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“It's snowing!”
Mydei looks up from where he's folding clothes to see Phainon pressing his face up on the window of their cottage in childlike wonder. Winter had begun to settle in during the past few days, so snow had been set to fall any day soon. Something that his husband had been eagerly waiting for.
“That so?” Mydei hums as he turns back to his task. Their little abode is already in a festive mood, with sparkly baubles hanging from the ceiling, fairy lights draped over the living room, and their radio, connected to the Interplanet Radio Station, playing holiday-appropriate songs all day since last week. “Let's head out once I'm done here.”
Phainon looks back to beam at him, wide and happy and free, and Mydei finds himself falling in love with him all over again. One would think that thirty-three million times was more than enough, but no, not for Mydei’s heart and soul. He'd been overjoyed to find Phainon at the Exotale after being plagued by fears that he'd do something so self-sacrificing that there was no coming back from him. But there he was, standing with his back to him, gaze locked on the nebula above them.
It had been an awkward reunion, with the two of them so overcome with emotion that they had no idea how to express them without breaking down, but they made it work. They started making plans together, following up on their promise, made so many recurrences ago, to meet at Mydei's library. Then, Phainon went one step further by expressing his wish to meet Mydei's parents.
And the rest, as they say, was history.
They courted for seven years in the Exotale and got married the moment Amphoreus turned into a reality. With all their family and friends behind them, Phainon and Mydei stood at the altar and shared a kiss that sealed a new beginning in their relationship. No longer were they the Deliverer of Amphoreus and the Crown Prince of Castrum Kremnos, but Mydei's Phainon and Phainon's Mydei.
They had their wedding in Aedes Elysiae during the springtime, stayed in Castrum Kremnos in the first half of summer as their new house was being built, and moved into this haven of theirs during the late summer. It was located somewhere between Okhema and Castrum Kremnos, nearer to Aidonia. It had been Phainon's request, something he mentioned as they cuddled on top of the picnic blanket and gazed at the stars. He wanted them to live somewhere where they could experience all four seasons of Amphoreus.
Mydei had liked the idea, so he went to his parents and gently informed them that he would be moving out. He had an entire speech prepared, saying that this was not something he would budge on and that they were free to remove him from the crown prince position, but he didn't get further than five sentences before he was smothered with hugs from both his mother and father. They whispered assurances to him, telling him they understood, and of course, he was free to move out.
(“You've carried a burden no other prince of Kremnos has carried before,” Eurypon said, “You've done your duty, Mydeimos. It's about time you put yourself and your happiness first.”
“Your father is right,” Gorgo added, running an affectionate thumb on his cheek. “Of course you'll still be Kremnos' prince, Mydeimos, no matter how far you go. We’ll be waiting for you here. Just make sure you and Phainon visit us at least once a month, alright? Or your father's gonna wither away.”
“Gorgo!” Eurypon protested, but noticeably didn't deny her teasing, making Mydei huff in amusement as he buried his face into their shoulders, hiding the growing smile on his face.)
When Mydei informed Phainon of the development as they got ready for bed in Mydei's private quarters, he smiled so wistfully even as he perked up with hope. As if a peaceful life with his husband was something he didn't think he'd get to have, not after thirty-three million cycles of sacrifice and suffering. Mydei would give Phainon the world if he could, so this was nothing. When he told his husband as much, Phainon tackled him to the bed and gave Mydei a night to remember.
He still recalled the way Phainon's voice had gone low and rough with arousal as he praised and worshiped every part of his body. It felt like he was back on their wedding night, with Phainon thrusting roughly into his heat, just the way he liked it, all the while pressing soft and affectionate kisses on Mydei’s tear-stained face. When Mydei woke up the next day, he was mortified to discover that he’d lost his voice.
And so, Mydei had been relieved of his duties as crown prince, though his parents insisted that he keep the title. Then, with both of their parents’ help, he and Phainon looked for a place where their new house could be built; somewhere quiet and far away from the bustling environments of Okhema and Castrum Kremnos.
