Chapter Text
The Sun and the Moon have exchanged the dominion of the sky with one another twenty-three times since ae first encountered this mortal. Summer’s power is at his peak. Fertility’s children dance through fields and farms and the Wilderness, causing every living thing to flourish. The mortals are no exception to their influence, harvesting the bounties of the gods’ blessings and their persistent work.
And through it all, Mikey watches from one of aer temples, accepting offerings and bestowing aer own gifts to the mortals that visit.
Ae has seen all of this many thousands of times before, but this time it feels different. Special. Now, ae feels the pressure of Time, and does not like the thought of simply waiting and passing the days as usual.
Time— uncompromising and uncaring of the trite affairs and desires of both gods and mortals— she continues as she always does. And as she always will.
Twenty-three days should be enough. The mortal Ellios has visited six of those days, although he only brought an offering the first four times. The last time, two days ago, Ellios simply rearranged some of the other mortals’ gifts on Mikey’s altar while chatting about perfect and domestic things like how the dirt is ever present on his floor despite sweeping. Or how to build wooden furnishings. Mikey sat with him as he talked, asking questions just to keep Ellios talking.
Ae rather likes hearing Ellios’ voice.
“You can never have too many chairs, let me tell you that,” Ellios had said while arranging all of the glittering stones by color. “Never know when one of them might break, or you might have more company than you were expecting, or you might have to throw one at a creepy monster in the middle of the night.”
“You’d use a chair as a weapon?” Mikey had asked, reclining on aer altar.
“I mean, the surprise would probably get me enough time to run in the opposite direction,” Ellios had replied, almost ashamed. But then he laughed, and Mikey decided that ae liked that sound far more than all the songs and poems of praise ae has ever heard.
Today, Mikey sets out from the temple at first light, heading in the direction that Ellios always arrives from. Ae does not know exactly where the mortal lives, but ae is sure ae will be able to find him. Mikey has bestowed so many blessings on Ellios that the mortal should shine like a beacon once ae gets close enough.
And sure enough, the bright beauty that is Ellios appears to Mikey, walking along the beaten road with a basket at his side. He waves at Mikey, and then stutters to a halt as realization spreads across his face.
“You’re here!” he exclaims. “I was— wow. Uh, I was just heading to your temple, actually. Um… I guess I can give you the… the thing here, unless you’re busy doing something else.”
“I was looking for you,” Mikey says, walking closer to the mortal.
Ellios’ mouth opens and closes and his eyes blink rapidly for a few seconds.
“I am going to give you a very special gift.”
“Oh,” Ellios breathes out. “Uh, can I give you my thing first? If that’s alright, I mean, I don’t want to be pushy or, uh, sound ungrateful. I just… I don’t think what I have can compare to, you know, something from a god.”
Mikey glances at the basket. “Okay. What do you have?”
Ellios’ hands go to the cloth covering the basket, but he doesn’t immediately draw it aside. “Well… I’m sure it won’t exactly— see, I— maybe I’ve been spending a little too much time out in the sun; it’s been so warm these days and I just get in my head thinking about things, so, uh…”
He uncovers the basket and quickly takes out a thick cluster of flowers. Mikey can recognize the creations of Fertility, but these are more than that. In the simple fragility of the collection of bright colorful blooms and all their tiny imperfections, ae can see the careful guidance and care and love that only a mortal can possess.
Mortals love the things they grow and create and refine. It is that love that they give with their offerings, which is far more valuable than the objects themselves.
And Ellios, awkward and sweet and precious, is handing a beautiful assortment of his love over to Mikey.
Mikey takes the flowers, allowing a smile to grace aer face.
“Do you like them?”
“Yes.”
Ellios breathes out a sigh and bounces back, happy. “Great! That’s— that’s great. I, uh, I grew all of those myself.”
Mikey knows.
“So I’m glad you like them! I picked all the nicest ones— it took a while for those big ones to open up all the way.”
If Mikey had Fertility’s power, ae would make sure that these flowers would never wilt and die. But alas, ae does not.
Ae moves closer to Ellios. “And my gift for you,” ae says.
“Sure,” Ellios says, still smiling.
Mikey reaches gently out, still cradling the flowers in one arm. Ae places an arm around Ellios’ waist and leads him closer, until he’s practically leaning against the god.
“Do— did you want to say something?” Ellios says, his voice a breathy whisper.
Perhaps later, Mikey will think of something to say. Ae could try to write a poem to collect all of aer thoughts about the mortal, or construct a new wall in aer temple to paint a fresco of Ellios and these flowers. That way, they will remain as immortal as Mikey: Ellios and his beloved gift.
But for now, Mikey only wants to kiss him. Ellios is surprised at first, but he quickly leans in to kiss back, albeit with that shard of reverence he always carries with him. It maintains a distance between the two, one that is generally understood for a god and a mortal who worships that god.
One day, Mikey hopes that shying distance between them is reduced to a loving familiarity. But for now, ae has Ellios’ love in one arm and Ellios to love in the other.
For now, that shall be enough.