Archive of Our Own

In hindsight, Phainon should’ve just said he had plans today.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved Castorice. Adored her even, and it wasn't as if it’s in his nature to refuse accompanying his friends places. Cipher dragging him to auctions despite knowing his presence made no difference in the outcome? Not a problem. Hyacine pulling him to hit up her favorite thrift shops? Perfect. Phainon’s always been one for recycling anyways, anything to make the world a better place and all that.

So yeah, none of that was a problem.

Except for the fact that they were all things Phainon could get something from as well, and maybe he wasn’t runner up to Cipher for worlds best haggler, but he could think of far worse things than attending an auction.

For example, sitting on a guest chair for what felt like hours while Castorice got her nails done.

Phainon knew her too, Castorice never did anything simple. She always valued intricate designs, never settling for anything ordinary due to being a sucker for aesthetics. It’s why someone like Aglaea valued her opinion so much. It’s also why Aglaea would have been in his place, but one schedule issue later and now he’s contemplating coming up with fake plans if it meant not subjecting himself to the boredom he’d soon meet. He wasn’t the type of person who could sit still for long periods of time, something Cas should’ve been aware of before asking him. Or maybe she did. Maybe she just knew he wouldn’t say no.

Phainon’s phone buzzed in his hand.

Cas 🦋: It’s okay if you don’t want to btw. I thought I’d ask so you’re not cooped up inside all day

How cruel, and unfortunately, correct.

Okay. Maybe Phainon was a little bit of a pushover. Sue him for having a heart.

Phainon: I’ll go. Chai teas on you then?

He might as well get something from it.

Cas 🦋: Phainon we’ve been over this. You don’t have to add ‘tea.’ Chai means tea.

This was how she repaid him for his presence? Lecturing him on correct wording? Phainon wasn’t aware he was messaging Anaxa.

He smiled and began typing.

Phainon: Fine. Large CHAI’s on you then :D

Cas 🦋: Fine. I’ll be at your place in thirty minutes. Please be on time.

Another text came through.

Cas 🦋: 30 minutes Phainon. My nail artist is big on punctuality.

He frowned. The audacity! Phainon wasn’t even given a chance to defend himself. Thirty minutes was nothing, he could be ready in half of that. The least she could’ve done was have some sort of faith in him. With his pout still evident, he typed his response.

Phainon: I didn’t even say anything!

Cas 🦋: You didn’t have to. 29 minutes.

Tossing his phone on the bed, Phainon made his way to his closet with a sigh. His eyes roamed the selection, mumbling to himself as he contemplated what would be an appropriate outfit for the occasion. Nail salons weren’t anything fancy, were they? Or maybe they were, especially if it was one Castorice frequently visited. Would he get judging stares for going casual? Aglaea has made it abundantly clear that his style could be… finer, for lack of better words, and even dragged him out shopping one day to reform his wardrobe. However, he’d be sitting still for the entire appointment. Being comfortable seemed like the most important thing.

Phainon paused.

Why was he acting like it was his appointment?

Deciding on the latter, he grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and a bright yellow T-shirt, purple design printed on the back, and quickly changed his clothes. Walking over to his mirror, he gave himself a once over as well as a slight shrug because yeah, it looked fine. As good as it was going to get. That, and he would thank himself later when the wait is less of a nuisance because he chose to dress for comfort.

Phainon still couldn’t believe he was getting roped into this. He shook his head with a laugh, muttering to no one but himself. “Pushover.”

He grabbed his things and moved to the living room, deciding that he’d be ready by the door when Cas showed up. He could easily be on time, thank you very much, and doing so to spite his friend was the only thing to save his ego from her previous doubts of him. Though spite was the wrong word, Phainon never did anything out of spite. Proving them wrong in a false sense of trying to impress them? That seemed more like him. Yes, it fueled his ego if he managed to succeed. No, that didn’t make him spiteful. Only open to change, taking into consideration the opinions of his dear friends.

All that aside, Phainon was so going to be on time. A minute earlier if he really had something to prove.

With a sigh, he flopped down onto the couch and waited.

Okay, so Phainon was seven minutes late.

In his defense, it’s not like he expected Snowy to look him dead in the eyes while he went to the bathroom. On the floor, might Phainon add, which led to him having to clean the mess and let his fluffy son out to handle the rest of his business. Phainon couldn’t stay mad at him, not when the Samoyed gave him a heartfelt farewell as his owner finally managed to leave the house. Phainon thought that Castorice would’ve just had to understand.

Castorice did not understand.

“Isn’t he supposed to be trained?” Her eyes remained on the road, but the white haired male knew there was a sense of judgement behind them. Maybe slight irritation too, seven minutes was still seven minutes, but it could’ve been worse! Snowy could’ve marked his territory on the carpet instead.

“He is!” Phainon whined. Shame on Cas, Snowy wasn’t even around to defend himself. “He just gets… anxious. I think he knew I was leaving.” Separation anxiety ran in the family, that was neither his or his pet’s fault.

Castorice hummed. “I see. Well, when my nail artist points out the fact that I’m late, I’m pointing at you.” Phainon figured there was nothing he could do about that. So what if some nail tech criticizes his tardiness? It’s not like he’d ever see her again, and at least it wouldn’t knock off any brownie points for Cas. He’d see her — him? Them? — once today, and then after that he’d be nothing but a topic in future appointments when they’d be thinking back to that one time Castorice was late.

Phainon’s eyes followed the passing houses outside of the car window. “Do I have to do anything while I’m at your appointment today?”

“Do… anything?” Cas repeated, unsure.

Great. Now they were both confused. “Well, I’m accompanying you. Should I engage in conversation with your tech as well?” Phainon liked to think of himself as a great conversationalist. His mother always pointed out how his charisma was his greatest trait, and social anxiety seemed to fear him these days anyway. “Or am I’m just there to be your good luck charm?”

She tilted her head in confusion. “Why would I need a good luck charm? My artist has never let me down before.” Wonderful. Another shot at his ego. “But no, you don’t have to do anything. You’ve gone with Cyrene to a salon before, right?” Phainon tore his eyes away from the window to meet Castorice with furrowed brows. Is that why she had asked him to join in Aglaea’s stead? Because she was under the impression that this was something he did for his sister before?

Uh oh.

Was this something he should’ve done for his sister already? If Castorice assumed so, then maybe this was the bare minimum workings of a brother and Phainon should feel nothing but shame.

“No…” He spoke slowly.

Castorice just nodded. “I see.” Okay, maybe he was off the hook. “I just — wait, not even once?”

Nevermind.

“Cyrene never asked!” He wasn’t wrong. His sister was never the type to wait for someone else to speak up, so she knew how to offer. It’s just the fact that during occasions like this, she had always simply announced it and left. Never anything more. Was Phainon supposed to take that as an open invitation or make the offer himself? Had he hurt his sister’s feelings? And since when did this trip turn into a walk down Phainon’s self reflection?

“Wow.” Somehow, that singular word had him sinking in his seat in shame. Castorice didn’t press further. “Well, anyway. You don’t have to do anything. Each artist has their own room, but mine by far has the most comfortable. You could take a nap on the couch if you’d like.” Phainon didn’t know about that. Wouldn’t that just lack decorum? He was sure there was a difference between being comfortable and making yourself too much at home.

He shook his head. “I’m okay. Not even tired.” That decision meant he’d likely have to make conversation now, because sitting in a technicians room while deliberately avoiding talking to them sounded all the more rude, and not something Phainon would do at all. He just hoped there was something he could talk about, or at least some sort of middle ground between him and the stranger. All he knew was that they valued punctuality, something Phainon clearly didn’t have today, so he was already at a disadvantage.

The sound of a giggle broke him from his thoughts. “You’re thinking too hard about it.” Phainon frowned. No he wasn’t. “And before you say you weren’t, I can clearly see it on your face.” His face. It always came down to the transparency of his face. “Seriously, you don’t have to say anything, but if it helps I’ll throw you a bone and incorporate you in the conversation.”

Phainon smiled.

“But you’re still only getting a medium Chai for being late.”

Phainon was no longer smiling.

Looking at the building in front of him as he stepped out from the car, Phainon realized that maybe his expectations on the looks of the place were too high. How was he supposed to know? He’s never accompanied anyone to a salon before, especially not an elegant woman like Castorice herself.

It wasn’t anything fancy at all, a fair sized, dark brick building in the city placed right between an Italian restaurant and pharmacy. A deep red awning hung above the entrance, gold lining the edges and despite the colors of royalty, the place seemed casual enough.

At the very least, he could say he made the right choice with his outfit.

‘Nailed It’ was the name of the salon, emitting a chuckle from Phainon. His friend must have noticed, the corner of her lips tugging upwards as well. Neither of them said anything about it, so he stepped forward and pulled the door open, backing away slowly so Castorice could enter before him.

The inside of the building smelled exactly as he assumed it would. Phainon may have never joined his sister in any salon, but he still had a sister nonetheless. He could very well pick up the scent of nail polish as well as the alcohol remover that came with it. There was an unfamiliar aroma mixing alongside them, sweet yet tart enough that Phainon assumed it was something fruity. Cranberries maybe? He didn’t know for sure.

The second thing he noticed was that Castorice hadn’t been lying, each tech did seem to have their own room, the only thing in the main area being a separate set of couches and a front desk. Maybe he could sit in here instead, that way they wouldn’t feel the need to converse with him if he wasn’t even in the room. Phainon shook his head slightly at the thought, hoping the action went unnoticed. Something like that might make Cas feel bad, and quite frankly he had already decided he would try his best to be involved with the already familiar relationship his friend had with her tech.

“It’s good to see you again Miss Castorice,” the young woman at the desk greeted, causing Phainon to temporarily pause his room scan. The woman looked around his age, with long, dark purple hair falling over both shoulders. She gave Phainon a onceover, hopefully due to him being a new face and not the state of his outfit. “Mydei’s ready, just had to clean up a bit. You’re free to walk back now.”

Castorice gave a small nod, a warm smile on her face. “Thank you, Hysilens.” The nod was returned, and Phainon then found his arm being tugged as his friend led him down a corridor. It wasn’t long by any means, and he counted six rooms — three on each side — before they arrived at the final one, centered right at the end of the hall. Almost as if it were the head of the table. Phainon laughed at the thought. “What?” She asked, glancing back.

He brushed it aside. “Nothing.”

Phainon followed behind as Castorice stepped inside the room. The same gray walls from the main area surrounded them, low lights plastered on them as well as the bright ones that sat around the workstation. That wasn’t anything excessive either, a black desk with a variety of items on it. Phainon could make sense of one — the nail polish itself. Everything else was a mystery and any other time he would let his curiosity get the best of him, but decided to leave it alone for now. This wasn’t his field of expertise anyway.

Minus the matching black set of drawers that sat beside a velvety red two-seater couch on the opposite wall, Phainon noticed that the room was rather… empty. The dark, plush rug contrasting the light marble in the middle of the floor helped it feel less bare, even if it wasn’t by much. There were no wall ornaments, no random decor items sitting atop surfaces. Phainon wasn’t much of an interior designer himself — again, a point made by Aglaea — but the idea of having to work in a space where little to no personality was depicted almost made him frown.

“Mydei’s… kind of a private person.” Phainon looked over, brows raised at his friend’s words. “You were wondering why the room felt so empty, right?”

Was he really that readable by face alone?

Phainon shrugged. “It’s only a work space. I get it.” In a way, he did. His job didn’t call for the need of a workspace, but he assumed he wouldn’t have the dire urge to overly decorate as well. Still, he thought, not even a picture on the wall?

“Oh good, you’re here,” a third voice said while joining them in the room, deep and smooth that Phainon couldn’t help but turn towards the door in interest. “I’m glad you’re alright Castorice.”

Phainon’s mind went blank.

First of all, it was seven minutes. Was punctuality that big of a deal around here that not even ten minutes could be enough to make them think something bad had happened? Phainon liked to think seven minutes was a perfectly reasonable amount of time to be late, thank you very much. What if traffic was really bad? What if the weather called for safer and slower driving? There are things outside of everyone’s control, not to mention appointments on the dot never actually meant on the dot. He would understand if half an hour had passed, but seriously. Seven minutes?

Second of all, Phainon… really didn’t care about all of that anymore.

Especially not when the man walking into the room looked like that.

Phainon wasn’t sure what he noticed first. It could’ve been the half up blonde hair, blending into red at the ends and the small braid that sat on his right shoulder. Or, it could’ve been the way the broadness of said shoulders — perfectly defined with the compression of his black shirt that did little to hide how toned he actually was — narrowed down into a waist that Phainon definitely let his eyes linger on a little longer than he should’ve. Or, if Phainon really wanted to be honest with himself, it could’ve been the scarlet tattoos running down his tan arms, tattoos that made the white haired male wonder just how much skin they covered and where exactly they ended. He was grateful for the fact the stranger’s attention was on Castorice, otherwise he would’ve immediately noticed Phainon checking him out and the latter preferred a better first impression than that.

Phainon wasn’t a dreamer, not outside of the far from reality scenarios that would appear in his mind on occasion, like saving the world or experiencing life in cycles. If he did dream, however? He was certain this man would be at the forefront of every single one.

He was brought back to reality by a finger shooting up toward his direction. “I would’ve been on time, it’s his fault.”

Well, Cas did say she would be pointing at him.

However, he couldn’t care about that — again — because the man — Mydei was his name? — finally made eye contact with him, and suddenly Phainon felt very faint. For the briefest of moments, he could see those eyes stray in other areas that didn’t include Phainon’s face. They were such pretty eyes too. Were they hazel? No, too light to be hazel. Amber seemed like a better fit, if the lighting wasn’t deceiving him. Regardless of the color, it still didn’t take away from Mydei shamelessly checking him out. That’s what he was doing, right? His eyes wouldn’t have moved otherwise. Phainon would know, it was quite literally what he had been doing a second prior.

“Congratulations.” Despite the words, Mydei sounded rather unimpressed. “You’ve made Castorice late for the first time in her life.” Phainon gaped, unaware of what to say to that. Which was stupid, he knew his tardiness would more than likely get pointed out. Maybe he just wasn’t expecting a face so unreal to be the one doing so. The blonde turned to Castorice. “Aglaea couldn’t make it today?”

Okay, ouch.