So here they were, nearly a year after their wedding, about to experience their first snow as a married couple.
“Hey, Mydei,” Phainon calls, and when their eyes meet, there’s a mischievous smirk on his face. Oh no. Mydei can guess what he's about to say next. “I bet I can make a better snowman than you could.”
What a preposterous idea. It makes Mydei scoff. “Hmph. You're on.”
Phainon nearly vibrates out of his skin as he patiently waits for his husband to finish. He's already out the door the moment Mydei puts away the last item like an excitable puppy, making Mydei huff in amusement. He follows after him, grabbing a thick scarf, a pair of gloves, and a thicker robe; his careless husband was only wearing his thin pajamas. “Phainon, wait.”
“Hm? What is it?” he asks, turning back instantly, cheeks flushed red from the cold, like he can't bear to ignore Mydei even in the face of his excitement. In fact, if he looks more closely he can almost see a fluffy white tail wagging like crazy behind him. It makes Mydei pause and take another look at him.
Phainon stands in the middle of their front yard, letting snow fall on his shoulders without a care in the world, and already, his sleep shirt is damp. The view nearly makes Mydei melt with fondness.
He steps forward and throws the red scarf over his husband's shoulders, wrapping it around his neck securely. He hands Phainon the gloves, which he puts on dazedly. Then, Mydei coaxes him into the bright yellow robe and ties the belt into a cute bow.
Once secured, he wraps his arms around his husband's neck, and Phainon is quick to do the same to his waist.
“You should be more careful. You might freeze out here,” Mydei whispers, bringing their foreheads together. Phainon nearly goes cross-eyed trying to meet his eyes, and the sight is so adorable that he has to give him a fond peck.
Phainon shrieks, like he's an adolescent boy who just received his first kiss and not Mydei's literal husband. Mydei watches as his face turns even redder, thoroughly amused at the sight.
“Mydei,” Phainon whines when a few chuckles slip through, burying his face into his neck. He nuzzles his cold nose against the juncture between his neck and shoulder, and the sensation nearly makes him shiver. “No fair. Are you trying to sabotage me from making the best snowman in Amphoreus?”
Mydei scowls playfully, shoving him away. “Are you accusing me of cheating?” He gives Phainon a sharp poke on his stomach, where Mydei knows he's secretly ticklish. Phainon flinches, and he covers the spot, pouting. “It's not my fault you're still so easily affected. We've been married for months now. We've been kissing far longer than that.”
“How can I not be affected when the most beautiful man in Amphoreus is kissing and smiling at me like—like that,” Phainon protests, flapping his free hand at Mydei almost hysterically.
“Like what?” Mydei tilts his head innocently, batting his eyelashes. He knows this particular combination drives his husband insane, especially in bed. It's so fun to tease Phainon. In the almost year they've been married and actually living together, Mydei has begun to understand why Phainon liked pulling out reactions from him so much.
Phainon sputters, even as his eyes darken with lust. Ha, he was so easy. And to think there had actually been a time when Mydei thought Phainon didn't want him back. “You—you're so,” he trails off, having gotten distracted with his ogling. Suddenly, his face crumples with horror. “Wait, Mydei, you aren't bundled up yet!”
Mydei blinks at the sudden break in the mood, then rolls his eyes fondly. “Yes, because I had to chase down a certain HKS who wasn't bundled up either.”
Phainon frowns, and Mydei quickly pinches his cheek before he can say anything self-deprecating. It's a vulnerability he's finally started to show during their time in the Exotale, no longer bottling up his negative thoughts to himself. Well, Mydei's working on it, listening to every precious piece of information he shared while slowly coaxing his husband out of that self-blaming mindset.
It's not an easy thing to undo: thirty-three million cycles of self-hatred. However, Mydei has never backed down from a challenge, and he has never given up on anyone—and he’s not going to start with his husband. Besides, he knows he’ll succeed. With them, it’s always only a matter of time. Phainon loves him, even married him, so he'll listen to Mydei if he knows what's good for him.
