#⪡||⋇ [malleus ic] ⋇||⪢

[m4ggot5]

I saw the picture and knew I had to redraw it…….

Here’s the original images

I’ll post the full thing hopefully this weekend. Take this crumb please, let it satiate your hunger for the next few days.

[babylemonart]

I loved Portfest to bits but the mental image of Malleus being overwhelmed by ginormous cotton candy kept haunting me lol

[allioaro]

MALLEBABYYYY💚💜

[ventique18]

Mystery box

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

Prompt: "I don't care that you're hanging up lights, get off the roof!"

Pairing: Malleus Draconia x Gn!Reader/Prefect/Yuu

Genre: Fluff, Slight hurt/comfort

TW: Reader falls off a roof (but they're okay, don't worry)

You were a brave human.

Malleus had made this assumption on your second meeting, when you graced him with that silly nickname that he now held so dear. The casual way you interacted with him may have stemmed from your ignorance regarding his true identity, but to see you continue to use it even after learning he was the heir apparent to Briar Valley had left him with a pleasant warmth in his chest and his cheeks.

He adored every part of you, including that bravery of yours that made him fall for you in the first place.

But dear Sevens, that bravery would be the death of him one day.

"Child of man," he called out to you, a mix of puzzlement and concern in his eyes, "what are you doing up on the roof?"

"Hornton!" You visibly brightened as you noticed him, waving your arm so vigorously at him that he feared you would fall from your place on top of Ramshackle's roof. Malleus took a step ahead, worry flashing in his eyes as he looked up at you.

"I'm hanging up some lights for the winter holidays! Ramshackle's gonna look nice and festive this winter," you spoke, showing him the bundle of wires with lights on them that you had next to you.

"Is it truly necessary?" He asked, acutely aware of the pain in his neck from looking up at you. Was this how you felt when you had to look up at him? Now, that would not do; he would have to find a way to make it so that you wouldn't feel any pain in your neck while looking up-

His train of thought was derailed by the sight of you leaning forward almost dangerously. "I'm gonna be fine, don't worry," you told him, a carefree smile on your face.

"Child of man, Ramshackle has no need to be decorated. It is beautiful just the way it is," and so are you, went unsaid. Malleus took a step closer, talking softly and gently, trying to coax you to come down. "Please, come down before you hurt yourself."

"You worry too much Mal-Mal, I'll be fiNE-"

In your attempt to reassure him, you had taken a step ahead on the roof, slipping and getting your leg tangled in the wire.

Malleus' heart nearly stopped as he saw you fall. He casted a spell almost immediately, catching you mid-air with his magic before letting you down onto the ground carefully.

Your legs gave out beneath you from almost falling to your death, and you sat heavily on the ground. Malleus rushed to you, quickly kneeling to check you for any injuries, even though he had saved you with his magic. You rested your hands on his biceps, trembling slightly due to the adrenaline coursing through your veins as you allowed him to look you over.

After making sure you were alright, he pulled you into a hug, his larger frame hiding you from view as he held you close to his chest. You held onto him just as tightly, and for the next few minutes you both just sat in silence, holding onto each other and thinking of what could have happened had he not been there.

"Now I understand what Lilia meant when he used to say that Silver and I would shave years off his lifespan whenever we went off into the forest without letting him know," he said after a few tense moments, voice slightly shaky. Your hands held on tighter at his words, feeling guilty. One of his hands curled protectively over your head, while the other rested on your back.

"I-" your throat felt dry, tight. You couldn't get your words out, even as Malleus waited for you to finish your reply. So you settled on squeezing him tight, trying to make him feel your apology for scaring him when you couldn't put it in words.

"Next time, please allow me to do this sort of thing for you, my dear. Even with how long my life is sure to be, I would rather not deal with such stress ever again," he told you gently, smiling when you nodded, your face hidden against him.

He picked you up, and took you inside Ramshackle, your plans of decorating the roof left for another day.

Back to Masterlist...

