Archive of Our Own

The temperature of the baths was perfect. Not too cold, but not hot enough to scald skin, either. Aglaea sighed, sinking deeper into the waters. Today was a good day. Elder Caenis had caused a scene tripping in the middle of Marmoreal Market. Hyacine was back from the Grove, so Aglaea had a bathing partner. Mydei and Phainon were on a mission and thankfully not traumatizing citizens with their weird courtship rituals. All was well.

Well, things could be better. Aglaea reached out towards the plate of grapes, but her hand grasped at empty air.

"Oh, Little Ica," Hyacine scolded. "Can't you wait just a few moments longer before Lord Mydei comes back? I'm sure he'll make you some treats!"

Little Ica stared at her with his beady little eyes. He didn't look particularly cute in Aglaea's opinion, but Hyacine's heart melted. "Alright, fine. You can have my cookies. But no more snackies right before bedtime, okay?"

Aglaea frowned. "Something's wrong," she said. Her threads started to tremble around her. Normally this would be enough to get her acting, but the bath was just so comfortable.

"Oh, my," Hyacine said. She looked around at their assortment of fruits and bath soaps, then looked at Aglaea hopefully. "Maybe Lord Mydei and Lord Phainon will come back to take care of it?"

Aglaea closed her eyes, concentrating. Oh no. She recognized the energy signature the threads were showing her. If she didn't have a reputation to maintain, she would have joined Hyacine in her sulking.

"I believe it is Mydei and Phainon that are causing my threads to act up."

"Titans help us all," Hyacine muttered.

Just then, the door to the baths burst open and Tribbie flew in, waving her hands erratically. "Agy!" She wailed. "Agy, there's terrible news! It's- it's Snowy and De!"

Behind her were two young boys dressed in oversized clothing. One was nearly a head taller than the other boy, standing in front of him protectively. The other clung to the older boy like he was his lifeline. They both stared at Aglaea with wide, terrified eyes.

Aglaea knew those eyes. Just seeing them triggered the memory of dozens of migraines and public apologies for destruction of property. She and Hyacine exchanged glances.

Little Phainon burst into tears. "I want my mommy and daddy!" he wailed.

Behind him, baby Mydei looked horrified, like he had never witnessed someone crying before. He took a step forward to comfort the boy, lost balance and fell, and started to shake uncontrollably. At least he wasn't crying.

Aglaea briefly wondered if Cifera would be willing to take her away on a vacation for however long this would last.

They had finally managed to calm Phainon down after Hyacine panicked and shoved Little Ica into his arms. The boy quieted, still hiccuping from the aftershocks of his sobs but patted the Pegasus with wide eyes.

"He's so cute!" Phainon breathed. "What's his name, Miss Hyacine?"

Hyacine desperately hoped that Little Ica wouldn't try to eat Phainon. Or worse, eat Mydei, who was so small Hyacine was starting to get worried. "This is Little Ica!"

Phainon wrinkled his nose. "He's not very little to me."

Rude. "…I'm trying to put him on a diet."

Phainon gasped, offended. "Why would you ever do that? I love food! I would get so sad if my mommy or daddy didn't let me eat. Right, Mydei?" He turned to the boy.

Mydei had tucked himself into the corner of the baths. He was still shaking, and flinched when they turned their attention on him. Hyacine stood back up, instantly on alert. She recognized that look in his eyes, too familiar with healing soldiers who had fought against the black tide.

She slowly made her way over to the boy, trying to make herself smaller and unassuming. "Mydei," she said softly. "Would you like a hug?"

Mydei whimpered, hiding his head in his arms.

Behind her, Phainon was trying to see what was going on. Thankfully, Tribbie and Aglaea interfered before he could make things worse. Little Phainon was sweet, but his eagerness seemed to scare Mydei more.

Hyacine reached out to place her hand on his arm. Mydei's skin was freezing to the touch. "Does anything hurt?" she asked.

Mydei lifted his head and blinked at her. Then he squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh," Hyacine whispered. "Your eyes?"

She didn't know much about Mydei's past, but she had heard rumors that he was thrown into the Sea of Souls as a baby. He most likely wasn't used to this light. Bringing him outside would be worse — Kephale's Dawn Device was bright even for her. Taking him to her infirmary was the best bet.

Mydei hadn't seemed to be able to walk well, so Hyacine asked, "Is it alright if I pick you up?"

