#leona x reader
Leona: “I have your child.”
Farena: “*gasp* What are your demands?”
Leona: “Are you kidding me? It’s almost end of school hours, pick your child up!!”
Cheka: *running around the Savanaclaw lounge with Jack and Ruggie chasing after him*
Kalim: A happy-go-lucky and oblivious royal
Leona: A stubborn and impulsive royal
Jamil: “…These royal jerks.”
MC: “Bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop~”
Ace: “MC.”
MC: “What?”
Ace: “That… That is a predator…”
*Ace staring in fear at MC casually rubbing Leona’s ears. Leona glaring at Ace when his comment made MC stop her rubbing*
MC: “No he’s not.”
Ace: “What are you-”
MC: “We’re blooping.”
MC: “Bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop~”
Leona: *letting out a satisfied purr*
Yuu texts: I <3 U
Riddle: What is this gibberish you just sent me?
Leona: I hurt you too.
Azul: And?
Idia: no thank u. *blocks Yuu*
Vil: Everyone does.
Kalim: <3 <3 <3
Malleus: Pardon? I do not know this language. Is it new?
SAVANACLAW TWST LINE STICKERS
© artwork belongs to disney official line stickers!
notes
- if you’re planning to make it an emoji to your discord server, the file is not 256kb so you’d have to decrease the file yourself (or i could make a separate one but idk)
- had a bit of trouble on jack’s part but i went with “I’ll take care of it” since it makes much more sense （＾ワ＾）
i guess octavinelle is next
【 glittering desires】
author’s note: here we go, this is the homage to the fact that fairy gala leona actually came home :’))) look this card is pretty but it was also pretty expensive haha- also we don’t talk abt how fast i wrote this after i got the inspo… anyways. i hope you have fun reading this bc i sure had fun writing it !
characters: gn! prefect, leona kingscholar
word count:1.6k
tags:leona is a bully /lh, your honor this man is madly in love, no bc he’s so mushy and for what ??, he’s 100% whipped, bc he’s leona there’s banter, he sees the prefect and he’s like “wow sparkly…i love them…” that’s it, that’s the fic.
When he woke up from his nap, it was to the sound of their voice. At first, he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him; giving him dreams that were too far out of his reach. Dreams spun of laughter that were far too sweet to ever be fully his. Mere fantasies that Leona couldn’t even believe in, let alone grasp.
And it was annoying how often he found himself dreaming of them lately. Especially after this stupid, annoying task that the damn crow assigned them. So he grunted, pressing his eyes shut further; hoping that the image of them would finally disappear.
That was until he felt the tug on his leg, “Leo~na? Are you still asleep? Geez, how did you even make it up there?”
Ah. That was the real them, wasn’t it?
Weighted eyelids eased open, watching as they clambered up the tree to get to him. He made no attempt to move; keeping his tail as still as he could. Instead, he watched— thoroughly amused— as they huffed, finally managing to haul themself onto a nearby branch.
He chose that moment to finally speak, “Crewel’s gonna flip if you get that dirty.”
Their shoulders jolted, “ Sevens– How long have you been awake for?”
“Just now,” Leona yawned, giving his neck a stretch. “What’re you doing here?” He watched with unease as they situated themself on the branch. He reached for his magic pen, just in case.
“I was looking for you,” They chuckled lightly. “Vil-senpai was flipping his lid over you escaping while he wasn’t looking. He asked me to look for you.”
“And?” Leona had to thank Vil for this opportunity. It wasn’t often that he got time alone with them. “Did he think a herbivore like you could take me back there?”
“Stop being childish,” They tutted, and the decorations on their clothes clinked as they moved. “You know Vil-senpai’s only being harsh because we don’t have much time. And besides, you’re the centerpiece of our show.”
“Damn right I am,” Leona said, infusing his words with arrogance as a ploy. “And this star needs some rest from that guy’s tyranny.”
“C'mon, I’ll accompany you back and watch your practice,” They bargained, holding out a hand. And Leona considered it for a moment. Having them there would be better than not having them there. But that kind of deal was too easy.
He raised a brow, “You think that’s gonna work?”
“Mmm, Ruggie-senpai told me to try it out,” There was a foolish smile on their face. It made Leona look away; frustrated from how unaware they were. “Guess he was wrong.”
“‘Course he was.”
“So then how will I get this great and mighty Leona-sama back to the practice rooms?” A hand was placed exaggeratedly on their chin.
Leona jumped down before they could say another word. It was better to let them trip over themselves to think of how to repay him. After all, the person who wants something is always at a disadvantage. They just had more to lose.
He brushed off his pants, untangling the sash before sparing them a glance, “You coming?”
“Wh- it took me five minutes to get up here-! Hey, don’t leave without me!” Leona paused. His sharp eyes didn’t miss a glint in the grass, pocketing the item as he waited. His ears twitched slightly, making sure that they didn’t just face-plant on the ground.
A moment later and they were next to him, complaining all the while, “Why are you suddenly…no, this is a good thing. But–”
“Just changed my mind,” The corner of his lips twitched at their blatant disbelief. “What? Even stubborn lions can change their minds sometimes.”
They made it into the hallways of Pomefiore before they spoke again, “I’m still trying to figure out your angle.”
“There’s no angle,” Leona said, and their eyes narrowed at him like he was crazy.
“Ah wait,” They stopped in their tracks, patting down their front. “I almost forgot about this.” In their hands were the…weeds that Leona had in his hair. Crewel and Vil had called it an “avant-garde masterpiece of a hair accessory” but really, it looked like a weed to Leona.
“Go and sit,” They tilted their head towards the throne in the center of the Pomefiore lounge.
He scoffed, “No way. There’s literally a normal chair right there.”
And him? Sitting on that shiny excuse of a throne? The very one Vil sat on? Definitely not. Even if a small part of him longed for a throne of his own, that…thing was no throne. It was a toy for make-believe at best.
They tugged at his arm, “Come on, I bet everyone wants to sit in that at least once.” Their eyes met his; twinkling mischievously, “Are you scared someone will see? Everyone’s at their clubs right now.”
“Fucking– just…do it quick,” He grumbled, settling onto the velvet plushness of the so-called throne.
His mouth pressed into a firm line as they drew closer, trepidation crawling under his skin. Their fingers brushed through his hair lightly at first. Then gaining confidence, till they were combing through the brown strands thoroughly.
As they leaned in closer, he watched as they eclipsed the brightness of the chandelier; basking him in their shadow. They were close enough that Leona could smell the scent of flowery perfume clinging onto their clothes; no doubt courtesy of Vil.
They weren’t looking at him. No, they were far too focused on his hair. It was a good thing, really. Because if they were looking at him…well, Leona wouldn’t know how they would react.
Emerald eyes traced over their features: the concentrated crease of their brows, the curve of their cheek, and the length of their nose. The slightest part of their lips, the slow rise and fall of their shoulders almost lulling him into a sense of calm. He clutched at the chair, trying to ward off his observations to no avail.
Sevens, he wanted to kiss them. So badly. But he couldn’t. Not here, and definitely not now. And not when he knew there was a big chance that they would never see him the same.
Instead, he reached a hand up, brushing firmly at their shoulder. That caused them to flinch in surprise, their gaze finally meeting his. His lips parted; throat feeling oddly dry, “There was somethin’ there.”
