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The evening started ordinarily, like any other did in Mydei's college life. He was tapping away on his laptop's keyboard, finishing one of his last assignments before the holidays started. Professor Anaxa told them that he was expecting his students to turn them in after the new year, but Mydei was someone who would finish assignments and other work as early as possible.
He just finished typing the last word and wanted to read over his text again, to correct any grammar or spelling mistakes, when his phone rang. Mydei picked his phone up and frowned when he saw the name on the display: his father Eurypon was calling. The blond let out a loud sigh, gaining the attention of his roommates Castorice and Cipher.
"Good evening, father," Mydei greeted him with an even tone, trying not to sound too anxious. Calls from his father were rare, it was his mother Gorgo who called at least once a week and who genuinely cared about her son's well-being.
Eurypon on the other hand was dissatisfied with Mydei's decisions in life, and if it wasn't for a little bit of persuasion from Gorgo, he would have never attended this college. His father made it quite clear that he wanted Mydei to take over his business, anything that stood in the way of that was a "waste".
"Mydeimos," Eurypon said, not bothering to greet Mydei back, "the holidays are starting soon. I am expecting you to come home."
Mydei frowned, remembering that his mother asked him to come back home to Castrum Kremnos during the holidays. His father should know that he already agreed to visit, so why would he call just to tell him of his expectations?
"Is something the matter, father?" Mydei decided to ask, looking at his roommates who decided to openly eavesdrop on his conversation. They didn't bother him usually, but they knew of his strained relationship with his father and would always try and cheer him up whenever he had to make unpleasant phone calls.
There was a moment of silence before Eurypon spoke again. "I have arranged a marriage interview for you with Erinys. You will be wed after your graduation."
Mydei was too stunned to speak for a moment. He knew Erinys, her family is one of Kremnos Inc's trading partners, and he had seen her often at the meetings he was forced to attend.
He knew why his father set him up with her: Mydei wasn't interested in girls, whereas Eurypon was a man who abode by strict traditions. To him, a man was worthy only if he married a woman. People who liked the same gender were "broken", a "disdain" even, and he made sure Mydei knew that as well.
"But father, not only do I hardly know her, I've also been offered a job at another company already—"
"I have had enough of your excuses!" Eurypon cut him off with a shout before he cleared his throat and lowered his voice again. "This decision is final."
And before Mydei could say anything else, his father hung up. The blond looked at the display in stunned silence for a moment before he closed his laptop, put his phone away and rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache forming.
"Is everything all right?" Castorice asked quietly, touching Mydei's arm. "You look upset."
"Yeah, it's like your dad dropped a bomb or something!" Cipher joked. She wasn't too far off, and the blond looked at his roommates with a deep sigh.
"My father just informed me I'm to be wed to a girl I don't even know," Mydei explained flatly as the reality of his situation settled in.
"Yeesh, all right, that is kind of a bomb," Cipher admitted, sitting down next to Mydei, her weight dipping the bed. "What will you do, ignore him?"
"I would do that, but he could use his connections to make sure I won't land a job anywhere else."
Castorice's mouth tightened into a thin line, and for a moment, everyone remained quiet. All kinds of negative thoughts flooded Mydei's head, and he looked away as tears gathered in his eyes, balling his hands into fists.
Why was he not allowed to have a normal life like his friends? He never wanted to be raised to be like his father, why wouldn't he understand?
"Say, what would happen if your father disowns you?" Castorice asked after a while, cutting through the oppressive silence that stretched between them.
Mydei blinked the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes away, looking at his friend and roommate questioningly.
"If he did…he would most likely leave me broke, but then I wouldn’t have to worry about witnessing him threatening other companies," Mydei answered, surprising himself. He had never thought about actually trying to make his father disown him, perhaps because he had needed the money his family provided when he started college.
But after starting a part-time job at a local bakery and saving up enough to fund his future, he hadn't touched the savings his parents set aside from him anymore.
"How am I going to get disowned by my father though?" Mydei asked with a frown, but Castorice seemed to have an answer for that as well.
"Why don't you just get a boyfriend?"
"Princess Homebody, you are a genius!" Cipher exclaimed excitedly, She jumped up from the bed, clasped her hands together, and her eyes lit up and sparkled like the stars in the night sky.
But there was another problem: Mydei had never dated anyone. It was because of his family's wealth and status that he didn't easily open up to anyone. Other than his roommates, most people saw him like a walking moneybag and expected fame just by association. The girls were an exception because they easily saw through his tough exterior, and cherished him for who he was as a person.
So how in Titan's name was he going to find a boyfriend, who would visit his family with him, and on such short notice as well? The holidays were starting in just a couple of days, which was not enough time to get to know anyone.
"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head about it, Little Lion, I know just the person who can help!" Cipher announced with a grin and patted his head teasingly. Mydei attempted to swat her away, but she anticipated this and jumped away with cat-like grace.
"Anyway, I will catch you guys later, I have somewhere to be!" She winked and left so quickly that Mydei didn't even have a chance to ask where she was going.
Castorice giggled softly at the sight. Her eyes, too, were sparkling with mirth, and she seemed to know what Cipher seemed up to. But when Mydei asked her about it, she just told him that it was "just a girl thing", removing any suspicions he might have had.
Just an hour later, Mydei was absentmindedly poking a pomegranate cheesecake with his fork in a nearby café, which was still open at that time of the day, and sighed. He had come here on Cipher's request, who returned to their room not long after she had left.
She told him he was going to meet a "friend" of hers, who could probably help him out. He wasn't too sure what she planned, but he also didn't want to come off as rude and reject whoever she set him up with before even meeting them. However, he had been waiting for a while now, and no one arrived at his table.
Mydei was starting to believe that this was some sort of prank, and that he was just being strung along. He knew that Cipher was a prankster, but she never resorted to such lowly tricks before.
He was about to get up when a cup with a pink liquid was placed right in front of him. He recognized the scent it was omitting: pomegranate juice, his favorite.
"Sorry for being so late! I hope I didn't make you wait too long," a smooth voice apologized before someone sat down right in front of him.
Mydei looked up and promptly froze on the spot when he noticed who exactly it was who had sat down: it was none other than the college's second top student (after Mydei himself of course), who had almost perfect grades, a smile which made all the girls swoon, and who Mydei also had a secret crush on.
Phainon, nicknamed the Deliverer.
He blinked, once, twice, believing that he was trapped in a dream. But the Deliverer was still here, still smiling at him patiently, blue eyes sparkling in the otherwise dimly lit café.
