Archive of Our Own ^beta

Now, Soobin wasn’t an irresponsible person. Gullible, maybe. Naïve, trusting too easily, but he was never one to lose track of things. He always had his finances in check, stood on top of his schedules; he kept an eye on everything, and I mean everything. It simply couldn’t be possible. There was no way he was scammed.

But, here he was, staring at his bank deposits, watching the numbers decline, down, down, down. He was doomed – doomed and broke and single.  

$0.00, in thick, bloody red font. He refreshed the page, but nothing changed, except a piece of lead dropping in the pit of his stomach. The dark claws of reality had scratched him open. It dawned upon him.  

He had fallen victim to smiles as sweet as sugar, hugs as cozy as a fireplace on a cold winter day and the lies of love.

His boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend; no way in Hell was he going to stay associated with that demon – had run off with his money.

Soobin buried his head in his face, placing his elbows on his desk. “Tae, what am I going to do?”

Taehyun, his best friend and now the one providing him with a roof over his head, asked, “Are you looking at your bank account again?”

“What am I going to do?” Soobin repeated, muffled through the suppressed tears and the sleeves of his sweater.

“Can’t you report him?” Taehyun opted, sitting crisscross apple sauce on his bed, playing on his phone. “Or beg your dad for forgiveness?”

“Forgiveness? You know how cruel he can be.” Soobin shuddered at the mere thought. “I won’t ever be forgiven. Not only did I run away from home, before that I helped the enemy. I’ve been cast out, going back will only make it official.”

“You gave him a head start and a way to keep him from having his chances in job world ruined,” Taehyun corrected him. He set his phone aside, giving Soobin his full attention.   

“Exactly.” Soobin’s shoulders slumped. “I could’ve stayed a loyal son, but no! I had to be stubborn and say that his way of treating the new recruits was cruel and that no assemblyman should ever do that!”

“He was exiled to the lair of a beast– Oh, sorry, your half-brother who’s been the family’s issue for  a while,” Taehyun spoke bluntly. His exhale was heavy and audible. “Soobin, you were being reasonable then. However, dating him? I’ll admit, that was dumb. You barely knew the guy.”

Soobin dropped his head on the desk with a shallow bang, proving that his brain was truly lacking from his anatomy.

“This is why I shouldn’t take your advice, Tae,” he whined. “’Asking for forgiveness is easier than getting permission’, my ass.”

“That applied to dyeing hair! Not running away with a scam artist!” Taehyun defended himself.

“I didn’t know he was a scam artist!” Soobin yelled back.

He saw Kai’s face float up from his memories, with his innocent confusion and occasional stupid questions. Though, now he realized that they weren’t actually stupid, but a tactic to achieve a devious goal.

Which person didn’t know how to transact money? But Soobin had fallen blindly for his puppy eyes and clueless act, showing him how to do it with his own bank account. It was probably then that Kai had figured out his code as well as his account number and all that fun stuff.

It was always the cute ones who were the scariest.

Soobin spun his – Taehyun’s – chair around. “You know what, I don’t feel like life anymore.”

“Same.” Taehyun tilted his head in his friend’s direction. He scrunched his nose. “Shit, that’s kinda sad, isn’t it?”

“So, what’s your solution?” Soobin inquired.

“Drinks.” Taehyun had spoken quickly, but when he took notice of his friend’s pitiful state he added, “But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Truly, it was hard to look at Soobin. His hair was disheveled from the amount of times he had tugged it, his eye bags were deeper than those his eyes naturally carried; instead of looking like a cute panda, he looked like a ghost ready to be picked up by death at any given moment.

He was dulled out, like Kai had taken his hopes and dreams as well. It was a sad sight to see.

“I’m gonna… walk it off. I can’t sleep like this,” Soobin announced with a heavy sigh.

Soobin pushed his chair back, slamming it against his desk with a slam. Taehyun telling him to take his jacket rung through his ears like an echo.

🍇

Soobin had met Kai like a knock of fresh air and he had struck Soobin’s heart like a fatal arrow shot by Eros himself.

He had been cute and bright, a ball of rainbows and sunshine. He had approached Soobin first, since Soobin was working under his dad as the successor of the company.

He and Kai had grown close in no time, mostly because Kai was a chatterbox who shared a string of stories, so man that Soobin forgot them all. From his childhood to college, Soobin thought he knew Kai through and through.

In exchange, Soobin shared secrets. Anything Kai asked, he told. He should’ve known those were ulterior motives to fill in a bigger picture Kai had been working towards.

Soobin’s father was a well-known assemblyman, managing a company on the side. Each year he would hire a swarm of recruits, all set up for failure. It was a business strategy; they had to be paid significantly less and were easier to fire, though his father’s favorite way was by ‘feeding them to the beast’, as Taehyun liked to word it.

It wasn’t anything like that; Soobin’s family situation was somewhat complicated. His mother had a child outside of wedlock – Soobin’s older brother – and Soobin’s father had been less than pleased by it. So, he had sworn to make the boy’s life a living hell, treating him like trash and belittling him at all times.

It was no surprise when he grew into adulthood a little… cranked. He had the temper of a time bomb and a scream that could rip people listening to shreds. He spoke with his fists, as his vocabulary wasn’t exactly broad.

Growing up, Soobin hadn’t been treated the best either, but at least he was allowed out of his room, allowed to sit at the dinner table. He could have friends, go on trips, have a semi-normal childhood.

His brother? Not so much. Always coped up in the four walls of his bedroom, even daylight was a rare occurrence for him.

Soobin felt guilty, in a way. He knew he wasn’t to blame for the way his parents behaved, but he could’ve spoken out, at least.

Soobin’s father had promised Soobin’s mother that her other son would get a spot in the company, but he had never specified anything.

His brother had been hidden away from the public, working underground and for illegal affairs – in the hopes that one day that bastard would get caught, but goddamn, was the man good at committing crime.  

However, Soobin’s brother proved himself useful in different ways as well. All it took was sending an overenthusiastic trainee down to his lair and snip, like that they were victims to undeserved rage. Either too traumatized to speak of what happened, or having lost the ability to ever speak again.

Taehyun didn’t know what actually happened down in that dusty, murky basement and Soobin, truth be told, didn’t either, but it was definitely worse than merely being banned from the business world.

Soobin was aware that it was cruel and unjust. His father was a horrible man, after all.

He had only intended to help. Kai had been so adorable and so easy to care about; Soobin never could’ve guessed that behind that angelic glow hid a demon that matched up to his family’s shame.

🍇

Soobin had never been fond of the dark. It had scared him, thinking that that was the life his brother had to be living, the only reality he knew. Soobin never wanted to end up in his spot. He slept with a small light, even after growing up. He was an adult, but still afraid of what he could find in the pitch black.

He shivered, rubbing his hands over his arms, hoping the friction would bring him heat. He wasn’t ready to head back yet, plus he was already far along the way.  

The streets were dead, not even a ghost showing their face. It was a quarter past midnight, so no one in their right mind would be out on a Thursday – technically it was Friday already –, but Soobin was certain he could make up for the restlessness of a crowd.

His heart was pounding in his chest, wishing for it all to be a nightmare, but the real estate agents had left bruises in the form of their hands on his arms as they had thrown him out, telling him to collect his necessities before they’d come back in an hour.

Soobin wasn’t in a position to speak against their words, but he had thought it was a waste of energy for them to physically pick him up and fling him out the door if he would have to go back in again anyway.

Frantically he had pulled out his phone, Kai’s number on speed dial. One ring, two, three, and then the robotic voice telling him the number was no longer in existence. He had tried again, and again, and again, but all resulted in the same disappointing outcome. With every failure a new tear found its way down his face.

He had gone from having financial stability and a loving boyfriend to living on the streets overnight, all because he had too much faith in the goodness of humanity. If he had been more of a cynic, then he probably wouldn’t have ended in that situation.

Even now, pathetic as it seemed, he knew he would accept Kai back with open arms. If he ever found a new partner to spend his life with, Soobin would lay himself by his feet to become his secret love affair. It was stupid, really. Real stupid.

He was always late for things. Late to realize, late to know things, but too early to fall. Maybe he’d rushed things, maybe he scared him off or maybe he had put too much fate into something so feeble and fragile.

If he’d die now, now and alone, Soobin believed he’d be happier. He’d be happier than with any lover on the side.