“Oh,” Their eyes darted to his hand and back. “I think that might be glitter. Grim spilled a whole bunch of it on me earlier.”
“Glitter,” He repeated. “That’s why you’re so…shiny.” He tried to ignore the halo of light that wrapped around the crown of their head, making them a monarch in their own right. Even if all they ruled over was his heart.
“You say that like you aren’t shining yourself, Mr. Centerpiece,” There was one last touch to their hair before they finally pulled back. Leona breathed out a long sigh of relief. “And done. Now it doesn’t look like you rolled around in the bushes.”
“Hah. As if that guy won’t grill me anyway for disappearing,” He stood up, trying to get the feeling back in his fingers from how hard he was gripping the chair. “C'mon, lead the way.”
“You say that like you haven’t been going there every day for this past week.” They say that. They say that and yet they still held his sleeve as they lead the way.
“’M not a kid, herbivore,” Leona said, though he made no move to brush them off. Rather, he enjoyed the sight of them leading him for once.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m trying to make sure you don’t decide to slip away again,” They said as they reached the room. “Now go and accept your fate. Running away is futile at this point.” He stepped in front of them, reluctant to enter the room.
“Hey,” He waited till they were finally looking at him again. He wanted to say a simple 'thank you’. That was what you said to people who you wanted to thank, right?
But what came out instead was, “You almost lost this.” He pulled out the thing he had pocketed earlier. One of their bracelets. He could hazard a guess as to how they dropped it; probably during their earlier tree climbing.
They searched their wrists, eyes wide, “That’s…one of my bracelets.”
“Good of you to notice,” Leona slipped it onto his own wrist. “Come find me after my practice is over 'n I’ll give it back. You owe me, alright herbivore?”
“So there was a catch,” He heard them mutter to themself. “Bastard.”
His tail was high in the air as he lumbered into the practice room from hell. Kalim was in the corner doing squats, for some reason. And Vil was focused on Jamil. Though he was sure that Vil didn’t miss his entrance. Leona took his place near one of the windows, heaving a sigh as he cast a spell to fill the vases with water.
Well, he had to say it was worth the trouble this time. After he finished his laps and tuned in for a lecturing by Vil, he had a, mm, meeting with the herbivore. Their bracelet made a light clink as he started his first lap. Leona felt a smile slowly suffuse his usually-indifferent expression. Ah, he really couldn’t wait after all.
thank you for reading Leona Being Painfully In Love the musical fic !! i hope you enjoyed :DD if you did, go check out my masterlist or the rest of the fairy gala collection!
【 chapter 5 - of promises (and memories to be made)】
author’s note: it’s been over a MONTH since i’ve updated this series,,,,so i apologize for neglecting you guys of leonayuu content sjkfjdsk this chapter turned out a lot different from the initial plan, but i like it !! it’s fun and there’s a lot of cute moments in it <33 leona’s having a great time in this chapter haha *thumbs up emoji* i hope you enjoy !
word count:5.8k(yeah it’s hella long, fight me)
tags: new year’s feast !!, they’re munching on expensive food, yuu visits afterglow savanna (REAL), leonayuu first meeting storytime sjfkdjfk, ghost camera actually comes in handy, crowley makes a Mistake, leona’s left to deal with the consequences, #pray 4 leona everyone >:DDD
warning: depictions of being drunk.
New Year’s. Yuu didn’t think that it would be a big deal in Twisted Wonderland as it was in their world but after Ace and Deuce started blowing up their phone about “coordinated magical laser shows” it seemed like a pretty big thing. It seemed that even in a foreign world, celebrating the start of a New Year wasn’t uncommon at all.
They had also gotten a message from Crowley saying that he was sending over a feast via Magi-livery— an abbreviation of Magic Delivery, apparently— to Ramshackle dorms. (This was the first message they had received from Crowley since break started and yet they were simply glad that he remembered about them.)
Now the hard part was convincing Leona to walk all the way over to Ramshackle to have the feast.
“Absolutely not,” Leona has said, still buried face-deep in his pillow. It wasn’t as adverse of a reaction as they were expecting. Maybe he was still hazy from his afternoon nap?
“Please, Leona-sama,” His ears had twitched receptively at that. “Our dear headmage is sending over a high-quality feast for free. And there’ll be a laser show to celebrate the New Year.”
“A laser show!” Yuu grinned winningly when Cheka bounded over, hopping onto Leona’s back to get to them.
So that was how Operation: Get Leona to Ramshackle For The Feast became a success.
Sure, they had to trudge through a bit of snow to get to Ramshackle, and sure, Leona was cursing under his breath the whole time. But the important part was they made it to Ramshackle with minimal losses. The only loss was the feeling in Yuu’s arms after carrying Cheka. Cheka had started getting fidgety as the sun was setting and Leona sent them the most withering glare so far so…they had to sacrifice their arms just a little to make the plan a success.
Opening the creaking gate felt almost nostalgic after being away for so long. And if Yuu didn’t want to be called crazy, it almost looked like the house missed them too. They rapped on the door, setting Cheka on the floor before the door opened.
Grim looked overjoyed to see them, “Henchman!!! Did you finally realize that the Great Grim is a better boss than that lazy lion?”
“Well, ‘that lazy lion’ wants to go inside, or else maybe I’ll have you both for dinner,” Leona grumbled, shoving past Grim and the ghosts who had curiously floated towards the front door.
“I’ll explain more inside,” Yuu said, shaking the snow off their jacket before hanging it up. They did the same with Cheka’s before realizing that Leona had gone inside without removing his jacket, no doubt trailing snow, and- Yuu sighed, and walked into the living room, Cheka trailing behind them like a lost puppy.
“What is this place, Yuu-tan?” Cheka asked, staring at the gaunt paintings and the peeling wallpaper in what looked to be fascination. Maybe this wasn’t the most kid-friendly house to be in. It was a wonder Cheka didn’t start crying as soon as he saw the darkened hallway.
“This is my house. Or the place I’m usually staying in,” Yuu explained.
“Your house?” Cheka’s ears twitched. “Oh, so you don’t usually sleep with Ojitan?”
“Hah? Why would I share my bed with them all the time?” Leona was all bundled up, sitting in front of the fireplace. And Yuu really couldn’t blame him. Although Ramshackle was as temperature regulated as the rest of campus, it didn’t stop small drafts from making it through the cracks of the house itself. As they kept telling Crowley, this place was really due for a renovation.
“Mmm,” Cheka bounced onto the couch with a giggle. “Cheka thought Ojitan and Yuu-tan were roommates since you guys are best friends!”
Grim let out a haughty laugh at that, “No way! The henchman is my roommate, and they're my best friend too!” As the two started to bicker over who Yuu’s best friend was— without asking the person themself— Yuu walked over to Leona.
“C'mon, hand over the jacket,” Yuu sighed, seeing the stubborn stare on Leona’s face. “It’ll be colder if you get wet, just hand it over.”
“What’re you, my babysitter?” Leona took the jacket off anyway. “You’re gonna be living in…this all winter long?”
“I’m your servant, remember?” Yuu folded up the jacket. “And I guess. Unless you do all your school work.”