“None of that. I wanted to,” Mydei says, kissing him on the cheek. Phainon sniffles, understanding, expression clearing bit by bit. He knows now; just as Mydei has chosen to entrust him with his weakness again and again, Mydei has also chosen to run after him today despite his light clothing. Phainon knows now to trust Mydei with his choices.
“I'll go back inside and change. Wait for me, then we can have our challenge.”
When Mydei returns, now wearing a blue scarf and a purple robe, he sees his husband sticking out like a sore thumb—what with his bright scarf and robe—kneeling and already starting on his snowman's base.
Now wait a moment.
“Who's the cheater now?” Mydei demands, tapping his foot in irritation.
Phainon jumps, looking back to give him a sheepish look, holding his hands up. “Now, before you get mad at me, I want you to look over there.”
Mydei looks in the direction he’s pointing at, and is unimpressed to see a snow chimera smiling at him. It is pretty cute, though he’ll never admit it out loud. Phainon had managed to make its head exactly round and bald, reminding him of a certain chimera—
“Is that Fig Stew?” Mydei narrows his eyes at it. Chimeras cannot handle the cold winter climate, they were disheartened to know, so during last month’s visit to Castrum Kremnos, they’d left Fig Stew and Beagle Coconut in the care of Mydei’s parents, much to their delight.
(Audata and Hieronymus had gotten wind of it somehow and called Phainon up, pouting. They had also managed to extract a promise from their son that they could count on them next time they needed a babysitter.
“Do you think we wouldn’t be happy to take care of our grandchildren?” Audata scolded, her face set in a playful scowl through the teleslate screen. Then her scowl transforms into a smile when she spots him. “And hello, Mydei dear, has our Phainon been good to you?”
“Grandchildren?” Phainon gawked. “Ma, they’re chimeras. And of course I’ve been good to Mydei!”
“He’s the best,” Mydei answered honestly, flustering Phainon even more. He and Audata shared a conspirational smirk as his cheeks flushed red.
“That’s good! Tell me if ever you two fight, alright? I’ll be sure to take your side,” She winked at him, making Phainon sputter. “And of course they’re my grandchildren, Phainon. It’s not like you’ve gotten Mydei pregnant yet… unless?”
It was Mydei’s turn to flush red while Phainon froze. His mouth hung open, and Mydei’s tempted to reach out and close it when he shuddered back to life. “Ma!” He whines. “You—you can’t just say that! It hasn’t even been a year!”
Audata had burst into peals of laughter, and Mydei was struck with the realization that she and Phainon laugh the same way: their head thrown back and a hand each on their chest and hip. It makes him smile.
Suddenly, the camera shifted and they’re face-to-face with Hieronymus, who's looking to the side. “I think you’ve teased these poor boys enough, Audata.” Then he took one look at Phainon and Mydei and laughed. “Ignore her, boys. Now tell me, how are your crops doing?”)
Phainon jumps up and rushes the snow chimera’s side, puffing his chest proudly. “It looks just like him, doesn’t it? You can even pet his head!” And Mydei proceeds to watch his husband pet the snow chimera’s round head like it was Fig Stew himself.
“How did you make that so quickly?” Mydei asks, pulling out his teleslate. He holds it up and opens the camera, making sure his husband is in the center of the frame. “Smile.”
Phainon poses readily; he holds out a peace sign and sticks his tongue out playfully. Mydei is in the middle of making the picture into his new wallpaper when he answers, “Heh. Don’t you know Mydei? I was Aedes Elysiae’s snowman-making champion ten times in a row!”
“There’s no snow in Aedes Elysiae,” Mydei says flatly, calling out the blatant lie. He joins his husband, taking the snow chimera’s other side. He holds up his phone for a selfie, and they both smile at the teleslate as Mydei snaps a photo. “Stop lying.”