"What…are you doing here?" Mydei asked in disbelief. This was the friend Cipher was talking about? How in Titan's name did she even convince him to meet up here with him?
"Cipher told me you needed help, so I came to see you! I do apologize for making you wait, I, uhm, got a little lost!" Phainon laughed quietly, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"You got…lost," Mydei repeated in disbelief. He knew Phainon wasn't telling the whole truth—this café was located near the college's dorms, but he let it go for now, mostly because he couldn't resist the taste of pomegranate juice.
He tentatively took the cup in his hand all the while glaring at Phainon, who was still politely smiling at him. How did he even know Mydei liked pomegranate juice? Had Cipher told him? No, she didn't really have any reason for doing so. Perhaps the silver-haired had seen him drink it before?
"Soooo," Phainon drawled and leaned forward, letting his head rest in his hands, "what do you need help with? When Cipher came to me, all she told me was that I was 'the perfect man for this job' or something like that. I mean, I am pretty good at many things! So whatever you need, I'm sure I can do it!"
Although it sounded like Phainon was bragging, Mydei thought that he was just being honest about being talented. But since Cipher neglected to tell him about the blond's dilemma, he wasn't too sure if Phainon was actually going to help him. After all, he had to pretend to be Mydei's boyfriend, and despite sharing many courses together, they didn't know much about each other.
Or was it actually himself who knew barely anything about Phainon?
Mydei sighed and reminded himself that he should tell the silver-haired man about his problems first.
"Well, if you're so good at things like you said, then I have a challenge for you. Have you ever pretended to be someone's boyfriend?" he asked and took a sip from his juice. To his surprise it was mildly sweet, balancing out the slight bitterness of the juice. Phainon must have mixed milk and a small amount of sugar into it, and he downed the cup in one go.
Phainon, on the other hand, remained too stunned to speak for a moment. His smile remained frozen on his face as he processed the question, then leaned back to look at Mydei with wide eyes. "You want me to pretend that we're dating?"
"Right," Mydei confirmed and placed the empty cup back on the table, letting his hand rest on it as well. "My father Eurypon wants me to be an exact copy of him: have a wife, a successful company, and maybe a child as well. He disapproves of anything else, and it took him some convincing from my mother Gorgo to even attend this college."
Phainon frowned at that. "But why do you need me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"
Mydei hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Because he's forcing me to attend a marriage interview he set up during the holidays, and if I don't show up and do what he wants, he will use his ties to threaten other companies so that they have no choice but to reject me in the future," the blond explained with a groan. Eurypon had already demonstrated his power before against a rival company, and Mydei didn't want to be the one to experience his father's wrath.
"That's why Cipher and Castorice suggested that I should try and make him disown me, and since he's a homophobe, showing up with a boyfriend might convince him to finally let go of the restraints he put on me," the blond continued.
He saw Phainon blink once, twice, before he muttered a soft, "Wow". He put Mydei's hand into his own, lacing their fingers and looking at him with watery eyes.
"I understand now! You have such good friends, Mydei!" he exclaimed, and Mydei couldn't help but blush. Why was this grown man acting like a puppy all of a sudden?
"Well, if we want to convince your dad to disown you, we should probably think about a story of how we met," the Deliverer suggested as he let go of Mydei's hand. "How about this: we share P.E. classes together, and challenged each other to competitions. Our competitiveness then led to us turning everything into a challenge, and that's how we started dating each other!"
This actually didn't sound too far-fetched. Mydei remembered that Phainon was quite athletic, and whenever they had to play or compete against each other, the blond was evenly matched in strength and speed. He thought back then that he really wanted to get to know Phainon, but he was always surrounded by so many people, making it impossible to approach him.
"Sounds fine to me. Let's say we had been friends for a year now, but we only started dating six months ago, so we’ve only just started to really get to know each other," Mydei added, and Phainon agreed with a hum.
"Well with that settled, when are we going to visit your parents?" Phainon asked. "Not only do I need to get to know you better, since you're my boyfriend now, I need to prepare presents as well!"
For the second time today, Mydei felt his face heat up. Even though their relationship was fake and would only last until the holidays, the blond felt happy about hearing that he was Phainon's boyfriend. Not that he would ever admit that out loud, though.
"You don't need to go through all this trouble," Mydei told him with a sigh. He stopped giving his father anything, as Eurypon had thrown his gifts away if they were ‘not to his taste’. His mother on the other hand just wanted her son to be happy, and he had a better relationship with her than with his father.
But Phainon didn't seem to listen, chatting away how he should prepare at least something so he wouldn't come empty-handed. In the end, Mydei agreed to go shopping with him tomorrow morning.
Since it was getting late and Phainon lived on the other side of the campus, they exchanged numbers before he offered to walk Mydei back to his room. The blond had a feeling that this big puppy in front of him wouldn't take no for an answer, so he decided to humor him, even letting Phainon hold hands with him. Mydei noticed that they were slightly bigger than his, and a little sweaty, but they radiated a comfortable warmth.
He wondered why Phainon was so nervous, they didn't have to pretend to be dating in public after all. For some reason, it felt like this relationship turned into something real, something they've already established a long time ago. It made Mydei's heart ache a little, as if it wanted something real and tangible with Phainon.
"Here we are," the man who was causing his inner turmoil announced when they arrived at the gates to the dormitories. He let go of Mydei's hand, and the moment he did, the comfort of his warmth left Mydei's body. Phainon scratched the back of his head awkwardly, as if he, too, was lamenting its absence. "I will see you tomorrow then?"
It was more of a question than a confirmation, even though Mydei had already agreed to their plans. But this side of Phainon was strangely endearing, or so the blond thought. He couldn't help but see the Deliverer as this oversized puppy, who had too much energy for his own good.
In the end, Mydei nodded slowly, to confirm that they were seeing each other soon. "See you tomorrow," he said, his stomach doing somersaults when Phainon smiled back at him, radiant and warm.
He quickly turned around and started to make his way back, but something compelled him to stop halfway, tilting his body to face Phainon once more and watching as the puppy waved at him excitedly.
Mydei raised his hand to wave back but felt silly doing so, turning around once again. He hurried back with reddened cheeks, the image of Phainon's silly, endearing wave forever etched into his memory.
The cold caught up to the blond, making him shiver. He sprinted back inside the dorms and into his room, almost yanking the door open as he entered. But before he could even announce his return, he was already met with his roommates waiting for him at the entrance, as if they had anticipated his coming.
"Well? How was your date?" Cipher asked with a cat-like grin. She was wearing her fluffy cat ears Castorice crafted for her, which were twitching slightly whenever she was moving.
