𝔐𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔰 𝔬𝔫𝔢𝔦𝔯𝔬𝔰

@sxmniphobia​ || continued from ✂

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 him—unless, 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 erastês without the date cutting into either of their schedules—he 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 weren’t 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, he’d woken up sulking, pouting, or both because Phobetor wasn’t 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 he’d approached Phobetor the second he heard the recognizable whoosh of the god’s wings, and why he’d kissed without any hint of hesitation. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that he’d 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. “It might not happen every time.”

Feeling Phobetor’s hands on his face, he shuddered a little from the cool touch on his heated skin, but didn’t dare pull away, instead letting the hands draw him closer. His grip on the god’s hoodie loosened, and his hand lowered down, fingers trailing over the familiar shadowy form before both arms came together to loop around the other male’s waist instead. Red eyes locked with red, the happiness and excitement he couldn’t 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 Phobetor’s lips claiming his, effectively rendering him speechless for the time being unless he wanted to break the kiss right away—and 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 snake—or for Phobetor’s entire being to shift into a massive, deadly monster, for that matter—he 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 didn’t even want to end the kiss to speak, relishing the way the soft, cool lips of his erastês felt against his own.

The two of them were quite literally like fire and ice, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

But eventually, he did break the kiss, albeit with some reluctance. He couldn’t let Phobetor have the last word just yet, after all. His tone was a quiet, low growl with a hint of annoyance at first—for he was a hellhound, not a cute little puppy—but became lighter and more teasing as he spoke, still close enough for his warm breath to ghost over the god’s lips. “I’m not cute or little, but…yeah, and I think it’s safe to say you missed me too, I-ke-los.~ Or am I wrong, hm?”

That initial response got another chuckle out of the hound, amusement dancing in his eyes. “It’s nice to know you wouldn’t want me broken and submissive all the time, considering dominance comes to me so naturally. I’m not normally submissive; you know that. Today is…just for you, and only because it’s for you. If it were anyone else, I would shoot them rather than agree to what I’ve promised you.” But it was for Phobetor, and so Nick was willing to submit to his erastês this time around. Perhaps he was whipped to that extent—that he was willing to submit at all—but 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 he’d 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.

“Yeah, maybe interesting is a better word for it, but still…” 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 car’s speed up to 160 kilometers per hour. “…This car is really fun to drive. And by the way, since you’re in your human form at the moment, you might want to put on your seatbelt like I did.”

With Phobetor apparently still in thought, Nick focused mainly on driving to keep control of the car, though he couldn’t help wondering what exactly the god might be considering. He didn’t really care if the rest of the Paganini famiglia knew he was in a relationship with someone—but that was only if he wasn’t seen or known as the submissive one in the relationship. And to prevent that…he’d 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 wouldn’t want to be seen as the submissive one either—except for their time in bed together, of course, but that was a different and more private matter.

Phobetor’s 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 Phobetor’s 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 god—which 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, which—given their new placement on the road—likely 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 he’d 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.

“…Don’t just say stuff like that, okay?! You can’t… I-I mean…” 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.

“I would… I…can’t deny, that certainly would work to convince everyone else that I’m not submissive all the time, and… The thought of that is just…wow. You would look amazing. Just imagining you wearing a collar and leash, with me holding the other end of it…” He trailed off, realizing his cheeks were hot from being flushed, and if he had to guess, they’d been that way for the past several minutes. Shaking his head again with the hopes of soon banishing the blush, he continued.

“…I would love it, but I can’t. I—I won’t. Even though I would have let you do it for today without complaining about it, you said that you wouldn’t put a collar on me. Besides that—and more importantly—you’re…you’re not just anyone. You’re the god of nightmares and my erastês, and I respect you too much to put a collar and leash on you and parade you around like that, because I’m pretty sure you would hate every second of it. If you would enjoy it, then I would do it for sure, but I’m having a hard time imagining that.”

A light chuckle escaped him, and his grin returned. “If 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?”

“Not all of them are hardened like they ought to be. The ones you just saw run away aren’t anywhere near the same rank as me. They’re what you might call grunts or ‘soldiers,’ though that term doesn’t really suit them either, does it?” He paused to chuckle and flash a mocking grin with the fleeing grunts in mind, then continued his explanation. 

“I wasn’t talking about idiots like them when I said I might ask you to send out some nightmares, but I’ll 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 they’re not as scared of me as most mortals usually are. If anyone’s going to give me a real hassle after the rumors start up, it would be one of them.”

