Meta Knight opened his mouth for a moment, feeling as if he should say something, then closed it again, his words having failed him. What could he say, after doing something that should have been intimate and satisfying, but felt so empty and meaningless? Neither of them loved the other. He still wasn't even sure Magolor cared for him at all.
He tried not to let on a visible change in expression as he realized this, but he couldn't hold the eye contact for very long. No matter how good it felt physically, he couldn't get rid of the suspicion that that was all it was, and all it would ever be: Physical.
Magolor tilted his head, a bit disappointed.
'What's wrong...?' he wanted to ask, nuzzling up against the knight. It felt amazing. He had a really great time... but then those thoughts from earlier that morning popped back up.
'...Is he... Does he think...? I don't know what I should do...' Magolor looked to the floor, saddened, yet his ears soon perked as he got an ingenious idea.
'This should at least help me win a bit more of his trust, if my suspicions are correct...'
"H-hey... Meta?" he ventured sheepishly. Once he had the armsman's attention back, he cleared his throat, and continued a little more boldly.
"I was wondering... Do you want to take the day off tomorrow and... relax or something? Just, you know, have a free day?"
“That does sound nice...” the swordsman answered lightly, brightening just a little. He could only take the offer to spend more time together outside of the bedroom as a good sign. It wasn't as if he'd been planning on going after the piece of the Lor that had fallen in or near the sea anyway; he hated swimming and the beach in general almost as much as the desert.
He reached over to turn the showerhead off, considering making the very offer he'd thought of making earlier that morning. Logically, taking the Halberd out for nothing more than a pleasant cruise was a horrible idea. It would be a shameful waste of fuel and other resources, and the ship wasn't made for comfort to begin with. At the same time, he was unsure of any other common ground they both shared outside of airships. In fact, he was hit with the realization that he actually knew little to nothing about Magolor at all. An all-day cruise was about the best idea he could come up with to fix that.
“I know you're not exactly here by choice, but if you'd like, we could tour more of Dream Land...?” he ventured, feeling utterly ridiculous. He'd never asked anyone on a date or anything close to it before. Usually, he was asked, and even that hadn't happened since long ago, when he had an active reputation as the pride and joy of the Galaxy Soldier Army.
"Oh? Really? That sounds nice! I'd be happy to see more of this place!" Magolor beamed, hugging the knight closely.
'Yes! It worked! I can't believe it!'
Eventually, he pulled back, excitedly grabbing Meta's hands in his own.
"So, how shall we be touring the place? I... eheheh... I doubt on foot. For uh... two reasons. One a bit more obvious than the other," he joked, moving a hand below his floating body and waving it there before returning it to Meta Knight.
“I... mentioned yesterday that I have a ship of my own, didn't I?” the swordsman answered the question with his own, decidedly not trying to think too hard about how exactly the Halcandran's levitation and disembodied hands “worked.” That was probably a topic best left for some other time. He somewhat reluctantly let go of his partners' hands to open the shower door.
"Oh! That's right, you did! But, uh... are you okay with letting us use it like that tomorrow? I don't want you to feel forced about using it, you know," Magolor grimaced just slightly, ears lowering some in concern. In order to get the most trust from Meta Knight, it would be in his best interest to make sure the warrior was fully comfortable with his decision. It showed that he cared, after all. Of course, he wasn't yet sure whether or not he actually did care, but it was best to leave out that little detail.
“I'm perfectly fine with it,” the warrior replied nonchalantly, stepping out of the shower. He nearly flinched at how cold the air was against his bare skin, and immediately headed for the towel rack. He tried lifting his wings off the floor, but they were just too heavy and he was too tired, so they ended up dragging behind him ungracefully.
"Well, if you're okay with it..." Magolor shrugged, watching Meta head toward the towels before following.
“It wouldn't be the first time I've flown it outside of battle,” the knight admitted, grabbing the towel within closest reach and wrapping it around his torso. “I'm not sure why, but that ship is where I feel the most at home. Surely you can relate?”
