@sxmniphobiaâ || continued from â
Less than a year of his life was normally something Nick would consider a trivial amount of time. It went by in the blink of an eye for him compared to the rest of his immortal existence. As one who could not die and did not physically age, time was of little importance to himâunless, of course, there was a certain god with whom he wished he were spending more of that time.
Dates in the Land of Dreams were perfectly fine with him, as it meant he got to see his erastĂŞs without the date cutting into either of their schedulesâhe was already asleep anyway, and Phobetor always seemed to have pre-constructed nightmares at the ready to leave some time available at night for a little fun whenever they had their dates. Being allowed to control his own form during these dates had its perks too, but even so, as real as they often felt, they werenât real. No amount of dream manipulation could change that, and he was starting to miss their time together in the physical world. More than once, heâd woken up sulking, pouting, or both because Phobetor wasnât actually beside him in his bed, curled up against him like a kitten seeking warmth. If he had an interrogation to do that day, the poor soul at his mercy had an especially rough time.
Damn his canine nature.
That was why heâd approached Phobetor the second he heard the recognizable whoosh of the godâs wings, and why heâd kissed without any hint of hesitation. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that heâd moved fast enough to temporarily stun the other male, and a small smirk turned up one corner of his mouth, a low chuckle slipping past his lips. âIt might not happen every time.â
Feeling Phobetorâs hands on his face, he shuddered a little from the cool touch on his heated skin, but didnât dare pull away, instead letting the hands draw him closer. His grip on the godâs hoodie loosened, and his hand lowered down, fingers trailing over the familiar shadowy form before both arms came together to loop around the other maleâs waist instead. Red eyes locked with red, the happiness and excitement he couldnât quite contain reflected in his own for the god to see. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of the black feathered wings moving to encase them both, and it was as if the rest of the world fell away in that moment, blocked out by the shadows and darkness that he was all too eager to embrace.
But before he could say anything else, he was silenced by Phobetorâs lips claiming his, effectively rendering him speechless for the time being unless he wanted to break the kiss right awayâand like hell he was doing that this time. Sighing contently, he tugged the god closer against him and let his eyes slide shut. Perhaps he was foolish for dropping his guard so willingly around the feared god of nightmares, but although he knew how easy it would be for the tail around his waist to shift into a venomous snakeâor for Phobetorâs entire being to shift into a massive, deadly monster, for that matterâhe believed that nothing like that would happen. It had been over half a year since either of them had seen each other in their physical forms, and Nick had sorely missed moments like this. He didnât even want to end the kiss to speak, relishing the way the soft, cool lips of his erastĂŞs felt against his own.
The two of them were quite literally like fire and ice, and he wouldnât have it any other way.
But eventually, he did break the kiss, albeit with some reluctance. He couldnât let Phobetor have the last word just yet, after all. His tone was a quiet, low growl with a hint of annoyance at firstâfor he was a hellhound, not a cute little puppyâbut became lighter and more teasing as he spoke, still close enough for his warm breath to ghost over the godâs lips. âIâm not cute or little, butâŚyeah, and I think itâs safe to say you missed me too, I-ke-los.~ Or am I wrong, hm?â
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Nick's lap is going to suddenly be full with a pouting god, Phobetor wrapping his arms around Nick's neck as he placed himself directly between the hound and whatever paperwork he might have on his desk. "Pay attention to me."
The interruption was unexpected, but welcome nonetheless. Nick simply blinked at first, surprised by the sudden appearance of the god now in his lap, but it didnât take long for a pleased, playful smirk to curve up the corners of his mouth. His arms wound themselves around Phobetorâs waist and lightly squeezed, encouraging a little more closeness, and he leaned in to press a kiss to the other maleâs lips. âGladly.â
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The thought of there being mortals within Nickâs family that actually werenât scared of him was an amusing one to the god. Did those mortals know what Nick truly was, or just have been around him long enough to realize that heâs mostly bark? It certainly didnât take Phobetor long to realize that, but he was quite easily in a higher position of power than Nick, so it was a bit different. Regardless, apparently there existed mortals that could actually stand up against the hound.Â
While his sadistic side did find pleasure in the thought of Nick taking a blow to his pride; being flustered and annoyed at people bothering him about being owned by Phobetor, the thought of the hound being outright disrespected by othersâespecially those below him in terms of divinityâjust rubbed the god the wrong way. If it was anyone else, he might not have cared, but this was NickâŚÂ
âHmmm⌠well, you being completely whipped would be a lie. I do kind of enjoy the fight in you, so I wouldnât want you broken and completely submissive all the time. I could send them nightmares but, from experience, I know that wonât stop them. My nightmares can be used as punishments, but most beings wonât realize why they are given the nightmares. Mortals are the worst at it; theyâll just brush it off as their mind making stuff up. So to get them to stop⌠hmmâŚ.â He paused his words there for the moment, half because he was trying to think of a way to fix Nickâs apparent situation and half because he was distracted by the cars around him.
Once seated and comfy, Phobetor just waited until Nick got in the car and answered the question, making the god tilt his head a bit as he thought the answer over. Of course he understood what kilometers per hour meantâthe word kilometer itself was based off Greek termsâbut it was still a weird thing to think about. He was used to mortals only being able to be as fast as a horse can run, while gods got places within moments. To think that mortals can now go so much fasterâalmost 9 times faster apparentlyâwas quite amazing, even to the animalistic god. âI know humans can invent amazing things; itâs just a matter that I donât usually care and their inventions donât matter five hundred years down the line when they are dead. I wouldnât say they are doing anything right, just that they are doing something interesting.â
It was only once they were already driving that he could turn his complete attention back to the previous problem: how to stop people from disrespecting Nick about being a submissive puppy when he obviously wasnât. Sending them nightmares would be funâand would probably be something he would do regardlessâbut it wonât solve the problem. To solve the problem⌠the best thing to be would be stopping the rumours before they really took root. And to do thatâŚ.
Well, obviously they just have to show Nickâs family people that he wasnât always the submissive.
It was a simple solution, but the implication of that wasnât quite something Phobetor enjoyed. After all, for Nick to be dominant, that would mean that Phobetor would have to be the submissive one. If any of the other gods got wind of that⌠Nick might be tormented by those humans for a maximum of one hundred years, but the other gods would not let Phobetor live it down for the next hundred centuries or longer.
But⌠it was for his erômenos.
âYou know, instead of just giving those people nightmaresâstill gonna do it, mind youâwe can just stop the rumour. All we have to do is let them see that you are still a dominant being. So, when we go back, we could⌠hmmâŚ. I donât knowâŚâ He paused for a moment to think further before sprouting the first thought that came to mind. âYou can put a collar and leash on me and walk around the grounds for people to see.â
Despite offering it, his nose still crinkled slightly in disgust at the mere thought of having a leash and collar on. Those two objects were things he completely hated, no matter what form he was in. He wouldnât put one on his own lovers and he would normally never allow one to be put on him. But he guessed he could deal with it one time⌠if he had toâŚÂ âIâm open to better suggestions though.â
That initial response got another chuckle out of the hound, amusement dancing in his eyes. âItâs nice to know you wouldnât want me broken and submissive all the time, considering dominance comes to me so naturally. Iâm not normally submissive; you know that. Today is...just for you, and only because itâs for you. If it were anyone else, I would shoot them rather than agree to what Iâve promised you.â But it was for Phobetor, and so Nick was willing to submit to his erastĂŞs this time around. Perhaps he was whipped to that extentâthat he was willing to submit at allâbut there was no way he would ever admit it unless he had to.
Rather than say anything further for the moment, he fell silent and gave Phobetor a chance to continue talking and thinking over whatever idea the god had in mind. The problem with sending nightmares made sense, as he knew many humans who tended to brush them off as bad dreams and nothing more; frightening imagery meant to be forgotten. It irritated him since he knew now that nightmares were the work of the sadistic god heâd fallen for, but it was impossible to force people to heed the meanings and intentions behind nightmares the way they should. If it were possible, he had no doubt that Phobetor would have done it by now.
âYeah, maybe interesting is a better word for it, but stillâŚâ The corner of his mouth quirked up to show a small smirk, and the very second they reached the long interstate highway that was part of the route to the restaurant, he put more pressure on the gas pedal and shifted gears, quickly bringing the carâs speed up to 160 kilometers per hour. ââŚThis car is really fun to drive. And by the way, since youâre in your human form at the moment, you might want to put on your seatbelt like I did.â
With Phobetor apparently still in thought, Nick focused mainly on driving to keep control of the car, though he couldnât help wondering what exactly the god might be considering. He didnât really care if the rest of the Paganini famiglia knew he was in a relationship with someoneâbut that was only if he wasnât seen or known as the submissive one in the relationship. And to prevent thatâŚheâd have to be seen as the dominant one instead. While he certainly would prefer that, he knew all too well that the god next to him wouldnât want to be seen as the submissive one eitherâexcept for their time in bed together, of course, but that was a different and more private matter.
Phobetorâs voice drew Nick back out of his own thoughts, and he turned his head slightly to glance over at the god while he listened. The little pauses teased his curiosity, but as much as he wanted to know what Phobetorâs idea was, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the statement that followed.
His jaw dropped open, his eyes wide with pure shock, and he turned his head the rest of the way towards the godâwhich was a mistake. Unintentionally, his hand on the steering wheel turned with his head, and the car swerved into a different lane, thankfully into a spot that was just the right size for the car to squeeze into. His knee jerked, and he forced his foot over to the brake to narrowly avoid slamming it down onto the gas pedal instead, whichâgiven their new placement on the roadâlikely would have gotten him killed and probably totaled the car as well. As it was, the car screeched to a halt in its new lane, followed other cars behind it doing the same and lots of angry, annoyed honks from other drivers, but at least heâd managed to avoid a wreck.
Heaving a long, shaky sigh of relief, he took his foot off the brake and swore under his breath, driving considerably slower than he had been. With the danger over, he gave himself a moment to calm down before he said anything, though if he were honest with himself, he was pretty sure that Phobetor gotten a meal out of that little incident.
ââŚDonât just say stuff like that, okay?! You canât⌠I-I meanâŚâ One hand dropped from the wheel to move up and run down his face instead, and he cleared his throat, forcing himself to keep his head turned towards the windshield and the road. Despite this, his eyes still cut over towards the god, and Nick shook his head.