Mydei blinked, feeling his cheeks heat up again. "It wasn't—we weren't—" He stammered, realizing too late how flustered he sounded.
Castorice leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smiling like she'd just won a bet. "Ohhh, so it was a date."
"No! Well, yes, but—" Mydei groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, fine, he agreed. Happy?"
"See, I knew he would do it!" Cipher cheered loudly. She grabbed Castorice's hands, twirling her around in the room with a laugh.
Mydei let out a sigh of relief when she moved her attention away from him, taking off his coat and hanging it up on the coat rack. He brushed a few stray snowflakes out of his hair, then sat down on his bed.
"How do you know Phainon anyway?" Mydei asked Cipher, who had finally stopped spinning poor Castorice. She swayed slightly in her step, and Mydei was worried she might fall, but she managed to walk to her bed and sat down unharmed.
Cipher flopped down on her bed as well, lazily stretching herself out. "Did you know that our delivery boy never actually had a girlfriend? In fact, he didn't even realize that several girls were hitting on him, no, he was totally oblivious to it!"
She recounted her experience with a giggle, sitting up to move into a cross-legged position before continuing: "We made a bet one day, I predicted that one of the girls in his class would confess to him, and he didn't believe me! So then I told him, if he lost the bet, he would owe me a favor. And if I lost, I would have to stop wearing my cat ears. You can guess what happened next!"
"Poor Phainon," Castorice chuckled quietly, and although she only said those two words, it caused Cipher to burst into laughter.
She was clutching her stomach as she fell back into her bed, and Mydei himself couldn't help but smile slightly at the image of this big puppy loosing against a cat.
Poor Phainon indeed.
Mydei woke the next morning to his phone buzzing violently against his nightstand. He groaned, rolling onto his stomach to silence it, but he froze when he saw the barrage of messages lighting up the screen.
Phainon (8:03 AM): Good morning, my love! It's me, your boyfriend Phainon!
Phainon (8:04 AM): Are you awake?
Phainon (8:07 AM): I found this amazing café near campus that sells pomegranate pastries!! Should I grab some before we meet?
Phainon (8:12 AM): … Mydei?
Phainon (8:15 AM): Okay, I’ll just get them. You can’t say no if they’re already in your hands!
Mydei groaned into his pillow. The sheer enthusiasm radiating from the texts was blinding even through the screen. He rolled onto his back and yelped when a pair of gleaming eyes materialized inches away from his face.
"Someone's popular this morning," Cipher singsonged. She was perched right above Mydei's bed frame and had apparently snatched his phone just now, reading through his messages, her prop tail flicking smugly. "Phainon’s already texting? Titans, he’s worse than I thought."
Mydei swatted at her, but he missed by a mile. Cipher chuckled as he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "He’s just…thorough," he muttered, though he felt his pulse betraying his real feelings, as it jumped at the word boyfriend lighting up his screen.
Cipher snorted at that, tossing his phone onto his lap. "Uh-huh. Thorough like a golden retriever with a PhD in enthusiasm." She tilted her head. "Wait. Did he seriously just call himself your boyfriend already? Fake-dating protocol usually has a grace period."
Mydei ignored her, and she shrugged and sat down on her bed, scrolling mindlessly on her phone. The blond's thumb hovered over the keyboard, the cursor blinking expectantly.
What did one even say to that? Good morning, fake-boyfriend? Thanks for the unsolicited pastries? His fingers moved before his brain caught up.
Mydei (8:23 AM): HKS, you’re insufferable.
Phainon (8:23 AM): 🥰
Phainon (8:23 AM): (That means you’re welcome.)
Mydei groaned again, louder this time, and flung his phone aside. He needed to warn his mother before Phainon’s enthusiasm steam rolled his entire family. He grabbed his phone back and dialed before he could second-guess himself.
The line clicked after three rings.
"Good morning, Mydeimos," Gorgo's melodic voice greeted him. "You never call this early unless you've done something catastrophic."
Mydei hesitated for a moment, thinking about what to say. His mother had always been quite perceptive, like she could hear his lies through the phone. "I'm bringing someone home for the holidays," he eventually said.
The line was silent at first, but then he heard Gorgo's voice suddenly drop with sudden interest. "Oh? Do tell."
Mydei's grip tightened around his phone. He could already see her smirk through the line. "It's—Phainon. From college. We've been...seeing each other for a while," he explained, exhaling nervously.
"Phainon," Gorgo repeated, her voice laced with amusement. "The tall, silver-haired boy you occasionally mentioned? The one who decided to compete with you for the top student spot? That Phainon?"
Mydei felt his face heat up a little, and he bit his lip before he answered with a sigh. "Yes, that Phainon."
Gorgo promptly started to laugh, her voice pitching higher. "Oh my, how adorable! How come you haven't mentioned him before?"
"Because of Father," Mydei deadpanned, which made Gorgo chuckle darkly. Although he knew she only cared about his happiness, she would also not stand in the way of her husband's plans, to Mydei's chagrin.
"Well, I'm looking forward to meeting this Phainon," she told the blond, who could hear the smile on her face. "And bring the finest bottle of red wine you can find. Your father might appreciate the gesture."
"Thank you, mother. See you soon," Mydei said and hung up, looking at his phone. Phainon hadn't sent him any more messages, though he attached a photo of the pastries he had found in his last one.
He decided to get up and grabbed his coat and a scarf, which he put around his face, and pushed his phone and wallet into the pockets of his coat.
"Where are you going?" Cipher asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Shopping," Mydei answered and left the room before she could bombard him with more questions. He hurried to the café Phainon mentioned earlier, thinking about getting coffee together with the silver-haired.
Mydei still wondered why he was doing all of this for the blond when they weren't even in a real relationship, and not at his parents' house. There was no need to act like this in public, yet Phainon bought him pomegranate pastries and sent him sweet messages. Was there any deeper reason behind this behavior? Did Phainon want something from Mydei?
The Kremnoan shook his head. Perhaps Phainon just wanted to humor him, make him feel loved for a while. It made Mydei wish that he would reject his help, he didn't want this love to be time-limited after all.
His feet carried him to the café Phainon texted him about earlier and pushed the café door open, the scent of coffee beans and cinnamon engulfing him instantly. And there, tucked in a corner booth with pastries neatly arranged on a plate, sat his fake boyfriend, grinning at him with that boyish charm of his that made him look like he won the lottery.
