#some of the background stuff was too modern but also some was spot on | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

zorinanana · 2 years ago

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Kiss Me in the Dark is another illustrated fanfiction I made a couple months ago. It takes place in the same continuity as Like a Glass Bottle, but it's a completely separate story that doesn't really connect to that one. I also wrote this before Chapter 7 Part 1 or the Sunset Savanna event came out so there's some parts that definitely diverge from canon. There are also spoilers for chapter 6, by the way.

Rating: M (Strong language, suggestive content, A LOT of mentions of suicide and self-harm)

Pairings: Leona/Idia, background Malleyuu

Content Warnings: This story pretty much revolves around suicidal ideation, depression, and self-harm. I am serious, you probably don't want to read it you have a hard time with that stuff.

Word Count: Long as Fuck (~55k words)

“You’re beautiful.” Leona breathed.

Idia’s eyes blew wide. He tried to step back, but Leona stopped him with a touch to his cheek. Idia stared down into his upside-down eyes, searching for something. Maybe an escape.

“…I’m not.” Idia said. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“No.”

“You’re a jerk. You’re a mean kittycat.” Idia whispered, leaning closer. “And you’re a liar, too.”

“I’m not lyin’.” Leona replied.

“Then say it again. Convince me this time.” Idia’s lips hovered over his. Leona felt the warmth of his breath, of his hair spilling over the back of the futon and covering them like a curtain.

“You’re beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beauti-”

Before he could say it again, Idia silenced him with his lips.

Chapter 1 - Beautiful

Parked by a small, secluded beach on the west coast of the Kingdom of Heroes, a shiny new camper reflected the brilliant oranges and blues of the sunset. It had been built to look vintage, but a closer look revealed distinctly modern features and artificial wear and tear. Its owner had bought it because he knew that its kitschy fakeness would make people mad. He leaned against the fence separating the lot from the beach, watching the last of the beachgoers pack up their umbrellas and beach chairs. Parents carried their sleeping toddlers on their backs, ignoring him as they walked past.

Leona exhaled slowly, letting the smoke from his cigarette drift into the air in a dirty spiral. It stood out against the vibrant colors of the sky, a nasty blemish that soon dissolved into nothingness. It was almost poetic, in a way, but he would never write it down or say it out loud.

He hadn’t come to the beach for any particular reason. He didn’t even have a swimsuit on him. He had no reason to be here, or there, or anywhere.

Leona had been on the road for a good four months now, out of the Sunset Savanna, through deserts and mountain ranges and cities of all sizes, eventually making his way here. This wasn’t his final destination. He didn’t know what that would be, yet. He’d figure it out as he went along.

As long as he wasn’t home.

The parking lights began to flicker on as the sun sank further below the horizon. Leona flicked the butt of his cigarette against the asphalt, stomping it out with one of his heavy boots.

As night fell, the air grew chilly. Leona sighed, slipping back into his vehicle. Time to figure out what he was going to do next.

Despite its relatively small size, the camper was pretty cozy. He and Ruggie had customized the thing to hell and back. Most of the back was taken up with a kitchenette and a tiny bathroom, along with stairs up to the lofted bed. Way in the back, under the loft, hid a little nook with a loveseat for reading or just lounging around. There used to be a TV mounted there, but they’d taken it out after they had gotten back.

Souvenirs from their trip still hung from the rearview mirror and covered any stable service. He’d bolted a makeshift shelf to the wall where a bunch of tacky bobbleheads now wiggled aimlessly. It was cheesy, sure, but who was going to care? It was one of the last good memories he had.

Speaking of Ruggie. Leona pulled his phone out of his pocket, intending to open it and check the map for good spots to eat and sleep. But before he could, he saw the multiple missed calls from his friend-slash-employee.

“Can’t wait to find out what this is about.” He grumbled, despite knowing exactly what it was about. He dialed Ruggie back and waited.

“Boss! Your brother is pissed.” Was the first thing he said, his voice frantic.

“What else is new.” Leona answered.

“I’m serious, Leona. He’s about to go on the warpath.” Leona could hear the hyena whipping his head around to check that he wasn’t being overheard. “They found out you’ve been gone and now they’re asking him questions about it.”

“You guys still haven’t told them?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not part of my fucking job description!” Ruggie scoffed. “I’m already on thin ice with your brother, why would I stick my neck out just to get more people mad at me?! I need this job, Leona!”

“You know I’d give you a good recommendation. I wouldn’t leave you high-and-dry like that.” Leona rolled his eyes. Yeah, maybe he was being a baby. But Ruggie knew more about the situation than anyone and Leona thought that he, at least, would understand.

“Would still love to not get kicked out of the palace and give my grandma a heart attack, thanks.” Ruggie replied. “I can’t afford to be looking for another job.”

“Then I’ll pay you from my personal account until you find one.”

“That’s not the fucking point, Leona!” Ruggie growled in exasperation. “God! Do you rich people ever think of anyone other than yourselves?!”

“Ruggie, calm down.” Leona sighed. “I’ll tell them personally, okay? Tell Falena I’ll call tomorrow.”

“You’d better not mess this up for me.” Ruggie replied, but Leona knew he would do it.

“You know he’d still fire you if he ever heard you talking to me like that, right?”

“Honestly, it’d be worth it. I’d go out with a bang. Really cuss you out over all the shit you’ve put me through.”

“Don’t know what I’d do without ya, Ruggie.”

“Bite me.” The phone went silent as Ruggie hung up. Leona stared at the darkened device, thinking. He was running out of options. It seems he couldn’t pretend to be sick or out on “business” anymore.

Slumping against the leather driver’s seat, he let his phone drop to the floor. He hadn’t felt this pathetic in years. Not since he’d met Yuu and the others and gotten his ass kicked by a bunch of kids.

Through his windshield he watched the sun wink out of existence. He kicked his heel back, hearing a hollow “thud” from the metal safe he’d been keeping under the driver’s seat. Ruggie had suggested it for hiding weed in if they ever got pulled over. He just needed a reminder that it was there.

He could still do it. This was a nice enough spot, and the beach was nearly empty. Nobody would be there to stop him setting up, and they wouldn’t find him until the next morning. But he didn’t get up. That cowardly side of himself had grabbed hold of him, pinning him down. He tried to breathe, waiting for something to change. He never knew which direction the scales would tip.

Leona’s phone buzzed in his hand. He sighed and lifted it to his ear.

“What is it now, Ruggie?”

“Um, I’m not Ruggie.”

“Idia?” Confused, Leona double-checked the name on his caller ID. Yep, there it was, “radish sprout”. “You never actually call people.”

He tried to remember the last time he’d heard Idia’s voice. They still texted sometimes and played online chess in their spare time. But Leona didn’t get much opportunity to hang out with schoolmates these days, so many years after dropping out. Last he had heard, Idia had just finished up his engineering degree at some fancy school in the Sunshine Lands.

“I, uh… Didn’t think I should ask this over text.” Leona could hear other people on the other end of the line. He could picture Idia perfectly, sitting somewhere public with his legs scrunched into his chest, a bundle of nervous energy.

“The truth is, I need a huge favor.”

“…Why are you askin’��me?” He winced at his own rough questioning. Damn it, Idia would definitely take that the wrong way.

“…Oh, silly me. Of course the prince of the Sunset Savanna himself wouldn’t have time for a loser like me…”

“Shut the fuck up, I didn’t mean it like that.” Leona sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, more annoyed with himself than Idia. “I just know you have other options that you’d rather ask for help from first. Y’know, like Yuu or Azul.”

“They can’t help me.” Idia answered. “Azul is working down in the Coral Sea right now, and Yuu is… Well, they’re busy.”

“And you think I’m not busy?”

“I know you’re not busy.”

“Fuck.” Leona grumbled.

“Look, just forget it. This was a stupid idea.” Idia’s vice sounded shaky. Leona felt a pang of guilt and grimaced. Damn it, he knew Idia well enough by now to understand the way he was. He wouldn’t have called for help unless he really needed it.

“I didn’t say ‘no’, yet. Just tell me what it is.”

“…So my parents just disowned me.”

“What the fuck.” That was not what he expected.

“I know.” Idia said, dejected.

Leona’s eyes widened. He ran a hand through his bushy hair, trying to process what he was hearing. What could Idia have done to get disowned?

“…They only let me study engineering because they expected me to come home and keep working for S.T.Y.X.” Idia began, as if he could read Leona’s mind. “But I’ve been applying to other companies, and I got an offer. And they found out.”

“Shit.” Leona growled. After everything that had happened, they were still at it with him. It was just so… unjust. Unfair. Idia had never deserved that, and he didn’t deserve it now.

“You know this is just a power play, right? They need you more than you need them.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.” Idia replied. “That’s why I… I’m not gonna give in. Not this time. So I just need a place to stay for a little while. Just until my new job starts.”

“…Where are you right now?”

“At an airport in the Kingdom of Heroes.”

“Good, I shouldn’t be far. Text me the address, I’ll get there.”

Idia spluttered in surprise. “Leona?! You’re really going to-”

“What, you were expecting me to say no?” He scoffed, sitting up in the driver’s seat and turning the key. The vehicle rumbled to life, ready to go. “I’m not that much of an asshole.”

“Y-You don’t have to rush right here! I can make do for one night!”

“Not like I’ve got much else to do.” Besides killing myself. He added, silently.

“Nevermind, you don’t have to. You don’t have to! Th-this is a waste of your time, I’ll just figure something else out, I’ll-”

“Idia.” Leona interrupted him. He wished he could look him in the eyes right now, he could easily picture how terrified he must be. “I want to help. You ain’t a waste of time.”

That was part of the reason, yes. But it was also a way for him to stop thinking about the things he was keeping under his driver’s seat.

