#post chapter 3

“After all that you’ve put me through, you’re going to continue acting like this? It’s like you never learn anything!”

The hyena wasn’t given a response as Leona started to drift off again, thoroughly enticed by the warmth of his expensive sheets.

Just as he had started to fall back asleep, thanks to his talent, the blankets were yanked away, stealing Leona’s extra heat.

“Get. Up!” Ruggie commanded, balling the fabric in his arms as Leona twisted to look at him over his shoulder.

“...or what?” Leona tested, grinning devilishly through his post-waking delirium.

“Or I’ll just have to make you get up!” Ruggie shot back, crossing his arms as his ears flattened against his blonde hair, a frown creasing his brows.

Yawning loudly, Leona stretched out his arms, curling into himself as he disregarded the vice’s warning, more than ready to avoid yet another crazy school day.

“Tch... you asked for this,” came Ruggie’s reply.

Behind him, the bed dipped as Ruggie laid down, Leona’s eyes shooting open as he spun to face him.

“Hey, what do you think you’re—“

“Shishishishi! Laugh With Me, Leona-san!” Ruggie beamed, and suddenly Leona was no longer in control of himself.

Following Ruggie’s exact movements, he was forced involuntarily out of the bed, his footsteps clumsy and unbalanced as Ruggie attempted to manipulate the bigger predator.

“Geez, Leona-san! As if it was hard enough just trying to make you smile the other day!” Ruggie complained, releasing his unique magic as Leona stood, now completely awake.

For a brief moment, the lion’s pride shattered, his green eyes clouding over with a guilt he too easily concealed behind a bored stare.

“...What a pain in my ass. Go do whatever it is you do while I wash up.” Leona waved him away, throwing his P.E uniform over his arm as he headed over to the shower door.

“Shishishi! As you wish~!” Ruggie laughed, fist halfway covering his mouth as he promptly left the room.

Rolling his eyes, Leona walked into the shower, throwing his clothes onto the floor near the door as he stepped into the cubicle, undressing and tossing his nightwear into the bin.

Turning the knob, he jumped back as the ice cold water sprayed down, soaking him to the bone as his unruly hair absorbed the heat-deprived liquid.

“O-Oi! What a stupid decision...” Leona scolded himself, reaching a hand out as the water slowly but surely rose in temperature.

Once it was close to scalding, Leona plunged himself back in, savoring the sting as it washed over his toned body, carrying away the filth from the day before along with the current.

Sighing, Leona ran a hand through his dampened locks, the water raining down on him from three different spouts.

Unbeknownst to him, Leona’s tail had begun rapidly whipping back and forth, toppling over a few bottles as Leona absentmindedly ran his tongue over his fangs, thoughts elsewhere.

He’d seen the look in Ruggie’s eyes, noticed the way he had tried to hide his wrists from him.

In no way did his stormy grey eyes hold fear for Leona—the lion himself believed that he’d never manage to make the hyena truly fear him— rather, an almost unrecognizable respect, borderline hesitance.

Previously, Ruggie hadn’t known nor experienced Leona’s utter power, or the real strength he kept expertly disguised under locked doors of laziness and neglect. Now, as his wrist had revealed, the extent of that power was forever marked upon his fair skin, a constant reminder of the damage that could so easily be done.

Yes, Leona had noticed the thin, almost wispy wounds that trekked up the length of Ruggie’s left arm. The very arm that had been too tightly held by Leona during his rampage, the arm that had nearly been lost to sand.

In all honesty, Leona couldn’t remember the exact details of his overblot. He could remember the emotions that fueled his hate, could remember the fact that he’d been pitted against the people he considered close enough to be called friends. Moreover, he could remember a distinct insult he’d spat out to Ruggie, completely overridden with anger.

“Haha! How’re ya feelin’, Ruggie? I bet it hurts! Your mouth is so parched, you can’t use that silver tongue of yours, can you?!”

He remembered that moment clearer than the rest.

Leona hadn’t found much reason for guilt in what led up to his overblotted outrage, but that one moment had been something to keep him awake at night, whether it be his guilt or not.

He loathed to think that he enjoyed it, that he liked hurting Ruggie.

Royal lion or not, Leona saw no excuse for sadism against anyone. And to think that he, himself, had committed such a heinous act...

Leona switched off the water, shaking out his hair and tail as he grabbed a towel, loosely wrapping it around his waist as he stooped low to gather his clothes.

