Work Text:
Much had changed since Malleus returned to school after his overblot. People no longer scattered in scared droves whenever he’d so much as look in their direction - some had even become bold enough to chastise him from brushing past them in a crowded hallway. He still often forgot that he needed Lilia’s stability in order to cast any magic larger than a meager flame and found himself shaken at the disorientation of it more often than not. Most odd, however, was his newly formed friendship with Idia Shroud - at least, Malleus would like to call it a friendship, he wasn’t sure if the Ignihyde housewarden would agree with the title. STYX’s call for constant observation demanded that either Idia or Ortho knew where Malleus was at practically all times - a demand Malleus found himself surprisingly accepting of. The Shrouds, as it turned out, were quite enjoyable company. Ortho, however, often had his own friend group, of which Malleus was pleasantly surprised to find out Sebek had become part of, to keep him busy.
More often than not, Malleus found himself seeking Idia out if he’d not seen him by the end of classes. Lilia had started teasing him for the ‘lost puppy look’ he got as he glanced around for a glimpse of glowing, blue hair. He simply found himself missing the snarky, hardly comprehensible comments Idia would mutter under his breath and the way his golden eyes would sparkle on the rare occasion he made a joke Malleus actually understood and got him to laugh. Lilia thought it was cute, sighing about young love despite Malleus’s protests - though he never truly denied it. He found Idia fascinating - from the way he talked to the way he looked to the way he’d fluster so easily whenever Malleus smiled at him or complimented him.
Idia would often manage to venture out of his room to meet Malleus someplace secluded after classes had ended for the day. He’d ask him how his magic had been and if there had been any changes and they’d go their separate ways. Today’s location of choice was a small courtyard just outside the hall of mirrors, new but not out of the ordinary - Idia had texted Lilia to let him know to tell Malleus to meet him there. Malleus caught sight of the erratic flickering of his hair as he approached. The other housewarden was tapping frantically at something on the screen of his cellular phone, cursing under his breath as the tips of his hair flared orange briefly before he dropped his phone to his side in frustration.
“Is one of your games troubling you, Shroud?” Idia jolted despite Malleus’s best efforts to keep his voice gentle. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s just a stupid level of a stupid game I really don’t wanna have to whale for just to get all the rewards. Not F2P friendly, at all,” Idia grumbled like the words meant anything to Malleus as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, turning to look at him. Malleus felt a soft smile slip onto his face as their eyes met - bewildered to find he couldn’t have stopped it even if he’d tried. Eyes widening like he’d just realized who was standing next to him, Idia sputtered out something that Malleus thought was meant to be words, perhaps a question even, but he could never be sure with Idia. The human stuttered out something that sounded like ‘this was a bad idea,’ before Malleus decided to continue the conversation on his own.
“My magic had no notable changes today. It’s still unstable unless I am with Lilia, though I do believe I’m becoming more familiar with my limits.” With a proud nod, Malleus carefully directed their conversation back to what Idia usually wanted to meet up for, even if the location was new. Idia only nodded back for a moment before his eyes caught on the jagged edges of Malleus’s broken horn - something they did more and more when they spoke, Malleus had noticed.
“Okay, cool. I actually have something I wanted to show you, that’s why I asked Lilia to tell you to meet me here. Well, it’s not here but the hall of mirrors goes to the dorm and it’s in my room and that sounds weird. I’ll shut up now.” Shrinking down into himself, the tips of Idia’s hair sparked pink for only a moment. Malleus idly wondered if he could turn Idia’s hair green with his own fire.
“Something you wish to show me?” Malleus latched onto the important part of Idia’s rambling, something he was finding easier to do the more time he spent with the man. He received a weak nod in response and gestured a hand toward the building. “By all means.”
Malleus had never been into Ignihyde before, save for within Idia’s own dream. He hadn’t often had occasion to go to most of the other dorms, truthfully. Ignihyde was much colder than he expected. It hit him as they stepped through the mirror, a stiff cold accompanied by the almost overwhelming blue light. It reminded him very much of STYX in many ways - he supposed that was why Idia seemed much more confident now as he swept through the halls of his own domain. The few other students milling about only glanced at Malleus quickly in confusion or curiosity before turning back to their own matters, none offering a word of greeting to their housewarden. Idia ushered Malleus into a room at the end of the hall, gently pushing the door shut behind them. The room was clearly Idia’s, full of glowing technological objects that Malleus couldn’t begin to parse through, shelves lined with the cute television characters Malleus knew Idia was so fond of. When he was finished taking in his surroundings, Malleus turned his attention back to Idia himself, who hadn’t moved from his place - back against the door, eyes wide and staring.
“Shroud?”
“Gimme a sec, processing the super rare spawn in my room.” Malleus cocked his head to the side before shaking it in defeat and waiting for Idia to work through whatever it was he was talking about. Blinking a few more times, Idia nodded to himself, huffing out a deep breath. “Right, super cool thing to show you.” Idia was rifling through his drawers before Malleus processed that he’d moved. “Keep in mind it’s just a prototype, like not even alpha tested yet, and I have no idea if it’s going to work at all or anything and no one’s even tried to artificially copy someone’s magic circuit before so I’m working completely blind but…”
Turning back to Malleus, Idia held what looked to be a mechanical replica of his broken horn in his hand, grinning proudly with his sharp teeth on display. “Is that–?”
“A prosthetic horn. I’m hoping it can help stabilize your magic, no Lilia necessary.” Something profound and warm welled up inside Malleus. To think someone would go through the trouble of making something like this for him, especially when it potentially meant returning him to the same terrible level of power that had caused them all problems to begin with.
“Shroud,” Malleus’s voice was caught in his throat as he stared at Idia in awe, “this is remarkable. How does it work?”
“It doesn’t yet, but using the data we gathered about the magic signature of your horn after it overwrote Lilia’s, I’m trying to replicate it as well as I can using technomantic circuits. And BTW, STYX maybe doesn’t know about this, so keep it on the DL, k?” Malleus barely had time to nod like he had any idea what the letters Idia was saying meant. “I wanted it to be more done before I told you, but I realized I had to make sure it was the right size and weight before I added too much junk. I’m not used to making things for people other than Ortho and I know his specs way better than yours. I’ve also gotta look at your horn to figure the best way to equip it that won’t be weird and uncomfortable for you.”