He watched the taxis drive by, all carrying home drunks and travelers. They distracted him from the life he had come to love in a second and came to lose even quicker. He dragged his heavy feet to the seaside, hoping the salty breeze could blow the thoughts from his mind and the burdens off his shoulder; gone with the wind.

He and Kai had found a nice spot in a city by the sea, far away from their old life. Soobin had wondered why at first, but now he could see that Kai probably had a lot of enemies out there. Soobin was too blinded by love – the idea of it, anyway – to notice it.

He kicked a piece of dried seaweed out of his way, muttering all his frustrations as he stomped his battered down sneaker on it. He imagined Kai’s face on it, then his father’s, then his own, because really, he was the biggest fool of all.

He continued his way, his mind not eased in the slightest, but he figured that if he’d walk over to the shore it might get better. He could whisper his wishes to the sea, asking if they could clear the gray clouds from his horizon. It didn’t help, but it was a nice distraction, he supposed.

A trashing and crash broke him from his wishful thinking. It was followed up by a yelp of distress. Soobin would have to check it out now.

Soobin had to rub his eyes, blink a few times; surely he had to be dreaming. He was tired, exhausted by sobbing his heart out and wondering what his next move in life was. He could only be imagining the scene in front of him.

There was a group of men, dressed in black, wearing mask that covered the bottoms of their faces. Amidst the shadow flashes of black, a blur of pink shone through, though it got covered by hands hooking around their head to lighten the impact of their kicks.

Through the groans and curses, a loud laugh echoed off the empty beach house. It was eerie, bordering insanity; shrill and mocking.

Soobin peeked from behind the pole.

The boy wore a heavy fur coat, littered with the spots of a leopard. His hair glistened with accessories and from his ears dangled silver earrings, so big Soobin feared his earlobe might rip.

He was young, in his early twenties, perhaps, and definitely an individual. From how relaxed he looked for someone being captured in a chokehold to how he was belting out chuckles and offensive remarks at his attackers.

The male had pink hair, rather lengthy as it covered the majority of his neck. As he was being held down to the ground, he giggled, “You, my guys, are making a grave mistake.”

“Shut up, will you?” a man sneered. “Just tell your father to give us our money if he wants you back.”

“All you’ll get is a lightning bolt up your ass,” the boy taunted them, “and I don’t need my dad’s wallet to escape.”

It only resulted in a thunderous slap against his cheek. It looked painful, sounded the part too, that Soobin felt as if he had been the one to receive it.

“I’ll give you one last chance to shut up,” the captor warned him in a low voice.  

The boy tsk-ed and muttered something under his breath. There was a glint in his eyes; impish, indicating that he had quite the tricks up his sleeve.

“What was that?” The man pinned him down with a hard slam, tip of his knee rammed in his back.

The boy smirked, despite his cheek being pressed into the rotting wood of the pier. He repeated, clear and confident, “Dumbasses.”

Soobin would’ve believed the boy was the only dumbass around, but he then learned what it actually meant to not judge a book by its cover.

The boy’s wrists glowed a menacing violet, a deep rumble emitting from the ground, as if Hell was awakening. Soobin knew in that moment; these men were more doomed than he was; a rare occurrence in present times.

The chains around the boy’s wrists slid off, shattering into a million particles as soon as they hit the floor. From these pieces they morphed into snakes, scaly, green and hissing, their venomous fangs bared.

The captors scream – who wouldn’t? There were snakes coming for them.

The boy rolled his neck, then clambered to his feet. “You guys really don’t know how to hold someone captive. Even without the flashy action, I could’ve broken out of them.” He smiled, cracking his fingers. “So, who wants to go first?”

One of the men ran over, with a piece of wood he’d found lying around, but the boy only rolled his eyes. “I didn’t think you’d take it seriously.”

He huffed his bangs out of his vision. The same violet hue that had enchanted his chains and hands spread over his body. The fur coat draped over his shoulders fused with his skin, his blue eyes lighting up with an all-knowing confidence.

There followed a sickening crack of bones. The boy twitched as if a demon was inhabiting his body. He fell down into a slump. All watched the lump with caution, all wondering if they had all been imagining it for a moment. Just when their nerves had been calmed with a unanimous agreement that if the boy was dead anyway, they’d be fine, a new figure rose from the floor, growling. A jaguar.

It let out a roar, flailing its paws in the direction of some of the men, trashing around on top of the pier, though Soobin could tell from its – his? – actions that he didn’t intend on physically harming anyone. He grumbled out some wildcat noises, clawed at someone too close. It was a good scare.

No one wanted to get ripped to shreds by canines, obviously. Two of the men ran for the water, seeing that diving into the waves would be a better option than fighting the supernatural. They should’ve known that the supernatural doesn’t play  by the rules.

The jaguar shuddered, then as if the process were reversed appeared back in the shape of that ethereal, pink haired boy.

“Not so fast,” he mocked the escapees, shaking his head in disapprovement. He snapped his fingers. “Whoop-di-doo, if you wanted to live in the sea, you should’ve just said so.”

Soobin’s eyes widened as a string of purples ran from the boy’s arm, sneaking up on the men’s bodies and trapping them in motion. Even from his safe distance, Soobin could see their pupils shaking, almost as heavily as his knees.

The boy giggled; if they weren’t in this particular terrifying situation, Soobin would’ve admitted that it was the cutest sound he had ever heard. It was almost a snort, nasal and tiny.

“Are you scared?” the boy teased, giving them a lopsided grin. “I’m just granting you your wish, though. You’ll be great additions to the ocean.”

And then, poof, gulped up by a little, gray cloud, their body got zapped by lightning bolts, their silhouettes merging into a long figure. Their arms shrunk, their legs melted to one, backs arched.

Soobin gasped, watching their new forms dropping into the ocean, accompanied by distressed squealing. 

The boy ran a hand through his pink hair. He waved his hand to the only captor left. “You. Run. Unless you want to become a dolphin too. Or… I could bite your head off.”

To add effectiveness to his words, he slammed his teeth together, a foreshadowing of what he was capable of. So, as any sane person, the man ran off, too petrified to even utter a scream.    

Soobin, however, couldn’t contain a squeak of shock. As soon as it had slipped passed his lips, he clasped his hand over his mouth. Electrical blue eyes found his hiding spot. Whether it was the beauty that had him star struck, or the mental overdrive of the situation, Soobin found his head hitting the salty wood of the beach.

🍇

“…wake… Hello…?”

A firm yet careful slap against his cheek awoke Soobin from the dark, though he was still groggy and unbeknownst of his surroundings. He blinked a few times, though there wasn’t much light for his lights to adjust to.

“Thank the Gods you’re awake!”

Soobin squinted, searching for the source of that sweet voice through half lidded eyes. He saw a flash of bright pink, diamonds and electric blues piercing souls.

“Am I in Heaven? Are you an angel?”  

Close up he noticed that his hair wasn’t solely pink, but also sported streaks of yellow and blues, like a rainbow. It was eccentric, but it just fit him so well; a perfect addition to his careless vibe, like nothing could faze him anymore and the best thing he could do was be true to himself.

“You were only out for ten minutes, don’t worry,” the pink haired laughed – a blessing bestowed upon Soobin, “but if anyone is an angel it has to be you.”

If Soobin hadn’t just awoken from a short coma, he could’ve told for sure if the dude was flirting with him, but Soobin’s senses weren’t to be trusted in that moment, so he let it be.

Soobin sat up straight, a gust of cold wind hitting his shoulder as something heavy and fluffy slid off it. He looked down to see the thick leopard fur covering his thighs.

“What’s this?” A dumb thing to ask, but Soobin wasn’t very bright at the moment.  

“You were shivering. You didn’t bring a jacket, so…” the boy started explaining, though trailed off at the end, leaving a gap for Soobin to fill in.

Soobin nodded, poking at the coat. “Am I wearing your skin?”

It was a straightforward question. The earlier events had shot Soobin in the head like a bullet, so suddenly and so vividly it made his brain throb. He had to confirm if it was true or if he had a really detailed, crazy dream.

“Huh?”

“You were mobbed.” Soobin’s voice came out groggy and thick with exhaustion. “I saw you being manhandled in my dream. Then you went– rawr and all.”

To clarify his story, Soobin made some sound effects and clawing motions.

“Oh, haha…” The boy rubbed the back of his neck with a queasy laugh. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I don’t get kidnapped, usually. This is why I can’t ever dress up. I wear my fancy coat and all of a sudden criminals think they can take me for ransom.”