Pulling them on, he completed the rest of his bathroom routine; brushing his teeth, applying deodorant, braiding his hair. By the end of it, he scrutinized himself in the mirror, waving off any minor details he’d missed.

“I did enough, I’m not helpless after all,” he shrugged, tossing the wet towel into the bin along with his dirtied nightwear.

Flipping the switch, he exited the bathroom without second thought, throwing his door open and heading through the open dorm.

Though still ridiculously early in Leona’s eyes, he still had a place to be.

He still had a practice to attend.

<————>

It was rather beautiful outside, for it barely being six in the morning.

Thanks to the everlasting summer, Savanaclaw’s sun rose bright and early, just as its inhabitants. In turn, the sky painted itself in the gorgeous hues of dawn, not a cloud in sight.

Were it not for the fact that Leona was half asleep on his feet, he would’ve probably stopped to stare, documenting the view in his memory. But alas, his mind was wired for morning Magift, and he knew the sooner he completed the training, the sooner he could return to the comfort of his bed.

“Oh, Leona-senpai! Good morning.”

Leona barely cast the taller student a glance, green eyes glowing as he chuckled deeply.

“Would you look at that. Jack Howl, the fresh baby. Come to keep your dear old dorm leader company?” Leona hadn’t meant to sound so sarcastic, but he was still salty from having been awoken so early.

“As long as you don’t mind,” Jack shrugged, falling into Leona’s pace.

“...Do as you will.”

A quiet Leona couldn’t describe as unpleasing hushed the two, only broken by the pitter patter of their footsteps, occasionally falling out of sync.

With the wolf so close in proximity, Leona could practically smell the adoration radiating off the first year, still as distinct as it was before.

He hadn’t really had the opportunity to converse with Jack after the infirmary situation with Cheka, either because of his laziness or unintentional refusal for confrontation, Leona wouldn’t say.

“How can that kid still keep me in such a spotlight...?” Leona wondered, taking a risky look at the white haired wolf.

Just as it had been for Ruggie, most of the dialogue he’d shared between Jack during his overblot had been forgotten. He could recall a few harsh insults thrown about, and could remember the battle between leader and led as clear as day, but he managed to record one moment in particular he just couldn’t seem to shake.

“Leona, I... I...! I wanted to get into this school because I looked up to you! You were everything I wanted to be! Where has the Leona I adored gone to?!”

The anger that was ignited because of that comment had been heated enough to boil Leona’s blood. Any other time, and maybe he would’ve taken the sentiment to heart, but not then.

He remembered how unfair it felt, to have some kid thrusting his dreams unto his shoulders like that.

Jack didn’t understand—couldn’t, for that matter. He had no clue what it was like to be pressured under the expectations of others, and still fail to meet their requirements. He had no right to add to that pressure, not when he could never even begin to comprehend Leona’s treacherous life.

But... now that he’d recovered from his negative energy-absorbed state, he realized just how heavy Jack’s confession had been.

“Jack, did you really mean what you said, from before?” Leona asked abruptly, halting in his tracks.

“E-eh?” Jack spun, now a few paces ahead, ears perked up.

Gold met green as the two stared at each other, Leona’s bored expression hiding a storm of questions.

“C’mon, aren’t you supposed to be a quick witted wolf? During my overblot—you said you looked up to me. Did you really mean it, or were you just running your gullet, like every other ass-kissing headache I used to know?”

“I-I uh...” Jack looked away, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he mentally rearranged his words. “...of course I meant it, Leona-senpai. Back in my town, I used to read stories about the royal lions of the Afterglow Savannah every night. You were one of my idols, I thought you were so hardworking and dedicated, even though you were always put down by your family.”

“Ah, so it was pity. Wonderful.”

“It wasn’t pity! I respected the strength you had to continue walking forward with your head held high, despite the fact that you didn’t have anyone to back you up! It’s the whole reason why I came here, why I am who I am! I wanted to be strong, like you. And not just with my body, I wanted to be strong up here, as well.” Jack touched a hand to his forehead, the slightest of blush tinting his tanned cheeks as he spilled his secrets.

Leona was taken aback, eyes widening as his ears twitched, tail whipping back and forth helplessly as he fully digested the information.

“...And you still think that? Even after meeting me and seeing... this?” Leona crossed his arms, cynically narrowing his eyes as his slitted pupils studied Jack.

