Chapter Text
“What is this so-called ‘twenty-one questions’ game you speak of, Idia-senpai?”
“....Huh?”
“Twenty-one questions. You mentioned it just now. You said, and I quote, ‘as long as we're playing twenty-one questions here’ and then you proceeded to ask what I was doing.”
“Oh.” Idia brought a hand up to rub the back of his head. “Well, uh, it’s–it’s not really stuff peeps like me do, it’s more for like, those, uhm, like normies who party all night and drink their asses off. It’s not a familiar territory to me, it’s like if you made a support go mid, or a camper go upper. So I can’t really say I’m a pro at it. I just heard about it. It’s especially popular in modern novels, especially high school or university ones.” Idia started rambling. Silver just stood there, hands crossed, patiently listening to Idia, but not really understanding what the housewarden was actually saying. Idia soon realized this, immediately holding his lips shut. “...Sorry. To put it simply, ‘twenty-one questions’ is when two players take turns asking each other questions to get to know the other person better. It’s probably really obvious but I’ll also mention that the total amounts to 21 questions per player.”
“I see.” Silver nodded. “That does sound like a good ice-breaker game. Are there any set boundaries or questions you aren’t allowed to ask?” He continued asking the blue-headed housewarden.
“Uhh Idontknow, prolly not?” Idia shrugged. He had never played the game before either. Just what did Silver think he was?? The cool high school jock who tries to steal the female lead from the male lead with his handsome looks in a shoujo manga?? Hell no. He’d rather be caught grilled alive than join any one of those parties. That is, if fire had any affects on him at all.
“Then, shall we play it too, Idia-senpai?” Idia felt his heart drop, Silver wanted to play with him? The boy looked up at him, eyes almost glistening. Idia shook his head, denying his own thoughts, that was simply just Silver’s regular galaxial eye colors. Right. Regular. Idia couldn’t think of another being to have ever walked the multiverse (and that includes all his PVPs, ARPG, BRs, and MMOs) with eyes that were just casually auroral. Nah, this boy was fucking blessed (quite literally too, thanks Lilia).
“Uhhh, I mean, if you want Silver-shi then I basically have to make it happen? Amiright…Haha….” Idia’s voice drifted off, his heart pounding furiously. Seriously, was this even real? Since when did sleeping beauty fucking play 21 questions? With Idia of all people? Was hair clouded in flames not enough to warn someone off?
“Yes, I think it would be nice.” Silver nodded.
“Sure hahahah…” Idia replied, trailing off. He was actually fucked.
After finally pausing from his inner turmoil, Idia noticed Silver had yet to say anything. He now realized how awkward the situation was, two high school students, standing facing each other in the middle of the night in silence. Idia felt his ears heat up, before speaking up. “Uh, you can go first.”
“Alright.” The silver headed boy replied in a steady tone.
“What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Idia blinked, this was what he wanted to ask? Usually people go straight for the nasty questions. He chuckled, well, Silver has always been like this. So pure, Idia didn’t even know how to react. Obviously, he wasn’t expecting Silver to ask anything intrusive, but still. Silver never ceases to amaze Idia. The taller boy relaxed his shoulders, no longer tense from the forced social interaction.
“I was going to buy a welding helmet for tomorrow.”
“Oh. Alright.”
Another pause.
“It’s your turn to ask, Idia-senpai.”
“Alright…uh, so, what ‘bout you, Silver-shi? What’re you doing here?”
“The school will be receiving many guests for tomorrow’s Spelldrive tournament, including dignitaries from foreign countries.” Silver shuffled, rubbing his hands against his ceremonial robe to brush off the invisible dust from the baton. “Some spies may try to slip in amid the commotion, so I’m keeping watch. I cannot let anything happen to Malleus-sama.”
“That’s going kinda overboard isn’t it? Malleus-shi is already like, game-breakingly OP. I don’t think anyone’s gonna PvP HIM out.”
“As unlikely as it is, if something were to happen to him, it would become an international incident. So, no, I am not going “overboard.”
“Ah. right.” Idia turned his head away, whispering to himself. “Not sure I buy that but…” Idia looked back, “A-anyways.” He gazed nervously at Silver. Idia could feel the perspiration build up in his palms. It’s gotten awkward again. He shoved both hands into the pocket of his jacket, before speaking. “Y-your turn now!”