The room filled with the sound of buzzing electronics as Idia’s eyes darted between the technomantic horn in his hand, everywhere on Malleus’s face except his eyes, and the edge of his bed behind where Malleus stood. He kept glancing up toward Malleus’s broken horn, scrunching his mouth into itself like he wanted to say something but couldn’t figure out how. “What do you need me to do, Shroud?”
“Sit.” It came out much more like a command than Malleus expected and he was momentarily reminded of watching Idia work at STYX - ordering people around with an authority that felt too large for his hunched posture but Malleus thought suited him all the same. The tip of his tail twitched against the ground and he found himself dropping onto the unkempt blankets covering Idia’s mattress without much thought, belatedly noticing Idia had moved to pull out the large chair at his desk. Idia’s posture straightened more than Malleus had ever seen, golden eyes blown wide. Several emotions passed over Idia’s face in an instant, faster than Malleus could recognize them, before he shook his head in a miniscule movement, hair shifting and curling around him with the motion, one errant flame sparked out toward Malleus’s knee. With a tiny step toward him, Idia raised a hand. It halted in the air only inches from Malleus’s forehead, as if some other force had grabbed his wrist. “Is it, uh, cool if I touch your horns?”
Malleus tried to remember the last time someone else had touched his horns. He tried to remember the last time someone he didn’t consider family had consciously touched him at all. It had always been something others found dangerous, touching him. If Malleus had learned anything from recent events, it was that Idia Shroud was one of the bravest men he’d ever met, even if one would never understand that from simply looking at him. He tilted his head forward in a single nod, trusting this human far more than he ever thought he would. Even with permission, Idia did not touch his horns - not immediately. Instead, a gentle blue light emanated from just above Malleus’s head. Idia focused intensely on it; some sort of holographic measuring device perhaps, Malleus had seen such things at STYX. He sat straight and still, letting Idia hover around him, never getting too close, occasionally stopping to take a note on his tablet or fiddle with the prosthetic horn. He had braced himself when Idia had asked, but Malleus was not ready when the tips of Idia’s long fingers finally brushed the jagged edge of his broken horn. A stuttered breath forced itself from his mouth at the jolt that ran through his body - like Idia had brushed his fingers directly against his bare nerves.
“Sorry! Did that hurt?” Idia yanked his hand back and Malleus had the unexplainable urge to pull it back to where it had been just seconds ago. For a moment, Malleus found he could only shake his head, dragging in a halted breath.
“I am merely unaccustomed to being touched.” A growing knot forced itself down his throat. “Please continue.”
Idia eyed him wearily before carefully raising his hand again, lifting the false horn in the other. Malleus clenched his teeth together as Idia slid the prosthetic horn over his broken one. Fingernails scraped down the hard carapace of his horn - Malleus’s nerve endings, coated only with a thin layer of armor that Idia poked and prodded at as he adjusted his invention. His stomach tightened, his tail twitched desperately against the mattress, and he tried so hard to sit completely still, claws dug into the fabric over his thighs, fangs digging into the insides of his cheeks to keep his mouth shut. He feared what noises would escape him if the gate slipped open. His thoughts buzzed in his mind. Was it supposed to feel like this? It didn’t feel like this when he polished them in the mornings. Was it just the broken edge? Definitely not, he determined as Idia’s fingers wrapped loosely around the base of his horn like he was trying to steady it and his tail thrashed enough to knock a rather adorable cat plush to the ground. Did it only feel this good because it was Idia?
“How does that feel?” Idia asked when Malleus was starting to fear his fangs piercing the skin of his mouth. Fingers still danced over the ridges of his horn like he was afraid the prosthesis would fall if he strayed too far. The fog that had invaded Malleus’s brain didn’t allow him to parse through Idia’s question, come up with any answer but an overwhelming ‘good, far too good,’ until it was followed by: “Balanced? Not too heavy?”
Truthfully, Malleus wasn’t sure he could focus on any sensation other than the lightning coursing through his veins every time Idia’s fingertips caught on the grooves of his horn or the seam where the prosthesis now sat. He attempted to swallow down the feeling to focus on the matter at hand - Idia trying to stabilize his magic, something he wanted so desperately. Not as desperately as he wanted Idia’s hands to grow more confident in their exploration of his horns, his mind tried to argue - he subtly shook the thought out. The weight of his head felt just the same as it always had as he moved, the added weight to his right side was a comfort he hadn’t realized he’d missed - too caught up in the magical implications of the missing horn to notice the physical. He tilted his head to the side, woefully knocking Idia’s fingers away as he did. The prosthetic horn barely shifted.
“It feels almost the same as the real one. Nicely done.” Malleus's voice was hoarse when he spoke and he prayed Idia didn’t notice. He felt shaken, his skin purring and itching, yearning for something he couldn’t name - didn’t dare try to name while Idia was smiling at him with pride. He cleared his throat quietly as Idia took a step back to appraise how the horn looked on his head.
“Bam! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” The loud clap of Idia’s hands startled Malleus into sitting up impossibly straighter, still reeling from the thoughts and feelings all jumbling together in his brain as he stared at the human. Idia’s golden eyes sparkled in excitement, his lopsided smile scrunched his cheeks up with a beautiful joy, the brilliant blue fire of his hair licked at the air around him, glowing brighter than any of the electronics in the room. “Successful attunement. Now to solidify the enchantments.”
With a deep sigh, Malleus let his own eyes fall shut briefly, focusing his full attention on the weight of his horns, firmly ignoring the warmth that had settled low in his abdomen. He wished he hadn’t sacrificed his vision in that moment. If he had been looking, he perhaps would have been ready for the feeling of Idia’s hand returning to his horn, fingering at the seam of the prosthesis again without warning. He may not have released such a choked sound. Malleus’s eyes shot open, vision met with Idia’s chest much closer than expected. His fangs sunk into his bottom lip as electricity sparked, following the wick from his horn straight down to his crotch. Idia yelped when Malleus’s hands, frantic as they were for somewhere to belong, clasped onto his hips, fingers digging into the flesh and fabric they found and inadvertently pulling him closer, tucked between Malleus’s knees.
