The Moon is There For You Tonight
[x gn!reader, no physical features mentioned, friends to lovers, 3.9k words,]
[a/n: doesn’t follow the same story as his birthday vignette, so there are no spoilers for that. However there is a possible spoiler for his lab coat vignette. I tried to make the reader gender neutral with no features mentioned, but I’m not used to writing that way so please let me know if I accidentally gendered it or anything! Thx, lots of love! <3]
Malleus’ birthday had long since lost its magic to him. For the first hundred years or so of his life, it was a momentous occasion for all of Briar Valley, one filled with well-wishes and gifts sent to the young prince from not just his family and retainers, but many of the residents of Briar Valley as well. He used to look forward to his birthday each year, but over time it had become something more morose in his mind. A reminder that the citizens of Briar Valley had become too intimidated by the powerful sorcerer to join in the celebrations, and his grandmother often too busy.
For a long time, it had just been Lilia and Sebek joining him for his birthday, oftentimes being the ones to remind him of its existence. Recently Silver had joined in on the celebrations, but his addition was hardly enough for the prince. Lilia had promised that Night Raven College would be different. That the school was filled with mages who would join him for his birthday. And that was true, to an extent. Diasomnia, the dorm he had been assigned to and quickly became the housewarden of, was very excited for his birthday, and if it weren’t for the rest of NRC’s hesitation towards him, he might have felt similar to the way he did when he was just a boy. But he didn’t, for as hard as he tried to ignore it, the fact that most of the students at NRC were terrified of him stayed at the forefront of his mind. He knew that the only reason those around him even bothered to celebrate his birthday was because he was the prince of Briar Valley.
And so it went for the first two years of his time at Night Raven College. Him sneaking out of the room his party was being held in onto the balcony, away from the chatter, away from Lila’s attempts at making Malleus eat the cake he’d prepared. Looking at the stars and wishing that he could have a real birthday, with real friends, and not just retainers and subjects.
In his third year, Lilia had convinced him to send an invite to his party to you. You, his Child of Man. The one who had never been even the slightest bit intimidated by him, who made him feel wanted. You, who he’d recently found himself falling for. While the idea initially had him elated, he quickly became nervous. If he were to invite you, he could only imagine everything that could go wrong. From Sebek and Silver’s bickering, to Sebek’s harsh temper towards you, to Lilia’s cooking, too many things could turn you off from him. Lilia had tried to reassure him that everything would be fine, that you wouldn’t turn away from him because of one party, but Malleus’ mind was already made up.
You, on the other hand, had just been informed by Headmage Crowley that you were the designated interviewer for yet another birthday. You glared at him, annoyed that these interviews were officially more important to him than finding you a way home. Crowley saw your growing annoyance, and in a last-ditch effort to make you more excited for it, grinned before telling just who it was you would be interviewing.
“It's Tsunotarou’s birthday!?” You exclaimed, your voice reaching a higher octave than you would have liked.
“Correct! I, in my endless generosity, have allowed you to interview Malleus Draconia one week from now! Aren’t I such a great headmage?” he puffed out his chest in pride at what he assumed was you being too ecstatic to give a proper response.
You, on the other hand, were hurt. How many late-night walks had you taken with Tsunotarou at this point? How many opportunities did he have to tell you about his upcoming birthday? Then again, you wondered if it was your fault for not asking. You left Crowley sitting at his desk as you made your way out to the hall, head still so wrapped up in your own insecurity that you failed to notice a certain boy-like fae pop up a few feet in front of you until he called your name.
“What has you so down?” Lilia had started as soon as your surprised gaze met his playful one, “And here I was about to give you good news. Though it seems Crowley already beat me to it.”
“Is this about Malleus’ birthday?” You had responded, “I’ve been assigned to interview him, at Crowley’s insistence.”
“In fact, it is! I was just about to inform you about the celebration, but it seems you’ve already been made aware! Never mind then, I suppose!” He turned to leave before seeming to remember something.
He turned toward you one more time, before simply stating, “Do make sure to dress nicely. It is a party, after all!”
And with that, he had disappeared in an explosion of green particles and you couldn’t stop your smile. Perhaps Malleus had simply been too busy to remember to tell you directly, so he had Lilia extend the invitation. While it wasn’t exactly your preferred method, you supposed it would do. As long as you got to see Malleus on his birthday, even if only for a couple minutes, you were happy. For now, though, it was time to plan your outfit and questions.