Castorice shook her head, already taking her seat across from Mydei’s, who followed suit immediately after. Phainon felt awkward being the only one standing, especially when his mouth still hung slightly open from the small offense he had taken from Mydei’s words. He made his way to the couch while the two of them conversed between themselves.

After a few moments of Castorice going over her idea design and Mydei making quick sketches, Phainon realized that he had yet to say anything since the man joined them in the room. Should he introduce himself? Did Mydei even care to know who Cas brought as a guest?

Of course he did, he knew Aglaea’s name.

He also made a point to mention her not being here instead, but Phainon was planning to ignore that for the time being.

He did like listening to Mydei talk. He wasn’t saying much, mainly bouncing ideas off of Castorice in short sentences or the briefest mention of nail terms that completely went over Phainon’s head, but that didn’t matter. His voice was captivating, so much to the point that Phainon wanted to search the phrases up just so he’d have some sort of understanding as to what was being said. Maybe he would be able to join the conversation as well, and Mydei would value his opinion if he were under the impression that Phainon knew what he was talking about.

That’s… probably not what he wanted. Castorice was a client, she had a reason to be involved in the conversation. Phainon wasn’t here to be a second nail tech, this was Mydei’s space and his space alone. So what was Phainon supposed to talk about? He grew rather frustrated with himself, upset that all he had managed to do was ogle the man and show him that he couldn’t be on time.

Talk about first impressions.

Phainon’s thinking came to a halt.

This was Castorice’s nail tech? Every time she showed up to an outing with a fresh set, it was all Mydei’s doing? Phainon would’ve never assumed someone like him would work at a salon! Not that it mattered, any occupation would’ve had him staring shamelessly, but the surprise still remained. He immediately began sorting through his memory, trying to replicate the image of every nail design Cas had, knowing it was the art of the one person that Phainon would consider art himself.

The shock began to wear off, shifting into something that Phainon could only describe as jealousy. How many hands had Mydei held while gracefully painting his skills onto them? How many people had gotten to see the true talent of the man before Phainon ever could? Castorice should’ve brought him sooner, there had to have been times Aglaea couldn’t have made it before! Today couldn’t have been the one day where he was the only available option for backup.

“What do you think Phainon?”

The white haired male glanced over from where he had been staring at the wall, finding that Castorice and Mydei were already looking his way. There was only a slight difference in the two. His friend’s gaze held curiosity and patience, whereas the blonde’s stare was nothing but stern, expectant even. Like he was waiting for Phainon’s input immediately, which would’ve been fine if the latter hadn’t tuned out for the past five minutes.

“What was the question?” He didn’t miss the way Mydei’s eyes narrowed, and he silently cursed himself for doing the exact opposite of redeeming his image.

Instead of Castorice running the idea by him, Mydei held his device up, zooming onto a design he had drawn on a fake nail. “The butterfly. Castorice wants to know if both wings should be on the same nail, or if they should split into two.” Phainon knew he should be trying to get on the man’s good side, but hearing someone as intimidating as Mydei ask his opinion on butterfly wings caused the corners of his lips to tug upwards.

It didn’t last, not with the quick glare that was sent his way.

Phainon cleared his throat.

“Uh…” He didn’t know, did it really make much of a difference anyway? The butterfly would be there regardless. “Um, what do you think?”

Mydei’s eyes narrowed once more. “They’re not my nails.”

Right. It was back to square one, square one being Phainon’s opinion, and how was he supposed to form an opinion when the blonde’s threatening stare was doing the exact opposite? “Split into two,” he decided, hoping Castorice didn’t hate the idea later. He honestly thought either idea would look good anyway, especially at the hands of Mydei.

The nail artist hummed while he set his tablet back down. “I thought so too.”

Point Phainon! The man agreed with him, and that had to count for something, especially when —

Wait a second.

“Hey, you said you didn’t have an opinion!”

Mydei glanced up at him. “No, I said they weren’t my nails. I didn’t say I never had an opinion.”

“Wait, but why ask for mine then if you had one?”

The blonde tilted his head forward slightly. “I didn’t. Castorice asked you for your opinion.”

Oh, that’s right. Great, Phainon had taken a step forward just to take three more steps back. He could’ve just left it at the fact that they agreed on their preference, but he just had to go and counter the man as if that was supposed to help his case any. Mydei correcting him and setting him straight might have done things his mind and body couldn’t handle, but it still didn’t help!

Phainon barely noticed the knowing smirk Castorice sent his way, presumably due to everything that was more than likely written on his face. He didn’t bother worrying if Mydei noticed it as well, too busy beating himself up while trying to form a different approach because talking about nails — Mydei’s speciality, it seemed — was proving to be a bust.

Or.. maybe Phainon was overthinking it. Maybe the two of them found humor in it, but he was only human. It was only natural that he wanted to have at least one good conversation with the man of his dreams. This may be the only time he had the chance, Aglaea would be available next time Castorice decided on a change and there would no longer be a need for him.

Phainon almost wanted to cross his arms.

Almost.

He just couldn’t believe his friend had been hiding Mydei from him all this time, and now the one time he had a chance to meet him, it was on a whim in a situation that wouldn’t normally include Phainon.

Would commissioning Aglaea to hypothetically busy up her schedule be considered too much?

Probably not. It earned her money, and Phainon was all for helping his friends. He smiled, truly convinced the idea would be benefiting them both.

“So Phainon.” The sound of his name caused him to jerk his head up, the husky voice luring him in. Mydei wasn’t looking at him, already preoccupied with Castorice’s nails, but the direct attention still caused a certain warmth to spread through the white haired male. “You’re the friend who has a knack for appraising things, right? The one Cipher mentions.”

Phainon gets mentioned? To Mydei? The thought has him feeling more proud than it should. “Yeah, you could say that.” He then furrowed his brows, the initial feeling of honor fading into mere confusion. “You know Cipher?”

“Well I mentioned her, did I not?”

Phainon supposed he set himself up for that one.

Castorice chimed in. “Cipher’s been here with me before when Aglaea couldn’t show. She started talking about auctions and item flipping, and surprisingly Mydei found some common ground with her. They go scavenging sometimes.” He didn’t know what was worse, the fact that Cipher had been in the guest seat before he had a chance to or the fact that Cipher had sought out Mydei’s company without extending an invite to Phainon. He liked to scout for expensive things as well! He may not know anything about nails, but he could’ve easily bonded with Mydei over something as simple as profiting.

The conversation was cut short momentarily as the sound of a… Well, Phainon didn’t quite know what it was that Mydei was holding against her nails, but it was loud enough to drown them out for the time being. He stared ahead, watching what he could as Mydei took the tool to each individual finger, hoping he’d glance up at least once but the focus was evident on his face. Not to mention this was something Castorice would be paying for, he wouldn’t mess up just to sneak a look at Phainon. He had no reason to.

Didn’t mean the latter couldn’t do his share of staring.

He began to think of ways he could see Mydei again, knowing it was silly considering their appointment — their, because Phainon was just as much included now — had only started. He assumed he wouldn’t get much from today, not outside of group conversations that included Castorice, and even then Mydei would still spend most of the time concentrating on the task at hand. Literally. It was his job.

Phainon wasn’t sure how long had passed before the sound of tools finally died down, the nail tech moving onto what he assumed was the next step. On a normal day, the process wouldn’t matter so much. Today? Nothing piqued his interest more, even with the distance between the desk and couch obstructing his view. He could still see Mydei’s hands in action, and maybe that’s all that mattered.

“Is your bed still broken Mydei?” Castorice asked, and Phainon involuntarily pressed his brows together. He could faintly make out Mydei glancing up — not towards him, to Castorice — and she continued to speak. “Sorry, I only brought it up because Phainon assembles furniture. Maybe he could help you.”

Oh, Phainon would love to do that. Him helping Mydei? Way to get him more brownie points. However, he couldn’t get lost in the thought much, not when the nagging reminder that Mydei’s bed was broken kept buzzing in his brain. Phainon was no fool, he’s put together enough beds to know that they’re not just ‘falling apart’ in the middle of the night. He may have never been the cause of one, but he thought clients would eventually stop looking him in the eyes and assume he was naive.

He wasn’t naive, so now the question was who had broken Mydei’s bed?

It was almost ridiculous, the feeling of bitter envy that spread through his body. He had only met the man today, who cared if someone had taken it upon themselves to leave him satisfied enough that his bed no longer stood upright.

Clearly, Phainon cared.

On the bright side, he had been staring at Mydei’s hands long enough to see that there was no ring. It wasn’t a complete loss.

Once Castorice and Mydei had fallen back into a comfortable silence, Phainon pulled his phone out and began typing.

Phainon: If someone tells you they broke the bed, what’s your first thought

The text was read almost immediately, the reply following shortly after.

Cipher ≽^•⩊•^≼: LMAO
Cipher ≽^•⩊•^≼: customers hardcore fucking again?

Phainon pocketed his phone, text read and all.

No, he would not sit here and let himself feel miserable over something that had already happened. No matter the negative feelings he held towards whoever had been in that bed before the break, all Phainon had was today. Meaning he had to suck it up and at least try, Mydei would be too concentrated to willingly strike up a conversation so it was completely up to him.

He could do this.

“So you know I make furniture, what do you do Mydei?”

There. That was simple enough.

He could see the blonde’s hands slowly come to a stop, head turning upwards to meet Phainon’s eyes, before they averted to the right to look at Castorice instead. He deadpanned. “Is he serious?”

What? What did Phainon say that was so wrong? He just wanted to casually make conversation with the guy who was doing his friend’s nails, nothing wrong with —

Oh.

Okay. Well.

Phainon should really stop talking.

Cas giggled, and Phainon felt slight betrayal before he realized that he could come back from this. He would come back from this. “Besides nails! Sometimes people bite more than they can chew, taking on multiple jobs and all. Just didn’t know if this was a side gig for you.”

Mydei looked down. “I bite enough, thank you.”

Oh.

Phainon… didn’t know what to say to that. Doesn’t mean he didn’t know what to think, his mind immediately filling with images of teeth grazing against skin, never shy as they slowly pressed against the surface, golden eyes that —

That… were currently looking directly at him right now. When did Mydei look back up? And why did Phainon’s face have to be so telling, no doubt revealing all of his perverted thoughts with just a simple gaze. Mydei directed his attention back to the hands in front of him.

Okay, well he tried. Made a fool of himself in the process, but he tried. That should’ve counted for something. It could’ve been worse, this was still Mydei’s personal room which meant he had all the authority to kick Phainon out. The fact that he hadn’t done so filled the white haired male with more hope, so all Phainon had to do was ensure his spot on the couch remained. The best way to do so would probably be shutting up entirely, but when had Phainon ever decided to do that?

“It’s a nice job by the way. I… didn’t mean to imply that this was only worthy of being a side gig. I’m sure you make a lot of money! It’s comfortable and fixed too. Easy enough.”

Mydei hadn’t looked up the entire time Phainon had been rambling, so he couldn’t quite understand why the blonde had chosen to do so at the end, the same blank expression as before plastered on his face. “Easy enough?” He parroted, and Phainon grew more confused. He thought he had been complementing him? “Define acrylic, Phainon.”

Okay, now he was really confused. At least he actually knew this one. “It’s paint, is it not? Really fast drying, very commonly used on furniture, actually. Personally, I’d recommend something oil based for wood though. Water and wood already make a bad combo, so to throw — ”

“I’m not talking about paint, you airhead,” Mydei interrupted, and Phainon appeared to be slightly dumbfounded. “Acrylic nails. Define acrylic nails for me.”

The direction this conversation was going did little to answer Phainon’s question of why they were having it in the first place, but anything to keep Mydei talking to him. Not to mention the blonde asked him to define something for him, and Phainon wanted to believe that made it more personal, meaning a lot was at stake here. “Well, nails have paint, so it’s the same? Yeah, it’s just a water based polish used for design, probably the same one Cas is getting today.”

This was all it took to keep Mydei’s attention on him? Sign him up. He had been studying paints since he was a teenager, so he was sure to impress the beautiful blonde man in front of him.

“You sure know how to pick them, Castorice.”

Castorice giggled, glancing behind her while attempting to keep her hands still. “Acrylic nails are fake nails, Phainon. Think of them as extensions. It actually has nothing to do with paint at all.” Of course it didn't, because the one time Phainon thinks he sounds smart in front of Mydei, it turns out he was rambling about nothing. ‘Very commonly used on furniture.’ What is wrong with him?

Still, he wouldn’t relent and accept defeat so easily. Not when he had plenty of time in the appointment left. “That’s… are you sure? How can a word that distinct have two completely different meanings? You’re joking with me.”

Mydei sighed. “Whatever you say, furniture boy.” Phainon deflated a little at that, though it didn’t last when the blonde silently cursed to himself. “Shit. I forgot the color in the other room. Let me — ”

Phainon shot up from his seat before Mydei even had the chance to try. “I’ll get it!” The two at the desk looked towards him in question, and he nodded in confirmation. “Which room? Main room? Bathroom?”

Mydei, whose eyes bore into his, remained impassive. “The room to the left of us.”

“On it.” It was all Phainon said before pushing himself out of the room and into the next, grateful for the fact it was empty considering he had barged in there. Once inside, it only hit him that he didn’t exactly know what he was looking for. Mydei mentioned a color, maybe he was referring to a nail polish bottle? That would’ve been fine if there weren’t rows of polish lining the wall, and any of which could’ve been the color Mydei was talking about.

Phainon returned to the previous room with his tail between his legs.

Castorice met him with a shake of her head. “You didn’t really think that one through, did you?”

He averted his gaze towards Mydei, who rolled his eyes once they made contact with a click of his tongue. “Quit looking at me like a kicked puppy, you’re the one who left the room without even asking for clarification.”

Phainon tilted his head. “Well can I ask for it now?”

The blonde rolled his eyes. If Phainon wanted to delude himself, he swore he saw the tiniest hint of a smile. Like it was really that easy, he had been trying to get one for the better part of thirty minutes!

“Light purple. It’s on the ottoman beside the desk, you literally can not miss it.”

Phainon was out of the room once more.

It was an easier find this time, unfortunately due to the other man’s directions and not his own searching skills, but it didn’t matter. He was returning to Mydei’s space with the intended color, and the latter didn’t even have to move an inch to get it. Look at him, being quite the errand runner, saving Mydei’s energy so he could remain comfortable at his desk. That had to have done something to help him out.

