Arenwyn ducked his head, the tips of his ears burning once more. He really should have kept his mouth shut. Now he had a God comforting him after his outburst and promising to keep an eye out for him while leading him to his fate. But is that really so bad? his inner voice challenged. Would it be so horrible to have Seon on his side? No. No, it wouldn't. Without prior thought, he leaned his cheek on the hand on his shoulder, eyes briefly fluttering shut. "The Gods have been silent for most of my life," he mumbled, a half-thought-out response, "so they haven't exactly exposed themselves to me." His eyes opened again, and he leaned away when he realized what he was doing, cheeks going back to their red coloring.
"Thank you, though. I–You don't have to. It isn't your place." Wyn snorted and brought the flower to his nose, inhaling its scent. "Really, I should be the one doing things for you."
Soon grinned as the Fae leaned a little closer to a kind hand, showing kindness he had been neglected for much too long. They honestly didn't mind offering the extra affection for Wyn.
"Of course I have to. And I will be sure to do as much as I can to make this absolutely worth it." They withdrew their hand to instead scoot closer to sniff the flower for themselves, inhaling the sweet nectar and grinning a little at the floral scent tickling their nose. Their shoulders touched, collapsing in on each other slightly, and Seon was not in a rush to change that any time soon.
"I suppose we could stay around here for a few more days, though. I imagine you'd like time to prepare yourself to leave, as the Gods do live on different corners of the land. We have much travel time, but we will return to the forests safely. I certainly hope you like me now, for you have many moons of travel to spend with me."
As Seon moved closer, Wyn's body tensed up for a moment. He didn't shy away from the touch, though. Not even as the God leaned in to sniff the flower, pressing their shoulders together. Instead, he tipped the plant towards them for better access and tried to keep his breathing and heartbeat at an acceptably normal rate.
He hummed in response to Seon's words. "I'd like to have time to prepare, and maybe you could explore around here some before we start traveling." It felt odd to readily accept the fact that he'd be going on some sort of quest with a God, but he knew this day would come to some extent. Besides, he wasn't exactly in the business of declining something he's practically told he's doing. "It's not much, but my home is something different than the river, and I'd be happy to show you around anywhere you'd want to go." With that, he peered up at the other in question; whatever Seon wanted to do, he'd do it. This is my purpose. This is what I'm meant to do.
"Mm, that would be fun. I forgot you clerics have limited healing ability, that must be something mother gave to you all." Seon rested more of their weight against Wyn, bracing themselves on an arm that stretched out behind the other. "And if it wasn't clear, I do have time to reach the corners of the world. About as much time as it took for you to realize your true calling, so perhaps they can wait a few more days. I would love to see your home for myself." They grinned at Wyn, ignoring the flushed and somewhat shaky mess the usually cool and collected Fae became. "We will hopefully return you back to where you belong when we are finished. Then you may return to life as normal, without the meddling of me involved." Seon giggled, their body shifting against Wyn's supportive body. Then, hopefully after that, Seonastra would be able to rightfully position themselves where they could be as powerful as the other Gods and Goddesses in the pantheon. To gain more followers and build a little group of Faes interested in the teachings and philosophies he had to offer… This thought made Seon smile a little, and all of that would be possible with the help of Arenwyn.
"Mm. I can't do much, but my plants remain happy, so that's all I care about." He wouldn't admit he had an entire room dedicated to recused plants he found dying, either being trashed by merchants or while he was out on a stroll. Besides, if Seon explored his house at all, it wouldn't be hard to find it. Wyn shifted to accommodate the extra weight being pressed into him, and playfully rolled his eyes—slowly, very slowly, he forced himself to grow accustomed to Seon and their entire existence. "You Gods have all the time in the world." Then those last few words registered, and a slice of disappointment cut through his heart. Right, of course. It was foolish to think he could keep Seon at his side for as long as possible. The moment it was all over, he would be brought back here, and never see his God again. The smile he sent Seon was forced, as was the humor he tried putting into his words. "A lack of a God's meddling? Sounds too good to be true."
