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“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please. We regret to announce that flight KM2691 to Okhema City is delayed due to severe weather conditions along the flight path. The new estimated departure time is 7:45 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and ask that you check the nearest monitor for updates”

The gate speakers had barely finished broadcasting the audio notice when Mydei dropped his head into his hands with a low groan.

It was the third time his flight got delayed. Third. He’s been at the airport for over 4 hours at this point.

He rubbed his aching eyes, not even able to muster any anger at the situation he had found himself in. He was too tired for this.

If everything had went according to Mydei’s plans then he would’ve been long in Okhema City, relaxing in his apartment after having a numbingly hot bath. He planned to wake up early tomorrow; peacefully and leisurely prepare for his meeting with the local legal department that will soon be working with him and helping him establish a branch of Kremnos Inc. in Okhema City.

But no, this random storm just had to ruin everything for him.

Mydei glared at the offending weather. Thick clouds hid the starless dark sky; the terminal windows had shielded the passengers stranded in the airport from the howling winds and harsh rains. A moment later a blinding light split the sky – lightning, one that came followed soon by a rumbling thunder that would have shook everyone to the core had they been outside.

Mydei scoffed as he turned away. He looked up at the departure board, his eyes darting through the rows until they locked onto his flight number. Right beside it, the word ‘DELAYED’ glowed in a thick yellow, mocking his hope of an on-time departure.

“It’ll be a quick trip,” he remembered his mother saying. “The flight between Okhema and Castrum Kremnos is only 2 hours long. You won’t even notice it.”

Mydei looked at the sky with a gloomy expression.

Right. Won’t even notice it. Of course.

Kephale, how did he hate flying.

Was it efficient? Yes, of course. Comfortable? Debatable but still tolerable for the most part. Did Mydei still hate it? Oh, without a doubt.

Business trips were mandatory for him; at this point he had lost count how many hours he had spent in the airports. He was certain that half of his working life was passed in terminal buildings, and he wasn’t even exaggerating. Who wouldn’t grow to hate flying and everything associated with it after an experience like that?

He knew his job required it of him and establishing a brand-new branch came with certain responsibilities. He was tasked with heavy duty and, though Mydei resented the flying aspect that came with it and that ruined so many of his plans, he couldn’t say he wasn’t proud that his parents deemed him responsible enough to undertake this.

Castrum Kremnos was more than just a city to Mydei; it was his home. It was the backdrop of his entire life – the place where he grew up, went to school, and formed his closest friendships. While saying goodbye brought a wave of sadness, he knew deep down that this change would do him good. Though his previous visits to Okhema City never lasted long and were usually all work related, he still saw enough of the city to know that he would have loved to stay there for a bit longer. And now he finally had the perfect opportunity to do just that, while also making use of an apartment he bought not so long ago.

Either way, Mydei couldn’t complain about his work too much – his pay was great and his working hours flexible. He considered himself incredibly lucky; or as lucky as one could be when his parents were his bosses. It certainly made their family dinners hilarious at times.

Though, Mydei shot a second look at the windows. Another booming roll of thunder echoed across the sky. Mydei’s face twitched in a half-aborted grimace. Flying certainly put a slight dumper on all these good things. And this storm had only worsened it.

Mydei leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Well, it was time to admit it – he was bored out of his mind.

Over 4 hours had passed since he got to the airport and at that point he had done everything he could possible do: updated his parents about his flight, talked to all of his friends – and even their partners in some cases – and once that was done, he brought out his tablet and tried to keep his mind and hands occupied with drawing the next episode of his chimera series. It did the job for a few hours and Mydei had finished the few drawings he had planned to tackle on the weekend. This eased the irritation tightening in his chest from being stranded at the airport for so long.

But drawing could only occupy him for so long; not to mention that sitting in chairs that felt as if they were specifically designed to spite the human body wasn't exactly sparking his creative genius. Sue him, he liked his comfort.

