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They watched their beautifully carved chess pieces, sent from the King and Queen of Sunset Savanna themselves, move across the board.
Painted and cared for, Idia gently moves his pawn two spaces ahead, starting his control of the board.
Leona doesn't take a moment to think before moving his pawn the same way, forward as well, but one spot in front of Idia’s.
The two continuously moved their pieces to desired positions, occasionally making small remarks.
Leona used his sly emerald eyes to good use and moved them upwards, staring at the quiet blue boy who focused on the board intently.
Idia felt it, he didn't not like it.
It, however, made him nervous. It was like Leona knew all of him, could read his mind but pretended like he didn’t.
And yet, the sharp lion eyes watched him as if he were prey. Occasionally, Idia did feel like he was prey, it was rather unusual for him not to in any situation.
His eyebrows nervously curved whilst he picked at his sweater sleeve.
“Are ya gonna move, or?” Leona spoke suddenly with a semi loud tone, startling the younger man.
Idia finally looked up with a shocked expression, opening his mouth to speak but for a moment, he let out nothing. “Uh-huh…” He moved his bishop to protect his king.
Leona had been studying Idia’s demeanor since they crossed paths to play this day.
But it wasn't just this day only, it had been like this for a while.
Leona hadn't spoked up, to not make it worse for Idia, but the awkwardness just seemed to have been eating at them both.
“Radish sprout,” Leona began, gaining the attention of said radish sprout.
“What’s up with you? You’ve been quiet, but not focused quiet, you're being weird.” He paused but Idia knew he wanted to continue to interrogate him.
“I hadn't seen you like this since, what, your freshman year? Sevens, you were basically falling apart when I first spoke to you.” Leona chuckled at the memory, embarrassing Idia a small amount.
The two of them have since publicly grown their relationship into a formal bond of some sorts. He looked downwards.
“Well, you're intimidating.” Idia spoke with a whisper under his breath. It was good that Leona had lion hearing. Idia’s amber eyes staring at his fingers.
It was quite embarrassing for Idia, it was deathly silent as Leona stared at him in disbelief. “That’s it?” Leona would have lamented, but he chose not to. He stared closer, hoping Idia would just talk with that scratchy voice of his.
Leona sighed quickly, seemingly annoyed. Idia began to slightly panic, not wanting to end their chess match so soon.
But maybe that wasn't his main concern.
Leona’s sudden anger, or maybe it was concern or something else, was expected but the watchman didn’t want to face it himself. Idia couldn't tell what emotion Leona was dealing with without looking at his face.
And he hated that. He hated that he had to look at Leona’s concerningly and stupidly gorgeous face while he probably had an angry expression.
Forcing himself, he straightened his posture and looked forwards to find a face that was not exactly what he was expecting.
He swallowed in air to breathe out deeply once disappointed.
Instead of some highly negative expression, he found a fondness and affection in it.
It definitely wasn't a smile, but it wasn't a frown.
This face of Leona’s was incredibly confusing and Idia has only ever seen it in that moment, and it scared him. He forgot to exhale and heavily sighed.
Through Idia’s raised eyebrows, Leona smiled. He faced downwards and gently shook his head in disbelief.
“Y’know Radish sprout, you really need to chill.” Leona tittered to himself. Idia looked down at the board.
Words rushed through his mind on what to respond with. He panics slightly, bringing his knees to his chest.
“Dealing with a lot, I guess.” Idia mumbles. “And what’s a lot?” Leona speaks almost immediately. Idia glances at the serious Prince Leona.
Idia is trying to pick his words precisely, but Leona makes it so hard.
He pauses.
What’s not stressing him out? What’s not scaring him?
He has this loom of regret forever haunting him, even more than it already has.
He knows this life he lives with others who treat him kindly and with people he can be himself with will surely go away. Every little thing he loves would be taken from him.
One was these small chess matches with Leona.
Simple, comfortable and routinely fun they had. Idia wished to forever continue, but he knew it will never be the same when the time comes.
“Graduation.” Idia spoke softly but louder than he has in quite a while.