With that, Soobin’s blame on his imagination shattered. On the brighter side, he wasn’t going insane. That was a great sign, given the circumstances of his sad existence.

“That’s… rough…” he provided the boy with. Seemed like people had it worse than Soobin, or a little bad, at least.

“Nah, it’s all cool. I should’ve known better. Humans can be a little vicious when they’re desperate.” The boy tilted his head, the streetlights causing his hairpins to shimmer. “Were you heading somewhere?”

“No… just taking a night stroll,” Soobin said with a ruffle of his shoulders.  

“At one-thirty?” The boy lifted a brow, before the impish expression of earlier returned. “Say, you want to abandon this world? Not for long, just a short moment that’ll feel long.”

As kind as the stranger had acted, Soobin was no longer a blindly trusting fool. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

“Me?” The boy seemed taken aback by the question, however the gears in his head churned and the pieces clicked. “Ah, I guess you wouldn’t know, of course. Do you want the long introduction or the shortened one?”

“Whichever you prefer,” Soobin responded; he had time to kill now that he was jobless.

The boy got up, striking a pose, one hand on his hip and the other raised to the sky. He cleared his throat. “ ‘t is I, Lord of The Vine and Fun, Guardian of  Wine Glasses, Dionysus.” He paused, breaking out of his trance. “I also go by Yeonjun in this life, by the way. I’m a freelance actor. Also a bartender. Mainly a bar tender.”

“Cool. I’m Soobin,” Soobin said, shrugging. “No fancy titles, jobless and disowned.”

Soobin wanted to be skeptical, blame it on an acting skit. He was still awaiting the cameras to jump out and yell, “Get pranked!”, but none of that happened. The howling wind was the only thing breathing aside from them.  

“So, can you assure me that wherever you take me will be better than this world?” Soobin asked.

“Godly, even.” Yeonjun’s face was contorted in a look that could only mean that he was stifling laughter.

Soobin noticed he did that a lot, laughing. Even in the most inconvenient of situations. Like getting assaulted, for example. He assumed that the fearlessness came as a nice combo deal with immortality. Soobin could only wish to have no worries, but it seemed that he would have to do that for the rest of his puny existence.

He didn’t have much more to lose.

“Sure, take me along.”

🍇

Yeonjun beamed with the power of a thousand suns when he showed Soobin a shabby looking building that clearly hadn’t the best care in a few years, The Dionysia written in swirly, neon purple letters.

“After you,” Yeonjun said, holding the door and motioning for Soobin to step in.

“Yeah… thanks.”

Soobin was dubious, but he knew the most tattered places held the best atmospheres, since the memories lived on in the air. He set his foot in, though as soon as he did, the cobwebbed chairs and cracked tables faded into tall ceilings and flashy lighting, red, blue, yellow.

Music with heavy bass lines blared from speakers and sweaty bodies were stuck together like gum. The walls were decorated with vines and ancient pillars, obviously white when the disco lights were out.

When Yeonjun had said ‘godly’, Soobin hadn’t expected to be teleported to a club in a forest in a different realm. But it seemed fun.

“Dionysus, sweetheart! Where have you been?!”

A woman approached them from behind. Her pale blue skin seemed more than a trick of the disco lighting, looking heavenly with her silver irises. Her long black hair was collected in a long braid, hanging loosely over her shoulder.

She wore a knee-length toga, accessorized with a bright, somewhat tipsy smile.

Sweetheart? Soobin repeated in his mind. He inspected her one more time from top to bottom. She’s gorgeous.

“Just… messing around in the human world and whatnot,” Yeonjun chuckled, playing with his earring. “How’s it been going ‘round here?”

“Same old, same old,” the nymph waved it off. Her attention then diverted at the tall boy behind Yeonjun who seemed to desperately lessen his towering frame. “Who’s that with you, Yeonjun? I haven’t seen him around before. Species?”

“This is Soobin… a human.” Yeonjun scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Soobin? What a lovely boy, you are!” She smiled, and from the crinkles in her eyes Soobin could tell it was genuine. “I’m Ambrosia. I raised this little menace for a while. He was a pain in the ass, but he made it big, didn’t he?”

“It seems so,” Soobin said, though he didn’t know if his answer was trustworthy since he met the guy about an hour ago.  

“We’re gonna go now,” Yeonjun announced, his tone desperate. He linked his arm with Soobin, ready to run. “I’ll pop by soon. I promise. ”

Ambrosia made an ‘okay’ sign with her fingers and gave Yeonjun one last teasing look before stumbling off to join some other party goers. Yeonjun lead Soobin in the opposite direction, far out of reach from her.

“She was one of my foster mothers,” Yeonjun explained as soon as they were out of earshot. “Raised me together with some other nymphs and an elderly satyr. He’s right there, by the way. His soul’s never getting old.”

“Ah, cool.” Soobin didn’t really know how else to react; it wasn’t everyday someone told him they were raised by the beings of the woods and watching a satyr bust it down on top of a table.

Parties weren’t exactly Soobin’s scene, but seeing others make fools of themselves while intoxicated was a nice way to pass time, kind of like a disaster tourist.    

“I just thought I’d explain. I’m not the best known and all.” Yeonjun laughed, but it was dripping with awkwardness. His sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. 

“I’ve heard some stories,” Soobin said, trying to lift his spirits.

Yeonjun tilted his head to the side. “Hmm? Such as?”   

“Uh, the thigh story?” It was after saying it out loud that Soobin realized it sounded stupid, so he continued, “And you know how to party.”

“I date way back,” Yeonjun chuckled, taking two glasses from a tray. He toasted to the server. “Way, way back. Long before the Olympians existed, I was already part of Mycenaean Greece, but let’s not get into that. Not like you can’t google it. What about you?”

He flopped down on a poof, patting the spot next to him with his foot. With his hand he offered him a drink. “It’s on me.”

Soobin accepted with some reluctance, though he realized he was now poor. He heard his mother’s voice in his head, scolding him not to take drinks from strangers, since they could be drugged, but Soobin wanted to chug some good wine one last time.

He sat down next to Yeonjun, though he kept some distance. “What about me?”

“What brings you here on this fine night?”

“You?”

Yeonjun sent him an unamused look. “Aside from that.”

“Nothing much,” Soobin shrugged. “Bored, I guess.”

“You can’t possibly be just ‘bored’ if you got into this place.” Yeonjun swirled a pointed finger at him. “One can only enter if they’re in dire need of ecstasy.”

“XTC?” Soobin cowered away a little. Was his mother really going to be right? Fuck. “Are you trying to sell me drugs?”

“No,” Yeonjun snorted before whispering, “Unless you want some. We can always make it happen.”

“Well, even if you did, I don’t have any money,” Soobin replied, washing away the bitterness on his tongue with sweeter wine.  

Soobin turned around his pockets to prove it, all spilling out being a button, a penny and a whole lot of broken hopes.

“You look rather miserable,” Yeonjun noticed.

“Well, I am.” Soobin hadn’t the energy to deny it. The fatigue, with a little kick of alcohol loosened his mouth. Soon he wouldn’t even know what he was saying anymore. “Does it show that much?”

“Would you be hurt if I said yes?” Yeonjun asked. “Because it’s dripping from your tone and your face. Care to share? What is said inside The Dionysia, stays inside The Dionysia.”

Soobin sighed, weighing down his options in the moment and contemplating it with a long internal narrative. He had only ranted to Taehyun about it and he had glossed over the teeny detail. He was down for a long story time about the miseries of his existence.

Soobin placed the glass to his lips and downed it as a shot, immediately getting misty in the mind. Damn, he thought, the gods go hard.

“I guess I had my heart broken and simultaneously lost all I own. Everything except the couch in my friend’s apartment,” Soobin told, laughing away the pain and because he was feeling pretty euphoric at the moment too.

He continued, “There was this super cute boy who worked for my dad, but my dad had this shitty tradition that ever so often he would try to wipe my brother from the family tree or something, or at least keep his fuss to a minimum. He’s a half brother from my mom and you know how reputation is everything to politicians.

“But yeah, so he sends people to him with the deal offers and whatnot, knowing that they definitely won’t agree. My brother is quite a creep, you see. But anyways, this boy was mad cute and I didn’t want to see him get hurt and fired, so I gave him a little cheat sheet on the whole ordeal. We also started dating. So that was a major no-no.”

Soobin sighed, taking another long, lamenting sip. “So we ran off to this shitty ass town. Turns out the mad cute boy was a scam artist. He took all my money and sold our apartment and left me stranded here.”