Mydei glanced at the book that was peaking out of his half-opened backpack. It was something Cipher had recommended to him, luring him in with the promises of grand plots and thrilling battles, which she wasn’t lying about. Mydei was halfway into the story and it had been amazing so far – incredible writing, engaging characters and the plot that kept Mydei on the edge of his seat. His workload that seemed to triple overnight had not made it easy to finish it, though.

Mydei allowed himself to look at the book with longing eyes and then zipped the backpack shut. There was no point; he wanted to fully immerse himself in the story, but that was impossible while his mind remained this restless.

After a few seconds of debating, he finally fished his phone from his pocket and stared at his home screen for a moment. He didn’t have a lot of apps, only essentials and a few games which he wasn’t in the mood to currently play.

He absentmindedly scrolled through his phone until finally his finger hovered over an app.

Ode.

Short and to the point; with a reasonable interface and a simple looking icon. Mydei would’ve never thought it was a dating app if Cipher hadn’t made him download it and make an account there when he lost a bet a few months ago.

Mydei didn’t have a habit of scrolling through the app and chatting with random people when boredom hit him particularly hard but now he was actually considering it. After a minute of hesitation, Mydei finally clicked on the app and logged in on his account that he had… kind of abandoned almost as soon as he made it.

Well, he thought as he was met with his plain looking account that had almost no personal information on it, Cipher didn’t clarify that he needed to use it. She just said to download the app and make an account which he did.

Bare, sure, but it wasn’t as if Mydei was preparing to meet the love of his life on a random dating app. Call him old fashioned but he preferred to let things happen organically. His presence on a dating app was nothing more than a concession to Cipher after losing their bet.

And his spartan like profile had done a great job at redirecting people away from him. Two birds, one stone – Mydei was fairly satisfied with this deal.

For a moment he scrolled through the app, his mind wandering the longer he swiped. Ode consisted of people of all genders and sexualities, if Mydei actually wanted to he was sure he could have found someone to grab a meal with. He was more than aware of how he looked and if he actually bothered to put himself on the market, he knew first-hand that he’d have no shortage of willing dates.

It wasn’t arrogance speaking; he just wasn’t new to the scene.

And maybe that was the root off his problem.

Mydei squirmed on the unholy airport chair, trying to put a little less pressure on his lower back. He had long given up on actually getting comfortable. Rain continued to patter quickly against the windows of the airport, providing a background symphony to Mydei’s thoughts.

When someone looked like Mydei – with bulging muscles and a frame that seemed to tower over 90% of the general population – people seemed to have certain… preconceptions about him and the role he’d take in their relationship.

Apparently, his crimson tattoos and love for leather jackets didn’t mesh quite well with his desire to be pampered in bed. Who would have guessed?

A few of his relationships had already crumbled because of that; the remaining few, ones that seemed to meet his every need and were pretty perfect on paper, still lacked that spark that was so crucial for him. Mydei didn’t consider himself a complicated person; he was curt, yes, but he was straightforward and pretty understanding, all things considered. He preferred the comfortable quiet of his home to a rowdy gathering and sometimes Mydei just wanted to sit in silence with his partner without them misinterpreting his quietness as hidden resentment.

These relationships, for all their perfection, were… stagnant.

Boring, for a lack of a better term. And in the end, they had also never lasted long.

Mydei continued swiping through men’s profiles. So far no one had caught his attention which was a new record even for him. He let out a deep sigh; what a waste of his time.

He rubbed his temple with his free hand. It’s been over 20 minutes of nonstop swiping; perhaps he really should’ve tried reading his book. Who cared about proper immersion? Mydei was willing to take anything at this point, as long as it actually managed to quiet his restless mind.

Just as he made that decision, he went to close the dating app. What was the point? He was just mindlessly killing his time. He had better things to do.

Mydei shook his head and tried to close the app. But instead, his finger slipped – and landed him on another profile.

One that actually made him still for a moment.