He gave the smallest of nods. He was disconcertingly light when Hyacine picked him up, his bones poking at her arms.

They had almost made it out of the baths when Mydei patted at her. "…Water," he rasped out.

"Hmm? Are you thirsty?"

"No." Mydei frowned, clearly struggling to get the words out. "Are you… going to throw me in the water?"

Hyacine stopped dead in her tracks. Her chest twisted painfully. "No," she whispered. "Mydei, I'm not going to throw you in the water."

"But the ghosts said my father threw me in. Because I was bad."

A few steps in front of them, Phainon turned around. His eyes were wide and horrified.

"No!" he wailed. He wrenched himself from Tribbie's grasp and threw himself to attack Hyacine's legs. "I won't let you! Miss Hyacine! I won't let you throw him into the water!" He burst into tears.

This time when Mydei heard him crying, his eyes widened more. "Stop it!" he shrieked. "You're hurting him! Phainon! Phainon!" He wiggled out of Hyacine's arms with surprising strength. The moment he landed on the ground, Phainon's arms came to wrap around him, holding him tightly. He glared at anyone who dared to come closer.

It took another hour for them to calm down. Not even Little Ica could convince Phainon to let go of Mydei. It was only until Mydei tired himself out and fell asleep that the older boy loosened his grip. His eyes started to tear up more. "Mydei! Why won't he wake up?" He looked at Hyacine hopelessly.

"He's tired," Hyacine said, as gently as possible. "Phainon, will you let me pick him up now? I can take him somewhere to rest."

Phainon sniffed. "You won't throw him into the water?"

"Of course not," Hyacine soothed.

"But— he said his daddy threw him in."

Eurypon was lucky he was dead, because if Hyacine got her hands on him she would rip his body into shreds and let Little Ica feast on his remains. That was probably a bit too violent for Phainon, so she said instead: "We're here to protect him. You want to help him too, right?"

Phainon nodded solemnly. "I'll protect him."

They made it to Hyacine's infirmary in record time. Hyacine gently placed Mydei onto a bed before helping Phainon climb up next to him. Within seconds, he fell asleep with his body curled around the boy.

Hyacine sighed and turned to Tribbie. Aglaea was there was well, though being around crying children seemed to scare her. "Okay," she said, transitioning to her doctor mode. "Tell me everything that happened."

Tribbie hadn't been there for the whole mission, but she had caught the last few moments of it. "There was a loud explosion," she said, eyes wide. "De tried to protect me with his body, and Snowy threw his arms over De. When I woke up, they were both children."

By then, Hyacine had finished a quick checkup over the two sleeping boys. They seemed to have physically and mentally turned back into children. Phainon was around ten years old, but Mydei was so malnourished she couldn't accurately place an age to him.

"A de-aging curse, then," Aglaea said. Her golden strands wrapped gently around the children. "It is possible that because of the nature of the curse, their minds still carry the last impression they had as adults. So it would be natural for them to be protective of each other."

Even as adults, Phainon had always been overprotective of Mydei. It didn't help that Mydei was always throwing himself in harm's way, either.

"Snowy is a sweet child!" Tribbie said. "We remember his likes and dislikes. But De…" she looked like she was about to burst into tears as well.

"We will have to be more careful with him," Aglaea said firmly. "He is unused to being taken care of. We must make sure he is happy for however long this remains."

For however long this remains. Hyacine gently brushed back the hair from Phainon's face. As cute as they were, she hoped this wouldn't last long. She felt horrible for Mydei — he was the most private of the heirs. He had never liked it when people worried for him. And now, his childhood was practically being aired out to the world.

Hopefully, they both would forgive her when the curse was lifted.

Phainon woke up under piles and piles of blankets to the hushed whispers of Miss Hyacine, Miss Aglaea, and Miss Tribbie. They looked like they were talking about boring adult stuff (but Miss Tribbie looked like a baby? How funny!), so he turned his attention to something better: Mydei.

Phainon giggled a bit. Mydei was so cute and tiny! His hair reminded Phainon of the fields in Aedes Elysiae. But just the thought of Aedes Elysiae got him sad again, so he tried to avoid that train of thought.

"De." Phainon gently shook Mydei awake. He was starving! Mydei hadn't eaten anything as well, so he was surely hungry. "De, are you awake?"

