Astral offered a soft hum of content when Simon took his food, nodding.
"I truly don't," he assured. He moved to take a bite of his own, glancing at Mia on the table. He had no idea at the moment, of course, that Simon could talk with her.
Simon nodded in acknowledgement, eating quietly. “This is really good”
"I'm glad it is," Astral admitted. He ate quietly as well, finishing all of his food and glancing over occasionally to see if Simon did the same.
Simon hadn’t. He’d eaten slower than the cod, and it looks like he finished the same amount as yesterday.
Astral let out a soft breath, looking to Simon.
"Was it too much?" If Simon really did only eat a certain percentage, then Astral would have to make sure he made nutrition-rich foods to keep Simon healthy.
With a heaping spoonful of why the hell am I caring so much about a damn mortal.
“No it was fine! I just um….I don’t really eat a lot.” He mumbled a bit at the end, honestly a bit embarrassed.
((Okaaaaaaaay my responses should be faster now sorry lol))
(okay aha!)
Astral nodded slowly, moving to place his hand gently on Simon's shoulder. It was clear he wanted to know why, but he didn't say a word in case it upset Simon.
“It just takes me awhile to adjust to new places and it’s hard for me to eat when I’m under stress. N-not that being here stresses me out! I was just under a lot of stress before I got here too.” He explained quickly.
Astral nodded some. He moved closer, gently hugging Simon.
"That's okay," he said softly. "I get that you were really stressed. I'll do everything I can to help, okay?"
He nodded, wrapping his arms around Astral, hugging the god gently. “Okay…thank you…”
Astral let out a soft breath as Simon hugged the god in turn, gently patting the other's back.
"You're welcome, Simon…"
Simon smiled contently, giving Astral another quick squeeze, but not making any move to leave the god’s arms.
"Comfortable?" There was no agitation in Astral's voice. If anything, he sounded content himself with Simon in his arms. He relaxed a bit, patting Simon's back again.
“Mhm…thanks.” He mumbled back in response, letting out a happy sigh. To be fair, the god was pretty comfortable.
Astral chuckled softly, moving his hand to be resting on Simon's head. He hummed some, relaxing more. He had to admit, this was nice. To be holding someone who wasn't terrified of him.
At this point, Simon could fall right back asleep, tucked away in the god’s arms. He was just really feeling safe and secure at the moment and he loved it.
Astral, after the night on the couch, would be more than happy for a quick nap. He looked down at Simon, smiling softly as he moved his hand over Simon's head once. He'd be good to this human, then.
Simon liked that, leaning into the god’s touch with a soft hum. He was glad Astral was being so nice to him.
Astral held back a small chuckle at how Simon reacted to the head rubbing, repeating the motion with a smile. Mia was watching all of this, of course, surprised nothing had happened yet.
Simon’s small, soft smile widened as Astral repeated the motion, continuing to hum happily at the attention.
Astral smiled in turn, beginning to properly massage Simon's head with a gentle touch, playing with his hair some.
"Like it?" he inquired, still smiling as he held Simon close.
“Mhm!” He replied enthusiastically, looking like he was absolutely in heaven. Which we know is a place he will never go so that can’t be it.
Well, in this world, the palace would be as close to heaven as Simon would ever get.
"Okay!" Astral laughed softly, pulling Simon a bit closer as he continued. He looked happy with their current situation. He going to end up massaging Simon a lot, wasn't he?
If it always made Simon this happy, then yes, Astral would probably end up doing it for him a lot. Simon relaxed into Astral’s chest, just letting the god keep doing his thing.
Soon, Astral's hands had lowered to Simon's shoulders, massaging them in turn. He chuckled softly, holding Simon close. So cute… The god looked content as he worked on the knots in Simon's shoulders, humming softly.
Simon was very glad, he definitely needed it. He felt like his body hadn’t been fully relaxed in months.
Astral continued, only pausing to open the desk drawer and pull out a small vial. He dabbed a bit of its contents onto his fingertip, rubbing it between a few of his fingers on both hands before going back to massaging Simon.
Whatever it was, it'd work wonders on his body. One of the perks of being a god was having access to the best of the best.
Whatever it was, it definitely felt like it was working. At this point Simon could literally die and he probably wouldn’t notice, he was just that content.
Astral smiled at the look on Simon's face as he worked the mortal's shoulders, humming some. Soon, he pulled his hands away with a gentle pat to let Simon know he'd gotten all the knots out.
"Feeling better?" He asked, bringing Simon back into a proper hug.
“Yes, lots better.” He reassured, practically melting into the god’s arms. “Thank you so much.”