“…Thank you.” Idia mumbled. “I… I really appreciate it.”

“Damn right you do. I’m living in a van right now, by the way. Hope that’s not a problem.”

“What? Why?!”

“Long story. Tell you later.”

---

When he finally reached the airport six hours later, the first thing he noticed was that Idia had cut his hair.

He’d cleaned up a lot, actually. He’d put on slacks and a well-fitted shirt for once, instead of hiding himself away in a pile of baggy clothes. All he had with him were one suitcase and a duffel bag. Leona honked the horn as he got closer, startling him into nearly dropping his phone. He laughed at the glare Idia gave him through the window.

As Idia slid open the side door to throw his suitcase inside, he took a moment to look the inside of the camper over. He seemed impressed. “Wow. When you said ‘van’ I wasn’t expecting this space-defying pocket dimension.”

“I’ll give you the grand tour once we’re outta here.” Idia stepped inside, sliding the door shut behind him. He tried to wedge his suitcase into the little reading nook in the back where it wouldn’t be jostled around too much.

“You got a haircut?” Leona remarked when he finally sat down. It still looked messy, but that was probably because he’d been stuck at the airport for so long.

“Y-Yeah. Does it look gross?”

“How would a haircut look gross?”

“I… dunno, actually.” Idia let out a little laugh. He reached up to grab a loose curl of hair. “This is just the first time anyone outside of the Island of Woe has seen me like this.”

“It looks good.” Strange, but good. Idia’s long-haired look was certainly unique, but it probably attracted more attention than he wanted. It hadn’t made much sense that he had kept it like that in the first place.

“Y-You don’t mean that.” Idia looked away and hid his face behind his palm, a new habit he must have developed since he couldn’t hide behind his hair anymore. He pulled his hoodie from the duffel bag at his feet and slipped it on. Leona wasn’t sure why, but he felt a strange sense of relief that he still had it.

“You really need to learn how to take a compliment.” Leona sighed. With Idia buckled in and everything loaded up, he pulled out of the passenger loading area.

Leona navigated out of the maze of airport traffic and pulled onto the highway. “When was the last time you ate anything?”

“…Um…”

“Okay, so food first, got it.”

“W-Wait, I didn’t get to answer!” Idia protested.

“So what’s the answer?” Leona raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t look away from the road.

“…I grabbed some chips from the airport convenience store, but as for real food, it was the night before last. I had dinner with my parents.” From the corner of his eye, Leona saw him fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie. “I was kinda happy about it too, like an idiot. I don’t usually get to eat with them. But they must have already known by then.”

“What about Ortho?”

“Ortho’s fine. He’s at school.” Idia perked up. “Oh, yeah, he decided to go to the same university as me. He doesn’t need to, but I’m glad he did. He’s made lots of friends.”

“No shit? What does a robot study in university, exactly?” Leona asked.

“You’re not going to believe this, but photography.”

“Photography?”

“Yeah!” Idia turned in his seat. He was finally smiling, just a little bit. “He got really into cinematography and stuff like that in Vil’s film club. And he’s good at it, too! I can show you his portfolio when you’re not driving.”

“Huh. Sure, sounds interesting.”

After a moment of silence, Leona asked:

“Does he know what happened yet?”

Idia didn’t answer right away, but his head dropped just a little.

“No. He’d go berserk if he knew.”

“Hm.”

Idia shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as if he was expecting a lecture. Leona rolled his eyes. He knew he couldn’t judge. He’d never had a relationship with his own brother like the Shrouds’, but he could imagine how embarrassed Idia must be right now.

And… He was doing the same thing, so getting on Idia’s case would just make him a hypocrite.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Some fast food garbage would be great.” Idia answered. He’d started staring out the window at the deep black sky, even though there was nothing to see with all this light pollution. “I haven’t had any in ages.”

The streetlights lining the highway cast a warm glow through the window on Idia’s melancholy face, blotting in and out as they passed each one. It was nostalgic, almost. It reminded Leona of falling asleep in the back of one of his family’s cars after a long day out, his head resting against his big brother’s shoulder.

Leona tried to think of what to say. Years ago, when he first met Idia, he wouldn’t have cared about what happened. But now, after they’d worked together and become something like friends, he had too many questions and no idea how to ask them. If he wasn’t careful, Idia would shut down and retreat into his little introvert zone, and good fucking luck getting him out of there.

So he said nothing, idly kicking his free foot against the metal box under his seat.

---

Idia had barely started on his food by the time Leona finished scarfing down his two double cheeseburgers. He’d been driving non-stop since sunset, and he could feel his energy starting to flag. The restaurant they’d settled in was nearly empty this early in the morning, the only other occupant a tired cashier blatantly scrolling on her phone as she leaned against the counter.

“You look like hell.” Idia remarked.

“Could say the same to you.” Leona snapped back.

Idia rolled his eyes. Before S.T.Y.X., he never would’ve done something like that. At least not to his face.

“You know what I mean. Were you on the road this whole time?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Leona laughed and snatched a fry from Idia’s tray, ignoring the glare he got for it. “Stop eating so slow. It’s survival of the fittest out here.”

“We’re in a McDonald’s. There’s a playground for toddlers outside.”

“And what do you think happens to the ones who can’t find their way out of the tubes?”

“Pfft.” Idia tried to conceal his smile by taking a big bite out of his own burger.

He didn’t speak again until he had finished chewing. “I can drive, so you can take a break. I don’t know where you’re going, though.”

“That makes two of us.”

Idia looked confused. “You don’t know?!”

“Can’t a guy just fuck off for a while and have an adventure?” Leona leaned back in the restaurant booth, grinning at the man across from him.

“Sure, but a prince? Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me the whole story?” Pouting, Idia leaned forward to glare at him.

“Don’t we have more important things to worry about? Like what you’re gonna do.” Idia stared down at his food. Leona swallowed nervously. His deflection had worked, but he couldn’t help but feel bad about it.

“I accepted a job offer a week ago.” Idia explained, still not looking up. “I was supposed to start next month.”

“So let’s get you there, then.” Leona decided. “Where is it?”

“It’s, uh.” He finally lifted his head, sheepish. “They’re working on this big project in, well. The Sunset Savanna.”

Well, fuck.

---

He was going to have to go back eventually. At least, that was what he tried to tell himself. He was doing the right thing, doing a favor for Idia like this. And it might be fun. At least it wouldn’t be boring.

Once Idia stopped moping around, anyway. They had gotten a hotel room for the night, and all he was doing was sitting on his bed and staring at his phone, not texting or browsing the internet or anything. Leona felt like he should be worried, but all he could think about was how funny Idia’s hair looked after a shower. He’d never thought about what magic curse fire looks like when it gets wet.

“You’re gonna stare a hole in that thing.” He finally remarked.

“I’m trying to figure out what to tell Ortho.” Idia mumbled. “He’s starting his junior year soon and I don’t want him to think he needs to come and look after me.”

“So just tell him that.” Leona yawned. He took up a familiar pose lounging on his own bed, staring lazily in Idia’s direction. “He’ll listen to you, at least.”

“Have you met Ortho?” Idia scoffed. “Half the time I have no clue what’s going through his head, and I’m the one who made him.”

“He trusts you, though.” If there was one thing Leona was sure of, it was that. He’d seen the way they both doted on each other. If Idia said he needed space, Ortho would give it to him.

Idia sighed, but he didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, he finally unlocked his phone and typed something out.

“There, it’s done.” He stood and tossed his phone back on the bed. “Now I’m gonna do my dailies and go the fuck to sleep.”

“That’s a nerd thing, right? Sounds like a nerd thing.”

“Dailies. Daily tasks you can do for extra rewards in-game. I’ve only got a trackpad though, so I’ll have to do it with one of the braindead jobs that don’t require a mouse. DPS it is.”

“I wasn’t asking for an explanation.” Leona groaned, but he filed away the info for later. Just in case he needed it. Peeking one eye open, he glanced into Idia’s open suitcase as he rummaged around for his laptop. He was a little surprised to see it actually had clothes in it, mostly, but a couple board games and a chessboard had been stuffed in there, too.

The chessboard seemed familiar, and after a moment, it struck him. It was the one he’d given Idia for his birthday. The pieces must’ve been stored away in the little blue velvet pouch that had been taped to it.

“You actually kept that old thing?”

“Huh?” Idia looked up at him, then followed his gaze to the chessboard. “Well, yeah. It’s a nice chess set.”

After a moment, a familiar toothy grin appeared on his face. “Aww, are you embarrassed or something? You don’t like that I’m still carrying around evidence of your deredere side?”

“Shut up. I just thought you said it was too fancy to play with.”

“It is, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it.” He faced away from Leona, the ends of his hair turning pink. “I didn’t get a lot of time to pack. I just grabbed whatever important stuff I had.”

Important. Out of all the games, merch and personal belongings Idia had left behind, he’d decided that that chess set was important enough to keep with him. Leona didn’t know what to think about it. He couldn’t tell if he was feeling flattered or sick.

He rolled over, facing the wall, staring at the slowly blinking thermostat. “What a waste. You coulda used that room for your clown suit.” He laughed.

Idia threw a pillow at him.

---

Five Years Ago

Leona woke with a start. It took a moment to decipher where he was as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Nearby shelves were covered in empty glass containers and lab equipment, and the soft surface beneath him felt like the old futon they had dragged in here for a makeshift break area.

He must be in the overflow lab that their group had taken over for their portal project. No wonder he hadn’t recognized it, he had never fallen asleep in here before. Groaning, he sat up. Something soft had been draped across his chest, and when he pulled it away from himself, he was surprised to see the familiar patterns on Idia’s hoodie.