“Malleus?” Close as they now were, Malleus heard Idia gulp. His voice came out in a quiet squeak, breath shuddering. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Apologies,” Malleus growled. Idia’s hand was still on his horn and Malleus was trying very hard not to move a single muscle. His fingers flexed in the soft fabric of Idia’s hoodie, a small puff of green flame fell from his lips. “It would seem they are more sensitive than I thought. I can ignore it. I do not mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Sensitive?” Another choked sound left Malleus as Idia’s fingers twitched again, fingernails brushing down the hard casing of his horn once again. Idia’s voice softened to a stunned whisper, his eyes flicked downward so quickly Malleus almost missed it. “Oh. You mean, like…”
Malleus feared Idia would rip his hand away and order Malleus out of his room, never to return. He didn’t know what to say to prevent that. He truly didn’t wish to bring Idia any discomfort, but his hands still clamped themselves around Idia’s lithe hips through the thick hoodie, a desperate effort to keep him close. Unblinkingly, Malleus’s eyes remained glued to Idia’s rapidly flushing face as the other housewarden carefully removed the prosthesis from its place with the hand that wasn’t still skimming against his horn, placing it atop the bookshelf next to them, stretching slightly to reach but not dislodging Malleus’s hands. Pink seeped up from the tips of Idia’s hair, his eyes scraping over every inch of the dragon.
“Shroud.” The name rumbled from Malleus’s chest, not quite a question, not quite a plea. It was breathy and deep, Malleus’s face closed in on itself in uncertainty.
“Holy shit, no way. Didn’t think I’d unlock this CG today,” Idia muttered to himself, the pink in his hair dancing hypnotically through the blue. “The Malleus Draconia flustered on my bed. Is this–?” His fingers ran deliberately down the ridges of Malleus’s horn, his free hand coming to rest on his shoulder. “Do you…?”
Malleus didn’t try to contain the growl that left him this time, one hand gripping more firmly at the front of Idia’s hoodie, dragging him closer, dragging him down to level their faces together. With another squeak, Idia’s fingers tensed, sending a shiver through Malleus’s body once again.
“Stop me,” Malleus whispered against Idia’s lips, his eyes already falling shut. The shaking of Idia’s head was so slight he almost didn’t feel it. Claws helplessly grappled at Idia’s hoodie, pulling him as close as he could get, causing him to stumble in between Malleus’s legs, back bent down as their lips crashed together. It was surprisingly chaste, closed mouths pressed firmly together, Idia breathing in deeply as they did like he’d forgotten how to breathe entirely. Idia’s hand regrettably fell from his horn to tangle in his hair, though Malleus supposed he could forgive him as he scrambled forward, even closer, knees digging into the mattress on either side of Malleus’s hips. They broke apart barely long enough to properly breathe. Malleus pushed his tongue across the seam of Idia’s lips as he dove back in, hands wrapping around Idia’s back, pushing up under his hoodie, grabbing at the shirt underneath. He felt as though he had lost every bit of control, Idia’s mouth opening for him, inviting him in. Idia kneeled above him, pressing into him, almost as if determined to push Malleus down onto his back. Idia’s right hand desperately loosened Malleus’s tie and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, thumb brushing across his collarbone in slow motions. His left hand was making a mess of his hair, tugging at it and smoothing it down again in quick succession. Malleus’s tongue ran carefully over Idia’s pointed teeth, getting a feel for them - their points so different from his own fangs.
“Wait, wait.” Malleus nearly snarled as Idia pushed him a few inches away, out of breath, blue lips blackening from the tint of Malleus’s own, smudged halfway onto his cheek. A glare affixed itself to his face when Idia’s hand in his hair kept him from leaning back in to kiss him again. “Malleus, wait. I’ve gotta– Is this just ‘cause of the…” Idia shot a meaningful glance at his horn, “Or do you – am I…? Does it matter that it’s me?”
“I wouldn’t have let anyone else touch my horns in the first place, even without the knowledge I now have about them.” The reverent confession, murmured softly as Malleus continued to pull at the hem of the back of Idia’s shirt was apparently the right thing to say as Idia’s hair flared up in a bright pink. As Idia’s hand in his hair went lax for a moment, fingers twitching at Malleus’s words. Malleus took the opportunity to nuzzle his face into Idia’s throat. He dug his nose under Idia’s jawline, a quiet rumble emanating from his chest. The pink glow quickly settled back to the tips of Idia’s hair as the human let out a tiny whimper. Malleus opened his mouth against Idia’s skin, his own breath coming out in a warm, green, harmless fire. “Does it matter to you that it is me?”
“Are you serious?” Malleus was barely able to even finish his question before the hand Idia had tangled in his hair moved back up to grip at his broken horn, using it to pull him away from the cold, pale skin of his throat, golden eyes locking onto his own. An inhuman keen erupted from Malleus’s mouth, his tail thrashed against the wall, knocking more plush creatures from the bed, his back arched and his hips canted upward in an attempt for any amount of contact Idia would allow him. He didn’t dare break eye contact, watching as Idia’s eyes shot wider at the reaction. Idia chuckled - that low chuckle that was so distinctly Idia Shroud - rising up farther onto his knees and away from Malleus’s desperation. The hand that had been against Malleus’s chest rose with him to thread its fingers into Malleus’s bangs, thumb dangerously close to the scales on his forehead, fingertips just barely brushing at the base of his other horn. “This is insane. I feel like I totally glitched out this interaction and skipped to a locked cutscene.”
Now, with Idia intentionally touching his horns, systematically taking in each divot and crest of them with his slender fingers, a tightness strung itself through Malleus’s body. A thread pulled taut through his abdomen, each ligament of his body suddenly too small for his muscles. He wanted nothing more than to plead, if only he knew what for. “I do not know what that means,” he grunted out through the thickness of his breath.