Seon chuckled as they visualized how many plants Wyn had probably picked up, picturing a home flourishing in plant life, filled in that woody, flourishing smell of healthy plant life. Sleeping among those plants must be so cleansing to the soul; Seon couldn't help but feel curiosity, mixed with slight jealousy of Wyn's previously calm life.
"I would love to see your home for myself. Any of the time I have infinite amounts of would be wonderful spent with you." Their lips curled in a satisfied way, looking particularly cat-like as they sunned themselves in the glow of Wyn's presence. "And of course it is too good to be true. I expect you to be spiritually by my side when this is all said and done. Unless something about this convinces you that you are more than the Gods could give you." Seonastra paused, deep in their own thoughts within seconds after their philosophical thought. "Perhaps that would put you spiritually above us. That would be most admirable, I think."
Don't blush. Don't blush. For the love of all the Gods and everything good, don't blush. Regardless of his silent and desperate chant, Arenwyn shamefully could feel the heat flooding his cheeks, ears, and neck. Why did Seon have to continuously tear apart his cool with simple words and actions? This didn't happen to him. He didn't freak out when people complimented him or, Gods forbid, stand close to him. Seonastra, regardless of what they were, shouldn't be an exception. But they were, and Wyn wasn't a fan.
Seon's musing, however, baffled him, and he made sure to make that known on his face. "Above you?" Yes, of course, he'd stay devoted to Seon, and be with them spiritually as much as possible. Already, he knew he didn't want to be separate from the other being. He'd take whatever he could, even if it didn't feel like enough. Wyn shook his head and carefully replanted the flower, knowing he wouldn't be able to travel the distance to his house without spilling more soil, and the poor thing had already been deprived. "We should be going. The sun will rise soon." He glanced up, as if the sky would agree with him. But because of the body leaning into his, he couldn't get up—not that he tried.
Seon moved off of Wyn as the other shifted to replant the fully grown flower, watching with earnest as the roots were tenderly tucked back into the earth, closer to the wetter soil of the river. Though as the sky did inevitably lighten and each one of the stars faded back into the comfort of day, Seon moved completely to support himself, standing up and stretching out, squishing the grass with bare underfoot.
"That is a good suggestion. The respite of sleep is not one I have managed to escape yet, much unlike the other Gods. That is how being younger than them is like." Seonastra heaved a big yawn that shivered their sturdy frame, stretching their arms up to the sky as though in a form of celebration or prayer.
They relaxed slowly, with a deep sigh, before setting their eyes affectionately back onto Arenwyn. "Please do lead me to your home. I know it is not far from here, since you are a cleric, and just a few paces away is a church… So I trust you know where you are going." They smiled sweetly after their statements of trust, bouncing up and down a little on their feet.
Wyn got to his feet, smothering a yawn and stretching out his body. A little squeak-like noise slipped past his defenses, which he dutifully ignored, and he dusted off his hands. "Welcome to the life of mere mortals. Sleep is a necessity, one that I quite enjoy most days." He flashed a grin, then lightly tugged on Seon's shirt as he began walking. "Glad to know you trust in me to not get us lost. This way."
_
His home—not too far off from the churches—was nestled between a grove of trees, with their sturdy trunks pressing into the walls and even some branches helping keep the higher levels steady. The large base and main area sat on the ground, with a wrap-around porch. Other, higher rooms had indoor and outdoor entrances, each sitting slightly crooked and seemingly unorganized in their placement. Curious vines crept over the rooftops, along with patches of moss. Windows were bountiful, with hand-made curtains on the inside providing privacy. Decorative rocks and untamed shrubbery lined the edges of his property and the house itself, as if giving it a big protective hug. Multiple balconies were attached to various rooms.
It might be slightly crooked, depending on how the trees leaned and how you looked at it, and could be considered a mess, but he loved it and wouldn't have it any other way.
Seon was on Wyn's heels the whole way back to his home, but occasionally the God would make small pit stops to admire a couple churches or another cleric or warlock's home, all woven with some sort of magical touch gifted to them by the Gods. It was mostly unclear why Seon held such vested interest in it, until they approached Wyn's home.