"You came!" Phainon chirped, sliding a steaming mug toward the empty seat across from him. "I got you milk coffee with a splash of pomegranate syrup. Figured you’d need the caffeine after my texts."
Mydei hesitated, then sat. The mug warmed his fingers. "You’re too much," he muttered, but took a sip anyway. The bitterness cut through the sweetness perfectly. Damn him for knowing Mydei’s preferences so well.
Phainon leaned forward, elbows on the table. "So! As your partner in crime, I'm going to call this mission: Operation ‘Infuriate Eurypon'. What’s phase one? Do we hold hands at dinner? Argue over who’s the little spoon? I’ve been researching homophobic dad triggers all morning." He brandished his phone like evidence, displaying a tab titled 10 Ways to Politely Ruin The Holidays.
Mydei choked on his coffee. "Titans, no. Just act natural. He’ll combust on his own." The thought of Phainon theatrically feeding him grapes while his father turned purple was equal parts appealing and terrifying.
The silver-haired man tapped his chin. "Hmm. Natural. So, like this?" He asked before he reached across the table in one fluid motion and brushed a crumb from Mydei’s lip with his thumb, lingering just a second too long.
The blond froze, the coffee mug halfway to his lips. The Deliverer's fingertips were calloused, but felt warm against Mydei’s skin. His pulse thundered in his ears.
Too close.
Yet when Phainon withdrew, grinning like he hadn’t just short-circuited Mydei’s brain, the absence of his touch left him inexplicably colder.
He remembered how Phainon’s palm had felt yesterday, they were damp with nervous sweat but radiated heat like a furnace.
He recalled how his fingers had curled around Mydei’s tentatively, as if testing how much he was allowed to take, and the sudden emptiness when he let go at the dorm gates. It was distracting, more than it should be for a fake relationship.
Across the table, Phainon was seemingly oblivious to Mydei’s internal spiral. He nudged the plate of pastries closer, grinning at him.
"Eat up! We’ve got a long day of pretending to be disgustingly in love ahead of us." He punctuated this by popping a bite-sized tart into his own mouth, flakes of pastry clinging to his bottom lip.
Mydei forced himself to look away, focusing instead on the steam curling from his coffee. "You realize we don’t actually have to perform, right? My father will lose his mind the second you walk through the door holding my hand."
Phainon swallowed his pastry with a small hum. "But where’s the fun in that?" He leaned in conspiratorially, lowering his voice. "I’ve been practicing my ‘smitten gaze.’ Watch."
His expression softened, eyes crinkling at the corners as his gaze flickered between Mydei’s eyes and lips, lingering there a heartbeat too long. It was alarmingly convincing.
Mydei’s stomach swooped. He tore his gaze away, staring into his coffee like it held the secrets of the universe.
Damn him.
Damn him for making this feel real when it wasn’t. Damn him for the way Mydei’s pulse stuttered every time Phainon’s fingers brushed his. Most of all, damn him for being good at this, for playing the doting boyfriend so effortlessly that Mydei almost forgot it was orchestrated.
Phainon chuckled, leaning back and mercifully breaking the tension. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender, though his smirk showed he knew exactly what he had done. “But since we’re supposed to be disgustingly in love, shouldn’t we know basic things about each other? Like, say…favorite color?”
Mydei exhaled, relieved for the distraction. He studied Phainon, his silver hair catching the café’s warm light, the lavender scarf loosely draped around his neck. He noticed that a golden-yellow sweater peaked beneath his dark purple coat, and Mydei thought the colors suited him, they were bright and unapologetic, just like his personality.
“Yellow and purple,” he guessed. “You dress like someone who wants to be seen.”
"Or like a fashion disaster," Phainon laughed, plucking at his sweater. "But you're right, yellow and purple, like a sunset that refuses to be subtle." His grin turned mischievous as he leaned forward. "Now you. Let me guess...pink?"
Mydei's face burned. He stared into his coffee, suddenly fascinated by its swirling depths. "How in the Titans name—"
"You always wear that pink scarf when it's cold," Phainon said, reaching across to tug lightly at the fabric still wrapped around Mydei's neck.
His fingers brushed the sensitive skin beneath his jaw, making him shiver. "And you've got that pomegranate sticker on your laptop. Plus," he added with a smirk, "you turn this exact shade when embarrassed."
"HKS!" Mydei cursed him for noticing, for remembering, for making his pulse stutter over something as insignificant as color preferences.
Worse, Phainon looked unbearably pleased with himself, silver eyebrows wiggling as he took another bite of pastry. A crumb clung to the corner of his mouth, and Mydei fought the absurd urge to thumb it away himself.
"Fine," Mydei muttered, swiping the last pomegranate pastry just to spite him. "But if you're playing doting boyfriend, we need wine. The finest red, according to my mother." He hesitated, then added quietly, "She’s…looking forward to meeting you."
Phainon’s grin softened into something more genuine. "Then let’s get her something that’ll make Eurypon choke on his own envy!"
He tossed a handful of coins onto the table, which was enough to cover their meal and a generous tip, before grabbing Mydei’s wrist and tugging him toward the door. The sudden contact sent a jolt up Mydei’s arm, but he didn’t pull away.
Outside, the winter air bit at their cheeks. Phainon steered them toward the upscale district, his fingers slipping down to intertwine with Mydei’s.
"For practice," he whispered, squeezing gently.
Mydei’s breath hitched. Every nerve ending where their skin touched burned, but he matched Phainon’s walking pace anyway, their joined hands swinging slightly between them like it was the most natural thing in the world.
They found a wine shop tucked between a bookstore and a tailor. It was small, but stocked floor-to-ceiling with bottles dusted in years of careful aging. The proprietor eyed them with amusement as Phainon dramatically sniffed corks and pretended to understand tasting notes, while Mydei quietly selected a rich Cabernet his mother adored.
Phainon insisted on paying ("Boyfriend privileges," he winked), then promptly ruined the gesture by nearly dropping the bag in his enthusiasm to take Mydei's hand again. The blond couldn't help but smile, Phainon really was the embodiment of a big and energetic puppy.
Back at the dorms, Phainon held his own bag for the stay at Mydei's place and lingered awkwardly in the doorway while Cipher whistled from her bed.
"Don’t you two look cozy," she crooned, wiggling her eyebrows at their intertwined fingers. Mydei yanked his hand free, but Phainon only grinned wider, flexing his now empty palm like he missed the contact already.
"Just grabbing my overnight bag," Mydei muttered, shoving past Phainon into the room. He ignored Cipher’s theatrical sigh as he rummaged through his closet, only to freeze when Phainon moved up behind him, close enough that Mydei could feel his breath stir the hair at his nape.
