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"You two failed, even after getting so much help?"
Riddle glares down at Ace and Deuce who are kneeling before him. Yuu and Grim would have been caught in the crossfire as well if they had been assigned to Heartslabyul. Instead, they stand back and pray for Riddle's mercy on their friends.
Ace and Deuce keep their heads down as they await Riddle's judgment.
Eventually, Riddle sighs.
"Did you try your best?"
The two first-years nod. They are idiots, but that does not mean they do not work hard. Riddle had experienced firsthand how they had studied under him.
"Then that's enough." Riddle waves them off. "Go celebrate your results. After all, you did do better than your last exam. That is to be commended."
Ace and Deuce quickly stand and rush to Yuu and Grim.
"Riddle let you off easy today," Grim laughs haughtily.
"Our housewarden is so kind," Deuce weeps
"He's mocking us," Ace tell him.
"He is?"
"But Riddle is kind." Yuu changes the topic before a fight can break out. "He helped you both get your grades up and acknowledged your efforts. If you keep working hard I'm sure he'll praise you next time."
Ace and Deuce look at each other, then smile brightly in agreement.
Deuce throws his arm around Yuu's shoulder. "We should study then."
"Studying? I want to celebrate." Grim complains.
Yuu ignores his whining. "We can invite Epel, Jack, and Sebek too. We can grab snacks and make it fun. Maybe you can all stay in Ramshackle tonight too!"
"That's a great idea," Deuce says.
"You two are nerds," Ace sighs, but he clearly isn't complaining. "Sure. Whatever. It's your dorm."
Yuu grabs Ace around the arm and pulls him close. "Admit it, you would be sad if you weren't invited."
Ace clicks his tongue. "As if."
"Oh! And of course, we will have to get some tuna for Grim."
"Tuna?" Grim's ears twitch at the mention of his one weakness. "What are we waiting for?"
As expected, the study session with the first-years goes as well as it could when friends are gathered together. That is to say that no studying got done past the first 30 minutes, there were food containers scattered across the floor, and everyone had passed out in strange positions on top of one another. Even with a perfectly good couch and comfortable beds available, most of them end up sleeping on the floor along with the mess they made.
At some point in the night, Yuu wakes up with Grim curled on their chest. They gently move him aside and stand to try to find extra blankets for their sleeping friends. Even though only they and Grim (and a few ghosts) are the only ones that live in Ramshackle full time, they invested in supplies for guests. It was the least they could do as a host. Once they find spare supplies tucked away in a closest, they return and cover everyone so they won't catch cold in the night.
Once they have covered everyone, they take their place on the neglected couch to stare up at the ceiling. The stained wood looks darker than usual without any illumination in the room. The faces in the paintings have faded out in the night. The fireplace looks like an endless void. And, through the window, a faint light could be seen.
Yuu stands from where they are sitting, almost instinctually, and quickly goes outside without disturbing the others. The warm air brushes against their face when they open the door. The grass crunches softly beneath their feet. The fading glow leads their way toward the tree that grows near the front gate of Ramshackle.
They look under the tree, already knowing what they will find.
"Malleus?" Yuu asks, name burning like lemon and salt on their tongue as they watch the lightning bugs flitter out of the grass and dance toward the sky. "Is that you?"
The darkness seems to stir. Two small green lights flicker for a split second before fading out and being replaced by the tall fae prince. His obsidian hair almost appears to shimmer under the glow of the moon hanging overhead.
His eyes twinkle as he look at Yuu, a small smile exposing the tips of his fangs. "Child of man, have you come to see me?"
"This is my dorm."
Yuu walks to where he stands beneath the tree, heavy with juicy fruit.
"Of course, Prefect." Malleus speaks with a respect he would not offer to many. He is royalty of the highest caliber, but that is only outside the school. Inside its walls, they are of equal status. Plus, they are what many would call friends, or at least friendly.