“My own personal delivery boy,” Mydei said, the emotion — or lack thereof — dripping from his voice. “Be careful, I might start calling you Deliverer.”

Phainon… could work with that. He could deliver things. Mydei needed a new bed right, he could deliver that. Mydei needed someone around the salon to fetch things for him? People liked to call Phainon a dog anyways. Mydei needed someone to deliver him attention and affection and everything in between? All signs point to Phainon, so yes he could very well do with this new nickname. He’d hang a sign above his head right now that said ‘Deliverer’ if it really pleased the man in front of him.

He found his way back to the couch, thankful that an interaction with the man finally didn’t leave him feeling embarrassed. If anything, he wanted to say he was making pretty good progress. People don’t usually make nicknames for someone unless you’re acquainted with them — or unless you’re Hyacine — so Phainon felt like the man of the hour.

“It works, you know,” Phainon said with newfound confidence. “You paint nails, I paint furniture. We kind of compliment each other.”

Mydei scowled, eyes set on Castorice’s hands. “That’s not — those are two different concepts, how does that even work?”

The white haired male nodded, knowing it wouldn’t be seen anyway. “Exactly. Two different concepts, you know what they say about opposites.”

“HKS, that’s not the same thing. Different does not always mean opposite. What is wrong with you?” Phainon ignored the question, trying to replay whatever word the man just called him in his head. Haikas? Did he really score twice in a row and earn a second nickname? Granted he didn’t even know what it meant, but all he could focus on was the fact that he just got called something that wasn’t his name. Until he knew the definition, haikas could mean anything. Mydei could’ve even been calling him handsome.

Yes, Phainon was going to go with that.

“Alright then, so would we be the same? Two peas in a pod maybe?”

Two nicknames and a pint of confidence later, Phainon found that this was rather easy.

Mydei glanced at Castorice in question. “Where did Aglaea have to go again?”

Okay, low blow. Phainon knew better than to be offended now, however. Not when he was starting to realize that Mydei's insulting nature was a part of who he was. Now that the white haired male was aware of that fact, communicating with him would be simpler, all he had to do was take it on the chin and offer more rebuttals. “You wound me Mydei, what happened to me being your delivery boy?”

“Keep talking and you’ll get demoted to delivery dog.”

Phainon tilted his head. “Woof woof?” He failed to hide the smile that crept onto his face as Mydei’s head slowly inched upwards again, though not all the way, just enough for him to glance up and silently show how unimpressed he truly was. Earlier, Phainon would’ve looked away in embarrassment and let the man continue his work.

Now?

Now he kept eye contact, his terribly suppressed smile never faltering. It seemed to be the right course of action, and after a few seconds he could make out the way Mydei’s lip threatened to tug upwards, and he looked back down with a huff. “So stupid,” the blonde muttered.

“Nuh uh,” Phainon shook his head. “You laughed.”

Mydei copied his movement, eyes trained on the nail he was painting. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Phainon had to remind himself that Castorice was in the room with them, though he was unaware if she had picked up on whatever it was he was doing or decided to tune them out completely. Not that it mattered to him either way, going back and forth like this with Mydei was fun, and it wasn’t like Phainon hadn’t planned on bombarding her with questions in the car anyway.

They fell into another comfortable silence after that, Phainon having half a mind to grant the man some peace while he worked. If it were up to him, however, he would’ve bothered Mydei right until he had to leave, but he didn’t want to particularly entertain the idea of being kicked out of the room again. So, silence it was, and if he let his gaze linger on Mydei and his hands longer than he should’ve? Who had to know.

It wasn’t until one time that Mydei had caught him staring that Phainon suddenly felt nervous again.

It was only for a brief moment, golden eyes looking up through lashes long enough to catch the blue pair already on him. The moment went away as soon as it came, yet it was enough to have Phainon’s heart rate pick up, the action telling him that it was Mydei looking at him this time. It was supposed to be a subtle move, as if the blonde hadn’t expected Phainon to already be staring back. Another win in his eyes.

He wasn’t aware of how long had passed before Mydei’s voice had filled the room again, followed by him pushing his chair backwards. Phainon’s heart dropped. No. Not yet.

“Do you like them?”

Phainon’s eyes flickered between him and Castorice, who was now holding up a fresh new set of nails that unfortunately didn’t look like anything else could be done to them. He would've done more to point out how beautiful they actually looked if the paint being done didn’t mean he had to leave.

Castorice nodded. “As always. You never disappoint.”

Well, Phainon felt rather disappointed. Was the appointment really over? That was shorter than he expected! What happened to the idea of dreadfully sitting on standby for hours? Was Mydei that skilled with his hands?

Oh how Phainon would love to find out.

“That was fast,” he couldn’t help but say, refusing to stand from his seat on the couch. Maybe if the universe truly loved him, his legs would temporarily give out and he’d have to stay in Mydei’s room a little longer. “That was barely two hours.”

Castorice turned in the chair to face him. “That’s normal for a nail appointment.”

Okay, so apparently Phainon didn’t know anything. Wonderful. He was half tempted to start pointing things out, anything to keep them all seated. Unfortunately, the work of art named Mydei had an immense amount of skill and even with distance between them, Phainon could see nothing was truly wrong with the nails. Besides, he’d sooner praise the man’s work than do the opposite.

Ignoring them both, Mydei was the first to stand from his chair. “I’ll ring you up at the front.” Phainon watched with discontent as the blonde left the room, finally biting the bullet to stand alongside his friend. If Castorice noticed the change in his demeanor, she didn’t say anything, only leading them out of the room and back down the hallway towards the main area.

The previous woman had long departed from the counter, no one but Mydei standing there as Castorice completed her transaction. He and Phainon were closer now, nothing but the piece of furniture between them and the white haired male was internally grateful for the chance to look at him up close again. It should’ve been illegal to be as captivating as he was, no one had ever caught Phainon’s eye the way the nail tech did, and the former wondered if Mydei knew the kind of effect he could have on people. On Phainon.

Castorice backed away from the counter. “Thank you again, I won’t be late next time.” Mydei smirked at that, and Phainon was too busy taking in her words to really think about what that did to him. Cas was practically saying that she wouldn’t be late again because Phainon wouldn’t be her guest, because Aglaea wouldn’t be available. He couldn’t have that, not when he needed a reason to see Mydei again. Castorice could bring both of them next time, a plus two situation.

Looking back at the counter once more as they walked towards the exit, Phainon found Mydei’s eyes already on him. The blonde didn’t bother looking away, though his face remained impassive with little to no hints of what the man was currently feeling or thinking. Phainon wouldn’t go as far as to assume his thoughts, though the idea that Mydei had been planning on watching him leave wasn’t a bad one to entertain. Should he say something else? The other presumably wouldn’t take initiative, but quite frankly Phainon didn’t even know what he would say. I think you’re cute, can I see you again?

Or, if Phainon wanted to be of use, can I fix your broken bed?

It was Castorice’s fault for planting the idea.

In the end, he decided on saying nothing, concluding that one time alone wouldn’t be enough for Mydei to agree to seeing him again. Phainon had to come back, and next time he had to be on time. Mydei would take note of it, respect him a lot more and they’d both leave happily ever after.

Maybe.

Phainon was having a terrible week.

All he wanted to do was fantasize about blonde hair, gorgeous tattooed skin and amber eyes that could rival the sun. All he wanted to do was revel in the thought that Mydei knew he existed, and possibly even contemplate ways to see him again. He could do without the explicit dreams though, always causing him to wake up in a sweat but they were nothing a cold shower couldn’t fix. It had been a full week since he’s seen the man, so he’d much rather yearn Mydei in peace without anything negative that followed.

It wasn’t that simple.

He could even pinpoint where it started going wrong too. Four days ago he had a house call, which wasn’t uncommon seeing as furniture could get quite large and circumstances called for assembling it on site. So that wasn’t the issue. The issue was the reminder on why his father usually took these jobs, his body recoiling at the memory of the terrible seduction attempts by his client. Phainon was no stranger to customers hitting on him, whether it was men or women, and he liked to think he brushed it off well enough, but this was different. He was in the stranger's house that time, and while she never went beyond futile attempts at sultry words, all he had wanted to do was put the table together and leave.

Maybe it was karma for dreaming of a similar scenario, only that time it had included familiar blonde hair.

It had gotten worse when two days ago, Snowy came down with something. It wasn’t anything threatening, one vet trip later was proof of that, but if Phainon had to clean throw up one more time he might actually lose it. He understood it was far beyond his fluffy son’s control, and he did everything in his power to nurse him back to health, but it wasn’t a pleasant sight.

Today would probably the icing on the cake. A sinking feeling in his gut told him to stay in bed, that something bad would await him if he climbed out of it, and the universe would reward him if he didn’t move. Phainon was always stubborn, so what did he do? He got out of bed.

And what happened?

Well, something bad. Obviously.

Phainon was by no means a psychic, he liked to joke that he could prophesize something and have it come true, but it was never anything deeper than mere coincidence. So, when Phainon could feel a presence — what he assumed was his father — outside of his apartment, he was ready to chalk it down to exactly that. A coincidence.

The knock on the door told him he wasn’t so lucky.

Snowy had run out from where he had been hiding, and Phainon contemplated burying himself back under the sheets and shirking whatever responsibilities he was expected to have for the day.

But Phainon, in all of his pushover glory, would never let that happen.

He quickly looked around to make sure the state of his apartment wouldn’t diminish his fathers view of him, before looking down at himself. He hadn’t had time to change, but it was early enough that being in his sleep clothes wasn’t completely unreasonable.

With a sigh, Phainon opened the door. “Hello father — oh...”

Aglaea smiled. “Oh? I was under the impression you always considered me to be motherly.”

Phainon shook his head, though unable to hide his confusion. “No, I… sorry. I was fully expecting to see my dad.” His intuition being wrong? Phainon was really losing his touch. Fortunately, maybe this meant nothing bad was happening after all. “What’s wrong? You usually call before you show up.”

“Indeed, I do.” Phainon stepped aside, allowing her to walk inside. “Nothing is wrong, do not worry. If anything, I wish to run a proposal by you.” He furrowed his brows. As a clothing designer, why would Aglaea need to run anything by him? Didn’t she question his taste in fashion? This seemed like something more suitable for Castorice or Hyacine.

He took a seat on the couch, following suit as the woman sat on the opposite end. “I’m listening.”

“The boutique’s fundraiser is approaching. We’ve made the necessary arrangements, everything is still happening as planned, but we would like to include more established businesses in the matter.” Oh, Phainon understood now. Still, he didn’t run the furniture company, his father did. Was Phainon her gateway to striking a deal with the man? “Your family has built a well known company, even behind Okhema. Your involvement would surely provide for unity and draw more people out.”

Phainon felt slightly guilty. His father was rather busy these days, attempting to sit down and talk with him about this would take time. “I… will see what I can do. My father loves his community, but I don’t know if I can guarantee it.”

He didn’t want to disappoint her, but that worry was soon dissipated when she had laughed. “Phainon, don’t you think if I wanted your father to attend as face of your business, I would’ve reached out to him instead?”

The white haired male blinked. “…No.”

“I would’ve,” she confirmed. “But I didn’t. I’m not speaking to you as someone who simply works for your father. You have some authority in the business, correct?” That was correct. Not as much as his father, but he had his perks. He gave a nod. “I see, so if I asked you to attend the fundraiser, you could show in place for your company?”

Hypothetically…

“I could,” Phainon nodded. “Wouldn’t my father be a better fit? I’m only his son, he’s the one who formed the business. Just like you created your own.” Don’t get him wrong, he was honored she even brought it up to him. He just didn’t think he was a suitable enough attendee for the thing, but he would gladly accept. Anything to help the community.

Aglaea smiled. “You’re thinking too hard about it, but very well. I’ve already received confrontation from a few small businesses as well, and Castorice’s nail technician has even agreed to be a part of it.”

Phainon froze. “Mydei?”

The blonde woman raises her brows. “You know him?”

“Yeah!” Quickly realizing that he sounded way too overeager, he cleared his throat. “I mean, yeah. I know him. We met last Friday at the salon.” He assumed Aglaea knew what he meant, seeing as she would have been the one originally accompanying Castorice. “So he will be there too?”

“He will.”

Phainon didn't need to think twice. “I’m in.”

A devious smirk appeared on the woman’s face. “Oh?”

He quickly backtracked. “H-hey, Mydei isn’t the only one who can help out at a fundraiser you know.” Who was he kidding, despite already being on board with it, the man of his dreams attending only solidified his decision. Call him hopeless, it didn’t matter! At least he was helping the community in the process.”

Aglaea shook her head. “It’s a charity event, Phainon. Not a competition.”

He offered a smile, scratching the back of his neck. “Competitive charity? It’s for the right reasons, isn’t it?”

“Right.” Phainon was certain Aglaea didn’t believe him, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she pulled out a folder of papers in which he assumed would be him confirming his involvement. He bit back a sigh. Phainon really hated papers.

Wait no, right now he really really loved papers. Not only would he be helping a good cause, he had a reason to see Mydei again! Aglaea’s fundraiser wasn’t for another four weeks, but he’d manage. Any time waiting was worth it if it meant he’d be blessed upon the sight that was Mydei himself once more.

He could do this. 

Phainon could not do this.

Not even a full week had passed since he met with Aglaea, meaning the countdown to seeing Mydei hadn’t even reached three weeks. He was getting antsy. Impatient even, and he knew he had to act fast.

Phainon had a plan. He had to see the blonde again before the fundraiser, that way when the event came around, he could chalk it up to coincidence that they ended up in the same place. Maybe even throw in the phrase ‘third times a charm’ if he was feeling confident enough. How was that supposed to happen though? Next time Castorice had an appointment, she was sure to ask Aglaea to join her. Maybe even Cipher.

Okay, so Phainon just had to beat her to it. It was that simple.

His fingers pressed upon the buttons on the treadmill, allowing his body to slow down for a few moments before he finally stepped off. It was only Monday, meaning the gym wasn’t as crowded as normal, a fact Phainon was rather grateful for. There were no doubt a few times he caught himself smiling at the thought of Mydei, and the lack of people around him that would think he was crazy for doing so definitely helped.

He threw a towel around his neck, walking over to an unoccupied workout bench before taking a seat. He pulled his phone out and quickly found Castorice’s contact, bringing it to his ear.

She picked up on the fourth ring.

Phainon didn’t even give her a chance to speak first. “Cas! My dear Cas, how are you today?”