“I’m not!” Phainon insists as he circles the snow chimera to snake his arms around Mydei’s waist, hooking his head on his shoulder as he cuddles him from behind. “Cyrene and I used to sneak into the fairies’ home and they’d make snow for us when they wanted to play build-a-snowman. Oh! That’s a nice picture! Send it to me.”
Mydei peers closer at the photo, then flushes and elbows his husband. “You’re such a sap. You were supposed to look at the camera.”
While Mydei had been smiling at the camera, Phainon’s eyes were glued to Mydei’s face, an adoring smile on his lips. It amazes him sometimes, how obvious Phainon’s affection for him was.
“And miss out on one of Amphoreus’ top ten most beautiful faces?” Phainon teases, pressing a kiss on Mydei’s cheek. It’s Mydei’s turn to be flustered it seems, a reversal of the flirting Mydei had initiated earlier. “No thank you.”
“HKS,” Mydei huffs, then bends down. Phainon watches curiously, but he catches on quick when he sees Mydei scoop up enough snow to roll into a ball. “You have five seconds.”
“Wait!” Phainon laughs, already running for shelter. He runs in front of a wall and his eyes widen when Mydei throws the snowball so hard that it explodes on the wall next to Phainon’s head, leaving smoke behind. “Holy Kephale—that could’ve killed me!”
“No, it couldn’t,” Mydei denies calmly, readying his next snowball. Phainon eeps, rushing to hide behind a tree trunk this time. “Brace yourself, husband. We shall have a duel to the death.”
“Er, I don’t think anyone’s supposed to die in a snowball fight,” Phainon protests as he kneels to hurriedly make a snow barricade. It’s sloppy, already about to collapse on itself, and Mydei sniffs condescendingly at the sight. “I didn’t think you’d be this mad!”
“Not mad at all,” Mydei throws his next snowball, and it hits Phainon’s shoulder this time. His husband goes down with a loud and dramatic ‘Argh!’, conveniently hiding him behind the barrier. Mydei takes the opportunity to shift his position, somewhere not too close to Phainon’s throwing range.
It puts him at a disadvantage, but Mydei has always been better at spear throwing just as Phainon was better with a greatsword. Besides, his arm strength is not to be underestimated. He did pull out the Sky Titan with his bare strength alone.
“I think I know what this is about,” Phainon calls, still hidden. “You knew you couldn’t win our snowman challenge so you’re trying to distract me with a snowball fight! I see how it is!”
Mydei doesn’t even bother to answer the utterly ridiculous accusation, knowing it was, ironically, an attempt at distraction. His next throw obliterates the sloppy barricade, but his husband manages to roll away from the attack. He whistles, impressed at the mess Mydei caused.
“Stop projecting and face me!”
“Come closer, then!”
They spend the next few minutes pelting snowballs at each other, giggling brightly as they get damper, their snowballs managing to catch each other multiple times and mostly making a mess of their front yard. Mydei’s nearly out of breath from laughing too hard when he manages to throw a snowball into Phainon’s mouth, leaving him struggling to spit it out.
Their impromptu snowball fight ends when Phainon runs towards him and catches Mydei in a reckless tackle. Too distracted, Mydei hadn’t noticed his advance until it was too late, and they both groan as they hit the cold, snowy ground.
“Why,” Mydei groans, and Phainon hides his face in Mydei’s neck, still shamelessly lounging on top of him. He starts kissing Mydei’s neck, lapping at the skin tinged red with the cold.
“You’re so sexy, Mydei,” Phainon informs him as soon as he unlatches. Mydei’s pretty sure a bruise in the shape of his mouth is forming on his neck now. He brushes his nose against Mydei’s neck, sighing, “It should be illegal.”
“Don’t try to flirt with me when your nose is as red as the reindeer’s in that radio song,” Mydei scolds him, though he does turn his head towards him, kissing Phainon on the corner of his mouth. “It’s not arousing at all.”
“Rude,” Phainon pouts and flops to the side, no longer pinning Mydei with his weight. He adjusts until he’s also on his back and they’re both looking at the clouds in the sky.
