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— "…Genshin… Impact?"
— "That's right. It's an open-world RPG with various action endgames. A pretty complete game that revolutionized gachas when it came out six years ago. Unfortunately, the company hasn't managed it in the best way… but it's still just as good!"
Currently, the Ignihyde dorm leader's private room was occupied by a third party who had recently invaded the third-year student's privacy.
Silver Vanrouge, a resident of the Diasomnia dorm and a second-year student, was mostly known for his role as Malleus Draconia's bodyguard and his almost inhumane, excessive sleepiness. Despite this, Idia Shroud had achieved the impossible: making that man his partner, even if it was a secret for the time being.
That was precisely why both teenagers were now curled up between the bedsheets after class, with Silver resting his head on Idia's chest while Idia patiently explained the game he was playing, which had caught his partner's attention.
— "…I don't get it."
— "Well… basically, you can explore, do quests, and upgrade your characters, or just fight enemies. Look."
Although Silver wasn't particularly drawn to video games, this one in particular had something intriguing about it—likely the music or the pretty visuals displayed on Idia's phone that prompted him to ask about the strange game.
— "I see… Like that other block game," Silver said, recalling the third-year student's explanation of another video game the previous week.
— "Mmm, kind of, but this one is more complex, and besides… it has husbandos and waifus! Look, I have all the characters."
As Idia opened the character menu to show every single one, Silver merely nodded from time to time, reluctant to ask what "waifu" or "husbando" meant. After a while of looking at characters with somewhat similar color palettes and adorned with multiple accessories, the young knight couldn't help but fix his gaze on a specific character near the end.
— "This one… looks like you."
— "Huh? You mean Flinn?"
In response to Silver's curiosity, Idia opted to add the Electro character to his party so his boyfriend could get a better look at him.
— "Flinns?"
— "He has a longer name, but that's what he goes by. He's an ancient fae from another nation who—"
— "Did you say fae?"
If the younger boy's curiosity wasn't already obvious, this time Idia couldn't ignore the excitement reflected on his face—a gentle smile on his lips, expectant eyes, and a slight blush on his cheeks that made the dorm leader's poor heart race. He knew from both Silver and Lilia that his partner had held a deep fascination for everything related to fairies since childhood.
— "That's right. In fact, there's another character who is also a… where could Linnea be?"
— "No… wait, leave it. He looks like you."
Silver's words pointing out the apparent resemblance between him and the pixels on screen completely caught Idia off guard, prompting him to glance back and forth between his phone and the boy resting against him.
— "Me? With Flinns?"
— "Yes. Your colors are similar, and… you're both very handsome."
At that moment, the previously lively room fell silent, filled only by the sound of their breathing and the game audio cutting through the still air. Silver wondered if he had said something wrong to create such a silence, while Idia emotionally clutched his chest, metaphorically dropping to his knees at such a sweet statement from his partner.
— "Yeah! If I'm Flinns, then you'd be…!" As quickly as the words left the mouth of the blue-haired boy with pink tips, he paused for a few seconds of apparent analysis. "Lauma… or maybe Varka? Or Illuga? Nah, not that one."
To Silver, Idia was speaking in that strange language again—one he didn't understand at all and was only just beginning to learn—though he was glad to see his senior enjoying the moment. Eventually, after a while longer, he decided he ought to ask what Idia meant; he couldn't hold much of a conversation while remaining in the dark anyway.
— "Who is Lauma… or Varka?"
— "Eh? Oh, they're other characters! But people ship them a lot with Flinns, too. You know, the typical lord/knight or damsel/suitor trope."
Now it was Idia's turn to get excited, explaining the pros and cons of each ship, the arguments for them, how aesthetically pleasing they looked, and even their compatibility in the meta—all while Silver tried his best to analyze and process the overload of information.
"I see… In that case, based on appearance, wouldn't Lady Lauma fit Lord Malleus better?"
"DEFINITELY NOT. That guy is nothing like Lauma," — the dorm leader hurried to deny, terrified by the mere thought of his cherished ship being ruined by that intimidating fae.
"Well… even though he's a knight, I wouldn't really identify with him. Maybe Lady Lauma would be fine for me," — Silver finally said after straining to follow his partner's explanation, nodding at his own decision.
At this, Idia nodded in agreement, delighted to have his lovely lunar damsel. If it were up to Silver, Idia would do everything in his power to please him, granting his every wish and need while protecting him from anyone who meant him harm (even if, in reality, Idia would likely end up being the one protected). Ultimately, Idia set his phone aside and wrapped his arms around his partner's waist, pulling him closer into a hug that Silver readily returned.
"And what's this for?"— Silver asked, a small smile appearing at his partner's affectionate gesture.
"My reward for winning the 50/50." — The blue-haired boy's typical response drew a small chuckle from the knight, which in turn brought a smile to Idia's face.
"Oh, Idia…" — With those words, Silver caught the elder off guard with a sweet kiss, conveying all the love he felt for him. The atmosphere between them turned tender and soft—so much so that anyone passing by the dorm leader's room would have thought Cupid himself had descended from the heavens just to delight in the sight of the sweet couple.