“Oh, good morning. Or evening? Oh, no, wait, it is morning. It’s 3AM.”

The boy in question sat at a lab table behind him, typing away with only the blue light of his high-tech laptop for illumination.

“You’re gonna ruin your pathetic little herbivore eyes.” Leona remarked.

“Shows what you know. My last eye test said I had 20/20 vision.” Idia grinned smugly, but he didn’t look away from his screen.

“Why didn’t any of you wake me up?” Leona asked. He remembered what had happened, now, he had dozed off in the middle of Azul telling them about his latest “acquisition” of dangerous (and probably illegal, not that he cared) materials.

“Yuu told us you haven’t left in like three days.” Idia answered. “So we thought you needed the rest.”

“How the fuck would they know that?” He grumbled. Standing, he let out a long yawn to cover up how annoyed he felt. Figures that Yuu would still be butting into his business, even though they were barely talking anymore.

“They’re here almost as much as you are, and no offense, but you kinda stink. You should go back to your dorm and take a shower.”

“What a waste of time.” Leona sighed. He balled up Idia’s hoodie and tossed it towards him.

“Hey!” Idia yelped when it slapped against his face. “Fine, if you want something to do, check these measurements for me. You have to promise to leave after this, though.”

He slid a few papers across the table. Leona picked them up, scanning over them.

“You’ve been here a longass time, too.”

“Not as long as you. I got some sleep yesterday afternoon. These are peak work hours for me.”

“Weirdo.” Leona picked up a pen and circled two spots. “Go over these again. They’re close, but they could be more precise.”

“Huh? You can read that when it’s this dark?” Idia looked up from his screen, confused.

“Beastman, remember?” Leona tapped the side of his head beside his left eye. “I can see everything in here.”

A weird smile crept across Idia’s face. Leona felt a shiver go up his spine. “Just like a kittycat~” He crooned.

“Call me that again and you’re fucking dead.” Leona growled, tossing the papers back on the table. Idia chuckled, smiling at him knowingly. “What’s so damn funny?”

“You still think I’m scared of you.” Idia propped his head up on his hand, still grinning. It was infuriating. “We all know you’re a sweetheart, deep down.”

Leona huffed. “Don’t go telling everyone. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

“Why not? Your popularity would skyrocket if your moe side was public knowledge.”

“Whatever fucking nerd thing you just said to me, I don’t care. I don’t want to be popular.” Leona growled.

“Yeah, I get it.” Idia turned back to his screen. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Leona frowned. Idia was just going to… Wave him off like that? Acting all smug, like he had won some game they were playing? He couldn’t just take that lying down.

So he snatched the laptop, slapped it shut, and tossed it on the futon out of Idia’s reach.

“H-Hey!” Idia squeaked.

“Oh, damn. Sure is dark in here.” Leona said. “Shame about your sad little herbivore eyes.”

“First of all, humans are omnivores,” Idia huffed, stumbling out of his chair. He glared in Leona’s general direction. “Second, you’re an asshole, and third, I can see your eyes just fine, kittycat.”

“Fat lot of good that’s gonna do you.” Leona taunted. “What, you gonna fight me?”

Idia leapt at him, Leona sidestepped him easily, watching him stumble into the back of the futon. Then he reached out and grabbed a fistful of Idia’s hair, not pulling it, just holding it.

“Let go of me, you-!”

“Naaaaw.” Leona tugged at his hair, but not too hard. He wanted to annoy Idia, not actually hurt him. The flames crackled in his fist irritably, transitioning into a red hue at the tips. Leona knew from the times Vil had fussed over Idia’s hair that it couldn’t burn him, but it still felt warm in his hand.

He shouldn’t have been focusing so much on that, though, because Idia grasped his own hair like a rope and jerked him forward, jumping out of the way at the last second.

Leona rolled over the back of the futon, landing with a surprised yell on the seat. He heard the laptop fall and slide across the floor of the lab to god-knows-where. Idia yelped in pain too, and he looked up to realize that he was still pulling on a fistful of blue hair.

“Owowowow! What the fuck, Leona!” Idia hissed. The pained look on his face jolted him back to his senses. He let the mass of hair go, and Idia bundled it up in his arms, stroking it like a sad animal.

The sight was bizarre enough to make Leona laugh, despite the guilty feeling in his chest.

“I’m glad my pain is so funny to you.” Idia grumbled. “Now will you please leave me alone?”

“Why would I do that, when it’s so fun to mess with you?” He replied, gazing backwards up at him. Idia could only barely see his shit-eating grin in the glow of his hair. He was pouting.

“I thought we were friends.” Idia sighed.

Leona felt something grip his heart painfully.

Idia was joking, he knew, but some little shard of doubt had begun to jab into his skin. Idia… was a friend, right? There weren’t a lot of people Leona felt he could say that about. Ruggie, sure. They understood each other in a way that other people didn’t, despite the differences in their personalities and upbringing. Jack, sure. He was a good kid who worked hard, and he was entertaining to have around. Epel, probably. He was funny, and his passion helped keep everyone else motivated.

Yuu? Leona… Wasn’t so sure about that anymore. He was here to help them, but he knew that the way they were ignoring each other was making everyone uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize, still. Or if he would ever get the chance to.

But that uncertainty was bearable, at least with Yuu. Even if they never made up, Leona could still be proud of how hard he was working to get them home.

The thought of Idia ever not thinking of him has a friend made him sick, though. And he still didn’t know why.

“…Sorry.” He said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Idia gave him a small, soft smile. “It’s fine. It was dumb of me to try and fight you in the dark.” He leaned closer, trying to get a better look at him. “You’re okay, right?”

Idia’s pale skin looked almost ethereal, framed by the soft blue flame of his hair. Reflections shimmered in his concerned eyes and on his lips.

Leona thought he looked like a creature from a storybook, emerging from the dark forest to spirit him away to the depths of hell. If he didn’t already know what faeries looked like, he would swear that Idia was one.

“You’re beautiful.” Leona breathed.

Idia’s eyes blew wide. He tried to step back, but Leona stopped him with a touch to his cheek. Idia stared down into his upside-down eyes, searching for something. Maybe an escape.

“…I’m not.” Idia said. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“No.”

“You’re a jerk. You’re a mean kittycat.” Idia whispered, leaning closer. “And you’re a liar, too.”

“I’m not lyin’.” Leona replied.

“Then say it again. Convince me this time.” Idia’s lips hovered over his. Leona felt the warmth of his breath, of his hair spilling over the back of the futon and covering them like a curtain.

“You’re beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beauti-”

Before he could say it again, Idia silenced him with his lips.

Leona gasped into his mouth, pushing himself up to kiss him back. He licked at Idia’s lips to coax them open, slipping his tongue inside. Idia tried to keep up, but Leona could tell that he didn’t really know what to do. But that was fine, he could teach him.

Leona pushed himself up on his knees and broke away for just a moment to turn and face him. Idia was back on him again in a second, a little more confident his time. His hands found their way to the back of Leona’s neck, fingers tangling in his dark hair.

Leona let him own hands settle on Idia’s waist. He felt their hearts pounding in sync, only separated by a few inches of flesh and ribs. One of Idia’s teeth nicked his lips, but he ignored it.

“Beautiful.” Leona murmured against his lips. Idia whined in protest, but he would have to deal with it. He would say it as much as he needed to, until Idia believed it.

He wanted Idia to believe it. He wanted to say hundreds, no, thousands of nice things to Idia, over and over again, and he wanted him to believe every word.

Leona knew he could never make up for all the things that had hurt him, but he wanted to try. At the very least, he wanted Idia to know that he was worth that much effort.

---

“Leona? Why are you still here?”

Leona blinked awake, disoriented by the bright light coming through the open door. Yuu stood at the threshold, arms crossed, frowning.

Wait, why was he asleep in the lab again? He racked his brain, trying to piece together the events of last night-

Oh, right. He had kissed Idia. Had he kissed Idia? He remembered that they had made out for a while on the futon, until the other boy suddenly pulled away from him and stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.

“I-I have to go.” He’d said, pulling his pinkening hair around his face to hide his expression. Then Idia stood and ran out of the room, leaving a stunned beastman behind.

Or had that been a dream? Leona looked down and saw that the hoodie was still draped over his lap.

“I told Idia to send you home when you woke up. Geez, don’t tell me he just left you here?”

“Did he?” Leona mumbled. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. He tasted dried blood.

“He left all his stuff. Wait, is that his laptop?” Yuu noticed the device under the table where their latest prototype was laid out and crawled underneath to retrieve it. “Why’s it all the way over here?”

“Who knows?” Leona lied. “I slept through the whole night, I’m fine.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re fine.” They marched around the futon with the laptop, reaching out as they passed to flick him in the forehead. “Go back to Savanaclaw and take a damn shower. Ruggie’s starting to get worried about you, y’know.”

“Fine, mom.” Leona put up a front of annoyance, but he couldn’t help the relief he was feeling now that they were talking to him again. Even if it was just to scold him.

They even smiled at him, a little, as they tidied up Idia’s stuff. “Your magic math or whatever will still be here after you’ve had a nice break, Leona.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see ya later.”

Satisfied, Leona stepped out into the fresh air of the open hallway. He took a deep breath, some of the fog from his head finally clearing.

But before he started making his way back to his dorm, he took one last glance out at the empty courtyard, searching for a head of bright blue hair. He tried not to be too disappointed when he didn’t see it.

---

Leona could recall every detail of that moment, down to the little fluffballs of fiber that had fallen off Idia’s shirt and gotten caught in his braids. He had gone over it so many times, searching for a reason why Idia had left. Why they had never talked about it afterwards. When they met in the lab the next day, he’d waited for Idia to ask about it. Instead, they’d just slipped back into one of their usual conversations about the project or chess or some anime episode Idia had seen or something.