They’re quiet for a few moments, both of them catching their breath from the rather intense snowball fight. Suddenly, Phainon reaches out to intertwine their hands and says, “Did you know that making snow angels as a couple blesses them with a long and happy marriage? Let's make one!”
Mydei blinks, turning to his husband. “What? Says who?” he asks incredulously.
“Says me!” Phainon beams at him. “I made it up just now.”
“You’re so…” Mydei sighs in fond exasperation, cutting himself off as Phainon’s smile gets so wide, his eyes are practically crescents. He seems really eager to make one, and who was Mydei to deny his husband happiness? “Alright, let’s make one.”
“Yay!”
They make one right there, flapping their arms and legs like a pair of maniacs until two shapes in the vague form of angels appear. They get up to study their work, Phainon borrowing Mydei’s teleslate and snapping picture after picture, when his husband suddenly sneezes.
“Feeling cold?” Mydei asks, immediately moving to rub his husband’s arm. Phainon doesn’t answer, but only continues to smile at the two snow angels. His eyes are strangely distant, and the sight alerts Mydei that his husband has fallen into a melancholic mood.
He gets into these moods sometimes, especially after a period where he’s full of energy and joy. It gets him thinking, the gears in his brain whirring full-time, and all Mydei can do is be there and get through it with him. He laces their fingers together. “Phainon?”
“I think winter might be my favorite season,” Phainon whispers, like he’s spilling a dark, shameful secret. “It’s so cold, and the freezing temperature makes my skin tingle. So different from the heat.”
Mydei stays quiet, knowing from experience that it’s best for him to listen as Phainon talks. Interrupting him will only make him retreat into his shell. So he waits and shuffles closer, laying his head on Phainon’s shoulder.
Phainon reciprocates by squishing his face into Mydei’s hair. “After thirty-three million cycles of nothing but the blazing heat from the coreflames… did you know I visited your library as Khaslana? I think it was a cycle where Eurypon was watching over the Strife coreflame instead of you because…” he swallows, then continues in a small voice, “I had killed you before you could inherit it.”
Mydei nods, showing that he’s listening. They’ve had a long talk about Mydei’s deaths during their courting years and had resolved nearly all the underlying issues that came with it, for both Mydei and Phainon, but he knows that talking about it still doesn’t come easy to his kind and oh so loving husband.
He’s already heard of this story before, but he still listens closely as Phainon goes on, “I visited your library after taking the coreflame, and I barely set my eyes on the pages when they started to catch fire. That’s how hot I was, Mydei. The blazing inferno within me could no longer be contained… and I burned your precious library because of my weakness.
“I really, really, hate the heat,” Phainon reveals hoarsely, and the tone makes Mydei’s heart ache as he clings closer to his husband. “I hate the summer. I hate looking at fires, but… I especially hated it during that moment. I have never felt the urge to destroy myself as much as I did watching your treasury go up in flames. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Mydei says, breaking his own rule. He pulls away from Phainon’s shoulder to reach up and cup his face in his hands. “It’s not your fault, Phainon. It never was. And you’re not weak, I know this because you’re my husband.”
Phainon’s dull eyes spark with amusement, and his lips twitch briefly. “You mean that I’m strong because you would never marry someone weak?”
“Don’t put it that way,” Mydei tuts gently, giving his cheek a little pinch. “I meant that, every time I started combat training during those cycles, I somehow always managed to rise above even my most veteran soldiers, defeating every one of them in a spar. I found myself wishing for an equal, a partner that could match me… and then I met you.”
“Yeah?” Phainon says, wobbly, eyes stinging with tears. “Made you fall in love with me during our first clash?”
“You did,” Mydei answers firmly, much to Phainon’s shock. When Hephaestion had introduced to him the concept of romance, weaving story after story of two individuals meeting and falling in love, he’d thought that the concept of love at first sight was utterly ridiculous. He was right, but he’d been fully unprepared by the concept of love at first clash, something that had struck him so abruptly during their ten-day duel. “I could sense your kindness right away, and your genuine wish to take my people and me in and treat us as equals, though you went at Aglaea’s behest. That’s how I knew you weren’t weak despite the rumors flying around that the Deliverer was a naive country boy under Aglaea’s spell. I was captivated by you.”