"Let me drive," Phainon suggested quietly, plucking the bag from Mydei’s stiff fingers and brushing his knuckles against Mydei’s wrist. "You’ll be stressed enough dealing with your father. The least I can do is handle the roads."
"HKS," Mydei cursed and sighed in defeat. The Deliverer had a point, he didn't want to cause an unnecessary accident by driving recklessly.
"Have fun, lovebirds!" Cipher giggled delightedly behind them as Phainon slung the bag over his shoulder with that infuriatingly effortless grace of his.
The drive to the family estate was quiet, save for the soft hum of the heater and the occasional rustle of Phainon's coat as he shifted gears. Mydei watched the snow-dusted pines blur past the window, counting the minutes until their arrival, until the performance began in earnest.
Phainon's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening for just a second before he exhaled through his nose. The grin he flashed Mydei was too quick, too bright, like sunlight glancing off a blade. "Terrified," he admitted. "Your father could have me thrown off the property before dessert."
Mydei watched the way Phainon's throat moved when he swallowed, the nervous tap of his fingers against the gear shift. It was strange to see the usually unshakable Phainon fraying at the edges. Stranger still that it made Mydei want to reach across the console and tangle their fingers together again, to press that restless hand flat against his own racing pulse.
He refrained from doing so because the estate gates already loomed into view. Phainon slowed the car to a crawl, exhaling sharply through his nose.
"Okay. Showtime." His voice was steady, but his fingers found Mydei's knee in the dark, squeezing it once.
The gesture was too brief to mean anything, but also too deliberate to be accidental. Then he was out of the car, opening the door for Mydei before rounding the hood with their bags, giving the blond no time to process the lingering heat he felt through his jeans.
As they walked to the door, Mydei noticed that Gorgo was already waiting for them, her crimson dress pooling around her like spilled wine.
Her gaze flicked immediately to Phainon’s hand hovering at the small of Mydei’s back, then to the way their shoulders brushed as they shuffled inside. "Ah," she said, smile sharpening. "So this is Phainon."
Phainon bowed and extended the wine with both hands like an offering. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Mydei speaks of you constantly," he lied smoothly, eyes gleaming when Mydei stiffened beside him. "He says you have exquisite taste."
Gorgo's lips twitched. She accepted the bottle with a hum, her gaze lingering on the way Phainon's thumb absently stroked the curve of Mydei's elbow.
"Does he?" She tilted her head, feigning innocence. "And yet he never mentioned you until yesterday. How…peculiar."
Phainon didn't miss a beat. "I'm shy," he deadpanned, pressing closer until Mydei could feel the heat radiating through his coat.
Gorgo's delighted laugh bounced off the foyer as she led the two deeper into the house, steering them with the grace of a general marching her troops to war.
They found Eurypon in the library, standing rigidly by the fireplace with a glass of amber liquor clenched in one fist. His gaze snapped to them like a trap springing shut, first to Gorgo's smug expression, then to Phainon's fingers laced through Mydei's. The glass cracked audibly in his grip.
"Good evening, Sir! I'm Phainon, Mydei's boyfriend. It's a pleasure to meet you," Phainon introduced himself with a polite smile, squeezing Mydei's fingers in his hands nervously.
Eurypon tried to keep his composure. His jaw worked silently for three agonizing seconds before he managed to unclench it. His grip on the shattered glass loosened, dripping liquor onto the expensive rug like blood from a fresh wound.
"Boyfriend." The word was flat and lifeless, as if he'd bitten into something rotten and was forcing himself to swallow. His gaze raked over Phainon's silver hair, his lavender scarf, the golden-yellow sweater peeking beneath his coat, lingering on every detail like a general assessing an enemy's armor.
Phainon just smiled. Not the cocky grin Mydei had come to expect, but it was softer and almost apologetic. He squeezed Mydei's hand lightly, brushing his knuckles in silent reassurance.
"Sir," he said with a respectful nod. His voice was steady despite the way Eurypon's glare could strip skin. "I understand this might be...unexpected."
Eurypon exhaled sharply through his nose, the sound of a man clinging to composure by his fingernails. "Unexpected," he repeated, voice low and dangerous. His gaze flicked to their joined hands again. "My son has never mentioned you."
Phainon's thumb absently traced idle circles over Mydei's knuckle. "We wanted it to be a surprise," he said smoothly, and Mydei could feel the lie vibrating through his ribs like a plucked string.
"We kept quiet until we were sure that we would last. But some things..." He mused tenderly, moving his gaze to the blond’s face with unexpected sincerity, and he blushed slightly as he uttered his next words. "They're worth waiting for."
Eurypon's face turned visibly purple. Gorgo coughed delicately into her wineglass, whether to hide laughter or genuine shock, Mydei couldn’t tell. His own pulse roared in his ears, loud enough he feared Phainon might feel it where their wrists pressed together.
That HKS was good. Too good. The way his voice cracked just slightly on the word "waiting," the way his lashes lowered as if he recalled some intimate moment, Mydei might have believed it himself if he hadn’t orchestrated this whole thing.
“Speaking of surprises," Mydei interjected before his father could explode. "Where’s Erinys? She was supposed to meet us here." The name tasted like ash on his tongue.
Gorgo sipped her wine, lips curling over the rim like a satisfied cat. "Oh, I canceled that arrangement the moment you called about bringing Phainon." She flicked a dismissive hand through the air. "No point subjecting the poor girl to this delightful mess."
Eurypon's knuckles whitened around his ruined glass. A vein pulsed at his temple, visibly throbbing beneath the skin.
For a horrifying moment, Mydei thought his father might actually lunge, but then Eurypon exhaled sharply through his nose, shoulders stiffening as he deliberately set the glass shards on the mantelshelf.
"Fine," he bit out. "We'll...discuss this later." The words were brittle, cracking under the weight of forced composure. His gaze lingered on their intertwined fingers like a man memorizing the shape of a noose before turning abruptly toward the hallway. "Dinner is at seven. Don't be late."
Gorgo clicked her tongue, unfazed. "Demetrios," she called lightly, and the butler materialized from the shadows near the staircase as if conjured by her whims. He was a tall man, his expression carefully neutral despite the tension crackling through the room. "Show the boys to Mydei's old quarters, would you?"
Phainon sighed in relief when Eurypon left, and even Mydei let out a breath he didn't notice he was holding. It felt like he'd been punched in the ribs.