[mochinomnoms]

Malleus when someone tries to harm Yuu in a very deadly manner or tries to kidnap them.

https://youtube.com/shorts/IdiXgGPd4fk?si=K5xJT-bdAtmopMM4

lmaooooo I forget sometimes that Malleus is in fact one of the most powerful beings in all of TWST and not just some silly dragon man that stands outside the dorm with autism and a love of gargoyles.

To be quite honest, canon Yuu could probably stick around Malleus as like an attendant or something and be set for life if they get stuck in TWST. Maybe he can get them citizenship papers and stuff to Briar Valley, I think everyone kinda forgets sometimes that Yuu does not legally exist in TWST.

Does Crowley note down any monetary associations to the player and Grim as miscellaneous? Can Yuu technically travel around without papers as long it's within the context of NRC? Who cares! Just tell your big magic friend with horns about all your troubles and the next day you've officially become a citizen of Briar Valley complete with a new birth certificate, social security number (or the equivalent), and passport! All problems solved!

You don't need to know the details, just take the gift with graditude and accept your fate of never leaving your friend alone :). Never :). Ever :).

[marisashinx]

"I'm scared of losing someone like you..."

[justcallmecj]

When Dragons Meet

"HII can I request a fluff Malleus x dragon reader (but like in friend way) Malleus meeting dragon reader for the first time. I think would be funny. Malleus being curious since the only dragons he know is himself and his family." Courtesy of- Ghost (On AO3)

Malleus's POV

        The first week of school went by just like they did the past two years. Fear. Avoidance. No one to talk too. Sure, there was Lilia, Silver and Sebek to keep him company, but they always have. Malleus wanted something new to do. Someone new to talk too.

        Unfortunately there was no one. No students were brave enough to approach the imposing Malleus Draconia. The only one with no care was Leona Kingscholar, and he only spoke to Malleus to start a fight, which Malleus could never bring himself to truly care about.

        The halls were empty, void of life and sound. Malleus ended up staying after classes to go gargoyle hunting, even if he has seen every gargoyle Nigh Raven College has to offer a hundred times over. It was a day like every other, and without his family in Diasomnia, nothing to truly do.

        Malleus found himself in the courtyard, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even remember making his way there. The courtyard isn't new to Malleus either, he could even name the century every gargoyle around was made. It was such an innate thought to him that he simply started rattling off dates to himself in a whisper, barely loud enough for even himself to hear.

        "Wow, that is an impressive memory. How do you do that?" a voice nearby asked. No, it wasn't nearby, the voice had the same quality of being far away, but Malleus' hearing allowed him to hear with no problem. Malleus turned around into the direction the voice came from. There was no one immediately in sights, so it took Malleus a moment to find who had asked him the question.

        Eventually, his eyes settled on a pristine white tail, lazily hanging from a tree branch all the way on the other end of the courtyard. He was unable to see the person the tail was attached to, being this far and them hiding within the branches of the tree. Regardless, the tail looked familiar, and Malleus suddenly had a theory he wanted to test.

        Making no attempt to get closer to his mysterious guest, like he normally would, he stayed put and simply spoke, only rising the volume of his voice from a almost soundless whisper to a quite speaking voice.

        "What was the question? I apologize, I was a little distracted." he asked. Malleus felt his pointed ears twitch when a giggle reached him. He caught sight of the tail lifting and suddenly reaching further down, along with the faint sound of rustling clothes and the flutter of something large. They must have sat up.

        "I said that you have an impressive memory. How do you do it?" There voice was so relaxed, not tinged with fear or painfully tense like Malleus is used to hearing from people. Does this person not know who he is? Or do they simply not care or feel afraid?

        "Well, I have a strong fascination with gargoyles, so learning the when and how of their creation comes with the territory, so I feel it is only natural." he answered. Again, Malleus is only speaking in a quite voice, and this person on the other end of the courtyard is capable of holding a conversation with him with no problems.