Soobin ended his monologue with a long groan, not really caring if he sounded like a stranded whale in that moment. He buried his face in his hands, once again letting the tears fall freely. His cries were overmastered by the heavy beating of the bass and the happy, drunken screams.

He felt wretched, but this time there was comfort. A new comfort that wasn’t Taehyun, an outsider on the case. It was refreshing, to spill his heart out, leaving nothing out of the picture.

Yeonjun gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Damn, and here I thought breaking up over text was horrible.”

🍇

Soobin had learned of Yeonjun’s usual whereabouts in the mortal realm. Either he worked at the local  bar – which was actually the same one that carried the portal to Party Forest – or he was casted as a side character on some show whenever they were filming in their area.

The interior of the place seemed to change with every visit and today’s theme was a beach house cocktail bar. It was nice having the sun shine during the night, though Soobin knew it would mess with his biological clock.

“Why do you still work?” Soobin asked him, seated on one of the stools of Yeonjun’s counter. “You don’t have to. You can just… laze around forever.”

Yeonjun pulled out a cloth, rubbing it over the surface of the glazed wood. Soobin lifted his arms so he could reach.

“Trust me, Soobin, once you’ve lazed around for a couple of decennia, it doesn’t get as fun as it sounds,” Yeonjun said, smiling at the once again gleaming surface.

Soobin shrugged, taking slow sips of his Margarita. “I think I could live a life like that.”

“It gets boring after a while.” Yeonjun shook his head with a knowing smirk. “Why do you think the Gods stir up so much drama?”

“Because they’re petty?” Soobin offered, tone rising up at the end.  

“True,” Yeonjun chuckled, “but it’s also because that is their only form of entertainment. They live on forever, they have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. It’s dull, really.”

Soobin razzed. “That’s bold coming from you, Mr. Life of the Party.”

“You know, I wasn’t always this fun dude who threw bomb ass parties.” It seemed that Yeonjun was holding an internal trip down memory lane, staring off into the distance, his gaze screaming dramatic. “Once upon a time I was a rather tragic and scary figure.”

“You? Scary? No way.”

Soobin blew a raspberry, swirling his drink around, blocking out the image of Yeonjun defying the laws of nature and shape shifting into an animal. And forcing others to do so too, except they didn’t get a receipt with the gift.

“Oh, Soobin, if only you knew.” Yeonjun’s voice was distant, as if he had spoken it from a place in earlier times.

Soobin hummed, unconvinced. He nodded, still, to not make Yeonjun feel too invalidated.

“Are you going to try and scare me off? Because it’s not going to work,” Soobin stated. “I think you’re a pretty cool dude.”

🍇

“You know, Yeonjun, I’m actually pretty content with my couch,” Soobin said, once again finding himself at the not-so-local-and-actually-quite-far-from-his-house bar.

It was a nostalgia bar that day and while Soobin wasn’t old enough to know what the 70s were like, Yeonjun seemed to have some nice anecdotes here and there. Most included rock stars and Apollo shooting wine glasses off his head with a bow and arrow. Fun times.

It had become a routine for them – though they met up on other occasions too; they didn’t have a drinking problem – where Soobin would wander off to that part of town, taking a seat early at night and leaving as late as Yeonjun got off work.

It was on weekends mostly, since Soobin did have a job as well. Yes, he was disowned, but working at a top company for a couple of years, looked impressive on his resume, especially since most didn’t make it to a year.

“That couch isn’t even yours,” Yeonjun responded, shoving a Mojito over to a lonely looking nymph.

Soobin forgot to mention, but it was the side of town where all the mythological beings like to hang out.

Soobin pouted angrily, leaning his head on his hand. “Way to ruin it.”

Yeonjun apologized with a smile. “Sorry, I’m a realist. I like to perceive life the way it is.”

Soobin’s expression dropped into a deadpan. “You were intoxicated half the time throughout history.”

“Believe me, if you’ve seen the shit I have, you would be the exact same way,” Yeonjun stated. “No wine, no happiness; no happiness, no life worthy of living.”

“That’s a little… upsetting of a mindset,” Soobin said.

“I went through the worst foster care system known to mankind,” Yeonjun explained. “Half wasn’t qualified for the job, the other half kept dying or getting cursed by my petty stepmother.”

The ground shuddered, multiple limited edition whiskey glasses falling off their respective shelves.

“Fuck you, Hera! Those were personalized items!” Yeonjun cried at the Queen of the Heavens. “It’s not my fault your husband’s a whore!”

Soobin cleared his throat at the endearing family reunion. “Weren’t you raised by Beomgyu for a while.”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Yeonjun held up his hand in front of Soobin’s face, biting his lips with a pain filled frown. “That one happens to be false. Imagine how I would’ve turned out. Horrible, how historians would even think of that. How dare they.”

Soobin snorted at his distress, but given Beomgyu’s attitude and criminal record, he wasn’t exactly a model parental figure. He looked too innocent for one of his best known myths being about beheading someone. It’s always the cute ones who turn out to be psychos. Soobin would know; he saw Taehyun dip his fries in a milkshake. And Kai was self-explanatory.

“When’s your shift over?” Soobin laid his body over the counter top, looking up at Yeonjun with starry eyes, either by affection or exhaustion. Most likely both.

Yeonjun tapped his dangling fingers with a bemused chuckle. “Soobin… you think I’m a worker here?”

“Yes? Why else would you work ungodly hours?”

“Oh, Soobin, Soobin, Soobinnie,” Yeonjun drawled, clicking his tongue.

“’Soobinnie’?” Soobin echoed. “That’s new, Yeonjunnie.”

Yeonjun’s mind was running laps, at the nickname at the way Soobin puckered his lips whenever he spoke.

He scrubbed the glasses extra hard at that, so much that Soobin feared he’d go straight through them. “As I was saying, I own this shitfest.”

“I thought you were grape focused. Wine and all that fun stuff,” Soobin mused. He looked at around the area, seeing various creations wasting their night away. “A magical bar, nice.”

“I wanted to broaden my craftsmanship,” Yeonjun replied simply. “I know you like my cocktails. Made them extra sweet just for you.”

Soobin ignored the obvious flirting; he wasn’t dense. A little dumb at times, but he could tell it from Yeonjun’s tone and cocky smirk. The man winked as if it were a reflex to seeing Soobin.  

“But, what does being the owner mean?” Soobin questioned, hoping the answer would be the one he wished for.

“It means that I’ll get off now.” Yeonjun giggled at Soobin, who was obviously trying to keep his cool. He knew the boy was tired and was dying to go home, but he wouldn’t until Yeonjun left too. “Gyu always wanted to try bartending once.”

Soobin stretched his neck, to see if maybe he had missed an obnoxious presence. “But he’s not here now?”

Yeonjun hummed. “He will be.”

True to Yeonjun’s words, a blur flashed by them. At Yeonjun’s side stood their favorite chestnut, his long hair escaping from underneath his oddly shaped helmet, his mouth in an open smile.

“I can tend the bar today?!” Beomgyu was squealing, clapping his hands.

“Yup.” Yeonjun prayed he wouldn’t come to regret it.

Beomgyu pumped the air, flying up a little as he did so. “Olympus up above, I am going to invent the best concoction ever!”

He was speaking so fast, Soobin thought he was trying to break a world record of most words in a minute.

Yeonjun smacked his lips. “Please don’t.”

“Too late, my friend.” Beomgyu waved his comment aside, already eyeing the shiny bottles behind the counter with sparkling gaze – Hermes had a thing for shiny objects. “You have given me the power. Watch out, I’m going to take your job in no time.”

“You already have too many jobs,” Yeonjun noted through a frown. “You’re, like, the millennial icon.”

Beomgyu shot him figure guns, agreeing with him. “Exactly, can’t hurt to have another one. Minimum wages don’t pay.”

He rummaged around the bottles, choosing the ones he found the prettiest, the same judgment going for the glass of choice.

Yeonjun’s eyes widened in realization, wondering who had created the packaging of those bottles to be so pleasant to the vision.

He reached out his hand. “Don’t mix the Irish Cream and lime… juice.”

“Oh.” Beomgyu looked down at his newly created cement. “…That didn’t go as planned. Let’s call it a rookie mistake.”

He rummaged the drawers, pulling out a spoon and sticking it into his creation. He shoved it in a satyr’s hands. “On the house.”

The satyr didn’t look very thankful – offended, more like –, but he knew better than to question a gift of a god.