His fingers twitched around Phainon's, suddenly hyper-aware of how warm they were, how calloused, how real they felt tangled with his own. It was ridiculous. He'd faced boardrooms, his father's rages, even a drunken frat boy swinging a broken bottle at him once. None of it had left him this unraveled.
Demetrios cleared his throat. He politely averted his gaze from their still-clasped hands.
"This way, gentlemen." He led them up the grand staircase, footsteps silent against the plush runner. The air smelled faintly of lemon polish and old money. It was all familiar and suffocating at the same time to Mydei.
Phainon leaned in as they climbed up, lips brushing Mydei’s ear. "Think I gave him an aneurysm?" His whisper sent a shiver down Mydei’s spine.
Before the blond could respond, Phainon’s fingers slid up his wrist, tracing the frantic pulse beneath his skin.
"You’re shaking," he said quietly, too low for Demetrios to hear. The pad of his thumb pressed into the delicate hollow of Mydei’s palm. "Adrenaline or me?"
Mydei yanked his hand free, heart hammering against his ribs.
"Don’t flatter yourself," he hissed, but the flush crawling up his neck betrayed him. Demetrios paused at the landing, pretending to adjust a painting’s crooked frame as Phainon smirked, crowding Mydei against the railing.
His knee slotted between Mydei’s thighs, and for one dizzying second, Mydei forgot to breathe.
Demetrios coughed pointedly. "Your quarters, young master." He gestured toward the oak door at the hall’s end, face carefully blank. Phainon stepped back with a look of false innocence, but not before his fingers trailed down Mydei’s arm, causing goosebumps to form on his skin.
Mydei’s childhood bedroom was exactly as he’d left it: sterile. A king-sized bed with gray linens, a polished mahogany desk, and not a single personal touch in sight. Even the bookshelf stood half empty, corporate law textbooks arranged in meticulous order.
Phainon whistled lowly, spinning in a slow circle as he inspected the room. "Cozy," he lied, toeing at the plush rug as if expecting it to bite. "Very…monastic."
Mydei pointedly ignored him. His gaze was locked onto his bed, then flicked to the closet where spare linens should’ve been.
He didn’t find anything when he inspected the closet. A trap, then. Gorgo’s doing, undoubtedly. He could almost hear her cackling from downstairs.
As if Phainon read his thoughts, he offered to sleep on the ground with exaggerated chivalry, already shrugging off his coat to fold into a makeshift pillow.
"Don’t worry," he murmured, kneeling to test the rug’s thickness with a grimace. "I’ve slept on worse." His sweater rode up as he stretched, revealing a sliver of toned stomach that Mydei pointedly ignored.
"We should…" Mydei swallowed, gesturing vaguely toward the door. His pulse still hadn’t steadied since their climb upstairs, and Phainon being in the same room with him wasn’t helping. "…talk about this after dinner."
Phainon paused mid-stretch, arms still raised as his sweater clung to the sharp lines of his torso. He grinned. "Oh? Were you planning to ravish me, or—"
"HKS!" Mydei yelled at him and pushed him onto the bed, his eyes wide with slight panic.
Phainon landed on his back with an undignified sprawl, silver hair fanning across Mydei’s pillowcase, his grin never faltering. Before he could retaliate, a knock echoed. Mydei froze mid-lunge, one hand still gripping Phainon’s collar.
"Darling," Gorgo’s voice sang through the door, honeyed and knowing. "Dinner’s in twenty minutes. Do try not to wrinkle your clothes too badly before then." Her footsteps retreated with deliberate slowness, giving them enough time to imagine her smirk.
Mydei released Phainon’s collar like it had burned him, scrambling backward until his back hit the desk. "We should…" He swallowed, gesturing toward the door once more. "Go downstairs. Now."
The Deliverer remained sprawled across the bed, one arm flung over his eyes. Whether he was trying to hide his laughter or give Mydei the illusion of privacy, it was impossible to tell. The rise and fall of his chest was suspiciously even for someone who had just been manhandled onto a mattress.
At some point, he peeked out from beneath his forearm, lashes fluttering deliberately slow to appear as if he hadn’t just pushed Mydei’s buttons.
"You’re the one who attacked me," Phainon pointed out, voice thick with suppressed mirth.
He sat up slowly, deliberately adjusting the rumpled collar of his sweater where Mydei’s fingers had twisted the fabric. "Though if you wanted me horizontal, darling, all you had to do was ask."
Mydei’s hand twitched toward the nearest heavy object before he caught himself.
"If you don’t shut up," he hissed through gritted teeth, "I will strangle you with that ridiculous scarf of yours and blame it on seasonal allergies."
“You wouldn’t!” He gasped in mock offense, but decided to comply for now, rising from the bed with fluid grace and straightening his sweater. His fingers lingered at the hollow of his throat where the fabric had shifted, exposing his sun shaped tattoo on his neck where Mydei's gaze inadvertently fell to.
"Lead the way, honey," he said with a smile, holding the door open in a way that made Mydei’s eye twitch.
They descended the stairs in tense silence, the scent of roasted lamb and spiced wine growing stronger with each step. Mydei could hear the clink of cutlery from the dining room, which he recognized as a sign of Eurypon’s barely-contained rage. Gorgo’s laugh rang out like a bell, bright and unbothered, and the blond wondered not for the first time how his parents had lasted this long.
Phainon noticed his fake boyfriend's tension, and brushed his fingers over the small of Mydei’s back as they reached the landing. The touch was deliberately featherlight, but comforting nonetheless.
"Breathe," he whispered, lips barely moving. "Or your father’s going to think I kidnapped you." His thumb pressed into the dip of Mydei’s spine, grounding him, and Mydei hated how his shoulders relaxed instinctively at the touch.
The dining room looked like a battlefield, but dressed in linen and crystal instead. Eurypon sat rigid at the head of the table, his untouched wineglass reflecting the chandelier’s cold light. Gorgo lounged to his left, lazily swirling her Cabernet, which was the one Phainon had chosen. Her eyes flicked to them, and she smiled slightly at their closeness.
Phainon squeezed Mydei’s hip before pulling out his chair like a true gentleman.
“Your son is a terrible host,” he sighed as he sat down on the seat beside Mydei with practiced ease, who stared at him in disbelief. “Didn’t even offer me a tour.”
His knee knocked against Mydei’s under the table, lingering just a second too long to be an accident.
Eurypon shot him a warning glare, but Phainon ignored it, spearing a perfectly seared scallop with his fork instead. He held it up to the light, examining it like a jeweler appraising a diamond.