His eyes moved around the board even though he had been staring at it for too long for no reason. Leona slowly nods his head as he looks at the flowers around him.
The beastman knew of two things at that moment. Idia, surprisingly enough, didn't want to leave Night Raven College, and most importantly, Idia didn't want to go back home.
Tragic is what can be described as Idia’s whole home life.
And Leona knew of it. The calamity that was his younger brother's death and the chains that lock both of them into place, deep in Tartarus.
“Run away with me.”
These words were ones neither of them would have ever said.
The absurdity of the image of them running off and finding some place to stay, having their short fun, and eventually being caught was absolutely insane. No way that could ever happen.
Idia couldn't find the words to reject this proposal. All he would do was chuckle in amusement.
“Like I’d be able to press ‘X’ to escape.” He replied with a sad smile, refusing to maintain eye contact yet again.
Leona tilted his head with his concentrated gaze fixated on Idia. There was nothing else he wanted to listen to but Idia’s voice.
Squeeze every drop of that sour taste on his tongue that's stopping him from speaking and force that sweet voice out and into his lion ears.
If only he had the strength to run away from home like Leona did.
He would hide with him, he would if he could. Idia knows the two would get caught imminently. Maybe that's the fun of it.
Their time was coming.
…
“You can't?” The beastman obviously knew why the two can't just run away together. But he also didn't.
Idia’s parents lock him into a cell and never release him nor hear his dreams that he preached so long ago. As if they would let him out for something that isn't school or work related.
“No.” Idia breathes inwards, but just lets it out from his mouth instead of speaking.
“And what's stopping you?” Leona spoke almost as a whisper.
Wind blew softly as if it was pushing Idia to divulge such information.
Actually, Leona knew more than he’s supposed to. And so did everyone else.
Because of what he’d done. His overblot.
“Look, I know what you went through. It's scary and devastating that you experienced that, Idia, but you've got to have your freedom.”
“And what freedom do you think they would ever let me have?” Idia riposted angrily, grinding his sharp teeth with a scowl and forcing his eyebrows down, furrowing them.
Leona very slightly raised his eyebrows and his mouth twitched to the side.
“My parents want to lock me up more often after what happened, it's gotten worse.”
“They believe they have been generous enough by letting me go to a school where I can finally be somewhat social, but once I graduate, I’m back to the old stupid game they already created for the bloodline that I’m supposed to continue playing until I eventually die and become nothing.”
He wouldn't stop.
“There is no escaping for me, I will never leave my fate!”
…
Sevens, what has he done?
He yelled at the prince. It seems he has to check that off of his bucket list.
Idia gasps and winces as if he got screamed at. “I-I’m sorry. Uh, I didn't mean to yell like that.”
Idia refused to look at the beastman with shame and guilt forcing his head down. Repeating the same cycle.
“Idia, just look at me. And breathe normally.”
The watchman started to slightly panic. But he kept his cool, Leona’s soft, gentle wording caused warm shivers.
His breathing slowed and he finally looked back up to the strong beastman who was basically holding his heart and squeezing it with the way he was staring at him so sweetly.
Idia’s eyes were fearful and yet looking longingly into Leona.
The beastman wasn't sure what the other man wanted. But he felt like he wanted the same if he assumed Idia’s desires correctly.
“I’ve heard your story already.”
Idia’s skin was finally against the sun's warm beams of sunlight, making his skin glow.
Blanched and pale, he continues to watch the lion man ahead.
“Tell me what you want.”
Leona whispers with low eyelids, almost looking sad yet begging for answers.
“I want to hear you speak.”
Idia frowns but somehow happily.
“Talk to me.”
Idia notices the way his skin glows against the warm sunlight, moving in closer to gain more warmth, coming closer to Leona.
Leona moves the chess board to the side and gently takes Idia’s boney hands, pulling him even closer and using his thumb to caress the blue man’s knuckles.
“We can't be together forever,” Idia starts with somber flicks of his tongue, gently speaking words that can eat at Leona’s heart.
He looks down at his hands that Leona carefully took.
Maybe Leona really knew what he and Idia wanted.