“Ugh, there you go again mentioning work,” Leona’s ears folded as he sprawled out in front of the fireplace. “Where’s all that food you promised?”
“It’s practically nighttime, so it should be here—” A loud knock caused them all to jump. “—soon. I guess I’ll go get that.”
The ghosts were hovering near the front door, “Ooh, there’s a package.”
“It looks safe,” Another ghost commented. “No malicious energy coming from it.”
Yuu opened the door to see the inconspicuous-looking package with a note on top of it. The note was written in Crowley’s rambling font, and their gaze swept over the hastily written words:
Dearest Prefect and Grim,
I have been informed that the Crown Prince of Afterglow Savannah is also staying with you over winter break! How commendable of my best student to take care of them! To reward you, I’ve prepared a grand feast within the box. Make sure to open this whilst you are in Ramshackle’s foyer or else it would be a disaster.
And I trust that you are keeping up with your tasks for this winter?
From your favorite headmage,
Dire Crowley
“Favorite headmage my ass,” Yuu muttered, ripping off the note and placing it on the mantle. “Okay, I’m not sure how this’ll work so, stand back.”
“No way I’m moving, ’s warm here,” Leona grumbled from his place on the ground.
“Suit yourself,” Yuu shrugged. “Don’t blame me if you end up getting some food propelled into your face.” Now that got Leona moving, much to their delight. But Leona just ended up draping himself over them like a particularly tall and particularly heavy blanket.
“Can you…not…?” They gritted their teeth, trying not to buckle under Leona’s weight.
“Mmm, you told me to move, you didn’t say where,” Leona’s arms wound around their waist, and strands of brown tickled their cheeks. Great Seven, he was being more insufferable than usual today. They felt small hands by their pants and they spotted Cheka ducking behind both their legs in a flurry of giggles.
“H-hey, stop hiding behind my henchman!” Grim huffed, rushing to get behind them. “That’s not fair, y'know! Leave a spot for me!”
“Okay, I’m gonna open it,” Yuu announced, having finished peeling the tape from the edges of the box top. “Three, two, one.”
As soon as Yuu managed to pry off the top, a bout of magical energy burst into the room. The house creaked and groaned as the magic wrapped around them all. The furniture moved, bent to the will of the strong magic flowing from the box into the foyer, and in its place appeared a large mahogany table. Chairs lined the table, followed by a table cloth in a sequence that looked straight out of a movie.
“Ah! There’s food!” Grim’s excited voice was distant as they watched the food appear, stacked high on top of multiple golden plates. Yuu’s jaw nearly dropped from seeing how much…of everything there was. From sushi to steak to even…was that a chocolate fountain? The table had it all.
Yuu finally drew a breath as the room stilled, “Holy shit. That was…awesome.”
Leona gave a hum, slipping away to sit in front of all the steaks, “Not bad for a feast made by that crazy crow.”
“Woah! There’s so much cake!” Cheka exclaimed as Yuu finally did a circle around the table. The food looked world-class, akin to the type of food that they usually saw at Scarabia’s lavish feasts. And not to mention all the plates and table wear. How many hundreds of millions of thaumarks did this all cost?
“Make sure not to break anything, Grim,” Yuu reminded the monster, who was already face-deep in what looked like a chicken pot pie.
Grim swallowed, smearing more juices on his face as he grinned, “Yeah, yeah. The old crow’s probably gonna bill us for broken things, right?”
Yuu slipped into the chair next to where Cheka was precariously perched, before lifting the little lion up, “You’ve gotta eat some actual food first before you get to the cake, little guy.”
“Mmm! I’m a good lion, even my Papa doesn’t like eating veggies,” Cheka giggled as Yuu grabbed a couple of pillows for him to sit on. “Can I have some of the fried chicken? Ooh, and that green stuff?”
Yuu passed over the food, glancing up at Leona, “I guess that’s one similarity between you and your brother, huh?”
There was a tail swat to their legs, “Shut it.” It was almost intriguing to watch Leona run through his second steak. It was like…he was some sort of vacuum with how fast he was getting through them.
They nudged at his leg, putting a cup of water next to his plate, “Don’t choke yourself on it.”
“What a nice and caring servant I have,” Leona’s words dripped with sarcasm, but even so, he took a sip of water before slowing down his pace.
“Would you guys like to sit down too?” Yuu glanced up at the ghosts who were still milling around the table.
“Hihihi~ How nice of you to ask~,” One of the ghosts said.
“We’re okay, dearie,” Another said. “You go and eat your fill. It’s a special occasion after all.”
And with that, Yuu finally got to eating themself. They took on a bowl of ramen, knowing that Grim wasn’t too fond of soup and the like. The ramen itself was delicious, and so were all the other things they tried.
Cheka was tugging at their shirt before long, “Yuu-tan, Yuu-tan! You gotta try this thing! It’s all squishy and melty on the inside but the outside is hard like a cracker.” As Cheka raved, he swung what looked like a fried stick of…something on his fork.
“Yuu-tan, you’ll try it, right?” Cheka said, finally presenting the fork towards Yuu’s mouth.
“Sure,” They took a bite, feeling melted cheese flooding their mouth. “Ah, I think that’s a fried mozzarella stick.”
“Fried…mozzarella?” Cheka’s ears quirked. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that before.”
“'Course not,” Leona commented drily. “At the palace, all you get is traditional food, right kid?”
“Mhm! But Mama said it’s okay if we order Magi-livery twice a month,” Cheka recited before chewing through the rest of the mozzarella stick. “Ish becuth Pwapa wansh to.”
“And wouldn’t your Papa tell you to eat first and then talk, brat?” Leona gave a sigh. “I’m warning you if you start choking…”
Yuu hid their smile behind a hand, “Woah, this is a rare sight… Leona being…caring?” That earned them a snarl and they felt Leona hook a foot under their chair and tug. They yelped as their chair jolted from the force.
“Being awfully chatty today, huh, herbivore?” He gave their chair one last shake. “Want me to remind you who has more to lose?”
“You need not worry, Master,” Yuu made a show of bowing slightly. “I’ll be your faithful servant till the day the winter ends, I promise that on what little possessions I own.”
A strange look passed over Leona’s face, and he paused mid-bite, “So what? After winter, you’ll just go on your merry way?”
“Yup! You don’t gotta see his face anymore after,” Grim said, his face a mess of all the dishes he tried. Yuu grabbed one of the napkins, shaking their head as they wiped up the mess.
“By the end of winter, your paid gopher will be back,” Yuu couldn’t help the teasing that slipped into their voice as they added. “Oh my, will Leona-sama miss me?” There was a pause before the strange look passed from Leona’s face completely.
He folded his arms, challenging them with a crook of the brow, “As if, I’d miss your annoying ass.”
“Well, I’m sure Ojitan is ly~ing,” Cheka declared loudly.
“Yeah?” Yuu brought up another napkin to wipe at Cheka’s mouth. “How do you know that, little lion?”
“Because,” Cheka pointed between them. “You guys are best friends. And cuz I’m gonna miss you, Yuu-tan! So Ojitan has to miss you too. Oh, promise you’ll come to the Savanna to visit me sometime?”