Pushing it will just scare him away. Leona had thought, but he knew, deep down, that wasn’t true. It used to be, before S.T.Y.X. Before all of them had found out his worst secrets. Idia had already confronted and bested so much worse than this, and Leona had, too. So why was it so much harder to deal with?

The most frustrating thing was that he wasn’t even sure when or why he’d developed feelings for Idia. Maybe it had been at Ramshackle dorm, where they’d played chess while Yuu and the others screamed over videogames in the background.

Maybe it had been one of those many all-nighters they spent together, talking about dry tech stuff until everyone else left and their conversations shifted into something more intimate. Something dark and tranquilizing, something that their friends would never understand.

Maybe it had been during that fight in the Underworld, when he looked into Idia’s eyes and thought Oh. He already knows this isn’t going to work. He just wants to choose the way he dies. Like me.

That understanding had bonded them, somehow. The others had noticed that Leona was nicer to Idia than he was to other people, but they had never gotten the real reason why. They didn’t know about the morbid jokes the two of them told when they were alone, all so they could just feel that cathartic darkness wash over them.

They could find comfort in the fact that they weren’t alone. They could think, “Maybe we aren’t crazy. Maybe the world is just unfair, and we’ve drawn the short straw.”

Leona had missed that, but he didn’t know if Idia did, too. And without their misery to bind them, what exactly were they?

---

Idia's robot brother: Leona Kingscholar!

Have you abducted my brother?!

Leona: well if it aint the brobot

idias fine calm tf down

Idia's robot brother: Then why isn’t he answering my messages!!!

Leona: hes dealin with stuff ok

ill tell him to shoot you a text

Idia's robot brother: I demand proof that he’s unharmed, you normie scum!

Leona: uuuuuuuuuuuggggh y r u like this

You sent a file “ransomphoto.png”

Idia's robot brother: Fine, I’ll accept this, but only because he looks like he’s enjoying his dailies.

I’ll assume your tasteless filename is a joke.

Leona: sweet ive escaped robocops wrath for another day

Idia's robot brother: I’m not a cop, don’t insult me like that.

But he is okay, right?

He’s not sad, is he?

Leona: u sound like a mom tryin to keep her kid from gettin bullied

hes kinda down but i think weve both seen way worse

hell get through it

just dont murder your parents or anything aight

Idia's robot brother: Okay but they’re on thin fucking ice.

They’re not MY parents anyway, they treat me more like ‘Idia’s project’.

He’s the only one who sees me as family.

Leona: damn that’s the saddest shit i ever did read

Idia's robot brother: Oh, I don’t really mind.

They’re awful people, I don’t want them as parents.

Leona: ok cool

fuck em then

*thumbs up emoji*

Idia's robot brother: Fuck ‘em!

*thumbs up emoji*

Leona: where did u learn to say fuck btw

and read chatspeak

Idia's robot brother: Yuu taught me.

They did it to prank Idia.

Leona: i cant believe how not surprised i am by that

Idia's robot brother: Also I have access to the entire internet at all times.

Leona: sounds like hell

Idia's robot brother: It is!

I had to create custom firewalls to hide all the beheading videos and illegal pornography.

Leona: god its a miracle ur not way more fucked up than u already are

Idia's robot brother: It really is, isn’t it?

I have my big brother to thank for that!

I have other important friends too, but he was the one who cared for me when I was just a little baby AI.

So you had better take good care of him, okay?

I know you will, since you inexplicably seem to be fonder of him than you are of other people.

Leona: whoa whoa whoa where r u gettin that from

Idia's robot brother: It’s obvious to anyone with a modicum of emotional intelligence.

So everyone but my brother, basically.

Leona: boom roasted

kind of a mean thing to say tho ngl

Idia's robot brother: It’s not mean if it’s the truth.

I am well aware of Idia’s shortcomings, believe me.

That’s why I want him to spend time with people who will help him overcome them!

I think you might be one of them, Leona Kingscholar!

Leona: u think i can help ur bro improve himself?

so did he program u to be that stupid or was the ai/soul-merging to blame for that

Idia's robot brother: Joke all you like, but all our friends agree with me!

“He’s surprisingly insightful. Shame about his awful personality.” – Jamil Viper

“I would never want Leona as a business rival. He would raze my empire to the ground, and probably steal my spouse while he’s at it.” – Azul Ashengrotto

“He knows exactly how to get under my skin. Eventually, his luck is going to run out. I hope I’m there to see it.” – Malleus Draconia

Leona: wtf did u survey ppl about me

y r all of those so backhanded

Idia's robot brother: I think they’re very good character assessments!

You’re insightful, you’re charming, and you can easily find the weaknesses of others!

Leona: nvm i take back what i said about u not bein fucked up

u should ask idia for a tuneup next time u see him

Idia's robot brother: I feel quite fine, though.

And quite confident about your abilities!

Yes, I think this will be a great experience for him!

Leona: u just accused me of kidnapping him

Idia's robot brother: That’s all in the past!

Leona: it was literally five minutes ago

Idia's robot brother: Details. ------------------------------

Chapter 2 - Cool

“So what’s this job you got, anyway?”

Idia continued pressing buttons on his little handheld console, but he didn’t seem distracted. He was curled up in Leona’s passenger seat, knees pulled tight to his chest. “It’s a company that builds themed attractions for amusement parks and museums. Y’know, animatronics and ride vehicles and stuff. It’s pretty cool.”

Idia was trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but from the way he bit his lip, Leona could tell that he was holding back his excitement. He probably didn’t want to come off as annoying as overbearing.

So, Leona decided to indulge him a little. “Oh, right. I guess they’re building something like that back home. It seems like something you’d be into.”

“It’s part tech and part art. Totally up my alley. Theme parks are basically irl videogames, anyway.”

“Huh. I’ve never thought about it that way.” Leona furrowed his brow. “Hey, you ever heard of the Shadowlands?”

“What’s that?” Even as he asked, Idia was already pausing his game and searching online for it.

“This tourist attraction in the Sunset Savanna. I wouldn’t call it a theme park, but it’s… Some kinda park. They’ve got some tacky-ass haunted caves and carnival rides there. People mostly know it for the food.”

“Aw, it’s so cute!” Idia said as he scrolled through the image results. “It’s so cheap and kitschy, but you can tell they put a lot of love into the decorations. How’d you find out about this place?”

“Everyone knows it. It used to be this really creepy area that nobody wanted to go to, when I was a cub. But then somebody got the bright idea to buy up all that cheap land and turn it into a little tourist trap.”

“I gotta check it out sometime.” Idia said, grinning in excitement. “I love this. Look at this food stand, they made it look like an elephant skeleton! And one of the haunted caves has real lava running through it!”

“…It’s on the way to the city, y’know.” Leona coughed. “We could stop there, if you want.”

“Oh hell yes.” Idia was practically bouncing in his seat. “This is already giving me so many ideas. It’d be fun to pitch an upgrade to their theming someday.”

Leona turned his face just enough that Idia couldn’t see him smiling. It was good to know that he still had so much passion for stuff like this. He wouldn’t be Idia without it.

They settled into a comfortable silence after that. Idia scrolled through the pictures for awhile before returning to his game. They’d done this a lot, back at school. They’d take a break at the same time and Leona would doze off to the sound of games beeping and booping.

Until, out of the blue, Idia asked: “What have you been up to? Besides driving around, I mean.”

“Nothing.”

“Ah, I get it. Top secret royal duties and stuff, huh?”

“Don’t have those. Literally, I’ve been doing nothing.”

“Really?” Idia glanced over at him. “Nothing at all?”

“Not since I dropped out.” Leona answered, trying not to sound too bitter. “I tried, for a little while. Spent a whole year putting together this plan for reforming our welfare programs, but Falena wouldn’t even look at it. The rich fucks in the Senate wouldn’t like it.”

“Oof. What is it with rich people hoarding a bunch of gold they’ll never be able to spend? It’s like holding onto all your elixirs for when you ‘need’ them and then never using them.” Idia pouted. “But I guess I can’t talk, since I am rich people.”

“Are you really? I thought getting disowned usually meant no more money.”

“I’ve still got my share of the royalties from the portal patent. Honestly, I’m making enough from that right now that I don’t even need this job.”

“Huh.” Leona hadn’t checked on that in ages, but he assumed that he still had a good chunk of royalties lying around as well. “Still, you’re not guillotine-levels of rich anymore, unlike me. So congrats on that.”

“Hooray, I escaped the wrath of the masses.” Idia chuckled. “But it sucks that they wouldn’t look at your plan. I bet it was good. Maybe you should give it to a whistleblower, then everyone will at least know you tried. They might even let you keep your head.”

“I didn’t do it for that.” Leona grumbled. “I just got tired of listening to Ruggie complain all the time.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s why.” Idia smirked at him, and Leona rolled his eyes.

“Quit lookin’ so smug.”

“Smug? I’m not smug at all.” Idia returned to his game, still smiling. “You know, you could try writing.”

Leona glanced at him like he was crazy. “Are you high or something?”

“You’d be good at it! I’ve got tons of screenshots of funny things you’ve texted me. Yuu thinks you’re funny, too.”

“Yuu still thinks memes from 10 years ago are funny.”

“And you think I don’t know how to take a compliment.” Idia shook his head. “If comedy was a stat, yours would be maxed out.”

“Yeah, because I’m a retired clown. This van is so big because I got sick of riding in tiny cars with all the other clowns.”

Idia giggled. The sheepish smile he gave Leona made his heart skip a beat.

“Ya see? People would like that. You could start a blog. Or a youtube channel or something.”

