Honestly, he’d had a long few days, filled with Imprints and revelations and magic. He hadn’t used too much magic, no, he’d used much more and much more complicated techniques before, but combined with the situations of the past while, well. He’s feeling pretty drained when his phone alarm wakes him up at eight am. He lets Hellevator play for a few seconds before swiping off the alarm, yawning.
And then he noticed that his glamours that were usually sunk so far into his skin like armor were dispelled while he slept last night, and he really didn’t have the mental energy to re-spell them. Great.
There are…. ugly scars all over his arms, torso, thighs, back, obviously not self-inflicted. What might be the worst thing though, to Xi, anyway, was a beautiful sweetpea tattoo, beginning at his left collarbone and blooming along his lower neck. He sighed. Okay, his bosses all had scars too. He…. should be fine. They were good people.
Or he could call in sick.
Ugh. No, he needed the money, and he really did trust them.
So he hopped in the shower, pulled on his usual work clothes, put his hair up, and headed off to work. He worked the ice-cream shop today, which was good, as that was something he couldn’t fuck up even as tired as he was.
As such, he walked through the Cafe doors, just to wave to everyone as he headed over to the doors that led to the ice-cream shop.
“Mornin, Erie,” he half-chimes, half-yawns as he makes his way to the back where his things are stored. His heart is beating faster than usual - will he say anything? About the scars? The tattoo? Will he even notice? He pulls off his pink cloak-sweater and ties on his apron as he heads back to the counter.
(( @erebus-black ))
“Morning, Xi” Erebus yawns, nursing a mug of caffeinated tea, as he hates coffee. “Cream is ready for rolls, ice cream is out and ready, crepe batter is done and we’re good to go. We just need to open the doors. But uhh… can you do your thing on the rink?” he asks, pointing to the metal disk that’s used to make ice cream rolls that Erebus fondly calls the rink of death.
“Machine isn’t working and ‘Nos can’t come in and fix it until tonight. Which sucks because they sell fast” he grumbles.
Erebus yawns and slides the empty mug through the little window between their shops to a passing Apollyon. He has a sweater on and an apron over it. “You ready, popsicle?” he asks
Xi nods, walking over to the rink and adding a thin layer of ice to it, just the right temp for rolling. “Remind me to melt it when we close. Won’t otherwise.” It won’t chip with all the rolling, either, but Erie already knows that. He’s just never been tired enough to forget to melt it before, but he can’t trust himself that much today.
He eyes Erie’s mug longingly. “I really should’ve made something myself at the cafe, but I was running late today.”
He takes a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be, I suppose.” Smiling at the nickname, he made his way to the doors and unlocked them, quickly getting back behind the counter.
“Thank you, hun and will do like always” Erebus calls, catching the look and knocking on the counter in a pattern and getting a mug of caffeinated tea perfected on how Xi wants it. He passes by Xi and hands it to him.
“Take your time, you know it’s always slow at first.” he murmurs “You know the rules, pops, don’t be afraid to use them” he teases, tapping Xi’s back.
He notices the scars, but doesn’t question them, knowing that Xi will bring it up when he’s ready. “Anyways, cute sweater. It’s very you” he calls, heading to the ice cream as a mother and child walks in “Hello, Vanessa, the usual for you and your pumpkin?” he calls, smiling gently, soon falling into an easy conversation with them.
“Mmm,” Xi hums gratefully as he grips the mug in both hands and sits at the stool behind the register, relaxing despite himself at Erebus’ touch, smiling at the woman and child. They were some of their best customers, and they were both very sweet. He didn’t join the conversation too much today, though, just inserting a comment or laugh here and there where it was appropriate. He rung them up and they went to sit at one of the tables, and Xi went back to sipping his tea.
“Yeah, sorry, hard to get used to still sometimes. Last place of work wasn’t nearly as, heh, chill,” He says, elbowing Erebus lightly in the side, grinning lopsidedly.