"But I like when you visit, so maybe I did come out to see you." They press their back to the tree and lean against it. "If the feeling is mutual."
Yuu would argue that their feelings perhaps go a little further than simply being friends. Not that they have any intentions of admitting to such things, especially to Malleus himself. He is a prince and the two will be separated as soon as they graduate. There is no point is initiating a doomed romance. Still, that doesn't stop their feelings.
"I would be remiss not to see how you are doing, child of man."
He reaches up to twist one of the fat fruits from the tree branch and holds it out to them.
They take it with both hands. "And you brought me a gift? What a wonderful guest you are, Malleus. I should really invite you in for tea."
His eyes beam at the mention of being invited to tea.
Yuu laughs. "Tomorrow. When Grim isn't asleep and I don't have other guests over. Okay?"
They bring the fruit to their mouth and bite into it. The flesh is sweet. Just sweet. It tastes like the idea of fruit rather than any fruit in specific. In fact, the realize as they look at it that they cannot even identify what fruit they are supposed to be holding.
"Is something wrong? Malleus asks.
Yuu looks at Malleus, then to the tree. They pause for a moment before finding themselves asking, "When did the tree bloom?"
Malleus looks at them with confusion, but quickly provides an answer. "It bloomed a while ago."
"But isn't the tree… dead?"
"Dead trees do not provide fruit."
And that was the problem. Yuu couldn't recall the tree ever blossoming. It didn't even seem to be a fruit tree by nature, so they were unsure how they were eating what it had, supposedly, produced.
"Yuu," Malleus calls their name, but it sounds wrong on his lips. "Do not think about it."
But they can't stop thinking about it. Suddenly their palms feel itchy and their throat is dry. The grass feels hollow beneath their feet and the air is so thick it chokes them. Every glistening silver bar that makes up Ramshackle's gate feels like the bar of a cage.
"Malleus," they mutter, "where am I?"
"You are home," he says.
But they know that isn't right. Something claws incessantly at the back of their mind, ripping through the tissue and peeling at their memories. It screams that something isn't right. If this is their home, why can't they recall anything further back than a few months. They cannot even recall the day they awoke from the coffin that served as their initiation into Night Raven aside from how they met and made new friends that day. They certainly remember being a child, but the memories are as vague as the taste of the fruit in their hand. It's as if someone has used water colors to paint their past onto a sheet of cracked glass.
"Prefect." Malleus narrows his eyes. "This is your home."
Yuu looks at him.
They slowly shake their head.
"I- I have to go."
They drop the fruit in their hand as they hurriedly turn away from him.
Before they can take more than a few steps in retreat, green flames as tall as three men rise from the ground in front of them, cutting off their exit.
"Prefect," Malleus' voice sounds calm behind them, but Yuu can feel a shudder ripple through them, "you are acting unlike yourself. Are you, perhaps, ill?"
They swallow the anxious lump growing in their throat before slowly looking back at him with a constipated smile. "I try not to be away too long. Grim gets worried if he wakes up and I'm missing. Plus, I have company."
"Do not worry. Your friends will not wake up before we're done." The green flames vanish. "Please stay a little longer."
Yuu bites their lip, tasting copper on their tongue.
"Hornton…" their voice trembles as they call the name they first knew him by, "I'd like to go back now."
His eyes blow open wide, lips pulled tight. "Where would you go? You're already where you should be."
A small grey blotch no bigger than a grain of rice appears on his cheek. Slowly, the grey spreads out from that spot, consuming the blush of the skin across his face and neck. A green glow — the same firey green as his piercing eyes — twists up his horns.
"Is this not the perfect world you dreamed of with your otherworldly sensitivities?"
Yuu takes a step back.
"I promise that it shall be everything you want and more." Malleus seems to float on air to close the gap between them. "As long as you stay here, you shall have your perfect world."
It's only when Yuu looks into those eerie green eyes that spark with power that they see the reality of the situation they are in.
"You aren't thinking clearly." The words tumble out. "You overblotted."