Yuu gave him a soft smile, “I promise.” They did it simply because it was…nice to have plans for the future. Especially with how uncertain everything was. It was nice to have places to explore and promises to keep; if only for the time that they would stay here.
“And if Yuu-tan came, then Ojitan would have to come home too, right?” Cheka smiled brightly at Leona then. “It’s been so long since you’ve come!”
“I’d only come to keep you out of trouble,” Leona said, sending them a pointed look. “The palace is filled to the brim with hunters, and you’re the freshest prey. And they won’t be as lenient as I am.”
“Oh yeah? As lenient as you when we first met?” Yuu tapped their chin. “What was it that you said? 'Hope you’re ready to leave behind a tooth?’”
Cheka gasped, brows scrunching together, “Ojitan, that’s not nice, that's violence!”
“Yeah! And you were almost ready to punch us,” Grim piped in helpfully. “We were just passin’ through, y'know!”
“Ugh,” Leona scratched at his ear. “I didn’t know them back then, and they stepped on my tail first.”
“And I was going to apologize until you threatened to knock out my teeth,” Yuu countered.
“Mmm, sure you were,” Leona propped up his head as he reached for yet another cut of steak. “You and that monster looked two seconds from running away.”
Yuu threw their hands up in defeat, “Y'know what, I give up.”
And at that exact moment, a bright light flashed through the window, illuminating the room for just a brief moment. Yuu blinked, feeling Cheka suddenly latching onto them and Grim’s claws on their other side. What…was that—?
“You guys really are a bunch of scared herbivores,” Leona drawled, looking unfazed. “Didn’t you mention something about a laser show?”
“That was the laser show?” Grim exclaimed, looking half-scared and half-intrigued.
“I was wondering how Ace was expecting me to be able to watch it from here,” Yuu muttered, peeling Grim’s claws away from their arm. “I guess it’s just…really that bright.”
“I wanna see!” Cheka announced, no longer afraid as he bounded for the couch. Grim wasn’t far behind him and Yuu followed them as well. The lights danced, nothing like the laser shows they saw in their old world. No, instead these lights seemed to have a life of their own. They formed pictures, of different animals and sights from Sage Island recreated in the backdrop of the night sky.
“O-one day the Great Grim will be able to do stuff like that, y’know!”
“Will they do a lion? I wanna see them do a big strong lion, like Ojitan!”
“Wanna take a picture?” Yuu blurted, looking at the two kids. “I mean, I still have that ghost camera, so it’d be a waste not to take one.”
“That’s a great idea, henchman!” Grim proudly sat in the middle of the couch. “The Great Grim will take the center place, y’know!”
“I wanna sit next to Ojitan!” Cheka proclaimed before sending the biggest kitten eyes over to Leona, who was still at the table.
“No way. I’m not joining that.”
“Come on,” They shook the camera in Leona’s direction. “Just do it for the memories! We haven’t taken pictures at all, so isn’t it okay to have one picture to commemorate this winter?”
And maybe Yuu was speaking too closely to their own heart because after the winter, this would really all be over. They were a first-year, so it wasn’t like they had many opportunities to see Leona in class. And it wasn’t like Leona ever attended class. They would have no excuse to seek him out again after their…contract was completed. But was it really wrong to want to hold on to memories of this? Of the first time since they’ve gotten here that they really felt like they belonged to something?
So Yuu was secretly overjoyed when Leona finally stood up, lumbering over to the space next to Cheka and sprawling out on the couch. “I’m allowing one picture. One. And you better not post it anywhere. I don’t want anyone thinkin’ I’m getting cushy with herbivores like you.”
Yuu ignored the off-handed jab, positioning the camera on the table. They stacked a few books underneath it, balancing it against a spare candleholder. They glanced towards the seemingly-empty hallway, “Would you guys like to join us for the picture? Since it’s a ghost camera, maybe it could capture ghosts too.” As they thought, the ghosts appeared one by one, all displaying their creepy-yet-also-kind-of-friendly smiles.
“We would love to,” One of them said, before floating over to line the back of the couch.
“Henchman, I’ll allow you to sit next to the Great Grim,” Grim placed a paw to the vacant spot next to him. “And I’ll let you sit next to me too, y’know.” Cheka smiled brightly at the permission, squeezing between Grim and Leona.
“Okay, I’ll set the timer for five seconds, so everyone get ready,” They glanced over at Leona, rolling their eyes. “Leona-sama, could this humble servant request an expression that isn’t one of such disdain?”
“Tch,” Leona’s face morphed into one that looked awfully like a cross between a sneer and a smirk. Well, it was better than the huge frown he was sporting earlier.
They clicked on the button, carefully making their way to the couch and sitting down. They made sure to lean towards Grim, giving the ghost camera a big smile as it flashed. As soon as it was over, the ghosts dissipated, returning to their wandering. And the two kids? They returned to watching the laser show.
“Ah! A lion, they did a lion, did you see that Ojitan?” There was a grumbled reply as Yuu tucked the photo onto the mantle for safekeeping. It was definitely a photo to remember. From theirs and Grim’s matching grins to Cheka’s toothy smile, and Leona’s disgruntled look, it was all captured in the ghost camera’s film forever.
Yuu walked back to the table, taking this as a good time to start cleaning up. As they stacked the empty plates, they could feel Leona watching them. “What?” They asked, adding a few more cups onto the precarious pile of dishes.
Leona’s expression soured, “You’re such a goody-two-shoes.”
“Hey, I’m trying not to waste food,” Yuu brought the pile into their hands. “Besides, I don’t see you volunteering to help.”
“You’re right. I’m not,” Then Leona was back to folding his arms. “Just do it quick before the brats get loud again.”
Yuu made their way to the Ramshackle kitchen, which…wasn’t really much of a kitchen. But hey, at least the stove and fridge worked. They carefully placed the stack into the kitchen sink before going back to pick up any dishes they didn’t get. Leona was watching them for a while before he lost interest, looking more like he’d fall asleep in two seconds.
Now it was the fun part: sorting all the leftovers. There were a couple of dishes and a lot of desserts that went untouched. Probably because Leona wasn’t much of a sweet tooth, and the kids had filled themselves to the brim with the main dishes and appetizers. After putting them away into plastic containers, Yuu leaned against the counter with a sigh.
The two kids sounded energetic, despite it almost being twelve already, and they could hear them chatter and argue even from all the way over here. And last time they checked, Leona was slumped on the corner of the couch, scrolling through his phone.
Yuu grabbed one of the unopened glass bottles, pouring its contents into a cup. The liquid looked sparkly, almost like someone poured a tube of glitter into it. They gave it a cursory sniff. It smelled like some sort of…fruit juice.
As soon as they took a sip, they deemed that it was some sort of soda, as the liquid fizzed and popped against their tongue. They downed a whole cup of it in no time, the slightly-cold drink feeling nice after their hard work. And hey, who were they to deny some probably-expensive magical sparkly juice that Crowley bought them? Even when…wait, was magical juice supposed to make the temperature of the room rise?
There was a tug on their pants and they looked down to see Cheka standing there, “Ojitan said it’s time for bed because it’s almost twelve.” Yuu fanned at themself before nodding, feeling the heat settling at the base of their throat. When they looked up again, it felt like the room was tilting and they stumbled right into the doorjamb with a grunt.