Mydei opened his eyes and blinked at him. He looked like a chimera that had just woken up.

"Hungry?" Phainon asked. He patted his stomach. "Food?" This time, Mydei nodded.

Together, they made their way out of the bed and crept out the door. None of the adults had noticed anything.

When they made it out into the hallway, Mydei flinched and pressed his head to the back of Phainon's back. "…Hurts," he whispered. "Eyes."

"Your eyes hurt?" Mydei nodded. Phainon hummed, thinking. "Can I pick you up?" He helped out his parents when it was time to harvest the crops. Mydei was tiny — he probably weighed the same as three bags of corn!

Mydei rested his head on Phainon's shoulder when he lifted him up. He really was like a tiny chimera. Finally, Phainon peeked into a room that looked like a kitchen. It was huge and so fancy! Nothing like what they had back at home. He set Mydei down and started looking for something to eat.

There were so many ingredients. Who needed this many heads of lettuce? Salads were disgusting!

Mydei poked him in the back. He had somehow managed to find a whole fish and was holding it like it was a war prize. "Fish," he said.

"Wow." Phainon made a face. It was dripping wet. Seriously, where did he even get it? But Mydei was looking at him so sweetly, he couldn't help but smile at him. "Thank you, Mydei!"

Mydei frowned. "The fish is for Phainon," he said. "Phainon eat. Hungry."

"We need to cook it!" Phainon exclaimed. He really didn't want to eat raw fish. Maybe Mydei would want cake instead?

Mydei looked around clearly searching for something. Phainon watched, bemused. Then he realized what Mydei was holding.

"De, wait!" It was too late. Mydei struck the match and lit the stove before holding the fish with his bare hands over the fire.

Phainon shrieked and yanked his hand away. "De! Are you hurt?" His hand was covered in blisters. Phainon's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Mydei, I'm so sorry."

Mydei was staring at him. "Phainon is crying?"

Phainon sniffed. "You're hurt!" Cyrene would always kiss his boo-boos, but it looked like it hurt to touch.

Mydei patted his hand. "It's okay. Look." Right in front of their eyes, Mydei's burnt skin healed back together.

"Wow," Phainon breathed. He frowned. "But still! It must have hurt!"

Mydei tilted his head, confused. "But Phainon is hungry. Fish!"

"Okay," Phainon said miserably. "Let's go eat the fish."

The utensils were too high up to reach, so they sat at the table eating the fish with their bare hands. It was one of the worst meals Phainon had ever eaten, but just being next to Mydei made up for it.

"De," Phainon said. "Do you miss your home?" He really, really missed Aedes Elysiae. He wanted to play with Cyrene and the mems, to get pampered by his parents, and yelled at by his teachers. He just wanted to go home.

Mydei turned to him, eyes wide. "Home?"

"Like where you live," Phainon tried to explain. "Where you feel most happy."

"Phainon is my home." He said it so simply, like it was just a normal sentence. Phainon blinked. Then he threw his arms over Mydei.

Mydei settled into his arms, sighing happily. Phainon felt so warm in a way he had never felt before. Once he found his way back home, he wanted to take Mydei with him to Aedes Elysiae.

"It looks like the curse should only last a few days," Aglaea said. After pulling information from her golden threads and what Tribbie had seen, they managed to figure out the effects of the curse. "They should revert back to normal soon. If that's the case, we have time before they leave. We can make sure Phainon and Mydei are happy during their stay here."

"Okay!" Hyacine cheered. Castorice was away on a mission, and Cipher wasn't to be trusted around children. Professor Anaxa was… Professor Anaxa. The Tribios were children themselves. That left her as their primary caretaker. "Phainon, Mydei, wanna go on a trip?" She turned around.

The bed was empty, sans Little Ica munching on some fabric. Her jaw dropped. Did Little Ica actually eat Phainon and Mydei? But Mydei was too bony! He would get a stomachache!

Wait a minute.

"Oh no!" Hyacine wailed. "Little Ica ate the kids!"

Tribbie shrieked. "Snowy, De!"

Aglaea sighed. "They left a while ago," she said, rubbing her forehead. "They're still in the building."

Tribbie tugged on her dress. "Little Snowy likes playing with the chimeras," she said. "And so does adult De! But we have to go now…" she frowned.