âI would⌠IâŚcanât deny, that certainly would work to convince everyone else that Iâm not submissive all the time, and⌠The thought of that is justâŚwow. You would look amazing. Just imagining you wearing a collar and leash, with me holding the other end of itâŚâ He trailed off, realizing his cheeks were hot from being flushed, and if he had to guess, theyâd been that way for the past several minutes. Shaking his head again with the hopes of soon banishing the blush, he continued.
ââŚI would love it, but I canât. IâI wonât. Even though I would have let you do it for today without complaining about it, you said that you wouldnât put a collar on me. Besides thatâand more importantlyâyouâreâŚyouâre not just anyone. Youâre the god of nightmares and my erastĂŞs, and I respect you too much to put a collar and leash on you and parade you around like that, because Iâm pretty sure you would hate every second of it. If you would enjoy it, then I would do it for sure, but Iâm having a hard time imagining that.â
A light chuckle escaped him, and his grin returned. âIf you still think we should show them that I can be dominant, though, I could always pin you up against an outside wall for a public make-out session on the grounds whenever we get back. That sounds better to you than your idea, right?â
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sxmniphobia:
Given the nature of fear to surround and enclose the being producing it, while Phobetor could still see the dark tendril appearing around the other members due to Nickâs glare, he couldnât even catch a taste of it at the distance that they were at. All that gathered up fear was just taunting himâso close yet so farâhis mouth watering at the sight and a pout forming on his lips. It was made even worseâyet also soooo much betterâwhen Nick fired his gun at them. The unexpected loud bang of the gun going off caused the God to flinch slightly, ears still sensitive even in their human form, but seeing the grunts running even faster to get away made it worth it. The tendrils of fear thickened even further as the mortals ran off, the fear following them until they disappeared from his view.
âSuch a thick fear you brought out of them with such a simply trick⌠You expect me to believe that these humans are gun-slinging, hardened criminals? How pathetic⌠Even without you asking, I should send them all nightmares to teach them the real meaning of fear, something so horrible that even stuck-up, prideful humans would have no choice but to admit that they were scared out of their minds. Dominant species, my ass.âÂ
Of course, he was well aware that Nick and himself werenât much better in terms of being pridefulâin fact, they were even worse about itâbut the main difference laid in the fact that they both at least had the abilities to back their pride. Their divinity giving them the right to be proud of themselves. As far as Phobetor was concerned, there was nothing to be proud of in being a simple human, so these humans should be taught to show respect to their betters.Â
âJust let me know if anyone bothers you with stupid rumours and Iâll take care of them. Oh, but rumours about you belonging to me donât count as stupid, just so you know, as you very much do belong to me.â After all, he had to be somewhat fair, and punishing someone for stating the truth wasnât something he found very interesting.
His little stroll through the garage came to a pause as Nickâs voice reach him, black eyes turning from the car he was studying over to the hound standing quite a few feet away in front of what the God could only assume what Nickâs own car. It definitely looked like something that the hound would like, with how fancy it seemed. The claim that the seats could nearlyâbut not quiteâcompare to his tail in terms of comfort certainly did pull his focus. âIâm not quite sure whether I should feel flattered that you realize that my tail is much more comfortable, or insulted that you would even think that something man-made could even come close to it. Iâll choose to believe that you meant to say that the seats are comfortable by human standards, yet could never come close to even beginning to compare to my tail.â
Said tail would probably be waving in curiosity had it not been hidden, a head tilt now being the only outward physical indication of the Godâs wandering thoughts. Ignoring the other cars, Phobetor skipped on over to Nickâs car, ducking down to enter through the open door. Settling in his seat, he took a moment to glance around the interior of the car, eyes dancing over all the buttons and dials located around. The only time he had been in a car before was the last time he was with Nick, and he had been far too sleepy to care about what his surroundings had looked like.
Eventually he had had enough of looking around the small space and he leaned back against his seat, somewhat understanding why Nick would say what he did about the seats. They really were quite comfortable, though that wasnât really saying much from someone who could feel comfortable enough sleeping on rocks. âYou certainly like being surrounded in luxury, puppy. How fast can this thing go? I know itâs faster than carriages, and I know it canât be as fast as I can fly, but there is a big range in between those.â
âNot all of them are hardened like they ought to be. The ones you just saw run away arenât anywhere near the same rank as me. Theyâre what you might call grunts or âsoldiers,â though that term doesnât really suit them either, does it?â He paused to chuckle and flash a mocking grin with the fleeing grunts in mind, then continued his explanation.Â
âI wasnât talking about idiots like them when I said I might ask you to send out some nightmares, but Iâll still appreciate it if you do. I was actually referring to a small group of humans who are closer to my rank in the family, and theyâre not as scared of me as most mortals usually are. If anyoneâs going to give me a real hassle after the rumors start up, it would be one of them.â
The little stipulation the god added soured Nickâs expression for a second, but Phobetor was right. He couldnât very well disagree, especially for the rest of the day. The look of annoyance on the houndâs face was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, and instead of saying anything against the godâs one condition regarding the rumors, he sighed to himself and decided to pose a question.Â
âI do belong to you; I know that, and itâs true regardless of whether or not Iâm actually being the submissive one. I would never disagree or say that rumors suggesting something like that arenât true. But if someone started a rumor that says youâve got me completely whipped and I must always be the submissive one because of all of the marks on my neck.... You would send them a nightmare for me, right?â That was the kind of rumor he was worried about the most, honestly, because the last thing he wanted was to be seen as submissive by people who wouldâor even mightâdisrespect him for it. Rumors like that would have the potential to seriously damage his reputation, and his pride refused to let that happen.
Just before he pushed the passengerâs side car door shut, he chuckled at what he could only assume was a thinly-veiled warning to be more careful with his words. âDonât worry; I meant that as a compliment. Your tail is much more comfortable than anything else Iâve ever laid or sat on. I was just trying to emphasize how comfortable these seats are compared to what you would find in most standard, non-luxury cars.â
With Phobetor seated, Nick walked around to the driverâs side to open his own door and quickly seated himself behind the wheel. The godâs comments put a broad, satisfied grin on his face, and he chuckled while buckling his seatbelt. âLetâs see... Youâre probably more familiar with the concept of kilometers per hour for speed, right? This thing can go from 0 to 100 in less than three seconds, double that in less than seven seconds, and if I could push it to its top speed, it can go as fast as 350 kilometers per hour. Believe it or not, humans have managed to do some things right.â
Saying so, he started up the car and carefully pulled away from the Paganini mansion, putting the car en route to their destination for dinner.Â
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Phobetor knew that the middle of the night wasn't exactly Nick's most active time, so it was surprising to sense that the hound was still awake. Deciding to help out, the god phased out of the dream world andâafter a quick stop at homeâflew over to Nick's place. Staying silent so the hound couldn't sense him, he gently placed one of Hypnos' poppies right above Nick's head, watching as its powers quickly sent the restless hound to dreamland. With a kiss on the forehead, the god left once more.
Sleepless nights werenât often a problem for Nick, but like many that lived in the mortal world, he was bothered by them from time to time. Such nights were inexplicable, brought on by a reason he couldnât pinpoint other than the immense annoyance that came with that same inability to get some rest. In a huff, he tossed and turned in bed, ultimately burying his face in his pillow to muffle a groan of frustration.
Turning onto his side, he huffed again and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will himself to go to sleep. It didnât help, and that was when his nose caught the briefest, almost imperceptible whiff of a subtle earthy scent; something that reminded him of some sort of plant or flower. Before he could think over what it might be or where exactly it was coming from, all of his irritation faded away as sleep overtook him, the tension ebbing out of his body. Although he wasnât awake to be fully aware of the kiss left on his forehead, his lips curled into a soft smile as though he still sensed it.
Perhaps he would realize what happened in the morning and think to thank his erastĂŞs the next time he got the chance.
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sxmniphobia:
Nickâs constant insistence that he wanted to protect Phobetor from the other Godsâdespite all risk associated with thatâwould probably have been quite a touching thing to most other beings. To Phobetor, however, it mostly was just amusing. âAs adorable as that is, I donât need a bodyguard protecting me. I donât chain my powers down because I fear being killed by them. They can all come kill me right now; I donât care. I willingly allow my powers to be restricted by Hypnos because I know they will kill me if I go rogue, so I want to save it all for one final spectacle before I decide I want to die. Killing people isnât even something I want to do on a regular basis since dead people are nothing to me, but a big extermination one time would be amazing! And I could probably fight back and hold my own against the other gods for a while if I wanted to, but it would be so much more entertaining imagining all their faces when they come looking for blood, only to deny them their wishes. So ya, bodyguard not needed, though lover and partner-in-crime very much appreciated.â
Though now that he mentioned the other Godâs reaction, he couldnât help but imagine a few hypothetical samples a the moment; the images in his head bringing a small giggle out of him. âAres would probably be furious! And Apollon will probably be so annoyed at coming all that way for nothing. Ah, I just love being a thorn to Sunshine. Itâs so easy, yet always so amusing when you knock that prick down a few pegs.âÂ
Regardless of how amusing the thought was, it quickly flew out of his head during the time he was marking the other; all thoughts of their deaths gone by the time his attention switched to explaining the terms. For all of his distracted thoughts, he was still apparently focused enough to be right about Nick finding offense to his words, though it seems that he was slowly learning how to placate an annoyed puppy since his continued explanation was met with only a small huff of air rather than an outburst.
Even better yet, it seems he was still the master of bringing out fear with only a few wordsâthe air around Nick becoming thick with it after the small threat. perhaps it was caused by his words, perhaps it was simply due to the changes in his voice. Regardless of which it was, the end result was still beautiful in the godâs eyes: the dark tendrils of fear slowly swirling off of Nickâs form to surround him in a darkening tomb. It was unfortunate that his plans for today revolved more around embarrassing Nickto the point of his face matching his hair and eyes, or else he would revel in the dread that was currently in the air. As it was he had to force himself to move away from that delicious, heavenly fear so that they could move on with their date.