“Ah?” They felt confused. How come everything felt so floaty and weird all of a sudden? They crouched down, planting themself on the floor to avoid…crashing into anything else.
“Yuu-tan! Are you okay?” Cheka was there in seconds, little hands pressing against their face. “Your face is all hot… Ojitan! There’s something wrong with Yuu-tan!! I think they’re sick!” Their ears rang as Cheka yelled and they leaned their forehead against their arm.
They could practically hear the growl in Leona’s voice as he answered, “What is it, I just got Grim to shut u- why does it stink of alcohol?”
“Al…cohol?” Yuu shot up immediately, stumbling over to the counter.
“Hey, slow down,” They felt a warm hand on their shoulder, holding them still. “If you get hurt, ’m not taking responsibility, alright?”
Yuu blinked, trying to get the blurriness away from their eyes as they read the tag stuck on the other bottle:
This is the sparkling fruit liqueur I got for Kingscholar-kun as a treat since he is of age. Make sure not to drink it, Prefect, since it is quite strong~
Your most benevolent headmage,
Dire Crowley
“Shit.”
There was a loud gasp from Cheka, “Yuu-tan said a bad word! Ojitan, they’re sick…Yuu-tan's sick! ” Cheka was now clinging onto their leg, which was doing absolutely nothing to help with their balance. They leaned against the counter before shoving the bottle into Leona’s hands.
“I didn’t…I didn’t mean to-” Yuu pressed a hand to their head, wincing at the headache starting to form. Leona still held firm onto their shoulder, reading the note with disdain.
“Of course, you didn’t mean to. No one’s mad here, except maybe that birdbrain for sending students alcohol,” Leona huffed, before turning towards the teary-eyed Cheka. “Hey, screech box, could you listen to me for a sec?”
“Are you gonna help Yuu-tan?” Cheka asked hopefully, climbing halfway up Leona’s leg.
Leona held him in his arms for a second, “I’m gonna help the herbivore. You be a good kid and go upstairs, okay? Grim’s waiting in the room, you can watch the rest of the lasers there while I take care of them.”
Cheka’s ears flattened at the instructions and Yuu felt…bad. They were the reason that Cheka was so distraught in the first place. So they leaned forward, hand reaching to pat the lion cub’s head. His ears twitched receptively and he leaned closer to them, wrapping his little arms around their neck.
“Don’t worry,” They murmured. “I’ll be okay.”
“Can I get a goodnight kiss then?” Cheka’s voice was muffled in their shoulder. “Just in case I fall asleep before you’re feeling better.” Yuu tilted their head. The request in itself wasn’t strange, it was just…the first time that Cheka had asked them.
They found themself nodding, “O~kay.” Cheka pulled back and Yuu pressed a light kiss to his forehead. They clumsily brushed at his hair, patting him once more, “Sleep well with Grim. Don’t fight, okay?”
“Mmhmm,” He scrambled back into Leona’s arms. Leona, who was staring right at them.
“What?” Their tongue was starting to grow heavy. “You want one too?”
Leona shoved a hand to their cheek, “No. You sit down, I don’t want to hear you crashing into shit while I’m gone, okay?” They hummed in reply, plopping down onto the floor. They gave Cheka a wave as Leona left.
So this was what being drunk felt like. It wasn’t…unpleasant, but they did feel a little too floaty. They reached a hand out towards the cupboard only to wince when it collided a little too fast. And maybe it was better to lie down. The flat of the floor felt nice against their back, and maybe if they closed their eyes for just a second, the floaty feeling would go away…
They didn’t know how long it was till they felt someone nudging them. They let their eyes drift open to see Leona, “Up. Now.” There was a firm hand under their arms as they scrambled for something to hold. The transition from lying down to upright did nothing to the buzz in their brain.
“Wait, y-you’re going too fast,” They slurred out, squawking when they bumped right into Leona’s chest.
“How low is your alcohol tolerance that you’re this hammered?” Leona muttered, going just a little slower.
“I don’t’ve a low tolera~nce,” They tugged purposefully at Leona’s hair. “I drank a who~le bottle of that sparkly stuff.” Leona stared at them like they were crazy. Or was he even looking this way at all?
“You stay on the couch, don’t fucking move,” Leona commanded, and the softness of the cushioning made them sigh. They wouldn’t ever want to move from this. Oh but, it was nice having Leona there to take care of them. They could just imagine the frowny face Leona was making, all while doing his best to accommodate them. Ah, they really, really did like him after all. The thought of it all made them giggle.
There was a press of something cold to their cheek, “What’re you giggling for, herbivore? Here, drink this and eat this.” They sat up, or attempted to before Leona was dragging them into a sitting position.
“You’re not sleeping until you finish all that.” They took a sip of the clear stuff, which was water, to their delight. It was cool, trailing down their throat so smoothly.
There were still lights flashing outside, and they turned their gaze towards the lights, “’S not done yet?”
“No,” Leona sounded a lot farther than before, sitting all the way at the other end of the couch. “There’s still ten minutes till the new year.”
Ten minutes.
They looked back at Leona and hoped that they would make it past the ten minutes. Having Leona be the first thing they saw in the New Year…well that made their heart swell. And look, Leona looked so pretty under the darkness. And when the lights hit him, ah, he really was handsome, wasn’t he? They swallowed another gulp of water. They belatedly hoped that they wouldn’t say anything incriminating. Wait…what were they just talking about?
[ omake : give me one good honest kiss ]
Leona didn’t know if he had the strength to deal with this. After wrangling the two kids, he had to deal with a drunk herbivore? The Great Seven really were not smiling upon him tonight. And he definitely wasn’t letting that damned birdbrain off the hook. He was to blame for all this after all.
“Why’re you so far away, anyway?” Leona watched as they leaned against the couch, taking a bite of the bread he gave them. “Blergh, this tastes like ashes.”
“I’m not far away,” Leona couldn’t help but sound irritated, because really, he wasn’t far away. He was close enough to reach for the glass in case they lost their grip on it. “And that’s just plain bread, stop being dramatic.”
The herbivore hummed in response, quietly staring at him again. The usually reserved and cunning Prefect, reduced to the starry-eyed person who offered him a goodnight’s kiss.
Leona could feel the heat at the back of his neck as they continued to stare, “What’re you staring at?”
“You,” There was that damned smile again, the one that was never directed at him. “You’re pre~tty. Or- do you prefer hand~some…?” Sevens, how was Leona supposed to last in these conditions?
“C'mon, finish up the water at least,” Leona ignored the comment, reaching for the half-eaten bread.
But they moved their hand away, frowning, “Are you rejecting my compliment, Leona Kingscholar? I just called you pretty handsome. Usually, you’d be gloa~ting.”
“I’m not going to gloat over a simple compliment,” Leona caught their wrist, easing the bread from their grip and setting it on the plate he prepared. “Why are you being so difficult?”
“’M not,” They gripped at his hand in return. “You’re just being stu~pid.” He really could not deal with this right now. He missed their normal self. He really took their normal self for granted, Leona thought sourly.
Leona glanced at his phone, “Okay, there’s five minutes till New Year’s. You’re going to sleep in five minutes, alright?”
Yuu’s frown deepened, “But I wanna stay here with you.” And if that didn’t make Leona’s heart melt, he wouldn’t know what did.