“It means you’re completely outta my league, Thunderboy.” Idia carded his fingers through Malleus’s bangs, trying to push them out of his face as well as he could with the horns in his way. His head dropped to the side, focusing on something on his desk. “You’re a literal dragon prince and I’m just a shut-in otaku. I didn’t even think I could unlock this route. No one’s ever looked at me with anything but disgust, I mean—”
“Wrong.” With a growl, Malleus grabbed Idia’s jaw in both hands, pulling his face back where Malleus wanted it, uncaring of the way Idia nearly toppled backward off the bed from his precarious position. Malleus pressed his lips firmly to the corner of Idia’s mouth, moaning into his skin as Idia’s hands unconsciously found his horns again. He wanted to say more, reassure Idia of how beautiful he was when his hair lit a dark room, how enthralling he was when he spoke of the things that interested him, even when Malleus didn’t understand him, perhaps especially when Malleus didn’t understand him. He wanted to tell Idia that he’d never met anyone else that made him feel so much - all at once, everywhere. One of Idia’s hands strayed to the nape of his neck, finding one of the spiked scutes that he hadn’t been able to hide in his human form since his horn broke. The shock down his spine stole any words he planned to speak. All he could muster was a strangled, “please– Idia–”
Idia froze entirely at the sound of his name on Malleus’s lips. For one terrifying moment, Malleus was afraid he had done something wrong, crossed a line somehow - until Idia nearly toppled them both back onto the mattress with the ferocity he claimed Malleus’s mouth with his own again. Idia’s tongue invaded his mouth, licking at the back of his fangs. Their mouths pressed together with bruising force, Malleus’s hands still trapped between them with Idia’s jaw in a vice grip. Hips still vying for any attention, shifting uncomfortably, Malleus tried to steer them without breaking their kiss - trying desperately to get Idia on the mattress underneath him.
“Nuh-uh.” Idia barely broke their kiss, muttering into Malleus’s lips. His hands went back to Malleus’s horns, pulling gently and Malleus couldn’t think of a single better use for those hands. Then, Idia moved and finally - finally - dropped down to grind their hips together and Malleus’s mind emptied of any thoughts at all. “I’m the boss.”
The tightness in Malleus’s abdomen almost snapped at the sudden contact - feeling Idia’s answering hardness against his own. He whined, low and loud with an overwhelming need to just take him now. Idia moaned into his mouth as if responding to the noise, a sound so sweet Malleus wanted nothing more than to hear it again and again as he angled his hips up into Idia’s, working more on instinct than skill. It was clumsy and they were hardly even kissing anymore as Malleus’s hands ventured from Idia’s jaw. He pawed and pulled at Idia’s hoodie, wanting it out of the way but unable to command his fingers to do anything but scrabble and tug. His hands ran down the backs of Idia’s thighs, across his calves, pushing at the heels of his shoes hoping maybe they'd just fall off and onto the ground. Idia understood the message and Malleus almost wished he hadn’t as those hands disappeared from his horns again. A heady growl slipped into Idia’s mouth and Idia let out a shocked gasp of laughter at the reaction.
“Needy dragon,” he murmured, voice laced with an stunned amusement as he reached back to pull his shoes from his feet, shifting impossibly closer to gain more stability when they hit the floor, pressing every possible inch of their bodies together. Malleus nipped at his bottom lip in retaliation, pressing his hips firmly up into Idia’s, making them both groan into the heavy air of the room. Inexperienced fingers finally found the zipper of Idia’s hoodie, pulling it down in one swift motion, hands quickly moving on to try to shove it off his shoulders. Mercifully, Idia let him, shaking the garment off his arms to let it pile on top of his discarded shoes. Malleus let his fingers dance over Idia’s now exposed collarbones, pulling his mouth away from Idia’s to trail kisses down his neck, pushing the headphones out of the way and ignoring Idia’s noise of complaint when they thudded quietly into the hoodie on the floor.
While Malleus ran his tongue over Idia’s clavicle, teeth scraping over the bone, Idia all but whimpered, mouth alarmingly close to Malleus’s horns, breath ghosting over the scales. Malleus bit down on Idia’s skin to muffle the desperate noise that escaped him. He barely noticed Idia pushing the blazer off his shoulders as he panted into the junction of Idia’s shoulder, hips rocking up into Idia’s, overwhelmed by the promise Idia was breathing onto his horns - the promise of a mouth, of lips, of a tongue, of sharp teeth in the same place.
“Gods– Malleus, fuck…” Idia ripped off Malleus’s tie, yanked his shirt out of his pants where it was tucked, pulled at the buttons, pawed at the sharp scales on his spine, hands running up under the back of his shirt. Malleus’s hands finally found their way back under Idia’s shirt, exploring over his chest, pulling it up, mourning the loss of Idia’s hands everywhere when he moved them to pull his own shirt over his head. Greeted with the sight of Idia’s exposed torso, Malleus couldn’t find it in himself to be mad when Idia’s hands ran self consciously over his blazing hair rather than returning to Malleus’s body. He looked as though he wished to cross his arms across his chest, stopped only by Malleus’s hands still tracing appreciative patterns in the flesh, sharpened nails circling around his blue nipples - continually fascinated by the extraordinary human. Malleus reluctantly let one hand stray to frantically unbutton his own shirt, not bothering to shake it from his shoulders with far more important matters sitting in his lap.
“You are breathtaking, Idia Shroud,” Malleus whispered, breath still tight in his throat as he grasped Idia’s hips once again, pulling them down to solidify the slow rhythm his own had fallen into. He let his thumbs dip under the prominent hipbones he’d been presented with, his fingers fiddling with the waistband of Idia’s pants. Beyond the teasing, mortifying lectures Lilia had been subjecting both him and Silver to since they’d hit puberty, he hadn’t the slightest idea what he was meant to be doing; presented with the divine sight of Idia Shroud, shirtless and panting, kneeling over his lap with their hips grinding together in a lazy pattern.
For all his bravado, Idia let out a pitiful whimper at Malleus’s words, hands grappling around the back of Malleus’s neck, fingers tangling in his hair, fingernails scraping against his scales. He clung to Malleus’s head, breath still coming out in hot puffs against Malleus’s horns as Malleus pressed his lips against Idia’s bare chest, trying very hard to keep his sharp fangs inside his mouth, to be gentle, against his urge to dig them into the skin laid out before him - to mark his territory. But, he wasn’t sure if Idia was his territory and he was quickly losing any ability to think coherently at all as Idia’s tongue peeked out to brush against the hard exterior of his horn. Whether it was intentional or not, Malleus’s hips reacted on their own, bucking up hard enough that Idia yanked at his hair to keep himself stable. A thick tail wrapped itself around Idia’s calf to help keep him in place.