“Mydeimos…” Phainon sniffs, wrapping Mydei up in a tight hug. “I loved you then, too. Your determination to do right by your people, the fierceness in the way you demanded their equal treatment… it moved me. Of course, you did. You were the proud lion of Castrum Kremnos, head held high and mighty. Who wouldn’t fall in love with you, then?”
They stare into each other’s eyes, moving closer and closer until their lips finally connect. They spend a few minutes kissing, pouring every unsaid affection into each other’s mouths. Eventually, they separate, a thin string of saliva connecting them before it breaks.
“I think winter might be my favorite season, too,” Mydei says, breathless. He’s unable to look away from his husband’s bright blue eyes, made even bluer in the white of the snow falling and piling up around them. The melancholy has begun to fade away and is instead replaced by warm tenderness.
“You like the cold, too? But Mydei, you always hog the blankets at night.” Phainon says, and Mydei pinches his red and slightly runny nose for the teasing.
He ignores Phainon’s muffled whining to say, “The snow reminds me of you. I look at it and think of your hair. I look at the sky and I think of your eyes. I think it’s wonderful to have a constant reminder of my husband.”
Mydei finally lets go of his nose, now even redder, and the cute sight makes him unable to resist kissing it. But Phainon doesn’t even notice with the way he’s gaping speechlessly at Mydei. Ha. People have always said that Phainon was the one better with words between the two of them, and while that was true, Mydei was no slob either. He can seduce people with words when he wants to as well, especially his silly husband.
He’s proven right when he feels something hard poking at his hip. He chuckles, bringing Phainon’s face closer, lashes lowered as he whispers, “I’m feeling cold, husband. Warm me up in bed?”
His husband’s eyes are red-rimmed from the tears he refused to let fall earlier, but the sparkle and arousal in his eyes tell Mydei he’s in a better headspace now. Phainon proves him right by eagerly scooping him up into a bridal carry, making Mydei yelp as he tries to regain his balance.
“I can’t believe you, Mydei,” Phainon scolds as he rushes back to their cottage. “First, you tell me the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard, and then you seduce me? What about my poor heart?”
“You’ll survive,” Mydei says blithely, reaching down to cup the bulge straining through his jeans. “You complain about your poor heart, but your cock is surely full of energy.”
Phainon groans, nearly stumbling as he pivots into the hallway leading to their room. “I’m going to wreck you, Mydei. I swear you’ll be warm for the rest of your life.”
Mydei shivers, knowing his husband has never failed to keep a promise. Still, he’s not going to back down. “Prove it, then.”
Phainon unlocks the door and throws him on the bed, quickly shucking off his robe and gloves to press hot, desperate kisses against his mouth. Mydei can feel his lips curling into a smug smile before he surrenders to the onslaught of affection, the rest of the night blurring into just the two of them and the warmth of intimacy between husband and husband.
When Mydei wakes the next morning, he discovers his body aches in the best way when he stretches and yawns right next to his still-asleep husband. His mouth is wide open with exhaustion and his neck his littered with bites. And if Mydei were to look at his back, he’s sure he’d find red lines from where Mydei had raked his nails when Phainon had slipped inside him and fucked him so hard the wall by their headboard had started rattling.
He looks out their window, delighted to see snow falling. He’s usually up and out of bed at this hour, but he’s in an indulgent mood after being fucked so thoroughly the night before. He snuggles into Phainon’s chest, shivering as Phainon’s cold hands wrap around his naked back.
“Happy winter, Phainon,” Mydei whispers, voice nearly gone. Phainon snuffles in his sleep and cuddles closer, as if responding to Mydei’s words. He chuckles, slowly drifting back to sleep, heart full and warm.