This time, it was Silver’s turn to pause and think. Or at least, that’s what Idia thinks he’s doing. He’s not really sure, the boy just stood suspended of any movement, blankly staring at Idia. Silver blinked a few times, before bringing his hand to his head. “Ah, Idia-senpai, I’m afraid I’m getting a bit tired…I might have to…” before Silver could even finish his words, Idia saw his knees buckle, as the boy slowly descended to the ground. Panicking, Idia used the energy he conserved from skipping the last three weeks of PE lessons and dashed towards the younger boy, holding up just before he hit the ground. However, by the time he reached Silver, he had already used up 25 out of the 28 days of energy. He didn’t have enough days to hold Silver up! Slowly, the both of them fell to the floor, with Idia kneeling on his knees and Silver leaning against him, now unconscious. Idia could feel the pounding of his chest, both from the physical excretion and the proximity of his crush. He could only pray Silver was truly asleep, ignorant to both how out of breath Idia was, and the ferocious beating of his heart. He sighed, bringing a hand up to drag across his face, the other still gently holding Silver’s back, so that the boy wouldn’t slip away from him.
“Fuck.” He swore this would be the last ever time he left his room. Then, suddenly, he heard a far ruffling from behind him, followed by an incredibly loud voice Idia was sure betrayed all notions of ‘staking out’.
“SILVER! WHERE ARE YOU? LILIA-SAMA IS CALLING FOR A MEETING!”
Shit. Alarm bells started going off in Idia’s mind. Anyone but Sebek, Idia pleaded. He simply couldn’t handle him. The literal embodiment of Idia’s foil character. Quickly, he tried to maneuver Silver (keyword: tried) away from him, gently laying him on the grass. Well, as gently as he could. That didn’t really do anything from the loud impact the grass made after meeting with the solid of Silver’s back. Idia winced, then silently apologized to Silver.
He quickly got up, brushing off the dirt on his legs. He then looked back at the sleeping beauty in a comatose state on the ground. Idia inhaled sharply. His locks were sprawled across the grass, the usual hair that covered the sides of his face were now pulled down, revealing a sharp jawline, especially because his head was slightly tilted. Idia could see the subtle rising of Silver’s chest, as well as the soft and quiet snores that left his mouth. Silver was sleeping so soundly, it made Idia’s heart squeeze. He was fucking adorable, Idia could feel himself become breathless from the sight itself.
He continued to stare down, Silver’s robes had now become loose, revealing a thin layer of fabric beneath. Silver’s shirt had slightly been ruffled up, revealing merely a pouch of his stomach. Idia could see he defined lines that painted Silver’s abdominals, evidence of the boy’s physical talent and hard work. Idia could feel his ears burn, before he quickly took off his own jacket, laying it over Silver. For the cold, he thought. Idia could do without his jacket for tonight. He was pretty sure the heat from his hair would help him keep warm (not to mention the fact it was pink now). Just then, he heard more shuffling from behind him, this time, much louder and closer.
Quickly, Idia wasted no time, sparing one last glance at the sleeping boy before running (or, whatever type of moving Idia was doing considering he barely had any strength left) off. Just before leaving the vicinity, Idia heard a very familiar voice ringing through the yard.
“...Silver? YOU’RE ASLEEP AGAIN?”
The housewarden let out a sigh of relief, before making his way to Sam’s shop. Death avoided once more. Heh.
˚★.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚
“Idia-senpai!” A voice called out from afar. Idia whipped his head back, then to the front again. It took him approximately point three six five seconds to realize he wouldn’t make it. He would not be able to escape this encounter. He simply had to surrender himself to his fate. This would be his main character moment. Where prince charming chases him down the staircase once the clock strikes midnight. Except, it was not midnight, and he was not on the staircase. It was noon and he was in the hallways. The part about prince charming was right though, in terms of beauty, nobody could beat the silver headed knight.
“S-Silver-shi. Hi.” Idia awkwardly smiled, bringing a hand up to his chest, slightly waving.
“I’ve been meaning to find you.” Silver breathed out once he finally reached the housewarden. He then reached into his own duffle bag, if Idia had to guess it was probably for his clubwear. Gently, Silver pulled out the ever so familiar thermally insulated blue cameo jacket Idia had so conveniently told Ortho he lost, only to be interrogated by his younger brother, finding it very hard to believe that Idia actually left the room enough for it to get lost in the first place. He carefully held it out with both of his hands, giving it to Idia. “Here, this is for you, senpai.”
Idia blinked. Then blinked again, in fact, he almost brought his hands up to rub his own eyes. It had been two days since Idia last saw that jacket, and he was perfectly content in never seeing it again. The thought of Silver keeping an article of his clothing was just too good, but, if Idia could pick, the face Silver was currently making right now was even better. The younger boy’s cheeks were slightly tinted, his gaze slightly wavering but still locked with Idia’s own.
“Sorry it took so late, I should’ve returned it to you immediately, I just…” He trailed off. Idia tilted his head in confusion. Silver’s cheeks were now visibly red. “Anyways, I apologize. Here is your jacket back. I’ve washed, cleaned, and ironed it. Thank you for allowing me to use it knowing it would get dirty.”