“You really weren’t kidding, they’re…” Idia whispered in awe, quietly enough that Malleus wasn’t sure the words were even meant for him. The human leaned back in his lap, hands trailing down the front of Malleus’s torso, pushing the shirt just slightly off his shoulders as they went. Idia’s eyes shone with just as much uncertainty as Malleus was feeling. Malleus’s claws were beginning to dig into the soft skin above Idia’s waistband, though he didn’t seem to mind. The fingers that found their way down to dip under Malleus’s own waistband were cold, not unpleasantly so. Those fingers drifted around to the front of Malleus’s pants, fiddled with the buckle of his belt, danced over the straining hardness and Malleus stared into Idia’s eyes, intent not to miss a single expression, even as a strangled moan ripped out of his throat. “You think…” there was a pause. Malleus could hear Idia catch his breath, weighing it in his throat like he was debating what he was about to say, “do you think you could come just from me touching your horns?”
Idia was human, fragile - a fact Malleus tried desperately to remind himself of as his fangs sunk into Idia’s shoulder, blood trickling down between his lips. A litany of growls and grunts and clicks vibrated in the back of his throat, human language evading him at the mere thought of Idia’s proposal. With his fangs still buried in Idia’s flesh, Malleus attempted to nod, a frantic motion that tore at Idia’s skin and ripped a moan from Idia’s mouth that sounded far more pained than Malleus ever wanted him to. He tried to apologize in kisses, pressing his lips reverently against the skin he’d ruined, cleaning the blood with his tongue. Idia was meant to be treasured, cared for, protected. Yet Malleus wanted nothing more than to ruin him. He clicked and chirped into Idia’s shoulder, pleading and begging in a fae tongue Idia’s human ears wouldn’t be able to make sense of. A quiet, amazed laugh fluttered through Malleus’s ears as Idia’s glorious fingers returned to run along the grooves of his horns. Pink flames flickered in and out of his vision. His hips attempted to meet with the intangible pleasure coursing down from his horns, but Idia had shifted too far away, rutting his own need against Malleus’s thigh instead of where Malleus really wanted it. Every sensation Idia administered to his horns felt as though it coursed through Malleus’s entire body. Fingernails scraped every inch of his being, Idia’s tongue teased at his very nerve endings. Idia poked and prodded, looking for all the places Malleus was most sensitive, making him arch up into the man on his lap.
“Please–” Malleus didn’t know what he was asking for, the word coming out in a rumbling grunt deep in his chest. His claws scratched faint lines into Idia’s hips as he dragged them away, cursing in a fae tongue at the elongated nails that got in the way as he tried to undo his belt to offer a bit of relief. An urge he didn’t often feel itched to touch, to be touched, to break the tension that was steadily building within him. A pitiful whimper left his mouth as Idia’s fingers left his horns, though his mouth didn’t stray, tongue still licking at the rough edge of the broken one, sharp teeth scraping the carapace. Malleus snarled, baring his teeth into Idia’s throat when the human’s hands pushed his own off his belt, pinning them weakly to the mattress next to his hips. “Shroud.”
“This is a challenge run,” Idia mumbled to himself in response to Malleus’s growled threat. He left Malleus’s hands next to his hips, apparently content that the dragon would listen to him. One of Idia’s hands lingered along the scales of Malleus’s tail, running down the length of it, while the other grabbed at his unbroken horn, pulling Malleus’s face out of his neck. “Just the horns, remember?”
Idia didn’t have to wait long to fulfill his ‘challenge run’ as he laved his tongue up Malleus’s intact horn before biting down on it, his fingers still dancing along the spikes of his tail, pressing on them and teasing his scales. The tightness in Malleus’s stomach snapped. He keened into the heavy air of Idia’s room, his hips bucking wildly, his tail trying desperately to rip from Idia’s loose grip while also wrapping itself more firmly around Idia’s calf. He hurtled over the edge with some bastardization of Idia’s name on his lips that could have been human language or simply a screech - Malleus couldn’t be sure. He came in the tightness of his pants harder than he thought he was capable of, panting and moaning and whimpering in the aftershocks as Idia kept grinding against his thigh and making his own wonderfully pleased and amazed noises into his horn.
“Holy shit, that’s hot,” whispered earnestly into his ear. The world around him faded in and out of existence in waves of darkness over his vision. Jolt after jolt of sensation rippled through him as Idia’s fingers kept skirting over his horns and tail as if using them for leverage as he rode Malleus’s thigh.
“Stop, wait– please– Idia,” Malleus managed to choke out when it became too much, too strong, too quickly after his release. He couldn’t remember the last time he had lost hold of the leash tied around his emotions and now they circled him, taunting, screaming, feeling too much. Idia’s hips stuttered to a freeze at Malleus’s words and Malleus’s hands finally found purchase on his bare waist once again. It took every remaining ounce of his self control to not dig his claws in like Idia was the only thing keeping him from drowning.
“Sorry. I just– I got carried away. That’s my b, completely. I didn’t– I mean…” Idia ripped his hands away from Malleus’s body, panicked, rambling, and still completely out of breath and hard against Malleus’s leg. With the slight reprieve, Malleus was able to refocus his blurred vision to see Idia’s beautiful golden eyes shot wide with anxiety, the black of his pupils almost encompassing them entirely. His teeth threatened to pierce into his bottom lip as he chewed on it. “Was that bad?”
“No.” Malleus’s voice was torn and raspy from his clicking and chirping and growling. Shaking his head made him dizzy with the residual light-headedness from his orgasm. “It was…” Incredible. Astounding. Divine. “Good, far too good. I was momentarily overwhelmed.” Malleus’s grip tightened on Idia’s waist, hands slipping down to hold his hips, pulling them back down more firmly into his thigh. The sound Idia released could be likened to a mewl as his face contorted with pleasure and Malleus chuckled low in his throat, some semblance of control over the situation returning to him. “I should like to repay you. I wonder… what would be a proper boon?”
“You’re not fair–” Idia whined, cut off by his own moan as Malleus’s thigh came up to meet the filthy grind Malleus’s hands had coaxed him into. Any doubts Malleus may have had about Idia’s capacity for evil were immediately removed as Idia’s hands clawed into his shoulders, digging into his scales. It could have been unintentional, but Malleus didn’t have the rational thought left to consider it as the overstimulation coursed through him, his dicks twitching with reigniting interest in his pants. It took all of his effort to refocus his gaze on Idia’s half-lidded eyes. “I wanna ride you.”
“I do not wish to hurt you.” Malleus leaned in to place a soft, messy kiss on Idia’s cheek, taking a moment to appreciate the way his black lipstick had smeared over Idia’s pale skin, over his face and down his throat to his chest. His vision caught on the red mark on Idia’s shoulder where his fangs had punctured the flesh. He wanted so badly to do anything for Idia’s pleasure. He wanted so badly to be inside Idia. He was so afraid he would tear Idia apart if he wasn’t careful. “I’ve never… I have not done this before. I do not know how to keep you safe, how to control myself.”