Erebus snickers and relaxes, leaning against the counter “Well don’t you feel very punny today” he teases, poking him back. “And it’s fine. That’s why they’re on this nice lovely board in the breakroom. And hidden right by the till, pops”
He stretches and yawns “Goodness me, I’m tired. All the book’s fault, really. Nice read with a lovely plot and it was so hard to put down” he whines, getting a laugh by an older couple who walked in when he yawned. He jokingly whines even more when the couple teases him and jokingly tells him that they must stop selling him books, which got a dramatic and pleading man now waxing poetry on the cruelty of the world.
Xichen laughs openly along with the couple as he rings them up as well. “I don’t know, I think you’re right, you guys, I think he’s developed a problem.” As they go to sit down, though, he gives out a tiny sigh. “I feel you on the tired part, though, Erie. Things have been hectic at home lately, you know how dramatic Cyrus gets? Times that by, like, I do not know, so much, and you have my life recently.” He takes a long sip of his tea, draining the last of it as a man he’s never seen before walks in the doors. He stays polite and professional as he orders and while Erebus makes his ice-cream, a rolled thing, and then he’s coming up to pay. He’s smirking, for some reason, and immediately it sets him on edge.
“That’ll be $5.99, sir.”
“Oh, is that all?” His grin really is wolfish. Xichen has seen similar ones. “Lucius, huh? Is that your real name or something for show?”
“It’s… my English name? For your convenience.”
He looks to Erebus, but he’s preoccupied with arguing with the bookkeepers still. That’s fine. This hasn’t gotten out of hand or anything.
“Ohhh, for my convenience, huh? What’d really be convenient is if you got off soon, love. I’d love to take you out sometime.”
Xi’s customer service smile became brittle. His mind flashed to Lunar, Cyrus. Gods. Ugh.
“Sorry, but I am taken.” Because that was one word for it, anyway. Soulmates. Just kill him now.
“Oh, are you, sweetpea? Does your partner know what you do for a living?”
He blinks slowly in confusion. “Sell…. ice cream?”
But then it clicks. Sweetpea. His tattoo. He’s….
He is sick to his stomach suddenly. He can’t breathe right, all the air’s been knocked out of him, the air here is too thin, he can’t get enough in one nose or mouthful. He is vaguely aware of his eyes becoming snakelike in his panic, his nails sharpening into talons, which is just as well, which makes his double-tapped code on the counter all the more pronounced.
Help, I am unsafe, is what it means, and he has never felt that in this shop more than right now.
Erebus whines even more when he gets ‘tag-teamed’ by Xichen, but laughs as well. He happily chatters with the bookkeepers and Xichen before making the man his ice cream. He continues to talk to the lovely couple was excusing himself to go hand the man his ice-cream when he hears the double-tap.
He whips his head over to who’s tapping and growls, pupils becoming slits like a cat. “Lylo, you got a Stitch?” he asks while he gently pulls Xichen away from the man, watching his brother appear out of nowhere and forcibly drag the man away and towards the police station for upsetting and possibly hurting a bee in his brother’s hive.
“Excuse me, my lovely guests. I have to apologize but the ice cream section is going be closed for the day.” Hades calls, hearing the code and walking through the double doors while Erebus takes Xichen upstairs through shadows and into his bedroom.
“Xichen, popsicle, you’re safe. I swear you’re safe, baby. C’mon, focus on me, pops” he murmurs, holding Xichen close in his arms and comforting him as best as he can. “You did great today, pops. You did so well with the taps and you are so very brave. You made me proud”
His hands covered his face, still hyperventilating, and a silver glow came through the gaps of his fingers.
“S-s-s- sorry I - I couldn’t do it, not today, I just-”
He tries for a deep breath, tries to focus on Erebus holding him, but he just can’t yet, and what comes out is a desperate sob instead of a soothing breath. Godsdamnit. First he went and got the shop closed, now he can’t even calm down properly - he is so fired - it wasn’t even that bad -
And if he’d hadn’t noticed his tattoo before, he had to now at such close quarters, and their easy friendship would be ruined and he’d tell Cy to kick him out and never speak to him again and oh gods oh gods oh gods he’s going on the street again -
“Shhhh… it’s okay. I promise it’s okay” he murmurs. “Just breathe, hun” he tries to soothe, tugging Xi’s hands away, not wanting them to obstruct his breathing further.