Soobin believed he saw him tossing it to a plant, though. Poor plant.

Yeonjun looked physically pained, as if Beomgyu had punched him in the gut instead. “You know, what? This is a bad ide–“

“Oh, shut up, Yeonjun,” Beomgyu broke him off. “I’ll be fine. You go ahead and enjoy date night.”

Yeonjun sucked in a sharp breath. “Beomgyu!”

“Yeonjun!” Beomgyu annoyingly replied. He patted the God of Wine on the back. “Just go, I’ve got it all under control. When have I ever messed up?”

“I can name multiple events,” Yeonjun snapped.

Cold sweat broke out on Beomgyu’s forehead. “Which you aren’t going to do because you’ve got the love of your life waiting for you.”

“If you don’t stop…” Yeonjun trailed off, realizing his threat was empty. He hoped he at least looked intimidating.

He didn’t. He looked as intimidating as a kitten and since Beomgyu was immortal, it didn’t do much.

Beomgyu crossed his arms, leaning his back against the countertop. “Then? Jun, what can you do against me.”

It was spoken out as a statement; they both knew that Beomgyu was invincible. There wasn’t a force in nature that could go against him; humanity was lucky that he was such a soft-hearted individual or the ends of the Earth would have been ripped apart.

“Uh, guys.” Soobin fumbled with his fingers, awkward smile on his lips. “I’m gonna get going…”

“Wait for me.” Yeonjun went to retrieve his jacket from the worker’s room, trusting that Soobin would still be waiting for him when he returned.

Sure enough, he was still there, happily chatting away with Beomgyu. Yeonjun hoped it wasn’t about him, but the way Beomgyu’s eyes darted away from him was more than enough proof that he had been trashed.

“I’ll get back to you, Gyu.” Yeonjun slammed his fist down on the wood, mustering a smile that only the God of Insanity could. You better watch out.

He couldn’t stay mad for long, however, as a big hand wrapped itself around his, his body being dragged away from the crime scene – yes, as expected from someone being arrested as a newborn, every place Beomgyu went turned into a shot from a CSI film. You really couldn’t blame Yeonjun for being uneasy about the arrangement.

Soobin, on the other hand, has his gut twisted into pretzel for a whole different reason. He was getting bold, but running into Yeonjun on that drastic night had changed his whole perception on the world – as dramatic as that sounds, but what was to be expected, getting associated with Lord of Theater and all.

Yeonjun was a whirlwind on feet, always energized and down for whatever crazy idea, sometimes too casual when mentioning them – he’d called Soobin a killjoy for not wanting to come along to Mount Nysa to see what a real party looked like. Soobin had retaliated by claiming that he was a homebody. He promised one day, though never clarified specifics. 

Soobin’s block came in sight. All the way they hadn’t exchanged much words, though their bodies had been close and none had ever showed sign of letting the other go, which was rather cute, except Soobin’s hand was sweating so much it could have filled a whole new oceanic realm that he could rule over – sorry, Poseidon, but you gotta up your game, big guy.

“There we are,” Yeonjun announced, bringing them to a halt. He looked down at their interlocked hands. “Seems like I’ll have to let you go, hmm?”

“What if you didn’t?” Soobin retaliated.

“We couldn’t possibly both fit on Taehyun’s couch.”

Soobin licked his lips. “Rude.”

“Sorry, Soobinnie, but I must present you with the truth,” Yeonjun theatrically said. “You barely fit on his couch.”

“I don’t wanna let you go, though,” Soobin pouted.

Yeonjun admitted that he thought about that pout more often than was considered healthy, but it was such an adorable asset to Soobin’s gentle face. When Soobin was lost in thought, when he was annoyed, his resting expression were all adorned by that  those naturally pouty lips.

“I know, Soobinnie,” he murmured, “but you have to go to sleep. It’s crazy how you keep up with my crazy schedule like this. Goodnight, then.”

Soobin, impulsive and open-hearted as he was, engulfed Yeonjun in an embrace. He felt Yeonjun stiffen in his arms at first, but then his body went lax, unsure hands clasping around Soobin’s waist.

The hug warmed Soobin up from the inside, making his head spin with dizziness and turning his perception of the world fuzzy, like taking a sip of wine too many. It burned his throat with a thrilling confidence, bubbled his gut with eased nerved, and let the words his usually timid self could never speak aloud.

“Can I kiss you?”

Yeonjun seemed taken aback, his first reaction just gaping. All he did for a solid five minutes was gape at Soobin, like a fish gasping for air.

Soobin felt nervous sweat trickle down his forehead, wondering if he’d made a mistake. Perhaps he had offended the god by thinking he was worthy of a kiss. Maybe he’d committed an act of hubris.

He patiently waited for grape vines to strangle him and drag him through the cracks in the earth. He hoped Thanatos would give him a nice ride down the Styx.

“You know what… never mi– oomf.”

It happened so quick that Soobin’s mind couldn’t process anything, except for Yeonjun’s lips on his. It was a rough kiss, a heat of the moment type of rash,  bitter on his tongue with the traces of alcohol, but Yeonjun’s touch brought back all its sweetness.

Yeonjun’s one hand was fisting a handful of his shirt, the other clasped around the back of his neck. Yeonjun’s lips weren’t soft as Soobin had expected; they were chapped, most likely due to the cold weather they found themselves wandering through. Nonetheless, they filled him up with just as much passion, if not more.

As it had started, it was over in a flash and suddenly Soobin was cold, deprived from Yeonjun’s touch and desperate for a second longer, a moment more. That’s how he could tell that it had been pretty damn good.

He touched his lips, eyes trailing Yeonjun’s retreating figure, banging his head and tugging his hair. He was probably cursing too.

Soobin laughed at the imagination of Yeonjun’s pouty lips and his fumbled eyebrows, muttering to himself about his grand stupidity and that he wasn’t the god of that. He could hear his long whines – he’d grown accustomed to them over time, since Yeonjun whined quite the amount – and cries of embarrassment.

Soobin had to say, apparently having the talent of getting an Olympian God flustered was definitely a boost to his ego. With that thought, he skipped into Taehyun’s apartment.

Taehyun was not amused, being awoken by a Choi Soobin catapulting himself onto him. Roommate applications were open. They came along in a combo deal with a worn out leather couch.

🍇

The following days after The Kiss, Soobin had been dancing around his feelings and played the great game of avoidance. It was like a game of cat and mouse, except Yeonjun was a leopard and Soobin was an idiot.

He had been the one to make the first move, despite Yeonjun being the one to kiss him first – consent is key, remember that, kids –, but here he was, acting as if he regretted it. He didn’t, truly not. He had danced back home, twirling in the halls and giggling to Taehyun, who told him he’d listen once the sun had risen again.

However, when the sun had risen, he found himself in a pool of gray emotions.

It wasn’t that Soobin didn’t trust Yeonjun. Quite the contrary, actually; Soobin trusted Yeonjun a little too much, that he’d blindly found his way back to his designated bar stool every weekend.

No, it was love that Soobin had grown distrustful of, because with loving came reliance and with reliance came the underlying lurking of betrayal. Soobin had found himself in a nice circle of betrayal; his father had betrayed a high ranking official who’d helped him, Soobin betrayed his father and Kai had betrayed Soobin.

It was funny, really, how it always comes back.

As he sulked in a burrito of blankets, watching reruns of bad comedy shows he never enjoyed, there came a crackling from Taehyun’s kitchen. At first Soobin blamed it on the distortion of his senses after staring at a screen in the dark for a few hours too long. He ignored it.

But then it happened again and this time  he diverted his gaze at it. His lazy gaze widened to alertness, the fine hairs on his neck standing up straight, startled. Taehyun’s stove was glowing with purple flames.

From those flames emitted a figure, tall and proud. Soobin could only gape at the fire taking solid form. Leopard fur, pink hair, angry pout, squinted eyes and a whole lot pizzazz.

“Why are you ghosting me?” Yeonjun’s tone was accusing, arms crossed over his chest.

Soobin fell off the couch in shock, getting tangled in what was supposed to protect him from existence. He let out a muffled scream.  

Yeonjun huffed coldly. “I don’t speak banshee, please use words.”

Soobin fumbled around, finally finding a hole he could speak through. “Sorry.”

“Am I a bad kisser?” Yeonjun asked. “Is that it? Do you not like my kissing?”