A few hours before his party, Malleus was watching Lilia set out the eating placements while Sebek argued with Silver as to whose gift would be opened first. Malleus had already changed into his birthday outfit that Crowley had provided for him, and was looking at the small gargoyles Lilia had transformed into straws for the drinks. He had to admire Lilia’s effort at incorporating the function of gargoyles into something small one could take home as a party favor.
As he looked at each unique gargoyle straw, he noticed one extra to the right of where he was seated. He asked Lilia why there was one more than usual, to which Lilia laughed light-heartedly.
“Khee hee, you never know what may happen, Malleus! I’m simply being prepared.”
While that answer was suspicious, Malleus chose not to ponder on his intentions too much, instead chalking it up to the fae’s cheeky nature.
During the last hour leading up to the party, you were panicking. You had written all your questions down for Tsunotarou and set them down somewhere the night before, and now for the life of you you couldn’t find them. You had spent most of the day attending lessons and getting ready for the party, finishing up your outfit and wrapping your gift, which had taken you four afternoons and three all-nighters to complete, much to your sleep schedule’s detriment, and now you had limited time to attempt to find your notes.
Grim was trying to soothe you in his own way, saying that you could just wing it, which surprisingly wasn’t much of an assurance. While you knew very few people actually read the interviews, the thought of Crowley’s reaction to you messing up his pet project, as well as the effect on your already-limited budget had you shivering. After about a half-hour of searching, you decided the most you could do was try to remember the questions you had written down previously and hope for the best. After all, Malleus did have a tendency to be particularly long-winded once you got him going, so maybe his responses to the few questions you did remember would be enough to fill the one-page quota for the newspaper. With five minutes to spare, you made your way to the hall of mirrors, gift in tow.
Malleus watched as Diasomnia members placed down their gifts, took their seats, and delivered their birthday wishes, truly regretting his decision not to invite you. Once they made sure everyone present was seated, Lilia took the chair to his left, while Sebek and Silver made their way to his right. As Sebek was about to sit down next to him, Lilia cleared his throat and Sebek reluctantly moved one down, followed by Silver.
Malleus opened his mouth to question the sudden emptiness to his right, when the door to the room creaked open. He turned, wondering who it could possibly be, and his jaw dropped as he took in the sight before him.
You were standing in the doorframe, slightly panting, with a gift-wrapped box under your arm. He took in your outfit, which was one he hadn’t seen on you before, but one that fit you perfectly. Typically you were wearing more comfortable clothing when the two of you met for your nightly walks, but now you were dressed in something semi-formal, your skin glowing under the lighting in the room.
The two of you made eye contact, and you smiled slightly before realizing your tardiness and quickly apologizing, setting your gift down with the rest before making your way to the open chair at the table. He quickly looked to Lilia, who had an accomplished grin on his face as he winked back. Malleus stiffened slightly, caught between his excitement at seeing you and his anxiety over your possible reaction to his party.
As everyone began eating, his anxiety didn’t seem to lessen, becoming apparent to you as well as his retainers. You knew you wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation like this, let alone get an acceptable interview out of it, so you tried bringing up the gargoyle straws to see if you could get him to loosen up a bit. His eyes lit up at the mention and he spurred into action.
“They are wonderful, aren’t they? You know at first I thought they would be grotesques before I noticed the straw function. It’s quite impressive how Lilia was able to use the spout to-” he made eye contact with you, causing his cheeks to redden. He began to worry he was boring you by talking about information you’ve already discussed, and went silent.
“I think they’re impressive, too!” You quickly responded. You were trying to ease his nerves, but he seemed to have gone quiet again. You decided that perhaps it would be better to leave it at least until dinner was over. In the meantime, you chose to make conversation with Lilia, discussing Briar Valley as well as your home world. This went on throughout dinner, which caused Malleus’ chest to tighten. While he knew he was the one to cut off the conversation, he hated seeing you talking and laughing with Lilia without even sparing him a glance.
Once everyone had finished eating, Lilia moved the party away from the table and to where the couches were, seating Malleus near the presents and you alongside him. And so began the opening of presents, with Sebek insisting his be opened first, followed by Silver, then Lilia, then each of the Diasomnia dorm members. Each gift was succeeded by a few minutes of conversation before Malleus moved on, and everyone’s spirits seemed to lift as time went on. Malleus was smiling and laughing along with everyone, his tension seemingly gone.
By the time he got to the last gift, yours, you had long since stopped paying attention to the gifts, instead finding yourself mesmerized by the sight of the birthday boy. His smile was wide, his eyes were shining, and he was practically glowing under the Diasomnia lights. You hadn’t even noticed him picking up your gift until he read your name on the card, pulling you out of your trance.