Malleus smiles sweetly, condescendingly. "I know. And now I am able to ensure that everyone lives the life they deserve. The one that will keep them content."
Their eyes burn with restrained tears of fear and their heart pounds so hard that it bruises the inside of their chest. His gaze dares them to speak against him, but it also seems pitying.
"Can you not be content, child of man?"
Rather than answer him, they make a mad dash for the Ramshackle dormitory. Unfortunately, they barely make it a few steps before they feel something — his tail — cinch around their neck and tug them, stumbling back against his chest.
Their hammering heart feels like it will leap out of their throat, but Malleus remains ever the still eye of the storm.
He runs the back of his fingers against their cheek and speaks calmly, purposefully. "I let you have all of your little friends and gave you a better experience than the torment the others have continuously put you through. What else could you want before you accept this place and stay?"
"None of this is real, Hornton."
"It's real if you accept that it is."
"I won't because it's not. None of the people I spoke to today are my actual friends, are they? They're just illusions."
"You're real." His tail loosens. "I'm real."
"And everyone else?"
"Safe and living their happiest lives."
For a moment, it seems as though his words and reasoning have finally gotten through to Yuu. But, just as quickly, they spin on their heels to slap him with an open palm.
He seems physically unaffected by their hit.
"Wake me up right now. I don't want this dream. I want to see the others and I want to go home."
The cool demeanor that he had carefully maintained seems to snap near instantaneously. His hand lashes out to grab the wrist that had just hit him and his eyes burn with cold rage.
"Why can you not accept this world I gave to you? Why do you insist on leaving me?" He tugs at their wrist, pulling them closer.
At his impressive height, he easily glares down at them as he seeks an answer. Yuu scrunches their face in pain from his hold on their wrist. Seeing their pain, his grip loosens slightly. They are a human without magic, frail and weak and not of this world. They are no threat to him. It is his duty to ensure they find no reason to want to leave; to give them their ultimate dream. But he also realizes that he will have to watch Yuu more closely since they insist on waking up.
He places a hand over their face.
"We'll try again," he says, venom dripping in his words. At Yuu themselves or the situation they cannot tell, but the difference is irrelevant.
"Hornton-" They manage to squeak out just before everything goes black.
…………………….
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Yuu wakes up in a bed different than their own. Or, rather, this new bed is now theirs but they aren't used to it yet.
As they look around at the grey brick walls surrounding them, a small brick of pain strikes their brain, but they can't understand why. They figure that they are simply tired after they spent yesterday moving their things into their new dorm room. It wasn't as if they had a lot to move, but the act of moving in and of itself was tiring.
There is a knock at their door.
They sit up. "Come in."
The door opens and Malleus steps inside.
"Oh, it's you." Yuu rubs their tired eyes and yawns. "Sorry. I just woke up."
"It is alright." He closes the distance so that he is standing at the edge of their bed. "Although a member of Diasomnia should be awake in time for morning training, you will likely only receive a mild punishment since this is your first day."
"Mild?"
"You will likely have to run a few laps around the dorm. Nothing too difficult."
Yuu frowns deeply. "Lilia wouldn't actually do that to me, would he?"
Malleus smiles gently, but something about his expression also seems forlorn and full of animosity. "He is hard of Silver and Sebek because they are his proteges. He may be more lenient on you since you are not, but do not expect it."
Yuu hangs their head. "Will I really fit in here? Everyone is so skilled and their magic is phenomenal. In comparison, I'm remarkably dim."
"You chose to transfer to Diasomnia and it was approved. What good is questioning what already is?"
He wants them to stop thinking and give into what is happening. They should have a beautiful dream where they live a life so wonderful that they never long to awaken from it. He will ensure that it is beyond even their wildest imaginations. Keeping them close is simply a part of that; a delusion so that they never question why he is ever near them.
"You're right." Their fingers fidget with the bedding. "Malleus? Can I make a selfish request?"