“Do you trust me?” Malleus felt silly simply nodding in response to such a question. Of course he trusted Idia. Idia, in large part, was the reason he was still alive and safe after his overblot. Idia had kept the world from turning against him even when it probably should have. Idia was the first and only person he had ever allowed to see him fully lose control of himself. It was not Idia he didn’t trust, it was himself. “K, good. Then, how about you just sit pretty and trust me not to do anything that’ll hurt? ‘Cause I really want you in me, like, immediately.”
“Just promise you will not attempt to take both of them.” Malleus reluctantly commanded his hand to loosen their grip on Idia as he carefully slid off his lap. Widening his legs again so that Idia could stand between them, Malleus’s fingers maintained a fleeting contact with Idia’s abdomen and the tip of his tail brushed up and down his calf.
“Both of–” Idia froze, stock-still where he had begun to undo the fastening of his pants, glancing down toward Malleus’s crotch, eyes sticking there for a long moment. Malleus could barely process as Idia wrestled his way out of his pants and underwear, grabbing something out of his bedside drawer and tossing it onto the blankets next to Malleus before practically toppling back into him as he clambered back to his position on Malleus’s lap. He pressed his face into Malleus’s neck, kissing up the length of his throat, whispering, “SSR pull, seriously. And you want me?”
“I want you more than I am equipped to deal with.” Idia made a strangled noise into Malleus’s mouth in response to his words, sealing them into a kiss with a desperation that startled Malleus into a moan of his own. Malleus’s hand scrambled over Idia’s shoulders, running up and down his arms, overwhelmed by the entirety of Idia’s naked body in his lap and he hadn’t even had the chance to properly observe it. He could feel the wetness of the tip of Idia’s cock against his stomach where it rubbed against him as they kissed, precum spreading over his bare stomach. Malleus breathed heavily into Idia’s mouth as the human pushed his shirt the rest of the way off his shoulders, fingernails scraping over his scales as he did. He let Idia violently pry the fabric off his arms, too impatient to focus enough to do it carefully. It took mere seconds for the shirt to join the growing pile of clothes littering Idia’s floor. Free of the garment, Malleus tangled his fingers in the fiery roots of Idia’s hair, letting the subtle warmth of it flick at his fingers as his tongue explored the inside of Idia’s mouth. Idia’s hands ran over his ribs, cold fingers tracing each slight indentation of his muscles, carefully making their way back down to the waist of his pants. Malleus didn’t bother trying to muffle the pathetic noises he made with anything but Idia’s mouth when Idia’s palm found the front of his pants again, pressing down on him. Arching his back in response to the electricity that coursed through his body, Malleus pushed harder into their messy kiss as Idia’s hand rubbed against his confined members, the friction overstimulating him in a way that skirted the line between intoxicating pain and irresistible pleasure. He was ripped from the kiss by his own gasp as Idia’s hand found the head of one through the stiff fabric. The sensation disappeared in an instant as Idia’s deft fingers left to undo the clasp of his belt, pulling it off and dropping it haphazardly behind him before tugging at the button of the pants.
“This okay?” Idia’s voice was quiet, uncertain as he cautiously toyed with the button, sitting back slightly on Malleus’s thigh to make space between them. Malleus’s mouth tried, unconsciously, to follow Idia’s as he strayed, leaning into him with a quiet noise of protest. He forced his head to nod as he pulled himself back again.
“Yes.” With a new expanse of Idia’s skin on display, Malleus allowed his eyes to roam over him, devouring his features - all pale skin and sharp edges. His dick jutted out, unnaturally beautiful blue tip still kissing at Malleus’s hip. A puff of green flame escaped his lips when Idia’s fingers finally popped open the button of his pants, the vibrations of the zipper being pulled down ran through his body. Even the naked body presented before him could not keep Malleus’s focus away from Idia’s face for long as he zeroed back in on Idia’s sharp teeth, digging into his bottom lip, his eyes scrunched in determination as he barely took the time to push the front of Malleus’s pants out of the way before his hands were diving under his still tacky underwear. A loud groan filled the room as Idia pulled Malleus from his briefs - Malleus wasn’t sure which of them it had come from. Idia’s golden eyes blew wide, mouth falling agape as he looked down at Malleus’s crotch before swallowing thickly. Malleus’s voice felt heavy in his throat. “You are so beautiful.”
“You can’t keep saying things like that or I’m gonna blue screen,” Idia whimpered out, barely at an audible volume, his face flushed the same color as his pink hair. It only made Malleus wish to say more things exactly like that, but he bit them back on his tongue, if only for the sake of Idia’s mental state. Then Idia experimentally traced his finger along the scales of his upper dick and Malleus crumbled into him, whimpering into his shoulder, unable to say anything at all. With his free hand, Idia felt around the covers next to them. Malleus’s foggy mind barely registered the movement as Idia’s thumb circled the head of his cock. His eyes flickered shut, his forehead resting on Idia’s flexing shoulder, as Idia’s hand carefully explored the lengths of both his members, as if taking stock of their size.
A chirping, reptilian whine escaped him when the hand disappeared. The sound of a bottle popping open and the feeling of Idia’s body moving just slightly away from him caused his hands to clutch at Idia’s waist and his eyes to shoot open again to fix him with a pleading look. Idia’s adorable smile was laced with insecurity as Malleus watched him coat his fingers with the liquid from the bottle. His eyes darted around Malleus’s face before he chuckled quietly under his breath and leaned in to press a kiss against Malleus’s horn, which had him whining again, claws digging into Idia’s hips, eyes losing their vision. Idia’s mouth moved down toward the point of his ear as his body shifted on top of him, dislodging Malleus’s hands and knocking them down to tangle in the blankets beside them. Malleus’s eyes clenched themselves even more firmly shut as Idia nipped at his ear, puffing out a grunt that sounded like it had been held hostage in his throat with his breath.