And just like that, your nerves returned. You had worked so hard on his gift, pouring your heart into making it, and hoping it would be enough to impress him. By this point, most of the guests were too caught up in their own conversations to notice that he still had one more gift to open.
“Child of Man, would you join me on the balcony?” He rose from the couch, reaching his hand out to you. You noticed it shaking slightly, his cheeks reddening, and agreed. You took his hand and he pulled you gently off the couch.
The loud, warm atmosphere quickly shifted to a more calm, chilly one once you stepped outside. With the door closing behind you, the loud chatter turned to muffled conversation, being replaced with the subtle breeze swirling past your ears. Malleus took you to the edge of the balcony, still holding your hand. You looked into his eyes, waiting for him to speak. Only after a few quiet moments and a few more deep breaths did he break the silence.
“I must apologize for my lack of conversation with you inside. I didn’t expect you to be here tonight, you caught me quite off-guard.”
You froze, realizing that Lilia had invited you without Malleus’ knowledge, and you had likely intruded on an otherwise comfortable evening with his retainers and dorm members. As you went to stumble out an apology, he stopped you, indicating he wasn’t finished.
“It’s not that I didn’t want you here. In fact, I wanted nothing more than for you to join me.” His eyes dropped to the floor, and you couldn’t stop the slight hurt you had felt a week prior to creep back into your mind.
“If you wanted me here, then why…” You struggled to find the words, not wanting to sound accusatory.
“I apologize again. In truth, I was…nervous.” He responded, his hand squeezing yours.
“In the past, my birthday has been something…unfavorable in my mind. It was a reminder that the only people who wished to celebrate with me were my grandmother and those who worked for her. Then, eventually, my grandmother stopped attending. She would send me birthday wishes, but she always had too much to attend to, and therefore simply did not have time to celebrate with me.” His eyes met yours again, a solemn expression overtaking his face.
“I grew accustomed to only being celebrated by those who were obligated to celebrate me. When Lilia suggested inviting you, I truly wanted to, but I was scared. Scared you would choose not to come, seeing as you aren’t required to. Scared that you would come but that things wouldn’t go to plan, and things wouldn’t be to your liking. I thought it would be best to just not take the risk.” His eyebrows scrunched together as he set your present on the balcony, replacing it with your other hand.
When you looked up, you saw the storm of emotions in his eyes. The emotions of a little boy who grew up without friends, who couldn’t afford to be vulnerable. Who felt he had no one who truly wanted to interact with him, but was simply required to. He was the future king of Briar Valley, and he had to keep his emotions in line for the sake of his people. But as he felt your hands in his, he felt all of his self-control slip away, and he had to be honest with you. He began to speak, but was cut off when you threw your arms around him, hands grasping his suit tightly.
Slowly, almost robotically, his arms found their way around you. He hugged you tightly, as though scared you might disappear if he didn’t. After a few moments you pulled away, and he noticed the tears you were trying desperately to blink away. Were you crying? For him?
You wiped your tears away, steadying your breathing, before trying to justify yourself.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I just- you looked so sad and I-”
You stopped mid-apology and his hand met your cheek.
“There is no need to apologize. In fact, I think you just helped me realize something I need to do.” He grabbed both of your hands once again. “Would you allow me a moment to divulge something to you?”
“I’m afraid I’ve been hiding something from you.”
You grew concerned, but stayed silent as he continued.
“From the moment we met, I knew you were different. You were never scared of me, even after figuring out who I was. You always made sure I was okay and happy, despite not working for me or my grandmother. You would allow me to converse freely with you about topics I find interesting, and even asked questions. You never pretended to listen to me, and were always actively interested in what I had to say.” He took a deep breath and turned away from you, figuring not being able to see you would help him voice his thoughts with less anxiety.
“We were friends. And I loved it, every second of it. Sneaking out of my dorm to take walks with you, showing you Gao Gao Dragon-Kun, discussing the differences between gargoyles and grotesques. As the months went on, I found myself craving your attention more and more. To the point where it made my stomach churn to see you laugh with others. It was then that I realized I had crossed the line from platonic feelings towards you… to romantic ones.”
He turned back around, and you saw the pleading look in his eyes. He placed one hand on your cheek and the other on your shoulder as he finished his thoughts.
“I truly adore you. More than anything in my life, I adore you. I yearn for your presence, and a day without hearing your voice and seeing your smile is a day I feel is wasted. I have never needed anything or anyone in the way that I need you. I know I am not perfect. I am not up with the latest trends, I get carried away with things many don’t find interesting, and I don’t always know what to do in social situations. But please…please allow me the honor of being yours.”
