Chapter Text
The feather soft kisses peppering his face should've done more than enough to calm him down.
This week has been hellish and long.
The hyena could barely spend alone time with his wife. Though the Al-Asim family events or a school function their kids have. Oh, sevens. It was endless.
But something else bothered him.
Maia. it had been weeks but he couldn't forget about his eldest being teased about a mysterious crush. Call him protective but he damn well wants to know who this man is.
Maybe rough him up a little, to show that hurting Maia had consequences.
He probably looked crazy, burning holes into their poor wall.
"What's wrong, habibi?" Kalim removed the glasses resting on his husband's face. Both were finally in bed, lingering in the silence and the soft essence of incense, sandalwood passes through his nostrils along with the soft citrusy scent of Kalim's hair.
"Nothing." Ruggie mutters, not wanting to dwell on such matters. Knowing his wife, who will brush it off. Talking about young love just like theirs.
If Kalim only knew.
That Leona had to pull shit behind the scenes because they wanted to execute Ruggie for apparently "hexing" the beloved heir.
Tough times.
But guess who won?
Him.
He has a crazy amount of children now.
Eleven. well, soon to be twelve. Yes, yes, he knows. Blessed man he was.
Placing a soft kiss on top of the others head who only lets out a gentle hum of content.
"You seem so out of it tonight." Kalim let's him on the observing, actually this past week if he wasn't lying. Feeling the others hand caress through his hair with such tenderness it was almost possible to ignore his eyes. Garnet locking with blue gray ones.
Kalim frowns, over the years he'd notice his husband's eyes get harder and harder. Oh how he missed the mischievous glint that used to shine off of them...He tried asking him about it, he did! But every time he was waved off. Like whatever Ruggie was going through was something only he should face...Oh how Kalim hated it!
But, you know him. He wanted to keep it peaceful. Especially with their kids.
Ruggie had been starting to lose his temper more quickly, and focused much more on Maia. Being more strict on the poor teenager who just wanted to live life, it reminded him terribly of his father. Who was exactly like this with him.
He didn't know what to say. He was taught not to say anything since childhood.
'respect your husband' was etched into his mind as a kid, not only by his mother but also his father's other wives.
"It's getting late. Go to bed." Ruggie told him, placing the book he was holding back to the nightstand before turning off the lamp beside their bed, like it was basically an order, to which Kalim can't deny since he was tired. All these back to back outings and conferences did a number of him. He even thinks he's starting to look more dull. Work was draining his color.
"Goodnight." Sharing a kiss before silence engulfed the room again. The smaller made himself comfortable, engulfing Ruggie's personal space to dfit off.
Kalim fell asleep fast. It was one thing Ruggie knew, so in mere minutes the soft snores of the other filled the air.
He knows he should drift to sleep too, since they basically shared a schedule now as his husband.
But for some reason he can't.
He stares at the ceiling. A frown etched deep into his face.
Leona.
It's been months since they talked. Close to a year actually, and three years since their last phone calls.
The dry texts they kept sending each other was mildy irritating for the younger hyena who just wanted to know about the lion and the boys' well beings.
He hasn't seen them since they were young.
They probably don't even remember him.
But he hopes that Sephyros at least knows that he's the one who taught him how to hunt.
Was it weird that he was the so-called "hiker" that Leona said Sephyros would talk about during his younger years?
Probably.
Sneaking off to "go to grandma" was an excuse Kalim used to hear all the time.
And luckily the white haired younger was... Dumb enough not to question it.
But he was actually just going to shaft lands to see Leona. Ruggie genuinely cannot believe this fever dream Leona was living.
But it wasn't his life so who was he to judge it?
He'd sometimes stay over. But those were when they were so young they probably haven't developed consciousness yet.
Hey. He was not cheating on Kalim. Sevens he loved his wife. But kalim was such a loudmouth it would all be exposed. And Ruggie spent too much of his life repaying and caring about Leona for it to be outed by his idiotic wife.
The red eyed still had contact with the three fathers, as he did with their classmates from the NRC days.
Especially Vil.
Fuck, that makes him shiver.
He sees that man once a month, not even in a film or any piece of media.
Like actually in person. He could wake up one day and his wife would be all like "Hey I invited Vil for tea haha!" Or some shit.
And that man was famous! He was one of the most famous actors in the world, he did finally gain that since Neige would gently retreat from the spotlight after getting married and pregnant, cute whatever. The point was, that man definitely had better things to do than linger in their house like some higher presence.
The fuckass blonde was also looking at him too intently everytime too, while sipping his tea, like he had an ability to read Ruggie's mind and would telepathically say 'Iknow you know where my son is' any moment. It just made the hyena grunt everytime and sink into his seat as the house would get louder and louder, he just wanted to avoid this. Unfortunately both his wife and kids were fans.
The door creaked open.
Ruggie raised a brow at the sudden noise. Who could possibly be entering their room at this time of night.
He recognized the white hair.
"Maia?" He calls out gruffly, but his tone shows confusion. Said teenager almost screamed, realizing he was awake.
Both father and child looked at each other awkwardly.
Waiting for each other to speak.
Their eyes are identical blue, one cold gazes into the opposing nervous pair whose dart around the room, anywhere but meeting his.
"Haha! I thought I forgot something here..." Maia said, his voice small in fear of his father. The cold air blew through the many open windows their mother insisted they had.
"And what is that exactly?" The father pried himself off Kalim's hold to sit up. Facing his kid directly, a brow raised questioningly at what he could possibly forget in his parents bedroom. Where none of the kids were even allowed.