"You are able to."
Yuu rolled their eyes, something only they would dare when it came to a man as infamous as Malleus Draconia. "May I though?"
"That is dependent on what your selfish request is."
They pat the spot beside them.
As they wish, Malleus takes his spot on the narrow bed.
They lay their head against his shoulder and close their eyes.
"Stay here for a moment. I'm nervous."
Even though he should be checking in on the dreams of the others, he complies. After all, he does not want them escaping him again so quickly.
"Somehow, this doesn't feel right." Yuu's voice is quite, unsure. They are already questioning their latest reality. "It all feel unreal. Am I crazy?"
"It is a new experience for you," Malleus says as he wraps his arm around them.
It is, perhaps, more affectionate than he intended, but they lean into him.
"But it feels like there's something I'm forgetting. Or, maybe it's something I should remember?"
Their ability to reject his gift to them is growing increasingly frustrating. He does adore their demeanor and lack of fear or reverie toward him, but that same trait he admires is interfering with his plans. He does not want them pliant or obedient, but complacency would work to his advantage.
"Perhaps if it is forgotten it should remain that way?"
He squeezes his arm around them, silently threatening their next action.
They take his actions as affectionate. "Sooo… if you forget that there are other things you have to do today, does that mean you should stay here?"
"I would not forget that there are other places I must be."
In their dream, when he is not checking on them, this avatar of him will serve in his place. However, that is all he can offer. It would be impossible to be with them constantly.
"I bet I can make you forget," they tease.
They glance up at him, their eyes sparkling. Slowly, they lean upward, tilting their head slightly as their face nears his.
Malleus knows what a kiss is, but he and Yuu have never—
"Malleus," they whisper, "stay with me."
The only conclusion he can draw is that this is an aspect of Yuu's perfect world; one in which he and they can have such contact. He does not find himself opposed to their dream. Unlike the last one that was sickeningly sweet and clear influenced by their otherworldly morality, this one feels more in line to his own ideals. They do not wish for him to leave as much as he longs for them to stay.
So why do they insist on fighting against him and the life he happily offers them?
"Malleus?" They repeat his name, seeking a sign that he returns their sentiments.
"Child of man, do not be hasty."
Their cheeks puff up. "I'm serious." They press themselves against him. "Let me show you."
They quickly do away with their night clothes so that they are bare, but they still hide themselves behind their bedsheets as if the thin fabric will protect them.
"See? I can be very distracting."
Indeed, they can be. In fact, every thought in Malleus' head seems to now be focused on them alone due to their odd behavior. He did not suspect that they would act this way in their perfect dream.
"You too," they eventually say, their cheeks turning deep red. "You're supposed to take yours off too in this situation."
He cannot help himself. Though it is not in his nature to tease, he feels the desire to.
"Is that so? I am afraid that I am unfamiliar with the customs of this situation. I will need your guidance."
He wants to see how far their dream will go.
They look away from him with a small pout. "You know how to take off your own clothing."
"I do, but I am unaware if there is some formality in the way I remove it."
Somehow, their face turns an even more vibrant crimson than it already was. They drop the sheets acting as their shield and lean over to grab the buckle of the belt around his waist.
They look up at him, their gaze between a mix of shyness and curiosity. "I'll only do it this once, so pay attention."
Yuu finds Malleus' uniform too be far less complicated than it looks. The top is held in place by his belt and two zippers and, once they are undone, it can easily be slid off his shoulders.
They have to pause before moving to his pants. They cannot recall Malleus ever being so exposed. He is usually covered from his head to his feet. Sometimes even his hands are covered! There was a singular time they saw the very edge of his ankles and it had felt scandalous. Now though? They are staring directly at his bare chest.
Traditionally, skin that is constantly covered would be more pale than the parts that are exposed to the sun on a regular basis, but Malleus has no break in the tone of his skin. It is all one perfect shade.