You were stunned. You had harbored feelings for him for so long, but to hear him admit to returning them was not like anything you expected to hear in your lifetime. You had a hard time believing it.
“Do you mean it? Please, tell me you mean it.”
He pulled closer to you, his face no more than a few inches away from yours.
“My Child of Man, I love you. I love you more than I could ever express. Please allow me the honor of officially courting you. Of belonging to you.” At this, you weren’t sure what to say. There was only one word in your head.
“Yes! Yes, Tsunotarou. I love you.”
He visibly brightened, and cupped your chin.
“My Child of Man, I know this is sudden, but,” he leaned closer, “may I kiss you?”
You closed the distance, eager to feel his lips on yours. The kiss was sloppy, he obviously hadn’t done it before, but it was loving. Filled purely with the intention of showing his love to you. It was eager and gentle, and despite his lack of experience, it was everything you could have ever wanted. Only when you both were out of breath did he pull away. His face was red, his shirt bunched where you had grabbed it, and his passionate gaze focused purely on you.
You heard a knock on the door.
You both jumped and turned to see an upside-down Lilia smirking behind the door, gesturing to the forgotten present on the railing. You both turned and breathlessly laughed before Malleus grabbed it. He asked you to help him open it while still holding your other hand with his, not wanting to abandon your warmth for even a moment. You both worked together, clumsily undoing the wrapping paper, and he pulled out his gift.
He was stunned. What he held in his hand was a dragon plushie, one with a felt collar and tag that, upon inspection, read, “Gao-Gao.”
It was a stuffed replica of Gao Gao Dragon-Kun. It was obviously homemade, with the seams not perfect, and a few strings not trimmed all the way, but it filled his heart with warmth.
“Child of man…” he let go of your hand to join his in cupping Gao-Gao, holding it close to his chest. “You made this for me?”
“I hope you like it. I know it isn’t perfect, but-”
“It is perfect. It’s the most amazing gift I think I’ve ever received.” He looked away from Gao-Gao and back to you. “You truly are amazing, darling.”
He seemed to blush further upon realizing what he called you, and went to apologize.
“I’m sorry, I should have asked before calling you that. I’ve just had that pet name in my mind for you for a while now. Do you mind me calling you that?”
You rushed to cup his jaw, kissing his cheek.
“Of course I don’t. I love it.”
He smiled gently, setting Gao-Gao back in the box and gripping your cheeks.
“In that case, I have a request. While I love the nickname Tsunotarou, and I love that you gave it to me, I think I’d like to hear my name come out of your mouth. Would that be alright with you, darling?”
“Of course, Tsu- Malleus.” You both laughed and pressed your foreheads together, soaking in each other’s presence and feeling each other’s breaths. Everything around you was naught compared to your love and relief. You felt a belonging in his arms, and he yours.
You felt a buzz in your pants pocket, and begrudgingly pulled away from Malleus. You turned on your phone and saw a message from Crowley, asking for an update on the interview. You sighed and apologized, explaining Crowley’s reason for sending you to the party in the first place. Malleus pouted before grinning slightly.
“My darling, would you mind if I used your phone for a moment?”
You allowed him, and he pressed the call button, putting it on speaker. Crowley answered and you could hear his loud voice on the other end of the line.
“Why, my favorite prefect, I wasn’t expecting a call from you! I expected the update in text form, but this is perfectly fine. I am rather generous, after all-”
“Headmage Crowley.” Malleus began. “I’m afraid there will be no interview from me this year. I do not need to answer meaningless questions for people I don’t even know to read.”
Crowley made a noise of protest before Malleus continued.
“However, I am willing to send a picture as a compromise. That is all.” He ended the call and turned on your phone camera. He grabbed the Gao-Gao plushie and turned to you.
“Are you alright with me kissing you for this photo?”
With that he put his arm around you, the other holding Gao-Gao, and kissed your cheek as the photo was taken. The selfie was rather blurry and far too close, but he seemed to have no interest in that as he sent it. He gave you your phone back and you put it in your pocket, feeling insistent buzzing as you looked back at Malleus.
Perhaps you had failed at the interview, and the repercussions from that would surely need to be dealt with, but you could answer to Crowley later. For now, you enjoyed the night air in Malleus’ arms, kissing occasionally and cuddling with Gao-Gao all the while. You felt happy, and he knew that as long as he had you, his birthdays would never be something to dread.