“You’re here now,” Leona ambled closer after figuring out they weren’t letting go of his hand any time soon. “I’ll take you upstairs after the New Year. Here, I’ll turn on the radio so you know I’m not tricking you.”
That seemed to satisfy them as they leaned back on the couch, eyes trained on the fanfare outside. The radio played in the background, the announcer talking aimlessly to fill in the time. Nothing could’ve prepared him for the question they would ask next.
“Have you ever had a New Year’s kiss?”
Leona’s mouth felt dry as he spoke next, “A…what?”
“New Year’s ki~ss,” They repeated, laughing lightly. “Don’t tell me they don’t have those here?”
“They…don’t,” Leona lied easily, and he didn’t have an answer as to why he did. Ah, but if they did offer to kiss him, he should refuse. He would refuse. That was the only way to keep their relationship as it was, right?
“Really? So you’ve ne~ver kissed someone at New Year’s before?” They were fully facing him now.
“No.” Now that one was a truth.
The tradition existed here, but it was something special to be done between two who loved each other very much. A lot of the times they were married or engaged couples, or people who were…dating. And Leona wasn’t interested in anyone that way. Or that was until the recent months.
“How many minutes?”
And Leona swallowed as the radio answered for him with a cheery, “We have a minute left, folks! Get ready with your party poppers!”
There was a hand on his shoulder and he fought not to flinch as they closed the distance. “No,” Leona said in what he hoped was a stern tone. “I’m not kissing you.”
They laughed again, face dangerously close this time, “You’re so boring. C'mon~ It’s my first New Years here~”
He pressed a hand over their mouth, hoping to deter them, “You’re drunk.”
“And you’re Leona Kingscholar,” They still managed to lean forward just a bit more. “Stop stating the obvious.”
“You don’t even like me,” He shot out, not caring for the answer. He just pleaded that they would give up. The countdown started in the background, his own heartbeat mixing with the sound of numbers.
“I do like you,” Their eyes curved, and he could feel them smile against his palm. “’S why we’re here together, right?”
“-wo! One! Happy New Year!”
There was a press of something soft against his palm before they flopped onto his stomach, “Still kissed you… Happy New…Year’s…”
Leona didn’t know how long he was frozen in place. All that he knew was that it was long enough for the post-New Year light show to finish and that by the time he finally moved, the herbivore was fast asleep.
He closed his palm, nursing the ghost of warmth left there. His first New Year’s kiss. It wasn’t, by all means, traditional. But it counted to Leona. He let out a low laugh, because of course it would be Yuu to steal his first New Year’s kiss away from him. He watched the slow rise and fall of their shoulders as they were blissfully unaware of the turmoil that they caused.
“If you’re gonna kiss me, do it properly next time,” Leona’s hand stroked their hair cautiously. “Specifically when you aren’t drunk.”
Now he knew for certain. He knew here was no denying how simply and utterly in love he was with them. It was so dumb of him to think that he could just ignore it all. How was he supposed to ignore them when he was the one who made a contract where they would have to be with him for weeks on end? That was an oversight on his part, but it wasn’t like he could’ve predicted that he would’ve fallen this hard. The evidence being how he still couldn’t make his heart calm down even after the moment had passed so long ago.
He sighed as he pulled out his magic pen, casting a spell to make them float. He couldn’t trust his knees to hold their weight after what he was just subjected to. Still, he held them close as he made his way up the stairs. The steady thud-thud-thud of their heartbeat helped him to finally calm down.
Finally, the cramped bed that they usually slept on came into view. The two kids were predictably cuddled up to each other under the blankets. It was a surprise that Grim didn’t kick Cheka out. Then again, when did he start caring about things like that?
He gently placed them on the bed, his ears flattening as the bed squeaked. He made sure to tuck them in nicely. As he finished, they instinctively held on to his arm, mumbling incoherently as they drifted back asleep. Leona ever so carefully removed his arm, replacing it with the tangled mess of Grim and Cheka.
There was no way he would be able to lie down on the bed, so he grabbed a spare pillow before settling himself on the armchair. It was surprisingly soft, and in no time, Leona felt himself drifting to sleep. And if he dreamed of them in his sleep, of New Year’s kisses and promises and memories to be made… That was something that he would keep a secret, even if the dream would slowly slip through his fingers by the time he would wake.
will leona ever get that kiss ? who knows ! (it’s me. i know. but will i tell you ? ….no-) but i do hope you enjoyed this chapter >:DD if you’d like to see more of my works, check out my masterlist (i’ve been churning out leona fics n drabbles bc of leona rot lately so :’)) have fun with that :’)) )
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Yep, new obsession train, CHU CHUUU!
Much longer than I intended, but meh, I had fun.
Music Inspiration: Take Me Anywhere - NateWantsToBattle
~~~~~
“Hey, LeAAAAAHH!”
Thump!
“Oww.”
From above, drowsy emeralds reveal themselves. A pair of chocolate braids dangle over the edge, adding insult to injury as they tickle my face.
His voice rumbles with sleep. “What are you doing?”
“Tripping, I guess,” I mumble, pushing myself off the floor.
“Well could you be noisy somewhere else? I’m tryna sleep.”
That stings. Heat throbs in my elbows, one particularly unhappy as it weeps with crimson liquid.
“Good going, klutz.” A hand reaches from the bed and picks up the nearest fabric on the floor. “Here.”
Immediately, I rear back, holding the wounded limb as far as possible from the pristine, ivory fabric.
“Leona!”
“What?” he drawls.
“That’s a white shirt! You don’t use white shirts to stop bleeding!” My head shakes. “You don’t use shirts to stop bleeding!”
A groan leaves his throat but a finger aims across the room. “Fine. I think Ruggie stashed a first-aid kit in the dresser.”
Awkwardly aiming my injury towards the ceiling, I amble towards the dresser, sure to avoid the offending bag that tried to crack my skull open. All kinds of clutter greets me in the top drawer, which feels pretty on par. “Why is all your stuff on the floor anyway?”
“Ruggie’s been busy so he hasn’t gotten to cleaning my room yet.”
After some single-handed sifting, I finally find the box—brand-new, never opened. “Really? You get Ruggie to clean your room?”
“He always does.”
Sitting again, I fumble with the wrapping on the box until it’s taken from me, then watch the wrappings fall to the floor. My incredulity turns on him.
“Don’t give me that look,” he says.
“Wh—But—Why didn’t you throw it away? The bin is right over there.” Literally a few feet from where the rubbish landed.
“Ugh, you sound just like him.”
Awkwardly, a little bandage is pressed against my bleeding joint. “Well I was just wounded by tripping on your bag.”
“Wounded,” he scoffs. “You scraped your elbow.”
“Still wouldn’t have happened if your stuff wasn’t on the floor.”
He flops back down onto the bed. “Quit nagging.”
Teeth clamp together. No longer freely bleeding, I take a few steps to throw the bandage backing into the bin. When I turn back to the laid-back man, I feel a stammer in my chest that desperately tries to keep my words in my throat.
“Couldn’t you put in at least a little effort? Into anything?”
Not a single muscle betrays concern or care for my question. “Why bother?”