"I don't know." The white haired teen said, turning pink in embarrassment.
"Go to sleep." Ordered the hyena, making the younger nod profusely.
"Yes, baba." Then he dashed out of the room like his life depended on it.
His weird ass kids.
Nevertheless.
Does he need sleep? Absolutely.
There was an event tomorrow, like all days. But instead he takes his phone from the nightstand.
What time was it in Shaftlands? Who in seven's knows.
He gets out of he'd and quietly steps into the balcony. The cold air makes his whole body rigid and shiver. Seven, he really should've put a shirt on.
But he ignores it as his feet makes contact with the cold tiled floor. And pacing around like a man with a mission.
He rings a number, one he hasn't called in years.
He should've hesitated more cause he pressed that number to quickly.
Praying to any present higher being that he didn't change his number.
A ring.
Thank the seven's.
Hopefully it's not one of the boys.
Another one.
Then another.
Is he gonna answer or not?
"Hello?" Ruggie physically breathes out a sigh of relief hearing the voice on the other end. The soft velvety voice he thinks about more likely than he wanted to. The person who basically built his life.
"Hey Leona." He replies, earning a confused sound from the lion.
"Why the hell are you calling? It's almost midnight."
Oh, so Shaftlands and Scalding sands did have a close time zone.
"I miss you." His voice goes quieter, a little ashamed to be even admitting this. Cause what the fuck was there even to miss? Leona almost killing him? Him doing everything for the lion?
"You miss me?" Asked the other like it was unbelievable, frankly. It kind of was? He was just the errand boy to a spoiled prince.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I don't know. It's been so long since I've heard your voice." Three years. He focused on his family more. Though he last visited Leona more than a decade ago, only the calls stayed, then texts. Then nothing... until now.
"Did something happen?" The lion asked, his voice groggy, as if he was pulled away from sleep. Ruggie almost felt bad for waking him up.
"No."
"Then why?"
"I told you, I don't know."
"You're so weird. How are you and your little wife?"
"Good. We have twelve kids."
"What the fuck?"
Alright. That made the blonde chuckle, Leona was so astonished he cussed out.
"Yeah. He's pregnant." He shrugged it off, as he heard Leona laugh from the other end. The airy laugh he was so used to hearing during their High school days. When Leona was actively being held back. A smile curls up his lips.
"Can't keep it in your pants or what? What do you need twelve damn kids for?"
"Eh."
"The fuck you mean "Eh"? Ruggie." Why was Leona so surprised? Kalim had triple the amount of siblings...but at the same time his father had three wives.
"Yo, shut up. We're pushing 40."
"Exactly!"
Ruggie doesn't mention a visit.
He can never do that again. The boys were already nearing adulthood. They were not some small children he could talk to and spend time with anymore.
As they don't even remember him he bets.
"The boys?" He asks, after some time of nothing. He looked up at the sky, the moon was full. They used to joke that Jack would howl up there, it was crazy to think that was 20 years ago.
How fast time flies.
"They're something." Leona said, his tone becoming more tender as his sons were mentioned.
"How detailed." The blonde couldn't help but deadpan, decades and Leona still hasn't changed.
"Thanks."
"..."
"..."
"They're well put together. Like a group of parasites." Leona finally said, it was a peculiar explanation but it was a thousand times better than 'they're something.'
"I see. Well I hope they don't stress you out too much, boss." He says it, his last title, which he followed the ex prince with everywhere, from the errands just to simple classes, how he missed the way that word rolled off his tongue effortlessly
"Oh stop, look who's richer now."
"I'm nothing without you."
...
"Stop it."
"Yeah, my bad."
"I'll keep in touch, go to sleep." And with that Leona hangs up. It was hella rude but to say Ruggie was content was an understatement.
He finally heard his voice again, got a small update even if it was riddlish in nature.
It didn't last though since he was faced with Kalim, upon entering the room again.
Sevens! His heart almost leaped out of his body seeing him sitting up on the bed confused.
"Who was that?" The other softly asks, not even fully conscious. But wanting answers.
Which Ruggie will not provide.
"No one." He mutters placing the phone back on the nightstand and forcing Kalim to lay back down.
Ruggie feels somewhat terrible for shrugging off Kalim so much nowadays but this shit was genuinely getting to him.
Thankfully, he just hums and goes back to sleep.
He should too actually.
The lamp stays off for good this time.
────ʚ ♡ ɞ────
Leona sets his phone down.
What the hell was that?
Ruggie missed him?
Seven's that man had a family. Twelve kids?! Pervert.
What was he doing thinking about him, at midnight too mind you all.
But he couldn't help but laugh. This hyena boy he remembers was still the same. Or at least he hoped so.
He was irritated that he was awoken from his sleep, the one time he decided to get to bed early this happened.
He thinks as he breathes in, looking outside into the full moon. He remembers a joke they had about that, he laughs to himself softly.
He can't lie though. He felt a little happy Ruggie still cared about him, even after all the shit he made the poor guy go through.
A care even his own family didn't give him since he was born. When he left, it was relatively easy.
He didn't care about them save for Ruggie and Cheka but they were both stable enough.
"I'm a terrible person." He laughs to himself. Even from the people who loved him he ran away, but listen. Vil, Malleus and Idia? He believed they loved him, every hushed whisper or adoration and gestures of devotion, in the end it was all for nothing.
It was kind of his fault from jumping from one guy to another. He admits, will he blame it for the neglect he experienced during childhood? Sure. But he's long past that state. Lingering on the past is so embarrassing and cliche now. he should just think of what to cook tomorrow.
He hated those three. It wouldn't change anymore.