        "That's fair. If something interests you, why wouldn't you know that kind of stuff? Still impressive though." they responded. Malleus heard the quiet sound of scales brushing against wood, a sound he is quite used to. (No one will speak of the numerous trees he flew into when he was young.)

        Malleus finally decided it was time he found out who this mystery guest of his is. Filled with hope that this growing theory in his head was true, he made his way across the courtyard. However, he is not rude enough to keep someone waiting in a conversation, so he still spoke as he walked.

        "You sound like you speak from experience. Do you have any interests you are particularly fond of?" he asked. He was about halfway across the courtyard now, and he heard as the person adjusted in the branch again, seemingly to get a better view of him.

        "Yeah, I have a few. Maybe not any that will test my memory like your history of gargoyles, but I like them regardless." Just as Malleus was coming closer, a pair of equally white wings slowly fell into view, relaxing and finding purchase on two smaller branches that seemed to have grown perfectly for this exact person to use.

        "Well, an interest is an interest, no matter how big or small." he supplied. He was finally under the tree, and could perfectly see the person he's been speaking too.

        Up in the tree, lazying around, was another fae, a dragon type to be more exact, just like him.

        Their wings, tail and horns were a pristine white and seemed to be well taken care of. They wore the uniform of Pomefiore, however they have ditched the school blazer and had a few of the top and bottom buttons of their colored vest undone. It seemed they had done so to allow themself more breathing room and to get comfortable. Unprofessional, but school was technically over, so Malleus could understand.

        "Glad you think so." they said. They sat up the rest of the way, allowing their legs to dangle over the edge of their resting branch and lifting their wings, tucking them close to their back, but with how big their wings were, they still under over the edge of the branch. "What would you name be mister?"

        "Please, no need to call me mister." It made Malleus feel old, like how Lilia feels when people back in The Valley of Thorns call him 'Sir Lilia' or his other old titles. But, this person asked for his name. Of that is so, then they must truly not know who he is. If Malleus told them his name, would they recognize it and connect the dots? Would they fear him like everyone else does?

        But, they are a fae like him, even more so than Lilia and Sebek. Have they faced the same prejudice and feelings he has? With they feel empathy instead of fear?

        Is that a risk Malleus is willing to take with this potential new friend?

        "Why don't you give me a name? I am curious what you may come up with." No. It's not a risk he's willing to take. Maybe they will find out on their own after this, but maybe there is a chance their attitude towards him will not change when they do. And if his luck runs out, he can at least say he enjoyed the company while he had it.

        Malleus met their eyes once again. They seemed to be in deep thought, tossing the request around in their head. A smile that Malleus can't describe as anything but wicked took over their face.

        "How about Tsunotaro then? I think it fits you well." They smiled more gently, resting their head on the branch and swaying their tail near Malleus' face, a cold spike just barely brushing against his nose playfully. When Malleus sneezed due to it, they simply laughed and moved their tail again.

        Tsunotaro. A name basically meaning 'Mr. Horns'. Quite literal, but Malleus had to agree. It fit.

        "Then let it be so. I am 'Tsunotaro'. And what is your name, if I may ask." They smiled again and wrapped their hands tightly around their supporting branch, a glint of sharp claws digging into the bark. With a movement too quick to be human, they jumped off the branch and swung off, landing a a good couple feet away from the tree.

        They turned towards Malleus, playfully bowing in a show of their skill, to which Malleus chuckled and gave a small clap, and then walked toward him.

        That was strange. A movement as simple as walking towards someone was nothing important or new in everyday life, but for Malleus it felt alien. No one simply walked to him. They walked or ran away, subtly giving him a wide birth as he walked through the halls.

        But this person did it so normally. There was no fear or trepidation or tenseness in their muscles. A gentle and friendly smile on their lips. An unhurried feel to their walk, like they had no intention to get out of there as quickly as they can. It was new to Malleus.

        The unnamed fae stopped right in front of Malleus, a move no other at this school has had the bravery to do. Now that they are on the ground, Malleus saw that, while he still has them beat in height by a couple inches, they are still quite tall. It didn't matter but it was a thought that made Malleus have to hold back a chuckle.