He could faintly make out a sigh on the other end. He ignored that for now. “What do you need Phainon?”

He gasped in mock offense. “Must I need something to talk to you?” The silence that followed was her answer alone. “Right. Anyways, I thought about what you said, and you’re right. I really should have been more involved with my sister’s and friend’s salon trips, so here I am! With a surprise. I’m taking you to get your nails done!” He said the last bit as if it were a revelation, as if Castorice had been dying to hear these words.

She did not share the same sentiment. “I'm sorry?”

“Don’t be! I’m treating you today to make up for years of my lack of involvement. Isn’t that great? I can leave the gym in thirty minutes, so be ready.”

“Wait, what?” Phainon was ready to end the call there, giving her no chance to decline, but she quickly continued. “Phainon, no. It hasn’t even been long enough for me to need a new set. I… appreciate the offer, but I really should let these sit another week or so. Besides, Mydei doesn't particularly like walk-ins.”

Jokes on Castorice, all he really heard was the word ‘Mydei.’ “You don’t want your nails done?”

“I don’t,” she verified. “I do appreciate the offer, but you don’t need to spoil me as an excuse to see Mydei again.”

Phainon gaped, unaware Castorice couldn’t see it. The audacity! What if he truly had been trying to do something nice for his friend, did she seriously think it was for his gain from the very beginning? “I — it’s not — I didn’t even —”

“Phainon.” The white haired male shut up. “Would it help if I sent you his number? Just promise you won’t bother him too much, I’d like to keep my nail tech.”

Castorice was offering Mydei’s number? Just like that? This was perfect, and Phainon didn’t even have to do anything, but he couldn’t give into the embarrassment of her figuring him out so quickly. “What, no? That’s stupid.” She didn’t respond, only humming in disbelief and Phainon concluded that yeah, maybe he was pathetic after all. “Actually Cas… uh, yeah I’ll take his number. If that’s okay.” She didn’t say anything, and Phainon was worried she would withdraw her offer until his phone buzzed, and he pulled it away long enough to see the text including the set of numbers flash across his screen.

Another point for Phainon.

“I owe you.“

“I’ll keep your offer of paying for my nails in mind next time around.”

Wait, that was only under the circumstance that he’d see Mydei today. “Hold on —”

This time she didn’t give him a chance to speak, hanging up before he could finish his thought.

Rude.

Phainon wasn’t that hurt, because now he had Mydei’s number! He had the gateway to talking more with the man right in front of him, and all he had to do was decide on how to go about it.

He stared blankly at the new text conversation.

Should he start off by saying he got his number from Castorice? Not doing so would make Phainon look like a crazy stalker, though doing so might throw his friend under the bus. Maybe this option wasn’t better than going to the salon today. At least that kind of interaction could’ve been strictly situational, but now Phainon would have to reach out to a number that he technically wasn’t supposed to have.

Or… was he? Castorice knew Mydei, unfortunately more than Phainon did. She wouldn’t willingly give out his information if she were not under the impression that Mydei would be okay with it. Had they been able to talk about it? Her willingness could’ve been driven from the fact that they’ve discussed Phainon before, more so the idea of Phainon having his contact information.

Phainon wasn’t crazy… right?

He had to trust his gut this time, as well as Castorice’s character. If she thought this wasn’t okay, she wouldn’t have given the blonde’s number out. That was all Phainon needed to know.

Phainon: Hi

Wait, that was too ominous. Mydei would be the type to leave him on read with that alone.

Phainon: It’s Phainon, Cas gave me your number.

He wanted to add that he didn’t ask for it, hoping that would help his case, but he froze when he saw the number begin typing.

XXX-600-XXXX: why

Phainon’s lips pressed into a thin line and he furrows his brows. Why?

Phainon: Maybe she was under the impression you should have my number :D

While he waited for a response, he created a contact for Mydei, smiling at the name.

MYdei ^^: lol that’s stupid

Okay, ouch. It was the same thing Phainon had told Castorice about getting the man’s number, but at least he had been lying when he said it! The text tone made it hard to decipher if the blonde was joking or not. It couldn’t have been bad, however, not with the way another text appeared on the screen.

MYdei ^^: surely you didn’t get my number to just say hi.

Phainon bit his lip in thought. Was this his roundabout way of asking why he texted him in the first place? The white haired male wasn’t exactly sure of the answer to that. He couldn’t come out and say the truth, that Mydei had been at the forefront of his mind all week, alongside very vivid dreams that had the man in positions that made Phainon almost feel like he was disrespecting him in a way.

Almost.

Well, he figured why not let his natural born charm — as his mother liked to say — take the reins for now.

Phainon: To bother you of course!

Phainon: Give me some more nail trivia

MYdei ^^: no

Phainon: No? :(

Phainon: I like when you talk technician to me

Once he realized Mydei wasn’t blocking his number or telling him to get lost, Phainon realized this was easier than he thought.

MYdei ^^: don’t you have a bed to build or something

Phainon: Yeah yours

MYdei ^^: I can fix my own bed thank you.

Phainon: But it’s my job :(

MYdei ^^: grown man using a frowny face.

‘Grown man’ smiling while his eyes remained glued to his phone as well, but Phainon wasn’t going to say that.

Phainon: Come onnnnn, I’ll give you a discount

MYdei ^^: you’re stupid.

Suddenly hit with a surge of confidence, the white haired male leaned forward from where he sat on the bench and typed his response.

Phainon: Mhm, keep talking

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

And… all he received was a question mark reaction.

Well.

Deciding that he should brush it off for now, he began contemplating what he’d say next. Now that his original plan of a second meeting was shot down, maybe he could bring up the charity event they would both be attending. It was a suitable enough reason to reach out to Mydei, and any excuse to talk to him was good enough for Phainon. He would no longer be able to treat the fundraiser situation as a coincidence anymore, but he didn’t care.

He was texting Mydei.

Phainon: Aglaea says you’re taking part in her charity

At least he received a response this time.

MYdei ^^: I am

Phainon: Me too! We’ll get to see each other

It’s not like it hasn’t been the main focus of Phainon’s thoughts ever since he met with Aglaea.

MYdei ^^: what’s your bit

He ignored the fact that the second part of his text didn’t go acknowledged, furrowing his brows. His bit?

Phainon: ???

MYdei ^^: aglaea’s selling her clothes, i'm painting nails. what are you bringing to the table

Oh, that’s right. He vaguely remembered Aglaea mentioning that he needed to include something to sell, though his mind had been too preoccupied with Mydei, Mydei, and more Mydei. What would he even sell at an event like that? Selling clothes was simple, Aglaea didn’t need tons of space for that. Painting nails was also doable, all the blonde had to do was set up a stand and that was that. Selling furniture? What was that woman thinking? His fathers store barely was enough to contain everything they built.

Problem for another day, he supposed.

Phainon: A literal table maybe?

MYdei ^^: you're so funny.

Mydei thought he was funny! Who cared if technically the tone was rooted in sarcasm, these were text messages. Phainon could interpret his words however he wanted to.

Phainon: What do you think I should bring, wise Mydei

He was fully prepared for a typical Mydei response, being told that it wasn’t his problem or if Phainon was lucky, he’d call him names again. Something that he took as affection, thank you.

MYdei ^^: convenient furniture, obviously. you and your customers will do a lot of moving

Oh.

Phainon was not an idiot, years in the industry taught him exactly what convenient furniture meant. Easy to move, didn’t take up a lot of space, etc.

But Mydei was helping him out, and he wanted more of that.

Phainon: Convenient how?

MYdei ^^: shouldn’t you know?

Nothing ever got past him.

MYdei ^^: whatever. chairs, end tables, small shelves if you can. there will be a lot of products sold, and what good are they if the buyers don’t have a surface to put them on. you don't want anything big though, it's already going to be a hectic event and no one wants to exhaust all of their energy moving furniture. not to mention you'll have to load it there as well

So Phainon had a small problem.

It had nothing to do with Mydei’s suggestion, he had easy access to all of that, and there was no shortage of them seeing as they were meant to be convenient. So the sales idea wasn’t the issue. The issue was Phainon looking down, suddenly realizing that he had long crossed the line of pathetic by now, eyes narrowing in shame at the slight tent in his pants.

He didn’t mean to! Truly, Phainon would never, not to mention he was still in a public place and that was just wrong. It wasn't his fault that Mydei, instead of demeaning him in normal Mydei fashion, opted to give him advice instead. Advice that was exceptionally rational too, and it didn’t take a furniture guy to know that it was the right course of action anyway, but he had long accepted that everything the blonde did had an effect on him. It was inevitable, Phainon put Mydei on a scale bordering perfection and it was bound to have its setbacks.

He really had to get it together.

Phainon: Aww Mydei, you care! ^-^

MYdei ^^: grown ass man

MYdei ^^: idiot, i only said something so you didn’t waste time moving giant fucking beds all because you couldn’t understand proper charity etiquette

Sure. Whatever he said.

Phainon: If you say so!

“Excuse me sir.” Phainon looked up, meeting eyes with a man shorter than him — though taller from where he sat — looking at him in question. “Can I use the bench if you’re done?” The blue eyed male looked around. Oh, when did the gym fill up? Had he really been so engrossed in texting Mydei that he completely lost touch of the world around him? He stood with a nod, offering a brief apology before grabbing his things and hitting the showers.

Mydei hadn’t responded to his texts during the walk there, and Phainon unfortunately concluded that this was the most he would get today. They mentioned the fundraiser, Mydei gave his two cents, and there was nothing left to be said. Phainon would have to think of more excuses in the shower.

Phainon: Hypothetically, I could bring a couch.

MYdei ^^: someone strike me down now.

Phainon chuckled.

It was now two weeks until Aglaea’s charity event, and unfortunately Castorice had yet to ask him to join her during another appointment — seriously, how long did fake nails last? — so his last hope was seeing Mydei at the fundraiser.

He hadn’t texted him much since that day in the gym, his initial hesitance mainly due to Phainon’s inability to come up with a good reason as to why he would be texting him. So he gave up, discarding the idea of there ever being a good enough reason to message Mydei and instead, did what he did best. Just talked. There didn't have to be any meaning hidden in it. He could just say what he wanted to say and hope for a response. After all, Mydei could have blocked Phainon already and he hadn’t. The text he received just now was proof of that.

Phainon: It’s not a bad idea, you know
Phainon: Would you buy a couch of mine

MYdei ^^: certainly not.

Phainon: That’s okay. Would you at least sit on it?

MYdei ^^: yeah, id sit on it.

Phainon was not at fault for the way his brain worked.

Phainon:That’s enough for me
Phainon: My couches are fine quality too
Phainon: Best seat in the house
Phainon: Not to be biased or anything
Phainon: Once you sit on it you’ll wanna stay there forever

MYdei ^^: what are you yapping about.

Phainon: You were the one who said you’d sit on my couch :D

MYdei ^^: i’ll happily sit on your couch if it shuts you up.

Were they even talking about couches anymore?

At the very least, Phainon didn’t have to feel shame this time. He could pop a boner in the comfort of his own home if he very much wanted to.

Phainon: Not because it feels comfortable and nice? :(

MYdei ^^: how am i supposed to know that? my ass hasn’t been on your couch yet.

Great, now Phainon was thinking about Mydei’s ass. It did nothing to lessen the effect of whatever this weird role play was having on him, and he hadn’t even meant to steer the conversation in this direction! Initially, it really was only about couches. Now Phainon wanted to say screw the couch and talk about nothing but Mydei’s ass. It was his fault for bringing it up anyway.

Phainon: Guess they’ll have to get acquainted very fast

MYdei ^^: don’t bring a couch to the fundraiser, phainon.

The white haired male short circuited. Mydei saying his name only made matters worse, especially when Phainon had read it in his head with the blonde’s gravelly voice.

Phainon:I know I know! Convenient furniture. Remind me again what that entails.

MYdei ^^: you’re stupid.

Phainon smiled.

Phainon: I’m blushing!
Phainon: Shame you won’t get a chance to sit on my couch then

MYdei ^^: wouldn’t that make you not want to sell it then?

Phainon: ???

Phainon looked down at the ball of fur that appeared by his legs, using one hand to scratch lightly at Snowy’s ears while he waited for Mydei’s response. He wondered what his fluffy son was thinking right now, if he could sense how giddy his owner was getting over simple text.

MYdei ^^: well if someone else gets to your couch, how will i be able to sit on it
MYdei ^^: use your brain deliverer

His nickname was back! He would’ve reminisced to their first meeting had he not been too busy taking in the meaning — or what he believed was the meaning — of Mydei’s words. He quickly had to set the record straight.

Phainon: No one else can have my couch

MYdei ^^: withholding products from your other customers for your own gain? bad deliverer.

There was no way this was about couches anymore. He had to have known what he was doing to Phainon, the latter was only a man and could truly get worked up over furniture innuendos. There was no other way, but the better part of Phainon decided that he wouldn’t be the one to turn it into something else. He still had some dignity.

Phainon: What? Never had favorite customers before?

MYdei ^^: oh i have a lot of favorite customers actually

Phainon… did not want to read that.

Why did he have favorite customers? Phainon wasn’t the one getting his nails done that day, but he had still been in the salon. That has to make him a customer by some degree. With that logic, Mydei should only have one favorite customer. It should be Phainon.

Phainon: It’s Castorice because she brought me along, right? :3

He didn’t receive a response immediately after that.

The seconds slowly turned into minutes, and Phainon started to worry that maybe it had been too much. Was it the kissy face that did it? They could make sexual implications with couches, yet a kissy face was too much? His eyes were fixed on the words ‘delivered’ under his text, chuckling once at how it resembling his nickname from the blonde, before tossing his phone aside to stand up. He needed to be productive, Mydei would surely shame him if he knew the latter was waiting around for a text like a kicked puppy.

Speaking of puppy, he killed time by taking Snowy for a walk, deciding that the fresh air would be good for him. Three weeks ago today, Phainon had met Mydei for the first time, and with nothing but that one interaction and a few days worth of text messages, the former already found himself enamored. It should have been concerning, really, and any normal person would self reflect if they were cognitively aware of their behavior.

But Phainon wasn’t any normal person.