"Wow! Mother was most kind with your gift, my friend," Seon purred righteously to his companion, coming up next to him as they both pulled to a stop. "She is quite talented when it comes to determining who to give gifts to. Yours is most admirable." Seon viewed the mess as an amalgamation of time spent in this world, allowing nature itself to recapture him into her loving embrace, and appreciate where one came from to begin with. "May I see the inside? I imagine it is as, if not more, beautiful than the outside." Seon looked to the Fae, grinning ear to ear with that toothy, jagged grin, where Wyn could pick out each broken and misshapen teeth.
Seon complimenting his home left Wyn slightly off-balance, especially with their exuberance. Though he loved it, he didn't think it deserved the words Seon so easily threw out there. He rubbed at his arm and shrugged, then waved the God towards the carved up front door. "I dreamed of living in the trees as a child, so I decided to follow that the moment I could. Next thing I knew, it got… a little overgrown. But it helps keep the house sturdy, so I'm not complaining. Well, too much." Their grin was contagious, and Wyn found himself smiling as well as he traced a winding carving over the door—absentmindedly as though doing a personal ritual—and opened it. His head tilted towards the inside to indicate the God go first.
Just as the outside sported a slightly chaotic appeal, the inside mirrored that. Random paintings decorated the walls of the living room, all the way from foot-level up to several feet above their heads. The furniture didn't quite match, but similar enough to not be aesthetically bothersome, and all were built for comfort. Mismatched trinkets littered scattered shelves. Just through the open archway was a large kitchen. If Seon searched around, they'd find numerous ingredients for food and plenty of items crammed into the cupboards and pantry.
Seon slipped into the home, still grinning ear to ear as if they had never seen such a majestic sight. The inside looked just as homely and soothing as the rest. The vines and trees made their way to truly make the house a tree house. "This is all so wonderful! Your life is so flourishing and fresh, like a wave of fresh rainwater into the dry, thirsty beds of a desperate river. Such a refreshing, enjoyable sight to the eyes." They padded past the shy Fae, messing with the trinkets between delicate hands and not without those huge pupils sinking and drinking up the home like a thirsty animal, deprived of such a sight of chaos.
"I am quite hungry, and tired, my dear. Do you have anywhere I may rest my head? I assume you do not want to be sleeping in the same bed as me so soon. The places we will be going are cold– much colder than here, so while you will need to pack, we will also have to huddle for warmth when we sleep. Personally I do not care for it, but I know mortals are much more modest about that type of thing." Their eyes sparkled teasingly as they turned back to look at Wyn, yet it was surprisingly hard to tell if they were truly teasing or not. A wiser man would know that they definitely weren't, and Seon could feel that slip up squeezing his chest.
Something prickled at Wyn's skin at the sight of Seon exploring his home with such wonder and awe. Them simply standing within the walls sent sparks up his spine, and he didn't know what to make of it. He shook his head and cleared his throat, then closed the door behind him before striding across the room to enter the kitchen. "I'm glad you like it," was all he could come up with, head bowed and a small, happy smile caressing his features. The moment he heard that Seon was hungry, he went to the pantry and searched for potential food for them both to share. However, he froze when the God mentioned sleeping together.
Though not exactly what they said—and his mind was quick to supply incredibly unhelpful images—it still didn't do anything to ease his rising temperature and erratic heartbeat. Arenwyn, and Seonastra, sharing a bed. Arms around him, shielding him from the cold with their warmth. Breath on his neck. Hands on his skin. Whispered words beneath a blanket of stars and velvet, a secret no one else would know.
Wyn blushed profusely and coughed, then deliberately stuck his head further into the pantry, pretending to be deep in thought. "Uh–ehm. Yes. I have a guest room you can sleep in for now. I'll have to kick Míría out, though. Any food preferences?"