Idia could feel his hair burn pink, the heat diffusing into his ears. “Np. Haha.” Again, the silence returned. Idia needed to get out, well, he usually WOULD need to get out if it was anyone other than Silver, but that was the issue. It was Silver. “You could’ve just kept it ya’know. I meant to give it to you.” He awkwardly brought up, trying his best to continue the conversation.
(Note to internal monologue: despite the fact he was talking just to TALK with SILVER, those words were 100% sincere!)
Silver looked up at Idia, eyes sparkling. “Really? Do you mean it?”
Idia could feel the pink build up on his hair, he took a step back as a habit, not used to the boy’s sudden surge in enthusiasm. “U-uh, yeah. I have plenty more.” Idia did not have plenty more. That was his only one. In fact, it was the only one in the world but he’d tell the same lie 1000 times over if it meant he would get another glimpse of Silver’s endeared face. Just when Idia was about to push the jacket back towards Silver, urging him to keep it, Silver shook his head, and forced the jacket back into Idia’s hands.
“No, thank you very much Idia-senpai, but it is quite alright. It would be inappropriate for me to do such. Plus, Sebek already gave me an earful.” Idia wasn’t quite sure but it almost seemed as if Silver was…disapointed?
“Uh…yeah. It’s fine. We’re all good.” Idia took the jacket and flapped it open, pulling the sleeves over his arms. Once he zipped up the jacket, he turned towards Silver, only to find the latter still staring at his jacket. He furrowed his eyebrows, before slightly chuckling.
Like a chipmunk…
“That’s all right? Ya need me for anything else? Cuz I kinda hit my–” Idia paused. Was he seriously about to say his limit for talking to Silver like a normal person out loud? Thank the sevens his conscience caught up to his mouth today. “....my social bar for the day.” Idia felt himself flush once more. This is so embarrassing, might as well just trip on those damn stairs against his glass slipper.
“Right. The game. We never finished it.”
Game? Ah.
“Right. The game.” Idia nodded. “Wait, now?!?”
“Yes.”
“Uh.” Idia started panicking, he wants to play now?!? In the hallway? Where everybody and their mother here?? “You seriously wanna play it here? Right now?” He asked again.
“Yes, senpai.”
“Uh, okay, whatever. But quickly. Please” Idia added as a last resort. He couldn’t really say no to Silver, be it his face or Idia’s pounding heart, but he was still desperate to get out, he deeply missed his room!
Silver paused, staring at the housewarden who was now clearly nervous, hair flying in all sorts of directions. “Would you rather play in your room later?” He simply asked.
Idia paused, staring back at Silver. “Was that your question?”
“Yes.” Idia felt his heart skip a beat. Actually, he felt it literally melt out of his chest. Of course Silver would try to consider Idia’s feelings and comfort even when he didn’t need to. Idia smiled. “You know, that’s not really how this game works.” He chucked.
Silver tilted his head. “It’s not?”
“Nah. But yeah, I would love to play in my room later on.”
“Alright, then I’ll see you after club meetings.” Silver replied, before turning around, seemingly about to walk off to his own club. Just then, Idia reached out to grab hold of his wrists.
“W-wait!” Idia felt electric shocks travel from his fingers all the way to his brain, he immediately let go of Silver, slightly mourning the loss. Silver looked at him, slightly confused, head tilting.
“What is it, Idia-senpai?”
“My turn first! It’s not fair if I don’t get to ask you one!”
“Oh. Right. By all means, ask away.”
Idia took a deep breath in, preparing himself. He wasn’t going to fuck this up, he could feel the tips of his hair tingling, and the slight pounding in his chest. All he could do was pray that the external wardrobe seemed fine to the younger boy. Slowly, he parted his lips to ask.
“Do you want my jacket?”
“....Yes.” Silver sighed. Idia smirked, immediately taking the jacket off and handing it to the shorter boy.
“Heh. Here, keep it.” Silver’s face was now flushed, as he shamefully reached for the jacket. “See ya.” Idia walked away, not daring to look back. He wasn’t going to risk letting Silver catch sight of his burning face, not that much was hidden, he’s pretty sure his pink hair revealed it already. Fuck it, he’ll take another glance. Quickly, he peaked over behind him, to find the silver headed boy still suspended in spot, devoid of any movement. He was furiously gripping onto the jacket in his hands. From this distance, Idia could still see the obvious red that adorned his ears and the intense gaze onto the jacket. The housewarden felt his heart squeeze. Silver was so fucking cute.
Idia, still in a hypnotized state from the younger boy’s kindness, walked towards his own club just slightly dragging his feet, a much bigger improvement from the usual state.