"I suppose I can relate some. At the very least, it's far more homely and comfortable than any particular place on Halcandra," the smaller one tried to sympathize, taking a towel to wrap around himself as well, "but I'm not sure whether I would prefer it to a place where I could really settle down."
The knight considered those words for a moment before speaking again. He couldn't really explain why it was that, despite having dedicated every fiber of his being to justice, freedom, peace, and the like, he still always felt the most comfortable amid a situation that was quite the opposite of that. He'd had far more than his share of combat, enough that he should be sick to death of it. But somehow, he realized, the midst of a battle was where he felt the most at peace.
“Maybe I was never meant to 'settle down,'” he pondered, having to use one hand to lift a wing and the other to wipe it down with the towel he held. “It's not as if I was intended as anything other than... well.” He didn't want to say it aloud, but it was clear what he meant. He was made to be nothing more than a monster, with no purpose outside of killing.
Magolor knew how that sentence would have ended. He placed a comforting hand on the armsmaster's shoulder and smiled softly.
"Even if you weren't 'meant' to settle down, that doesn't mean you can't in the future, right?” he tried to console him reasonably. “Don't worry about it too much. Experience has taught me that the more you worry about that kind of stuff, the more unsure you are as a whole. You'll end up doing something you don't really want to do, and that's no fun."
“You're absolutely right,” the armsman concurred, placing a hand atop the one Magolor had rested on his shoulder. He had to admit, this was likely the most meaningful conversation he'd had since settling in Dream Land. He couldn't help admiring the Halcandran's wisdom, especially after having spent so much time in the company of those he considered less intelligent than himself, but it did remind him of something he probably should have considered sooner.
“Speaking of 'experience'—and I apologize if this is un poco intrusive—I never did ask about your age, which was... unwise, considering...” he trailed off, but the implications there were clear. He doubted very much that Magolor was too young to be doing what they had done, just based on his intellect alone, but it was probably still best to ask.
"My age? Oh, it's twenty-five. It's certainly old enough back on my planet," he reassured, smiling for a bit. Then he realized that things might be a bit different here than his home world.
"O-or uh... is it too young for this planet's standards...?" he ventured, ears drooping in concern. This could definitely harm his... "relationship" with the knight, if such a thing were true, and that would be a serious setback for his plans...
Luckily, the swordsman gave a small sigh of relief.
"That's more than old enough here," he confirmed, drying his other wing. "I've even seen a time when 25 was considered middle-aged," he went on lightheartedly, and truthfully, at that. At the time he'd matured enough to even know about this subject, the general age of consent across much of this galaxy had been 13. It had since been raised to around 18 or 19, depending on the planet.
"Since that is the case, err..." he started, trying to find a delicate way to word this. He didn't often think about how old he really was—he was in no danger of deterioration—but this was quite a jarring reminder.
"Are you still quite certain of this? There's quite a gap between 25 and..." He took a moment to do some estimating. It was hard to pinpoint what his age would be if he had a normal lifespan, but he tried his best.
"...We'll just say 45 or so, assuming a century-long lifespan. Regardless, are you sure you wouldn't prefer someone younger...?" Not that Magolor was unaware of his age, but he could very well understand if the Halcandran changed his mind after considering it. Of course, there was yet another very real possibility...
"...Unless perhaps, you're thinking short-term...?" he prompted, looking him in the eye again.
"Meta, please," Magolor chuckled a bit before patting his partner's shoulder reassuringly. "If I had any issues with it, I doubt I would have done this with you last night, let alone two nights in a row. And, well..." he was unsure of how to respond to the last question, thinking on it for a moment. Truthfully, he wasn't fully sure whether he would like to stay on Halcandra once his goal was achieved, or if he would move his ambitions toward Popstar, or even further...
"If I may be honest, I'm still unsure... Though it is true I must to return to my planet, I... I don't know if I want to stay there,” he admitted vaguely. In his opinion, the best way to lie was to tell the truth, but only in pieces, rather than all of it.