Phainon always found fascination in things he couldn’t understand, and he didn’t understand Mydei. He wanted to understand why the man put up a cold front, which was clearly just that since someone like Castorice could be comfortable around him. He wanted to understand why Mydei did nails, a field one wouldn’t typically see someone like him in. He wanted to understand the little things too, from why he wore his hair the way he did to where his tattoos came from. He wanted to know all of it. It wasn’t lust, it wasn't purely attraction.

Phainon was completely and utterly intrigued with someone.

That has never happened before.

He couldn’t just say that to Mydei, something like that was bound to have the blonde look at him like he was crazy. Parasocial, even. The last thing he wanted to do was give the man a reason to stay as far away from him as possible.

He groaned.

Snowy looked up from where they walked on the sidewalk at the sound.

“What do I do, boy?” If only his fluffy son could talk, he’d no doubt give his wisdom after being an observer of Phainon’s pathetic antics for three weeks.

Snowy just barked.

Yeah, he was thinking that too.

Their walk eventually came to an end, Phainon toeing off his shoes once they were back in the safety of his home. He walked to the couch where his phone remained from earlier, not having bothered taking it with him on the walk as if that would get a response from Mydei sooner.

Just like before, there was nothing.

That’s fine. He would just kill more time.

He let himself fall back on the couch, legs sprawled out to the other end as he started up at the ceiling. It was a shame none of his friends sought out his company today, though it made sense why they wouldn’t. Aglaea had clothes to finalize before the event, not to mention the planning itself. Castorice worked night shifts, so she was no doubt sleeping in preparation for that. He could always reach out to Hyacine, though he realized it was slowly starting to get late and she liked to do things as early as she could, savoring her evening time with her dogs.

Anaxa was an option.

No, he wasn’t. As if he’d willingly put aside his thesis long enough to entertain Phainon.

In the end, it seemed like it was just him, Snowy, and the lingering thoughts of bright amber eyes and crimson tattoos.

Blue eyes slowly blinked open as Phainon was met with the sight of the ceiling. Had he been sleeping? He couldn’t even recall previously feeling tired.

He sat up, stretching his arms out before reaching towards the coffee table to retrieve his phone. No new messages was the first thing he took note of, not that he should’ve been surprised, the second being that two whole hours had passed since he returned from his walk. The sky outside had begun to dim through the curtains, and while he didn’t exactly feel like making anything himself, Phainon knew he had to eat.

He began scrolling aimlessly through potential choices for takeout, considering his options when words flashed across the top of his screen.

MYdei ^^: sorry. had a client from hell today.

Phainon had never sat up so fast. He clicked on the conversation, realizing immediately that Mydei wasn’t done typing.

MYdei ^^: and castorice would be considered a favorite customer of mine, yes, but not for that reason.

First of all, ouch.

Second of all, Phainon almost felt silly for being worried over nothing, letting himself remember that Mydei had a busy schedule too and no his silly words were not enough for the blonde to ignore him. The man even apologized for responding late, and that alone shouldn’t have made Phainon feel things, but it did anyway.

Phainon: What happened with the customer??

MYdei ^^: its a lot

Mydei really underestimates how much Phainon has been dying to hear from him.

Phainon: Tell me anyway

The blue eyed male waited a few moments, watching as the text bubbles disappeared just to show back up. That must have meant he was gathering his words, which meant he actually was willing to tell Phainon the situation, which actually meant they were at a spot where they could rant to each other.

Point Phainon.

MYdei ^^: okay. well first of all, she hated the first set i finished. the set that was an exact replica of the design she showed me.

Phainon: Holy shit. Did you have to redo the whole thing?

MYdei ^^: no. i told her i would have to up the price if i did. she only had me redo two fingers on each hand

Phainon: That sounds annoying

MYdei ^^: yeah well it gets worse. she started complaining about things i didn't give a fuck about, only to get mad when she noticed i hadn’t been listening at all. didn’t know i was supposed to be someone’s therapist today.

Phainon: I don’t knowwww Mydei, you do have the aura of a therapist

MYdei ^^: don’t be stupid.

A notification from his food delivery app appeared at the top of his screen asking if he was still hungry, reminding him of what he was doing beforehand. Oh how easy it was to forget everything the more he talked with Mydei. Phainon wouldn’t put it off any further, quickly deciding on the first good thing he saw before returning to his conversation.

Phainon: You like my stupidity ;)

MYdei ^^: i’m going to workout. reflect on your actions while i’m gone.

Oh. Well.

Phainon attempted to catch him before he disappeared.

Phainon: We should workout together sometime!

No response.

Wonderful. Now he was stuck awaiting the sandwich he ordered in a haste, realizing he didn’t even want a sandwich at all.

Lovely.

There were a lot of concepts that Phainon agreed with, but the customer always being right was not one of them.

How could they always be right? With the phone pressed against the side of his head and the customer’s voice in his ear, all he had heard were terrible ideas. It wasn’t like he was in any position to counter them either, taking commissions were a part of the job. The man hadn’t provided him with any visuals either, so all Phainon could do was listen to every wrong design choice. A lot of them didn't even make any sense! Did people not realize furniture needed to be as secure as it was aesthetically pleasing?

Phainon sucked it up though, taking note of every key point the man made before running it back by him, to which he unfortunately confirmed every one. It was fine, he had to remind himself that he was there to build for other people, not to make decisions on what he thought would be better. Even if it was actually better.

He had barely wrapped up the phone call before it buzzed in his hand again, and Phainon swore if the man was calling to add another atrocious design then he would probably —

Oh.

MYdei ^^

What was he saying again?

He didn’t bother to let it ring any longer, answering in a rush. “Phone calls huh? I’m moving up in the world.”

“Tell me you sell medium sized picnic tables.”

Phainon smirked, brows pressing together in question. “Good evening to you too.”

“Phainon.”

He cleared his throat, ignoring the chill that ran through his veins at the mention of his name. “Sorry. Uh, yeah, we do. Probably the best of the best, and no that isn’t me being biased. Why?”

Mydei hummed. “How much?”

Phainon didn’t dare to lie. “For you? A good price. Again… why?”

“I’m going to need to have enough room for a setup at the fundraiser. I got to thinking and realized I’d also be doing you a favor if I promoted your business while doing mine. You’re welcome.”

Phainon frowned. “But that would be false advertising. I won’t be selling any picnic tables that day.”

“A ‘thank you’ would’ve sufficed. You don’t have to sell picnic tables, you HKS, all it does is give the idea that your furniture is worth a damn so people would want to buy it more.”

Phainon fell backwards onto his bed, head pressed against the pillows while his hand kept his phone at his ear. “So what you’re saying is we’re essentially business partners.”

“That is quite literally not what I said at all.” Phainon laughed out loud at that, loud enough that he’d be unable to hear if Mydei reciprocated the action. In his head, the man on the other end of the line was at least smiling in response. “How soon can you put in an order at the store?”

His body acted on its own.

“Four seconds probably,” Phainon said, pushing himself off of his bed to retrieve his laptop. “I can do it for you right now.” His father didn’t like it when he put in personal orders at the store for people he knew, only due to the fact that there had been a few occasions where the product never got picked up. This was different, Mydei wouldn’t be asking about something he wasn’t serious about if he had no intention of following through. Besides, they both knew the event was happening. Unless Mydei wanted to have no set up, he had to pick it up.

“You’re serious.”

Phainon was already in the outdoor furnishing selection. “I’m serious. Do you have a wood color preference?”

The blonde hummed. “Yes. Mahogany.”

“A man of taste,” Phainon said with a smile, hoping it was evident in his voice considering Mydei couldn’t see him. “Aren’t you worried about staining though? I… wouldn’t exactly say nail polish would be easy to get out of wood.”

“Are you calling me sloppy?”

Mydei? Never. He knew already that the man strictly gave the impression of order and cleanliness. “Hey, I don’t mind making a mess.” He went still for a brief moment. Okay, this time he hadn’t done that on purpose. He was only trying to counter Mydei, pushing his buttons a little while he decided on the best table for him. Not his fault it came out like that.

“ I'm sure you don’t, Phainon.”

The catalog in front of him seemed to blur. Phainon stared towards the right of his laptop with wide eyes. What did Mydei mean? He knew how his previous statement could’ve sounded, but if Mydei had taken it that way as well, was there some hidden meaning behind his too? Phainon wouldn’t have been overthinking it much had the man not used his name, instead of an insulting one like he normally would. It was all in the tone he had used. How his voice dropped an octave right as he ended his sentence, the silent threat of something else lingering.

Phainon was not crazy.

“Maybe I don’t.”

“So we’ve established. Did you find a table?”

So they were just going to leave it at that? Did Mydei have the slightest idea that he was losing his mind over here?

“Y-yeah,” he said, eyes drifting back to his screen. He clicked on the first piece he saw. “Mahogany wood, two-seater on each side. Three if they’re small children.”

The call went silent, Phainon half tempted to make sure he was still on the line before Mydei’s voice finally filled his ears. “Good enough for me. Can you hold that until Wednesday?” Of course, it was almost as if the universe knew he had planned on ‘coincidentally’ being at the store the same day Mydei would arrive to retrieve his order. Wednesday would have been a perfect time too had he not already made plans with his mother, then again Phainon knew the kind of power he held in this situation. He could say no, make up some half-assed excuse as to why his ‘open six days a week’ furniture store could not assist the blonde on his preferred day.

Mydei would catch on to him, no doubt.

“Sure. I’ll give my father a heads up.” Mydei hummed in response, Phainon silently cursing himself for not lying. He wondered if Mydei wanted to see him, telling him a day specifically so that they had another reason to run into each other. That had to have been the case, right? Phainon felt so stupid. Was the other man disappointed now? He had to save the situation, and he had to do it in the other way he knew how. “Say Mydei, you sure you don’t want to add a couch to that order?”

Please please please say Phainon’s name in that low tone again.

The blonde huffed. “Sitting on your picnic table isn’t enough?”

“It’s not the same,” Phainon complained. “My couch would offer you more comfort than Mahogany ever could.” He smiled, finding humor in the innuendo yet again while he waited for the rebuttal.

“Shame. Here I thought you’d want to see me on your wood.”

If Phainon’s skin wasn’t as tough as he liked to believe, his heart would’ve flown right out of his chest.

Leave it to Mydei to render him completely speechless, causing him to grow painfully aware of how fast his chest was beating, or the warmth that enveloped him, surging through every vein in his body. Was this normal? To have this much desire for someone he’s only talked to a handful of times, but only saw in person once? It seemed he wasn’t alone in the feeling either, Mydei wouldn’t have pushed the teasing further if that were the case.

Shit, he had to do something. Say something, but what? ‘Yes, that’s exactly where I want you?’ Mydei hadn’t broken past the shell of the topic yet, so why should he?

Taking that long to think about it probably wasn’t the best course of action.

“Well deliverer, I have a workout to go to. Thanks for the favor.”

Phainon swallowed and forced himself to smile, looking down at the nuisance in his pants. “Y-yep. You know me. Delivering.”

“Right,” was all Mydei said to that, uncertainty lacing his tone. His voice then switched to something else, something the white haired male had only figured out when it was too late. “Well have fun, Phainon.”

And then the call ended.

Phainon wanted to throw his phone across the room.

Have fun? What was he trying to imply? Had he known about the problem his words had caused? Was Phainon’s silence that much of a giveaway that he was and would remain as hopeless as ever?

There were only two options left. He could shake the entire conversation off of his mind, finally doing something productive like compiling a list of items to include in his charity sale. Aglaea had been pressing him about it anyway, to which he lied every time and said he had it under control. The date of the event would only continue to draw nearer, his procrastination could only get him so far before he finally decided to stop shirking his duties. With the go-ahead from his father, he wasn’t sure why he was taking so long anyway.

So yeah, that was one option.

Phainon obviously wasn’t going to do that.

He shoved the laptop out of his lap, hands flying to the hem of his pants and underwear to finally push them down. Hurried hands fisted his cock, and the blue eyed male closed his eyes with a content sigh.

He would go with option B this time.

The streets of Okhema bustled with life, the usual activity of the city's main park appearing as if it had tripled today due to the fundraiser being held in the vicinity. Vendors were set up alongside the stone walkway, with children running amok on freshly cut lawn and parents caught up at every table. Unity was Okhema’s most valued strength, so the turnout of community events never came as a shock to anyone, but it would never stop being a good sight nonetheless.

Phainon felt a little silly.

Don’t get him wrong, he loved the idea of variety and each business catering to a different product, that way everyone got a little something of everything. He just felt a little off considering other businesses setup's had things that could be displayed on tables, while Phainon was the one selling the tables.

And end tables. And chairs.

Still his point stood.

He was fortunate enough that he had made sales today, a good amount of them too, something he’d have to thank his good persuasion and conversationalist skills for. He only had a few pieces of furniture left, though that wasn’t due to already having a short amount to begin with. No, his father had given him free access to anything that wasn’t being displayed or had been moved to the back, so he wasn’t limited at all.

Phainon just really knew how to sell furniture.

It was nearing three in the afternoon when he finally heard footsteps approaching him again, and like clockwork, he turned with a smile and prepared himself for another round of customer service.

Only this time, it wasn’t a customer.

“Mom?”

The white haired woman stepped forward, the loose hair from her braid flowing aimlessly with the breeze. “Hey sunshine. Sorry your father couldn’t come out.”

Phainon shook his head. “It’s okay. What are you doing here?”

“Relieving you of your duties,” she said, hip slightly bumping him off of the stool he had been perched upon. He gave up his seat with no argument, looking at her in question. Audata smiled. “I could see you staring down that nail tent from thirty feet away. As your mother, I want to question it but I won’t. Go.”

His face flushed. He’d blame it on the heat.

She wasn’t wrong either, though staring over at Mydei’s station did nothing. Everyone seemed to want their nails painted, from young girls to even a few blushing women — don’t get Phainon started — so he hadn’t been able to see much of the man anyway. Through the cracks of the crowd he could occasionally see blonde hair, though that was about it.

“I… I know the guy, that’s all. Not that — It’s not — I haven’t gotten to speak to him yet.” Which was also true, he had seen Mydei in passing while setting up his furniture, only able to offer a wave in greeting since the former arrived earlier and already had customers in front of him.

Audata nodded. “Mhm. Go.”

“I—” Who was he kidding, trying to refute that was the last thing he wanted. “Okay.” Phainon smiled at her and let his feet lead him where he wanted to go, glancing back long enough to shout — “Love you!” The woman held up a heart in response, and that was all he needed before setting his sights directly on the tent Mydei currently occupied.