"I'll take them there," Hyacine promised. She had to go check in on the chimeras anyways. "I'll see you both soon. You can count on me to keep them happy!"

Well, as long as Little Ica didn't mistake them for food.

When Miss Hyacine found them, she gave Phainon and Mydei a huge scolding for leaving and using the stove without permission.

"You could have been hurt!" she exclaimed. "And what would I have done?"

Phainon didn't mention that Mydei had been hurt. It didn't seem like his secret to tell. Mydei ducked behind his back, peering at Hyacine with wide eyes. He didn't seem to like being yelled at.

Phainon lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Hyacine," he whispered. It wasn't fair that Mydei was in trouble too. It had been his idea to go find food.

Hyacine's eyes softened. "Phainon, it's okay. Little Ica and I were just worried, that's all. Are you hungry? What did you make?"

They glanced at the piles of fish bones and skin on the table. Mydei was practically an expert at eating a whole fish, but Phainon's pile looked like something had gobbled it and thrown it back up. Hyacine wrinkled her nose. "…Why don't we get some honeycakes?"

Phainon perked up. He loved honeycakes!

Right before they stepped outside, Hyacine got a strip of cloth and motioned for Mydei to step closer. "It's for your eyes," she explained. Phainon peered at it. He didn't understand how it would help with Mydei's eyes at all.

"Miss Hyacine, do I need it too?"

Hyacine laughed gently and patted his head. "Not at all," she said. "Do you remember how Mydei's eyes hurt him? This will help cut some of the brightness down." Now that Mydei couldn't see, Hyacine had to carry him the rest of the way. Phainon pouted slightly. He had wanted to hold Mydei's hand as they walked.

Once they made it to Marmoreal Market, his jaw dropped and he forgot why he was so sad. The market was huge! It was nothing like he had ever seen before. It was like night and day when compared to Aedes Elysiae.

"De." Phainon reached up and tugged at the boy's leg. "Look! Everything is so bright here."

"Mydei had a different childhood as us, so he may be a bit overwhelmed," Miss Hyacine reminded him. "This means we have to be more patient with him, remember?"

Phainon nodded vigorously. He didn't want Mydei to be uncomfortable at all.

They made their way to a small food stall away from the center of the market. Hyacine smiled at the worker and said, "Ten orders of honeycakes, please."

Phainon did a quick count. There were only three people there. Were Miss Aglaea and Miss Tribbie going to join them?

"Ten?" The worker asked. "That's unusual. Usually your unicorn eats more."

Hyacine's smile grew strained. "…I'm putting him on a diet."

They quickly got seated. Hyacine, Mydei, and Phainon each got their own plate while Little Ica happily got a stack of his own. The moment they sat down, Mydei started to tug at his makeshift blindfold.

"I can feed you if you want," Phainon said eagerly.

But Mydei shook his head. He whispered, "I want to see what the light looks like."

"Are you sure? It might hurt you more."

Mydei nodded, determined. "I've never felt it before."

Phainon turned to Hyacine with wide eyes. He didn't want Mydei to be in pain, but… Had Mydei really never seen the sun before? Just where did he come from?

Hyacine looked like she was about to cry. "Okay," she said eventually. "But if it starts hurting, make sure to put it back on."

Mydei undid the tie and looked around. He didn't say anything for the longest time, just sat and stared at the world around him.

Phainon opened his mouth to ask if he was okay, but was cut off by Hyacine placing her finger to her lips. He's okay, she mouthed at him. Phainon glanced back at Mydei. The boy was taking everything in around him with his sharp, golden eyes. He looked mesmerized, like he was in a dream and trying to memorize every single detail before he woke up.

Phainon's heart hurt. While Okhema had been exciting to see at first, it was also familiar. It was just a bit bigger than Aedes Elysiae. But Mydei had looked as though he had never seen civilization before. The smallest, most mundane things seemed to amaze him. The corner of Mydei's lips wobbled.

For the lack of anything better to do, Phainon reached out and held Mydei's hand for comfort. "Phainon," Mydei whispered. He glanced down at their intertwined hands. "…I think I want to keep my blindfold off."

"Okay," Phainon told him, on the verge of tears. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

They dug into the honeycakes. Mydei's eyes lit up even more when he first tasted the treat. It was so much better than fish, in Phainon's opinion. They spent the rest of the meal with Phainon pointing out things around the market and explaining them to Mydei, who hung on to every word as if it was something precious to him.