The little stipulation the god added soured Nick’s expression for a second, but Phobetor was right. He couldn’t very well disagree, especially for the rest of the day. The look of annoyance on the hound’s face was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, and instead of saying anything against the god’s one condition regarding the rumors, he sighed to himself and decided to pose a question. 

“I do belong to you; I know that, and it’s true regardless of whether or not I’m actually being the submissive one. I would never disagree or say that rumors suggesting something like that aren’t true. But if someone started a rumor that says you’ve 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?” 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 would—or even might—disrespect 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 passenger’s side car door shut, he chuckled at what he could only assume was a thinly-veiled warning to be more careful with his words. “Don’t worry; I meant that as a compliment. Your tail is much more comfortable than anything else I’ve 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.”

With Phobetor seated, Nick walked around to the driver’s side to open his own door and quickly seated himself behind the wheel. The god’s comments put a broad, satisfied grin on his face, and he chuckled while buckling his seatbelt. “Let’s see… You’re 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.”

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. 

“I know you don’t need a bodyguard, but…” Cutting himself off, he sighed and decided to let the matter rest with a shrug and a light chuckle. Continuing the debate wouldn’t do either of them any good, and besides that, he wasn’t in a position to do any arguing for the day anyway. “I very much enjoy being your lover and partner-in-crime, and pissing off gods you don’t like sounds like the perfect bonus.”

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 Phobetor’s 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 pull—and 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 didn’t 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 he’d 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 grunts’ 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.

“If none of them figure it out, they’re 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 people…I may take you up on that offer to send some nightmares to my coworkers.”

He was trying to play it cool, but really, he could’t 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 famiglia—complete 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 he’d driven it, lighting up the car’s sleek black exterior for a moment, and he went around to the passenger’s side to open the door for Phobetor. Glancing back at the god, he grinned. “Like what you see? It’s 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 you’ll say they come pretty close. If you’re done looking at the other cars, hop in.”

“If we ever get so tired of living, yeah, that sounds like an amazing plan to me.” 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 couldn’t shake. Dodging punishment would be nice, but then again, there were other feelings he couldn’t just ignore. “I wish there was still a way for me to protect you from the other gods that didn’t involve giving up before they can overpower us, but since there isn’t, I’ll consider myself lucky to be able to share a night like that with you.”

Still curious about the terms Phobetor had used, he waited for a further explanation—and when he got it, he’d very nearly yelled to insist that he wasn’t 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 he’d heard enough to understand that god hadn’t 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 so…positive. 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 erômenos benefitted more than the erastês, which was perfectly fine with him, as he was the one in the erômenos role.

…And perhaps he liked the idea of being called ‘beloved.’ Maybe.

He didn’t think anything of Phobetor’s 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. He’d 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 think—except 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 god’s manner of speaking return to normal, but his sense of being at ease evaporated the second he noticed the little change to Phobetor’s smile. He knew a smile like that couldn’t mean anything good, but he stayed where he was and tried to brace himself for whatever the god was about to say or do.

…But it didn’t 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 he’d fallen for, and when he opened his eyes, he had no problem acting like a frightened, obedient puppy. “I-I would never—! I respect you too much to call you either of those words! I won’t ever call you something so derogatory, I swear!”

While it generally wasn’t 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 wasn’t necessary either, but since he’d 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 he’d 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 belt’s holster. He highly doubted he would need it, but given his profession in the mortal world, it wouldn’t 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, but…Phobetor 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 taste…wasn’t 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. They’d been talking amongst themselves, but fell silent as soon as they saw him, and he swore he could feel the whole group’s 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 didn’t move along. It worked, and they split up and scattered in their haste to put some distance between themselves and Nick.

“Fucking idiotic humans…,” 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 wasn’t a trace of anger left on his face; only a glowing sense of happiness and pride. “I didn’t hide my neck, just like you said. Ready to go? I have a place in mind, but it’s a little bit of a drive from here—about 30 minutes with the way I drive.” Saying so, he headed towards the mansion’s garage area and motioned for Phobetor to follow, thinking he could take the lead for the time being since the god obviously didn’t drive.

Nick had already heard from Phobetor what the consequences would probably be if he pissed off any of the other Greek gods—including Zeus—so the possibility of eternal torture didn’t come as a surprise to him, but that knowledge didn’t 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. 