He managed to force his eyes open again when Idia’s quiet noises retreated from his ear as he leaned back in Malleus’s lap with a louder moan. The vision he was graced with captured the breath from his lungs and stunted the beating of his heart in his chest. Idia, haloed by his own pink and blue inferno of hair flickering and dancing behind him, was grinding back on his own fingers behind him where Malleus, regrettably, could not see. His hips rocked forward and back rhythmically like they had been against his own moments ago, driving his own fingers further into his body while his eyes rolled up, his mouth hanging open and releasing little grunts and whines. One of Malleus’s hands unconsciously found its way to his own dicks, dragging his long claws along his scales, while the other came back up to grip at Idia’s thigh. Those brilliant golden eyes refocused on him. Idia groaned louder at the sight of Malleus’s hand working over himself.
“No chance you could–” Idia’s voice was breathy and he cut himself off with a moan as his hips canted back, “put those claws away and help?”
Malleus growled as he tried to focus; tried to regain a handle on his form. His tail squeezed around Idia’s leg with the effort, his claws only dug into pale skin more. His magic felt like it was sparking out of control. If not for his broken horn, Malleus was certain he’d have rendered every electronic device in the room completely useless by now and a storm would be raging outside. As it was he could feel the sparks in his fingertips, magic attempting to arc between his hands, longing for somewhere to go. Idia yelped above him, his side instinctively shrinking from where Malleus had inadvertently shocked him. Snatching his hand back, terrified he’d hurt Idia, Malleus shook his head with a scowl. “I’ll have to work on it. Did I hurt you?”
“It just tickled more than anything, kinda want you to do it inside me…” Idia’s chuckle was laced with another quiet moan before he froze like he couldn’t believe he had just said that about Malleus Draconia’s magic - which, to be fair, it surprised Malleus as well. He was even more surprised to learn that he wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea, assuming he could ensure his ability to do so safely. His hand carefully returned to Idia’s hip, encouraging him to move again. With an uncertain look like Idia had just remembered what was actually happening and still couldn’t believe it, Idia slowly circled his hips again, continuing to finger himself open, stretching himself in ways Malleus yearned to help with. He’d get a handle on it, he promised himself. Next time, he would be able to pull Idia’s sighs and whimpers out himself. He silently begged Idia for there to be a ‘next time,’ pressing a kiss to the skin just under the jut of his collarbone.
The minute or so Malleus spent watching Idia gasp and pull pleasure from himself atop his lap while Malleus could do nothing more than stroke himself to keep from exploding felt like it stretched on for an eternity. The intermittent jolts Idia’s body made when he’d hit a certain spot with his fingers had Malleus squeezing at the base of his cocks, desperate for this not to end before Idia got what he wanted - what they both wanted. Malleus’s fog-ridden brain barely comprehended when Idia reached for the bottle again, easing himself off his fingers and nudging Malleus’s hand out of the way. Malleus complied in a haze, hands finding the dips of Idia’s waist once more as Idia’s slick hand ran down the length of his upper dick with no warning. A cold liquid spread out over him, administered sloppily by Idia’s hand. Whatever calculated movements Idia had been making were gone, replaced with an eagerness as he shifted back on Malleus’s lap, spilling the excess of liquid he’d poured into his hand between them. Malleus’s breath shuddered, his back arching and hips tilting up into Idia’s touch despite the cold stickiness as Idia’s fingers caught on his scales. The wetness spread to the front of Malleus’s pants, still in the way, though Malleus couldn’t find it in himself to care. Idia lifted himself up on his knees with a slight nod and Malleus found himself entirely unprepared for the feeling of Idia’s entrance brushing against his tip. He nearly lost control of himself again at the sensation.
“Wait.” Malleus’s fingers tightened on Idia’s hips, halting his downward motion. “Are you absolutely certain this won’t hurt you?”
“Malleus–” His name fell from Idia’s lips in a whine, desperation drawing out the syllables on his tongue as his hips shifted in Malleus’s firm grasp, teasing at the tip of his upper dick, letting it catch on the slick rim with each back and forth. “For the love of the Seven, please just let me ride you.” Something in Malleus’s expression must have given away his apprehension as Idia leaned down to press his lips against the crest of scales on Malleus’s forehead before his lips skirted the shell of his pointed ear. “I promise this’ll feel good for both of us, just trust me,” he whispered, reaching behind himself to take Malleus in his hand.
Malleus let his fingers loosen, letting Idia move more freely as he carefully aligned Malleus with his hole. Breath caught in his throat as warmth sunk down onto him. Idia let out little grunts and whimpers, his breath hot against Malleus’s ear. Malleus felt everything. The tightness of Idia’s inner walls as he clenched around him, the shivering of Idia’s thighs from the exertion of not dropping fast into his lap, the way the tip of his lower cock brushed against the small of Idia’s back, the fingernails Idia was scraping over the spikes on his spine. He held impressively still, using every ounce of his self control not to push his hips up, to fully imbed himself in the warmth that was Idia Shroud. He didn’t breathe until Idia was seated fully in his lap, barely an inch of their bodies not touching. When he finally allowed himself to breathe again, he was all but panting into Idia’s neck, air catching with each tiny movement of Idia’s hips as he got comfortable, adjusting to the size of Malleus within him. He closed his eyes, fingers digging into Idia’s sides in his effort not to move.
“Shroud. You–” He wanted to praise him again, tell him how magnificent he was, but the words got lost in his throat and he only groaned into Idia’s throat when Idia lifted up only an inch or two before dropping down again experimentally. Idia hummed, seemingly pleased with either the sensation or his ability to stop Malleus from complimenting him again. “Idia–”
He was wrenched from his burrow in Idia’s neck with a still slick hand on his intact horn, ripping an inhuman screech from his throat. Idia’s fingers ran over the grooves of his horn, compounding with the sensation around his dick as they stared at one another. Idia’s eyes gleamed with wonder and disbelief as he bit his lip. Then they were kissing again, all tongues and teeth and spit and Idia was moving. That tightness was twitching around him as Idia slowly bounced in his lap, thighs still shaking like they were threatening to give out at any moment. Malleus spread his fingers over the backs of them in a show of support - though it was all he could do as he was caught in the whirlwind of pleasure from Idia’s hands on his horns, Idia’s mouth crashing into his, Idia’s tongue tangled with his own, Idia’s body going faster, falling harder, Idia’s gasps spilling into his mouth each time the angle changed. Their mouths struggled to stay connected as Idia rolled his hips with Malleus buried deep inside him. They broke apart as Idia’s moaned loudly, rolling his hips to hit whatever angle he’d just found again and again.