As if he was finally seeing life, for the first time.

"Alright!" Miss Hyacine said when all of the honeycakes had been polished off. "What would you boys like to do next? If you're tired, we can go back to your apartment and rest."

Phainon blinked. "I have an apartment?" That didn't seem right. He had no money. And he was so young!

"Uh…" Hyacine stammered. "You and Mydei share one. We can go see it now if you want?"

Phainon glanced down at Mydei. The boy was still holding onto his hand, but he was peering around at the market. When he saw Phainon looking at him, he flushed gold and tried to pretend like he wasn't interested in the market.

Well, that didn't seem right. If Mydei wanted to go see the market, then they should go and see it!

"I want to explore more," Phainon told Miss Hyacine. "Can we? Please?"

Mydei ducked his head down, smiling slightly. Hyacine laughed. "No need to give me that cute look," she teased. "Let's go!"

The boys were instantly enthralled by the busy Okhemian life. Phainon flitted from stall to stall, dragging poor Mydei along with him. Hyacine had to gently remind him to take it easy on the younger boy, but she eventually gave up and sent Little Ica after them once they got too far away.

"If you get tired of walking or your eyes hurt, I can always pick you up, Mydei," Hyacine said.

Phainon clutched at Mydei's hand tighter. "Or I can carry you," he told him solemnly.

Mydei patted his head. "It's okay. I like walking." The longer he spoke, the stronger and more confident his voice got. "Can we go over there? It's shiny."

The place he pointed to was a stall selling jewelry. Phainon oohed and ahhed over the sparkly gems, picking them up and turning them so they caught the light. He had never seen anything this shiny in Aedes Elysiae.

The stall owner was gaping at them, mouth wide open. She turned to Hyacine, but the healer just shook her head rapidly, muttering, "Don't question it."

The stall owner wisely did not question why there were mini-lookalikes of Okhema's infamous duo. As long as her stall wasn't collapsing due to whatever shenanigans they were up to, she couldn't care less. "See anything you like, boys?"

Something blue caught his eye. Phainon pointed to it. "Miss, what's that?"

It was a small hair cuff that was golden in color with a blue gem. Phainon picked it up to admire it.

"It looks like your eyes," Mydei murmured. "I like it."

Hmm. Phainon turned to study Mydei. Mydei's hair was long, past his shoulders and a bit unruly. He liked it, though. It was pretty. But something was missing. He tilted his head, considering.

"You're Kremnoan, aren't you?" The stall owner asked.

Mydei blinked at her. "Kremnoan? What's that?"

"Ah… nevermind. But if you like the hair cuff, you can tie it around your braid. Kremnoans do it often. Like this." She sectioned off a piece of her hair, quickly tied it in a braid, and attached a different cuff to it.

Phainon set the cuff down. He often braided Cyrene's hair, so he motioned to Mydei. "De, can I?"

The boy nodded. Phainon got to work, gently pulling apart the strands and weaving them together. He took a step back to admire his work when he finished.

"And for the finishing touch…" He added the hair cuff. "Ta-da!"

"Oh, Phainon, De, that's so pretty!" Hyacine exclaimed. She clapped her hands together in delight.

"Do you want it?" Phainon said eagerly. Then he remembered he was ten and therefore had exactly zero credits to his name. He turned to Hyacine sheepishly. "Miss Hyacine…"

The stall owner laughed. "It's all yours!" She winked at them. "Just promise not to topple my stall when you're older, alright?"

That seemed like an easy promise to make, so Phainon nodded. "Thank you, Miss!"

Satisfied, he ran to join Little Ica, who was looking at some apples. "Little Ica! Little Ica! Did you see what I got for De?"

Hyacine laughed, watching him go. She felt a small tug on her skirt and looked down. Mydei stared at her with his wide golden eyes, his hair cuff shining in the light. He looked at her and then turned to Phainon, who was still up ahead.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Mydei pointed to his braid, and then looked over at Phainon again.

"Oh! Do you want to get something for Phainon, too?"

Mydei nodded. "But his hair isn't long like mine."

"That's okay! As long as it comes from the heart, he'll love it! I'll help you look."