“No!” Soobin interjected, wanting to throw that misunderstanding out of the window immediately. “You’re a great kisser! It’s just… like, uh, you’re… a god and I’m… scared.”

“What? Why?!” Yeonjun yelled.

Soobin flinched. “You could get anyone. You could move on to anyone better than me. You know how the gods tend to… mess around.”

“Soobinnie…” Yeonjun sounded hurt. “You think I would… do that?”

“I wouldn’t know, Yeonjun,” Soobin muttered. “You’re a deity after all, and I am… just plain and mortal. You could easily find someone else, who’s better and more exciting. Your trademark is literally throwing the best parties. I don’t fit in your world.”

“You know, Soobin, I think it’s time for a little back story here.” Yeonjun dropped his body on Taehyun’s crappy couch. He scrunched his nose, finding it impossible to find comfort. “This sucks. Is your back okay?”

“No,” Soobin admitted flatly, “but I can handle it. So, story time?”

He rolled himself over to Yeonjun’s feet, wondering how he was talented enough to trap himself in a straightjacket. It struck as an afterthought that maybe it could be Yeonjun messing around with him as revenge. Goddamn gods and their goddamn powers.  

“I’m not sure if it’ll ease your worries, but I think you deserve to know, at least,” Yeonjun said, as if he were giving a disclaimer.  

Soobin nodded. “I’m all ears.”

“I wasn’t always the party god,” Yeonjun started. “It took me quite some years, actually. My mother vaporized, I was cut from my father’s thigh, you know that story. I’ve been jumbled around. But there’s more to it. You know, I got dismembered once.”

“You what?” Soobin butted in. He should’ve done deeper research, but in his defense, there wasn’t a lot of source material covering Dionysus and it was all the same story.

“That’s for another time, don’t worry. Don’t want to overwhelm you, now do we?” Yeonjun rubbed Soobin’s head, freeing it from the trap. “But I did say that I’ve seen some shit.”

“No, please continue,” Soobin said, wriggling his neck as he couldn’t use hand motions.

“I won’t go to my whole life story,” Yeonjun stated, playing with Soobin’s ear. “I just wanted you to know that I’ve wandered around for a while, with no home to return to. Also, Hera cursed me with insanity because she was mad that Zeus is a horny being.”

Yeonjun sighed. “All I’m trying to say, really, is that even though I messed up in the past and probably will continue to do so in the future, I want to have you by my side. I want you to be there to smack sense into me and to scold me for going too crazy. I want to have your touch comfort me and I want bruises in the shape of your fingerprints over my skin–“

Soobin squeaked. “That suddenly turned very… hot.”

“Well, I have my desires too, you know.” Yeonjun looked unashamed as he spoke, which meant all the more secondhand embarrassment for Soobin. “Soobin, give me a chance and let me into your heart. I can’t promise that I won’t hurt you, but I will try my best not to.”

“Okay.”

Yeonjun put on a bewildered frown. “That’s it? That’s all I get?”

Soobin rolled his eyes, hopping up to cuddle up to Yeonjun. He had at least found a way out for his arms, but his legs were still tangled in cloth that could have been used to preserve a mummy.

“That’s all you need,” Soobin murmured. “I’ll give us a chance. It’s hard for me, not going to lie and if you do anything Taehyun will come bash your skull with a frying pan. He doesn’t care if you’re immortal.”

Yeonjun gulped. “Noted.”

Soobin brushed the pink strands out of his eyes and pressed a long kiss on his forehead. “Thank you… Thank you for trusting me enough to share this.”

🍇

The thing that came with dating the God of Ritual Madness was, well, insanity. No, not in himself – though he would admit, sometimes he wanted to pull his hair out in frustration at Yeonjun’s shenanigans –, but Soobin wanted to know if he was attending parties or if he had ended up in a cult.

It was the latter. Apparently his boyfriend had a cult following. the Bacchae were the textbook definition of ‘good times, bad decisions’. Stuck in their mania and ecstasy, they stamped grapes and rang cymbals, they let the worries of daily life leave their systems and let the happiness run through their bloodstreams.

They sang, they laughed, they danced. It was in that moment that Soobin realized Yeonjun was actually amazing at the last part.

His body moved so freely along to the beat, fluidly as the wine spilling from their cups.

Soobin was mesmerized, acting as a spectator on the side, a mere commoner in the presence of a god. In the shadows of the fires, Yeonjun’s shadow stretched over him as an overbearing presence Soobin wanted to succumb to. It was as if a divine light shone from behind him, an aureole of a saint lighting him up from behind.

But Yeonjun was far from a saint. His demonic cult was the prime reminder of that.  

Watching Yeonjun be a grace to this mortal earth was the sole reason Soobin liked and continued to attend; the snakes licking his face and the ritually shredding of animals, not so much, but to each their own, Soobin would say.

He still shuddered about it at night; he was a little traumatized. Yeonjun looking like he was sensually summoning a demon was worth it, though.

🍇

Yeonjun liked to think of himself as a generally good guy. He hadn’t cursed anyone without reason. When he did, yes, he laughed about it, because the shock on their faces when they realized, “Good grief! It’s Dionysus!” was priceless.

He always liked to see himself as a surprise act, from the moment he was born – was being sliced out of your father’s thigh considered being born? – up to this day, he has never ceased to amaze.

But, for the first time in his life had he been caught by surprise. It wasn’t the shock of sudden loss or bad news, but it was a pleasant awakening, a snap out of himself. It was the realization that he was in fact infatuated by the sad looking mortal, stranded on a beach pier.

He sighed, slumping into his throne. He didn’t hang out on Olympus often, but he occasionally did when he needed some divine interference for his mind. He hoped Athena would bless him with some mental clarity.

The white pillars were so high they were intimidating and Athena’s spot was empty. Yeonjun wanted to curl up in a ball and bawl till his tear ducts ran dry.

Beomgyu was on the other side of the throne room, watching mortals travel down his sacred roads and helping an occasional criminal on an escape route. When he didn’t have messages to deliver or dead people to escort, he liked to engage in the most mindless activities.

“Yes, and now left!” Beomgyu cheered. “Whoa, look at him drifting! That’s right! Fuck the cops! Get your money!”

“Gyu?” Yeonjun called. He almost felt bad, stripping him off his entertainment.

Beomgyu waved over his shoulder. “What? I’m a little busy right now.”

“I’m going to ask him to marry me.”

As if it were a trick of the light, Beomgyu zapped to Yeonjun’s side. He set his hands on Yeonjun’s shoulders, staring straight into his soul. “Soobin?”

Yeonjun nodded. “Who else, Gyu?”

“I don’t know, maybe you found a nymph or something,” Beomgyu said. He scratched his ear. “Commitment? The God of Parties?”

“Just because I always partied doesn’t mean I mess around.”

“Yeah okay, but it’s still a little weird for me.”

Beomgyu wiped away a faux tear with his pinky, sniffling fake sniffles. He spread his palm over his chest.

“You know, Jun, I remember when you were but an infant and Zeus ordered me to dump you with some mortals,” he lamented.  

“Those mortals were my first parents, mind you,” Yeonjun grumbled, “and you know how Zeus is about responsibility and the consequences of his actions.”

“I was born in a cave.” Beomgyu snorted at the good old, pre-Olympian days. “I had to steal cows and kick up a fuss with Apollo before I got noticed by Habitual Woman Banger and the Occasional Man.”  

“Don’t forget Dicks Out For Days. He should be called the God of Flings instead.” Yeonjun laughed at his own joke, before turning to Beomgyu with pleading eyes. “But, Gyu, I need your help.”

“At your service.” Beomgyu saluted, seating himself on top of Yeonjun’s counter top. “What do you need? Distraction? Deception?”

“Support.”

“Well, that’s not my forte,” Beomgyu muttered under his breath, yet he shot Yeonjun finger guns, “but for you, bestie, I’ll do it.”

Yeonjun eyed him with doubt and mainly disgust. “I thought Apollo was your bestie?”

“I can have multiple besties. You’re my bestie on the weekend up to Tuesday,” Beomgyu explained. “Now tell me, bestie, what is my role.”

Yeonjun coughed, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. “Uh…”

“Goodness, you have nothing planned?!” Beomgyu yelled.  

“Soobin isn’t a fan of extravagance…?” Yeonjun helpfully tried. He had his proposal written out, scrapped, rewritten, thrown to the side. That had to count as something.

“And he’s dating you?!” Beomgyu pursed his lips, fighting a loud fit of laughter. “Wow, that’s kinda ironic.”