He could finally look over shoulders now that he was closer, smiling at the focus etched on the nail artist’s face as he painted a young girl's hand. She couldn’t have been older than six, yet she looked so relaxed around the blonde man that Phainon couldn’t help but swoon at the sight. Mydei was also good with kids? Phainon was no longer scoring points, he was winning the whole game now.

It appeared to be perfect timing that he showed up as well, because a few seconds later Mydei had screwed the lid on the polish shut and looked at the little girl with raised brows. “What do you think?” The young child beamed, holding her hands out to show her mother the finished look. The lady complimented the work and held money out for Mydei, thanking him before leading her daughter away.

Before he could take the next customer, Phainon cleared his throat.

Fortunately, that gained the attention of the blonde. Unfortunately, it gained the attention of everyone else. Now he had a circle of girls staring at him, silently wondering what this grown man was doing at a nail painting tent.

Screw that, Phainon could show them that he deserved to be here too!

“Sorry guys,” he laughed, scratching the back of his neck. “I just had to tell people about the adorable puppies Aglaea has at her tables, you should see it. She’s even dressing them up.” Aglaea would have to forgive him later. A series of gasps followed after that, before a lot of them had grabbed onto each other and ran off, completely wiping out Mydei’s line.

Phainon was ecstatic.

“Did you seriously just make that up to clear my business?”

He couldn’t help the smile that remained as he looked down, eyes meeting the man who cocked a brow at him. “How did you know I was making it up? You haven’t left your tent all day.”

Mydei rolled his eyes. “Because I know you. Because I know you’d be at Aglaea’s tent before anyone else had the chance if that were really the case.”

Phainon’s heart swelled. Mydei said he knew him. “Fair enough,” he laughed, stepping forward to slide into the picnic table. Mydei looked at him with slight curiosity, eyeing him while he waited for any explanation. Phainon only looked around at the selection sitting atop the surface. “So what are my options?”

The blonde didn’t move. “You’re joking.”

“But I'm not, dear Mydei.” The man’s brow twitched upwards, but he didn’t say anything else. “Don’t tell me you’re judging me. Can’t a man want to feel pretty?”

Mydei stared at him a few good seconds before he finally relented, exhaling deeply before shaking his head. “Whatever you say, Deliverer. Your options are right here.” Phainon thought hard about this. He had a good amount, almost every color seemed to appear on the table, so Mydei didn’t have a limited selection either. Should he pick his favorite colors? Aglaea has always told him that yellow and purple only look good together in strict circumstances, but Mydei could honestly make anything look good.

Phainon smiled.

“What’s your favorite color?”

The man deadpanned. “No.”

“Mydei,” Phainon drawled, tilting his head. “Please?” His eyes bore pleadingly into amber ones, his silent way of saying that he wasn’t going to give up on this.

“Oh my god, you literal dog. Okay, fine.” Yes! Another victory. Phainon began mentally guessing what color he would say. Red seemed like the most reasonable choice, though gold was a close contender too. Or maybe even — “Pink.”

He… had not expected that.

“I — really?

“Is there a problem?”

Phainon quickly shook his head. “No! Not at all. I just wasn’t expecting you to —” He stopped, the words hitting him once more. He was ready to die of cuteness overload, and Mydei really had thought he viewed it as a problem. How ridiculous. “Wait, no. Really?”

Mydei inhaled, closing his eyes. “Phainon —”

“Pink is good! Really, I… was going to say pink anyways.” The blonde stared back at him with disbelief, but he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he held up two different shades of the color, silently asking which one Phainon preferred. The latter went with the darker hue.

He knew that the process wouldn’t consist of anything Castorice had done to her, the idea of Mydei bringing any expensive tools like that out here didn’t seem too likely. It was only just paint that he was doing today, so Phainon knew it would be over sooner than it was the first time. Still, he had no regrets in his decision and was fully prepared for Mydei to make his hands look nice, using his craft and practically marking himself onto Phainon.

However, he forgot one minor detail.

Mydei would have to be touching his hands for this to work.

The first brush of hands made him jump, which earned him a glare that he could only offer a forced smile to, before they grabbed him again and got to work. Phainon held his breath as he watched Mydei shape the area around his nail, eyes latching onto the casual way he manipulated his fingers around to more convenient positions. His hand went limp, thankful for the fact that Mydei was doing all the moving for him because he didn’t think he could.

“You have nice hands.”

Phainon still hadn't released the air from his lungs.

What did that even mean?

Reminding himself that he needed to breathe, he exhaled before forcing a laugh. “Thanks. I moisturize.” Mydei glanced up through his lashes for a fleeting moment, a knowing look in his eyes, and the air suddenly felt warmer around them. Mydei definitely knew. He knew that Phainon was pathetic and could get so worked up over something as little as a compliment over hands. The worst part? Phainon didn’t even care, not when tan hands felt so good on his own. How could Mydei’s customers focus like this, and why did Mydei even have customers in the first place? These hands should be on no one but Phainon.

“I bet,” the blonde said, examining his work. “I’ve held a lot of hands in my line of work so that’s high praise, Deliverer.”

Phainon gaped. He could faintly make out the smirk following those terrible, terrible words.

Mydei was doing that on purpose. He knew the effect he was having on Phainon.

What a brat.

Neither of them said anything else as Mydei started to work the paint onto his nails, his fingers never straying from keeping Phainon’s in place. Not that he was complaining, he wouldn't move his hand until it was physically pushed away.

The sounds around then seemed to drown out that moment, and Phainon’s focus was on nothing but the man in front of him. He knew Mydei could more than likely feel him staring, not that the blue eyed male was was hiding it. He couldn’t help it, something about seeing the man so focused and in his element made him unable to look away. There was a sense of comfort around Mydei, like he had fallen into a space that he knew best and had been in for years. Phainon wanted to know more.

He had to know more.

“So why nails?”

The blonde continued to paint. “What do you mean ‘why nails?’

Phainon hummed in a ‘dunno’ manner. “Everyone has a reason for doing what they do, right? Cipher haggles because she loves money. Aglaea makes clothes because she finds beauty in threads and fabrics. So what about you?”

That seemed to halt Mydei’s movements. He glanced up. “Well, why do you build furniture?”

Phainon didn’t know how to answer that.

No one had ever asked him that before, there was no cause to. It being a family business gave them zero reason to question it, assuming it was something he was just always bound to do. Phainon didn’t hate it, he wasn’t miserable with his job, but he had never truly given it thought as to why he continued and now that he had to think about it? Nothing came up. That couldn’t have been a good sign.

“Because I’m good at it, I guess. My father and I built my first bed at seven, maybe I was just destined for it or something.”

Mydei only hummed in response to that. Did he not believe him? If Phainon was being honest, he didn’t know if he even believed himself. “I do it because of my mom,” the blonde said, turning his attention back to the nails in front of him. “She’s the one who opened up the shop, it was originally hers. Guess you can say it’s mine now.” Phainon's eyes went wide. Mydei owned Nailed It? Was that why he had the room centered at the middle of the hall, because he genuinely was at the head of the table?

“That’s… wow.” The blonde huffed. Whether it was a laugh or not, Phainon didn’t know, but he continued nonetheless. “Did she teach you how to do nails then?” Mydei went still yet again, though this time his eyes were fixed on the table. Had Phainon said the wrong thing? Recalling their previous statements, he suddenly remembered the wording the other man used. ‘It was originally hers. Guess you can say it’s mine now.’ The implications behind that alone were heavy. “Sorry. You don’t have to talk about it, it’s okay.”

Mydei remained frozen in place only for a second longer before he continued his work, shaking his head. “No, it’s fine. I trust you won’t go running your mouth.”

“Pinky sw—” His pinky had been grabbed harshly before he could finish, unable to move and mess up the process. “Right. Sorry.”

The blonde shook his head. “Anyway, my mom didn’t teach me. I taught myself. Several years ago she… got sick. It was real sudden, no one knew what it came from. She had always been in good health.” Phainon looked to him in sympathy, even if it went unnoticed. “It got to her hands first, as if the universe was playing tricks on her. They were really shaky. She tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal but when a client insulted her over her finished product, my mother never touched a set of hands again.”

Phainon’s face went sour. “What an awful person.”

“Yeah,” Mydei said with a breathy laugh, though it was clear there was no humor behind the word. “About a year ago, I denied the same lady our service out of spite. It made us look bad, but I didn’t give a shit.” Phainon couldn’t exactly blame him for that. “I knew my mom was devastated, she loved what she did. So I learned. I’d pack up her kit from the salon and go to her hospital bed and practice on her. It wasn’t easy, her hands were still shaky, but mine weren’t. So I didn’t stop. I’ve never stopped.”

Hearing the man in front of him talk with such… vulnerability, it did things to Phainon. It tugged at his heart, wanting so badly to offer words of comfort but what was he supposed to say? 'Sorry your mother got sick'? Mydei didn’t want to hear that.

He didn’t have to say anything, however, when amber eyes glanced up to meet his own.

“Don’t look at me like that Phainon. You’re more of a mama’s boy than me.” He then jerked his head to the left, Phainon turning enough to notice his mother looking at them from their station with a smile. He laughed nervously.

“She likes to do that sometimes.” Mydei shook his head. “But thank you for telling me that, and before you say not to read into it or think too much about it!—” Because he could very well see the man start to do so. “Just let me have this. I’ve been dying to know the answer since we met.”

The blonde cocked a brow. “The first thing you thought of when you saw me for the first time was why I did nails?”

“Well, no,” Phainon said. “Definitely not the first thing.”

Maybe the sixth or seventh, but first? Don’t be ridiculous.

“So what was the first?”

Blue eyes went wide, looking back at Mydei who held a teasing glint within his own. It was the same knowing look from earlier, and if he truly knew the answer, then why bother asking in the first place! He just wanted to fluster Phainon, and the latter wasn’t falling for that anymore.

It was time to fight back.

“Nailing you, obviously.” Oh, how he reveled in the way Mydei sputtered, clearly taken aback by the bluntness of his words. Phainon tilted his head in mock confusion. “Because you’re a nail artist, get it?”

Mydei scowled. “D-Deliverer what are you getting at?!” So this was the blonde when he was flustered? Defensive and dismissive? Phainon liked this newfound power he had over him. “Do you always speak before thinking?”

That was a perfect way to describe it, Phainon thought.

“What ever do you mean?”

Mydei grunted. “HKS.” The white haired male was fully prepared to finally ask what that name meant, confidence coursing through his body, when he felt a hand pull away. “There. Done.” Oh. They had gotten so into conversation that he didn’t even realize his nails were done. But that wasn’t even half of how long it took for Castorice! He understood it was never going to be anything fancy, but couldn’t he at least have five more minutes of—

Hold on a second.

Only one hand pulled away from both of Phainon’s, and it was clear Mydei had finished.

So why did the other still wrap itself around his fingers?

Whatever Phainon had been thinking of previously was no longer a thought, too hung up on the fact that Mydei’s hand was still pressing against his own without a reason this time. He tried not to let it show too much, careful not to do anything that would cause Mydei to pull away, but his face had always been the giveaway in every situation so it was only a matter of time. The blonde pulled back, blinking in shock at what he had done.

So much for wishful thinking.

Now that the distracting touch was no longer there, Phainon looked down and observed his hands. The pink looked foreign on his short nails, but he didn’t necessarily think that was a bad thing. Mydei had taken his time to do this, this was all Mydei’s doing. Phainon would’ve opted for a paint more permanent if it meant never washing off.

“You did great, thank you.”

Mydei averted his gaze and mumbled. “It was just a polish.”

The white haired male smirked. “I believe the correct answer was ‘no, thank you Phainon, and you’re so very welcome.”

“No, fuck you Phainon, and you’re so very stupid.”

Phainon’s shoulders shook with laughter, only increasing when he noticed the small smile reciprocated from across the table. It was a wonder no one else had joined them in the tent, standing in line as they waited for Mydei to paint their nails next. Not that it was worth complaining about, maybe the universe was repaying him for every bad situation he’s been in by steering everyone else away. Maybe they could sense the chemistry between him and Mydei to the point that waiting for their turn wasn’t worth the interruption.

“So, are these on the house?”

The man in front of him scowled. “What is wrong with you? This is for charity.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” He wasn’t kidding. He forgot, okay? He reached into his back pocket, making sure that he would be digging into his own money and not revenue he earned today. “There,” he held out the bill. “Keep the change, I’m an excellent tipper.”

“All of it’s going towards the fundraiser anyway, so that’s pointless.”

Oh, right.

“Well then I’ll just have to tip you later, dear Mydei.”

Firm, tan hands were gripping his shoulders in hurried movements, turning and shoving him out from under the tent, Phainon laughing all the while. A little girl approached the tent with money in hands, though Phainon figured it was time for him to return to his own section anyway. He’s taken up enough of Mydei’s time, getting everything and more from this interaction, so he wasn’t leaving dissatisfied.

Looking down at the pink on his hands, he smiled and made his way back to his mother.

The light in the sky began to dim once the fundraiser finally came to an end, with the remnants of the sun dusting across a faint orange.

Phainon knew Aglaea would be happy with how things ended up, feeling pride in the fact that he showed up today and sold nearly everything, save for two chairs. His mother remained with him the rest of the time as well, though it didn’t go without her poking fun regarding a certain nail artist. She noticed the paint on his hands immediately, pointing out what Phainon was already painfully aware of.

He was down bad.

Mydei’s tent returned to normal business once Phainon had left, presumably once the previous group realized the puppy scenario was a hoax after all. He couldn’t feel guilty about that, not when he had gotten such a nice conversation with the man of his dreams, as well as said man’s hands holding his own.

“You did good today sunshine,” his mother said, her touch gentle on his arm. “You helped out the community and built up good cred for the store. You’ll be running things in no time.”

Phainon’s mood was too good to doubt her words.

“Thanks mom,” he said, bringing her in for a hug.

She returned the gesture. “You’re welcome. Now—” Audata then pulled away, shooting a stern look towards him. “Go back over there, I know you want to. I’ll load the chairs up and take them back.”

He didn’t have to question who she was referring to this time.

Glancing back, he could see Mydei finish packing his things, looking down at the picnic table as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it. Phainon smiled. “Are you sure?”

“Go,” she repeated. “Or I’ll push you like he did.”

Well, if she insisted.