“Of course I do, Leona-senpai. You may not know it, but everyone else here can see the true power and potential you have. It’s why we respect you.” Jack grinned heartily, gesturing to the world around.

Shamelessly, Leona allowed a smirk to tilt his usually stoic lips, laughing out loud as he continued to walk towards the Magift arena.

“Tch, you really do have quite a bit of courage to be saying something so heartfelt in the open like that!”

“Uwah—?! D-Don’t think it’s anything special, I was just telling the truth!” Jack whined, jogging to catch up with the prideful prince.

“As expected from a fresh baby. We have a practice to attend, let’s get this show on the road, yes?” Leona grinned, motioning towards the approaching arena.

“Y-Yes, alright!” Jack agreed too politely, causing Leona to roll his eyes.

The tension now broken between the leader and his fellow student, Leona internally clapped himself on the back.

One bridge repaired, one to go.

<————>

The very scent of the arena irked Leona in a way he simply couldn’t explain.

All the people gathered on seperate teams, all the clicking of their boots against the stone, all their idle chatter, it brought back a wave of memories that quickly turned his mood sour.

“Look who decided to show up! Ready to play, Leona-san?”

Ruggie stalked over, arms fanned out as his hands interlocked behind his head, that goofy smirk on his lips.

Leona kept his mouth shut, offering an emotionless expression as a reply, making the hyena’s ears twitch at the sudden tension.

“...You’ll be on Team Two, on the other side of the arena. Game starts at the whistle, you know the drill.” He shook his head, walking off as Leona guided himself to his own team.

Of every moment his brain had to fail, it chose now? He wanted to say something, anything, to just apologize and get it over with, but that goddamn pride that came with his species wouldn’t back down.

It told him to act superior, to pretend like it wasn’t his fault, that the problem would sort itself out in time.

Leona had barely crouched into his starting position before the whistle pierced the rink, signaling the beginning of the game.

Dodging his opponents with lazy skill, he leapt across the arena, awaiting the charge of the player holding the Magift ring.

It felt like second nature to him; the guarding and evading, blocking other people, occasionally lashing out to score a point or two. He hadn’t believed that he needed to practice, not before facing Diasomnia, and worse—Malleus.

The way that dorm moved, like a hive of ants guided by their queen, sent shivers down Leona’s spine. Everything was so coordinated, never a missed shot, or a glimpse of mistake. It made his skin crawl.

“Hey, Leona-senpai! Keep your head in the game!”

Leona turned to glance briefly at the source of the shout, easily recognizing Jack even from across the rink.

He snarled in response, quick stepping past a pair of students attempting to cage the ferocious lion. With an unmatched speed, he soared through the field, catching the eye of the person carrying the ring.

Ruggie merely chuckled in response, holding out his magic pen and sending a barrage of attacks Leona’s way to slow him down.

He only half succeeded as Leona brushed them away, temporarily losing momentum before regaining his footing. Fully recovered, Leona dashed to meet Ruggie at the halfway marker, seeing as the younger was nearly ready to make a point-scoring throw.

“Cheeky, aren’t ya?” Leona clipped, almost within reaching distance.

“Enough to do... this!” Ruggie laughed back, pulling his arm back and flinging it forward, hard enough to send the suspended ring across the remainder of the field, landing in the dead center of the goalpost.

“Shishishishi! One point for me, none for poor widdle Leona-san!” Ruggie teased in a baby-like tone, an irk mark practically visible on the aforementioned.

“You better shut that trap of yours before it gets you in trouble,” Leona warned, balling his fists.

“Oh, I will. When you start winning.”

“Grr... I’ll show you, Bucchi.”

And he wasn’t lying.

Darting between opponents, leaping to snatch the ring in midair, moving with a predatory quickness that seemed to escape the normal person’s sight, Leona gave it his all, the very extent of his abilities.

Ruggie, using the little leeway he had to work with, watched and studied his dorm leader’s tactics, searching for some sort of weakness to exploit, some kind of overlooked vulnerability.

As Leona scored yet another point against his team, the pieces of the puzzle snapped together.

Guarding so predictably, Ruggie surged to the midfield marker, significantly closing the space between them. Watching as Leona twisted his body, preparing to hurl the ring and destroy the game, Ruggie struck.