He sees the tattoo and grits his teeth. “That bastard” he spits out and tugs off his sweater to show his own sweetpea brand to hopefully help lessen the panicking. It helped with another member and he hopes it helps with this one.
“Baby, I promise it’s okay.” he automatically kisses his forehead “I promise. Just breathe. Focus on that or focus on my heartbeat.” He takes Xichen’s hand and presses it to his chest, to the brand that lays over his heart itself.
He stopped short when his hand felt the brand; still breathing too hard, that couldn’t change in such a short time, but his thoughts had absolutely stopped, a huge improvement from spiraling as they were before.
No…. no, couldn’t be…. can’t…. no….
“E- Erie?” He managed to get out, voice shaking, eyes still glowing in their telltale way indicating his upset. “Not you too….”
His other hand came up to join his other, just holding on to Erebus for dear life. Why…. why couldn’t any of his friends catch a break, it seemed? Was that part of the prophecy-curse? That they had to suffer before he even met them?
Even so. Even so, he was starting to calm down. He knows. He knows. They were practically family, in a way. His brothers and sisters from other houses had had brands instead of tattoos, too, sometimes, though it was generally considered cruel. In poor taste.
Suddenly Erebus’ and his family’s scars made a lot more sense, and he clung to him even tighter.
“I’m here” he smiles softly and holds him closer, rocking them both side to side. “Not all of us are branded. Just us triplets because we were… special. Unique and young. ‘Nos and Blue understand what it means, but has never been apart of it. Well… Blue is a dancer by choice. He likes it. Cy doesn’t know… but he kinda picked up on us bonding with our brothers and sisters. He calls it our demon bonding.”
He shifts and leads Xichen to the bed and sits down on it with Xi on his lap. “It was when we were picked up after mother kicked us out. I nearly die out of sickness and we were offered that to save and heal me. I wasn’t used a whole lot, but I was what they’d control Lylo and Hades. It’s why Lylo doesn’t have any scars outside of the brand and Hades doesn’t have as much as me” he babbles, having the urge to explain to Xichen. “But… at least yours is pretty and can be easily removed, right?” he asks, now hopeful that it isn’t a magical brand.
“But you’re safe, now. You’ll always have a home here and you know you’re always welcomed here no matter the time” he smiles, resting his forehead against Xi’s. “That’s what family is for”
“I - sorry. I’m so sorry.” His arms were around Erebus’ middle still as he tried to get his breathing under control. “It’s - yeah. Just a tattoo. Can’t do anything about the scars. But. Usually am under a glamour anyway. Can’t remove it though, what if I need it again?” He takes a deep breath. He’s fine. Erebus is right, he’s safe here. He kisses Erebus’ cheek in thanks, a common gesture in the houses.
Erebus had shared so much, though, and it felt wrong not to give an explanation.
“My home dimension - is not a kind place. This, though. This was my own choice. I was young. And desperate. And hungry. I needed the money. Was pretty enough under hair dye and eye contacts. Silver - it’s bad luck where I’m from. Worse than. Illegal, kind of? I’m the only one. Or. I thought I was. There’s one other. He’s safe now. But.” He sighed, putting his face in the crook of Erebus’ neck.
“They found me eventually. It’s kind of hard to miss. It’s a miracle I managed so long. And they put me in the military and turns out I’m just as good at killing as I am at pleasure. But. They didn’t. Stop using me for that either.” He admits. He hadn’t told anyone that bit, not really. Yu might’ve known, but if she’d had, she’d have broken him out, laws be damned, so. Zhang and Li knew, but he didn’t tell them. They’d just helped him out where they could without being killed.
Gods, he missed them. But anyway.
He flinched a little bit, though, when he realized how much he’d said. He’d basically admitted murder, what the hell was he thinking?
“You’re not the only silver one in this dimension, love” he holds him closer and rubs his back “And you’re not the only killer here. Granted I did it out of self defense and freedom of my brothers, but whatever. Schematics and some other shit”
“Goodness you’ve been dealt with a bad hand. And honey… I promise you on my life, my blood, my magic, my name and my heart of hearts that you will never be put in that situation ever again, so long as I’m alive and kicking. I swear this to you.” He firmly says, lifting Xichen by his chin so that he knows that Erebus is serious. “I swear.”