I hesitate, knowing that I have no viable argument that will convince him. He’s spent his whole life being told that nothing he does will change his situation—will never get him closer to the goal he was denied at birth. It’s such a shame that that has bled into every aspect of his life, to the point that the future of this relationship is shrouded in a suffocating fog.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m just a place holder—a thing in his life because he’s a young adult and young adults typically start relationships around our age. Thinking about how easily he might drop me should I make even the smallest demand is terrifying, which always serves to remind me how utterly broken I would be if he did. Still, I give and give and give—I’d do anything to see a real smile on his face—but that desire seems entirely one-sided. And it may be silly to expect a reaction over a small scrape, but to have him dismiss it as simply as a disturbance to his nap…I’ve never felt so small before.
“What’s wrong with you?”
The realization of my prolonged pause snaps me back. From beneath one suspicious lid peers an eye.
A weary smile, worn from all my efforts, slides into place. “Sometimes it’s baffling how different we are.”
My attention now warrants both eyes watching me. “What does that mean?”
I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t see through my counterfeit laugh. “Just that we’re different. Makes me wonder why you agreed to go out with me.”
My attempts to assuage any suspicion succeeds and his eyes shut once again.
“It was easy.”
It was easy. Easy. That’s what all this boils down to—just one word. And it’s that one word that shatters my heart.
Perfectly fine before the fall, I now find myself on the edge of tears and my thoughts scream how irrational I’m being.
“Is that so?” I question what miracle keeps my voice steady.
That yawn twists the knife. “Yeah.”
“Good.” I have to get out of here. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to your nap then.”
“Wasn’t there a reason you came running in?” he asks. “Before you crashed?”
There had been a reason, but not one good enough to distract these spiraling thoughts. “It’s not important. It can wait ‘til tomorrow.”
“If you say so.”
A brief goodbye frees me from the situation and a beeline whisks me out of Savanaclaw and straight into the Ramshackle dorm. The constriction in my chest never gives, only becomes easier to carry as I continue my day. Even as I lay on my bed at the end of the day, my heart rattles against a cage, plaguing me until the realm of dreams finally consumes me.
~~~~~
Click.
Clack.
What is that?
Click.
Dingey shades of gray morph and warp until they sort themselves out as my room in the Ramshackle Dorm. Nothing seems out of sort as weary eyes blink away the persistent sleep. All is quiet in the shadows; even my feisty feline partner snoozes with only the shark-sized tuna of his dreams as his only worry.
Clack.
My gaze snaps to the window. From there I’m certain it came. Feet make not a sound as I slip from beneath the covers and tiptoe into the moonlight.
Well below stands a familiar figure, another stone bouncing in his palm at the ready. An arm bids me come, but my heart still struggles with my reality. Irritation clear, he waves me down a second time. Exhausted, I sigh; he’s not afraid to cause a ruckus should I refuse. Pajamas are replaced with garments more presentable. Halls ring with silence as even the ghosts are fast asleep so I can only imagine what my snooze-loving boyfriend could want at this hour.
The door creaks, closing with a muted click as I attempt to keep the noise down. His impatience presents as folded arms and agitation gleaming in his eyes.
“Leona, what are you—!“
The question dies when Leona suddenly reaches for me. The moonlit yard falls pitch black, soft pressure wrapped around my head. My attempt to pull the dressing away is thwarted by his stronger grip. A jolt strikes my gut when my feet leave the ground, instigating me to cling to the young man with a chokehold.
“Leona!”
“Quit yer squirming.” Another adjustment or two and I find myself securely in his arms. “Oi, loosen up. I ain’t dropping you.”
I relinquish my grip somewhat, still on edge as I feel him start walking. “What’s going on?”
“You’ll see when we get there,” he huffs. “So just shut up and hold on.”
A minor grumble rumbles in my throat, nevertheless, I settle in, face pressed into the crook of his neck. Night air caresses exposed skin, not necessarily cool but also not warm. What I can hear are the peaceful chirps of crickets and the steady rhythm of Leona’s steps. Combined with the soothing scent I’ve buried my nose in, it would only take a single “lovely bunch of coconuts” hummed in his baritone to lull me back to sleep.
“Oi.” Tension seizes every muscle in my body. “Were you sleeping?”
Now that he mentions it, sleep did have it’s hold on me for a while. Stretching muscles in on themselves, I hold tighter to the man. “Sorry. Are we there yet?”
“Not yet.” Suspicious caution fills his voice. “Keep your voice down.”
Disappointment would be primary, but having my body against Leona’s like this is contentment enough. In fact, it’s relieving. Nevertheless, curious thoughts surround my predicament.
Rattling cuts the silence, followed shortly by a closing door.
“Can I look now?”
“No. I’ll tell you when you can.”
“Okay. Aaah!”
My short fall is cushioned by a soft landing, a hand clamping across my mouth immediately after.
“You don’t have to scream,” he growls.
Mouth free, I state the obvious, “You dropped me.”
“You weren’t gonna get hurt.”
Roaming hands discover my cushy surface is a bed. “Why are you doing this?”
I hear the amusement. “You haven’t figured it out yet? You’re losing your touch, kitten.”
Embers beset my ears. “What do you mean?”
That chuckle stokes the coals. “More importantly, I’m impressed you let yourself be blindfolded and carried away.”
Somehow, I breathe a little easier. “Well, I trust you.”
“A mistake you’ll regret one of these days.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Geeze. You really are just a defenseless little kitten, aren’t you.”
“I wouldn’t say defenseless. I have you, don’t I?”
Air catches in my chest at the feel of his hands in mine. Lacking sight lets me focus on the rough callouses he’s accumulated over the years and the warmth they exude. An uncharacteristically gentle coaxing helps me off the bed and onto my feet. Hands move to his chest for stability while one of his ventures to my waist. The other tugs free the blindfold he inflicted on me earlier.
A few blinks clear the hazy view, finding my kidnapper before me not in the clothes he’d abducted me in. He stands now in a pristine, button up shirt, the top few buttons free, and pressed slacks I didn’t even know he owned. Leona’s looks have never been anything to scoff at, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say a sharp-dressed man didn’t impress me.
His eyes burn with absolute sincerity. “Any sorry soul that even thinks about hurting you will pay the price.”
A full-blown fire rages beneath the skin. “Leona…”
A smug grin plastered on his face, he gently nudges my gaze from him.
This is his room but in a state I’ve never seen. Not a single article of clothing lay strewn on the floor, the bed is made, and neatly organized are all the surfaces. The curtains were rolled up, giving us a view of the starry sky. Bringing a warm light across the room are orbs of light, ambling along in floaty bliss. The softest lullaby fills the silence and I notice my boyfriend drop his phone back into his pocket. If it weren’t for the picture of us I’d placed on his desk myself, I wouldn’t have thought this was Leona’s room at all.
“What is all this?” I ask in awe.
“You wanted effort.”
I can’t help the pulling between my brows. “So you had Ruggie clean your room, do your laundry, and set the scene for you?”
An ear flickers. “No. I did this.”
Surprise blows away my apprehension in a heartbeat. “Seriously?”
“And it was a pain in the ass, so don’t get used to it,” he grumbles. My heart melts when a softer expression turns on me. “But I guess if a little effort’s all it takes now and then to make you happy, you might be worth it.”
