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“Emet~!” … “Emmy dearest ~ ?”
“….”
A slender finger reached out to poke at the other cheek yet the taller of the two remained stubbornly stoic and unmoved by the annoying (playful) gesture. This did nothing to deter the shorter of the two Ancients as he moved to stand in front of his friend.
“You can’t avoid me for long, dear.”
“.....” The one flagged ‘Emet’ simply shuffled in his seat as he turned away, arms crossed in what appeared to be contemplation. For Hythlodaeus though? He could see right through the metaphorical mask he was putting on for the outside world...as well as for the sake of decorum.
As adorable as it was to see him pout, this silly cold-shoulder act had been going on for the majority of the morning and it was beginning to get borderline tiresome.
Not...not that he could blame him, of course. Separation was never easy for anyone even if it was because of duty.
Still!
Moving so he was, again, standing in front of their lover Hyth placed his hands on his hips while shifting to make eye-contact with the other. The defiant act continued unabated so he tried one more attempt with his last card.
The angry sounds and gestured flailings that resulted when the other’s mask was suddenly pulled off earned him a bigger grin from one and several curious looks from people mingling in the aetheryte plaza nearby. Emet snatched his mask back as a scarlet blush appeared on his face, a sharp and murderous glare of vengeance sent in the direction of his hysterically laughing friend.
“...Why?” His voice was laced with black ice.
“Because!”
Hades waited as his patience burned lower and lower yet when no immediate answer was forthcoming, he stood to tower over the other. It did nothing to stop the tide of laughter, sadly...instead his attempts at intimidation just seemed to enhance whatever hilarity was going through the others mind as they bent over at the waist with tears streaming down their face.
The look of black ice grew stronger as the laughter continued unabated for several moments before it died down to broken chuckles, hands wiping his eyes clear of saltwater as he stood up straight again.
“ I ask you a second time and I will hope that you do not evade the question with a stupid answer.” Hades crossed his arms as his eyes smoldered with irritation. “Why?”
“Because-” Hythlodeaus quickly held up both hands in a surrender gesture as violet aether began to spark at his lover’s fingertips. “You looked like you needed cheering up!”
The gathering of aether paused for a moment as a skeptical look was placed at him. “Cheering...up?” That look hardened as rapid nods were given in response. “....Why in the fourteen stars would you even think that?”
“Um….because you always get like this when he leaves….?” His hesitation was presented with an innocent: “please don’t kill me” smile.
When gold eyes flashes aggressively, Hyth knew that was the wrong choice of words to pick.
“Are you accusing me of ‘pouting’? Of sulking?! Of pining like a forlorn lover?!” With each statement, he took a step closer as Hyth took two steps back for each one while hands still held up in a wordless plea for mercy. (Around them, some ancients present were either in a swift state of retreat themselves while others were snickering into fists or behind lowered cowls.)
This only added tinder to the flames.
“Are you insinuating that I miss him? That I would feel lonely every time he went off on his grand adventures? That I would wish for his safe return everyday?! That I would enjoy the grand tales he tells to the children at the Academia?”
“Uh...Emmy?” His lover’s matter of fact facade was quickly crumbling to pieces.
“Because I have the feeling that your implications of this are false! FALSE! For all care, he can stay out of Amaurot! “Shepard to the Stars in the Dark- BAH! He can’t even shepard himself at times! Why when he went to that Island-”
“Emet?”
“-wyvern causing eruptions and problems for the villagers but did he even think of himself?! NO! Went headlong into the fire and dire quite literally to stop the damn thing without-”
“Emet?!” He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Gold eyes whipped towards him as his rant was hit with a pause button. “WHAT!?”
“Um….” Following the finger, Hades felt his world shatter like glass as tunnel vision suddenly expanded to the entire plaza… and all of the occupants who either laughed, stared, or whispered gossip behind hands and masks. A shadow fell over his masked face as his mind blanked out in shock.
“Hehe….well, it's not like you could- URK!” An attempt to calm the incoming storm was met with a strangled yelp as a slender but strong hand fisted the front of his robes to drag him nose to nose with the other.
“You, I, talk….now….” The words were laced with venom as aether gathered around the two of them. Hyth’s attempts at soothing words quickly switched to pleads for mercy as they vanished from sight.
A moment of echoing silent as the aether faded fell over the plaza as several bystanders exchanged glances with one another.