Circling behind Leona with deft movements, he moved so fast that time itself seemed to slow; all within the span of a few seconds, he crept close enough to wrap his foot around Leona’s ankle, giving it a good push to knock him off balance. With his extended moment of shock, Ruggie stole back the ring, using his magic to catapult it into the opposing goal, scoring one last point before the whistle once again pierced the arena, signalling the end of the match.

Leona sat on the ground with his ears pressed flat against his hair, utterly surprised.

Ruggie had the balls to trip him?

He admired the hyena for his tenacity and pure confidence, so conditioned to him that Leona’s status meant nothing at all.

Just as that whistle broke the game apart, Leona was ripped from his thoughts with a hand being extended to him, offering assistance.

“Shishishishi! Who knew there’d be such twisty turns, right Leona-senpai?”

“Tch, you just got lucky, that’s all. Damn brats...” Leona mumbled, taking the offer and helping himself to stand.

“Pfft— I mean, practice is over, but if you’re willing to, then I’m up for another game or two!”

Leona didn’t respond, merely dusted himself off and turned to look at Ruggie from the corner of his eye.

“Ruggie.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“...Walk with me.”

Leona started off, tucking his hands in his pockets as the two strolled through the Savanaclaw dorm, seeing as no one else had deigned to leave yet, still too busy either bragging over their win, or boohooing their loss.

He kept his hands shoved in his pockets, only occassionally glancing back at the hyena prancing behind him, nonchalantly strolling with his eyes half closed.

Once they were a reasonable distance from the arena, Ruggie spoke up, thoroughly confused by Leona’s sudden request, not a word having been said between them since departure.

“Leona-san? Did you need me for something?”

Leona didn’t reply, instead slowing his pace until he came to a complete stop, half hidden by the shadows.

“Leona-saaan? Hello? Anyone up there— hey!” Ruggie waved his hand in front of the vacant expressioned dorm leader’s face, only to have his wrist snatched and held tightly by him.

“...Leona?”

“How...? How do you do it?” He suddenly asked, using a hand to push the already baggy sleeves away from Ruggie’s arm, revealing his almost healed scars.

“H...huh?”

“How can you continue to stick around me? After what I did?” Leona spit out a bitter laugh lifelessly, dropping Ruggie’s arm to stare at his hands, the hands that had so often been the cause of too much destruction. “You don’t even smell of fear—nothing! It’s like nothing ever happened! How can you continue to act as if what I did never affected you?”

And then Ruggie did something that made Leona freeze; the shorter walked over to his front, completely in the shadows, took his hands in his own, and laughed.

“Shishi, Leona-san, that can’t really be the reason behind your worries! I thought you said you didn’t feel guilty?” Ruggie bent down to look into Leona’s down turned eyes, who quickly diverted his gaze. “...Of course I’m not afraid of you. This power you have is astonishing, capable of bringing whole kingdoms to their ground if you wanted!”

Ruggie set his hands down gently, giving him the brightest, most genuine smile Leona had ever seen him wear.

“And hey, the way I see it, our dear king here just had a bad day. I get it, I really, really do. I may not know the stress and pressure of royalty, but I do know what it’s like to have so many people so depended on you, or what’s it like to fail their expectations. Everyone has a breaking point, it’s what makes you a living, breathing thing. So buck-up, Leona-san! There’s nothing to worry about anymore!”

“...Tch, troublesome hyena...” Leona scoffed, a grin tugging at his lips.

Maybe he wouldn’t say it out loud, but he was beyond words with gratitude for Ruggie. He rarely ever expressed it, always hidden with cruel jokes and pure, unfiltered sloth, but he didn’t know what he’d do without him. He was the brick that grounded Leona’s airhead down, kept him on track when he was unwilling to move forward.

“Tha... Thank you, Ruggie...” Leona hesitated, feeling a creeping feeling of uncomfort at bearing any semblence of vulnerable emotion.

“Hah? What was that Leona-san? I’m sorry, could hear you!” He laughed, cupping one of his furry ears.

“Ah, hell. Let’s get out of here, I’m starving...”

“Shishishi! Of course! I call the rice this morning!”

“You little— hey! Get back here!”

Leona chased after Ruggie, who raced him back to his room.

As their figures grew smaller, their faces hidden and laughter concealed, they both sank into joy, whether that be voluntary or unintended.

They both carried scars, some never even marring skin, and some so noticeable it was seen as a decoration on their skin, but scars nonetheless.

And whether they were aware or not, a king had just worn his heart on his cheek.