˚★.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚
“So I propose we brainstorm a new strategy to…” Idia zoned Azul’s words out, completely abandoning his fellow housewarden’s plans. He had just realized he now had problems of his own. Big problems. Fuck his genius brain for not catching up to his mouth! What in the world did he just agree to? Silver coming over? Silver chilling in his room? Chilling? In Idia’s room? He takes it back, his death has not been avoided. He doesn’t even know which option to click Idia silently prayed to the sevens, if somehow he was a reincarnated soul in a webnovel now would be the perfect time for the system to pop out of thin air and give him some boosters. Anything that would help him survive. Idia could feel his breathing get shorter, he was definitely nervous now, how did he even agree to such bizarre ideas? No, how did Silver even think of such things? What in the world was he going to do when the sophomore shows up to his room, freshly cleaned and bathed from his club. Just imagining the sight almost sent Idia into cardiac arrest. It’s official, he was going to die of a heart attack at the ripe age of 18.
He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it with extreme speed and opening his chat messages.
Me
ORTJO
ORTHO
I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM
Ortho 🤖
What is it, Ni-san?
By the way, I don’t think Azul Ashengrotto would be happy with you texting during club
meetings!
Me
would u rather i die or azul be unhappy
Ortho 🤖
:/
What is it, Nii-san?
Me
my room is a freaking mess
Ortho 🤖
Yes, I know that.
Me
i need it cleaned
like
asap
Ortho 🤖
Why?
Me
…
pls ortho don’t do this
Ortho 🤖
Nope! We’re doing this alright!
Why do you need your room cleaned, Ni-san?
Me
NO
NO
Ortho 🤖
Is it because Silver from Diasomnia is finally coming over?
Me
NOOOOOOOOO
HOWD U EVEN KNOW THAT
Ortho 🤖
I have my ways!
Don’t worry! I already sent a drone earlier today!
Me
?????
no srsly how did u know
Ortho 🤖
Azul Ashengrotto is going to get mad!
And as if right on cue, a voice interrupted Idia’s train of thought. “Idia-san! Please, if you’re not going to listen you may as well leave!” Idia immediately pocketed his phone, letting out a sigh of relief, well, half relief. His room being cleaned didn't really change the fact Silver was still coming over. Truly, thank Sevens for Ortho. He’s been a blessing to Idia in more ways than one.
˚★.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚
Again, the awkward silence. Idia could feel the sweat building up in his palms. Nervously, he began rubbing them against his pants. Seriously, how was anyone in Diasomnia ever okay? How did they just casually live with the majestical being Idia was about to invite into his room. Idia was fairly sure Malleus had to put his students under some sort of spell to prevent them from fainting every time they laid eyes on Silver. Idia could feel his heartbeat increasing with every passing second, he wasn’t sure of what to do, or what to say. Seriously, how was he supposed to treat someone as regal as Silver, who was casually standing at Idia’s door! He wasn’t even sure if he looked okay. What color was his hair? Did his room smell bad? Silver looks so good, it’s making him dizzy. He was still holding the same duffle bag he had this morning, was Idia’s jacket still inside?
“…Hi.” Idia breathed out.
“Hello Idia-senpai. I am here.”
“Y-yeah. You’re here.” Idia breathed out. The two stared at each other again in an agonizing silence. This time, Idia broke it. “Uh, yeah, come in I guess.” The pounding of his heart still hasn’t stopped. Idia moved over to the right, almost tripping on thin air, allowing Silver to enter what Idia would call the most sacred place in all of Sage Island, his room.
Silver hesitantly stepped in, before stopping at the door, to take in the mere presence of the housewardens room. He glanced over at the shelves, the ceiling, the floor, and dare even say— Idia’s bed. He couldn’t help but make comparisons to his own dorm. It was so full. Full of Idia. Whether that was the color, the books, or even the figurines. Everything in here simply screamed the housewarden. Silver took a shaky breath in, calming himself, before taking a further step in. He looked around, unsure of where to go.
“You–” Idia took a sharp breath in. “You can just sit on the bed.”
“Alright.” He calmly replied, making his way towards the edge of the bed. He looked back up at Idia once reaching the corner, silently asking for permission again. Idia smiled, and nodded. His heart then squeezed in agony. Just how in the world did this angel belong to the same dorm as his foil, or even Malleus. Silently crying, Idia moved to grab his gaming chair, sliding it across the room just so it rested in front of Silver. Idia paused, holding the top of the chair. He glanced down and Silver, who sat with his hands in his lap, back perfectly straight, as close to the edge as possible. Idia chuckled, before asking.
“Comfy? Need anything to drink? All I got is energy drinks here though.”
“It’s quite alright, Idia-senpai. I am fine.”
“Okay.” Idia moved the chair back, just so he could sit down, then pushed back in with his legs. Only upon looking up, did Idia realize he fucked up. He was sitting right across Silver, front row tickets to the artwork of Silver’s facial features. Idia felt his cheeks heat up, and simultaneously his hair as well. Quickly, he spun his chair around, starling the boy on his bed.
