#mpxinvidia;

[lioxmp]

Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Mount Phoenix?

{{A birthday submission}}

♮

Invidia worries his bottom lip in thought for a good while as he sits in his car. Would it be weird now? No. Right? The box sits in his lap with it’s demure black satin bow proudly on top. It’s a large square thing that for a quiet sum of reasons makes him feel nervous to get out and deposit where it needs to go.

Just do it. He did the same for you.

The sinner drums his fingers over the gift as the words turn over in his head again and again and again. It’s true and Invidia bets there was not nearly as much trouble on Lio’s side when he left the gift he did. Rough waters had left him cautious though and so even as he puts his hand on the key and shuts the car off, he’s still nervous. Telling himself to relax he makes his way out of the car and into the building again. It’s thankfully easy to find his way in this space.

————-

Lio,

I didn’t forget that today is your special day. I came by this gift through a good friend of mine that is a remarkable singer and artist and I thought maybe you’d like to hear her sound. This record player I saw in a shop that sells vinyls and old memories and I knew it belonged to you. I’ve had it since September waiting for today.

May your day be filled with music, meals and much happiness.

Happy birthday, InvidiaP.S

The bangles are beautiful, thank you!

———————-

The neat card rests inside the large box with the record player along with several records by various artists and one (the one by Invidia’s friend) that is marked with an old Polaroid of Invidia hugging her while they both stand on the beach. In handwriting that isn’t the sinner’s but hers on the white bottom of the picture that reads ‘LBC, high by the beach’.

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

‘Summertime, and the living’s easy…’ 

He did not expect any of the events that took place for his birthday this year, especially not the valuable gift and birthday wishes from Invidia. Things remained tricky or dare he said, dangerous, to be explained and understood. In this forest of unsaid truths and untold stories, he got lost; the night was thick, all luminaries were evacuated, all sounds muted and the ground melted down, and it started to feel like getting stuck in an infinite fall. 

And that was alright. Everything was fine when he set up the record, take a seat, and let the pieces of vinyl sing the songs Invidia had put a piece of his mind and heart in finding for him. And Invidia was right, Lio was hooked on his good friend’s music. His liking for her style grew so much that he was instantly on a long hunt to collect her other albums, like what he had just done when he ran into Invidia at a peaceful coffee shop. 

“Good afternoon Invidia,” Lio greeted with a relaxed smile. Fate had just put everything in perfect timing so that he could show Invidia what he was holding - another album of the other’s friend named ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’, and with it came what he had been planning to tell Invidia since his birthday. 

“Thank you so much for your gift, I do like it a lot. And guess I’m her fan now!”

[lioxmp]

unstressed | w/ Invidia

Continued from here with @mpxinvidia

Lio makes no effort to hide his long heavy sign. Patience is a virtue he’s proud of about himself, but the waiting should go hand in hand with a really good reason, something Invidia seems to forget to give while searching for an earring on his knees around the room. 

When Invidia finally explains why he’s making such a fuss about the piece of jewelry, Lio can finally say he understands. If he ever woke up one morning only to realize one of his favorite knives have disappeared, he would be just as upset as the Mayan demigod is. But that would happen only if there’s still no sign of the object after he really look through the place. 

In Indivia’s defense, where Lio’s standing is more conducive to scanning the whole room. When he happens to move to a different corner to help searching, the earring suddenly sparkles up under the sunbeams that landed on Invidia’s bed. With a long stride, Lio darts towards both the piece and its owner, but still isn’t fast enough to save the other demigod’s poor head from bumping into the bed frame. He comes to a half-lying, half sitting position on the bed, takes the earing in one hand, then shows it closely to Invidia’s face, who’s still kneeling on the floor with his head now hurt. “Is this what you’re looking for?” 

[lioxmp]

❛ i had it under control. you didn’t need to do that. ❜

aka a soft starter for the pre-Christmas talk we've discussed ♡

Winter came, and with it did the human urge to be softer, kinder, better. Or just to be.

Their last conversation felt like a half-marked grave, with severe scorches and clumsy slashes in place of a proper tombstone. When all else failed, time stepped in as the ultimate remedy. Summer had burned, autumn had fallen, and by the time the first snowflake touched the ground, Lio had already walked far away from the beast he once almost was. Life was by no means less of the way it had always been for him, but this time, Lio felt like he got it. 

He had it under control, and he knew Invidia was more than capable of doing the same for his own. Invidia, in his eyes, was always a formidable force. He gave all beauty out to the world while retaining all nightmares in himself, a fountain of mystery that taught you not to trust your eyes. 

And so Lio did not give in to the blissful convenience of ignorance, he simply could not. Invidia still had it in him to coax the world into believing what he wanted them to, but since the first moment their eyes met in that dim-lit hallway, Lio had always strived to see the real him.   