“…I think you’re overestimating how much people care about what I have to say.” He grumbled.

“I care! Ooh, you could review bad movies or something and roast the shit out of them! I’d love to hear your take on Creepy Hollow!”

“I thought you liked that movie.”

“I do, it owns. But real horror movie fans know that sometimes the best horror is cheap, trashy horror. Or, you’re good at improv, you could be a streamer-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. If I wanted to scream into the void of the internet, I’d just play one of your multiplayer games.”

---

“I didn’t know you smoked.” Idia said. He was walking out of the gas station they’d stopped at, arms full of snacks and a cup of some radioactive green slurpee in his hand. Leona just looked at him, flatly, taking another deliberate puff.

“Don’t get on my case about it. I’m gonna die of something, eventually.”

He was testing the waters. But Idia’s face didn’t betray any reaction, negative or positive. He just shook his head and walked around the front of the parked RV to put the snacks away inside.

Leona tossed the barely-burned cigarette to the ground, annoyed.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and, looking for a distraction, he pulled it out and immediately regretted it.

It was Falena.

Right, he’d promised Ruggie that he’d call sometime today. Falena must’ve gotten tired of waiting. He should ignore it, but he knew that his brother would just keep calling until he picked up.

Before he answered, he walked some distance away from the RV so Idia wouldn’t overhear him.

“What do you want.”

“Where the hell are you?” Falena demanded.

“A gas station.”

“You know what I mean, Leona. You’ve had plenty of time to work out your little temper tantrum. Come home, now.”

“Oh, you think this is a temper tantrum?” Leona scoffed. “I’m a fucking adult, Falena. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want.”

“Not when you’re a prince, you can’t.”

“So when I have real ideas for how to run the country I’m just a figurehead, but when you want to control my life I suddenly have princely responsibilities. Right, got it. I see how it is.”

Falena sighed. Leona could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Don’t make me have to be the bad guy, Leona. I hate doing that.”

“Coulda fooled me.” He snapped. “Look, if it’ll get you off my case, I’m already heading back. But it’s not because of your bullshit.”

“Good. When are you going to be here?”

“Who knows. Might be a week. Might be a month. Might drive into the ocean and start a new life as a merman.” Leona deadpanned.

“Very funny. This is childish. All I’m asking you is to give it some thought and-”

A loud rev and a screeching sound interrupted the rest of Falena’s sentence. Leona looked up just in time to see a beat-up sedan scraping against the back of the RV, leaving a huge gash behind.

“What the fuck?!” He yelled.

“Leona? What’s happening?”

“Some fucker just hit my van.” He growled. “Look, we’re done here. I gotta deal with this.”

“Hey! We are not done-”

Leona hung up on him. He stomped over to where the sedan had stopped, fur bristling with rage.

“What the fuck, asshole! I was parked!”

The driver of the sedan opened his door and stood up, glaring at him over the top of the car. He had perky canine ears that were already pulled back in irritation. “Calm down, dude, it was an accident.”

“Accident? What kind of idiot are you? You came barreling in here at like 60 miles an hour, you jackass!”

“Maybe your stupid RV is too goddamn big.” The other man said. The other passengers in his car were getting out now, another beastman and a human woman. “If it was a normal car, I wouldn’ta hit it.”

“What the hell kind of logic is that?!”

“Chill out.” The second man shrugged, like this was just a dumb thing that was above his notice. “Our car’s in worse shape than yours.”

Leona gaped at them. He couldn’t believe the audacity of these people. “You know what? This isn’t even worth it. Give me your insurance.”

“Why should I?” The driver asked. “You come up to me right out the gate screaming at me, and I barely scratched you. Fix it yourself, you look rich enough.”

Leona snarled and took a step forward, his tail lashing wildly behind him.

“Oh, this guy thinks he’s tough.” The second man laughed.

“Justin. Cut it out.” The woman said to the driver. She seemed more embarrassed than anything. “Just give him your insurance.”

“Leave this to us guys, babe. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Don’t talk to her like that. Your girlfriend’s the only one of you with any goddamn sense.” Leona growled. “You have no idea who you’re fucking with right now.”

“Try me, douchebag.”

Leona slapped his palm on the trunk of the sedan and the lid instantly dissolved into sand. The second man, the one closest to him, yelped in surprise and jumped back.

“Oh shit, he’s a mage!”

“The fuck are you doing to my car?!” The driver yelled, marching angrily towards Leona.

“Justin!” The woman said, much more urgently this time.

“Leona.”

Somebody touched his arm. Leona turned sharply towards them, startled. Idia was there, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Stop it. You’re just drawing a bunch of aggro without a healer to back you up.”

“This ain’t the time for your cute little video game references, Idia.” Leona growled, but the rage he’d been feeling was already gone. Idia just shook his head.

His hand still on Leona’s arm, he addressed the angry driver. “Look, I’m sorry about my friend. He got carried away. But you are the one who hit us, so maybe you shouldn’t be trying to start fights with guys like him. Right now you’re like a level 1 slime mob trying to take on the final boss.”

“And now you gotta hide behind your buddy. Coward.” The driver said to Leona. But then the human woman stepped between them, already holding a pencil and a pad of post-its in her hand.

“Justin, I swear to god, if you don’t shut up I am going to leave you here and walk home.” She hissed at him. Justin stared at her in disbelief as she scribbled their info down.

She held it out to Idia when she was done. “Here. I’m sorry about these idiots.”

“Thanks. We’re sorry about all this too.” Idia elbowed Leona. “Right?”

“I’m sorry your boyfriend was dropped on his head as a cub.” Idia sighed at him in exasperation.

“Whatever, that’s good enough.” The woman said. She turned and walked back to the car, dragging Justin with her.

---

“That sure was something.” Idia mumbled when they were finally back in the RV.

“Why did you stop me? I could’ve taken that chump.” Leona huffed as he sat back in the driver’s seat.

“And then gotten arrested for murder. You looked like you were ready to tear his throat out, Leona.”

“Hmph. He would’ve deserved it.” Leona grumpily rested his chin on the steering wheel, waiting for Idia to finish putting the snacks away and get back in his seat.

“Probably, yeah, but that was low-quality bait. You’re better than that.” He slid back in next to Leona, tearing open one of the bags of chips.

“…You didn’t seem scared at all.” Leona realized. “You just walked up and handled it.”

“Uh, yeah.” Idia crunched down on a potato chip. “Somebody had to.”

“You never woulda been able to do that when we were at school.” Leona sat up, looking at him.

“Yeah, I’ve been working on my DEF and RES.” Idia laughed. “I can handle a stupid little parking lot fight with some weak NPCs.”

“…That was cool.” Leona said, under his breath. “You’re cool, Idia.”

Idia froze, another chip halfway to his mouth. His hair was already starting to turn pink.

“I-I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.” Idia squirmed, hiding his face behind his hands. Like Leona couldn’t tell how flattered and sheepish he was feeling from the pink hair. “You’ve always been cool.”

“B-by the way,” Idia began, trying to deflect, “What’s that big box under your seat? I thought it was a mini-fridge at first, but it has a lock.”

Leona felt a chill go down his spine.

“…Ruggie brought it.” He said, trying to keep his voice even. “He kept his weed in it so we wouldn’t get caught by customs.”

“Is there, uh.” Idia peeked through his fingers at him. “Any left in there?”

“Doubt it. And it’s been like four years, it’d probably be gross as hell. I forgot the combination for it, anyway.” He lied.

“Damn.” Idia grumble, slumping into his seat.

Leona couldn’t help but laugh at his pouting face. “Don’t look so disappointed. You smoke weed now?”

“It helps with my anxiety.” Idia admitted, fiddling with the ties on his hoodie.

“We can find someone to buy from on the way.”

“Really? It’s a pain in the ass to get it on the Island of Woe, I have to get it delivered through the dark web.”

“You talk about shit like the dark web and you still don’t think you’re cool.” Leona shook his head sadly.

“You’ve obviously never been on the dark web if you think it’s cool, it’s just a bunch of middle-aged perverts selling mushrooms out of their sheds.”

---

Leona: yo yuu

u talked to idia lately

plantmuncher dragonfucker: yeah, like two days ago?

why? dont you have his number too?

Leona: ye thats not it

hes stayin w/ me rn

plantmuncher dragonfucker: in the RV???????

why????????????????

Leona: whats with all the ?s

is it that weird he would be w/ me

and it’s a van

plantmuncher dragonfucker: it’s a gd RV leona it’s massive

vans don’t have LOFTS in them

Leona: semantics

anyway i cant tell u why it’s a kinda sensitive issue

but i think hed like it if u reached out to him

plantmuncher dragonfucker: awwww

you’re such a nice guy, leona

Leona: stfu no im not

plantmuncher dragonfucker: top-tier tsundere

Leona: stop talking like him i need to understand at least one of you

plantmuncher dragonfucker: it means you pretend like you don’t care but deep down you really do

Leona: i wasnt asking for an explanation

plantmuncher dragonfucker: youre going to need them if idia is staying with you

honestly sometimes he gets too into it for even me to decipher

like when he busts out the raid terminology

who fucking plays mmos just to memorize strats with names like “stario kart deathwall jenga stack skip”

I just wanna dress up my catgirl in cute outfits and gpose in a nice rp venue

Leona: i dont know what half of those fucking words r

r u gonna text him or not

plantmuncher dragonfucker: of course I will!

Im guessing he’s having one of those moods, huh?