Phainon walked with no hurry towards the nail artist’s tent, clearing his throat once there were only a few feet between them. “I can return that for you, you know. It looks as spotless as the day you bought it, so it wouldn’t be a problem.” Mydei had stopped what he was doing at Phainon’s arrival, appearing as if he were contemplating something.

“I live on the second floor of an apartment.”

Ah, that made sense. “I’ll tell my mom to load it up with the chairs.”

“No,” Mydei shook his head. “I would like to keep it. I’ll figure it out.”

Phainon wanted to smile. That’s why Mydei looked so conflicted? Because he wanted to keep it but didn’t know where? “You could always put it outside the salon. There’s enough room on the sidewalk.”

“I’ll stop by there once I leave then.”

Phainon felt faint. Yes, he knew it was the only plausible choice if Mydei wanted to keep the table. Did it still make him feel good that his suggestion was the one Mydei decided on?

He was only human.

Phainon could feel the atmosphere getting to him. The park had long cleared out and essentially consisted of no one but them now as they idly stood underneath the setting sun. He didn’t want this day to end, not without acting on the weeks he spent yearning to spend another second with the man in front of him. Texting Mydei simply wasn’t enough, he had to use his confidence now, confidence that continued to grow with each passing conversation the two of them had.

He took a deep breath.

“Would you… want to come back to my place?”

The rest was up to Mydei now.

The blonde’s eyes widened every so slightly before his face returned to its normal state, passive and hard to read. Phainon swallowed any lingering doubts away.

“No.”

Confidence was overrated anyway.

“Oh,” Phainon said, the disappointment evident in his voice. “No?”

“No,” the blonde repeated, and it didn’t feel any better hearing it the second time around. Was it Phainon’s fault for how he worded the question? He knew they had been making jokes and innuendos left and right, but it’s not like his main goal was to sleep with Mydei. Maybe he should clarify, at the very least say that he would be fine even if— “You’ll come to mine. After all, you have to fix my bed.”

Phainon’s breath caught in his throat.

“What?”

A sinister smirk found its way to Mydei’s face, and he actually allowed himself to laugh before shaking his head. “You really are a puppy. You should’ve seen your face.”

Oh, great, so Mydei did know the kind of effect he had on him. He knew the whole time.

Truly a brat.

“Come on,” he continued, shoving a backpack in Phainon’s hands. “Help me take this to the car, you can follow me after.”

A brat Phainon wouldn’t dream of denying.

He did as he was told, assisting Mydei in moving his things, grateful that the extra set of hands meant they’d be out of here faster. He knew they had to stop by the salon, but that would only be a fleeting second. Now that his rejection hadn’t been a rejection at all, the mere thought of being in the man’s house consumed his every thought and if Phainon wasn’t careful, he would get hard again.

The two of them managed to clear where Mydei’s station once stood, granting each other a farewell that would be short-lasted as Phainon made his way to his car.

Phainon didn’t let himself think. He was on too much of a high right now, and he hadn’t even made it to Mydei’s place yet.

He simply just drove.

Any sense of nervousness had long disappeared from Phainon’s mind, leaving nothing but anticipation and desire. The close proximity between the two in the elevator could very well have been clouding his judgment, but it didn’t matter. He was here. Mydei had invited him over knowing the sort of thoughts Phainon could have in a situation like this. There was no room for doubt anymore.

All that was left was the waiting game of who broke first.

“We should count our earnings,” Phainon said, filling the silence. “See who helped out the most.”

“It's a charity event. Not a competition.”

The white haired male laughed, remembering Aglaea saying the same thing. “We could make it one now that the dust has settled.”

“Phainon?”

Blue eyes blinked innocently. “Yes?”

“Stop talking.”

He didn’t pout, didn’t frown, only laughed it off as the elevator came to a stop and the two of them exited side by side. Phainon did step back enough to allow himself to be led, his overeager nature itching to be in Mydei’s home already. They reached the door in little time, Phainon taking notice of the way Mydei’s fingers moved awfully slow as he worked the key into the door. The former was used to his antics by this point to know that he was doing it on purpose, all while testing Phainon’s resolve.

He couldn’t give in. Not just yet.

After what felt like forever, the door clicked and was pushed open, and Phainon couldn’t stop himself from muttering. “Finally.” The blonde didn’t respond as they entered the space, probably smirking to himself as if he were under the impression that he was winning this. Phainon would just have to show him. “Care to give me a tour, dear Mydei?”

“You have eyes.”

“Ouch,” he held a hand up to his heart. “There goes my tour guide fantasies.”

Mydei scowled. “Tour guide fan— do you ever think?”

Phainon grinned. “About you, yeah.”

He wasn’t surprised when that earned him an eye roll.

Mydei didn’t say anything, turning in mock irritation before he began walking down the hallway. Phainon, as presumptuous as ever, took that as an open invitation before following him.

He noticed Mydei’s living space didn’t contrast much with his work area, and that while there were a few accents decorating the wall, the blonde didn’t seem to go all out. Maybe he didn’t feel the need to do so, maybe living alone gave him no reason to make the place livelier seeing as no one else would have access. Not that it was a bad thing, Phainon found it to be rather cozy and very fitting of Mydei’s character.

They eventually reached Mydei’s room, warm fluorescents surrounding them with the flick of a light switch. The familiar smell of fruit — just like the salon — filled Phainon’s nose, and he was half tempted to ask what it could be if he wasn’t too busy admiring the area. The first thing he noticed was how exceptionally tidy Mydei was, not that he kept his own room a mess but in his defense, sometimes he had no time. The second thing he noticed was for a man whose favorite color was pink, he sure did lack a lot of it. A lot of maroons and neutrals, but never pink. Even his bed, which—

Phainon frowned.

His bed.

His... perfectly intact bed?

"I thought you said your bed was broken."

Mydei's face remained neutral. "It is."

"It's... not." Phainon did this for a living, he knew how to point out if a piece of furniture had been fractured. This bed was not. The exact opposite, actually. "Mydei, it's not even unstable. It's not broken."

The blonde glared. "Yes, it is.”

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

Was Phainon blind? “It really isn’t.”

“HKS,” Mydei hissed. “Do you not see the lights at the top of the headboard not working?”

Phainon frowned. To be fair, the lights lining the sides of the headboard worked perfectly fine, and that’s how he assumed it was meant to be. How was he supposed to know that something else was missing? It’s not as if it appeared to have anything wrong with it. In fact, he would’ve thought it looked fine even if this was the intended design. “Mydei… do you really think that’s enough to consider your bed broken?”

All of that aside, Phainon found it rather cute. Absurd and silly, yes, but especially cute.

“Were you expecting to find my bed in shambles?”

“Yes!”

Mydei crossed his arms. “This bed was crafted with the richest and finest wood imported from Kremnos, expecting to ever see it in such a state is stupid.”

Confusion washed over Phainon’s face. Finest wood imported from Kremnos. Where has he heard that before?

His brows shot up.

“Nanooks?! You got this from Nanook’s Furniture?”

“What about it?” Mydei asked while glowering.

“They’re the enemy!” Phainon whined. “Their furniture sucks. Their pieces are literally forms of destruction. That whole ‘Kremnoan imported wood’ thing was a hoax.” He didn’t understand, his family’s company was the most well known in Okhema. Mydei shouldn’t settle with a low quality bed, Phainon would build him a brand new one from scratch than subject him to that.

The blonde did not seem impressed. “It’s just a bed, HKS.”

Well that was just simply not true. “It’s not just a bed. Did you hear about their mold incident? Oh Mydei, we need to check the frame underneath right now.”

Mydei took a step forward. Phainon was too busy inspecting the bed to notice. “Deliverer.”

“How long have you had it? What else have you bought from them?”

“Deliverer,” the blonde repeated, though it went unheard yet again.

Phainon hated Nanook’s Furnitute. Hated even more that Mydei purchased a bed from them.

“Phainon.”

The white haired male froze.

He finally looked over, breath catching in his throat. He became painfully aware of the proximity between them, or lack thereof. When did Mydei get so close? That same sweet and fruity smell filled his nostrils, intoxicating him as amber eyes bore into his own. They never strayed away either, and Phainon was forced to stare back as he felt his pants grow uncomfortably tight. “I…” He trailed off, unaware of where he was going with his response, especially when Mydei only smirked at him. “I can build a bed for you. I’ll rebuild everything in this apartment just so it’s from me.” Why was he still talking about the stupid bed? “What… what do you think?”

Mydei’s menacing smirk remained and his voice dropped, barely above a whisper. “I think…” His eyes slowly raked down Phainon’s body, no doubt taking notice of the tent in his pants. “I think you need to stop talking and show me why l should think your wood is better.”

Phainon didn’t know who moved first.

In a heated second, tan hands were gripping the front of Phainon’s shirt in the urge for stability as their mouths clashed. The latter held no hesitation in grabbing the waist he had been itching to touch since he laid eyes in it, pink painted fingers digging into the skin. Phainon swallowed the groan he received in response, using the opportunity to shove his tongue in the warm cavern that was Mydei’s mouth. He felt the hands at his shirt finally let go, moving upwards behind his neck before they weaved themselves into white locks and pulled. Phainon failed to bite back his whimper.

“Fuck,” Mydei gasped, tilting his head to the side as Phainon’s trailed kisses down his mouth to his jaw, tongue darting out to taste. The white haired male moaned, savoring the flavor nand those hands in his hair tugged again. “You’re so… fucking needy.”

Phainon chuckled against the blonde’s jaw. “You’re not any better. Your breath stuttered when I started touching you.” Mydei curls his hands again, gripping Phainon’s head back.

“Stop. Talking.”

Lips found each other once more, wet and messy and neither of them cared. Phainon found himself being pushed back, the back of his knees pressing against the bed before he fell on it completely, Mydei’s weight settling on top of him. Their saliva continued to mix in each other's mouths, tongues fighting in a battle of dominance that neither of them wished to yield to.

“M-Mydei,” Phainon said in a hurried breath, using every moment their lips disconnected as a chance to get the words out. “I… need to… tell you something.”

The man above him grunted, unwilling to pull away. “What.”

The sound vibrated in Phainon’s mouth, and he forced himself to keep speaking. “I… shit, Mydei… when I… wanted you to sit on my couch…” The blonde had taken that moment to graze his teeth upon Phainon’s lips, nipping at the skin. He gasped. “Mydei… I didn't actually mean… a couch.”

The pressure left him in an instant, Mydei leaning up so he could look him properly in the face this time. Phainon’s cock twitched in his pants. Mydei looked so good on top of him like this, face flushed and lips swollen all from a little kissing.

“Phainon.”

The white haired male blinked up at him innocently. “Yes?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

He didn’t give Phainon the chance to retort, grabbing the ends of his shirt before pulling it over his head with haste. Blue eyes could only widen at the movement, slowly studying every inch of the exposed skin as all rational thought slipped from Phainon’s mind. The tattoos didn’t stop, running from his neck past hardened nipples, cutting off right at the hem of Mydei’s pants. Phainon wanted to trace every single line with his tongue, following the patterns as if the body before him were a map and he was searching for a treasure.

The hands that gripped tan hips languidly moved up his torso, a desperate attempt to familiarize themselves with everything that was Mydei. Phainon was obsessed with the hard muscle beneath his palms, especially since it did little to hide how soft the skin actually was.

“You look pathetic, Deliever.”

Phainon whined. “Mydei. Please.”

“Please what? Speak up.”

He didn’t even know what he was asking for anymore, he just wanted it all. He wanted to feel every inch of the beautiful man above him. He wanted to feel Mydei’s mouth on his again, their tongues down each other's throats.

He wanted, so bad, to ease the strain in his jeans.

“I’m so hard…”

Mydei glanced down, scooting back enough that he barely brushed against Phainon’s cock in the process, before settling himself a little lower. The latter groaned in frustration. “I only took my shirt off and you’re acting as if you’ll die.”

“I will.”

“So dramatic,” the blonde teased, hands finding their way to Phainon’s zipper. His seat on the white haired male’s lap restricted him from pulling off his pants completely, but there was enough room for them to come down so Mydei could free his aching cock. Phainon’s eyes screwed shut when he felt a warmth wrap around him, his tip leaking onto Mydei’s closed fist. “You really are a dog.”

Phainon looked up with eyes full of desire. “I’ll be a dog for you.”

The man above him hummed. “Stick your tongue out for me.” Oh, that did something to Phainon. If Mydei noticed his cock twitch, he didn’t point it out. Instead, he pressed his thumb against the wet muscle that Phainon obediently held out. “Good boy.”

Phainon whimpered. “Mydei.”

“I thought about this, you know,” the man said, ignoring the desperate pleas below him. “That day at the salon, when you were so eager to serve me.” Phainon’s chest tightened at the memory. Did Mydei like that? Did he like how pathetic the blue eyed male could get for him, throwing away all of his pride in any attempt to appease him? “You wanted so badly to make me happy, even when I was perfectly capable of grabbing that polish myself. It made me think what else you’d do, things I wouldn’t even have to ask you for, and—”

Phainon couldn’t take it anymore.

In one swift movement, he gripped the hips on top of them and flipped them over, planting Mydei on his back while he hovered over him. Amber eyes widened at being manhandled so easily though it was shortlasted, and he didn’t fight back. He only grinned, devilishly looking up at Phainon.

“Broke you.”

Phainon shook his head. “I can’t wait anymore. Please, please let me… you’re killing me, Mydei.”

The blonde cocked a brow. “You’re the one who moved me off of you. I didn’t even do anything.”

“You didn’t have to.” He didn’t, truthfully. Phainon just couldn’t sit there and listen to him anymore, not when he admitted to fantasizing about how far the former would go to please him. Phainon knew he thought about Mydei that way over the past few weeks, but knowing that was reciprocated opened the flood gates.

“Then maybe you’re just a pervert.”

Like he had any room to talk. Phainon hands fumbled on Mydei’s zipper, eager to get the infuriating fabric off. “A pervert who’s going to ruin you.”

Mydei’s breath hitched and he lifted his hips up, just enough to assist in removing his pants. Phainon practically ripped them off alongside his boxers, throwing them across the room with no care as to where they landed. His gaze traced where red tattoos ended on upper thighs, noticing the way they wrapped around Mydei’s back and if Phainon were less of a man, he’d flip him over right now. That was for another time. Phainon wanted to see him, he wanted to make eye contact as he thoroughly took Mydei apart.

“Stop fucking staring and do something,” the blonde hissed.