Mydei let out an involuntary snort at that last line. Cheesy but true. Why else would they be on a dating app?

He dragged his eyes to the man’s face again. White hair, blue eyes, smart clothes – for a photoshoot? Mydei wondered – toned body that could be seen through that half-wet flimsy shirt he had on. Mydei zeroed on that last one for a second too long.

The man had truly impressive arms; sue him for showing the proper appreciation to the dedication that must have went into sculpting them. As a regular gym-goer – or a gym rat, as his friends loved to call him, the chronic slackers – Mydei had to respect the years of undeniable hard work. Besides that, the man was objectively attractive. Mydei couldn’t muster any guilt for admiring an eye-candy that was dangling right in front of his eyes.

He always had a sweet tooth, after all.

Mydei raised his eyebrows at the golden tattoos on the man’s body. Besides being pretty, he sure was ballsy; that neck tattoo must have hurt like hell.

Another roll of thunder echoed outside; someone behind Mydei had stumbled with a low curse.

Mydei continued looking at the profile – Phainon K. – with single minded focus.

He suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Broad shoulders, narrowed waist and a princely like charm.

…

He was definitely being catfished, Mydei thought, his face entirely expressionless.

Cipher had told him about it; too many times, in fact. She thought it hilarious, had even almost went on a few dates with people that were pretending to be someone they weren’t. Mydei had not shared her amusement but he listened nonetheless. What else was he supposed to do? He couldn’t stop her from talking to them and Cipher seemed to have some sixth sense when it came to people hiding things from her. Once she was on someone’s trail it was almost impossible to shake her off.

Thankfully, the interactions had been limited to texting, with no real-world encounters. Cipher tried to convince him that it was all in good fun. Exposing people was incredibly entertaining – a point Mydei had to concede – but still far too dangerous.

Fortunately, that habit was a thing of the past. Mydei honestly felt like he owed a monumental debt of gratitude to Castorice for appearing in Cipher’s life exactly when she did. Getting a girlfriend was apparently all it took to tame the resident hellcat.

Someone plopped on the seat next to him. Mydei slightly shifted his body to the other side on instinct. He glanced at the man’s profile again and his eyes snagged on one little detail.

Okay, he scowled at the mocking 6’4, that’s just rubbing salt in the wound.

Putting a profile page of someone seemingly so perfect right when Mydei was grousing about his love life?

Yeah, as if.

It had to be a catfish.

He pursed his lips and firmly swiped away from the man’s profile. He wasn’t about to fall for the charms of someone that hid behind the face of a man that seemed to hit all of Mydei’s weak points with scary accuracy.

Who even knew if the man whose face was so carelessly used to catfish random people, was even attracted to men? There was no point in even thinking about it.

“I don’t have time for this,” he mumbled to himself, not allowing himself to think twice about his decision.

Before he even finished talking, someone else chimed in right beside him. “Ouch. A hard no for that one? You won’t even consider him?”

Mydei snapped out of his thoughts. He blinked in surprise at his phone.

What.

A bewildered frown formed on his face.

He spun around ready to face the busybody who had interrupted his thoughts. The words were already sharp on his tongue – Why were you staring at my phone? – when he met the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

Mydei froze. His mouth hung open.

Right beside him sat the exact man whose profile he had been tracing with his eyes for who knows how long.

What the fuck.

“What the fuck,” Mydei said.

Phainon K. – if that was his actual name – sat on the seat right next to Mydei as if he had stepped right out of his phone. The very same eyes that Mydei had spent an uncomfortable long time staring at on his screen not even a minute ago now crinkled at the edges as their owner saw Mydei’s shocked expression.

“Sorry,” the man chuckled. He ran one of his hands through his hair with a sheepish expression. Slightly dazed, Mydei followed the movement with his eyes and faintly took note of the low, pleasant cadence the man’s voice had. “I saw my picture on your phone and got curious. Pure accident, I assure you.”

Mydei stared at the man with wide eyes. “How is that even possible.”