Where he feels awful but he doesn’t want to tell anyone bc he thinks he’s being a burden :(

Leona: not a mood, just some pretty shitty stuff happening

plantmuncher dragonfucker: oh shit

did his parents do something

Leona: i told u im not telling u

plantmuncher dragonfucker: so they did. ugh

what the fuck is wrong with them

hes such a sweet guy and they treat him so bad

Leona: beats me

some ppl dont deserve kids

plantmuncher dragonfucker: fr fr

like my mom lol

i invited him to grind FATEs w/ my free company tomorrow night, we’ll hang out in vc then

Leona: like i said, dont know what that means, gonna assume its good

plantmuncher dragonfucker: ill invite lilia too, that’ll cheer him up

mal is too busy working tho :(

ill have to make it up to him later <3

Leona: brb throwing up

plantmuncher dragonfucker: you guys would like each other if you got over yourselves

and yes I mean him too, i know how he is believe me

Leona: i dont need to get over anything

i question ur taste more and more every day

plantmuncher dragonfucker: i guess you wont be very happy to see what im sending you in the mail then

Leona: oh my god

ur getting married arent u

fuck u so much

plantmuncher dragonfucker: loooooooool

now that I think of it you don’t have a mailbox rn so I might as well ask you here

come to my wedding leona!!! itll be so fun!!!

it’s an open bar!!!!!!! marrying rich rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leona: arent u a lil young for this

plantmuncher dragonfucker: im 3 years older than you.

and he’s 269.

Leona: nice

plantmuncher dragonfucker: nice

Leona: ofc u would know exactly how fucking old he is

just tell me whats the date

im only going bc i know hell be fucking furious when he sees me in the audience

plantmuncher dragonfucker: you’d be surprised! he’s mellowed out a lot since then

he might even be happy to see you

Leona: doubt it

plantmuncher dragonfucker: it’s October 31st of next year, so it’s a ways off.

Leona: a halloween wedding huh

i guess u do have taste

plantmuncher dragonfucker: of course I do <3

we’re gonna go all-out on goth shit

all black attire required

maximum spoopage

Leona: congrats i cant wait to watch the bloodbath

ur horrible face will give everyone two heart attacks instead of just the one

ill bring mirrored sunglasses for when ur walking down the aisle

im hoping theyll reflect ur deathgaze back on u like medusa

plantmuncher dragonfucker: joke’s on you bitch ill wear sunglasses too

we can ping-pong the death magic back and forth until it bounces off one of us weird and hits a bird or something

Leona: bet

plantmuncher dragonfucker: hey, don’t worry too much about idia

Leona: im not worried

plantmuncher dragonfucker: yes you are. you only text me so we can roast each other ruthlessly and reinforce our eternal bond of friendship

you don’t talk about other people unless I bring them up

Leona: that cant be right

ur full of shit

plantmuncher dragonfucker: deny it all you want, you’re not as mysterious as you think you are

look I bet he’s really glad you care

but he’s been doing a lot better over the past few years, so you don’t need to baby him

just be there for him when he needs it

Leona: thx for the advice love guru

plantmuncher dragonfucker: I never said anything about love idiot

haha gotcha

Leona: fuck

plantmuncher dragonfucker: btw do you still have me saved as “plantmuncher dragonfucker” in your phone

Leona: ye

plantmuncher dragonfucker: change it or ill photoshop your face onto pictures of cute cats and post them to magicam

I have vil in my camp and he’s going to like them all, it’s guaranteed to go viral

Leona: not until u stop munching plants and fucking dragons

plantmuncher dragonfucker: NEVER

------------------------------

Chapter 3 - Overwhelmed

It only took an hour or two of asking around to find out where to get weed in the next city. Idia stowed it away in the massive pockets of his hoodie, already grinning in anticipation.

“You don’t get weird when you’re high, do you?”

“Not really. I wasn’t joking about it being for anxiety.”

“Good to know.” Leona really wouldn’t have minded, as long as he was enjoying himself.

They were nearly at the border of the Kingdom of Heroes, now, about to cross into the Shaftlands. They had a whole month, but if they hurried, they could get back in about two weeks.

Leona… Didn’t want to do that. The longer he could avoid the Sunset Savanna, the better. But Idia probably wanted to get there as soon as possible. He would need time to find an apartment, get furniture, get all his stuff in order…

For now, though, they were free. They still had time. He still had time.

They’d come to the downtown area for this, ending up on a little shopping street that locals had called “sketchy”, but Leona suspected they actually meant “poor”. All the stores were grungy little mom-and-pop affairs fitted into worn out buildings that had probably been around for over a hundred years. Some kids were playing basketball on a side street, and they passed a tiny taco stand where an ancient boombox was blasting music into the street. It still sounded pretty good. Even the drug dealer had been pleasant to them. Maybe a little too pleasant.

This place was downright cozy in comparison to the slums he’d visited after becoming friends with Ruggie.

Beside him, Idia’s steps faltered for a moment. Leona turned to catch him looking at a store with a large display of comics and board games in the window. He looked up at the cheap sign hanging over the window, it read “Kevin’s Komix & Games”.

“You wanna go in?” He asked.

“W-We don’t have to.” Idia said, ducking into his hoodie to hide his face.

Leona rolled his eyes. Honestly, what did he think he was gonna do? Shove him in a locker? He walked past Idia and opened the door himself, striding into the overly air-conditioned little storefront.

The cashier (Kevin, maybe?) gave him a welcoming wave, then returned to the trading cards he was putting away in a glass case near the front. Leona looked around at the small room. The shelves were neat and tidy, all the latest issues out on display and the older stuff in long boxes on a nearby table. One of the shelves was entirely board games and tabletop rpgs. In the back, there was just enough room for a rack of figurines and a few little tables where some games were already set up.

It only took Leona a moment to see the whole thing, and when he turned around Idia already had his arms loaded up with board games and a stack of half a dozen comics.

He stared at Leona. “I’m supporting local businesses.”

“I didn’t say anything.” But Leona felt his face twitch into a smile, just for a second.

“I need to replace the stuff I had to leave at home, okay?” Idia huffed, bringing his purchases up to the glass counter.

Leona hung back, a tiny spinning rack of postcard ads and little zines on the other end of the counter catching his attention. He spun it around idly, until he noticed that one of the cards had today’s date on it. Curious, he picked it up. A cute little mascot character was printed on it, along with photos of people in various costumes.

“10th Annual CON-ACLYSM Pop Culture Convention! One weekend only!

Games! Cosplay! Panels! Shows! Maid Cafes!

Come join us to celebrate 10 YEARS of fun and fandom!”

“Uh-oh.” Leona said.

“What is it?” Idia asked, walking up with his newly-bought big bag of nerd stuff.

“Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for another day.” He turned the postcard towards Idia, smirking at the way his face lit up. Damn, it was cute.

---

Okay this probably wasn’t worth it.

Leona didn’t know what he had expected, but it wasn’t hundreds of people carrying around wooden prop weapons and recording absurd little dances in the courtyard outside. Through the glass walls he could see a massive line already forming at all the food trucks, even the one that was just hot dogs. People were staring at him, for some reason. A couple behind them in the registration line had been arguing about which of them was Bulma and which was Vegeta for the past 30 minutes. Leona didn’t know who those people were. When he asked, Idia just said that only a Bulma and a Vegeta would argue about something that stupid.

Overexcited teens chattered loudly in their little cliques, some dude was playing an anime song on a ukelele while a couple girls in costumes sang along, and a rowdy group of guys were screaming over a match of some trading card game like they were watching a knife fight. Idia should have hated this, but when Leona glanced over at him, he was practically vibrating with excitement.

He had the program booklet open in his hand and seemed to be comparing it to the schedule on their website. “Okay, we gotta go to the maid café. The one at 5 would probably be the best, but that means missing out on the ‘LGBTQ+ in Fandom’ panel.”

“Sounds like homophobia.” Leona joked.

“Absolutely.” Idia nodded. “This is the most homophobic thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Isn’t there one at 3?” Leona asked, leaning over the little booklet. He didn’t really want to go, but Idia seemed really excited for it.

“But that overlaps with the costume contest. If I have to make a choice, I’d rather miss out on the panel.”

“So you were the true homophobe all along.”

“Shut uuuup.” Idia groused, smacking his arm lightly.

Leona only felt truly lost once they had gotten their badges and been dumped out into this sea of nerds. He could barely comprehend some of the stuff going on around him. But Idia expertly navigated the crowded corridors, dragging him along.

Occasionally Idia would spot someone with a cool costume and ask for a picture. Talking to these strangers seemed to come so naturally to him, and Leona could barely believe it.

“Who’s that guy dressed as?” He asked, after Idia got a picture of a man in an impressive robot costume. It had been painted with a realistic patina and even had working lights.

“No idea.” Idia answered. He scrolled through all the pictures he’d taken so far, a complete mis-mash of disparate styles, genres and time periods. A gritty-looking samurai woman, a girl in a gothic lolita dress with enormous pigtails, some character with giant wings that could actually spread out, a superhero with an impressive custom-fitted suit, a fursuit. “I just like costumes that are well-constructed. It helps me come up with ideas for my own.”

Oh, yeah. Idia had always been into that stuff, right? The Halloween of their third year sprung to mind.

“Whatever happened to that knight costume?” Leona asked.

“I had to leave it at home. It was too bulky to take with me.” Idia answered. The happy expression he had been wearing slowly faded. Ah, damn it. “Well, it kinda got the crap beat out of it that year anyway. It was close to falling apart. And it didn’t help that you cut off some of those vines I hand-made.”

“What? I did that?” Leona blinked. He couldn’t remember that at all.

“I tripped over you and they got tangled with your tail. You don’t remember?”

“Man, I sure did get tripped over and stepped on a lot back then.” Leona grumbled.

“You did spend like 90% of your time sleeping on the ground.”

“It was 70% at most.”