“Idia-senpai?”
“N-Nothing! I just remembered I need to do my dailies!” Idia awkwardly scooted his chair back to his computer screen. What complete bullshit of a lie. Idia had done his dailies the moment the clock hit midnight. Still, he needed to commit. Idia started fumbling with the controls of his PC, struggling to turn it on, especially under the gaze of his crush.
Idia Shroud. Fumbling. With a PC! Once he finally got it on, he desperately clicked for any game on his screen. “W-we can play while I’m grinding! No problem! Haha.”
Silver frowned, furrowing his eyebrows together. Before he could say anything, Idia immediately whipped his head around, locking eyes with the younger boy. He felt his heart skip a beat. Silver was pouting on his bed!
“....Yknow what, nevermind. I can do it later.” Ah yes, Idia Shroud, housewarden of Ignyhide. Folding under zero pressure. He quickly scooted his chair back, this time, leaving a more notable distance between him and Silver, abandoning all form of embarrassment. Shame? Unless it was a new game Idia didn’t know what that word meant.
Once Idia finally settled in, he glanced back up at Silver, a nervous hand coming up to fiddle with the strap on his thigh. “S-so. Uh. It’s your turn I guess?”
“Right.” Silver’s eyes travelled down to the hand still fiddling with the strap, Idia felt it, and just like the weak man he is, he felt his hair tingling again. Now conscious of the sophomore’s gaze, he quickly let go, of his pants, bringing his hands to his lap and resting there. Unfortunately, that did absolutely nothing to the intense ogling that came from Silver’s end.
Unbeknownst to Idia, Silver’s cheeks had slightly warmed up, displaying a light peony of pink that splashed across his face. Silver parted his lips to ask, but all that came out was a shaky breath. Gulping, he stripped his gaze from Idia’s legs, to look back up at his face. He took a deep breath in, steadying himself.
“Uhm.” Idia turned his head towards Silver, slightly lowering his neck, as if he were beckoning him to continue asking. “....What are your hand measurements, senpai?”
Idia furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, what type of questions were these? Seriously, he might need to teach Silver how people usually play the game.
Idia held up the three middle fingers on his right hand. “From index to ring, 8.5, 9.5, 9. Thumb should be around 6.5, pinky at 7.” He said confidently with no hesitation. Silver, on the other hand, despite being the one who asked, was taken aback at how quickly the housewarden answered him. Idia only smirked in return. “Basic knowledge for someone like me, heh.” Idia snickered, letting out a low and breathy chuckle. “My turn.”
“Alright.”
“Do you swear? Like, at all?”
“Yes, sometimes. I’ve picked up a few words from my father.”
“Really? What type of words?”
“I believe that is against the rules, Idia-senpai. It should be my turn to ask now, shouldn’t it?” Idia froze.
“N-no! Th-theres no such thing! Theres no correct order to asking questions! You just gotta make sure the total tallies up to 21! But you know what! S-since I’m a gentleman I’ll let you ask first!!” Idia stuttered out, hands frantically waving around the place. Silver, only tilted his head downwards to the right, bringing his fish up to his mouth to hide his chuckles. Idia felt his heart skip a beat. From where he was sitting, regardless of whether or not Silver tried to block it, he could clearly see Silver’s smile. His eyes were slightly shut, forming crescent like moon shapes. Idia felt his cheeks heat up, as he desperately tried to hide his pink hair. He took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself. All he could do was pray that something in his room captured the sight. “You can go ahead and ask.” Idia whispered.
“Do you play any sports?” Idia snorted. He looked back into the pair of auroral eyes, raising an eyebrow, silently asking Silver if he really just asked him that.
“Uhh.” Idia raised his hands, pointing around his room as if to remind the younger boy where he was. Silver’s gaze followed his hands, once more glancing around the housewarden’s packed room.
“...I just thought it wouldn’t be good to stereotype.”
“Nah. If there's anybody you should stereotype, it’s my dorm.”
“I apologize if I offended you somehow.”
“What? No, you’re all good, Silver-shi. Sorry you have to sit in an otaku’s room and face the harsh reality that I don’t touch grass.” Idia slumped back into his gaming chair, hair flickering in amusement. “Honestly, the closest I get to an athletic workout is mashing buttons during a ranked match, or maybe sprinting away if I accidentally make eye contact with a Diasomnia student in the hallways—uh, no offense.” Silver blinked, his calm demeanor entirely unfazed by the sudden burst of nervous energy. He offered a small, earnest shake of his head.
“None taken. I guess we do seem intimidating at times, especially because–ah, I’m stereotyping again.” Silver stopped himself, bringing his palm to cover his mouth. Idia only chuckled in response.