“Popstar is so much better than Halcandra, and far less dangerous. Plus, I got to meet you and the othe-... Well, you and Kirby!" he corrected himself, still unsure about the waddle dee, and definitely sure about his opinion of Dedede.
“Hmhm...” the warrior gave a half-hearted chuckle at that answer. He could very well sympathize with being less than fond of the King. Still, the reality that his suspicions of being nothing more than a 'fling' may have been correct after all was not a pleasant one to come to terms with.
He set the towel he'd used aside and went to gather the pieces of armor he'd scattered across the room without another word. He supposed if there was nothing genuine between them in the first place, then it should make no difference whether he saw Magolor again, but all of a sudden, going back to the way things had been before sounded... unfavorable, somehow. He put his mask back on before anything else, preferring not to have every one of his stupid emotions on display when he didn't even want to feel them at all in the first place. He'd already made himself far more readable—and worse, vulnerable—than he would like as it was. His eyes narrowed a little as he adjusted the strap, internally struggling with the situation he'd gotten himself into.
'What in Nova's name is wrong with me? If he doesn't care, then why should I?'
"Um..." Magolor could feel that Meta... wasn't very satisfied with his answer. Maybe he should've been more detailed... Taking a bit of a risk in guessing that the other male wanted there to be a bit more between them, he put his hands against the knight, and gave him a hug—or at least the closest thing he could manage to a hug without arms.
"If I may make one addition, it's that the biggest reason that I would prefer to be here on Popstar is you! And, eheh... not just because of the wonderful nights we had,” he clarified with a slightly awkward laugh.
“So far, you're the only person I've ever been able to have a true intellectual conversation with. You're very interesting to talk to! If you weren't such a wonderful friend, I wouldn't have offered to spend an entire day just relaxing with you," he went on, surprised at how easily the words came to him. He didn't even have to think about it. It was almost like telling the truth. The entire truth.
'Where is all of this coming from? I sound like a bad romance novel! Ugh... I just need his trust and help. Then when the time comes, and we finally reach my goal... Well, then I can figure out what to do with these feelings.'
The knight had to try incredibly hard not to get his hopes up from hearing those words, and whether he succeeded was debatable. He placed a hand over one of his lovers', and it took an immense amount of restraint not to do anything else.
“I feel the exact same,” he murmured, gripping the smaller hand in his own just barely tighter for a moment. It was so tempting to just give in, to tell him everything, to hold him close and never let go.
But he knew better.
He pulled away from the Halcandran again to finish retrieving the rest of his clothing. It didn't take him long to get his boots and shoulder pauldrons back on. The only article that gave him any trouble was the cape, and that was only because his wings refused to cooperate. Eventually, though, he was able to get them folded in place and wrap the cape around himself like normal. He was well aware he'd likely have to take everything back off in a few moments to go to bed, but he wasn't keen on risking being seen stark naked in the hallway alongside his host.
Magolor scratched the back of his head. He wasn't sure if he got through to the knight or not... Only time would tell, it seemed. Soon enough, he had begun to put on his clothes, pulling his collar back over his mouth as he went toward the door. He cracked it open just slightly to check if anyone was up and about. Dedede and presumably the waddle dee, were asleep, as there was very audible snoring coming from the King's room rather than the lobby...
"Brr... Uh... Wanna spend tonight together again?" he offered, shivering from the much cooler air in the hall.
“I'd be glad to,” the knight obliged, coming to Magolor's side. “Your room again, I would guess?” The Halcandran's room was a little more spacious than the guest rooms, after all.
"Of course." The Halcandran smiled, offering the winged puff his hand as he made his way back to his room. Magolor had never slept in the same bed as someone else before last night, and he thought it felt nice... Nice enough to do it again, at least.
The swordsman followed close behind, glad at the answer he got. He also normally slept alone, but this little venture of theirs had reminded him how nice it was to sleep beside someone.
