#also i don't think we originally specified the monster but i had brainworms

[unblot]

@tsukimyo​​:    the pain’s excruciating & it tears his body in half, metaphorically. he’s never felt an exhaustion like this, never felt the magic wane from his body like this, in his life. it’s a different type of exhaustion, however; it’s the type that comes with the blood loss, the type that comes with using one’s unique magic enough times for a second overblot, the type where one feel like their legs could possibly give out from under them. the savanaclaw dorm head stands his ground, nonetheless, with his faith in diasomnia & savanaclaw coming back to aid them acting as his pillar.

malleus is beside him, bruised & battered just as he, but he has no time to dwell on that as a terrifying yet deafening roar nearly bursts their ear drums. the monster that they had been fighting nonstop since thirty minutes ago pressing a clawed foot down roughly enough to create severe cracks in the floor. it looks like nothing leona has ever seen, fights like nothing he has ever been prepared for. but the prince is prepared to momentarily join forces with his rival, with the person he finds warmth in. so, he protects him. “malleus!” he shouts, growls even, when he uses the last of his waning strength to shove the young lord out of the way. there are claws, razor-sharp & tinged with suspicious red liquid, swiping in their direction — there’s barely any time for panic, for distractions, so he raises his voice & shouts with all his might, despite the stinging & aching pain in his chest / despite the blood that stains & streams down his visage, pools at his sides, streaks down his legs.

“i am hunger! i a—“ but he never finishes for he fails to sidestep the heavy blow from the bright-eyed fury monster. it’s a hard hit to his ribcage, causing him to see black spots & for blood to splutter past his lips as he coughs violently ( they wrack his battered form, breathing becoming heavy for him & at this point, leona wonders still if it’s worth it ) , his entire body folding over in immense pain. leona can barely move at this point, his head throbbing as if someone is driving a sword tinged with fast-acting poison through his chest o’er & o’er again. his vision slips from him fully, pain strangling him in its vice grip, before he completely falls unconscious.

      DESPITE THE INCREDIBLY DIRE SITUATION THEY’RE IN, malleus’s composure never falters. he has no fear of injury, death & he certainly has no fear of the beast before him. there’s an undeniable arrogance in that. & if malleus were a wiser man he would consider the consequences of such dangerous levels of courage. but he’s not a wise man. with all the lord’s notably exceptional qualities, he lacks something as simple as wisdom or fear. that will likely be his downfall in the end. 

      MALLEUS’ DOWNFALL COMES IN THE SHAPE OF A MAN, a handsome man with violently green eyes that rival none but his own. there’s a fierceness in those eyes now, a kind that malleus has never seen before. even in all the antagonism & anger leona has displayed to him, malleus has never seen such savagery, such desperation in the lion’s gaze. despite the fae normally enjoying the wildness of the other man, this particular look leaves him only unsettled & maybe...worried? 

      HOWEVER MALLEUS DOESN’T GET THE CHANCE to linger on whatever odd emotion he’s feeling as leona roughly shoves him out of harms way. the gesture triggers yet another incomprehensible emotion in the fae. his chest feels tight, reptilian eyes widening as leona takes the blow in his stead. malleus cries out, his voice slightly strangled as he nearly falls to the ground. ❛    kingscholar! ---    ❜  in that moment malleus briefly wonders if this is what fear feels like. 

       THE ANSWER COMES AS SWIFTLY & INTENSELY as the question prompting it, coming forth as leona crumples to the ground before him. the next few moments seem to move in slow motion, the air still & silent as malleus’ heart drums loudly in his chest. he moves without thinking, his body practically advancing on its own as he rushes to leona’s side. lithe arms encircle the lion, a fierceness of his own overtaking malleus as he shields leona in his embrace. it’s a brief moment in which his arrogance has shifted into outright foolishness, forgetting the beast, the chaos around them & everything else except for the limp body in his arms.

      ❛    WHY? KING-- LEONA...WHY DID YOU---   ❜  malleus can’t even finish his own question, stricken with anguish, fear &...something else he can’t quite describe. in the end he knows why leona took the blow for him. after all those murmured words have not left the fae’s mind ever since the lion uttered them several months prior. malleus knows & yet...he has never understood the reason behind them. that confusion has never felt stronger than at this moment, holding his unconscious lover in his arms like the hero of an ancient tragedy. why would leona ever love him? what of malleus has ever been lovable? he cannot comprehend it. could someone really sacrifice their own life for him...simply out of love? 

      LEONA HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENT FROM THE REST. he is not bound by duty or obligation to be at malleus’ side. each moment they’ve spent together has been on their own volition. & while malleus fails to understand when lust became love, he has no doubt in his mind now that leona’s love is true. he also knows that the weight of this truth is more terrifying than the beast before them & anything else malleus has ever faced. 