“I. I did it for my sister. Once I got there. She’s. The general. Tried to get me away from all that. ‘S why I was on the streets in the first place.”
His eyes started watering, huge tears that froze as they rolled down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away, but some of them still stuck to his skin.
“You can’t promise that. I appreciate it, I appreciate you. But you can’t promise that. If I have to go back…. I’m not good at anything else. I refuse to go back to killing for my meals, Erie! If I need to in defense of my sister or myself that’s different but. I can’t do that again, Erie.”
He brushes some of them away and frowns lightly “You are good at so many things outside of bed and death, Xichen. No, don’t you argue, you are” He firmly states.
“You are good at your magic and that might’ve happened for bad reasons but you’re good at it. You’re great at making the perfect ice cream and wonderful at making Cyrus smile. I haven’t seen him smile like that since he was a child. You are fantastic at just being you and being apart of my family. Apollyon is picky as fuck on who touches his coffee machines and who makes the drinks. The fact that you can, says a lot.” he cups his cheeks and kisses his forehead again.
“If you need to go back to defend your sister, then you better bring me with you or I will drag you and your sister back or so help me, I will bring my father into this and you don’t want that” he teases. “Heck, if they drag you back unwillingly or willingly… well one, I’ll give you a way to return home and two, they don’t want to piss off the son of Lucifer.” he grins
“But seriously. Let us help you. Let us help your sister. You are my little brother and I refuse to let you go back to killing and selling yourself to just… live” his voice cracks at that “I’m honestly terrified to know when this started, but baby I mean that promise. I swear I mean it.”
Xi sniffles a bit, looking into Erebus’ eyes for any hint of a lie, but he didn’t find any. He threw his arms back around him, burying his face in the crook of his neck again.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. I don’t know if I’ll ever see my sister again really, I left in a hurry. I think she thinks I’m dead. But. That means everything to me. That you’d try. For her. For me,” He squeezed him a bit, blinking more tears from his eyes. “You only need the gold twin, yeah? All the better if the silver one dies in some battle somewhere. So. People don’t usually care about me that much. At all really. This is all. Really new.”
Erebus chuckles and falls back on the bed, holding Xi close again. His smile falters at the second bit “I now need to update the list of people I need to brutally murder at one point” he mumbles to himself.
“Popsicle, you are wanted, you are loved and you are cared for by many people here. I promise you this. But… I think we need to” he kicks off his shoes “cuddle for a bit to get that to sink in, don’t you think?” he teasingly tugs a strand of Xi’s hair “because you looked dead on your feet earlier and the panic attack is probably not helping a lick, is it?”
Xi chuckles, and it rumbles low in his throat, sounding more draconic than human at the moment. “You’d have to get in line, I think is the expression. And yeah, hasn’t helped a bit. I’m dead tired.” He tied his Vans off as well, snuggling closer. “I’ve been having…. emotions lately? Good ones.” He pauses, thinks back to this morning. “Well, mostly. But too many of them. It’s tiring.” There’s silence for a few beats, and then,
“Sorry we had to close down the store. He wasn’t even particularly rude really. I just. Shut down.”
Erebus tugs an old quilt over them both and tucks Xichen under his chin. He… purrs more than hums while he plays with Xi’s hair. The purring pauses a little bit before it continues “It is fine, pops. I have done it a few times and the guests understands that we are sometimes closed due to personal reasons. The café will be open until it closes, but the ice cream shop will not and it is okay” he murmurs.
“You matter more to me than some paper bills, pops. Never forget that you will always matter more than some measly item that can be acquired again. Now sleep, baby. It has been a long day and you need your sleep to recover and heal.”
He nodded, eyes drooping closed. The purring definitely helped - reminded him of his small family back home, Yu and his two friends. And after a time, he was asleep, his own chest mirroring Erebus’ purr as he slept sweetly and dreamlessly.
Erebus falls asleep not long afterwards and is soon joined by his brothers, who both starts to purr once they lay down around the smaller men with arms wrapped around one of the smaller men, protective of their sleeping charges even in their own sleep.
