right, no way Malleus Draconia hasn't kissed anyone before!” He giggled, still not looking up.
“I've simply never had the opportunity to before.” The prince paused. “I'm happy my first was you.”
Idia remained blushing. He still couldn't really comprehend that this was really happening. Maybe he was dreaming…
Malleus removed his hand from Idias and grabbed the other housewarden's chin, lifting it. Their eyes met. “I would like to kiss you again…”
Idia nodded. He would let Malleus initiate it from now on. He didn't want to make a fool of himself again.
Malleus tilted Idias' head and leaned forward connecting their lips once more. They lingered longer, absorbing each other's warmth. Idia couldn't help but smile against Malleus’s lips. He moved his hands down to rest against the fae's chest.
Malleus put one hand around Idias' neck and the other around his waist. He pulled him closer, making their bodies press together. They separated and reconnected several times. Both were undeniably touch-starved and milking every moment of this. Gradually Idia became less tense and leaned into Malleus’s touch.
The two parted for a moment, their breathing somewhat even. They just looked at each other in silence. Only their breathing and the sound of the wind were heard. It was peaceful.
Idia leaned back in with intentions to take things further. He obviously wasn't exactly sure what he was doing but he had read plenty of romance manga. He must have a little bit of knowledge, right? The two stayed connected, the kiss was just like their previous ones before Idia parted them and softly bit down on Malleus’s lips. The fae inhaled sharply in surprise but didn't pull away; instead, he tightened his grasp around Idia's waist.
The lack of rejection allowed Idia enough confidence to go further. He pressed his lips against Malleus’s a bit harder before running his tongue along his bottom lip. The fae shuddered and parted his lips slightly. Idia smirked, moving his hand up to the back of Malleus’s head. He continued his pace and ran his tongue against the other's teeth, making a mental note of the subtle taste of mint that lingered on them.
Idia began to put all his weight onto Malleus. His hands were shaking and sweating, he really really hoped Malleus didn't notice. If he did he clearly didn't care, the fae tightened his grip around Idia's waist and began to reciprocate Idia's motions. The feeling of Malleus’s tongue in his mouth made all his worries disappear. He stopped caring if he was doing this right. How could he be messing this up if it felt so good?
Malleus drew back after several moments, Idia wanted to chase him but held himself back. Both of their breaths were ragged and uneven. Malleus smiled at Idia and moved a strand of flaming hair out of his face. “My apologies, I didn't realize my lipstick would stain you.” The prince laughed and wiped a gloved finger over Idia's lips. Idia blushed heavily and laughed awkwardly, his eyes darting to their laps.
Idia didn't care about whatever lipstick stains were left on his face, he just wasn't ready to be done kissing yet. He wanted to pull Malleus back down to his face but couldn't bring himself to.
“Idia?”
“Huh..?”
“Can we take this back to my room?”
Idia nodded a bit too quickly, he mentally yelled at himself for looking like a desperate loser.
Malleus gripped Idias' waist and pulled them both to their feet. A moment later they teleported back to Malleus’s room. Idia had never been in there before, before he could look around the fae had pushed him down onto the bed and crawled on top of him. Idia let out a surprised noise and gripped Malleus’s shoulders.
Malleus smiled at him before leaning down and connecting their lips. Idias' hands moved from his shoulders to his neck, and quiet sounds came from his throat as the fae took over. He left no opportunity for Idia to take control.
They kissed for a while. Their breath and saliva are mixing. But once again Malleus pulled away. Idias' lips felt cold.
The fae began to kiss along Idias' jawline and his hand ran along his side. Idia shivered and shut his eyes tightly. Heat rushed through his body, each place Malleus kissed felt like it was on fire. He eventually ended up on Idia's neck, he bit down, not hard enough to draw blood but enough for Idia to yelp in surprise. Malleus shot up in response.
“I-I'm sorry- "Malleus stuttered, it was an odd sight.
“N-no-! You- you just surprised me…” idia mumbled and brought up one of his hands to hide his face. “…you- you can do that- please…” he trailed off as a pathetic noise escaped him.
He stared at him for a long second before leaning back down and kissing his jaw. Idia breathed heavily, small, quiet whimpers left him as the fae left bite marks and kisses all along his neck.
Idia moved his hand slightly to peer at the prince. He was so pretty. Why would he ever want to do this with Idia of all people? Idia pushed the self-loathing thoughts down, he could think like that later. Right now he was going to enjoy this.
Idia moved his other hand to Malleus’s hair, slowly making his way to his horns. He ran his fingers across it and felt Malleus tense under his touch. Idia continued to run his hand across the fae's horn, the surface was smooth, almost soft. He heard a small groan escape Malleus as his kissing ceased and he instead hid his face in Idias' neck.
Idia smiled to himself and brought his other hand to Malleus’s other horn. “Does.. does that feel nice?” Idia spoke softly as he caressed his horns. Malleus let out a shaky breath in response and nodded. Idia smiled to himself and continued to feel Malleus’s horns for a bit longer.
He knew they were mostly nerves as it was how Malleus could draw magic in. But he didn't expect the fae to act like this if he touched them. He liked being able to make Malleus become flustered like this. It honestly felt better than any kiss. Seeing Malleus become defenseless under his touch was better than any limited edition scale figure.
Another whimper escaped from Malleus and he moved his hand to touch Idia's cheek. “E- enough… You win.” He muttered, his breathing was shaky. Idia only laughed and moved his hands back down to Malleus’s back. Squeezing him lightly. The fae mumbled some incoherent words and closed his eyes. Making himself comfortable and wrapping himself around Idia. “Would you do this with me again..?”
Idia was silent for a moment before shaking his head yes. “Uh huh.. whenever you want..”