Zachary fell quiet.
"Well…" He looked away, hugging Cas tight. "You would…" He was hesitant to tell Cas. He didn't want to scare his lover with the truth, after all. Derlik lifted Nix up into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"It's okay now," he said softly.
Cas looked up at Zachary weakly, his eyes still stinging with tears. "I-I would what…?" He asked softly. Nix purred softly and huddled up against Derlik, not really seeming to understand the weight of the situation.
Zachary held Cas close, moving to sit down on the path. He was quiet, pulling Cas to his chest.
"You… you know the soul orbs?" He asked softly. "The ones in the flowers..?"
Derlik preferred Nix to not understand. He gently kissed Nix's head, patting his back. He glanced over at Cas and Zachary, then back to Nix.
Cas nodded a bit and huddled up against Zachary's chest. "Yeah… what about them?" He asked.
Nix yawned a bit and buried his face in Derlik's shoulder, not wanting to see Cas or Zachary or go inside.
"W-Well…" Zachary held Cas close, head against him. "You'd… you'd be stuck like that until Halm was brought back to life…" He let out a shaky breath, kissing Cas's head. He'd been so terrified…
Derlik gently kissed Nix's head, rubbing his back.
"I've got you, you're okay…"
"O-Oh… and… I guess I'd be stuck there forever if he never got brought back?" He asked in a shaky whisper.
"Mm…" Nix closed his eyes, turning his ears back a bit. "I-I don't wanna…"
Zachary nodded slowly. He hugged Cas tighter, not wanting to let go. He couldn't… he couldn't handle the thought of having to see his lover trapped like that.
"I know, I know…" Derlik moved his hands up to Nix's head to run through his hair.
Cas buried his face in Zachary's shoulder, trembling a bit. "And… a-and there's no other way for me to get free, even if another god did something…?" He asked weakly.
Zachary shook his head silently. Not a thing.
"But- but i-it's okay! The god is safe, n-nothing can happen to you…" Zachary tightened his grip on Cas, kissing his head with wavering lips.
Cas nodded a bit and held tighter to Zachary. "R-Right… we're… we're gonna be fine. I'm not gonna get trapped in the thing any time soon…"
"Not ever," Zachary said softly. "I… I won't let it happen, I swear it." The minor god kissed Cas's head, curled up around him as they sat outside the house.
Cas nodded again, curling up in Zachary's lap with his legs around the other man's waist. "W-We should probably head in soon, but… Nix doesn't need to see whatever is in there."
"Sis… sis is cleaning up now. We… just need to keep him out of the bathroom and the bedroom," Zachary said softly. There was so much of Halm's black blood.
"Okay… we can try, anyway. We don't want him to know that anything is seriously wrong." He sighed softly.
Zachary nodded some. He stood, holding Cas tight to his chest still. He began to hesitantly walk over to Derlik and Nix.
Cas kept his face buried in Zachary's shoulder as he was carried over. Nix was nuzzling against Derlik quietly. He hadn't spoken during the entire journey.
Derlik rubbed Nix's back, humming softly to help him stay somewhat calm. He looked up when the others came, head tilted.
"I… think we should try to go inside. It's going to get too cold for Cas and Nix soon."
Cas was already shivering a little, although from fear or cold it wasn't clear. Nix was warm enough in Derlik's arms, but would likely still get cold soon. "Is it… safe to go in?" Cas asked softly.
Both Zachary and Derlik nodded at this.
"It's safe," Derlik assured softly. The god looked down at Nix, holding him a bit closer. "Are you okay with that..?"
Nix hesitantly nodded, burying his face in Derlik's chest so he wouldn't have to see the house. Cas sighed softly. "We don't have much of a choice…"
Derlik tightened his arms around Nix, gently patting his back. He looked up with a nod, moving to go inside. Zachary followed, looking to Cas to see how he was doing.
Cas still seemed pretty nervous and shaky, but he was alright. He glanced around to see what state the house was in as they entered it.
The house was mostly undisturbed, it seemed. Halm hadn't been anywhere inside it other than the bedroom and the bathroom for, well, it seemed since the others left. Derlik held Nix tight to himself, looking around.
Nix kept his face hidden. He obviously had no interest in seeing the house. Cas sighed softly and closed his eyes, still very uneasy.
Zachary hesitated, kissing Cas's had. They didn't really have much of a room here, not like at Serna's, and Nix didn't at all. Derlik kissed Nix's head, rubbing his back.