They find themselves touching him in wonderment. He is more lithe than they would have assumed given his usual strength — in fact, they can barely find an ounce of muscle or fat on his body — and he has nothing in the way of hips. His skin is as soft as velvet though.
"Is this part of the process?" Malleus asks suddenly.
Yuu quickly snatches their hand back and he laughs at his jest. He does not mind them admiring him, although he must admit that it is causing some other reactions inside of him.
They have already thoroughly distracted him, as they so intended.
"Sorry. That was rude of me." They reach for the edge of his pants with shaky fingers. "May I?"
He says nothing but silently wills them to proceed.
His pants are much like his jacket in complexity. That is to say, shockingly simple once its design is understood. Stripping his bare once they so is remarkably easy.
What catches them off guard is not his clothing or even his nakedness. What eventually makes them falter is his anatomy.
Yuu is human and, aside from a few phenotypical variations between people, humans generally look the same. Beastmen appear mostly the same as humans aside from their animal characteristics. Merfolk have always seemed to be the most exceptional in their true forms, but once transformed they are as human as anyone else.
On the outside, Malleus looks human enough to blend in with others. However, he is not. He is fae and dragon by birth. His human face is one he learned to show later in life, but there are some aspects of his nature that he does not change. Any part of himself not exposed to the eyes of others is a feature he is free to leave be.
Yuu stares wide eyed at what they have uncovered.
"You have… two?"
"Yes," he says nonchalantly. "There are many species that have have anatomy other than what humans find typical. Some have internal genitals or no genitals at all. I believe some merfolk are hermaphroditic as well."
Malleus is secretly glad that Yuu is unaware of that face. It means that they never had reason to discover anatomy past what they knew about humans.
"Is that an issue?" He asks with a smile on his face, amused by the expression of shock still on theirs.
"N- no…"
They say that, but they are still stupified. It isn't only the fact that he apparently has two dicks, but also that neither looks the way they expected.
He does not have a shaft with a bulbous head, but rather his length seems to be one rod that is nearly the same thickness all the way down with the exception of a tapered tip, triangular and hole prominent. They are both a deep shade of purple, so dark they nearly look black and covered in flate, smooth scales. Both penises are slightly different in size but both are more than respectable, a fact easily observable when they are side-by-side.
"Then what are you planning to do next to keep me distracted?"
He had to remind them of their goal or else he feared that they may back down. Even in a fantastical dream, their conscious mind may awaken at any moment like it had before and pull them from the fantasy he was quite enjoying.
"Am I not distracting enough already?" They pout and lament, but crawl into his lap anyway.
"I would hardly call this a distraction," he scans their body over, finding the weight of them in his lap pleasant, "but it is working well enough."
Even in his lap, Yuu feels small and has to crane their head upward to kiss him again. The kiss is shy, chaste. They seem almost afraid as they withdraw.
"Don't be too harsh with me. I've never had to deal with… two before."
In a dream, one that is made to be perfect for those trapped inside of it, the same limitations of the human body to not fully exist. That is why, when Yuu lifts themselves up and reaches down to line the smaller of Malleus' cocks up with their hole, they do not feel pain even without any preparation. Because they do not have experience with nor can they imagine the pain taking a dick not intended for their kind, they do not feel any at all. Instead, Malleus is free to fill in the gaps of their dream, ensuring that they feel only pleasure as they take him inside of themselves.
On Yuu's end, all they can feel is a small pressure burrowing deeper into them. As they take more of Malleus, however, that pressure turns into a tingling. Their walls are scraped by the flat scales along his length and each one makes their toes curl.
They lean against his chest, using him as leverage so they can try to more their own hips. Even though it is only one cock, it feels intense. His tip feels as if it is pushing directly into their guts and they whimper continously as they slowly ride him. The way they lean into him leaves their face hidden from Malleus' view, but he finds their determination charming nonetheless.