Phainon smiled. And he was the needy one. “Where’s your lube?” Mydei nodded towards the end table beside the bed. Reluctant to let go of him, Phainon leaned over to open the drawer, frowning as he dug in to retrieve the bottle. “It’s almost empty.”

Mydei clicked his tongue. “Jealous fool, it’s because of me.”

He wouldn’t deny the jealousy part. He had even grown envious over the idea of someone else breaking the man's bed, just for that to be far from the actual truth. So yeah, maybe he didn’t want to entertain the idea of someone else emptying the bottle of lube as well. Phainon was the one on top of him right now, he was the only one that deserved to see such a sight before him. He didn’t like to share.

But… did Mydei say the almost empty bottle was his fault?

That did something to Phainon. He wondered when the last time Mydei used it was, and what thoughts plagued his mind as he did so. Was it because of Phainon? Did he pump his cock any time they joked and used their dumb innuendos? Did he finger his hole when talked about sitting on couches, imagining he was sitting on something else?

“You are such a fucking pervert,” Mydei mumbled.

Oh. Right.

Phainon knew his face gave it all away.

“I need you, Mydei.” He poured a generous amount of lube into his finger tips, rubbing them together to warm them up. It was almost funny, seeing his nails painted pink while he prepared to push them into Mydei.

It was, however, really fucking hot.

“Then take me.” The blonde stared up at him, a taunting glint in his eyes as if he thought he still held all the control.

Phainon wanted to fuck that stupid look right off of his gorgeous face.

He surged forward and captured Mydei’s mouth with his own once more, one hand rubbing the man’s waist while the other reached below. He ran his finger carefully along Mydei’s seam, lips twitching upwards when he heard him let out a low moan. Phainon wanted to keep going, to keep torturing him until Mydei had no choice but to beg. Phainon still wouldn’t give in then, not when this was his way of getting back at all the teasing the man below him had done. Acting as if Phainon was the shameless one just to admit to having similar thoughts, but the latter knew exactly who Mydei was.

A fucking brat.

The tip of his finger prodded at the tight muscle, and Phainon pulled back long enough to observe the blonde’s reaction. His eyes were screwed shut, watching for the intrusion and who was Phainon to deny him any longer? He slowly began to push in, exhaling sharply at the heat that encompassed his digit. Mydei was so tight, and the white haired male’s dick jumped at the thought that he would soon be inside of him.

“I thought about it too, you know,” Phainon said, watching as Mydei’s lips parted ever so slightly, a stuttered breath following suit. “I thought about it so much. I got so hard every time you talked about sitting on my couch, and you knew what I meant. You wanted it just as much. I can see it in your eyes that you still do.”

Mydei’s eyes remained closed, the sound of his breathing growing the more Phainon fingered him. “You talk… so fucking much.”

The latter smiled. “You like it. You’re clenching around my finger.” The blonde didn’t say anything else, and Phainon took that as the incentive to keep going. He could easily see through that sharp exterior now. Mydei wanted to let go, to hand all of the power to Phainon and let himself succumb to the hands of pleasure, but it was never going to be that easy. Phainon was okay with that. All he had to do was continue to make the other feel good.

A second digit soon joined the first, and it was evident Mydei had been refraining himself from squirming too much. It couldn’t have been that different from his own fingers, right? If he really was the cause of his own lack of lube, he should be used to this by now. Maybe it’s because it was Phainon doing this to him, maybe he genuinely wanted him just as bad.

“What did you think of me doing that day? When I was so eager to please you. Tell me, Mydei.” The blonde moaned, eyes opening to meet blue ones. Fuck, Phainon needed to be inside of him right now. “Did you think of me doing this? Opening you up so you could be ready to take me?”

Mydei growled, gritting his teeth. “Shut… up.”

“Shut up?” Phainon repeated with a smile, spreading his fingers. The man below him inhaled sharply at the stretch. “I just want to know what went on in that beautiful head of yours.”

Mydei’s hole clenched around him.

Duly noted.

“Want to know?” The blonde asked breathlessly, looking up at Phainon through hooded eyes. The latter nodded. Tan, tattooed arms reached out to wrap around Phainon’s neck, pulling him down so that his ear was right beside Mydei’s mouth. He shuttered at the hot breath that blew against it before the words were whispered in his ear, “in my head… you weren’t stalling… and you fucked me like I deserved.”

Phainon moaned.

He inserted another digit, moving them at a much faster pace now, doing everything in his power to prepare Mydei so that neither of them had to wait anymore. He took pride in the way Mydei’s chest began to rise and fall much quicker, grateful that the man was enjoying this just as much despite his impatience. Once Phainon deemed Mydei loose enough, he pulled out in an instant, savoring the noise the blonde made at the loss. He knew Mydei was needy. He didn’t have to say it out loud, but he knew. They both did.

“Condoms?” Phainon asked, pushing his jeans completely off before pouring lube on his cock. He moved his fist up and down in unhurried movements, eyes on the man below him at all times.

Mydei shook his head. “I’m… clean.”

Phainon blinked.

Did he…

“Mydei…”

The blonde glared. “What, are you not? Or are you just stalling again?”

Phainon? Stalling to finally know what it felt like to be inside of the man of his dreams? Don’t make him laugh. “I’m clean,” he assured, nodding faster than he had intended to. “Promise.”

“Then get inside of me.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

The white haired male grabbed Mydei’s smooth leg, wrapping it around him before he bent the other and pressed it against the man’s chest. Mydei turned his head at the exposure this new position brought him, breath hitching when he felt Phainon bring his aching tip to his hole.

“Mydei.”

No response.

“Mydei.”

He finally relented, snapping, “what, Deliverer.”

Phainon smiled devilishly.

“I’m going to mess you up.”

Being the one to shut Mydei up this time, Phainon pushed into his hole in one single movement.

The blonde below him let out a broken moan, the back of his head pressing into the pillow as he felt Phainon bottom out. It was everything the blue eyed male could ever dream of, the heat that wrapped around his cock could’ve made him cum on the spot but he knew he had to make this last. He had to drive Mydei to the edge, allowing him a sweet, sweet release before he could even imagine letting go as well. Now that he knew he wasn’t insane for holding such a deep desire for the nail artist, nothing was stopping Phainon from having his selfish way with him.

“God,” he groaned, using the hand that wasn’t pushing Mydei’s leg back to roughly grip his waist. “Were you thinking of this back at the fundraiser? I bet you were just dying for it to be over so you could get me here.”

Mydei opened his eyes in an attempt to glare, but it was futile. Besides, all it did was turn Phainon on even more. “Shut… the— Fuck! Right there…”

“Right here?” Phainon repeated with a slow press against what he found out was his prostate. “That’s your sweet spot, Mydei?” He received no response from that, only tearing a moan from that gorgeous, tattooed throat beneath him. “Want me to keep touching it for you? What’s the magic word?”

“Fuck… you.”

Phainon chuckled, low and dangerous. “Oh, but I’m the one fucking you.”

Mydei bit his lip in an attempt to hide his moan when his prostate was hit once again. “Doesn’t… seem like it to me. You always move this slow, D-Deliverer? I’m getting bored.”

Bored?

Now that wouldn’t do.

“You’re going to regret saying that,” was the only warning the white haired male gave, pulling his cock out just enough so that he could slam back in.

The blonde screamed.

Phainon smiled, realizing that this was what Mydei had wanted all along. That beautifully marked chest raised from the bed as his back arched, and Phainon‘s hand moved up just enough for him to take Mydei’s nipple between his fingers and rub. The man below him whimpered, head turning to the opposite side in which it had rested against the pillow.

“You’re so cute… everything about you is so sensitive.”

This time, Mydei clenched around his cock. Phainon failed to suppress a whine.

“C-call me cute one more time, and I’ll—” He was cut off abruptly when Phainon slammed in once more, the tip of his cock hitting his prostate dead on, causing the blonde to cry out.

“And you’ll what?” Phainon teased, his pace picking up now. “You’re sucking me in. You want me just as much as I want you. Fuck, Mydei. How are you real?” How did he get so lucky in just one day? The fundraiser only gave him the opportunity to see the man again, possibly giving them a larger time window to talk with each other. Phainon couldn’t have expected for things to turn out like this, but now that he knew what it was like to be buried in that tight heat, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

He was too busy watching in complete awe as his cock slid in and out of Mydei’s hole to notice amber eyes were already on him.

Correction, on Phainon’s hand.

The same hand that was gripping his tan waist again.

‘You have nice hands.’

Phainon smiled at the memory.

“You like that? You like seeing me grab you like this?” He gave a squeeze for emphasis, and Mydei let out a shaky breath. “Like knowing that you painted these hands just for me to wrap them around you?”

A sharp gasp escaped from the man below him.

Ah.

That’s what it was.

“Deliverer,” Mydei panted.

“Phainon,” he corrected. He needed to hear his name. As endearing as he found the nicknames, he craved it. “Say my name.”

The blonde didn’t back down. “Make… me.”

Can’t say Phainon didn’t give him the chance.

In a matter of seconds, Phainon’s started fucking into Mydei at a brutal pace while driving into his prostate every time, the sound of their hips slapping against each other filling the room. He could feel the slight rock of the bed, noticing the way the headboard almost knocked against the wall. The man beneath him no longer tried to contain his cries and the faster Phainon went, the louder he got. The former relished in that, knowing the intoxicating sound would forever be burned into his brain.

He had both of Mydei’s legs pressed against that tan chest now, practically folding the man in half. Phainon was able to get deeper with this angle, even taking sight of the slight bulge that formed every time he thrusted into him. “Fuck.”

Phainon didn’t stop. He was entirely lost to his and Mydei’s pleasure now, no longer teetering on the edge of holding back. He had completely let go, unwilling to control himself until Mydei was completely and utterly fucked.

“Don’t stop… shit, Ph—” Mydei cut himself off, still unwilling to give Phainon the satisfaction of hearing his name.

That wouldn’t do.

Phainon’s movements remained ruthless, knocking the breath out of the two of them with every thrust, balls slapping heavily against Mydei’s ass. “Are you close?” He asked in harsh pants. “You are, aren’t you? You keep clenching around me. I need to see you cum, Mydei. Need… to see you cum from my cock alone.” Fuck, he was losing it here. He was no worse than the tan man pressed against the sheets, who looked exactly like what Phainon wanted him to.

A mess.

His arms were laid out above his head, giving Phainon full access to the flush that spread from the tips of his fingers all the way down to where their hips met. His breathing was irregular, moans continued to escape his mouth and it was evident he was close, if the way his face twisted was any indication.

Phainon needed it.

“Go ahead,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “Go ahead and cum for me, Mydei… let me see it.” He brought one hand away from tan legs, wrapping slowly around the blonde’s cock.

That was all it took.

“Phainon!” Mydei’s hole clenched shamelessly around his cock, and the back of his head pressed forcefully into the pillow as he spilled all over the hand that held his dick.

Holy shit.

Phainon whined, continuing to milk Mydei dry as drove into him, more relentless than before. His movements began to falter, the tell-tale sign that he was approaching the edge, and in one final thrust he was releasing deep into Mydei. He felt the hole around him clench once more, and Phainon hung his head low with a whimper while he came.

In the seconds that followed, neither of them said anything, nothing but the sound of heavy breathing surrounding them. As much as he would prefer to stay buried inside Mydei, Phainon knew he should eventually pull out. He only wished that he could keep his seed in him for the entire night, so that when Mydei woke up in the morning he would immediately feel the reminder of what they had done.

The nail artist had other ideas.

“We need to clean up.”

His voice was rough, causing Phainon to smile with pride because he was the one to do that. He was the one who brought and pushed Mydei past the edge. No one else.

“Five more minutes.”

The man below him groaned. “Fine. At least get out of me.”

The white haired male pouted. “Do I have to? Can’t I stay here for the entire night?” That earned him a light slap upside the head, and his frown only grew as he pulled out with great reluctance. He moved to lie beside Mydei, the two of them staring up at the ceiling as they came down from their highs. There were a lot of things Phainon wanted to say now that his mind wasn’t clouded in unfiltered lust. With post-orgasmic confidence, he decided there was no time like the present. “Hey Mydei?”

“What.”

He turned his head, noticing Mydei had thrown an arm over his face. He wished he could look at him. “Do you… like me?”

The man beside him didn’t tense like he had expected, only keeping his eyes covered while he sighed. “I wonder.”

“Mydei,” Phainon drawled out in a whine.

The blonde grunted. “Oh my god, quit acting like a child.” He moved his arm around from his face, head turned so that they were now looking at each other. Phainon’s heart swelled. “I wouldn’t have let you fuck me if I didn’t.”

The realization hit him slowly and blue eyes began to widen.

He sat up in a hurry, leaning over the man with a wide smile. “Oh Mydei! Do you mean it? I like you too!”

“You don’t say.”

Phainon was ecstatic. He beamed, despite the unimpressed look on Mydei’s face. “I promise you won’t regret this. I’ll treat you better than any else ever could.” He couldn’t believe it. He was happy when his weeks worth of pining were met with having sex with Mydei, but having his feelings returned as well? It was all Phainon wanted. All he had done was create excuses as to why how could see each other, but now that they liked each other too? He didn’t need to. “I’m so happy, Mydei. I mean, I was happy before when you let me fuck you, but now I’m over the moon. I swear to you that—”

It happened in the blink of an eye.

With a loud thud, a sudden force was throwing Phainon on top of the man beside him. He had no time to brace himself for the impact, falling onto Mydei as their bodies began to slide down the angle that the bed was now sitting at. Fortunately they hadn’t rolled off, though they kept themselves grounded on each other since one wrong movement could send them to the floor.

What the fuck.

After a few seconds of initial silence, the two of them slowly turned to look at each other in horror of what just happened.

Phainon was the first to speak.

“Well—”

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Finest wood imported from Kremnos?”

“Deliverer.”

“Ready to say my wood is better now?”

Mydei grabbed Phainon’s shoulders, pushing him away so that the latter slipped off the slanted bed. Phainon hit the ground with a thump, laughing uncontrollably from his spot on the floor.

Phainon: You never ask to paint my nails anymore

Phainon: Do you even want to date me :(

Mydei ❤️: clients ask to get their nails done. not the other way around.

Phainon: Oh. 

Phainon: Oh. So I’ve been demoted to client?

Phainon: Are you mad at me

Mydei ❤️: ?