“Okay, I guess we’re doing normie questions. What about you? What sports do you play? Or I guess, which ones do you actually enjoy playing? I’m guessing you play all of them.”
“Hm, I’ve never really thought of that.” Silver tilted his head upwards, his gaze following. “If I had to pick one that I really liked, it would probably be horse riding. I like the way the wind feels against my skin when I’m riding.”
“Cool.” Idia could not think back to a single moment in his 18 years of living that could relate to Silver’s words. “You probably look good doing it as well.” Idia choked, cheeks heating up. “I-I meant that some people don’t really look good given the circumstances but I’m sure you won’t even be phased! Hahahaha…” Idia trailed off, face still pink. He snuck a glance at Silver, who was still properly sitting on Idia’s bed, unable to respond. His eyes had widened, as he froze, unsure of what to say. Idia sighed, bringing his palm up to his face. “....I’m sorry. Let’s just delete that from our chat history. Your turn.”
"Who is the person you admire most, whether they are from a video game or from the real world?" Idia blinked in surprise. This was unexpected.
“Ortho.” And you. But of course, he left that part unsaid.
“I see.” Idia felt breathless. It was just two words, but it made him feel so seen.
“Well…there’s also one more person but,” Idia smiled. “I’ll tell you later.”
Silver only returned a smile, once more making Idia’s cheeks heat up. “Okay.” He softly replied.
"What's the longest you've ever gone without sleeping? Like, what's your personal record before your system completely crashes?"
“I’ve managed to go 36 hours without sleep once before. It was a type of training my father put me through, back when we still lived in our cottage.”
“You lived in a cottage before? That’s pretty neat. Was there anything cool there?” Silver only stared blankly at Idia. Realizing what the younger boy was implying, Idia sighed. “Fine, that counts as two.”
Silver smiled, before replying. “We didn’t do much, it was a cozy home, but we were quite isolated from everybody else. We had occasional visitors like Sebek and Malleus-sama, but that was just about it.”
“I see.” Idia nodded. “Your turn.”
"If someone—hypothetically—wanted to stay here and just sit quietly with you while you played your games, would you eventually kick them out, or would you let them stay?" The sophomore said more quietly as opposed to usual.
“I’d kick them out.” Idia responded without hesitation, satisfied with his answer. No way he was going to let someone disturb him, at least, that’s what the Idia two seconds before this would’ve said, but the disappointed face on Silver made him take back his words completely. “I-I mean, it would depend on who that person is, b-but, yeah.” Silver immediately looked back up, eyes now sparkling once more.
“Then, what about me?” He asked, eyes glistening with hope. Idia felt his ears heat up.
“Y-you’re fine.” Idia peaked over at the boy on his bed, only to reveal a small smile that painted his lips. Idia’s heart skipped a beat, there it is, the smile capable of destroying dragons. “M-my turn.” Idia was desperate to change the topic before he burned himself through the chair.
“If I–uh, If I built a co-op game, would you wanna play it with me sometime? Not on a private server or anything! Just, uh–” Before Idia could start rambling, Silver interrupted him.
“Yes, of course.” Idia felt his cheeks heat up at the direct statement.
“K-kewl.”
“Why don’t you like going out, Idia-senpai?”
Idia froze, he didn’t know how to respond. What was he supposed to say? Should he be evasive? Should he respond comedically? No, the thought of opening up to Silver terrified him, but at the same time, if anyone would be willing to listen, it would be him. He took a deep breath in, before saying.
“I’m scared.” Silver only nodded, not in understanding, not in pity, but just to show Idia he was listening. “Going out just triggers an endless string of cutscenes designed to make me feel bad. Whenever I go out they’ll just be like ‘who’s that’ or ‘the cursed Shroud guy’ as if I’m some object that attracts bad luck.” Idia’s voice started shaking. “I-I,” He took a deep breath in. “I can’t handle it.”
“I see.” Silver said calmly, before slowly raising his hand to place on top of Idia’s trembling hands. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think what they’re saying is right in the slightest.” Idia weakly smiled at him.
“Thank you.” Silver smiled back, eyes softening at the sight of the housewarden.
“What about you? Is there anything you’re scared of?”
“I…I fear I might not be good enough sometimes.”
“What do you mean?” Idia asked, head tilting. Silver retracted his hands.
“I will do anything for the man I’ve pledged my loyalty to. Without Malleus and Lilia, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I want to repay my debt to them, but sometimes,” Silver’s voice started to trail off. He took a deep breath in. “Sometimes I doubt whether or not my own abilities are actually enough.” Silver looked down, as if ashamed to face Idia.
Hesitantly, Idia slowly brought his own hand out to caress Silver’s cheeks, weakly smiling at him.
“It is.” He simply said. Silver’s eyes widened in shock. He leaned in to Idia’s touch, letting out a shy smile back to the housewarden. “I’m counting that as two questions by the way, senpai.” He chuckled.