Seon flushed in his own delicate way as well as he stared at some other trinkets, toying with them all collectively and careful not to drop them on the ground. He put them back, though, as tensions got strained after the comments, Seon made his way into the kitchen after Wyn. Under the pretense that he was definitely only in there to see his options, he drew closer to Wyn, setting a careful hand on his back to make sure they didn't knock together to look over his shoulder. "I suppose whatever you think is good," hummed their voice in Wyn's ear, right next to his head; gentle enough to not hurt, but somehow with the intimidating presence of a God charged in that throaty voice.
"And I will gladly take the guest room if that is what you would like. Again, I would not mind sleeping with you in your bed, if you feel it is necessary for us to… perhaps get used to the situation we are in. And I would not want you to displace your friend in favor for me. That is simply uncouth of me." He stepped back a little when it seemed to click that he was unconsciously touching the other again, as though they both were already intimately charged. Seon had been watching over Wyn for the duration of their entire lives, and while Wyn was a decipile under his Godship, devout in many ways, suddenly acting as though they were an item…
He nervously tugged at his hair when Seon didn't immediately answer, too cowardly to glance over at the God. He didn't need to, though, when he suddenly felt a presence at his back—along with a hand. Wyn tensed up despite his attempts not to, but forced his muscles to relax so as to not make Seon believe he was uncomfortable with them. The low, slightly intimidating voice right at his ear, though, didn't help matters any, and he ignored the slight shiver running down his spine. With a nod, Wyn began pulling out ingredients for a simple and quick dish, conscious of how his movements jostled the hand at his back.
"I–" Wyn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This is only necessary. There is no need to be so anxious about sleeping in the same bed as Seon. Yes, they may be a God. And yes, they may be the most beautiful creature he has ever seen, and perhaps the only one to make him feel and act how he was feeling and acting. But he refused to let that get in the way of the main point of this entire arrangement, so he steeled his nerves and bit the blade. "Míría wouldn't be pleased to be kicked out… My bed is large enough to fit us both, with extra room to spare. It shouldn't be a problem." It's very much a problem, but one I'll ignore for the sake of keeping my dignity—and my life. Míría definitely would kill him if she were to be suddenly displaced to the couch, regardless of who was replacing her.
Seon stepped out of the way to help himself to a seat, mismatched to its table, messing with his fingers and picking at his nails, whose paint was unchipped despite his best efforts.
"That is good to hear. I could also sleep somewhere else, such as the couch, of course. You do not have to share anything with me, I will not get mad." They glanced up at the back turned on them, rubbing their hands together in order to distract himself with the feeling of skin on skin. It would be nothing more than preparing themselves to travel for perhaps years, all over the world. Seon had done much harder things in favor of other people; why was it suddenly this challenging to pull off? The idea of sharing a bed with a mortal was nothing, well, until that mortal was Wyn. They would sleep on separate sides, then Seon would wake up early in order to make breakfast in thanks for the welcoming nature of his friend Wyn. And his friend. Whoever or wherever she may be.
"No, no, it's fine," Wyn rushed to say, head already shaking before Seon finished their sentence. He grabbed a few other things from the refrigerated section, then moved to a counter to begin chopping up the items. His hands worked diligently and sliced precisely from years of careful practice, so he hardly had to think about it while carrying on conversation. "I just don't promise a pret–"
"Should I start planning a wedding?" Arenwyn started and swore up a storm when a perky and feminine voice spoke up. He whipped his head around to the staircase, where a female Elf stood with her arms crossed and a smirk plastered over her face. Her dark skin nearly blended into the retreating shadows, contrasting heavily against the pastel pink waterfall of tangled hair and matching markings striped over her nose and cheeks—as well as the peach night silks clearly borrowed from Arenwyn. Purple eyes darted between the two other Fae. "Because you two are just adorable."
"For the love of—Míría," Wyn hissed. His cheeks were flaming for sure now, and she surely noticed, but chose not to answer.
She grinned, toothy and wide, at her friend. "Glad to know you love me enough to sacrifice your precious space to avoid moving me."
Wyn pointedly gazed down at the food in his hands. "Love is a strong word."