They sent Little Ica ahead to keep Phainon company while Hyacine and Mydei looked for a gift for Phainon. Hyacine giggled a bit, watching as Mydei carefully inspected each and everything in front of him. Just his usual adult resting face was enough to get most Okhemians nervous, but the full force of his "Baby Mydei is Disappointed in You" glare actually brought some stall owners to near tears.

"Okay!" Hyacine cut in, ushering Mydei away before the man in front of him worked himself into a panic attack. Mydei hadn't been pleased with the quality of food he served.

Mydei was starting to look sad, which in Hyacine's opinion was one hundred times worse. "None of these are good enough for Phainon," he said miserably.

It was kind of cute how much they cared for each other even at such a young age. Hyacine pinched his cheeks. What adult Mydei didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Mydei gestured for Hyacine to come closer. She leaned down to his height. "Blue," he whispered. "Because his gift is blue like his eyes."

Hyacine was going to die of cuteness aggression. "Why not get him something gold, like your eyes?" she suggested. "That way, if you two are ever apart, you have something to remember each other by."

Mydei looked offended. "But I don't want to leave Phainon!" He thought about it, then sighed. "Okay. Thank you, Miss Hyacine."

Now that they had something in mind, searching for a gift became much more efficient. Hyacine took Mydei to another jewelry stall, and he carefully studied every piece it had to offer. Finally, he picked up an ear cuff. "It's pretty," he said. "It reminds me of the sun."

Hyacine perked up. Finally he had found something! Mydei was still pondering it, as the gift would make or break their relationship.

"But what if Phainon doesn't like it?" Mydei's lips curled into something similar to a pout. "I don't want him to be sad."

"He'll love anything you give him," Hyacine said honestly. As adults, it was Phainon who often showered Mydei with gifts. But if Mydei ever returned the favor, Phainon was bound to be speechless for the rest of the day.

She quickly paid for it and they headed over to Phainon, who was snacking on some pomegranates. His eyes widened when he saw what Mydei was holding. "De! You got something for me? You shouldn't have!"

Mydei looked nervous. "Do you like—" He was cut off from the force of Phainon bowling him over with a hug.

"I love it! Thank you! Will you put it on me?"

As they were chatting, Hyacine discretely checked her phone. It was almost time to feed the chimeras. "Boys, would you like to play with the chimeras?" That should be their last activity before the boys went to sleep.

They looked at her and nodded, looking so much like the chimeras they wanted to play with.

"Look, De!" Phainon pointed at a chimera sitting on the edge of the Twilight Courtyard. "It kind of looks like you."

Mydei wrinkled his nose. "I don't see it."

"It's red, has cute eyes, and likes to sleep."

"Oh." Mydei thought for a moment. "Okay. That one is you." He gestured to a blue chimera who was happily jumping around the first one, trying to get its attention.

Phainon giggled. "They like each other."

They settled on the grass, petting any stray chimeras that wandered over to them. Hyacine eventually came over holding a tray of food (for humans this time), and they all settled to eat their dinner.

"Did you have fun today, kids?" Hyacine asked them.

Mydei snuggled closer to Phainon, blinking sleepily. "Thank you, Miss Hyacine," he sighed.

Phainon nodded. It felt a bit weird to be eating dinner when the sky was still bright out, but he was also getting tired. There was a soft nudge on his lap. Mydei had completely fallen asleep. "Shh. De is sleeping."

Hyacine playfully pressed her fingers to her lips, giggling. "Would you like to go see your apartment now?"

He frowned. "I really have an apartment, Miss Hyacine?"

"You live together with Mydei, actually!"

Wow. That was so cool. That meant he got to see Mydei every day!

Hyacine told him it was too dangerous for him to carry Mydei safely, so he held onto her arm the entire walk back to their apartment. When she set Mydei onto the bed (it was so big! Like it could fit two grown men!), he didn't hesitate to climb up next to the sleeping boy.

"I'll be next door, so don't be scared." Hyacine pressed a kiss to Phainon's forehead. "Sleep tight. Little Ica and I love you."

"Love you…" Phainon slurred. He curled tighter around Mydei. Normally, his mama and papa would tuck him in, but he had to stay strong for Mydei.

Sure enough, when Hyacine closed the door and darkness swept through the room, Mydei started to stir. He whimpered and soft, pitiful cries escaped from his mouth. Phainon sat up, alarmed.

"De?"

"Oh." Mydei's lip quivered. He rubbed at his eyes. "I thought… I was under water again."