“Though I suppose if he had shown me around, we would have never made it to dinner.” He chuckled and put the scallop into his mouth with a smirk.
It had the effect he most likely desired: Mydei choked on his water, while Gorgo tried to muffle her delighted snort behind her napkin.
Eurypon's grip on his knife on the other hand turned his knuckles bone-white. “Is that so,” he gritted out, still glaring at Phainon.
Phainon leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. Mydei knew it was a breach of etiquette Eurypon would normally eviscerate someone for, but this was part of their plan.
Or maybe just Phainon’s.
“Oh, absolutely,” the silver-haired said cheerfully, twirling his fork. “Your son’s got taste. I mean—” His grin sharpened as he nudged Mydei’s ankle under the table. “Unless he didn’t tell you that he liked men?"
Mydei turned redder than the Cabernet inside Gorgo’s glass.
“HKS!” He cursed and kicked Phainon’s shin hard enough to make him yelp, but the damage was done. Eurypon’s nostrils flared like a bull smelling blood.
Gorgo, the traitor, was practically vibrating with glee, her wine sloshing dangerously as she failed to smother her laughter into her napkin.
And Phainon, he smiled as usual, boyish and charming, rubbing his shin with exaggerated pain while his other hand found Mydei’s knee under the table. He squeezed it once reassuringly, causing Mydei's breath to hitch.
Why did he lose his goddamn mind so much over every touch? He must be going mad.
That was the moment it struck Mydei: somewhere between the Deliverer’s ridiculous scarf and the way his thumb kept tracing circles on the blond’s skin, this had stopped being an act.
Somewhere between the car ride and the way Phainon’s voice cracked when he said, “worth waiting for,” Mydei had fallen hard.
The realization of how easily Phainon played him, how effortlessly he slipped under Mydei’s ribs and curled there like he belonged, pained him. He wanted to shove him away, to scream, to kiss him until neither of them could breathe.
Instead, he stabbed his fork into a roasted potato with unnecessary force, the clatter of silverware loud in the deafening silence. Across the table, his mother’s smirk deepened.
She knew.
Of course, she knew.
"You should stop chaining our son," Gorgo said suddenly, swirling her wine with careful nonchalance. The words landed like a bomb in the middle of the table.
Mydei’s fork froze halfway to his lips, and even Phainon stilled, fingers tightening around his glass. Gorgo tilted her head, gaze flicking between Eurypon’s thunderous expression and Mydei’s stunned silence.
"He’s not a racehorse you can saddle with your ambitions," she continued, voice light but edged with steel. "Or a puppet to dress up with whatever bride you fancy." Her nails tapped against the table. "Look at him. Really look."
Eurypon’s jaw clenched. His eyes darted to Mydei giving his son a proper look for once. He noticed the flush that still lingered on his son's cheeks, and observed the way his thumb kept brushing Phainon’s wrist under the table like he couldn’t help himself.
Something in his father’s face twisted before he spat: "You think this," he gestured sharply at Phainon, who raised an eyebrow at him, "is what he chooses?"
Mydei stood up so abruptly his chair screeched against the ground.
"Yes," he almost shouted, his voice booming so loud that it felt like he had dropped a bag of pomegranates, each one of them spilling open.
"I chose him. I choose this," he confirmed, glaring daggers at his father.
His hand found Phainon’s shoulder, gripping hard enough to bruise. "I choose not to spend the rest of my life choking on your expectations. I’m done."
The silence that followed was oppressive, causing even Gorgo to hold her breath. Phainon’s fingers curled around Mydei’s wrist soothingly.
Eurypon exhaled sharply through his nose.
"Fine," he hissed as he set his fork down with precision.
"You want to throw away your birthright for some…whim?" Eurypon asked, his voice dripping with venom. "Then you will do it penniless. No trust fund. No shares. No name. Let’s see how long love lasts when you’re sleeping in a studio apartment eating instant noodles."
Phainon chuckled dangerously before Mydei could open his mouth. He laced their fingers together atop the table, thumb stroking the ridge of Mydei’s knuckles.
"Funny you assume I’d let him suffer," he mused, tilting his head. The chandelier caught the silver in his hair, the gold in his eyes, completely stealing the breath out of Mydei at that moment. The way the light hit him made him look almost ethereal.
If he was able to give his heart away, he would place it in Phainon's hands without hesitation, telling him to keep it close and never let go.
"Mydei can stay with me for as long as he wants. Forever, if he likes," he promised, his voice dropping low like an intimate kiss against Mydei’s temple. "I may not possess as much wealth as you do, but I have enough love to spare for a lifetime."
Eurypon’s wineglass shattered against the sideboard, but Mydei had eyes on Phainon and Phainon only. He just…promised him forever, just like that. And they weren’t even properly dating yet!
Gorgo clapped in delight. "Bravo!" she crowed, toasting Phainon with her own glass. "I do love a man who knows how to commit."
Mydei didn’t wait for his father’s inevitable explosion. He grabbed Phainon’s wrist in a panic, and dragged him toward the staircase.
"We’re leaving first thing tomorrow," he announced, voice cracking. The words tasted like freedom and terror in equal measure. Phainon stumbled after him, laughing breathlessly, his fingers twisting to grip Mydei’s hand instead, palm warm and sure against his.
Upstairs, Mydei slammed the bedroom door shut and leaned against it, chest heaving. Phainon crowded into his space, so close that he could see the golden flecks in his blue eyes, but didn’t touch him.
"You," the blond rasped, "are insane." He could hear his pulse roaring in his ears. He still couldn’t believe that Phainon successfully managed to torch his inheritance with a smirk and a promise of forever, like it was nothing.
Like he was worth it.
Phainon grinned victoriously and shoved Mydei backward onto the bed before he could react. He followed, straddling his hips with practiced ease, knees bracketing Mydei’s thighs. “I guess this means mission accomplished?" Phainon teased, fingers tracing the rapid flutter of Mydei’s pulse. His weight was warm, solid.
Real.
Mydei knew he was blushing, and he swallowed audibly as he looked into those bright, sky-blue eyes. Phainon's fingertips felt hot against his skin, like he was burning with the intensity of a million tiny flames, but he didn’t think it was an unpleasant experience.
Then the silver-haired bent down, slow and deliberate. His lips softly brushed Mydei’s before pulling back just far enough to mumble, "Tell me to stop."
His breath ghosted over Mydei’s mouth, and he felt his own breath stutter, caught somewhere between protest and the undeniable truth of Phainon’s hips pressing into his own.