        Their hand came up to meet his, a friendly handshake, one that Malleus returns. "My name is Y/N. Y/N L/N. It's great to meet you." Their tail swayed behind them gently as they speak, pure relaxation radiated off their body.

        "It is a pleasure to meet you Mx. Y/N" Malleus returned. Y/N laughed, placing a hand over their mouth in an attempt to stop themself. They failed.

        "No, please don't call me Mx. Y/N. Makes me feel old. Plus, we're friends now, so there is no need for formalities Tsunotaro." Their hand release his. Their skin, matched with a few hidden scales, was cold. It wasn't hard to see that Y/N was an ice dragon, but despite that, Malleus's hand still felt warm from the handshake.

        Friends. Y/N said that they were now friends. Malleus has never really had a friend. There was Lilia, but Lilia raised Malleus, more a parent than anything. There was also Silver, but Malleus can remember when Silver was nothing but a baby and even helped Lilia to take care of the little baby. Silver didn't feel like a 'friend'. There was also Sebek, but Malleus felt that Sebek took his duty as Malleu's guard a little to seriously, which got in the way of the whole 'friend' thing.

        But this person. The one who looked at him with curiosity and warmth despite their own nature as an ice dragon. The one who teased him while lazying around in a tree. The one who essentially named him 'Mr. Horns.' The one who refused honorifics under the pretense of being 'friends' even if they had only met him some ten minutes ago and didn't even know his name.

        They felt like a friend.

        A ring went off in the courtyard.

        "Oh, sorry. That's my phone." Y/N said. They pulled their hand held device out of their pocket, something Malleus still struggles to understand, and began to read something on it. When they were done, they looked up at Malleus with a apologetic sadness in their eyes.

        "I'm sorry Tsunotaro, I have somewhere I need to be in a few minutes. It's best I leave now so I don't end up late." That was understandable. Malleus is a prince, he understands one must always be punctual.

        "Of course. I understand. If you must leave, then please do." he said with a slight nod of his head. The look in their eyes brought a lonely sadness to Malleus's heart, but he could handle it.

        "Okay. Well, I'll make sure to be on the lookout in the halls for you from now on. I'd love to pick up our conversation on gargoyles." They winked as if to punctuate their words. It brought a genuine laugh to Malleus' chest, one he made no attempt to hide.

        "I will be waiting for that day."

        There is always a chance Y/N finds out who he is before they see each other next and that conversation will never come, but for now, Malleus will allow himself to hang on to the hope that it will.

        Y/N turned and started to make their way across the courtyard. At some point, before Malleus could tun away himself, they turned and began to walk backwards. They waved enthusiastically and shouted a goodbye. Malleus returned the gesture.

        And just as Malleus had turned to begin his walk to Diasomnia, he heard a whisper. A quiet noise among the wind. But no matter how quite it was, Malleus heard it and knew that he was meant to, they those words were made for him to hear, that Y/N knew he would hear them.

        "Goodbye, Malleus. Hope we can talk again soon."

I get that the relationship between Y/N and Malleus here can be read as either the beginnings of romance or just platonic, but the request specified platonic so I hope I got that across. I found it a little harder to write than romance and my thoughts literally were 'why is this harder than romance?!?" {Looks at my AO3 reading history: 'oh, nvm') Also, I did not go back and proofread because I wanted to get it done and posted, so sorry about any mistakes.

[our-ideal-world]

https://twitter.com/shi_jila

[selfinserttothestars]

HORNTON DAY

HORNTON!!!!

[sirens-alias]

Fangs duo

[shirofairy]

His smile...