He looked exactly like the man Mydei had seen on his phone less than a minute ago. The only differences were his easygoing smile and boy-next-door charm, which contrasted sharply with the serious expression and princely aura in the photo.

Mydei’s gaze tracked down to the man's purple hoodie and realized the photos hadn't captured the man's true size. He was massive in real life. Either the camera lied, or he’d managed to pack on even more bulk since they were taken.

Mydei swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

What the hell.

The other man pointed with his thumb at something over his shoulder. His bare forearms flexed with movement, “I was just coming from the bathroom and saw that in the time I was gone, my seat got taken. So I started searching for a new one when I saw you. And,” he shrugged helplessly, “Here I am.”

He saw Mydei right when Mydei was staring at his photo like a creep? Mydei wanted to ask. He bit his tongue just in time to not let the words leave his mouth. This was embarrassing enough already; he didn’t need to make it even worse.

“Really,” the man raised his hands in a calming gesture, misinterpreting Mydei’s silence and blank wide-eyed stare for something else. When he smiled, a pair of dimples flashed on his cheeks, rendering him far more charming than Mydei thought any person had a right to be. “Promise I’m not a stalker. Here.”

He fished his phone and after a few seconds of tinkering, he showed Mydei’s his plane ticket. “See? I’m just waiting for my plane.”

Mydei’s looked at the offered ticket, his eyes zeroing on the destination.

Okhema City.

Same as Mydei’s.

“Huh,” Mydei finally uttered. “We’ve got the same flight.”

The other man perked up. “Really? You’re also going to Okhema City?”

Mydei nodded, still looking at the ticket. The man also had a seat in the business class, just like Mydei. And if Mydei remembered his seat right, then they would’ve been seated right next to each other.

Was he in Castorice’s story or something, he thought silently as he glanced away from the ticket and nodded in response to the man’s question.

The situation was so utterly ridiculous that Mydei forgot about the storm raging outside and even his annoyance at being stuck at the airport for hours felt rather insignificant. He felt the final traces of embarrassment drain away, and instead get replaced by pure incredulity.

Yes, Mydei was bored out of his mind. He just didn’t expect that the universe’s response to his prayer for entertainment was to deliver a 6’4 hunk of a man right in front of him.

Just what was his life?

“Yes.”

“Vacation?”

Mydei shook his head. “No. Work related. You?”

The man scrunched his nose. “I’m coming back from a vacation, so technically same as you. Going right back to work next week.”

“Oh?” Mydei’s interest was piqued. Not many people chose Castrum Kremnos as their preferred place to rest and recharge. Mydei loved his city but he was more than aware that it was far too active for many people that just wanted a simple and a relaxing vacation. “And how did you like Castrum Kremnos?”

The other man grinned, his smile seemingly even brighter than before. “It was great! It’s not my first time here, so I’m pretty familiar with the city. I usually rent a flat not too far away from the Nikador Museum, you know that place? There’s a big park with the statue of The Lance of Fury in it?” Mydei nodded, understanding what the man was talking about. “Right; I usually stay somewhere in that area. It’s pretty nice; I’m already familiar with the locals and I have a pretty solid agreement with the old lady that I rent an apartment from. But,” the man’s lips twisted in a small pout. “I still can’t get used to their bathhouses.”

Mydei snorted. “What, got a sensitive skin or something?”

“Well, excuse you, not all of us are made of steel,” the other man protested immediately. “I will never understand how kremnoans can bathe in such scalding water without getting boiled alive.”

“We kremnoans used boiling water from sword forging for our baths for as long as Castrum Kremnos existed,” Mydei huffed, amused. “Of course, you’re not used to it.”

“’We’?” the man repeated, forgetting about their previous conversation. “Are you from Castrum Kremnos?”

Mydei nodded, “Born and raised here, yes.”

“Huh,” the man quieted. His brows furrowed, “You know, that actually reminds me. You never told me your name.” He nodded at the phone still loosely held in Mydei’s hand, “You already know mine.”