“…At least we’ll both go out with a bang when the time comes, though I can’t promise how long I’ll last once the torture starts after we get caught.” 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 tortured…and that was something he’d 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 god’s smirk soften so completely made his heart flutter, because as much as he appreciated Phobetor’s usual sadistic nature and smirks, the smile he saw now could only be one meant for him—because of him. That thought helped fuel the passion he poured into the kiss, and even though the god’s lips always felt cool against his own, he could have sworn he felt an extra little spark of heat come from somewhere—but 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. “If amator and cupitus aren’t perfect translations, there must be something you’re not telling me. Or…since you said you’re my erastês because you’re the older one, are the terms just age specific?” That would explain why there wasn’t an exact translation in Latin, since there weren’t any intimate terms of endearment which indicated an age difference; only gender.

The god’s comment comparing the Romans and Greeks got a chuckle out of the hound, and a hint of his smirk returned. “I don’t 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 ‘crazy’ and ‘mad,’ so I might not be the best judge of that. I’ll let you decide.”

While Phobetor appeared lost in thought, Nick stayed where he was in an attempt at being obedient—which felt necessary at the moment, since he’d 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. “I’ll stick to Ikelos, then. It’s what I like using best anyway.”

At the suggestion to fix himself back up, he was reminded of how flustered he probably looked—among other things—and quickly stood. Glancing down at himself, he uttered a brief “Yeah, thanks,” 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 hadn’t 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 typical—except 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 he’d somehow grown to love, but he hadn’t expected he would actually enjoy being submissive at all, and yet…maybe…

Shaking his head, he refused to finish that thought and instead turned back towards Phobetor, crossing the room to return to the god’s side. “Since we’re going out for our date, where would you like to go?”

“Ahhh, 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.” Even as he chuckled at the obvious longing on Phobetor’s face, Nick’s 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. 

His mood soured, however, at the mention of what the consequences would be. He didn’t 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. “…From what you’ve told me before now, I don’t think I could stop Zeus from killing you if I had to, but I’d sure as hell try. You can tell me it would be a stupid idea all you want, but that wouldn’t stop me. I couldn’t just watch you die.” Though he didn’t like the thought of Phobetor’s powers being kept on a leash, it seemed to be the preferable option given the alternative.  

And at the moment, he couldn’t—and wouldn’t, even if he could—complain 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 didn’t verbally question it. If he had to guess, his assumption had been correct, but he was still confused other than that. 

Phobetor’s next statement only fueled his curiosity further, but before he could try to ask again, the god’s 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 he’d 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. He’d 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t so bad just being obedient for a change. 

The slow, sensual licks left a cool tingle on his skin, sending pleasant shivers down his spine, and the god’s 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 couldn’t be sure if it was due more to the meaning of the word or the feeling of the god’s 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 couldn’t find it in him to so much as try sending a disapproving look Phobetor’s way. His promise wouldn’t have allowed him to really protest the marks anyway, but the thing was—this time, as he could feel the god’s mouth beginning to leave more and more marks, he didn’t 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 Phobetor’s ego more than he’d like to as a result, but the only thing that stopped him from having a huge, completely obvious smile on his face were the god’s 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 devotion—a smile only Phobetor would ever see. 

When the god’s 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 Phobetor’s 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. 

“I… I don’t think anyone will question who I belong to, no.” His voice had an unintentional husky edge to it, and he cleared his throat. “But even though I’m completely and obediently yours for the day, let me have a moment to do this…please.” 

Even though he’d asked, he barely gave the god a chance to answer before leaning closer and capturing Phobetor’s mouth with his for an intense, furiously passionate kiss. He didn’t trust himself too much with words at the moment, as he wasn’t 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.

“Since I’m your erômenos, what should I call you, Ikelos?~”

“Yeah, I will, I promise. I’ll put it to good use, too. Thank you.” The offer to learn how to use the dagger piqued his interest, and he flashed an eager smile and nodded. “I’d like that, yeah. I know some moves for how to use a basic dagger already, but even if it doesn’t have any magical properties, it’s no ordinary dagger. If you have any tips or know any special moves, I’d love to hear about them later.” But that could be set aside for another time when they weren’t about to go out on a date for Valentine’s Day. 

The cheek kiss normally would have been appreciated, and it still was, albeit a little bit less so at the moment. Nick couldn’t 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 couldn’t 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 didn’t 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 hadn’t 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 wouldn’t mind bearing witness to in the least, and imagining it served as the perfect mood-lifting distraction from the brief humiliation he’d just suffered. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that it wouldn’t be disastrous, but that didn’t stop him from considering the possibility of it happening one day. “It would be bad for everyone else, but I wouldn’t mind sitting by and watching it happen. That would be fun, especially since I wouldn’t have anything to worry about even if you sent one to me.~”

And to Nick? That giggle was adorable.