How can everyone be so afraid of you? you're such a CUTIE

💚💚💚💚💚

[vinyldraconia]

Eating a frozen treat indoors while it's freezing cold outside....... he's just like me

[glitteringstardust]

🖤 💚 🖤 | 💚 🖤 💚 | 🖤 💚 🖤

malleus draconia stimboard

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

Prompt: Every year, the youngest students of the only school in the village are taken to a forest behind their little village to learn how to navigate the woods and forage without potentially upsetting their non-human neighbours, particularly the faefolk that were rumored to despise humans disturbing and trespassing on their territory. (Name)'s journey into the woods, however, brings them a lot closer to the faefolk they could have imagined.

Pairing: Reader and Diasomnia boys (Platonic)

Genre: NA

TW: NA (As far as I know. Please let me know if I missed or overlooked anything)

AN: Just a little au I'm putting out there because it would not let me rest without penning it all down. I love, love, love the diafamily. Silver and Sebek are full faes in this au, and for this particular fic the reader is like, a kid.

"(Name), dearest, do you have everything you need?"

"Yes Mama!"

Your mother smiled as she crouched in front of your smaller self, gently patting down your outfit before helping you into your raincoat.

"Be good for your teacher, hm? And remember–"

"No wandering off to music, and no crossing the faerie ring," you hummed, having heard the warnings ever since you could understand what was being said to you. You smiled up at your mother, who only ruffled your hair before standing and taking you by the hand to the doorway of your small house, where your teacher and a few of your friends stood in wait for you.

"Teacher!" You greeted as you quickly moved into the small group, greeting and talking with your friends. After a few minutes, your teacher signaled it was time to leave.

You couldn't help the excitement that coursed through your little body as you followed your teacher into the woods behind your little village. The elders would never allow any kid to visit the woods alone, out of fear and respect towards the many supernatural entities rumored to live there. But it was necessary for the younger generation to know how to navigate the woods and forage without potentially upsetting their non-human neighbours, particularly the faefolk that were rumored to despise humans disturbing and trespassing on their territory.

And so every year, the youngest students of the only school in the village would be taken to the woods, under the supervision of their teacher and two of the village elders, to see and learn from the adults. After this initial excursion, in their later years they would be allowed to go into the woods first in a group, then in pairs, and then finally alone.

Your house stood at the very borders of the village, and the woods were a view you could see from your bedroom window, so you had always been eager to go and explore. You could swear that the shadows that fell on the ground as the sunlight dappled through the leaves were calling out to you, beckoning you to enter and rest in their shade.

Your group soon reached where the two assigned village elders stood in wait. In your excitement to go and explore the mysterious woods, you tuned out their usual warnings of staying with the group and not wandering. It was everything you knew already.

Besides, being in the company of these adults who knew the woods like the back of their hands made you feel confident as you stepped into the shadowed canopy of the forest. What could possibly go wrong?

You fought back tears as you turned, a lump growing in your throat as you found no sign of your teacher or friends anywhere. Having gotten separated from your group, you kept wandering vaguely in the direction you had thought you saw them go, hoping you would catch up with them sooner or later.

Your raincoat was splashed with mud, and your palms stung from when you had tripped and fallen to the ground.

The woods no longer seemed the same friendly entity that beckoned you to play in its shade. Now it just seemed scary and cold, and all you wanted was to go home.

Stepping over a few stones, you came into a clearing. The green grass shimmered like emeralds in the light of the lowering sun. A gentle breeze soothed the weariness in you slightly. Tiny eyes looked all over, noting the tall trees that hid this breathtaking scenery.

A breathtaking scenery that did nothing to stop the sinking of your heart. You had never seen this particular clearing, so you knew you were quite far away from your group. Tears stung your eyes, and you rubbed them hard, hiccupping.

You sat down under a nearby, defeated and sulking and so, so tired. The sun was setting, and if the stories told to you held any truth, the forest's fairies would be waking up soon. You hugged your knees to your chest, hiding your face against them as you tried to keep calm.

A few seconds later, your foot was nudged. You looked up, only to meet eyes with a squirrel that looked at you quizzically. It tilted its head at you, and you mirrored its movements, intrigued by the spark of intelligence in its eyes. It nudged your foot once more, then leapt off and moved a few paces away. Then it stopped, and looked back at you, as if urging you to follow it.