Mydei balked. “Wait, you want to tell me that dating profile actually belongs to you?”

The man – Phainon, Mydei corrected himself silently – tilted his head to the side, looking much like a puppy. Big blue eyes blinked at him curiously. “Yes? What, did you think it was someone else?”

Alright, so telling him that Mydei thought he was a catfish because he looked too good to be true was definitely out – it just sounded too weird. Racking his brain for a better excuse, he offered a silent apology to Cipher, whom he fully intended to use as his sacrificial shield.

“My friend who made an account for me, warned me about it. A lot of people for some reason love to hide behind the faces of strangers and your account in particular wasn’t…” Mydei made a gesture, fully knowing he was acting like a hypocrite right now, “very detailed. I thought something similar must have happened there.”

Mydei deliberately didn’t mention his bare bones account.

“Ah,” Phainon said and then slowly nodded with a frown. “I see. I’ve heard about it but I didn’t know it was such a… wide spread phenomenon.”

Mydei scoffed with a roll of his eyes. “Consider yourself lucky, then. I’ve heard a fair share of horror stories of people doing exactly that.”

And he didn’t even lie about it this time.

Damn Cipher and her curiosity.

“That bad?” Phainon asked.

Mydei only nodded grimly in response.

“Well,” Phainon smiled, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “My profile is definitely not like that. My friend made it for me a few years ago. I,” he let out an awkward laugh. “Honestly forget it exist most of the time which was why I was so surprised at seeing my old photo on your phone.”

“Not a fan of dating apps?”

Phainon shook his head. “Not really, no. Cyrene made it for me in hopes that I will go out more but,” he spread his arms, “works keeps me extremely busy. And either way, I prefer to meet people… organically. Dating apps aren’t really my thing.”

Mydei nodded, understanding where the man was coming from. “I get it. I’m the same way.”

“So,” Phainon drawled after a second. He shifted closer, closing the tiny gap between them. He rested his chin on his hand and raised his brows. His blue eyes shone with playful light, “Do I get your name now, or do I have to start guessing?”

Mydei gripped his phone, suddenly feeling his cheeks burn with heat. His eyebrows rose a tiny bit as he tried to understand if he was reading this right.

Was he… flirting with him? Or was it his way of being friendly?

It had been a long time since Mydei last dated anyone, but he still recognized the signs. Or most of them, anyway. Either way, the point still stood.

“Mydeimos,” he said after a moment. He tired to ignore the curious blue eyes boring into the side of his face. He took a breath to steady himself before saying, “You may call me Mydei.”

Everyone besides his parents and a few of his childhood friends had called him that already.

“Mydei…” Phainon murmured, tasting the name on his tongue.

The flush on Mydei’s already warm cheeks deepened. He averted his eyes to the side with a small frown, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

A slow smile spread across Phainon’s face. “A pretty name for a pretty man,” the man said, still staring at Mydei. “It suits you.”

Mydei pursed his lips, feeling the flush on his cheeks get warmer. He raised his eyebrow, trying to look unimpressed. "Laying it on rather thick, aren't you?"

Phainon smirked; he shrugged, not even bothering to deny it. 

Mydei recalled his earlier doubts about whether Phainon was even attracted to men, but any remaining uncertainty vanished in that instant. If that account belonged to Phainon then he absolutely was attracted to men, and based on his intense stare and the slowly shrinking distance between them - shamelessly so. Mydei kind of wanted to scream.

Before he could even form a human sounding response, a familiar voice started to broadcast the audio notice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please. We regret to announce that flight KM2691 to Okhema City is delayed due to severe weather conditions along the flight path. The new estimated departure time is 8:50 p.m. We apologize for the delay –”

The announcement was quickly followed by groans from people seated around them; all tired passengers that had been stuck at the airport for hours.