“Ehh.” Idia only smiled back. “Fine, whatever you want, Silver-shi.”
"If I promised to always protect you from the crowds, would that make the outside world seem a little less terrible to you?"
Idia felt breathless, he didn’t know what to say. The beating of his chest only increased, at the same time he felt a comforting squeeze in his chest.
“..Yeah.” He managed to whisper out, only for Silver to smile in return.
“Can I have your number, Idia-senpai?”
Idia blinked, not expecting such a direct question to follow immediately after.. “Careful Silver-shi, normies might think you’re trying to hit on them.” Silver only blushed in return. “Gimme your phone, I’ll type it in RQ.” Silver nodded, before rummaging through his duffle to find the device.
Just then, Idia’s eyes widened. He caught a glimpse of it. It was merely a fraction of a section, but Idia shroud held the world record for Piano Tiles 3, a fraction of a second was more than enough to take notice of his blue cameo jacket he had given Silver earlier the day. Quickly, he pulled out his own phone, adjusting the temperature in his room. Smirking, he looked back up to Silver, who had already handed his phone out to him. Idia took the phone from the boy, before quickly typing in his number with extreme precision. “Okay, done.” He said, before giving the phone back to Silver.
“Thank you.” He smiled, and for some reason, his cheeks started tinting. The sight only beckoned Idia's pink hair to return once more.
“N-np.”
“Can I text you?” He asked.
“Uhh, yeah, sure. I’m pretty sure that’s what you usually do with numbers.”
“Alright. Thank you. It’s your turn now.”
“Wait, was that your question?!?”
“Yes, why?” Silver tilted his head.
“You–” Idia sighed, bringing a hand up to his temple. “You do know that’s not how this game works right?”
“What do you mean? I’m pretty sure I am following the rules correctly. We each get to ask each other 21 questions, no?” Idia dragged his hand across his face, lord, protect this boy at all costs.
“Yes, but, I mean usually this game isn’t used to ask basic questions like these, it’s more, provocative, all the weird shit you wouldn’t normally ask someone, not–not if you can text them or not!”
“Oh.” Silver blinked. “Then, do you want me to ask those types of questions?”
Idia paused. He was fucked. His heart was pounding furiously, he could feel the sweat build up in his palms, despite the fact he had just wracked up the coldness in his room.
“I, uh, I–” He was suddenly cut off by the thud of his bed. Idia looked up, only to find that Silver was now no longer sitting up straight, rather, he was lying atop of Idia’s blankets.
He fell asleep…
Idia let out a loud sigh of relief. “Thank god.” He mumbled, he wasn’t sure of how to answer Silver’s question. He slumped back onto the gaming chair, the recoil slightly pushing the chair away. “You’re seriously killing me here, Silver-shi.” Who in their right mind just falls asleep on someone else’s bed? Being in Idia’s room was enough, but sleeping on his bed?!? How the fuck was Idia supposed to survive the next few hours? Idia brought a hand up to ruffle his hair, grumbling, “I didn’t even get the chance to see him with my jacket on!”
˚★.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚
Idia malfunctioned. Like, actually, he heard the power in his brain cut off. He was not built for this lifestyle. He was not supposed to wake up to a face full of silver locks, he wasn’t supposed to be blessed by the sevens with a front view seat to clear porcelain white skin, long curved eyelashes, and the silent snores of the sophomore. Idia felt blood rush to his face immediately. It was times like this, when the world hadn’t woken up yet did Idia get reminded of the sleeping beauty that existed beside him. With trembling hands, he slowly grabbed his phone, and swiped left to open his camera. He positioned the phone right in front of Silver’s face, waiting for it to focus. Quickly, he snapped a photo before closing his phone and shooting up. He quickly checked the time.
5:43 am
?????
Had he seriously gotten up this early? It’s official. Idia Shroud has lost it. Daring to get into bed with Silver was one thing, but waking up before seven was a whole different issue. Quietly, he crawled over the unconscious boy, trying his best not to make any sounds.
This was where mistake number one came in. Idia has seen multiple ninja movies, spies, all the shounen jump mangas there was, but it turns out, gaining experience from watching something and actually trying to attempt it have very slim chance of success, which is why, without thinking, Idia places his palm a bit too close to Silver’s face, denting the mattress while trying to maneuver himself over the sleeping boy. Immediately, Silver’s eyes shoot open, as he reaches a fist out to where Idia’s face is.
“Eep!” Without time to react, the loud smack of skin echoed through the room, followed by an audible wincing. Idia was still in all fours, frozen atop of Silver.
