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Nikos Legundo had expected that Aeolus's champion would reappear in his claimed area again, but what he had not expected was for it to be so soon. It had only been a day or so since Pearl and Nobody had fought in the arena (not like he had kept track when he had been focused on making…well, some kind of home, as long as it was anywhere but back in the world of death) and he had expected it to be at least three days before they would talk again.
Perhaps he had underestimated his eagerness. Scott hid it well, that was for sure; if it wasn't for their conversation on the lake, perhaps he would've never caught it. He wasn't stupid: Scott wanted to flirt with him.
It was fun.
Scott seemed to think himself sneaky-either that, or he never cared about not being seen, Nikos hadn't decided yet-as he had decided to approach him from behind quietly. But Nikos had heard the way he moved, the way he curled the wind around him to travel the small distance, the way the breeze and the clouds whooshed by him just right, causing him to know near instantly that he was there.
"Good evening, Scott!" Nikos whipped around quickly and shot him a cheeky grin. Scott's expression didn't change except for a few extra blinks and a hand moved to his hip.
"Good evening…Nikos, was it? Right?"
"The one and only." Nikos turned back to chop what was left of his wood, doing his best to make their conversation as casual as possible. Scott wanted something, he could tell, and it would be entertaining to see how the man would react to his...for lack of a better word, calmness.
Instead of continuing the conversation from their current positions, Scott simply got closer. "Just wanted to make sure. Do you remember the lotus flower I gave you earlier?" Nikos let out a chuckle and twirled his axe.
"How could I forget? A little flower that makes the world explode in color…" He paused and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you ask?"
"There's more up on the other side of the cliff. Given we're…" Scott grinned at him and tapped the wooden handle of his axe. "…friendly neighbors now, I wondered if you wanted to come with me to collect them. After all, you seemed to enjoy them so much last time."
Oh, he was desperate. Nikos' grin got wider as he grasped Scott's hand and gave it a tight squeeze, pulling him slightly forward as a tease. "Of course!" He exclaimed, finding delight in how quickly Scott's face went from interested to confused to interested again. He let go of the man and dropped his axe, storming forward. "No time to waste before the sun goes down. Come on!"
"You really know how to make a man run out of breath, huh?" Scott called out after him. Nikos didn't respond, letting his footsteps speak for themselves.
He had been right: this was fun already.
⚡︎˖ ࣪
"So, where did you come from? Before all of…" Nikos gestured wildly as he used his free hand to pick a lotus flower. "…this?"
"I had a promising acting career, naturally. " Scott drifted around the field, seemingly too distracted glancing over at him to harvest lotus flowers. "Died on stage, blah blah blah, then ended up in the Underworld and after a long while, Aeolus called my name." He waved a hand and circled around Nikos. "But you know, none of that really matters when there's so many beautiful things around me."
"I agree," Nikos remarked, letting his eyes linger on Scott just a little too long. It was nice, for such an interaction to be two-sided. Most of the others in the game were far too easily flustered or incredibly cagey to truly let themselves loose with his words.
Scott was somehow neither of these. He was determined to make the other champion crack. He had a feeling Scott's goal was the same.
"Here!" He walked closer to Scott and paused intentionally.
"Hm?" Scott looked up at him through his-admittedly quite pretty-lashes, sharp eyes focused on him entirely.
"I think there's more lotus flowers in the fields below." He tilted his head and gave Scott a challenging grin. "Ready to go for a ride?"
"Mmm, sure. I don't see why not." Scott let Nikos' arm curl around his waist, leaning into the touch just a little too quickly for the bored performance he put on. Nikos had done the same song and dance a million times before-but something felt different.
He chose not to dwell on it as he harnessed his lightning and felt his body dissolve into electricity. When they landed, however, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "What?" Scott asked, only seeming a little concerned. "What?" He asked again with a tad more panic when Nikos didn't stop.
"Your…hair, pretty one," He managed to get out between giggles. Scott reached up to touch his cloudy hair only to let out a uncharacteristic squeak as he was shocked. "It seems it's affected by…hm, right, static electricity?"
"Pretty one?" Scott blinked before his face morphed into an enthused grin, hair forgotten. "Oh, you said I'm pretty? A little forward, don't you think?"
"I think we've talked enough at this point for you to figure out that I am a very, very forward man," Nikos chuckled lowly.
"Then you really need to start getting to the point more often." Scott popped his lips. Nikos resisted the urge to giggle as he turned his heel and went further into the field.
"Yes, you're right! Which is why we must keep going."
"You're joking." He could faintly hear Scott whisper under his breath. Just because Nikos knew he was easy didn't mean he didn't mind playing hard to get.
Plus, seeing Scott frustrated was a treat.
Their back and forth continued as they gathered more flowers and Nikos found himself almost becoming…comfortable. It was nice, to hold such a conversation after years of bring alone and numb and dead.
Being alive suits you.
At some point, they had stopped picking flowers and had chosen to lay down in the grass, watching as the stars appeared in the night sky. "Not bad for a first date, right?" Scott joked as he smoothed his hair. The electricity in it was far gone by now, but he seemed to be worried that it had lingered.
"Please! Not even close. A real first date with me would be far better than just picking little flowers all day!"
"I can't compare until you take me on one," Scott teased and suddenly flew into the air with a burst of wind, landing squarely on Nikos' body. He laid one hand on his chest as he leaned forward and smiled warmly at him. "But I'm fine with this."
"What? Do you think you can pin me down?" Scott snorted at that.
"Of course not. I'm not stupid." He took a fistful of Nikos' curly hair and pulled his head up. "I do have enough strength to do this, however." Nikos grinned victoriously as Scott moved to crash their lips together, reveling in the thrill of it.
His hunch had been right; Scott had experience. He could tell in the way the actor expertly nipped his lip and adjusted his hands as they kissed that it was not his first time doing so and certainly not the last. Once again, Scott had proven himself to be intriguing, to be different from the rest.
Nikos pulled them closer together, enjoying the feeling of touch after so long without it. Scott clearly had no objections to it as he made the kiss even deeper. Scott pulled away slightly for air, panting a little as he licked his bottom lip. "I like your philosophy, you know. Having fun while the game lasts. Enjoying being alive."
"Do you now?" Nikos asked as he realized that he, too, was slightly out of breath. "Is this what being alive means to you?"
"In a sense," Scott responded curtly before diving in again. But this time it was slower.
Lasting.
Almost like he was committed.
Scott seemed to realize it at the same time as him, unlocking their lips and drawing back. They stared at each other.
The game was finite. They would inevitably kill each other. They were both like the wind-free and fast, with no ties to anything concrete.
They were not souls that were meant to commit to anything, much less each other.
This was dangerous.
Scott immediately stood up and brushed himself off. "Mm. That got a little crazy, didn't it?" Nikos laughed at that, trying to defuse the sudden tension.
"Yeah, yeah. Certainly a way to say it, yes?"
"Yeah." Scott turned away. "It's fine. I'm…getting tired, anyways."
"Yes, of course. It is late."
"Yep."
"Do you need…?"
"No." Scott smiled, but there was a indecipherable look in his eyes. "I can take myself home. Let's do this again sometime, neighbor."
In a gust of wind, he was off. Nikos watched him silently before standing up.
Perhaps he could focus on the man another time. He still needed alliances, after all, and Scott was wiser than he let on. But he would not make the same mistakes.
He needed that wish, after all.