In between panels and shows, Idia dragged him to the artist’s alley and exhibitor’s hall. Leona was surprised and kind of impressed by all the carefully crafted artwork and merch. Big companies didn’t put real love into it like these people did. He ended up buying crochet plushies of the meerkat and warthog characters from a cartoon that he knew Cheka liked.

“And you keep trying to convince me you’re not a tsundere.” Idia remarked, smirking. Leona whacked him in the back with the plastic bag he was carrying the plushies in.

People were still looking at him, and he couldn’t figure it out. Leona thought he just stood out, at first, but the longer he was here, seeing what a wide variety of people there were around him, the less sense that made. He’d already passed a half dozen tall, fit, intimidating guys in dark clothes today, and none of them were getting weird looks like he was.

He felt… Out of place here. Like he was intruding on something, and everyone was just too nice to tell him. It was uncomfortable. Idia stopped to talk with one of the artists and he unconsciously tried to hide himself in a dark gap between some booths, out of the way. Was this the way Idia felt all the time?

Across the aisle, he spotted a middle-aged man carrying a giant stuffed cartoon animal under his arm, while a costumed little girl who Leona assumed was his daughter skipped ahead. He made eye contact with the man, and they exchanged a nod of silent understanding.

“Hey. Can I see your keys?” Idia asked, smiling mischievously. Leona raised an eyebrow at him.

“What for?”

“It’s nothing bad, come on.” Idia held his hand out, Leona sighed and dropped the keys in his palm.

After a moment of fiddling, he handed them back. “Here.” Idia said.

Leona’s keys now had an extra acrylic charm clipped to them. Decorated with a cute little drawing of a smirking brunette in a pink dress, it looked completely absurd on his plain keyring.

“The hell is this?” Leona asked, staring at it. Its smug aura mocked him.

“She’s the heroine of Star Rogue. The main character’s love interest.” Idia answered. “You don’t think she looks like your echo fighter?”

“Are you asking if she looks like me? Because no, duh. For starters, she’s a drawing.” Leona huffed.

“I was kidding, of course she doesn’t look like you. But she’s a total tsundere and she’s super snarky.” Idia reached out again to flip the keychain out so it was more visible. “She’s one of the best characters, tbh. Real waifu material. Even the actress who played her in the movie was pretty hot, for 3D.”

Hm. So Idia did like “3D”, sometimes.

“She can be a real flatterer when she wants to be, too…” Idia added under his breath.

“She sounds like an asshole.” Leona remarked. He smirked when he saw Idia’s jaw drop, more offended at that than anything Leona had ever said.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d watched the movie!” Idia protested. “Well, really you should play the game, but we don’t have time for that. But she gets a really good character arc! She starts out as a villain and then her love for the hero redeems her.”

“Isn’t that a spoiler?”

“Spoilers don’t matter. It’s the journey there that matters. And the movie came out like 15 years ago, you should know what happens by now.” Idia said, pouting at him.

---

“How can all of them be sold out?” Leona growled, like he could intimidate the vending machine into conjuring up more drinks. It seemed the only things left were a few waters and some gross-looking lime sodas that he had never seen before in his life.

“It’s always like this at cons, they don’t bother to keep it stocked because they want you to pay $5 for a coke at the concession stand.” Idia explained as he put money into the machine. He ended up getting one of the lime sodas, but when he cracked it open and took a sip he grimaced. “Yuck. This is like the opposite of hydration.”

“Don’t drink it, then.” But Idia ignored him and took another big chug.

There wasn’t a lot of space to take a break in these crowded hallways, so they took up a post against the wall outside one of the panel rooms. It was nice to just people-watch like this, especially in such an indulgently nerdy atmosphere.

“You’re gonna think this is dumb,” Idia said, “But part of the reason I like going to things like this is because I don’t stand out. People here just look at my hair and assume I’m cosplaying a character they don’t recognize. They don’t stare at me or act all weird about it.”

“Yeah, now they’re just starin’ at me because I look like I belong in a biker bar.” Leona remarked, glancing around at the half dozen or so people who were eyeing him warily.

“No, they’re staring at you because you look like a character from this game that’s popular right now.” Idia pulled his phone from his pocket, and after a quick search he held it up to show Leona a picture.

“What the fuck.” He was looking at what could easily be a drawing of himself, just with a neater hairstyle and wearing a fancy kimono.

“Yeah, when his banner was first announced I was like ‘lol Leona is gonna be so pissed’.” Idia flashed him a grin. “His personality is totally different from you, though, so I think it was just a coincidence. You’re a tsundere, he’s the gentlemanly character with a secret dark past.”

“Unbelievable...”

“Hold on.” Leona looked at Idia. His grin had gotten… Worryingly large. “I just had a great idea, brb.”

“Wait, where are you-?!” But Idia ignored him, taking off into the crowded exhibitors’ hall. Leona huffed and settled in to wait for him, cross-legged on the floor.

Idia returned a few minutes later, carrying a large black plastic shopping bag. He reached down to tug at Leona’s arm, rousing him from a half-dazed state. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Go where?”

“The bathroom. You need to get changed.”

---

Leona didn’t feel any less confused once the garment was on him. The style and fit were completely unfamiliar to him. At least there were pants (“Hakama”? Whatever that was.) included, even if they were massive baggy things that might as well have been a skirt.

“I knew it’d look great.” Idia bragged, like dragging someone into a bathroom to put on anime clothes was a totally normal thing to do.

“I look like the top of a broken umbrella.”

“No you don’t. You look like all the other cosplayers here. Better, actually. You could win a contest, but only scrubs enter cosplay contests with store-bought stuff.” Idia rummaged around in the messenger bag he’d been carrying and pulled out a makeup kit.

“You have makeup?”

“I thought something like this might come up.”

“Why would you ever think something like this might come up.”

“You clearly haven’t been to a con before, Leona. You gotta be prepared for anything.” Idia popped open the makeup kit and set it on the counter.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Idia ignored him. Brandishing an assortment of brushes, he closed in on Leona. The beastman sighed and closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

It was kind of pleasant, actually, having Idia put makeup on him. The brushes felt soft and cool on his skin. He leaned in a little, eyes still closed, and felt one of Idia’s knuckles brush his cheek accidentally.

Leona hadn’t worn any makeup since that stupid fairy gala. It wasn’t like he hated it, sometimes he even wanted to wear it, but he never had the energy in the mornings to bother with all that.

Maybe Idia would be around for one of those mornings. Maybe he would help him do it.

“Okay, done.” He heard Idia say. Opening his eyes, he glanced sideways at the mirror.

“I don’t look any different.”

“You don’t need much, especially since you already look like the character.” Idia explained as he started putting his stuff away. “Now if you were crossplaying, we’d need to do a lot more prep for that.”

“Do I want to know what that is?”

“Here’s a hint: the ‘cross’ part comes from ‘crossdressing’.”

Leona sighed. “No fucking thanks. I already look weird enough in this.”

“There are a few characters who’d be a good choice for you.” Idia smirked at him. “Buff ladies are pretty popular lately. You’ll get a bunch of obnoxious simps following you around and calling you ‘mommy’ all day, though.”

“If you’re trying to convince me to do it, you’re doing a shitty job.” Leona said.

“Hey, you might like it! You should try it out sometime… Maybe in private.”

Idia was still smirking at him. Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing. Well, two can play at that game.

“Why do you want to get me in women’s clothes so bad, Idia?” Leona laughed. He took a step closer, forcing Idia to back up a little.

“It’s fun to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, isn’t it?” Idia replied, unfazed.

“You know how weird that sounds coming from you?”

“Hm. I guess it does.”

Leona kept moving forward, until the other man’s back was against the wall. Idia didn’t look scared, though. If anything, he looked satisfied. Like this had been his plan all along.

“You’re talking like you have some experience with this ‘crossplay’ thing.” Leona leaned into his space, voice low.

“I’ve done it a couple times.” Idia replied. “Never in public. I did take some pictures, though.”

Idia reached out like he was about to adjust Leona’s costume, but all he did was run his fingers along the edge of his collar, barely brushing against his skin. His hand settled where the fabric overlapped, just beneath Leona’s clavicle, and stayed there.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing those sometime.” Leona said.

Leona placed his hand on the wall beside Idia’s head. For some reason, that was what made his face finally erupt into a furious blush. Huh. He would have to ask about that later.

“I… I wouldn’t mind… showing… you…?” Idia mumbled, his eyes darting between Leona’s face and the arm that he’d braced against the wall.

Maybe it was his predator instincts, but Leona knew when he had struck a killing blow. He cupped Idia’s cheek, more to soothe his nerves than anything. Yellow eyes met his and finally stayed there.

“I bet you look beautiful in them.” Leona said.

Idia drew in a sharp breath. His hand on Leona’s chest curled into a fist, bunching up the fabric of his costume and pulling him forward.

A loud clanging rang out as someone inside a stall kicked their door.

“Oh my GOD would you two get a room already! Nobody wants to hear you fuck in a bathroom!”

Idia’s face went pale, and Leona was pretty sure that his had too. They scrambled to grab their stuff off the counter and ran outside.

---

“So? How’d you like it?”

After hours of following Idia around his convention and getting asked for way too many photos, they had finally gotten tired enough to leave and return to the RV. Idia convinced him to watch Star Rogue on his laptop, the two of them sitting way too close on the loveseat under the loft.

“It was good.” Leona admitted. “I can see why it was so popular. The character writing was pretty solid for a two-hour movie.”

“If you liked that, you should play the game.” Idia said, grinning at him. “You get to spend 30+ hours with them then!”

“Meh, I’ll just watch a Let’s Play.” Leona shrugged. He was messing with him, but it was still funny to watch Idia get mad about it.