Malleus can feel himself close to releasing, but his face shows no reaction. The smaller of the two is not as sensitive as the other. He wonders if Yuu is aware of what they have done in accepting the smaller of his two penises. They likely chose it for the ease of taking it, and that is partially why it is smaller, but that does not mean they fully realized how different his biology is from theirs.
When he releases inside of them, it isn't cum.
Moments after, however, Yuu is shaking in his lap and loses their ability to do little else but hurriedly grind against him. They scream so loudly that he is suddenly glad no one else in the realm is real. Their own cum — actual cum, unlike his — sprays across his skin just above where they are joined and the sounds they make as they buck against him are more lurid than he thought possible.
"Wha- what's happening?" They ask in a voice that sounds strained.
"My penises serve different functions," Malleus explains. "One is for purpose — that is to make children — while the other is for pleasure. It makes something akin to what people would call an aphrodisiac so that my partner can accept the other one and be more likely to concieve. That is the one you chose."
Yuu has no experience with aphrodisiacs nor does Malleus know how they would effect a human, but he knows that he is filling in the gaps when it comes to Yuu's dream. In his imagination, something so potent that it is meant to seduce and rile up a dragoness would be thrice as efficient on a human.
"Malleus," they whine, "I can't move."
"But you seem to be moving just fine." He grabs their butt and lifts them slightly to show how much they are still moving.
"No. If I move more than this then-"
They can't finish their sentence as another orgasm rips through their body and they are forced to cum yet again.
"I can't move more than this. It feels like my entire body is going to explode."
Every inch of them, starting from their core and spreading through their muscles and bones, was on the brink of ecstasy.
"Shall we stop then?" Malleus asks.
"No," Yuu yells just as another orgasm rips through them. "D- don't leave me…"
At their plea, Malleus feels something inside of him harden. Yes, he has a created a world in which they have no desire to leave him, but he also finds himself angered by their request. How could they beg him not to leave when they had so easily told him that they may abandon him? It sparks a small fire inside of him.
It does not take much effort for him to flip their positions; to lay them under him, trembling and weak and unable to stop from cumming at every little touch.
He peers down at them with hatred in his eyes. Not for them, but for the choices they have made; for attempting to leave him; for trying to awaken from the perfect life he has offered them; for showing him a world in which they desired him as much as he did them. He despised all of it.
He could feel his grip on himself slipping. His avatar in their world was intertwining with his true appearance, skin turning grey and nails growing long.
Before his mask can slip completely, he quickly pulls out of them and flips them onto their stomach. Before they can complain about his suddenly rough treatment, he shoves his other cock — the one that is actually sensitive and designed to bring him pleasure — inside of their ready hole.
"Malleus! Wait!" Yuu yells, but is quickly muted as they bury their face into the bed.
They cannot fight how good it feels to have him scraping out their insides, thrusting himself deep inside of them and stretching them open. Their body goes limp under him, only held up by his firm grip on their hips.
Behind him, just out of sight, Malleus flicks his tail. He longs to wrap it around them, to feel their pulse beneath his scales and run it across their skin. They would be exquisite shivering at his touch.
But such thoughts lead him to imagine taking even more from them. In this form, their bodies fit together well and Yuu can accept him as he is. However, this form is not his only one.
His leans his mouth close to their ear. "Someday, I will have you in my real form."
Malleus is not a man who transforms into a dragon, but a dragon that wears the face of a man. Both are equally him and yet be longs for them to accept his other side as readily as they embraced this one. He could think of no greater pleasure than to have Yuu accept him while he wore his true face. Even if they would be so small in comparison that it would normally be impossible, such consequences are irrelevant in a perfect dream.
From now on, they both have all the time in the world.
Yuu cums around him again and he can faintly hear them sobbing. It seems that the potency of a dragon is too much for them at the moment.
It is that quiet crying — the sting of their pleasure turning into pain and discomfort — that finally quels his tepid anger. He never intended to punish them for their actions. After all, he put them to sleep so thay they could be with him forever. It did him no good to make them afraid of or hate him.
