Poison

Chapter 9: It's Always Been Just You And Me

"Leona-san! Just because everyone's taking it easy before preparing for the celebration doesn't mean you get to not do your job." Ruggie said, as he desperately tried to get out of the king's arms. Leona growled. "You were cuter when you just cursed like it was no one's business. I mean you did curse last night bu-" His sentence was cut short with a pillow hitting his face, as Ruggie finally escaped. "And I thought you'd age like wine, but you stayed a teenager."

"I can't tell if you're insulting me or complimenting me for my handsomeness and youth."

"Youth my ass! Get up!" Leona, happy with the result, finally got out of bed. He wouldn't usually tase Ruggie this much (or even sleep this late) but this was a rest well earned. He's been king for years, and the last years seriously had him wondering why he ever wanted the throne, and it was coming to an end. By the start of the new year, Cheka would be the king. And Leona would take Ruggie to the trip they never went. He never forgot about it even once. He would even admit to being excited about it.

"Where's Cheka anyway?" He yawned as he asked. Ruggie's laughter filled his ears. "My, didn't he tell you? He's trying to get a date~"

"What do you mean 'trying'? He just has to ask the person, right?" Leona seemed seriously confused, it made Ruggie smirk. "I'm not letting you forget the emotional roller coaster that was our relationship! Don't be hard on him, Leona-san. Let him have his fluff." When did talking about it become this easy? When did they start laughing at all the sad and scarring emotions they felt inside? They've been together for so long and could only trust each other, somehow it had become inevitable. They were both assholes about it (of course) but then again, that was how it was.

"What was that guy's name again?"

"Giona. I think he said he's a Lynx. They were classmates at NRC, but he was in Octavinelle."

"Ugh, not another one of those." Ruggie giggled at Leona's irritation. Azul had always been a great help to them, but his prices got higher and higher; so Leona understandably didn't like the Octavinelle people.

Cheka, on the other hand, was filled with joy as his favorite ex-Octavinelle student sat in front of him. Giona's style was always so minimalistic but somehow seemed complicated. Was it alright for Cheka to think he put extra effort whenever they met? He liked the sound of it. "Shouldn't you be busy with preparations?" Giona asked casually while giving his order. They always met at a cafe next to Giona's workplace. He had started working as soon as he finished magical university and was already a successful businessman. Coincidentally, it was another one of the businesses ran by former Octavinelle dorm leader and now business owner/rumored mafia boss/married to a certain eel who's rumored to be the son of another dangerous person from under the sea; so maybe Azul was just nice with his kouhai.

Though, Cheka knew the truth. Azul wasn't nice to anyone if it didn't profit him, and Giona wouldn't be a profit if he wasn't good at his job. Azul himself was 100% a dangerous person (Cheka was old enough to know almost everyone he knew was some sort of criminal) and his husband, the charming man named Floyd who always had candy in his pocket, was also dangerous. None of them were as scary as Jade, but that's a story he wouldn't even want to remember. "Ruggie asked me to relax while I have time."

"And... You came to see me?" Giona blushed. Did he? Maybe not, but Cheka liked to think he did. "Of course, who else would I want to see?" He casually smiled. Cheka was old enough to know forevers and soulmates weren't exactly common. Even Leona and Ruggie didn't seem to have that sort of dynamic while being the perfect match for each other. Hence, Cheka didn't want to take things too fast.

Even so, thinking about the future seemed tempting.

"Well," Giona coughed. "I guess it's alright. You were raised by that king and that Ruggie-sama; you'll be fine." He smiled at Cheka. The heat from his coffee (when did their drinks arrive?) blurred his glasses and that made Cheka giggle. Even almost-blind, Giona pouted at Cheka's reaction.

"To be honest, I'm a little bit worried. I'm not exactly like them, I'm not even like my dad. It doesn't feel.. real. I'm too used to watching it from afar. I had my duties as a prince and I learned the things needed. Still, I'm not sure." 'Ughh... I'm sulking. Such a king...' Cheka thought, ready to brush it off with a joke.

"I think you'd do alright." Giona's words were simple. "I think... you're a good leader. You're kind, and you have a sense of justice, but you're also strong-headed. The guys back in school liked you. I, too, like you." His face started heating up as the realization hit him. Cheka's face was also getting red, but he grinned. "C... can I hear that one more time"

"Shut up..."

"Is that how you talk to your king?" Cheka teased more. "But, it's kinda unfair. I wanted to say it first." It made Giona laugh. "It's not a competition!"

Somewhere, near the cafe they were sitting, free smug faces were making sure to record all of it. "Wow~ That was cheezy!" Floyd giggled, sending the recording to Leona. "I agree with Floyd, it's too much fluff for me." Jade nodded, also giggling.

Azul just cringed, not wanting to hear the rest of the new royal couple's painful flirting. "That's definitely enough for me. How do these people get into NRC? I think Jamil-san's theory was right. That headmaster just chooses randomly."

"Why are we here anyway?~ Didn't he specifically threatened us that we'd become 'dead fishes' if we cause trouble for them? Azul, you usually don't take this kind of risk." Floyd asked, slowly placing his head on his husband's shoulder, feeling happy when Azul's face got all excited. "That's the catch in that! Sending it to that king himseşf should be no problem. This might come in handy, considering he doesn't accept favors from us anymore-"

"Ah, he answered." The there of them looked down on Floyd's phone, seeing the lion's replay. "Well, that's rude." Just a middle finger emoji, but the trio could hear Leona in their heads, telling them to 'fuck off'.

Still, Leona listened to the recording. He was going to stay on the part where Cheka told what was on his mind. But the cringy (and kinda cute) conversation afterward had more impact. Was he like that when he was a teenager? He couldn't remember. He could have the same exact exchange with Ruggie and make it less awkward. Probably. "He did it." He called out for his husband, who was busy looking through some papers. "He seemed so determined, I knew he would."

"You sound like a proud mother.

"You sound like a disappointed father." They both giggled at the weird exchange. But Leona's mind was running wild again. "But since we've got nothing else to do... Wanna have a baby?" Ruggie's jaw dropped. "A what?!"

"A baby. Those small stupid things-"

"I know what a baby is! Why?" Leona liked that reaction. Nowadays it was harder to get that out of Ruggie. "Why not. We're already experts. I want a girl. A girl would be cute. And that lizard bastard would stop shoving his daughter into everyone's face." It earned a sigh from Ruggie. "So that's why you want a baby. I'm not letting you use my daughter like that."

"So you agree to the idea."

"I don't disagree. But first, let's make sure the other one does his job correctly." He sighed once more as he returned to his papers. His ears slowly twitching to the idea. Leona got up and hugged Ruggie from behind.

A new life seemed promising.