As impatient and as distracted as he was, waiting for Nick to join him once he was outside was an actual test of wills. He had almost walked away when he had noticed a few mortals nearby, pointing at him and whispering among themselves. Having a stranger just standing around on the grounds of a mafia family building was probably a cause for alarm, and he didnât want to deal with the complications of having people ask him questions or try and deal with him in other ways. Namely becauseâeven when in a good moodâhe was still much less patient than most mortals, especially when being treated poorly. He was a God, after all! He deserved respect, even from those who didnât worship him!
Thankfully, he was saved from having to possibly leave to avoid a confrontation by Nick, whose arrival got the other members to back off and go on their way. Apparently, even dimwitted mortals can figure out that a high-ranking member smiling at a stranger means that they are not someone to mess with. How very well trained these grunts were.
Once the hound had reached him, the god took a moment to run his eyes over Nickâs neck once more, pleased to see that the marks he left were still vivid and visible. âSo now your famiglia members know that you belong to someone⌠and since some of them saw you with me, theyâll know that you belong to me. Or at least I assume they are smart enough to put two and two together.â He didnât have any faith in human stupidity, but for the sake of his amusement, he was going to allow himself to believe that at least one of those who spotted them would figure out the truth.
Happily letting Nick lead for the moment since he himself had no clue where they were going, Phobetor paused a moment once they reached the garage to stare at all the cars present. Yes, he knew what they were, and yes, he put them in nightmares, but outside of being in the car the last time he was here, he had never actually seen a car from close. While Nick continued on his way to whichever car was his, Phobetor strolled slowly through the other cars parked around, tilting his head this way and that as he compared the different cars to each other.
âI know you donât need a bodyguard, but...â Cutting himself off, he sighed and decided to let the matter rest with a shrug and a light chuckle. Continuing the debate wouldnât do either of them any good, and besides that, he wasnât in a position to do any arguing for the day anyway. âI very much enjoy being your lover and partner-in-crime, and pissing off gods you donât like sounds like the perfect bonus.â
As excited as he was for their future plans, his excitement and all thoughts of those plans were easily one of the furthest things from his mind while Phobetorâs mouth was busy marking his neck. The lecture proved to be a good distraction as well, holding his attention and sating his curiosity, but what affected him the most was the little scare the god decided to pullâand rightly so, with Phobetor being the god of nightmares. Were he able to shift freely in the mortal world and give himself a canine tail, it would be tucked down behind him and between his legs. Thankfully, the fear didnât last and he was able to finish getting ready.
Once outside, he noticed another small group of famiglia members whispering and gesturing towards Phobetor, and he quickly sent them a glare much the same as he had the first group heâd come across. They began to disperse then, but just to add a little more variety this time and make his point crystal clear, he whipped his gun out of its holster and, after a glance back to aim, shot a bullet over his shoulder into the tree trunk nearest to one of the gruntsâ heads. It struck at the perfect height for a head shot, naturally. The gardener could just deal with it; it was too much fun listening to them run away as if their lives depended on it. Chuckling, Nick returned his gun to its holster and kept walking.
âIf none of them figure it out, theyâre even more stupid than I thought. A rumor or two will probably be spread around before the day is over, and if those rumors reach certain peopleâŚI may take you up on that offer to send some nightmares to my coworkers.â
He was trying to play it cool, but really, he couldât help being a little embarrassed by the thought of rumors. Normally, he liked rumors, but then again, those rumors also usually reminded people of his high-ranking status, his skills, his little hobby, or a combination of any of the three. Instead, this time it would be rumors of someone finally putting a leash on the mad dog of the famigliaâcomplete with the marks making people wonder if he was the submissive one, no less.
Sighing under his breath, he continued to the garage and stopped walking once he reached his particular car. The lights flashed at his approach as they had the last time heâd driven it, lighting up the carâs sleek black exterior for a moment, and he went around to the passengerâs side to open the door for Phobetor. Glancing back at the god, he grinned. âLike what you see? Itâs nice having access to luxury like this in the mortal world. The seats might not be as comfortable as that giant squirrel tail of yours, but I bet youâll say they come pretty close. If youâre done looking at the other cars, hop in.â
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As morbid as talking about their deaths were, Phobetor couldnât help but chuckle at the simple idea of it, especially given what Nick said and the spike of fear coming off the hound despite his brave words. âIf we ever grow so tired of still being alive, Iâll bring you into the dream world for a night and let my powers loose to do as they please. Weâll experience one amazing night together, more glorious than anything else we could possibly have done, and perhaps weâll get away with seeing the aftermath the following morning as well~! Then, once the other gods come for me, we can deny them the pleasure of killing me by giving up our immortality together, so that you wonât have to suffer needlessly after Iâm gone.â
It was definitely something to look forward to for the god, even if it was several millennia in the future.
The houndâs curiosity about the terms of endearment used was quite adorable, so Phobetor was hardly opposed to giving a small lecture to explain things better. Explaining his culture and way of thinking wasnât anything the god shied away from, no matter the topic. âThe terms are kind of both age specific, as well as type of relationship specific. The erastĂŞs-erĂ´menos relationship is⌠hmm⌠the easiest way I can think to explain it is that itâs a relationship between a man and a boy.âÂ
Realizing that his choice of wordings might seem somewhat insulting to the other male, Phobetor quickly raised a finger to Nickâs lips to stop any potential outburst until he was finished speaking. âBefore you say anything, me marking you as the erĂ´menos is not me calling you a boy, especially not in any derogatory manner. A âboyâ to the people back then was just a male who hasnât grown a beard yet to be seen as an adultâas a man. Neither of us would qualify to be seen as men in our current forms, but that doesnât really apply to either of us since we are immortals. By right of divinity and age, we would both be considered men. Iâm simply giving you the position of erĂ´menos based off age and position of power.â
With that part of the explanation out of the way, the god removed his finger as he continued talking. âThe Greeks considered this type of relationship as a sort of rite-of-passage for the beloved. He would be courted, he would pick a lover, and then it was up to the lover to take the beloved under his wing to teach him the social doâs and donâts; kind of like how Iâm taking you under my wing to help you improve your torturing skills by letting you hone them in my nightmares. It was a positive relationship that helped strengthen the community as a whole within Greek society. The beloved is able to gain powerful allies and friends through his lover, so the family benefited from it. But the RomansâŚâ
He paused once more, ears giving a few rapid twitches as the god switched his way of thinking to match the Roman ways as opposed to the Greek ways in order to explain better. âIt was a threat to the Roman way of living. Having an outsider male courting your son? Trying to take the position of the most important male in that boyâs life away from the father, the paterfamilias? Were the Greeks insane to allow such a thing?! The father should always be the one to educate his son and heir about social standards, not some stranger! No, it would not do to have such a relationship taking place so openly. Towards slaves or freedmen, thatâs alrightâthey are barely people anywayâbut towards a proper citizen is complete dishonour upon that family.â
With his little lecture complete, Phobetor shook his head rapidly to return his mind to its normal way of thinking, the more laid-back Greek form. âSo ya, thatâs why there is no Latin translation. There technically are words that are used, but none of them are very⌠endearing, shall we say⌠not to mention they would technically be directed at me more than you at the current moment, as they focus more on role than age, and so far Iâve been the one in the passive role.âÂ
His gentle smile shifted slightly at that, becoming a deceptively innocent smile that just had a threatening edge to it. Leaning back towards Nick, Phobetorâs voice dropped to a quiet whisper, though a small change in his vocal chords left there being a painful, spine-chilling edge to his voice. âSo let me make it clear: you stick to calling me Ikelos or your erastĂŞs, because the day you call me cinaedus or concubinus is the day I use my claws to castrate and kill you as painfully as I possibly can, multiple times. Got it~?â
Confident that he got his point across, Phobetor returned his posture and vocal chords to normal and allowed Nick to take his time fixing up his appearance. Despite the hound trying to hide it, the godâs sharp eyes were easily able to pick up on the reddening of Nickâs cheeks before he turned away, but he chose to not make a comment about it⌠yet. There will probably be some time in the future where he brought it up again, but that was ammunition that he was going to hold onto for the moment.Â
Once Nick was ready to go, Phobetor hopped out of his seat, a small skip in his step as he walked towards the window. âWell, you are going to walk the normal way downstairs, making no move to hide your neck even if you pass someone in the hallways. Iâm gonna be waiting for you outside in my human form. You can take me out for dinner, since I am sure that youâre probably hungry. I wonât be eating, naturally, so pick somewhere that you enjoy and frequent a lot.â
Not waiting for Nick to make any comments, the god easily jumped through the closed window, body passing through the glass like a ghost.He didnât even bother calling forth his wings, simply allowing himself to drop to the ground to land on his feet like a cat. As he straightened out, his tail rapidly disappeared, ears, claws and fangs altering to resemble human ears, hands and teeth. he might not have bothered with changing his eyes, as Nick also possessed red eyes so it wouldnât appear weird, but the level of light still being produced by the sun was way too high for his poor sensitive eyes, so they were also switched for black human eyes. Once that was all finished, the god just stood calmly at his spot, humming lightly as he waited for Nick to rejoin him.
âIf we ever get so tired of living, yeah, that sounds like an amazing plan to me.â He grinned in approval, pleasantly surprised that there was a way to avoid experiencing any torture, but his grin faded a little due to one particular thought that he couldnât shake. Dodging punishment would be nice, but then again, there were other feelings he couldnât just ignore. âI wish there was still a way for me to protect you from the other gods that didnât involve giving up before they can overpower us, but since there isnât, Iâll consider myself lucky to be able to share a night like that with you.â
Still curious about the terms Phobetor had used, he waited for a further explanationâand when he got it, heâd very nearly yelled to insist that he wasnât a boy; he was a mature man! The finger on his lips was the one thing that kept his mouth shut, and his eyes narrowed until heâd heard enough to understand that god hadnât meant in an insulting way. In this case, it really was just the easiest way to explain the roles implied by the terms. Blowing a tiny puff of air onto the finger in a mock huff, he calmed back down and continued to listen.
The ancient Greek perspective of the relationship came as a surprise, as he doubted such a thing would be so widely acceptable in modern times, and yet it seemed soâŚpositive. He blinked a couple times, processing the information while listening, and his eyes widened a little. Assuming the relationship went smoothly, there was absolutely nothing negative it. It even sounded as though the erĂ´menos benefitted more than the erastĂŞs, which was perfectly fine with him, as he was the one in the erĂ´menos role.