“Idia-senpai!?” Silver immediately retracted his hand, sitting up to make sure Idia was okay. Idia, now slightly dizzy, could only bring one hand up to hold his marked face, groaning as he sat back onto the bed, landing straight on his ass. This time, it was Silver’s turn to get up and crawl over to the housewarden. He brought both his hands to gently cup Idia’s face, worry visible all over his own face. “Are you okay, Idia-senpai? I’m truly sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just–”
Silver was cut off by a hand that came up to his shoulder.
“It’s fine–It was probably my fault for trying to sneak over you like that, knowing you’re damage levels are batshit crazy.” Idia said, still holding his own face.
“Are you really sure you’re okay?” Silver asked, not convinced by Idia’s words at all. His hands were slightly trembling, still holding the sides of Idia’s face.
“Heh, I’m fine. A full knuckle sandwich from Silver-shi first thing in the morning? That’ll give me enough energy to last the entire week! LOLOL!”
Still not convinced, Silver tried to gently move Idia’s hand from his face, only to reveal a red spot on the bridge of his nose. His lips frowned, letting out a quiet grumbling noise as if to show his dissatisfaction.
“Would you like me to kiss it better?”
Idia paused, his eyes widening. Silver froze, unsure of what the sudden change in Idia’s facial meant. Just then, Idia leaned in closer, eyes still wide. There was a glisten that flashed in his yellow iris. “Yeah.” He breathed out.
Silver, unable to say anything, froze. He felt his heartbeat increase, so much so that he was scared Idia could hear it. Yes, he had been the one to offer it, only imitating Lilia’s actions a few years back, but back then, it wasn’t like this. It wasn’t in Idia’s room, it wasn’t on Idia’s bed, and it most certainly wasn’t to him. He shakily exhaled, moving closer to Idia, just so that he was hovering above the boy’s lap. He leaned in, hands slightly shaking before pressing a soft kiss on Idia’s cheek. By this point, he couldn’t even register any external white noise inside the housewarden’s room anymore, too distracted by the loud pounding of his own heart. He was sure his face was red now. Just as he was about to retract in embarrassment, a hand reached out to grab his waist, tugging him down into Idia’s lap.
Now, the usual Silver, would never react to such a weak force. But this wasn’t the usual Silver, this was the Silver who had just woken up in Idia’s room, who had just punched a housewarden, and who had just kissed his crush. This Silver, who was now weak to his own feelings, extremely flustered, and could barely even get coherent words out. This Silver, fell immediately into Idia’s lap, with his hand wrapped around Silver’s waist.
“Wrong spot.” The housewarden pouted.
“Huh?”
“It was s’posed to be here.” He pointed to the space in between his eyebrows still red from the impact.
“Oh.”
“Kiss it again.”
Unable to resist, Silver gave in, slightly pushing himself up to kiss the bridge of Idia’s nose. Only when he had finished, did he notice the slight pink tips of Idia’s hair, that he had so miraculously hidden behind his back. The sight only made Silver flush more. He looked back up at Idia, asking, “Is it better now, Idia-senpai?”
“Much better.” Idia grinned. “Who even taught you that?”
“My father.”
“Damn. Your father is one cute guy.” Silver’s brows furrowed.
“He’s old.”
“Huh?”
“My father is much older than you, Idia-senpai. It’s not appropriate to be calling him such things.” Even though he definitely calls himself cute, but Silver left that part unsaid. Instead, he looked away, lips closing forming a slight pout. Idia smiled, making sure to take a mental screenshot of the image.
“Huhhh, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re jealous, Silver-shi.” He snaked his other hand around Silver’s waist, so that his fingers met behind the shorter boy’s back. Silver only flushed further, bringing his hands up to rest on Idia’s chest.
“I-I am not jealous.” He stated.
“Heh. Anyways, you can’t just go around kissing everything better okay? Your father and I should be the only exception.” Idia snickered. Silver only nodded.
“Ah, did that count as another question?” Silver nodded. “So, you’re at what? 13 questions now?” Silver only hummed in affirmation.
“And you’re at eight.”
Idia furrowed his brows in confusion.“Eight? Where did the eighth question come from?”
“You asked me who taught me how to kiss things better, remember?”
Idia scoffed, before releasing one of his hands to bring it up to pinch Silver’s cheeks. “You’re quite cheeky aren’t you?”
Silver smirked, “I’ve been told I have my days, and that makes nine, by the way.”
“Ehhh.” Idia tilted his head, smirking, “I’ll have to catch up then. Three questions for me, right now, got that?” Idia said, slightly pinching the skin of Silver’s waist. Silver chuckled, nodding in response.
“Alright, question number ten, since you’re keeping score,” Idia’s voice dropped into a lower octave than usual. “Did’ya sleep well?”
“Mhm.”
“Comfy?”
“Very.”
“Wanna kiss it better again?” He whispered into Silver’s ear. Silver froze, blush returning, before slightly nodding his head.