Mydei let out a sharp breath and glanced toward the windows. With Phainon quickly taking his attention, he had forgotten all about the storm still raging outside. The heavy rain was finally tapering off; a sign that this would likely be their final delay.

“Would you look at that,” Phainon murmured as he followed Mydei’s gaze. “Another delay. Should be the last one, though.”

Mydei let out a soft hum.

After a few seconds of contemplative watching as the storm slowly died down, Phainon suddenly spoke up, “We still have an hour before our take off.”

Mydei cleared his throat, wondering where this conversation was heading. “Yes.”

“So,” Phainon slowly turned to him. His eyes raked down to Mydei’s feet and slowly trailed all the way up to his eyes, leaving a blazing trail in their wake. Mydei swallowed, suddenly feeling a strong desire to cover himself up to protect his modesty. “What do you say we grab something to eat in the meantime? My treat, of course.”

Mydei blinked, rendered speechless for a second.

Huh? Why did it suspiciously sound like he wanted –...

“And where do you want to eat?” Mydei asked, curious if he was reading it right. He could never be too sure, maybe Phainon really was simply that friendly.

With his eyes not straying away from Mydei, Phainon pointed at the food court not far from them, “There’s a nice café there; the prices are outrageous but their drinks are pretty good and so are their desserts.”

Mydei raised his eyebrow. “Do I look like a desserts guy to you?”

Another long full body look. Phainon smiled, two already familiar dimples forming on his cheeks. “You certainly look extremely sweet to me,” the man shrugged, entirely unconcerned by the shocked expression quickly spreading on Mydei’s face. “So I’d say so, yes. A very… desserts guy, in fact.”

Mydei averted his eyes, coughing lightly to the side.

He wasn’t sure when was the last time he was flirted with quite this… aggressively.

(He wasn’t sure if he ever was. His past relationships had fallen apart for many reasons, after all.)

Mydei fiddled with his braid as he weighted Phainon’s offer. He peered at the man from under his lashes, noticing that Phainon kept staring at him, cataloguing all of his reactions as if he couldn’t tear his eyes away. A crimson flush slowly crept up Mydei’s neck.

“And,” Phainon continued in a low voice as if he didn’t notice Mydei’s silence. “Let’s just say… I want a redo.”

Mydei blinked, confused. Phainon nodded at the phone in Mydei’s hands. He teased, shrugging a bit helplessly. “You can’t blame me for trying twice. Especially when my old profile didn’t do me justice; it is quite outdated.”

With a roll of his shoulders, Phainon pushed himself up. His easy and casual slouch disappeared as he loomed over Mydei, looking at him with the same charming smile he had greeted him with not long ago. Mydei tipped his head back, suddenly hyper aware of the sheer expanse of the man’s frame.

Mydei swallowed, his throat dry.

Meeting someone that can easily match him in size was a rare feat indeed. Even more unheard of was having them ask Mydei out. And there was no mistake; Phainon was indeed doing exactly that.

Phainon offered his hand. “So? What do you say?”

Mydei helplessly stared at him, so caught off guard he couldn’t even formulate a response. His eyes jumped between the offered hand and Phainon’s face.

“You’re serious?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Phainon shot back. His hand didn’t move.

Mydei looked at it for a moment longer before exhaling harshly.

Well, there went nothing.

It wasn’t like there was something better for him to do, he though with a mental shrug.

(And, he looked closer at Phainon, he couldn’t remember the last time he was so –)

“Alright,” he said before he could finish that thought. Now was not the time. He reached out and took Phainon’s hand. The other man pulled him up with such effortless strength that Mydei stumbled, slightly off balance. It was an unusual feeling – having someone strong enough to manhandle him. Mydei’s breath caught in his throat; he stared at Phainon with wide eyes, surprise clear on his face. The other man sent him a knowing smirk in response.

Mydei flushed a deep crimson. He ripped his hand out of Phainon’s hold with a scowl and jerked his chin towards the food court. “Lead the way.”

After all, Mydei did say he was bored, didn’t he?