âŚAnd perhaps he liked the idea of being called âbeloved.â Maybe.
He didnât think anything of Phobetorâs ears twitching at first, but when the god began explaining how the Romans viewed such a relationship, he raised one eyebrow first, then the other. Heâd never seen or heard Phobetor talk like this before, and it was a little unsettling, to say the least. The explanation made sense though, as that was the way most humans he knew now seemed to thinkâexcept for the part about slaves, anyway, since no one in the States had them anymore like they once did.
He was happy to hear the godâs manner of speaking return to normal, but his sense of being at ease evaporated the second he noticed the little change to Phobetorâs smile. He knew a smile like that couldnât mean anything good, but he stayed where he was and tried to brace himself for whatever the god was about to say or do.
âŚBut it didnât help. Chills shot down his spine, and he squeezed his eyes shut, just barely forcing himself to stay where he was in front of Phobetor. At the same time, his fingers curled up tightly against his palms, his whole body tensing and his facial expression contorting in fear until the other male pulled back again. It was times like this that he was reminded of exactly who heâd fallen for, and when he opened his eyes, he had no problem acting like a frightened, obedient puppy. âI-I would neverâ! I respect you too much to call you either of those words! I wonât ever call you something so derogatory, I swear!â
While it generally wasnât wise to make any promises to a god, he knew right away that this was one promise he would easily be able to keep. The threat wasnât necessary either, but since heâd promised not to talk back, he kept his mouth shut on the matter and focused on getting ready to leave instead. Before he could respond to his latest instructions, however, Phobetor was gone from the room, leaving him alone for the moment. He took advantage of it, allowing his nerves to calm back down since heâd been both flustered and frightened one after the other.
Going over to his desk, he grabbed his gun from the drawer and slipped into his beltâs holster. He highly doubted he would need it, but given his profession in the mortal world, it wouldnât do to go anywhere without it on hand, just in case. With that, he really was ready to go, but since Phobetor had specifically told him not to hide his neck, his thoughts wandered back to the marks still there on his skin. He could probably focus his healing abilities there and get rid of the marks if he tried, butâŚPhobetor no doubt wanted them there. For a fleeting second, Nick considered that he might like having them there as well, but dismissed the thought just as quickly. Liking the idea of being marked so thoroughly was a little too submissive for his tasteâŚwasnât it?
Shaking his head at himself, he headed for the door and locked it behind him, stepping out into the hallway. No one was around at first, but on his way downstairs to get to the ground floor, he passed a small cluster of low-ranked members of the family. Theyâd been talking amongst themselves, but fell silent as soon as they saw him, and he swore he could feel the whole groupâs eyes trained on the side of his neck. His eyes narrowed, and he turned and sent a harsh glare their way, complete with the silent message of a death threat if they didnât move along. It worked, and they split up and scattered in their haste to put some distance between themselves and Nick.
âFucking idiotic humansâŚ,â he muttered under his breath, letting one of the front doors of the mansion slam shut behind him, the whole door frame rattling. Being stronger than the average human had its perks, even when it came to venting his anger.
In a huff, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself back down and followed the soft sound of humming over to where Phobetor was waiting, giving the god a bright smile. By the time he closed most of the distance between them, there wasnât a trace of anger left on his face; only a glowing sense of happiness and pride. âI didnât hide my neck, just like you said. Ready to go? I have a place in mind, but itâs a little bit of a drive from hereâabout 30 minutes with the way I drive.â Saying so, he headed towards the mansionâs garage area and motioned for Phobetor to follow, thinking he could take the lead for the time being since the god obviously didnât drive.
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Hearing Nick being so insistent on protecting himâdespite the fact that the hound was even more powerless against the other gods than Phobetorâbrought a chuckle out of the god. âSuch a cute and devoted little puppy I have, even in the face of potential eternal torture for assisting me. None of them can really kill you, I hope you know. Zeus can take away my immortality as the king of gods, but his powers canât cross-over to affect those outside of his pantheon, so youâll probably just be tortured until you are in so much pain that you willingly give up your immortality to escape it. Donât worry though, I donât plan to go rogue anytime soon. Iâm not scared of the consequences but Iâm simply having too much fun to want to go out with such a finale just yet. One day weâll have that wonderful night of deadly sleep, but for now, Iâll leave those poor mortals enjoy their rest.â
Regardless of whether it happened in this century or a few millennia in the future, it was a nice thought that he would have Nick by his side to enjoy it with. Granted, it was likely that he would end up sending Nick a nightmare during that time as well, but surely the hound could forgive him for killing him in his sleep if they could enjoy the rest of the experience together.
He could feel Nickâs pulse starting to speed up from the light teasing, could feel the shiver from the ministration he was giving to the houndâs neck. He didnât need any verbal encouragement to realize that Nick was somewhat enjoying this despite always making a big deal out of wanting to be the dominant one. It seems that the god was slowly being able to bring the prideful being down to actually enjoy being more submissive, though with some effort on Nickâs side.
But the real icing on the cake was when he actually began marking the houndâs neck. That little gasp, that shudder, the further tilting of the headâŚ. all of it was just so perfect. He didnât care whether those were all brought on because Nick was enjoying the physical aspect of what the god was doing or whether it was because of the hound being a sentimental being that liked the endearment used, Phobetor was enjoying the results either way.
The final cherry on top was when he was actually able to bring out a moan from the other male, the sound causing feline ears to twitch upwards for a moment, rising from where they sat flat on Phobetorâs head to be out of the way. He was oh so tempted to pull away and see the otherâs face, but the fingers brushing through his hair convinced him to remain long enough to finish his markings before he finally did move away, glancing up to Nickâs face.
That look⌠the adoration directed at him, coupled with such a gentle smile⌠It was quite an amazing thing to realize it was for him, only for him. To think that after centuries of obtaining only scowls and tears, that he would be able to so easily bring forth a smile filled with such happiness from someone else, especially from a hellhound. He really couldnât help but returning that smile with one of his own, his smirk completely softening as he listened to Nickâs answer.
Even as the hound broke his complete obedience to obtain a kiss for himself, the god couldnât help but smile against those eager lips. Pressing forward, Phobetor returned the kiss with just as much passion, eyes sliding shut as he lost himself in the kiss. If the rest of Nickâs actions and choices didnât speak of his devotion and love, this kiss certainly sent the message across clearly to the god.
Once the other male pulled away, Phobetor sat back as well, eyes still closed and smile still on his face as he answered the next question. âAs the elder one in this relationship, Iâm your erastĂŞs. The lover to the beloved. I would offer a Latin version too, but the closest I can think of is amator, which doesnât quite work. Cupitus is also a loose translation, just so you know. The Roman people were quite weird and uptight⌠or perhaps it was the Greeks that were weird and too open?âÂ
The god actually paused a moment to consider that question, eyes opening to stare up at the ceiling in thought. His high energy levels was causing him to be quite easily distracted by new topics at the moment, though he was eventually able to reel his mind back to the conversation at hand. âAh, either way, you can stick to whichever one draws your fancy, though I think Iâm starting to prefer you calling me just Ikelos over anything else. Now, why donât you get properly dressed? We are going out, after all. As much as I enjoy your current ruffled state, I donât think youâll want to appear in front of others like that.â
Nick had already heard from Phobetor what the consequences would probably be if he pissed off any of the other Greek godsâincluding Zeusâso the possibility of eternal torture didnât come as a surprise to him, but that knowledge didnât do much to lessen the brief spike of fear that he felt as a result. It took a great deal of willpower for him not to flinch, but he managed it. It was impossible for him to hide any sort of fear around Phobetor, he knew, but he still wanted to try to save face regardless.Â
ââŚAt least weâll both go out with a bang when the time comes, though I canât promise how long Iâll last once the torture starts after we get caught.â He was almost tempted to suggest that the god send him an appropriate nightmare or two in advance that might help him build up some resistance, but that would mean inviting a nightmare of himself being torturedâŚand that was something heâd really rather not do at the moment, especially since it could be centuries or even millennia before Phobetor would decide to break away from the powers restraining him.
Still, even knowing what would happen to him afterwards, he was looking forward to that wonderful night. If he was indeed going to give up his immortality one day, experiencing that one last amazing night with Phobetor was the only thing he knew of that would ever make it worth it.
Watching the godâs smirk soften so completely made his heart flutter, because as much as he appreciated Phobetorâs usual sadistic nature and smirks, the smile he saw now could only be one meant for himâbecause of him. That thought helped fuel the passion he poured into the kiss, and even though the godâs lips always felt cool against his own, he could have sworn he felt an extra little spark of heat come from somewhereâbut then again, maybe that was just him. What he was certain of, at least, was that Phobetor had not only allowed the kiss, but given back just as much as Nick had put into it.
Listening to the answer to his question, he raised a single eyebrow in curiosity. âIf amator and cupitus arenât perfect translations, there must be something youâre not telling me. OrâŚsince you said youâre my erastĂŞs because youâre the older one, are the terms just age specific?â That would explain why there wasnât an exact translation in Latin, since there werenât any intimate terms of endearment which indicated an age difference; only gender.
The godâs comment comparing the Romans and Greeks got a chuckle out of the hound, and a hint of his smirk returned. âI donât care for being too uptight myself, so based on that, I would say the Romans were the weird ones. Then again, the humans around here call me âcrazyâ and âmad,â so I might not be the best judge of that. Iâll let you decide.â
While Phobetor appeared lost in thought, Nick stayed where he was in an attempt at being obedientâwhich felt necessary at the moment, since heâd already gone against his offer of obedience to steal a kiss. It was tempting for him to take advantage of the moment and try to kiss the distracted god again, or perhaps leave a few marks of his own, but he restrained himself and waited. When the other male finally spoke up again, he grinned. âIâll stick to Ikelos, then. Itâs what I like using best anyway.â
At the suggestion to fix himself back up, he was reminded of how flustered he probably lookedâamong other thingsâand quickly stood. Glancing down at himself, he uttered a brief âYeah, thanks,â and began buttoning his shirt back up. His fingers brushed over some of the marks on his neck in the process, feeling their size through the added warmth and the slight swelling on his skin, and he snatched up his tie and jacket before turning away from the god. He could only hope that Phobetor hadnât seen the blush rise to his cheeks before he turned, because he could feel it there in full force now. Inwardly cursing, he busied himself with putting his tie back on, only to then realize that he needed to look in the mirror to make sure it was on straight.