“I know.” Yeonjun didn’t seem to take the comment to heart. “But I can tone it down, for him.”

“How cute.” Beomgyu’s tone was as flat as his deadpan expression. “Wait a minute, I’ll help you out.”

He then flashed out of sight, coming back seconds later with a whiteboard and a projector in tow. He tapped the board with his marker. “Moving on, brainstorm. Special places?”

Yeonjun drowned in his memories, finding all the places they’d been together phenomenal, though it was because Soobin had sketched the surroundings in a rose gold hue, making it seem so much more alluring. Truthfully, he couldn’t even remember the surroundings, all he could see were Soobin’s eyes crinkling in full-fledged grins and his cute dimples and his button nose.

Yeonjun recalled the first time he’d gotten blessed by Soobin’s presence. It wasn’t a great moment, being pinned down and beaten to pulp, but seeing a pretty boy peeking from behind a pole did pull out the God of Theater side within Yeonjun. Yeah, half of what Yeonjun had been doing was showmanship, all to impress.

Soobin seemed to be. So impressed that he passed out.

Who knew getting manhandled would be the start of a new lifetime.  

“The beach pier,” Yeonjun stated, breaking from his thoughts.  

“Beach pier, very well,” Beomgyu said, writing it down, his tongue sticking out in concentration. “Thoughts on him?”

“The loveliest thing to ever exist,” Yeonjun said with no hesitation. “He took my heart and ran off with it, but I know that he’ll always come back with it. He’s the home I’ve been looking for.”

“Adorable.” Beomgyu’s reactions weren’t getting any more enthusiastic. “Thank you for your contribution, we’ll get back to you within two to three work days. We’ll consult with our client and discuss payment later.”   

He saluted and tapped his sandals awake. With a skillful spin he placed his helmet on his head, “Now, I have some errands to run.”

“Wait! Gyu!” Yeonjun was calling after a cloud of dust. “All I needed was for you to be a distraction…”

🍇

“You got this, Yeonjun,” Yeonjun pep talked himself, staring himself down in the mirror. “You survived Hera’s wrath.”

His reflection seemed to be mocking him. “Nope, you don’t. You don’t got this.”

Beomgyu had been of great help, of course, sketching out a plan and helping with the set up. Being the distraction – with some help of Taehyun, since he was an adult who actually had their life together – and telling Yeonjun to suck it up as well as being the best consolation cuddler to grace the universe.

There wasn’t a doubt when it came to Yeonjun’s love for Soobin. He loved the boy through and through, from the way he expressed himself through hugs to his detest for physical activity. He had been hard to crack at first, Yeonjun would admit, keeping his worries silent and his thoughts to himself.

Being betrayed the way he had been, of course opening up would be a task. But as with most things, it got easier with time. Trailing down a world without any set grounds, Yeonjun had always been in search of something to keep him anchored. Never had he thought that it would be a human he would find a home in.

Soobin kept him warm in the cold waves of existence and bad decisions and Yeonjun would gladly lay himself down at Soobin’s feet.

He was aware of Soobin’s demons, his inborn feelings of inferiority. His confidence had grown greatly, so much that Yeonjun felt proud at how comfortable the boy had gotten in his skin, but Soobin was still afraid. Afraid that he wouldn’t be enough to have Yeonjun stay, afraid that Yeonjun would run off unexpectedly or that Soobin would be cast aside again.

It was saddening, tugged at Yeonjun’s heart to see him think so lowly of himself. How could such a gem to this debilitated and gruesome world think they were replaceable.

From the moment Yeonjun had taken him along on that night, from Soobin’s late night trips to Yeonjun’s work spot, their shaky start, Yeonjun knew he was the one. For as long as Yeonjun would live, for as long he had the ability to love, Soobin would always be the one.

He looked at the ring box, nodding to himself.  “For Soobin, you can do it. You can do anything for him.”   

🍇

In the two years that Soobin had been with Yeonjun, he had gotten the great honor to meet God of Messengers and a whole list, Beomgyu. They clicked well, though he could be a lot to handle at times, especially when he was excited.

He had flashed into Taehyun’s apartment, winked at his housemate and then zapped Soobin out along with him.

Soobin wasn’t sure which of the three things he was supposed to be the most shocked by.

“Where are we going, Gyu?” Soobin questioned. “Why are you so eager to go to this specific spot?”

“Because they have the best ice cream, duh.” Beomgyu rolled his eyes and linked his arm with Soobin’s. “Come on, Soobin! Hurry your mortal legs!”

“Can’t all be the God of Speed, now can we?” Soobin grumbled, his thighs aching at having to catch up to Beomgyu’s random darting. “Why didn’t you just bother Tae or something?”

“Because I need an expert by my side,” Beomgyu said. “Taehyun’s great and all, but he has no taste.”

“Well, I mean, you came to the right person.” Soobin didn’t want to brag, but he was all-knowing when it came to this particular delicacy.

Beomgyu pointed behind him. “Oh look, there’s our snack!”

“What?” Soobin turned his head to see what all the fuss was about.  

But Beomgyu had whipped out his speedy sandals and raced out of the scene, yelling, “Go get ‘em, champ!” as he passed them in a gust of wind.

Soobin was still in search of the snack, though.

“Soobinnie,” a sweet voice called his attention.

The confusion didn’t disappear, but part of it did melt away when his gaze fell upon the source – not that he needed to see a face to know who it was.

A grin spread over Soobin’s face, reaching from ear to ear. He held his arms open as an invitation and – as Ancient Greece was well-familiar with common courtesy – Yeonjun came jogging over to accept it.

He let Soobin’s squishiness swallow him whole, succumbing to his sugary scent. “Hi, Soobinnie.”

“What is this set up, Yeonjunnie?” he asked. “Beomgyu was being a little weird, too. Well, weirder than usual.”   

Yeonjun raised his eyebrows. “You really had no suspicions?”

“No? It’s not uncommon for Beomgyu to drag me out for ice cream?” Soobin’s eyes turned to saucers. “Oh my god, why are you getting down?”

Yeonjun cleared his throat, hoping he wouldn’t mess up his lines.

“I know that in this fickleness called live, there will be unexpected flows and unpredictable situations. People change just like the weather and nothing will ever be stagnant. There will be hard times, but for those times will come the better ones. When it’s cold I promise to keep you warm in my arms, when it’s getting hot-headed, I’ll give you the space to cool down.

“I’ll respect the alone time you need, but I’ll keep you close nonetheless. I know nothing about love, but I know that you and I go good together. You and I, I think we’ll be alright forever.” He pulled the ring box from his pocket. “Do you want to be my forever, Choi Soobin?”  

“Of course, Choi Yeonjun.” Soobin’s voice cracked, though Yeonjun hadn’t the heart to tease him about it.

Seeing Soobin’s smile, spreading over his soft cheeks, his dimples so deep Yeonjun would lose his way in them. He knew in that moment that if this was the last thing he would have to see, he could die peacefully. All that Soobin was, that was all he’d ever need.

🍇

Soobin was a mess. Disheveled, tired, and running on too many shots of caffeine. Thank goodness Taehyun was there to keep him grounded, because the possibility of Soobin running out of his own wedding due to nerves was concerningly high.

“You know, Bin, if I knew that going broke and having your life in shambles could get you a godly boyfriend then sign me up,” Taehyun spoke, clicking his camera and snapping a few pictures of Soobin being a borderline hysterical.

He had promised Yeonjun to capture Soobin’s every moment. All the lovey-dovey bullshit aside, he got some pretty nice meme shots. He was definitely going to use those.  

“Didn’t you have a fling with Gyu?” Soobin asked, glad to turn the attention to someone else’s love life.

“One time thing,” Taehyun shut him off.

“Sure,” Soobin sang, wiggling his brows at Taehyun.

Taehyun brought up his camera, crowning the expression the Upgraded Lenny Face.  

“Shut up or I’ll leave you to panic on your own,” he grumbled.

“No, Tae! You’re my father for today!” Soobin cried, playing along. He reached out for his friend’s hand.

Taehyun rolled his eyes. “Yes, son, now shut up.”

Soobin’s stomach churned with nerves, butterflies holding a boxing match with his gut. He was positive that he was green in the face. They hadn’t even had their wedding pictorial yet. He didn’t want to go into eternity looking like he had been struck by the flu.

“I’m going to throw up,” Soobin announced.  