"De…" Phainon swallowed. It hurt, but he had to ask. "Is it true that your daddy threw you in?"

Mydei dove under the blankets. Quiet sobs escaped his mouth. "I don't want to go." he whimpered. Tears dripped down his face and stained the sheets. "I don't want to leave! Phainon, Mama! Someone save me!"

Phainon threw his arms over Mydei, covering him with his body. "It's okay!" he shouted. "Mydei, I'm here!"

Mydei sobbed. "Phainon, please don't leave me."

"I won't!" Phainon swore. He believed with all of his heart that not even the titans could take him away from Mydei. "I'll always be by your side. I promise."

"Even when I die?"

"What? Why— why are you saying that?"

Mydei sniffed. "I don't want to wake up alone again. I don't want this to be a dream."

"You have to sleep," Phainon said desperately. He didn't want Mydei to be in pain, though. "What if I hold you?"

Mydei peered at him with his watery eyes. "Phainon needs to sleep, too."

"We can fall asleep together. That way, we can share each other's dreams!" Phainon pressed his lips to Mydei's forehead, like how Hyacine and his parents would kiss him before bed. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

They fell asleep like that, curled around each other.

Lucidity came to Mydeimos slowly. Just like waking up from death, the first sense that came to him was touch. Then his hearing. And finally, he pried his eyes open. Phainon was next to him in bed, watching him.

"Deliverer. What are you doing?" It was too early for him to be looking at Mydei like that.

Phainon pouted at him dramatically. "Aw, but you were so cute when you called me 'Phainon' yesterday."

Mydei threw a pillow at him. "Shut up." Then, "You were more cute as a child."

"We'll have to apologize to Hyacine when we see her," Phainon mused. "It couldn't have been easy taking care of us."

Mydei waited. Predictably, Phainon turned to him with the expression of a kicked puppy. "Mydei, I—"

"Don't. There was nothing you could have done. Or do you think you could have challenged Eurypon for my life at freshly one years of age?" The thought was laughable. Phainon as a child was the type to cry when he accidentally squashed a bug.

Phainon buried his face in his favorite spot — Mydei's chest. "Then I'm glad I was able to make you feel safe, even if only for a day."

Mydei barely registered what he said, too distracted by the feeling of Phainon's lips on his chest. "HKS. I'm always safe when I'm with you."

"Hm? What did you say?" Phainon's breath was annoyingly ticklish. He pouted up at the Kremnoan with widened eyes.

Mydei scowled. "Are you deaf? Don't look at me like that."

In an instant, the expression on Phainon's face changed into something more… excited. His eyes narrowed, and his lips curved into a mischievous smirk. "Aw, De. You're always so honest when you're under me." He lowered his head and pressed a firm but reverent kiss to Mydei's breast. "My strong and brave Mydeimos." His lips latched onto Mydei's perky nipple.

Mydei groaned, fisting his hand in Phainon's hair. "Deliverer…" Phainon bit down hard. "Phainon!"

A hand found its way in between Mydei's legs. "De," Phainon whispered, looking up at Mydei sweetly. "Let me make you feel good. Please?"

Mydei gripped Phainon's head and brought their lips together for a rough kiss. "Do your worst."

They didn't say much after that.

Some time later, Hyacine walked up to the door of their apartment. Little Ica was trailing after her, holding a basket of his favorite apples. "Hm, I wonder where we should take them today?" she asked him. "Lady Castorice is back, but I'm not sure if she would feel comfortable around them." The kids seemed to like the chimeras, so maybe she could get one of the Tribios to join them?

She opened the door. And screamed.

Phainon whirled around from where he was positioned in between Mydei's legs. Mydei's very bare legs, covered with golden bruises and bites. "Oh, fuck! I knew we were forgetting something!"

Hyacine grabbed the closest object to her — which turned out to be Little Ica — and hurled him with all of her strength towards them. The dining table! Why were they doing that on the dining table? People ate there! Hyacine had eaten there!

"I am never going over here again!" She slammed the door. She fumed the entire way over to the Chrysos Heir's dedicated baths, where Aglaea was already settled in.

All Aglaea had to do was look at her before she sighed. "Long day?"

The markets hadn't even fully opened up yet.

"You have no idea," Hyacine snapped. "Is that ambrosia? Give me the whole bottle."