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For all the eons that had come before, the Earth rotating and revolving, day in and day out, year after year, the many evolutions and revolutions of mankind, and all the other lifeforms that came and went, Unus could remember it all, and yet they couldn’t fathom a time before they’d known Annus. As long as there has been life, there has been death, and as long as there has been life, there has been memory, so since the beginning, they’d been tied to each other. And it had always just been them.
The other gods tended to prefer the company of their own pantheons. Unus and Annus were among the less powerful deities as well, which was all the more reason to avoid them. No one wanted to be stuck with two amateurs. Unus brushed off their scorn very easily most of the time, but occasionally, a few pointed words or haughty looks would pierce their obsidian walls. They always had Annus to talk to when that happened, and they had always tried to return the favor when Annus confided in them about how angry the other gods made xem. Xe tended to cover up xyr insecurities with rage and false confidence, but Unus had long ago made it clear that xe didn’t need to keep the mask on around them. They were both rather lonely, but they had each other, and that was enough.
Once they’d claimed Mark and Ethan as their hosts, the empty void of isolation had mostly subsided. The mortals never ceased to amaze and amuse Unus and Annus. After hashing out the details and boundaries of their agreement, Unus found that sharing a body with someone wasn’t too bad of a change. Seeing things from the eyes of Ethan was an entirely new experience for them, and whenever they were given permission to possess the body, they used that time to the fullest. Being human was far more complicated than they’d anticipated, but ever so fun! Annus was enjoying xemself too, and though xe’d never admit to it, Unus had caught xem admiring xemself in Mark’s body in the mirror more than once. But, even after forging the friendly relationships with the mortals, the deities still liked being together better than not.
The truth was that Unus never felt comfortable being apart from their partner for too long. Rationally, they knew that there were very few things that could actually harm them, but when they looked over to the space at their side that Annus usually filled, they felt the knot sitting in their chest tie itself tighter. Unus normally had no need to breathe, but in this moment, they felt compelled to push oxygen swiftly through their lungs, anything to get this crushing weight off of them. They tried to gulp as much air as they could, hands scrambling to pull at the tie that wasn’t actually around their neck, which suddenly felt like it was choking them, like a noose. They rocked back and forward, knees pulled close to their chest. They could sense Ethan’s consciousness somewhere in the back of their head, concerned for them, begging them to breathe slower and count with him, but they couldn’t get themself to form a coherent response.
A cold nose bumped against their hand, drawing a startled gasp from their mouth. Unus blinked, their eyes starting to tear up, as they let Chica rest her head on their leg. She was always good at sensing when someone was upset, whether they be mortal or divine. They brought a shaking hand to her fur and began to run it mechanically along her back, taking in the familiar texture. They weren’t alone. They were at Mark’s house. Ethan was right there with them, Chica was beside them, and Henry and Amy were downstairs. Mark and Annus would return soon. Everything would be okay. It took a few minutes before their mind cleared, but it soon did. It always did. No pain was permanent.
Unus sighed unsteadily. “Good girl,” they mumbled, watching Chica’s tail wag. They looked around the room. They’d been searching for a prop for an upcoming Unus Annus video, but they couldn’t remember what it was. They chuckled at that. A god of memory, unable to recall why they’d entered a room. They wanted to blame Ethan’s faulty mortal mind, but they knew that the fault rested with them. In all honesty, that episode had been a mild one. The bad ones didn’t just hurt them, but everyone else near them, and it was just as hard to forgive themself in the aftermath of the fiftieth bad episode as it was after the first.
They heard a car door close in the driveway, causing both them and Chica to perk up just a bit. Mark, Ethan’s consciousness whispered.
Annus, Unus thought, relieved. They wanted to stand up and greet their partner, but their limbs felt heavier than stone. They always felt drained after getting so emotional. They could stand to be patient for just a bit longer.
Finally, finally, the door creaked open carefully. Unus could immediately tell it was Annus who stepped through, the other god always having been an open book to them. Instinctively, their lips curled upwards and they felt the remaining anxiety ebb away. Chica took that as her cue to leave, probably satisfied that her work was done or sensing that she was needed elsewhere. Annus approached them slowly, coming to sit beside them, a soft look on xyr face. Unus let strong arms wrap around their waist and pull them into Annus’ lap. Xe closed xyr eyes and sighed in content.
“I’m guessing you missed me?” Unus asked lightly.
“Nope,” Annus replied, popping the ‘p’ playfully. Xe rested xyr chin on Unus’ shoulder, xyr fluffy hair tickling Unus’ neck and cheek. “Not even for a moment.”
“You sure? You’re pretty cuddly right now.” Xe always were after they’d been separated for too long, not that Unus minded.
“This is just the most efficient way to suck the body heat out of you. It’s cold, and these mortal bodies are awfully frail, after all.” Mark must have had something to say about that, because Annus rolled xyr eyes and grumbled back a small retort that Unus couldn’t quite catch.
Unus turned their head and pressed a light kiss to their partner’s cheek, getting a low purr of bliss in return. “Ann, you and I both know I run cold. But, just to go on record, I missed you too.”