“This isn’t gonna – nngh – last long…” Idia groaned into Malleus’s open mouth. Under Malleus’s hands he could feel the violent quivering of Idia’s thighs, unable to raise him up again as he desperately ground down on Malleus’s top dick, the other caught underneath his body, burning from the friction. Malleus growled, hands once again grabbing around Idia’s waist. Some instinct within him begged to claim, to take control, to have Idia in every way he possibly could.
“Will you allow me…?” Malleus let his instincts ask, his hazy desires drowning out his better reason and fear of harming Idia. His hands tightened around Idia’s waist, lifting him up himself and dropping him down again. He was rewarded with a broken whimper and a litany of pleads and ‘pleases’ and begging whines as Idia’s hands grappled at Malleus’s horns, scraping over them, fingers dancing along the sharp points and dangerous edges.
“Please, Malleus–” Idia cut himself off with a high-pitched hum as Malleus guided him up and down his cock again, manhandling him the way Idia’s thighs didn’t have the strength to anymore. “Right there! Fuck– Fuck me, please–”
Malleus attempted to maintain whatever angle he’d found, but he wasn’t sure it mattered as Idia devolved into a whimpering, begging mess in his lap with the next two thrusts. Malleus’s hands twitched as he raced toward his own climax, his thrusts failing to keep a rhythm, his hands almost losing their grasp on Idia’s waist as Idia’s own hands drew wave after wave of pleasure from his horns. It didn’t take long before Idia was tightening around him, a keening whine of Malleus’s name spilling over his lips as he came between them. That was enough to send Malleus over the edge a second time, thrusting up hard into Idia and filling him, biting down on Idia’s shoulder once more, restraining himself just enough not to break the skin again.
Laving his tongue over Idia’s skin, Malleus sat perfectly still, attempting to regain his own breath as Idia panted heavily in his ear, hands falling from his horns as his whole body seemed to melt in his lap. Malleus carefully pressed kisses over every inch of Idia’s torso he could find, hands reaching up to run through his beautiful, fiery hair as it flicked from pink back to blue; what had been a raging inferno calming down to a gentle simmer.
“Fuck… That was…” Idia whispered when his voice finally returned, and Malleus was inclined to agree with the sentiment. With less than willing hands, Malleus gently lifted Idia up again, off him, watching Idia wince at the scales rubbing against his sensitive walls and grimace at the feeling of Malleus’s spend leaking out of him. He helped Idia lie down on his bed, frowning at the mess they’d made. If not for his broken horn, cleaning it would have been trivial. Between his current foggy state and his already unstable magic, however, he couldn’t risk accidentally freezing Idia to his bed or frying all his precious electronics. Idia chuckled tiredly at Malleus’s expression, waving a hand and Malleus felt the familiar sensation of magic thread through the air as the mess vanished from their stomachs and the blankets, barely leaving faint, dark marks in the fabric where it had been. The casual display of magic without even looking for a magestone reminded Malleus how powerful Idia truly was - it was easy to forget when Idia hardly found cause to show off, much more interested in technomancy than traditional magic. Standing on weak legs, Malleus redid the fastening of his pants, silently thanking Idia for the dry underwear as he carefully tucked himself away again. Idia was staring at him when he turned around again, golden eyes wide, body curled in on itself where he’d tucked himself under his blankets. His phone was in his hand, though he wasn’t looking at it as their eyes met and he dropped it to the pillow next to him. His voice was quiet and unsure when he spoke again, so unlike the Idia who had just taken charge moments ago, “are you gonna leave?”
“Would you like me to?” Malleus hadn’t considered leaving. The desire within him was burning to tuck himself under Idia’s blankets, curl up next to him, and never let him go - but, he hadn’t asked Idia if that’s what he wanted. He glanced down at the rest of his discarded clothes, then at the closed door. He took a deep breath. “I would like to stay, if you’ll allow me.”
He was graced with a small smile and an action Malleus had once heard Lilia refer to as ‘grabby hands’ in response and he didn’t waste a second before crawling into bed with Idia. He’d barely even settled down before a tired Idia was sprawled over his chest, fingers lazily circling the scales on his shoulders.
“You didn’t cast your signature spell again, right?” Idia mumbled into his chest. They both knew it wasn’t a serious question - Malleus couldn’t cast his signature spell right now if he wanted to - and Malleus only hummed, pressing a kiss to the top of Idia’s head, almost wondering the same thing. Idia’s body pressed against his side and Malleus noted he’d put his own underwear back on at some point when his back had been turned. He wanted to keep this forever and a pang of sadness ran through him. He held the sadness close in his heart as he kissed over Idia’s forehead, temple, eyelids.
“Idia Shroud.” Idia looked up at him, eyes bright and questioning. “I wish to court you.”
“Court me? What is this, a period drama?” It seemed Idia couldn’t stop himself from snickering at Malleus’s words. A pout rose to Malleus’s lips in response. Idia’s eyes softened at the expression and he reached up to poke Malleus’s cheek. “Sorry, yeah, sure, your highness. You can ‘court me,’ whatever that entails. Just don’t go asking my parents for their blessing or something.” Idia paused for a moment before continuing, “unless you tell me beforehand and I can grab some popcorn.”
They lapsed into silence as Malleus hummed an affirmative noise, nuzzling farther into Idia’s warm hair. Malleus’s hands rubbed circled into Idia’s bare hips under the blankets and a lullaby unconsciously flowed from his lips in a quiet hum that was mostly muffled in Idia’s gentle flames. The comfort and joy of the moment nestled in next to the sadness he’d wrapped up in his heart.
“Wait,” Idia sat up abruptly, disrupting Malleus from his comfortable position wrapped around him and interrupting his lullaby with an offended noise. One of Idia’s hands slapped against Malleus’s sternum as he went, knocking the air out of him in a shocked huff, “I don’t have to, like, ask Lilia for his blessing or anything, right?”
“Lilia is not my father,” Malleus responded with a confused scowl, silently begging Idia to lay back down.
“Eh, he’s close enough. And there’s no universe where you’re getting me to talk to your grandma.” Idia shuddered as if even the thought of speaking with Queen Maleficia terrified him. Idia kept muttering to himself like he was working up the nerve to go tell Lilia they were dating right then and there and Malleus growled, pulling Idia back down into his chest.
“Rest, Shroud. Asking for their blessing would not matter anyway, I’ve already made up my mind.”