“Ah—that explains it. I figured something was different.” 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 wouldn’t feel tired—or be particularly irritable—anytime soon. 

However, the smile on Nick’s face wavered as soon as he looked over to see the Phobetor’s 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. “Thanks for not making me wear a collar, but would you mind telling me what erômenos means? I’m assuming it’s a Greek term of endearment, but other than that, I don’t know it.” 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 again—this time on both knees—to put himself almost at eye-level with the god. After a moment’s hesitation, he tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck to fully expose it for Phobetor to mark. 

“I’m yours, Ikelos.”

“It was yours?” The disbelief was crystal clear in Nick’s voice, and he glanced back at the dagger on his desk, mouth open in shock once more. It wasn’t that he was offended—far 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 couldn’t resist returning with a grin of his own. Even before Phobetor spoke, he had a feeling the god wouldn’t turn down this opportunity. Promising his obedience for a day was far from the smartest decision he’d ever made, particularly given that he was well aware of Phobetor’s sadistic tendencies, but he wasn’t too worried.

Despite both of them being immortal, the god’s 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 didn’t need obedience to do it. That was why Nick hadn’t 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 wasn’t 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 wouldn’t cross. Perhaps he would be proven wrong, but his instincts—and a certain amount of naiveté due to his loyal canine nature—told him otherwise.

The hand guiding Nick’s chin was met with no resistance, and his lips seemed to tingle where Phobetor’s 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. “I thought I was already yours before I promised you obedience for a day.” It was a cheeky response he couldn’t resist, and as far as he was concerned, it was true and therefore not considered talking back.

The god’s 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.

“…….Fine. I’m… I’m an adorable, fluffy puppy, but only for you. A-And you’re the only one I’ll allow to call me that!” There was no stipulation that said he couldn’t 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.

“Why do you have so much energy today, anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quite this energetic before.”

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 wasn’t 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 Nick’s 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. “Puuuuppyyyyy~! Guess what a little shadow told me. Apparently it’s a holiday today in the mortal world. Something that starts with V, I didn’t 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.”

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. “They 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 wasn’t the best idea, and I already got you flowers…. technically. And just giving jewelry is boring, so I decided to do something better.”

Tail waving in excitement, the god held out the present for Nick to take, waiting for the hound to unwrap the linen. His gift wasn’t one that would even normally be considered as a present for any occasion—let alone as a show of his apparent love—but 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. 

“It’s kind of ancient, back from waaaaay before you were created, but it’s still in good condition. I figured it might be more useful as a stabbing weapon than your scissors.”

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 didn’t allow for lasting relationships, but in spite of this, it was the first Valentine’s Day in a very long time that Nick felt a little…lonely. He’d 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 couldn’t just pick someone to have dinner with or to tempt into bed. Loyal as he was, he didn’t 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.

…Granted, Valentine’s Day wasn’t a typical holiday he would expect the god to know about, but that didn’t 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 he’d ever heard—followed by an all-too familiar voice—had 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 hadn’t even needed to ask. He’d heard of prayers being answered before, but this was on a whole other level.

He was equally shocked that the god knew about Valentine’s 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 beautiful—and 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.

“I have no idea how you got your hands on this, but I won’t ask. It’s perfect, not to mention beautiful. My scissors are custom-made, so they’re still better than most…but I guess I can admit that dagger will be far better for stabbing than they are. Thank you.” 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 god’s 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 ‘thank you’ for his present.

“Ah—I didn’t get you anything since this isn’t a day you would normally celebrate. I didn’t even think you knew about the holiday. But…if you’re not too tired, we can go on a date if you want.”

After accepting such an exquisite gift, his pride wouldn’t rest if he didn’t try to offer something he considered valuable in return. An idea of what he could do that might count as a gift—besides a date, that is—occurred 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 and—to an extent—subservient to those he deemed worthy, and Phobetor certainly fell into that category.

It was a matter of which he was willing to cope with more—accepting 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 he’d 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 Phobetor’s hands with his own, placing a gentle, affectionate kiss on the back of it, then looked up to lock eyes with the god. “I wouldn’t offer this to just anyone, but for you and for today only, I’ll be nothing but obedient. I’ll do whatever you want without complaining about it, and you can say or do whatever you want and I won’t complain or talk back. Don’t get used to it, but just for today… If you want to take advantage of it, enjoy it. I won’t go back on this offer, I swear.”