Taking a deep breath, he shrugged his suit jacket back on and walked over to the mirror positioned in one corner of the room. The sight that greeted him was fairly typicalâexcept for some rather dark, prominent hickies on the side of his neck, visible even above the collars of his shirt and jacket. As he finished adjusting his tie, one hand drifted to the marks again, and when his fingers trailed over them this time, he had to suppress a shudder.
What was wrong with him?! He had offered his obedience thinking it was the most ideal, appropriate gift that he could give the god heâd somehow grown to love, but he hadnât expected he would actually enjoy being submissive at all, and yetâŚmaybeâŚ
Shaking his head, he refused to finish that thought and instead turned back towards Phobetor, crossing the room to return to the godâs side. âSince weâre going out for our date, where would you like to go?â
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The grin that appeared on Nickâs face at the mention of what Phobetorâs powers could do if untamedâhad Phobetor had a heart, it would have probably fluttered. âIt would be funâŚmortals not waking up after they fall asleep, their hearts stopped in pure fear. Those that remain alive would struggle to fight against Hypnosâ powers for as long as possible in order to not fall asleep as they would have no way of knowing whether they would be next to have a nightmare or not. The dreaded feeling of wondering whether you would actually wake up after you fall asleep or if this would be your last moment.â Just imagining it brought a glazed look of longing to Phobetorâs eyes, mouth slightly watering at the thought.
However, he couldnât forget the consequences of that, the main reason why he doesnât simply doom the world with his powers. âIt will be funâŚ. until the other gods hunt me down. They will stop the fun, especially Zeus. He can actually kill me if he wanted to, and then the fun will end. So I suppose itâs best if Hypnos keeps me in control.â
Just like how Phobetor had Nick under his control. He watched as the hound walked forward, smirk growing as he saw realization enter the houndâs eyes. Even if he didnât straight out say what he was planning to do, it was easy to tell that Nick had probably guessed his intentions. However, the smirk lost some of its edge as Nick questioned the single Greek word, the corners of his mouth softening just the slightest to make it seem just a tab bit more gentle than before.
âPerhaps saying it in Latin would make more sense to you, little hellhound.â Despite saying that, the god figured that Nickâs curiosity can grow a bit. Once his neck was fully exposed, Phobetor leaned forward to press his lips against Nickâs neck, taking a moment to just tease the other by pressing soft kisses on his pulse point. Moving up to an area that Phobetor was sure would end up above Nickâs collarâand thus impossible to hideâthe god first took the oppurtunity to place a few licks to the area, doing his best to drag his tongue slowly against the skin. Eventually he decided that it was enough preparation and moved on, but before thatâŚ.
âThe Latin translation⌠is cupitus.â
That would be his final words before he actually placed his mouth against Nickâs neck, very careful of his fangs as he sucked against the skin. Once he was sure that the area was nicely marked, he pulled slightly away⌠only to shift a little in order to move to another spot and repeat the marking process. He was very careful to ensure that most of the marks would be visible even when Nick put his clothes back on properly, but the god couldnât help but be drawn to placing one right over the spot where the houndâs major vein was as well, feeling his pulse against his lips.
When he had finally pulled away for good, Nickâs neck was just a canvas of hickies, angry red marks decorating the houndâs skin. Quite pleased with himself, he sat back in his chair, surveying his work from afar. âI donât think anyone will have any doubt as to  whom you belong to now. Do you, Ni~ck?â
âAhhh, that sounds amazing.~ Even one night of that and most humans would be terrified of their own beds once word would spread of so many people dying from fear in their sleep. Maybe I could even use sleeping aids as mental torture devices for a little while. That would be fun.â Even as he chuckled at the obvious longing on Phobetorâs face, Nickâs own smile grew, his tone full of a childlike eagerness as if he were discussing some fun new game, not the torture and death of countless people.Â
His mood soured, however, at the mention of what the consequences would be. He didnât like acknowledging that the other gods besides Phobetor were more powerful than both of them, but it was true. A low growl reverberated in his throat, and he ended it with a reluctant sigh. â...From what youâve told me before now, I donât think I could stop Zeus from killing you if I had to, but Iâd sure as hell try. You can tell me it would be a stupid idea all you want, but that wouldnât stop me. I couldnât just watch you die.â Though he didnât like the thought of Phobetorâs powers being kept on a leash, it seemed to be the preferable option given the alternative. Â
And at the moment, he couldnâtâand wouldnât, even if he couldâcomplain about the god having control over him either, at least for now. Seeing the familiar smirk soften surprised him, and though his eyebrows rose up a bit in curiosity, he didnât verbally question it. If he had to guess, his assumption had been correct, but he was still confused other than that.Â
Phobetorâs next statement only fueled his curiosity further, but before he could try to ask again, the godâs lips were on his neck, effectively silencing anything else he might have said. His eyelids fluttered closed, the teasing kisses coaxing his pulse to a slightly faster rate. They were pleasant, he had to admit to himself, and not how heâd expected Phobetor to start off. It felt strange to be consciously allowing this; to openly expose such a sensitive, vulnerable part of his body, no questions asked. Heâd never thought himself to be the type to just sit obediently and let something happen to him, yet that was precisely what he was doing....and while it made him feel a little nervous, he didnât hate it. On one hand, his fingers itched to reach out and make a grab for the god so that he could do the same thing to Phobetor instead, but on the other...it wasnât so bad just being obedient for a change.Â
The slow, sensual licks left a cool tingle on his skin, sending pleasant shivers down his spine, and the godâs voice so near to his ear did the same. The real impact he felt, however, came from the words themselves.
The translation for erômenos was cupitus.
...Beloved.
The comprehension was instantaneous, and he gasped, though even he couldnât be sure if it was due more to the meaning of the word or the feeling of the godâs mouth sucking on his neck, fangs lightly brushing over his skin. The combination of the two sent him reeling, and he shuddered, subconsciously tilting his head further to expose more of his neck. He would have normally made a point of showing a little resistance to any marks after the first one since they would be going out soon, but at the moment, he couldnât find it in him to so much as try sending a disapproving look Phobetorâs way. His promise wouldnât have allowed him to really protest the marks anyway, but the thing wasâthis time, as he could feel the godâs mouth beginning to leave more and more marks, he didnât care. All it had taken was one little word, and he was genuinely, ridiculously happy.
He tried not to show it too much, lest he inflate Phobetorâs ego more than heâd like to as a result, but the only thing that stopped him from having a huge, completely obvious smile on his face were the godâs lips still on his neck, moving from one spot to the next and coming very close to drawing out a little moan. As it was, the corners of his mouth turned upwards, the lines of his face shifting to suggest a soft, warm smile full of nothing but affection and devotionâa smile only Phobetor would ever see.Â
When the godâs mouth returned to his pulse, now leaving a mark instead of a just a kiss, he finally let out a quiet, low moan of approval, one hand reaching out to lightly cup the back of Phobetorâs head. His fingers trailed through weightless dark strands of hair, and as he felt the other male begin to pull away, he let his hand drop back to his side. His neck returned to its natural position, and he gazed up at the god, the adoration he felt shining in his eyes.Â
âI... I donât think anyone will question who I belong to, no.â His voice had an unintentional husky edge to it, and he cleared his throat. âBut even though Iâm completely and obediently yours for the day, let me have a moment to do this...please.âÂ
Even though heâd asked, he barely gave the god a chance to answer before leaning closer and capturing Phobetorâs mouth with his for an intense, furiously passionate kiss. He didnât trust himself too much with words at the moment, as he wasnât always the best at directly saying how he felt, but surely the right kiss could do the talking for him. Whenever he finally pulled away, he was still smiling.
âSince Iâm your erĂ´menos, what should I call you, Ikelos?~â
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âAnd now itâs yours. Take good care of it~! Itâs small enough that you can wear it under your clothes without much difficulty, right? I can teach you how to properly fight with it later too, if you want.â He might not be the best fighter with a daggerâa far cry from Ares in terms of skillsâbut he knew how to fight well enough with it to hold his own if need be. Though if he was allowed his claws, those would be fights he could much more easily win.
There were millions of worse things that he could have told Nick to do as a first request, but while he was gonna milk this gift for all the sadistic pleasure is was worth, he wasnât planning to actively make Nick resent him by the end of it. He quite liked the idea of continuing to have the hound as his lover, so he wasnât going to ruin that simply for a moment of extra amusement. If anything, he could probably obtain even better amusement working alongside the sadistic hellhound rather than against him.
But for this moment, he will still revel in making a prideful creature like Nick humiliate himself with those simple words, even with the added portions. Leaning forward, he placed a quick little peck onto one of those blushing cheeks, pulling away with a small chuckle. âMmm, Iâm fine with those extra parts. After all, you do belong to me, even without this gift, so itâs only fair that I alone get the right to call you that.â
Ears twitching at the question presented to him, the god took a moment to hop over to a nearby chair and lounge across it, legs kicking back and forth in the air as he answered. âOh, I always have this much energy. Itâs just usually repressed as a side-effect of being under Hypnosâ power. Itâs not a bad thing though; especially for the mortals, since me having too much energy when creating nightmares isnât really a good thing for them. In a way, I kind of need Hypnosâ powers to keep my own in check, else I will probably cause a bit of a disaster, like when Demeter caused all the vegetation to die because she was grieving her daughterâs disappearance. That was very not fun times back then for everyone, including us gods. Me giving everyone killer nightmares would probably be just as bad.â
Despite speaking of a world-changing disaster, the sadistic god couldnât help the childish little giggle that escaped him, finding such joy in the thought of such suffering. But that was not for right now. âAh, but I took my rest after work in the mortal world today instead of heading home, so I havenât been around Hypnos in a while to be directly affected by him, and since I did get my rest, Iâm not tired. So that means I have plenty of energy for hanging out with you.â
Speaking ofâŚ
Turning over in the chair to be on his side in order to look over at Nick, Phobetor took a moment to just stare at the other before a small smirk slowly appeared on his face. Lifting up a hand, he beckoned the hound over with a finger, figuring that non-verbal orders were just as valid as verbal ones. âYou know, if we are going out on our date, I think I would like people to know that you belong to me. I refuse to put an actual collar around your neckâsince you are not my petâbut a little mark on there instead will probably be just as telling, donât you think? Wonât you bare your neck for me, my dear erĂ´menos?â
âYeah, I will, I promise. Iâll put it to good use, too. Thank you.â The offer to learn how to use the dagger piqued his interest, and he flashed an eager smile and nodded. âIâd like that, yeah. I know some moves for how to use a basic dagger already, but even if it doesnât have any magical properties, itâs no ordinary dagger. If you have any tips or know any special moves, Iâd love to hear about them later.â But that could be set aside for another time when they werenât about to go out on a date for Valentineâs Day.Â
The cheek kiss normally would have been appreciated, and it still was, albeit a little bit less so at the moment. Nick couldnât help thinking that the god did it on purpose as a way to point out that he was blushing, but he held his tongue and scowled, the warmth he felt on his cheeks increasing despite his efforts to avoid exactly that. His pride had just taken quite the hit, and he couldnât help it even though he just knew that his blush would only encourage Phobetor to keep messing with him and teasing him. Luckily for him at the moment, he was perfectly fine with being claimed by the god, so that in itself didnât serve as yet another source of embarrassment. Phobetor was his too, so it was only fair.