It took you not more than a few minutes to make up your mind. You got up, dusting your clothes and attempting a smile to lift your spirits as you slowly followed the squirrel. A little ways away, near a bush, you caught glimpse of silver hair.

It was a boy, but not someone from your village. Sunlight dappled over his fair skin. His hair looked like spun threads of moonlight, lightly moving with the softest of breezes. All in all, he looked like one of those princes your mother used to read to you about. Surrounded by small animals like the squirrel that led you to him, he was peacefully asleep.

You took a step forward, thinking of waking him up. He seemed older than you, so he would probably know the way out of the forest. If you could just get to the edge of the forest, you'd be home–

"STOP RIGHT THERE, HUMAN!"

You froze at the loud bellow that sounded from behind you, the animals resting around the silver-haired boy scattering. You turned to see a boy with bright green hair stomping over to you.

This boy looked more your age, but again, he wasn't someone from your village. You gulped, seeing the anger etched on his face as you stood still. "HOW DARE YOU SNEAK UP ON US?! AND SILVER, WAKE UP!"

Silver, who you assumed was the silver-haired boy, woke up with a start, auroral eyes opening wide to look at the boy who was yelling. "Did... I fall asleep again?" He asked as he was pulled to his feet by the loud boy, a sheepish apology leaving his lips when he nodded.

The loud boy huffed, then turned back to you, effectively turning Silver's attention to you as well. You could feel panic climbing up your throat at the suspicious look the green-haired boy was giving you, already shaken by his shouting.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, HUMAN?! DO YOU NOT KNOW TO KEEP OUT OF THIS FOREST?!"

"I- um..."

You take a step back, biting your lip as your hands trembled. Honestly, you wanted to yell back at him; but Mama always seemed sad when you lost your temper with the children who would tease you...

Before you could utter a word though, a third person joined in on the conversation.

"Now, now Sebek, lower your voice. You're scaring the poor child," it hummed from just beside you. You startled, foot slipping, and if it weren't for the strange man quickly holding onto you, you would have surely fallen.

"Ah, my apologies young one. Seems like I scared you more than Sebek over there," the man chuckled, his magenta eyes twinkling with mischief as he helped you stand on your feet properly. You watched with wide eyes as he knelt, getting down to your level, a smile on his face.

"Sebek, be a dear and apologize to our little guest here. Look how shaken and pale they are," he cooed, pinching one of your cheeks. Your teacher had warned you of stranger danger, but somehow.... this man didn't seem dangerous. Your gaze shifted to the green-haired boy (now known to you as Sebek), who looked chastised, and Silver, who seemed curious.

Sebek mumbled out a "Sorry, human," that sounded almost half-hearted, but you did not fault him. After all, you did not like when Mama made you apologize to the children who you argued with, so you said, "It's okay."

Somehow, that seemed to have displeased Sebek, who crossed his arms and looked away while Lilia smiled. "What a well-mannered little one you are! Your parents must have taught you well."

Your heart filled with pride. "My mama taught me."

"Oh? And what about your father?"

You frowned, fidgeting slightly with the sleeves of your raincoat. "I don't have a father..."

Lilia's eyes seemed to glow, his smile soft as he cupped your face with a hand. "Ah, is that so? Well, how would you like it if I became your father?" As you looked into his eyes, you couldn't help but relax. This strange man was so nice, offering to become your father... if he did–

"You are too old to be collecting little children of men again, Lilia," a regal voice sounded, and you were broken out of your trance. Your eyes spotted another man stepping out from the shadows of the trees. This man was tall, taller than the man currently kneeling in front of you, and had horns on his head. Your eyes widened, making eye contact with the tall man with horns, before looking down.

"Ah, come now Malleus," Lilia smiled at the new addition, which served to soothe your fears just a little. "One can never be too old to have more children added to their family. Or is it that you are feeling jealous?"