Yes, he said it in the most round about way that could even be a bit backhanded, but I can hear in his voice the vulnerability—something he’s never exposed before, even to me. This is a big deal for him, even if he’d never admit it, and that in itself is proof of what our relationship means to him.
It takes tremendous strength to divert my relief from a burst of tears to calmly slipping my arms around his neck. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
I would die for that simper. “You could stand to say it more often.”
Marshmallows would have a more stability than my heart when Leona’s hands lead me into a slow two-step.
“So are you gonna tell me what I said to upset you?”
Toasted marshmallows—that’s what I am now. “Uh…”
Not necessarily stern, he pointedly remarks, “C’mon. You thought you were slick but I saw right through that.”
Of course he noticed. “You’re only dating me because it’s easy, right?”
“That ain’t the only reason, but yeah. You think that’s a bad thing?” When I have no answer, Leona sighs. “Look, even I know relationships take effort—not that I’m the best example. But when I said easy I meant…”
For the first time, he seems embarrassed. Rather than finish his statement, the point comes across in the gesture of his tail, slipping around my leg, closing the gap.
Relief, embarrassment, shame: there’s no end to the emotions swirling in me right now. Though I suppose what’s important is that I get it now. Relationships aren’t easy; people have their own flaws and make mistakes and we’re no different. At the same time, it is easy because I know there’s no one else I’d rather be with—there’s no doubt. I used to think that was my unrequited hopelessness, but maybe he’s just as hopeless as I am.
“You really areamazing.”
Thankfully, he lightens up. “Now you’re gettin’ it.”
We’ve had our fair share kisses and make-outs, but I won’t be forgetting the tenderness of the one he places against my forehead.
Lion ears snap back as the door clicks.
“Hey, everything okay in here?” It swings open revealing a droopy-eyed hyena. “I heard—”
The room freezes, Leona’s body radiating the energy of being caught with his pants down. We stare at the unexpected intruder who stares back and the longer it continues, the bigger the blow up will be.
At the height of tension, it all bursts when Ruggie breaks out in a fit of cackling laughter.
Radiating heat like a furnace, Leona responds in a menacing growl. “Ruggie.”
To his credit, the blonde stuffs a fist into his mouth in an attempt to stifle his howl, but he’s almost on the floor, crying from laughter with a few snorts sprinkled in between.
“Ruuggggiiee.” Leona bristles.
“I can’t—I can’t believe—HA!” He can barely breathe; it’s impressive he hasn’t wet himself. “You got the big bad kitty wrapped around your finger! KkkkYA HA HA!”
To his credit, Ruggie’s reaction time doesn’t falter at all as he immediately bolts upon seeing Leona charge.
The sudden turn of events leaves me stunned, standing in the middle of the room alone. The housewarden does inevitably return to me, grumbling and annoyed, immediately falling onto the bed and taking me with him. I may have started the night uncertain and sad in my own dorm, but there’s no doubt where I’m spending the rest of the night, knowing I’m loved.
~~~~~
A page flips with some issue, but my other hand is too busy dancing through brunette hair to help. But it’s fine.
In comes Ruggie to disturb the peace. Looking to me, he asks, “Can you help me?”
Leona rolls his back to the visitor. “No.”
My head tilts. “What’s wrong, Ruggie?”
“I’ve got finals to study for, but I’ve still got a list of chores to do.”
The housewarden protests losing his pillow as I rise from the sofa to meet Ruggie. Looking over the list in his hands, I realize that these are all chores for Leona. Disappointed, my gaze shifts to the sofa where there’s a flickering ear and a thumping tail.
Fully aware he’s using me to pick on the big cat, I sigh. “I got this, Ruggie. You go study for your test.”
The hyena cracks a grin. “You’re the best.”
“I don’t know about that.” By my hand, a shirt from the floor now resides in the laundry basket.
“Shye hee hee, if Leona doesn’t marry you, I will.”
A growl deep in his sigh, the prince stands. Daggers glare at Ruggie as he snatches the pants from my hand before he picks up another. I watch in surprise and amusement as Leona actually starts cleaning his room.
“Daaaamn. You are a good influence on him.” Standing straight, the lion isn’t even trying to hide his disgust for his friend. An arm slinks around my shoulders. “I never thought I’d see the day when this little lion cub would become a man.”
Last straw lain, Leona darts at Ruggie who cackles as he scurries from the room. Leona’s chase is halted by my own hand around his wrist. This disruption unbalances the man, and then me, landing us both on the floor.
Propping himself up, Leona glares down at me. “I told you not to get used to me cleaning up.”
Laughing softly, I snake my arms around his neck. “I didn’t ask you to. But it’s nice to know you would.”
“You’re such a pain.”
“Love you too.”
tw - unhealthy relationships, physical abuse, unbalanced power dynamics, and imprisonment.
Leona is a very fickle lover.
It’s not just that he’s temperamental. Well, he is, but you can handle his constantly shifting moods, his grim disposition, this habit of baring his teeth and flashing his claws whenever anything he doesn’t care for has the audacity to cross his path. You’re not exempt from his abrasiveness, but he does make an effort to soften his aggression around you, and you doubt he’d even hurt you in any way that drove him any farther away from him than you already are. No, the problem lies elsewhere, not in his hostility, but in his affection, in what he refuses to call his love. In the unpredictability of your dearest, most spoiled prince.
It’d be less of an issue if he had more of a fondness for communication. But, of course, Leona’s never been one for flowery language, much less hourly heart-to-hearts, and you’re left to try to decipher all he has to say from clipped sentences, hollow threats, whether he’s content to hold you close and take in your scene or if he’d rather carve his name into your collarbone and spend precious minutes lapping away the blood as he mocks you for having such thin skin. There’s no warning, no sign, just Leona and his cold stare and his adamance that he’s never been anything but fairto you. Just you, in the palm of his hand, as at his mercy as you’ve ever been.
And you areat his mercy. Alone in his palace, only ever allowed to interact with silent servants and attendants who treat you like an ornament to be polished and maintained rather than anything resembling a living being, he’s the only person you can go to for help, the only one you can rely on to care about your well-being, if only because it’d be a great inconvenience for him to find something new to cling to. He denies it adamantly, insists you’re free to leave whenever you’d like to, and when you many any attempt to argue, to mention the guards he posts at every door, the fact that you don’t have a cent to your name, the awfulthings he’d be able to do to your family with little more than a word to his brother, he only ever gets mad, only ever lashes out. You can handle his temper, talk him down when his paranoia gets the best of him. His violence, on the other hand, you don’t have such a talent for soothing.
And it isviolence. That’s the worst part, just how quick it is, just how little difference there is between the way he treats you and the soldiers he cuts down like nothingwhenever he feels so generous as to spar with the less naturally gifted. If you’re lucky, it’ll be quick, a single blow to something you won’t have to see whenever you glance towards your own reflection, and if you aren’t (and you often are not), his anger will last, overwhelm his need for praise and comfort, and you’ll be allotted to something… less than a lover, less than a prisoner. More akin to a pet. More akin to the soft, docile,quiet thing he so clearly wants you to be.
More akin to something that would consider him a master,rather than the lover he so clearly never wanted to be.