“You can’t just watch somebody play Star Rogue! You have to experience it for yourself!”

“I could watch you play Star Rogue.” Leona countered. “How would that work as a compromise?”

Idia reacted exactly like he expected: by overthinking what he was actually saying and interpreting it in the flirtiest way possible. His face and hair both turned a bright, soft pink.

“I’ll watch you play it” -> “I want to watch you play it” -> “I want to spend time with you and see this thing you like”. Idia’s thought process was kind of like an open book to him at this point, and it was cute to watch him go through it.

“…That’d work.” Idia eventually squeaked out. “Y-you’ll have to come visit me once I’m settled in, we can do it then.”

“I was already plannin’ to.” Leona smiled warmly at him.

“G-Guess I’ll have to put together a guest room fit for a prince!” Idia laughed, nervous.

“I used to sleep on the ground, Idia. Voluntarily.”

“O-Oh. Right.” Idia said, unable to meet his eyes.

Idia’s body felt warm against his. The longer they sat on that tiny loveseat, the more he noticed it. But he didn’t hate it. Quite the opposite, actually. He wondered how Idia felt about it.

“…Hey. Can I ask you something?” Leona asked.

“Hm? You wanna know something else about Star Rogue?”

“No. Why’d you kiss me in the lab that one night?”

Idia nearly dropped his laptop.

“D-Don’t just bring up the cringiest moment of my life out of the blue like that!”

“So it was cringey, huh.” Leona lifted an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean! Th-the kiss wasn’t cringey, the way I acted was.” He moved to pull his hair closed like a curtain. Realizing he didn’t have it anymore, he instead hid his face behind his hands. “Trying to act all smooth and flirty, like some normie…”

“And running away?”

“I was… overwhelmed.” Idia whimpered. “Th-that was the first time I ever…” He trailed off, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what he meant.

“I’m not mad about it.” Leona said. “I just wanted to know. Kinda thought I fucked up, but then you turned up the next day and acted like it never happened.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Idia sat up, gradually pulling his hands from his face. “I wasn’t very good at dealing with… that. I’m still not.”

“You’re telling me that the Idia Shroud didn’t turn into a total playboy once he graduated? What a surprise.” Leona laughed. Idia pouted at him. He closed the laptop and put it back on top of his nearby suitcase.

“It’s not like I didn’t go on any dates! Just, uh, none that led to anything serious.” Idia wasn’t hiding his face anymore, but he still couldn’t look directly at Leona.

“Huh. Well, they must’ve had awful taste if they didn’t want to snatch you up ASAP.”

“You see!” Idia suddenly grew animated, leaning forward into Leona’s space and jabbing a finger in the beastman’s face. “Nobody ever said things like that to me! How was I supposed to date anyone after hearing otome game dialogue like that?”

“I’m not even saying anything that weird.” Leona said, genuinely confused.

“Yes you are! You do! When I make jokes about myself, you’re the only one who takes it seriously. You’re the only one who’s like ‘no, shut up, you’re great actually’. It’s weird!”

“That can’t be right.” Leona scowled. He felt his ears flatten to his head. Had he really been that obvious? This whole time? “Yuu says stuff like that, too.”

“But Yuu is nice to everyone. Because they’re a crazy person and they don’t care if they get an emotional debuff. They just brush it off, like mitigating a tankbuster.” Idia paused, trying to put together his thoughts.

“You’re not. You’re only nice to people when they deserve it. Except for me, for some reason.”

“You do deserve it.”

“Uuuuugh no I don’t! You’re not getting it at all!” Idia sunk in his seat, exasperated. “When stuff like that comes from tsuntsun characters, it’s super effective.”

“So what I’m getting is, I’m such a big jerk that me complimenting you makes you even more embarrassed than usual?”

“It sounds mean when you say it like that, but yeah, basically.”

“You shouldn’t have told me that.” Leona leaned forward, propping his chin up on his palm. “Because now I’m going to do it more.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Oh Idia, you’re so great.” He said, grinning. “You’re the smartest guy I know. And handsome, too.”

Idia slumped even further off the loveseat, almost on the floor. “You’re going to kill me, Kingscholar.”

---

Leona had almost fallen asleep when he heard his phone vibrate on the hotel nightstand where it was charging. Letting out a little huff of annoyance, he turned in his bed and picked it up. In the gloom, he could see Idia in the other bed, his back turned to him.

Leona didn’t want to disturb him, so he rolled on his other side to check whatever message he’d gotten.

---

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay.png”

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay2.png”

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay3.png”

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay4.png”

radish sprout: you said you wanted to see them so uh

here they are

to pay you back for cosplaying for me

Leona: dude ur literally right next to me u coulda just showed me on ur phone

lmao

radish sprout: that would be way too embarrassing sahasdhhaf

besides I thought you might

want to save them

yknow, for whatever

Leona: i do thx

u look good

radish sprout: no I don’t I look creepy

there’s a reason I never wore it in public lol

Leona: shut up u look good

is that the star rogue girl

radish sprout: yeah

don’t post these anywhere ok

Leona: i wouldn’t do that

my eyes only

radish sprout: sdasfhfadfdasfa ---

Leona smirked to himself. He saved the photos to his phone and then stuck it under his pillow, eventually dozing off into a deep, comfortable sleep.

He was definitely going to jerk off to those later.

---

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_052322_01.png”

Leona: whats this for

Idia's robot brother: It’s a photo of my brother!

Leona: i can see that genius

y r u sending it to me

Idia's robot brother: Because I noticed that you don’t have any recent pictures of him in your photo gallery.

These are from his graduation a few months ago!

Doesn’t he look happy?

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_052322_02.png”

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_052322_03.png”

Leona: ye

he does

wait how do u know whats in my photos

Idia's robot brother: :)

Leona: dont u “:)” at me

ugh w/e.

did u take these

Idia's robot brother: Yep!

I had a classmate help me, though.

She held up the reflectors for us.

Leona: wait so this was like a serious photoshoot

howd u get him to agree to that

Idia's robot brother: I bribed him with a limited edition figure of one of his favorite characters, signed by the voice actor.

At least, I meant to bribe him with it, but he agreed to do it as soon as I asked.

So it ended up being a graduation present, I suppose?

Leona: wow

he rly will do anything for u, huh

Idia's robot brother: Not always.

A few years ago, anything out of his comfort zone was out of the question.

I think he only started really trying during the Starsending.

Oh, speaking of which!

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_stars_01.png”

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_stars_02.png”

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_stars_03.png”

I took these before I had any formal training, so the compositions and lighting are pretty bad.

But I was able to edit them into something passable.

Leona: wut r u talking about these look amazing

Idia's robot brother: Only because Idia kept my specs really high back then, so I had a good high-res image to work with.

Leona: have u showed him these yet

Idia's robot brother: No, he says he doesn’t want to remember anything “cringey”.

Leona: awesome

ill turn em into giant posters and put em all over the van

Idia's robot brother: Because he looks good in them and you want to prove him wrong?

Leona: no bc itll embarrass the hell out of him

that thing u said is true too tho

hes rly sweaty, damn

i dont remember the costume showing so much of his arms

Idia's robot brother: Please don’t talk about how sexually attractive you find my brother in front of me.

Leona: all i said was he looked sweaty wtf

Idia's robot brother: I’ve seen the kinds of pictures you have saved.

Hm, but it looks like I deleted four of them from my memory banks.

I wonder what those could have been?

Leona: who knows i guess itll always be a mystery that we never need to look into again

and about that

dont snoop in my phone anymore, thx

didnt Idia teach u about privacy laws

Idia's robot brother: I normally don’t, I promise.

I only checked briefly because I wanted to see if you had any shots of him that are half as good as mine.

Leona: cocky, arent u

Idia's robot brother: Isn’t any student of the arts?

We have to be, it distracts us from the reality of our jobless futures.

Leona: y would u need a job ur a robot

Idia's robot brother: Jobs aren’t always about money and possessions.

Art has historically been undervalued despite its importance in society. Without it, we wouldn’t have any of the material comforts that enrich our lives.

If fae had never created weather and plant life, we would have no food.

If humans had never painted on cave walls, we would have no writing systems.

If beasts had never built their first dens, we would have no architecture.

The foundation of civilization is built on art, but modern society only affords the elite or the lucky the privilege to pursue it. How rich are the cultures that have been destroyed by unscrupulous capitalists exploiting our need for food, shelter and stability?

As a robot, I’m very fortunate that I don’t have the same physical limitations as organic lifeforms. Therefore, I have an obligation to keep creating, for the sake of the artists who have had to give up on their passions to survive.

Leona: wow

that really was a wholeass lecture on art

given to me by a robot

u rly r something, ortho

i dont think ive ever cared about somethin that much

Idia's robot brother: Is it really that impressive?

I was reading that verbatim from an art history paper I wrote when I was a freshman.

I got a “C” on it.

Leona: dont pull back the curtain too far dude ur ruining it

its still good tho ur prof musta been a dumbass

Idia's robot brother: Oh he was.

I had an argument with him about whether videogames count as interactive art. He didn’t like me much after that.

I’m pretty sure that’s why he gave me a “C”.

Leona: sounds hilarious tell me more

Idia's robot brother: I showed Okami to that ungrateful motherfucker and he still wouldn’t listen.

Leona: some ppl have no taste ortho

if ur gonna be an artist ur gonna have to accept that

Idia's robot brother: You’ve never even heard of that game, have you.

Leona: no

Idia's robot brother: Normies…

------------------------------

Continued ->

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst fanfic #leona kingscholar #idia shroud #twst leona #twst idia #idia #leona #leoide #tw suicide #tw depression #tw self-harm #kiss me in the dark

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