"A wedding?" Seon mimed as they both startled, obviously sucked into the conversation. His cheeks warmed up as he observed the pair of fae clash and argue, their head tilted delicately, simply observing. Despite their time watching the people they lived over, they had never heard of any such thing like a wedding. It was a strange word that hung in the air between the three of them, as if it held a significant amount of meaning, more behind the simple word. But the God did not rise to their feet after settling down, just sitting and watching the pair interact, moving their head back and forth like a dog.
Seonastra repeated the feminine Elf's name idly as it was presented, testing it on his tongue like a new type of food, letting it wash over his neurons to remember such an important figure in Wyn's life. Seon shifted in their seat as they mumbled to themself, shifting their feet up into their chair and wriggling their hips so it was more comfortable to watch. It seemed as interesting as watching a TV show to Seon, drinking in their facial expressions, bodily movements, Wyn's expressions of reluctant embarrassment and Míría's strange smugness upon finding them fighting over where to sleep.
The two of them bickered back and forth while Wyn cooked. Míría pestered him for food, he demanded she feed herself, and the two fell into a comfortable and vaguely hostile interaction. Wyn heard Seon's confused question and ignored it for the time being, though made a note to acknowledge it the moment he could. Míría then turned her attention to Seon, pulling out a chair and plopping herself down in front of the God.
"So," she started, still smiling, "I've never seen you around before." Her head tipped curiously. "And Wyn here never has people over, except maybe me or Phorae." The gears seemed to turn in her head, and Arenwyn braced himself for what was about to spew from her mouth as he eyes lit up. "Oh. You're a lover, aren't you? Gods, that's incredible. I never thought Wyn would get out of his shell enough to get himself one, yet here you are. Amazing." Her head propped itself up on a fist, and she surveyed Seon. "You're a bit odd looking, but still incredibly hot. I'd totally steal you, if you don't mind me saying so."
"They mind," Wyn cut in sharply. He swooped over and placed a bowl in front of Seon, which contained a pasta mixture with vegetables and a light sauce. He was so focused on the unknown emotions bubbling up at having Míría here—interrupting their conversation, and now flirting with Seon—that he hardly thought about his following actions. Bending low enough to have his lips next to Seon's, he spoke soft enough for the third Fae to not hear, "I'll explain marriage later, when we go to bed." In this position, he nearly caged the God with his body from behind; One arm braced itself on the back of Seon's chair, and the other pressed against the table right next to them to hold his leaning weight.
Seon turned his head as the feminine Fae joined him at the table, jewelry swinging off of his unusually long ears, paired with a little grin showing off that strange set of dentures.
One did not need to explain what lover meant to the God, at least, as his biggest head turn yet pretty much pinned his head to his shoulder, eyes brightening quickly with his soft embarrassment.
"Well, I am not around here very often. Arenwyn was kind enough to allow me to stay to take a look at the city for myself." And then his need to answer to the… other part… was interrupted by a plate of warm food, throwing up scents and warm furls of steam that tickled and hugged their sharp facial features, all alike in that regard.
Seon lifted his head up to nod in understanding to the other, then looked back at the woman with his eyebrows still raised like he was observing a true spectacle.
He grabbed a plate, made of woven leaves and hardened with magic-ladden wood, also helped himself to a spoon to which he used to serve himself some food. Hunger was also something Seon struggled with in regards to being a young God, and the other Gods also enjoyed food as well, simply to practice the cultures and ways they imparted on their mortal siblings.
He realized his mistake the millisecond Míría arched a brow at him, and Seon's scent flooded his senses. Wyn cleared his throat and quickly extracted himself from Seon as inconspicuously as possible. Her smirk said she caught it, and he glowered at her, which thankfully shut her up for the time being. Wyn sighed and sank into a seat next to Seon, then grabbed himself his own plate of food to quietly and quickly consume. Regardless of his apprehension about sleeping in the same bed as Seon, he wanted to sleep—and get away from this situation as soon as possible.