He was unfazed by the mention of vegetation dying off, as it hadnât affected him personally, but the thought of an uninhibited Phobetor creating literal killer nightmares left and right put a twisted, darkly wistful grin on his face. That was something he wouldnât mind bearing witness to in the least, and imagining it served as the perfect mood-lifting distraction from the brief humiliation heâd just suffered. He wasnât foolish enough to think that it wouldnât be disastrous, but that didnât stop him from considering the possibility of it happening one day. âIt would be bad for everyone else, but I wouldnât mind sitting by and watching it happen. That would be fun, especially since I wouldnât have anything to worry about even if you sent one to me.~â
And to Nick? That giggle was adorable.
âAhâthat explains it. I figured something was different.â Now he understood why Phobetor was displaying so much energy at the moment, and he could hardly complain. It was nice knowing that they could go out on a date and the god wouldnât feel tiredâor be particularly irritableâanytime soon.Â
However, the smile on Nickâs face wavered as soon as he looked over to see the Phobetorâs smirk, and he went towards the hand beckoning him over, stopping once he stood right in front of the god. His eyes widened a little at the request that followed, and he had a pretty good idea of what would happen as soon as he obeyed. A slight flush returned to his cheeks, the color diminished due to his confusion over one particular word, and his brows furrowed to show it. âThanks for not making me wear a collar, but would you mind telling me what erĂ´menos means? Iâm assuming itâs a Greek term of endearment, but other than that, I donât know it.â He shrugged, reaching up to loosen and remove his tie before draping it over one side of the chair. His jacket followed, and then his fingers unbuttoned the first few top buttons of his shirt, the fabric parting to expose down to his collarbone. Since Phobetor was still sitting, he knelt down againâthis time on both kneesâto put himself almost at eye-level with the god. After a momentâs hesitation, he tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck to fully expose it for Phobetor to mark.Â
âIâm yours, Ikelos.â
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It was definitely nice to see Nick again, especially with that shocked look on his face, but seeing it finally morphed into joy once the hound opened his gift was even more worth the trip here. He still didnât really care about the holiday and what it might be aboutânot even bothering to question why mortals even bothered coming up with such a holiday in the first placeâbut he could admit that he did like spoiling his little puppy to the point of getting such happiness.
He liked getting fear out of his too, but he could forgo that for the moment.
While Nick said that he wasnât going to ask where Phobetor had obtained the gift, the god himself saw no problem with revealing that information. âItâs one of my own. That one was made by one of the cyclops that now works alongside Hephaistos at his forge. I never really had any need for it, since my claws and fangs do more damage, but I still learnt how to use it and other basic weapons in case another big war between the gods happened. My family usually avoided taking part of those, but stuff can happen. I have a few others, some even made by Hephaistos himself, but those ones⌠I think Morpheus and Mother and Hypnos would scream at me if I brought something that powerful into the mortal world, and if Hypnos is screaming at you, you fucked up big time. That one might not have any real magical properties, but itâs still more durable than any mortal-made weapon.â
It might seem a bit rude to basically re-gift an old object of his to the hound, but it wasnât like he could just go to some mall and buy Nick a gift. The hellhound was part of a rich organization; he could buy whatever he wanted with the money he had. On the opposite side, Phobetor didnât actually posses any mortal currency. He simply had no need for it. Overall, that just meant that all his gifts had to come from the immortal world. Had he had more time, he might have gotten something custom-made for Nick. But since he was only told today that he should get the other a gift, the hound would have to make do with a hand-me-down. A powerful hand-me-down, but a hand-me-down all the same.
Any further explanation of the origin of the gift would be put on halt as Nickâs arms wrapped around his waist and the houndâs lips found his own. Leaning into the kiss, the god placed his own arms over Nickâs shoulders, lacing his fingers behind the houndâs head. The whirlwind of energy and activity that the god had been slowed as he enjoyed the kiss, though his ears still occasionally twitched and his tail was constantly waving.Â
When Nick finally broke the kiss to speak, the god couldnât help but tilt his head a bit. âI didnât know about it. Someone literally told me about it just today and while I still donât care about the holiday since itâs one of a different pantheon, I figured that you probably would celebrate it since you live in the mortal world. I just decided to use it as an excuse to visit and spoil you. Donât really care if I get a present in return, though I wonât say no to a date. As Iâm sure you can tell, my energy levels are quite high at the moment.â
Having the hound finally move away made the god drop his arms down to allow the other his freedom, but he hadnât expected Nick to go down on one knee. Blinking down at the hound as he kissed the back of his hand, cat ears twitched in interest as Nick revealed what he was willing to give as a gift. It wasnât really even necessary since Phobetor didnât really care to celebrate the holiday past using it as an excuse to spoil his little puppy.Â
However, he wasnât going to deny this treat.The curious look soon disappeared off Phobetorâs face, replaced by a devious smirk. Leaning forward, the god raised his other hand to Nickâs chin, tilting the houndâs head a bit further up as the godâs thumb traced over his lips, a light and teasing touch. âOh? If youâre offering yourself so freely to me because of this holiday, I think I might actually come to enjoy this V-whatever day. I donât think itâs very wise offering anything to someone who is willing to take everything, but you canât take back your words now. Looks like youâre mine~!â Leaning further down, he pressed a kiss to Nickâs lips, pulling away soon after to straighten up completely.
âFirst order of business, wonât you finally admit that youâre an adorable, fluffy puppy? Itâs not very nice denying my words every time that I call you that.â Truthfully, he didnât really care whether Nick denied being cute, but having the chance to force Nick to say something that he finds a bit humiliating was not something the sadistic god could miss.
âIt was yours?â The disbelief was crystal clear in Nickâs voice, and he glanced back at the dagger on his desk, mouth open in shock once more. It wasnât that he was offendedâfar from it, actually. If the dagger had been given to him by anyone else, especially if that someone was a typical mortal, he would have considered it a rude, obviously last-minute gift. The circumstances made all the difference, and re-gifted or not, a dagger suitable to be used by the one god he respected was now his. It was better than his scissors, no question about it.
After the kiss ended and his offer was made, he was left staring up at a smirk that he couldnât resist returning with a grin of his own. Even before Phobetor spoke, he had a feeling the god wouldnât turn down this opportunity. Promising his obedience for a day was far from the smartest decision heâd ever made, particularly given that he was well aware of Phobetorâs sadistic tendencies, but he wasnât too worried.
Despite both of them being immortal, the godâs unlimited shapeshifting abilities created a considerable difference in power between the two of them, and besides that, Phobetor knew his fears and his weaknesses. If the god truly wanted to hurt him or screw him over somehow, he didnât need obedience to do it. That was why Nick hadnât been afraid to make the offer. His obedience would likely make things more entertaining for the god and worse for him, should Phobetor decide to seriously wrong him in some way, but that was beside the point. There wasnât a doubt in his mind that Phobetor would take advantage of his offer, but he was also willing to believe that there was a line the god wouldnât cross. Perhaps he would be proven wrong, but his instinctsâand a certain amount of naivetĂŠ due to his loyal canine natureâtold him otherwise.
The hand guiding Nickâs chin was met with no resistance, and his lips seemed to tingle where Phobetorâs thumb touched, a subtle shiver traveling down his spine. He was quick and eager to return the kiss, but had to resist the urge to pout whenever it ended too soon for his liking. Since the other male stood up, he did the same, his grin curving into a small smirk. âI thought I was already yours before I promised you obedience for a day.â It was a cheeky response he couldnât resist, and as far as he was concerned, it was true and therefore not considered talking back.
The godâs first request, however, immediately made his smirk disappear. It was far from the worst thing Phobetor could possibly ask of him, yet he resented the mere thought of having to say words that he considered demeaning and a blow to his pride. Biting back the words he wanted to say, he settled for a quick glare directed at the god and huffed, his shoulders drooping as the sense of defeat settled in.
ââŚâŚ.Fine. Iâm⌠Iâm an adorable, fluffy puppy, but only for you. A-And youâre the only one Iâll allow to call me that!â There was no stipulation that said he couldnât embellish the statement somehow, which helped a little bit, but his cheeks were still red with embarrassment by the time he was done. Huffing again, he cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.
âWhy do you have so much energy today, anyway? I donât think Iâve ever seen you quite this energetic before.â
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With the information he had learnt from his little faceless shadow, Phobetor had wasted no time obtaining what he believed to be the perfect gift for his little puppy. Sure, he might be able to think of something better if he thought for longer, but given that the holiday was apparently today, time wasnât really on his side for that. Regardless, he had a feeling that Nick would enjoy the gift.