His weight, his heat, his scent, cedar and something citrusy, short-circuited any rational thought. The blond's hands, which had instinctively gripped Phainon’s forearms, tightened without him even realizing. The words tangled in his throat, but "stop" never made it past his lips.
Phainon kissed him again, soft at first, then firmer and deeper—until Mydei’s pulse was a drumbeat against his ribs.
His fingers curled into the fabric of Phainon’s sweater, pulling him closer without meaning to, his body betraying him long before his pride could.
The kiss unexpectedly tasted like pomegranate juice and reckless choices, like the last bite of something forbidden. Phainon exhaled through his nose, a quiet laugh ghosting against Mydei’s lips before he pulled back to smile at him with pure reverence.
"You’re shaking again," Phainon noticed, pressing his thumb to the corner of Mydei’s kiss-swollen mouth. His voice was rough, but his touch was unbelievably tender, treating Mydei like he was something fragile, something precious.
His stomach somersaulted again.
"This wasn't…part of our agreement," Mydei pointed out breathlessly, but he wasn't complaining.
He felt like he was inside a sweet dream, and once he woke up, he'd still be in his dorm room, contemplating his life choices.
"Do you regret any of this?" Phainon asked, pulling back just far enough for Mydei to see the way his eyelashes cast shadows across his cheeks in the dim light. His thumb still rested against Mydei’s lower lip, pressing lightly as if to remind him that this, whatever this was, was real. The question hovered between them, fragile as the dust motes drifting in the lamplight.
Instead of answering right away, Mydei laughed breathlessly, unable to stop himself. The sound seemed to startle Phainon too, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Only that I didn’t talk to you sooner," Mydei admitted, voice raw. He could feel the confession clawing its way out of him, thinking that he should be honest for once.
"All those P.E. classes where we competed… I spent hours coming up with excuses to bump into you after. You were always surrounded by people. I thought you’d never notice me."
This time it was Phainon's breath that hitched. His fingers traced over the red lines on Mydei's body, like he was trying to memorize the shape of them and him.
"Are you kidding?" he whispered in disbelief. "I broke my personal best in hurdles just to make you look at me. Dropped my water bottle on purpose next to your bench, twice, hoping you’d say something." He huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "You were so focused on winning, you didn’t even glance at me."
Mydei’s heart stuttered again. He remembered the way Phainon had collapsed dramatically after the 400-meter dash, sprawled across the finish line like a starfish on the beach, and how he had lingered by the equipment shed, stretching longer than necessary whenever Mydei was nearby.
"You idiot," Mydei breathed, hands clenching in Phainon’s sweater. "I thought you were mocking me."
All this time neither of them noticed that they were pining for each other. Mydei should feel frustrated, but he found warmth spreading through his body instead.
Mydei heard the man, who was still sitting on top of him, snort. He felt his weight shift, pressing the blond deeper into the mattress.
"Mocking you? I was begging. Every time you beat me in sprints, I prayed you’d gloat just so I could hear you talk," Phainon confessed in that damning way that made Mydei's face heat up like a furnace.
Then he rolled them sideways with a warm chuckle, and arranged Mydei against his chest like he was something precious, arms wrapping around him with surprising possessiveness. Their weight felt grounding, solid, and more real than anything else in the room. Mydei could feel his heartbeat beneath his ribs, steady and sure against his own frantic pulse.
The fading adrenaline was leaving him boneless and breathless against Phainon’s chest. His fingers curled into the fabric of the yellow sweater, gripping tight as if he was afraid his now real boyfriend would disappear if he let go.
The room spun slightly when he closed his eyes, the events of the evening crashing into him all at once. He remembered his father’s fury, his mother’s silent approval, and Phainon's reckless promise of forever.
He felt said man shift beneath him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"Should we change into something more comfortable? Or are you too attached?" Phainon's voice was soft and teasing, but Mydei could feel the way his fingers trembled where they traced idle patterns against his back.
Mydei groaned into Phainon's collarbone partly because he was exhausted, but also how embarrassed he was at how easily he had folded into him, but Phainon only laughed and hauled him upright, ignoring his protests.
His boyfriend rummaged through his overnight bag one-handed, refusing to let go of Mydei's wrist, and produced a ludicrously oversized shirt with faded ink stains on the sleeves.
"Here," he said, shaking it out with a flourish. "Proof I was in the art club. Also proof I can't do laundry," he said with a toothy grin, helping Mydei to change into it.
The shirt smelled faintly of turpentine and Phainon's cedar cologne. Mydei wrinkled his nose but didn't resist when Phainon tugged his sweater off, fingers skimming his ribs.
He watched as Phainon stripped down to his boxers, which were colored in a dark purple, before flopping back onto the bed with exhaustion. The mattress dipped under his weight, tilting Mydei toward him.
Tomorrow, he was going to think about Phainon's offhand promise of forever. Tomorrow, he would process Eurypon’s threat of leaving him broke.
But tonight, Phainon's bare shoulder pressed warm against his own, ink-stained shirt pooling around his hips. Tonight, Phainon mumbled something about Mydei stealing blankets in his sleep, already half-gone. His sun tattoo seemed to glow in the dark, reflecting the way Phainon showed him the light at the end of a long tunnel.
Mydei shifted, hesitantly tucking himself against Phainon’s side—an experimental curl of limbs, testing the waters of this new reality where he was allowed to touch. Phainon exhaled through his nose, arm looping around Mydei’s waist to drag him closer with sleep-slurred possessiveness. His heartbeat thudded steady against his palm where it rested against his chest.
Something stirred within Mydei, and he pressed a fleeting kiss to the bridge of Phainon’s nose. He saw how his lips twitched into a small smile, but his eyes remained closed.
"Good night, Phainon,” Mydei whispered, the words tasting unfamiliar in his mouth because now they were laced with the weight of belonging.
Phainon hummed, drowsy and content, his fingers tightening where they were tangled in the hem of Mydei’s borrowed shirt.
"Night, agapiméne,” he murmured back, the Greek endearment slipping out like a secret.
Mydei’s breath caught. He knew that word, he had heard Gorgo whisper it to Eurypon in rare moments of truce.
Beloved.
The realization curled hot under his ribs, settling somewhere between his lungs.
Sleep found Mydei easily that night, and he dreamed of laughing next to a boy with silver hair and bright blue eyes. In his dream, they laced their fingers together on a vast meadow, and he heard Phainon’s voice tease,”You’re stuck with me now!"
The dream bled into warmth and the weight of Phainon’s arm still slung over his waist.
It was the kind of dream that felt like a promise, like the first page of something new.