      MALLEUS HAS NEVER BEEN CERTAIN OF HIS HEART. he never knew how to be. things like love have never really had the opportunity to present themselves in malleus’ life. & even after leona’s love had made itself known, the prince could never find the right descriptor for how he feels in return. therefore he hasn’t brought up leona’s confession & has since pretended he never heard it. it would be cruel to lord over something so intimate over leona’s head without having a proper answer. & malleus may enjoy teasing the other but he is not cruel & never has been. 

      BUT AS HE CLUTCHES THE FALLEN LION in his arms, tears falling from his eyes unbidden, malleus wonders. is this love? is this aching pain in his chest the result of that love? it’s unlike anything he’s ever felt before, more painful & more terrifying than any physical wound the beast could’ve inflicted on him. could this be what it feels like to have loved & lost? it can’t be. not when he hasn’t been able to tell leona, to finally accept that love that had been offered to him in the warmth of leona’s bed. he can’t lose leona yet...he won’t.

      THERE’S A FLASH OF LIGHT, AN ANIMALISTIC CRY & then the moment of grief is gone, the beast lunging forth to deal a final blow to the pair of men. however the hit never comes as malleus hands --- no, his claws reach forth & take hold of the beast in a fierce grip. the fae’s vision is blurry, a sharp pain overtaking him as his body transforms before their very eyes. malleus cannot remember the last time he’d transformed from his humanoid form. he doesn’t care for how he feels as a dragon. he cannot wholly control himself nor can he maintain the raw power of his magic when in this form. & yet it was the lack of control in itself that has him shifting into his own beast. he hasn’t lost his control like this since he was a child. 

       EVEN AS MALLEUS TRANSFORMS, his body rising in the air as his wings sprout from his back, he does not release his hold on leona. in fact his grip only tightens on the lion as they both rise higher into the air. in his beastly state malleus cannot comprehend anything save for the primal need to fight & protect, along with this boiling hot anger unlike anything he’s ever felt before. green flames erupt from the dragon’s nostrils & mouth, flying through the air until it makes its mark across the other beast’s face. 

      STILL KEEPING A TIGHT HOLD ON LEONA, the monster lunges forward with an animalistic ferocity that malleus has so desperately tried to keep a lid on all these years. he can’t speak, he can’t think, he can’t do anything save for fight onward. had malleus been fully sentient at this time he would know he should still hold back. with how powerful his magic is & how unfortunately sensitive the man often can be, malleus is almost constantly at risk of overblotting. it’s only due to decades of training & control that malleus hasn’t lost himself in his own power. & in a way he does know that the path he’s headed down now in this fight will lead him down the dark path he’s dreaded all his life. but he doesn’t care. he won’t stop, can’t stop until the beast before him is vanquished. 

      IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE BEAST TO FALL. whether it be due to the unbridled power malleus is using or simply the raw fury in his gate they will never know. what can be known is when the beast falls the fae falls shortly after, his figure shrinking until he is once again the man & not the monster. malleus can feel himself shaking as he keeps his hold on leona steady even now. behind him he can hear the sound of rushing footsteps. no doubt it’s lilia & the others returning with reinforcements. not that it’s needed anymore. the beast has fallen, nothing but a small charcoal colored cat lying unconscious in the grass. 

     ONE PAIR OF FOOTSTEPS DRAWS NEARER. malleus does not have to turn his head to know the identity of the person approaching him. the prince has known the light but purposeful strides of lilia vanrouge for practically as long as he’s been alive. a gentle hand places itself on malleus shoulder & it’s only then does the fae realize that he’s still crying. ❛    l - lilia...he saved me. please, please get him a healer. i don’t think he has much time.    ❜ 

      NOW IN THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE HE TRUSTS, malleus finally releases his hold on leona, letting lilia take his lover somewhere safe. in the meantime he can hear the hurried footsteps of silver & sebek reaching his side. he can hear his guards’ frantic words but only faintly, as if malleus were somewhere off in the distance & far away from anyone around him. blood & tears streak his face as his vision goes in & out. he’d managed to stop before he’d reached the point of no return...but just barely. even so he had used a great deal more of his strength than he ought to in the last several minutes. this becomes evident as his own exhaustion takes hold of malleus, collapsing into the strong arms of his brother before going completely unconscious. 

when he wakes up in the infirmary, he’s relieved to find leona sleeping soundly beside him. 

#tsukimyo #violence // #blood // #ask to tag #long post #asks. #for only in the furious flames of your eyes has my coldblooded heart known warmth ( tsukimyo / malleona. ) #interactions: malleus. #verse: canon. #hiiiii #this didn't exactly convey what i want but it did convey something i think #also i don't think we originally specified the monster but i had brainworms #anyway enjoy :)