He regains control of his rational mind and is able to revert his appearance back to the one that Yuu knows.
"It will end soon," he tells them as he rolls himself against them.
His cock vanishes inside of them over and over, pleasure building inside of him as much as it had them. They stretch out their hand as if trying to crawl away and seek relief from the never-ending euphoria coursing through their veins, but Malleus grabs onto that hand and holds it tightly, weaving his fingers between their own.
Since this perfect world is one without a council to answer to or traditions that must be followed, he allows himself to imagine waking up beside them each morning and falling asleep beside them each night. He imagines the way they beg him not to leave them alone, how they long for his presence as much he does theirs. Perhaps someday, when everyone finally understands what joy he has given them, he can create a singular paradise for them so that everyone he loves is in one place together. Him, Yuu, Lilia… they would all be together forever.
Malleus smiles as he looks down at their shuddering body. This is only their first time together. In time, they will learn how to handle him. For now, he does not mind relieving them of their endless orgasms. He grips onto them tightly, wishing he could see their face as he finally cums inside of them. Their insides flood with his cum, hot and thick.
As soon as he finishes inside of them their body finally gives out, falling forward and allowing him to slip free from their hole that holds onto his seed.
His cum is the antidote to the aphrodisiac he released inside of them earlier. In nature, the aphrodisiac is the catalyst for boundless sex and lovemaking while his cum would be the end goal in order for his mate to conceive a child — or, rather, an egg in his case. In Yuu's case, it seems his cum serves as a source of freedom from the painful pleasure they are made to feel. He makes note of that for the future as he allows them a moment to rest.
Yuu's position looks uncomfortable— their bottom in the air and their torso collapsed onto the mattress as they remain barely conscious — so Malleus grabs them and gently lays them across his lap so they can feel more comfortable. It would do his mate no good to be left in such a disheveled heap.
It takes a moment for Yuu's tired eyes to flutter open. When they finally do, they look around groggily before focusing on Malleus. Despite the discomfort they must gave felt earlier, they smile and sit up. Their limbs still seems weak, but he knows they will soon be strong again. Yuu is not one to allow themselves to stay does.
"You didn't reject me." They comment.
"I did not."
"Why not?
"Do you wish I had?" Malleus asks.
"I'm just curious."
"I did not reject you because I did not want to."
"Does that mean that you like me?" Yuu asks between heavy breaths. "Like, you have affection for me beyond friendship?"
"I do," Malleus admits. He couldn't quite put a word to his feelings before, but the way they described it felt right. It was a feeling of affection, but one that went beyond what he had for others. Yuu was as precious to him as Lilia, but in a different way. If they were not, he would not have had reason to ensure their dream was absolutely perfect. He can only be glad that their delusions gave them the confidence to be so bold toward him. Now they could also understand what it felt like to wish those precious to you would never leave.
"I'm glad. I like you too."
They wrap their arms around his shoulders and pull him into their warm embrace. They remain like that for a few minutes before pulling away and standing from the bed.
"I should go wash." They quickly put on their uniform, though it is sloppy. "Will you wait here for me?"
"As you wish." While they act according to their fantasy, he can slip his consciousness away to check on the others until their return. It was careless of him to neglect the others for so long.
"Thanks."
Yuu walks toward the door to their room. Once they open it, they step out into the hall. When the door is nearly shut, they turn back to Malleus. He is sitting on their bed with his eyes closed, though clearly not sleeping.
"I'll see you again soon, Hornton."
As soon as Malleus hears the name come from their mouth, his eyes snap open and his full consciousness returns to their dream. He quickly flicks his finger toward the door, sending a concentrated bolt of magic to smash it to pieces. Although he succeeds, his magic only hits air; there is no one behind the door any longer.
He can feel it the second their mind is no longer in the realm he made for them. His blood boils. The world he maintained purely for them begins to melt around him, turning into black mush and corrupted magic.
Yuu has left him.
Malleus is alone.