With a flurry of black feathers, the god flew into Nickâs room, swift wings carrying him so quickly that he seemed to just suddenly appear in the room. Allowing his wings to dissolve, Phobetor softly landed on the ground and took a few hops forward to get closer to Nick. âPuuuuppyyyyy~! Guess what a little shadow told me. Apparently itâs a holiday today in the mortal world. Something that starts with V, I didnât care to remember the actual name. Though you probably know about it though, since you live here and all that. But the shadow also suggested something reaaaaally interesting.â
While Phobetor had seemed to be nothing but a flurry of activity in the few seconds that he had already been there, it was quite easy to notice that his hands were not joining in that rush of movement. In fact, both of his hands were hidden behind his back, though they were soon brought forward to reveal an object wrapped up in white linen. âThey told me that couples give each other stuff like chocolate, flowers and jewelry on this day. I figured that getting a cute puppy like yourself chocolate wasnât the best idea, and I already got you flowersâŚ. technically. And just giving jewelry is boring, so I decided to do something better.â
Tail waving in excitement, the god held out the present for Nick to take, waiting for the hound to unwrap the linen. His gift wasnât one that would even normally be considered as a present for any occasionâlet alone as a show of his apparent loveâbut something told him that Nick would still be quite surprised to see a beautifully decorated metal scabbard and dagger when he opened the last fold.Â
âItâs kind of ancient, back from waaaaay before you were created, but itâs still in good condition. I figured it might be more useful as a stabbing weapon than your scissors.â
Nick was trying to focus on reading through the file for his latest assignment, but on this particular day, he was finding himself too distracted by other thoughts to focus properly on his work.
Immortality typically didnât allow for lasting relationships, but in spite of this, it was the first Valentineâs Day in a very long time that Nick felt a littleâŚlonely. Heâd never really been bothered by the day, as it was often easy to find someone he could spend his evening with. Humans had commercialized the holiday to such a degree that he rarely gave it a thought other than that, but this year was different. This year, he couldnât just pick someone to have dinner with or to tempt into bed. Loyal as he was, he didnât want to find anyone else to be his partner for the day, and he was beginning to think he would need to call out to a certain god to get a visit.
âŚGranted, Valentineâs Day wasnât a typical holiday he would expect the god to know about, but that didnât stop him from wanting to spend time with Phobetor on what most mortals considered to be a special day. He was being selfish, perhaps, but he hardly cared.
Just as he was about to give up on concentrating on his work, the fastest rustle of feathers heâd ever heardâfollowed by an all-too familiar voiceâhad him whirling around in his chair to face the sounds. Eyes wide with shock, he stared at the other male in his room, slowly processing the fact that Phobetor was here and he hadnât even needed to ask. Heâd heard of prayers being answered before, but this was on a whole other level.
He was equally shocked that the god knew about Valentineâs Day, and not only that, had made the extra effort to bring him a gift! Open-mouthed, he stared down at the bundle of white linen for a moment before accepting it, and the unexpected weight of it in his hands quickly transformed his surprise into excited curiosity. One hand worked to unfold the cloth while the other held onto it, and as he lifted up the final fold to reveal the dagger in its scabbard, his eyes lit up with wonder and glee.
It was gorgeous.
The detailed metalwork was unlike any he could ever hope to find on a typical dagger in modern times, and he reverently ran a few fingers down the side of the scabbard before carefully drawing out the dagger. The blade itself took his breath away for a moment, the gasp easily audible from anywhere in his room. Even the blade was beautifulâand it looked exceedingly deadly, which made it even more perfect. Moving as quickly has he trusted himself to do while still being careful, he sat the scabbard and linen cloth down on his desk. One hand now free, he gingerly ran a finger down the side of the sharp metal and shivered with excitement and anticipation, already imagining it in use by his hand.
âI have no idea how you got your hands on this, but I wonât ask. Itâs perfect, not to mention beautiful. My scissors are custom-made, so theyâre still better than mostâŚbut I guess I can admit that dagger will be far better for stabbing than they are. Thank you.â His smile wide, he carefully returned the dagger to its sheath, if only to give himself two free hands for showing his gratitude. His arms looped around the godâs waist, and he leaned in closer, bringing their lips together. He may not have asked for permission this time, but it should be allowed without complaint, he thought, since it was one way of saying âthank youâ for his present.
âAhâI didnât get you anything since this isnât a day you would normally celebrate. I didnât even think you knew about the holiday. ButâŚif youâre not too tired, we can go on a date if you want.â
After accepting such an exquisite gift, his pride wouldnât rest if he didnât try to offer something he considered valuable in return. An idea of what he could do that might count as a giftâbesides a date, that isâoccurred to him, but he was reluctant to say it. He was a creature made from pride. It would go directly against the larger part of his nature to even offer it, yet he was also an immortal naturally loyal andâto an extentâsubservient to those he deemed worthy, and Phobetor certainly fell into that category.
It was a matter of which he was willing to cope with moreâaccepting the gift and giving nothing in return, or his little idea. Since this was for Phobetor and the day was supposed to be about spending time with and giving to someone he loved⌠Perhaps heâd been living with humans for too long, but he knew what his heart wanted him to do.
Sighing softly, he pulled away, but only so that he could move down onto one knee. He reached for one of Phobetorâs hands with his own, placing a gentle, affectionate kiss on the back of it, then looked up to lock eyes with the god. âI wouldnât offer this to just anyone, but for you and for today only, Iâll be nothing but obedient. Iâll do whatever you want without complaining about it, and you can say or do whatever you want and I wonât complain or talk back. Donât get used to it, but just for today⌠If you want to take advantage of it, enjoy it. I wonât go back on this offer, I swear.â
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It was a little odd hearing a sound so like a purr coming from what he assumed to be human vocal chords, but then again, the sound was also coming from Phobetor, who displayed cat-like behaviors and traits quite oftenâsometimes literally, in fact. Nick wasnât going to point it out and chance ruining the godâs good mood, but though it was odd, it was also adorable, especially since Phobetor was making that sound because of him.Â
â...Iâm not cute.â The denial was his automatic response to the teasing compliment, the other parts of it ignored since they were mostly true. He wasnât really just a cuddly puppy, per se, but it was a point he wouldnât argue at the moment. He wasnât going to contest the godâs reasoning too much, since it meant overall that Phobetor was willing to be awake now just for him. Teasing aside, the implications behind it were a nice stroke to this ego, and his smile brightened once he realized it.
Seeing the canine ears droop and the pout that formed as part of the godâs expression, he chuckled and leaned up again for another peck before Phobetorâs tail began to wag. For all of the godâs boastful comments about being fearsome and terrifying, Nick saw another side as well; one that he couldnât resist thinking of as absolutely adorable.Â
âYour skills are amazing, but donât push it.â He listened to Phobetorâs decisionâand subsequent braggingâand nodded his head, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes for the second time that morning. He was genuinely curious whether or not he would be able to do any sort of partial shift, and it would be fun to tryâassuming he succeeded in the end, that is. For the sake of his pride, he hoped he could do it. Phobetor would probably never let him live it down if he couldnât, and that was definitely something he wanted to avoid.Â
âIâll do it...somehow. Youâll just have to give me tips, and if I need helpâwhich I doubtâthen you can try teaching me beyond giving me tips. As for the beach...â He paused, reluctantly abandoning the warmth of his bed to get up and stretch his limbs, ridding them of stiffness. âSome people do actually go there early in the morning, either because theyâre exercising or because they want to beat the crowds and midday heat. Most people wait until later in the afternoon though, so youâre right; itâll be some time before lots of people are there.â
Since he did need to get ready, he headed toward the bathroom and paused mid-step, an idea coming to mind. It was so tempting to speak up and make a suggestion...but he knew the god needed more sleep if they were going to have an enjoyable date, and every extra minute of rest would help. Sighing softly, he continued into the bathroom and emerged again about half an hour later, all the necessities taken care of except for getting dressed.
His hair still slightly damp, he went over to his closet and began debating what to wear. His usual formal outfit wasnât necessaryâhe wouldnât even be in the mortal world, and assuming they were going to the underworld, formal attire wouldnât be very comfortable either. If he was going to try a partial shift, producing ears and a tail, he didnât want to wear any bottoms that would make having a tail uncomfortable or that could be potentially ruined by the sudden presence of one. After much consideration, he settled on a t-shirt similar to the one heâd worn during part of their first date and a pair of black pants that rested low on his hips, leaving what he hoped was enough space for a tail above the waistband.
Once he was dressed, he went over to his nightstand and carefully picked up his gift, carrying the bottle back over to his desk and locking it in the drawer with his gun and bullets. Honestly, he would have liked to store it in a spot that better suited its value, but a locked drawer was the safest place he had for it since he wasnât going to be around to keep an eye on it. Pocketing the key that matched the lock, he returned to his bed and reached out a hand to gently shake Phobetorâs shoulder. âIâm ready to go...and thank you for the amazing gift.â
As much as he might complain about being awake, he couldnât really say much against having Nick wrap his arms around him and comb his fingers through his hair. The hound was very warmâa stark contrast to his own body that couldnât really produce any significant body heatâand the fingers running through his hair were a comforting motion. His tail began slowly waving back and forth, a content yet sleepy motion. A satisfied little hum escaped his lips, sounding eerily close to a cat purr despite Phobetor currently possessing human vocal chords. âMmm⌠the fact that itâs morning counters everything else in my opinion, but I suppose that itâs not that bad. I get a cute cuddly puppy, so I suppose I can live with it being morning for the moment.â
He wasnât able to see Nickâs reaction to his gift until he had pulled back to actually be able to look down at the hound, but seeing such happiness on the mafiosoâs face due to the gift made being awake and here at the moment quite worth it. If Nick thought it was a good morning simply because he got to relax in bed with the god in his arms, Phobetor would silently consider it a good morning because he got to witness such joy; caused by him, directed at him.