“In the bucket if you do,” Taehyun said, kicking said bucket in Soobin’s direction. “I brought it along for a reason.”

“Wasn’t it for the flowers?” Soobin was skeptical, but nonetheless took it before he would spew all of his lunch and stress snacks over his white tux.  

“Of course not, this is the backup bucket,” Taehyun clarified. He went over to massage Soobin’s shoulders. “Soobin, I’ve lived with you for years. In college and then another two years after your scamming incident.”

“In my defense, I lived with Yeonjun half of the time too then,” Soobin protested.

Taehyun sighed, eyeing the clock above the mirror. “I’d love to argue with you, but the time has come.”

He pulled Soobin out of his seat, taking quite the amount of his strength; Soobin had used all his weight to glue himself to his seat.

“No! I need more time to mentally prepare!”

 “Come on, son, I’m giving you away,” Taehyun grumbled through gritted teeth.

Finally Soobin gave in and Taehyun almost shot a hole in the wall, catapulted back.

“Please stop calling me that,” Soobin muttered in shame. “You’re younger than me.”  

Taehyun smiled a cheeky smile, looping his arm with Soobin’s. “You said it yourself, Bin. I am your father today.”

🍇

The ceremony wasn’t grand – unexpected of the guy who was known for throwing the most batshit crazy parties in the entire ancient world. It was secluded, with only a handful of people invited. Most were on Yeonjun’s guest list, given the fact that Soobin had no family and his only friend was Taehyun.

It was a rural spot in Greece, dating back to one of Yeonjun’s supposed origin stories, though now he only used it for vacations and to occasionally check up on his children – sorry, his grapes.

Given the fact that they literally had the Gods in their favor, there were no worries about weather whatsoever. Unless someone was being petty outside of Soobin’s knowledge.

Soobin could already hear himself laughing about it in the future, but Taehyun had walked him down the aisle, down a path decorated on the side with purple and white hydrangeas and leading to a bow of them, where Yeonjun was waiting.

And damn, was he gorgeous. His hair was slicked back, his black suit sleek on his figure. And when he smiled Soobin felt just as nervous as when he’d ask the boy to kiss him for the first time, yet this time he was certain of where this would lead him.  

Taehyun released his arm, giving him an encouraging squeeze on his shoulder. “No turning back now.”

“Wouldn’t even dream of it,” Soobin said.

He took Yeonjun’s hands in his, his fingers tingling as they touched. He interlocked their gazes. He’d never forget the sparkle in Yeonjun’s eyes, the beaming smile, soft and gentle.

He vaguely heard Aphrodite’s voice in the background squealing, “I ship it.”

It was great knowing that the Goddess of Love had given her blessing, because Soobin wasn’t ready to die tragically dumb. Gods, imagine if that happened. Psh, how absurd that would be?

🍇

After the official ceremony, the guests were moved to inside the villa. The walls were built with yellow bricks, going up to three stories. It was strategically placed on a mountain, the compartments that made up the entire thing standing on different levels of ground, but part had actually been placed inside the hill, so it was way bigger than it seemed.

It was an old design and of course it was lavish – Dionysus had an image to uphold.

Various guests had come over to congratulate them and gush and shower them with presents. Hera was still bitter, but it was nice of her to come without unleashing a curse out of irritation.

Soobin was a little star struck, not going to lie. It wasn’t very regular to be able to call the one who ruled over the heavens your father in law, nor did he expect the ruler of the seas to be that one drunken uncle at parties. Poseidon could bust some moves, though.

Apollo took that personally.

Soobin didn’t think his wedding party would turn into the warzone of a dance battle either, nor did he expect his newlywed husband to join in on it. He couldn’t blame Yeonjun, though; he was pretty great and Soobin would never grown tired of watching Yeonjun dance.

Taehyun popped by his side, glass of champagne bubbling in his hand and judging from the rosy blush on his cheeks, it wasn’t his first.

“How is it? Being married?” he asked.

“Like a contract has sealed the deal and bound us together,” Soobin replied. Taking a glass for himself, he watched Yeonjun become the epitome of silly dances. He smiled. I married an idiot.

“Very funny,” Taehyun deadpanned. He inspected the villa. “How’d you get this place, by the way?”

“Oh, it’s Yeonjun’s summer house,” Soobin shrugged. “He has vineyards here.”

Taehyun stayed silent for a moment. “Fuck it, I’m going to date Beomgyu. Beomgyu! Dance with me!”

Without another word he poured the fizzy drink in his mouth and stomped over to his prey.

Beomgyu’s head snapped up, frozen in the act of shoving his face under the chocolate fountain. Taehyun pinched the bridge of his nose, pulling Beomgyu away and dragging him over to the stage. He would show these old bitches how it was done.

Soobin had to cheer for him. “Work it, Taehyun! Go, best friend!”

Taehyun was in his own world and Beomgyu was… well, he was great moral support.

“Look at these two dumbasses.” Yeonjun came over, sneaking his arm around Soobin’s waist and resting his head on the male’s shoulder.  

“I think Tae is just searching for an excuse to not admit his feelings,” Soobin replied, leaning into Yeonjun’s touch.

“Well, he better admit them soon, because Beomgyu looks like he’d about to combust.”

Looking over, Beomgyu did look a little redder in the face than usual, whether it was embarrassment or not, he avoided looking at Taehyun at all costs.

Soobin giggled. “I think it’s pretty funny. And you wanted to get some type of act.”

“I didn’t expect Taehyun to let loose,” Yeonjun admitted, watching Taehyun now break out in a popping dance.  

“He enjoyed your beverages a lot,” Soobin explained.

Yeonjun looked up, his eyes shining as the chandelier hanging from his ceiling. “So, husband.”

“Yes, husband?” Soobin answered his call.     

Yeonjun nuzzled his face in the crook of Soobin’s neck. He murmured, “Nothing, I just wanted to call you that.”

Soobin pecked Yeonjun’s nose, then his cheek, his temple. “Goodness, you’re adorable. How did Fate give me the chance to meet you.”

🍇

It was summer again, which meant the couple was staying by the Greek countryside in the vineyard mansion. Soobin had to admit that marrying a deity had its perks. They were seated on their patio, staring over the lush green hills.

Despite entering their third year of marriage, life with Yeonjun was never a bore. They had their routines, their habits, but it wasn’t ever the same. Soobin had grown familiar with expecting the unexpected.

Soobin snaked his arms around Yeonjun’s waist from behind, the latter startling at the action at first, but when he felt the welcoming fuzziness of the hug, he smiled. “Hello, Soobinnie.”

Soobin didn’t reply, burying his face in the crook of Yeonjun’s neck, trailing his jaw line with butterfly kisses.

Yeonjun giggled, Soobin’s lips tickling his skin. “What’s the fuss about, Soobinnie?”  

“You really meant forever, right?” Soobin murmured, pressing his cheek against Yeonjun’s temple.

Yeonjun spun around in embrace, now facing his husband with a loving smile. He adjusted the collar of Soobin’s white button down.

“Yes, Soobinnie,” he said, lacing in all the sincerity he could muster into it. “Forever and always.”

He cupped Soobin’s squishy face – how lucky he was to be able to call such a human his – and connection their lips. It was tender and mild, filled with all of Yeonjun’s wholehearted affection.

Soobin’s eyelids fluttered. “You won’t come to regret it, right?”

Yeonjun shook his head, sticking out his pinky. “Not once, pinky promise.”

Soobin grinned shyly, locking their fingers in an unspoken promise. Yeonjun had been the lighthouse to his unruly sea, appearing the moment his life had hit an all time low in the most peculiar of ways. Soobin had always thought he knew love, but what with Yeonjun he had the chance to experience the real thing.

It was painful at times, more storm clouds than clears, but Yeonjun had kept his promise. He resolved the issues as soon as he could, after they had taken the time to calm down. He couldn’t be more thankful.

The horizon, a sapphire melting into coral, brought out the blue in Yeonjun’s eyes and complimented his bright hair. The first stars were scattered across the horizon, falling onto Yeonjun’s silhouette like a celestial rain; Soobin’s personal universe.

The stars had guided his ship back home.  

Soobin still had a question left, however.

“What if I get all aged and stuff?” he asked – it was a valid worry if his significant other was never going to age. “Like, you’ll still look that way and I’ll be… ew. They’ll think I’m your grandfather.”

“Don’t worry about that yet, Binnie.” Yeonjun’s smile was like the moon, pulling at Soobin as if he were the ocean. “Let’s live in the present.”