"Hardly," Malleus coolly replied as he looks you up and down. "Little child of man, do you know where you are right now?"

You shook your head, and Malleus sighed. "A lost little lamb, then. How fortunate that you met us first. There are things in these woods that would not be as kind to you," he spoke, eyes carefully assessing you. "Have your elders not told you that?"

You blinked. Then pouted, eyes filling with tears, which made Malleus furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

"I didn't mean to get lost," you said, voice trembling as you looked at him. Malleus' eyes widened in slight panic seeing you on the verge of crying, while Lilia watched, amused. After a few minutes of letting Malleus be flustered, he decided to step in.

"Come now, don't cry. Malleus didn't mean anything by it," he hummed as he ruffled your hair. "Don't worry your little head. We'll get you home safe and sound."

That seemed to flip a switch in you. You beamed up at him. "Really? Thank you!"

Lilia picked you up, lightly throwing you in the air a few times to make you laugh. "You're so cute, I could just eat you up," he hummed as he tickled your side.

You gasped loudly, shaking your head. "You shouldn't! I won't taste very good, and you might get a stomach ache!"

Your innocent words had Lilia laughing till his face grew red. As you looked at him in confusion, you were plucked out of his arms by the much taller Malleus.

"I don't believe anything could give Lilia's iron stomach a problem. Not even you, little child of man," he huffed, a small smirk on his face as he held you close.

Curiosity got the best of you, and you reached up to catch a hold of his horns. Ever since you'd seen them, you were wondering if they were fake. Under your soft fingertips now though, they felt very, very real.

"Your horns are very nice, mister."

Unbeknownst to you, Silver and Sebek wore matching looks of horror and disbelief on their faces, while Malleus had the most dumbfounded look anyone could have. Lilia devolved into another fit of laughter at the surprised and concerned looks while you were preoccupied with inspecting the horns.

Malleus snapped out of his dumbfounded stupor soon enough, an amused look on his face as he shifted you in his arms, looking down at you.

"What a foolishly brave thing to do, little beastie."

You immediately let go of the horns as though you were burned, wide eyes watching him in a mix of fear and remorse. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Malleus chuckled. "I suppose I shall pardon this transgression this once; see to it that you do not grab someone's horns again without their permission," he said, smiling as you nodded your head as fast as you could.

"Um, Malleus?" Silver's voice, gentle and calm, caught the attention of everyone present. "The sun is setting. Perhaps we should take them back to their village?"

"Very well. Lead the way, Silver, Sebek," Malleus held you securely in his arms, watching you tentatively wrap your thinner, tinier arms around his neck as he carried you through the forest. At his side, Lilia made faces and told you stories to keep you occupied throughout the long journey; you had, after all, reached the heart of the jungle. Sebek and Silver strode forward, both boys taking their job of showing the way very seriously.

The moon began peeking through the clouds by the time you reached the borders of the forest, right where your house stood in all its homely glory. You slipped out of Malleus' hold after a bit of squirming, racing ahead, eager to find your mother.

"Mama! Mama, I'm home!"

Hearing your voice, your mother rushed out of the house, her eyes wild and frantic. She pulled you into her arms the moment you were within reach, pressing kisses against your face as she sobbed in relief. "Where were you?! Your teacher told me you got separated from the group–"

"I did! But some nice men found me and brought me home! Look, there they are!" You spoke, excited to have your mother meet the eclectic cast of people you had met. But when you turned, none of them were there. Fireflies flew where the group of four should have been, their twinkling lights innocently watching the shine in your eyes turn to clouds of confusion. "They were just there..."

Your mother did not concern herself with the 'missing men' that you claimed had brought you back home, too relieved to have noticed the compassionate and curious gazes in the shadows of the forest. She picked you up, lightly scolding you for wandering off and not listening to your teacher, squeezing you against her tightly as she took you inside.

That night, fireflies danced near your window, keeping an eye on you for their master.

[roidupoisonvil]

i manifested and he came home (hes now in the gang 🔥🔥🔥)