“That’s why I would rather run away from you, never feel the ache of knowing I’d loved you and be able to never love you again.”
Leona feels every chew, every time Idia sinks his sharp teeth into his most vital organ and rips it all apart into a bloody mess the more he speaks of their imminent and tragic future.
Leona used the fingertips of his left hand to touch the cold skin of Idia’s jawline. He gently lifts Idia’s head upwards to face him at eye level, but once brought back up for air, Idia tilts his head to the left and continues to stare down, shaking off Leona’s hand.
Leona breathes in largely, giving off a sad smile as he sighs. He speaks.
“I need to love you before I can't.”
Idia uses his yellow eyes to stare at the eyes of the man in front of him with a cautious stare that a smitten heart could stop over.
Leona stares at him back with the feeling of ache.
He couldn't handle sitting down any longer.
“C’mon, lay down with me.”
Leona flops his body against the grass, engulfed in the rich sunlight that always came so naturally to reach, for him.
Idia, hesitantly laying down, finally rests his head against the sharp grass, directly next to Leona.
The breeze calmed them of any uneasy doubt either of them had about speaking.
Suddenly, Leona turns onto his side and faces the man he loved. Idia turns with him.
Embracing the man's face with the palm of his hand now that they were alone. Yet these were in exchange of secret teasing and quick glances whilst in public.
Silent torture.
Idia kept using the uneasy sharpness of his eyes to slash Leona, deeper and deeper. It was as if the watchman tried hard to bring himself to hate Leona in order to stop loving him.
The beastman chuckled as he continued to feel the softness of the fiery man’s cheek, burning up upon the rhythmic caress of his thumb.
Seeing Idia out in the sunlight was beyond magical. It was a wonder to watch his own beautiful fiery hair cover him and glow when the sun shines its bright light against it.
“Love me before you can't?” Idia chokes in a breath.
Leona’s smile slowly fades into a neutral expression but an expression that understands the objection.
“You already can't.”
His own flames engulfed him in doubt.
Leona’s eyebrows twitched and so did his ears. He knew that they shouldn't be together. He does not care.
“We can hide it. We can't hide it when I’m in Sunset Savanna and you're in S.T.Y.X., we can only pretend it never happened in shame. We should have as much fun as we can now.”
…
“Don't shy away from me, please.”
…
“I love you.”
…
Idia’s eyes were glossy and desperate for affection. He stared at his boyfriend with the saddest expression, his bottom lip slightly quivering beyond his control.
Leona watched. His eyes moved all around the fiery man before leaping his body forwards and embracing him.
They laid still.
Idia nuzzled his face onto Leona’s collarbone, placing his head under his.
He had suppressed his sorrow for too long and it was boiling. It didn’t matter if people could see, he needed to be held by the one man he adored with the little time they had remaining.
“Kitty-cat.”
It had been a while since he said that petname.
He paused for too long, Leona wanted to hear that voice more.
Idia remembered what he said not too long ago, “Talk to me.”
“I love you so much that I need to love you forever. And I need you to love me for all eternity. I need to have you with me until I am dead and gone.”
Leona slightly pouted at the thought of Idia’s timely demise.
He then smiled when thinking of a clever response. “You will not be dying, especially not under my watch.”
Idia groaned in response, secretly smiling as he hugged the beastman tighter to himself.
They stayed in silence like they usually do when holding each other.
Leona didn't know how to respond to Idia’s sudden declaration of extreme love. He feels the exact same way, but he won’t be as eloquent as Idia.
“So stay with me a little longer if ya love me that much, ‘kay?” Leona whispers into Idia’s flaming hair, kissing his head after his mumbling.
The sun was slowly setting, and the breeze was quickening, therefore students would be walking to their dorms and in the meantime, witnessing the beauty of a forbidden love’s embrace.
Idia knew that already. They couldn’t be caught if their journey still wasn’t over!
Idia let go of his boyfriend, grabbing hold of his hand instead. “…Let’s play round two in my room?”
Leona smirks with a light chuckle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The other man’s eyes rolled basically to the back of his head before the two packed up their things and ran off to Ignihyde, understanding that they will use their little time at college to be together.