Míría hummed and grabbed herself a small snack. "Well… if you say so." She tapped two fingers to her temple in a little salute. "Lovely to meet you. I'm sure you heard, but I'm Míría, Arenwyn's best friend. If you're here long enough, you'll see me around quite a bit, as I live here. Wyn isn't a horrible sleeper, so you're lucky. Please treat him well, he deserves it after dealing with my harassment. Hmm. Oh, yes, and he has this thing about his ears? If you really want to get him worked up, I suggest focusing your attention there." She tapped her fingers against her smiling lips, winking.
Wyn's ears, subject of the conversation, burned from embarrassment. He regretted ever letting her discover that secret of his.
Seon "hmm"ed over his food, mouth chewing but his transparent eyes digging deep into Míría curiously, bright behind the windows of his soul. He shrugged his thanks to the information, deciding to pass it off due to Wyn's less than happy expression. As Míría stepped away, though, Seon turned his gentle attention onto their Fae friend.
"She is the most interesting person to live with, I think," Seon remarked carefully, in a whisper so that if Míría hadn't actually gone to her room and were still spying on them. "And worry not, I will try my best to not… offer such stress factors." They smiled a little and played with their braids of dark hair resting on their shoulders. Somehow the contrast between the two colors through the day and small amount of travel they did did not mix the stalks of color, as though the white and black belonged to a different person.
"Anyway, this dish is quite delicious. I think I have had similar with Father. He is quite the chef." They smiled warmly, as though trying to allude that they were passing over the previous situation. "Where did you learn to cook? Did some of the clerics teach you? I know religious Fae are quite the talented chefs– I could never doubt that excluded you." They waved their fork after taking another bite, talking with their cheeks full like a squirrel.
Wyn breathed easier when Míría retreated back up the stairs and into her room. He poked at his last remains of his food and glanced up at Seon when they started to speak, head tilted in interest. His cheeks had a dusting of red when they mentioned the 'stress factors,' and he poorly attempted to rub it away, but he otherwise settled down from their first meeting, and when Míría plunged into the picture. "She's… something else. Can't imagine my life without her, even if she's infuriating at times."
He happily let Seon change the subject, however, even if he calmed down. Wyn leaned back in his chair and idly ran his fingers around the edge of his plate. "Some is self-taught, some is the other clerics. I tend to enjoy learning things on my own, but accept guidance when needed." He shrugged and covered his mouth when he caught a glimpse of Seon's squirrel cheeks, hiding his grin. Even when partially undignified, and looking like he needed some sleep, Seon was still magnificent. Wyn wondered how he managed to get himself in a situation like the one he got himself into—feeding, housing, and eventually sleeping with a very real God. He couldn't get over the thought. Perhaps I really need some sleep to snap myself out of it.
Seon finished up their plate as Wyn finished speaking, not leaving a morsel behind and crossing their utensils nearly on top of each other, making a little picture with the forks and spoon he used to serve. They looked up shortly after, meeting equally as sleepy eyes with a smile, worn out and comfortably full.
"It seems as though you have quite the life here. Excuse my rudeness, though, my dear, but may I suggest a close to this day? I am quite tired as I imagine you are as well. We have a busy few days ahead of us, so we might as well get comfortable slumber while we are at it." They rose from their seat and offered a long hand to the Fae to take, outstretched as though suggesting it to be held. "And you could show me the rest of your home while we are at it. I bet your room is extremely comfortable." They shifted under their delicate shirt in excitement, their eyes still bright despite their tired nature.
Knowing they were a God, but watching them eagerly finish the food, didn't add up in his mind. It felt too contradictory. But a lot of what he was learning about Seon didn't exactly add up to anything he had expected, so Wyn left it alone in favor of focusing on the task of getting the both of them to bed. "It's not rudeness. You're alright."
As Seon stood, Wyn nodded and nearly reached for the plates to wash them, but paused at the glimpse of an outstretched hand. They can wait until dusk, he concluded as he accepted the offered hand. "I don't imagine we'd get very far tonight. How about we save the tour for when we wake up? That way we have our energy back, and get oriented." He smothered a yawn and unconsciously rested his forehead against Seon's shoulder, a small humming noise rumbling from his throat. "If that's alright with you."