The kiss was sort of unexpected, but hardly unwelcome. He leaned into it, closing his eyes to enjoy it for the short while it lasted until Nick pulled awayâfar too soon in the godâs opinion. Opening his eyes once the kiss ended, he pouted slightly, ears drooping to either side. Thankfully, that didnât last long, pout disappearing and ears jumping back up as his demand was met with approval. His tail began rapidly wagging as he considered the options that Nick offered him.Â
âI donât think I want to go to the beach right now. Isnât it still too early? I thought humans went to the beach in the afternoon, when the sun was at its strongest. That would be annoying, but I can deal with it for a bit of fun.â It would be quite a lot less fun for the humans, but he hardly cared. âBut for now⌠I do kinda want to see whether you can actually do a partial shift. Gain your adorable puppy ears and tails so youâll look as awesome as I do. Or maybe youâll prove that you canât do it, in which case you can jealously marvel at my amazing skill of controlling my form to such an extreme extent! Weâll have to see which one.â
Regardless of which one it ended up being, it would probably be smart to allow Nick to actually get up in order to get ready so that they could actually head out. Rolling off the hound, the god took a moment to stretch out again before curling up comfortably once more. âWell, go get ready. Iâm sure you have all those weird human hygiene things to take care of. Let me know when youâre ready.â
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Nick hadnât expected a kiss in return while the god was still in hound form, but the lick was welcome nonetheless. He was a hellhound himself, after all, so a display of canine affection was just as appreciated as typical human displays of affection. His smile widened, and he stared and watched as Phobetor returned to the humanoid form he saw most often, though he happily noted that the ears and tail of choice were still canine for the time being.Â
The godâs yawning was contagious, and he yawned as well, finishing just in time to feel himself being pushed onto his back and see Phobetor moving on top of him to pin him down. Though he hadnât been given a warning, he honestly couldnât complain. Instead, he took the opportunity to wrap his arms around the other maleâs waist, holding the god against him as if this was something heâd wanted to do anywayâand it really was, but he saw no reason to call attention to it.Â
A light chuckle bubbled up past his lips, and he reached up one hand to thread his fingers through the godâs dark locks. âReally? Itâs morning, youâre off work, my arms are around you, and weâre both currently relaxing in my bed. Thatâs a very good morning, in my opinion.â Not to mention that Phobetor had actually used his name, which had nearly rendered him speechless yet again. Though heâd given up correcting the frequent use of âpuppyâ to refer to him and didnât mind it anymore, he very much liked hearing his name leave the godâs lips.Â
Following the motions of the raised hand, he glanced over at the bottle again, his eyes widening with surprise at just how potent its contents were. Even with the potion diluted in a drink, a reasonable sip would likely still be enough to let him get the job doneâor find refuge, if necessary. Since the effect would be instant, he could even safely use it on multiple people in the same room. Better still, if he was careful with it, a single bottle would last him quite a long time. His grin rapidly returned, and he flicked his eyes back to the god on top of him, mischief and happiness shining in them.
Phobetorâs declaration quickly rid his mind of any and all doubts heâd had about the possibility of a date, and he lifted his head up off his pillow to steal a kiss from the godâs lips, continuing it for as long as he daredâsince he hadnât asked firstâbefore letting his head drop back down. If it were anyone else, making the date a demand instead of a request would have annoyed him, but since it was Phobetor, he would let it slide. Besides that, heâd been hoping for a date anyway, and he had been brought the promised potion. âI do have time for a date today. Since you brought it up, what would you like to do, hm? We could go back to the beach, do something else besides that in this world, leave here and test my shapeshifting abilities, or...we could just stay here and relax.â
Through his sleep, he could hear the telltale sounds that Nick was waking up, but he chose to ignore them in favour of clinging to the sleep he needed. Even as he was gently pulled closer, he kept his eyes closed and tried to remain asleep for even a few moments longer. That plan quickly ended at the feeling of a kiss on his head, followed by Nick petting his back and speak into his ear. Resigning himself to waking up, red eyes opened and turned towards Nick, catching sight of the smile on his face.
Tail giving a short wag in greeting, he took a moment to lift his head and give a small lick to Nickâs cheekâa kiss in return. It was definitely a nice way to wake up, but waking up at all wasnât what he wanted at the moment. It had only been a few short hours since he fell asleep, and he was tiredâŚ
Shadows enveloping his body once more, they solidified into his humanoid form, though his ears and tail remained in their canine form. Giving a yawn and stretching out his back much like cat would, he sat upâonly to push Nick onto his back before crawling over to plop himself down on top of Nick, trapping him. Like this, he could bury his face into the pillow to escape the small amount of soft light that was able to make it into the room past the curtains, while also having Nick become a personal heater from below.
ââNuthin good âbout mornings, NickâŚâ He was tempted, oh so tempted, to just go back to sleep again; ignoring the world for just a few hours longer. But that would include ignoring Nick at the moment, and he was kind of the reason why the god was even here. That being said, since the hound was awake now, it was as good a time as any to give him his gift.
Without even opening his eyes, he lifted a hand to make a vague waving motion towards the bottle, just in case Nick hadnât seen it. âGot you that gift I promised. Single drop of that will instantly knock someone out for twelve hours, two drops for twenty-four, so on and so forth. Donât have to worry about someone building up a resistance to it either, unlike poisons and stuff; you canât build a resistance against the powers of Hypnos himself, even just his flowers.â
Since he had decided that he wasnât going to sleep again anyway, he lifted his head up, propping his upper body up on his elbows and resting his chin in the palm of his hands as he looked down at the hound below him. âYou got time for a date today, or do you have work? I did say that I would give you the gift at the start of our next date. I got you a gift, so I demand a date.â
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Come sunrise, Nick was still in a deep sleep, tired and recovering from a late-night job that had kept him out and about until the early hours of the morning. He was accustomed to working late at night from time to time, as it made some jobs easier and could sometimes be a requirement regardless, but that didnât stop his human body from tiring. Exhaustion had pulled him into a heavy slumber, and he was enjoying a much-needed, restful sleep by the time the god of nightmares entered his bedroom.
Several hours later, he stirred in bed and slowly opened one eye, then the other. The confusion was immediate, and for a brief moment, he actually thought he might be seeing double or looking in a mirror. Butâno, that would be stupid, which meant that there had to be some reason for the other hellhoundâs presence on his bed. His eyes widened, his thoughts turning to the possibility of needing to return to his original home for one reason or another, and he almost opened his mouth to ask what was going on. It was then that he realized that the other hellhound on his bed did not possess any sort of scent.Â
His confusion lasted only a few more seconds, and then he relaxed, rolling his eyes at Phobetorâs obvious antics. With a quiet huff, he settled his head further into his pillow and reached over with one arm, gently pulling the godâs sleeping hellhound form towards himâa nonverbal declaration of âmine.âÂ
He considered ignoring the time and going back to sleep as well, since working late into the previous night had given him a perfectly valid excuse to do so, but his gaze fell on the bottle currently resting on his nightstand. It hadnât been there when he fell asleep, he was certain, and since both the bottle and Phobetor were currently new additions to his room, that likely meant only one thing. That bottleâor more specifically, its contentsâwas the present heâd been promised, and Phobetor was here to give it to him. His eyes lit up with excitement, tempered only by the uncertain hope that the god wasnât here just to deliver a promised gift. Time wasnât really on their side, as he knew that Phobetor had been awake even later into the night than him. That meant the god needed that much more rest, but he still hoped that Phobetor would be able to spend time with him for a little whileâmaybe even long enough for another date.
Lightly jostling the hellhound beside him on the bed, he leaned over close enough to press a brief kiss to the top of the houndâs head and followed the gesture with stroking the soft fur that currently covered the godâs back. His lips curved into a smile, and he positioned them near a pointed canine ear. âGood morning, Ikelos.~â
@mxrtifico
With the rising sun came the start of a new day, yet only marked the end of a full night of work for Phobetor. Yawning as he sent out the very last dream bat of the night, the god rubbed at his eyes as he sat in the bleak emptiness of the dream world. With that done, he had the option to go home and sleep now, but a nagging little thought was poking its head out from the back of his mind; namely the fact that he was still carrying a certain gift, despite having gotten it a few days ago. Taking it out, he swirled the clear liquid inside around a bit as he thought over his options, before coming to a decision.
It was time to pay Nick a little visit.
Dematerializing from the dream world, he rematerialized himself in the waking world, just outside of the Paganini mansion. On silent wings, he flew up to Nickâs window, phasing through it to quietly land inside. Glancing around the dark room, red eyes finally landed on the figure of the one he was looking for: sleeping soundly in bed, as many in the mortal world still were. Like a silent ghost, he made his way over, staring down at the sleeping face of the hound. How defenseless he looked while asleep, so calm and unaware. There was no way for Nick to actually sense his presence there, so it was likely that he would continue sleeping until whatever time he had to get up at.Â
That was honestly something that Phobetor himself wouldnât mind doing right now. Handing the gift over could wait until Nick woke up, right? For now, he would set it on the bedside table. Shadows covering the godâs body, he quickly shrunk into the form of a small hellhound. He had no doubt that it would cause Nick some confusion when he wakes up to see another hellhound curled up on his bed. Making himself comfortable, the god closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep for now.
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A small-sized black mink quietly made its way to where Nick was seated, quickly climbing up to lay across the hound's shoulders. Resting his head down, nuzzling softly against Nick's cheek, the disguised god decided that this was a perfect place for a nap while Nick worked on whatever it was he was working on.
A glimpse of black fur somewhere on the floor out of the corner of his eye was his only warning before he felt tiny paws and claws grabbing at his clothes to climb up his side. Startled at first, he sat up straight in his chair and quickly looked around, trying to figure out where the animal had come from and why. Once he realized it didnât have its own scent, however, he relaxed and let the little mink climb as it pleased. No scent could only mean one thingâa certain god had come for a visit, and he was happier for it.
âNice to see you too.â His smile was instant, but gentleâan expression he rarely showed. Reaching up a hand, he lightly petted the minkâs head and turned his face towards it, pressing a peck of a kiss to a small patch of dark fur in return for the nuzzling. Once he saw the animalâs eyes close and detected a change in its breathing, he returned to the papers in front of him that contained information pertaining to an upcoming job. It was nice to have some company, even if that company was currently curled around his shoulders and asleep.
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Given that he had promised Nick that he would get him a gift of a potent sleeping potion, Phobetor figured that he needed to make a stop by Hekateâs cave at some point of time, and now was a good a time as any. Returning from his night of work, the god landed just outside of Hypnosâ cave, watching as his brothers continued on to enter the cave. While he would like to join them and sleep after a long night of work, this was something he wanted to do so that he could go visit Nick again soon. He did say that he would bring the gift for their next date, so he needed the gift before that.Â
Surrounded by motionless trees and bright poppies, he shifted into his more humanoid form from his daimon form, shadows solidifying into a concrete shape. Crouching down, he reached and plucked a few of the scentless flowers, placing them into a small bag at his side. After a moment of thought, he reached down and picked a few more, figuring that having a few extra ones would be useful, especially since nothing was ever really free.Â
With those collected, the easy part was over.
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