“I don't suppose you have any books printed in a language I could read...?” Physically, he'd exhausted himself, but their conversation had set his mind at unease. Reading for a while before trying to sleep usually helped with that. If all the printed literature on the ship was in Halcandran, though, that would make sense.
"Physical books, sadly, no. However, I believe there are some old stories in the ship's log that have been translated into the more common languages," the foreigner explained, thinking for a moment.
"...I could transfer the stories onto a smaller device for you to read in bed, but that might take some time." It'd be a pain in the ass to do right at the moment, but hey, if it won him more points with the knight, it'd be worth it.
“Never mind it.” The armsman shook his head a little. “Maybe some other time.” He'd probably manage to sleep eventually. Even if he didn't, it wasn't as if he couldn't function without it. He could skip sleeping for three nights in a row and still be as alert as ever if he so desired, so long as he wasn't active the entire time. There were very few things he would ever than his creator for, but that was one of them.
"Hm... Alright then... When I have some free time, I'll try and make one for you," the smaller of the two offered, opening the door to his room. He waited to close it until after his partner had entered, then immediately stripped his clothing back off to get comfortable.
“Only if it wouldn't trouble you too much,” the knight insisted, following suit. He placed his mask and sword underneath the pillow he assumed he'd be using once again, and everything else he'd been wearing was placed atop the dresser.
"Oh, it would be no trouble at all," Magolor chirped, patting the knight's shoulder as he got into bed.
“I tend to read fantasy fiction in my spare time before sleeping sometimes,” Meta Knight elaborated a little. “Usually sagas of opposing kingdoms at war, mages, mythology, that sort of thing...” he trailed off, realizing it sounded a little childish when he described it, even if it was usually somewhat advanced-level reading that caught his interest.
"Alright, I'll keep it in mind. I believe there are one or two of them in the ship's log, though I have plenty more written in Halcandran. Perhaps if I had time in the near future, I could translate them for you," he assured, snuggling under the covers.
“I would appreciate it,” the warrior yawned, settling in beside him. Knowing he wasn't likely to sleep right away, he lay on his back, and instinctively wrapped with wings around himself. He avoided getting too close to the smaller male, given that he was the source of all the uncertainty that unsettled his thoughts. Still, he let his eyes slip closed, at least putting up the pretense that nothing was wrong. Of course, whether he liked it or not, Magolor had cuddled up beside him anyway, nuzzling right against his wing as his consciousness slowly drifted away. He soon fell asleep, with small, quiet breaths.
Meta Knight lay wide awake for what felt like hours, half-wishing the Halcandran had kept his distance, but half-thankful he hadn't at the same time. It was this kind of conflicted feeling that kept him from sleeping.
On the one hand, the last 24 hours or so had been overall the closest he'd come to having companionship of any kind for a longer time than he cared to calculate. If there was any chance of it lasting or growing beyond what it was now, he wanted to pursue it. The idea of returning to a life of solitude after coming so close to happiness—true, lasting happiness—sounded like a fate akin to experiencing Hell.
However, he was not without his good sense, either. He still couldn't deny the very real possibility that Magolor didn't share the same desire for a real relationship, and to be honest with himself, the knight couldn't blame him if that were the case. They'd both jumped into this so quickly, without thinking it through. If it really did turn out the Halcandran's interests didn't go beyond sexual, well then it would be no one's fault but the swordsman's for allowing it to get to this state in the first place. He could have said no to the smaller male's offer if he'd wanted. There had never been any guarantee of 'strings attached,' after all. Even beyond that, he hadn't managed to find any of the answers he'd set out to find anyway. He still hardly knew anything about Magolor or his motives, and that bothered him.
Carefully, so as not to wake the other, the armsmaster turned onto his side, facing his partner and pressing just slightly closer against him. He draped one wing over them both, finally trying to set his thoughts aside.
'Why do you have to be so Nova-damned cute?' he wanted to mutter, but ended up letting out nothing more than a soft sigh instead.
'Maybe tomorrow I'll find whatever it is you're hiding from me.'
