Response to fic request (Malleus, Idia)
For @moody-b1tch, the only person who responded to my "give me two characters and I'll write a few lines of dialogue" invitation.
Which is probably a good thing, because this is ... I don't even know what this is.
Characters: Malleus, Idia, with extra bonus prompt: water
Which is included...metaphorically, I guess.
As usual, this kinda got away from me. Don't think it's good enough to post on AO3 - it's hardly good enough to post here on Tumblr - but it's 1221 words and I do love when the word count is a fun number like that.
Also: TIL that Tumblr has a limit of 30 tags per post. How did I learn this? No reason in particular.
Also also: It used to be 1221 words and then I panicked and rewrote some of it.
“Sometimes it’s better to forget. Pretend it never happened.”
“Is that how you truly feel, Shroud?”
“Gah! You look like you’re ready to incinerate me! Not that I think you’re gonna go all OP again. … Uh, you’re not, right?”
“It would be foolish to repeat such folly. Surely you, of all people, can agree.”
“Of course I agree! I’m just like. Not used to this heart-to-heart protag chat. I’m not some shounen manga hero with an 'I'm-all-fired-up!' speech, and even if I was, it’d be pretty cringe coming from me. Your guards are good at that sorta thing. Especially the big guy. He seriously likes to talk! Or Silver. He’s got that intense princely vibe.”
“Silver and Sebek have had much to say, but it is your thoughts that I am most interested in hearing.”
“Because I’m one of the SSR level problem children? You could talk to anyone else about this! Leona, he was big mad. Your guards were there; they can vouch. Or Riddle! That hothead was the first. He probably has some S tier thoughts on his experience.”
“SSR…? Shroud, I am interested in your thoughts. You hold the power to enter the underworld. To speak with those who have crossed to the other side.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I can open the gate, but that was a one-time thing, going down there. You saw how that turned out.”
“I did not. I was at Night Raven College, if you recall.”
“Of course you were here. After you went all berserker mode, I don’t think Charon would’ve been enough to get you to the Island of Woe.”
“You could have simply invited me.”
“Invite the great and powerful Malleus to play a sim game? Are you for real?”
“I am quite real.”
“That’s not - yeah, okay. Anyway, it’s more like a curse, the gate opening thing, and not Pumpkin Knight level cool.”
“Is it not? Shoenheit, Rosehearts, and Kingscholar all mentioned that the closer one travels to Tartarus, the colder it gets.”
“I meant it wasn’t exactly fire. Not like … dragon fire, fire. I mean, it’s not…”
“Shroud. I am merely teasing. Is that not what friends do? Lilia and the Child of Man assure me that it is.”
“Friends?”
“We have spent time together. We have shared experiences. Are you telling me that is not common with friends?”
“You sound like Ortho.”
“Your sibling is wise indeed. I understand that it was he who prevented you from using your River Lethe. Come now, Shroud, surely you can agree that at least some of those memories were to be cherished.”
(Eep! Is he serious? Even if I had an IRL trap card to flip this, could I even use one against someone as OP as him?)
“Shroud, are you unwell?”
“I’m f-fine! HP is at max. Wait, what are you doing?”
“Calling Lilia so that he may assist me in translating.”
(Gah, is he really using a synchro summon?) “You don’t need to do that!”
“It appears I cannot. My phone screen is blank. Lilia will be rather cross.”
“Your phone’s broken?”
“It happens frequently. Lilia has told me many times to be careful. My lightning has broken several phones just this semester alone.”
“I, uh, can fix it.”
“You would do that?”
“Hee hee. It just needs to withstand high electrical input. EZ PZ.”
“Lemon squeezy.”
(Did he seriously just say ‘lemon squeezy?’)
“Shroud?”
“EEP! I mean, I was just surprised to hear you say that.”
“Is that not how it goes?”
“No! You got it right! It’s just weird hearing it from the Malleus Draconia.”
“Why is that?”
“It just is! Let me see your phone. I mean, if you trust me with it.”
“Here. You cannot possibly damage it more than I have.”
“How old is this phone? I haven’t seen one of these since pre-5G.”
“Can you repair it?”
“Of course I can fix it, but it needs a serious upgrade.”
“What would you like in exchange?”
“Huh? You don’t have to give me anything!”
“Of course. Because we we are friends.”
“No, we're not!"
“Is there something about myself that causes you hesitation?”
“It’s not that. It’s not you, it’s me.”
“I, too, would like everyone to forget what happened. What I did. The lengths to which I went in order to selfishly hold on to something - to someone - who is dear to me.”
“Where is all this heart-to-heart coming from?”
“If we are to be friends, we should be honest with one another. I have learned that by watching Lilia with Diamond and Al-Asim, and by listening to Silver and Sebek. It is not an easy thing, but I must start somewhere.”
“Why are you starting with me?”
“Because we have a shared experience. This ‘SRR problem child’ status.”
“SSR.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Ah, the uh, it’s SSR, not SRR. It stands for Super Super Rare.”
“That makes what we share uncommon.”
“Yeah, you, me, and five other people. Uh, here’s your phone.”
“You are done with it already?”
“I couldn’t upgrade it more with what I have here, but the screen is fixed, and it has lightning fast internet speed. No pun intended!”
“You do get so easily flustered around me. You are an interesting man, Shroud. Oh, I see Lilia has been trying to reach me. We must do this again.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Until we meet again.”
“Yeah, kthxbai.”
“Idia? Was that Malleus Draconia who just disappeared into thin air?”
“Hey, Ortho. Yeah.”
“You have made another new friend!”
“We’re not friends! My HP is critically low after that.”
“Your heart rate is accelerated, but the rest of your vital signs are within normal ranges. And I clearly heard Malleus Draconia state that you are friends!”
“I know you mean well, Ortho, but-”
“I think he needs a friend, too.”
“Malleus Draconia? Needing a friend?”
“We have spent time together. We have shared experiences. This ‘SRR problem child’ status.”
“Idia?”
“Yeah, Ortho?”
“You’re smiling.”
“I was just thinking about the new volume of the Mew Mew Chronicles manga!”
“Yes, I remember. It arrived in the mail just this morning.”
“So of course I’m excited. It’s the only good thing that’s happened since all of this started. I’m, uh, going to the store to pick up some snacks, if you want to go with me.”
(Your heart rate and eye movement tell me otherwise, Big Brother, but I am happy to see you happy.) “Of course! I’m interested in seeing the ingredients in this new mystery flavored fruit twist that Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade were arguing over.”
“It can’t be worse than last year’s pineapple-lemon-licorice mystery flavor.”
Ortho remembered that. It had been very popular the first two weeks, with numerous reactions posted to Magicam. After that, the only person purchasing it had been Lilia Vanrouge. His eyes lit up.
“You should buy some for Malleus Draconia and Lilia Vanrouge! And Silver and Sebek Zigvolt, too! And Cater Diamond, and Rook Hunt, and…”
By the time they were done, they’d purchased a mystery flavored candy twist for all of the third year students, all of the housewardens, plus Silver and Sebek Zigvolt, Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade, the Ramshackle prefect, and Grim (especially Grim).
Ortho’s analysis of the candy indicated the primary flavors were seaweed and cinnamon, and he could hardly wait to see everyone’s reactions.
Everyone's, but especially Idia’s newest friend, Malleus Draconia.
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