“It’s nothing, seriously. I just happened to want to go to this bakery as well.”

He held the door of the Black Forest bakery, letting Invidia get in before they joined the small crowd in front of the cabinets full of Christmas-themed pastries and cakes. Lio stood at a respectful distance, the slight 3cm difference between their heights did not stop him from looking at the cabinets over Invidia’s shoulder.

The scene uncannily resembled how things once were in the past for them, except that Lio did not pick Invidia up from his home or workplace, but from a random spot on the pavement when Invidia unsurprisingly got lost on his way to his destination. 

In the snow, Invidia’s cheeks looked pinkish, but his aura was blue. So, so blue it tugged at somewhere in Lio’s heart core, kicked at his stubbornness, and manoeuvred his mind into driving Invidia to the bakery. Just anything, so that he could be there around Invidia at least for a while. 

Of course, Lio had lied about wanting to get some Christmas cookies. That had never been how he celebrated the holiday. Still, for the sake of it, he ordered a small pack of gingerbread men. 

“What’s your next plan for today?” He asked, remaining behind Invidia as they were waiting in the queue for the checkout. His eyes were gazing aimlessly at the busy cashier as he added, not letting his voice slip on the sudden surge of nervousness.

Is that too much to ask?

“I mean, I can give you a lift there if it’s on my way.”

[lioxmp]

“It’s snowing!” Invidia declares bursting into the bedroom. "Come and see!"

For a moment, Lio thought he was still in a lucid dream when footsteps were heard from downstairs. He had learned Loren’s and Agapi’s presence in the apartment well enough to know those weren’t coming from them. Still draped in his familiar plain black sweatpants and T-shirt, hair crazily disheveled and limbs still felt slightly like they weren’t his, Lio forced himself to sit straight up on his bed, ready for the worst.

However, the panic that almost shattered his fragile nerves dissolved once the footsteps stopped themselves, revealing the very face that Lio hadn’t physically seen for a month, or it could be more than a month; the son of Sekhmet realized that he had lost track of time. 

There were speckles of white snow on raven, now shoulder-length hair. Brighter amber eyes reflected a thousand stories he hadn’t got the mind nor the chance to listen to just yet, glowy honeyed cheeks looked thinner, his clothes seemed to baggier; yet the red mittens were still cute, his smile still shined, voice still heart-warming, and the new studs peeking from behind the soft strands remained badass. 

Lio’s delayed response was a soft smile, his chapped lips stung a little to his own absolutely zero care. Then, carefully not to embarrass himself with a stumble on trembling legs, Lio took his time to stand up from the bed, and with one more gentle-than-usual pull, opened the window curtain. The sun wasn’t there, for it was still too early in the morning, but the faithful lampposts let the view of the sugary street easily come to sight, and Lio’s smile grew wider. 

“Do you want us to go outside to watch it?” His eyes shifted back to Invidia, remnants of drowsiness and tiredness lingered, hopefully not longer than the time he could put on something warmer if that was what Invidia wished for them to do together after a disturbing long while of radio silence. With as much carefulness, he approached Invidia and help remove the snow speckles off his hair. While doing so, Lio spoke his probably most extended utterances in months, hoarse voice rumbling from his chest. “I’ve got a few spare beanies, you shouldn’t let your hair out in the snow, catching a cold isn’t fun at all, you know.”

[lioxmp]

❛ it’s better with you here. ❜ He smiles and pushes the wet hair out of his face looking at his lover from the fountain he's standing in. "Help me out of here?"

It had always been a rare sight to see - Lio being absorbed in a book, not in a quiet corner of the library, but on a bench at the park, under the sun of a genial summer morning.

He missed what Invidia said, could not distinguish the words among the fountain's falling streams and thoughts whispering in his head. The Egyptian demigod looked lost and was lost, as he looked up from the page-turner and was reminded of his surroundings and his companion. Apologetically, he turned his torso further towards Invidia's direction, trying to get his attention back to earth for the moment.

"Sorry NV, didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"

[lioxmp]

" are you really just going to leave me here ?? " Invidia looks shell shocked.

With sharp eyebrows slightly arched up, Lio's face spelled perplexity out of Invidia's seemingly rhetorical question. Most of the time, he got little to no trouble accepting his lover's rather theatrical expressions and all, but there must be something in this particular ungodly hour that had hindered his wit.

Lio found his right hand unlocking the door then twisting the knob open, an unsealed box of cigarettes clutched in his other hand.

"Just out for a quick smoke, NV," his hand raised and opened briefly for the other demigod to see the pack, "unless you wanna join?"

[lioxmp]

“ things must be catastrophic if you’re calling me at this hour,” Invidia's smooth voice says on the phone. "That or you just miss me."

"You said you would call at eleven, and that was two and a half hours ago." Lio glanced at the clock ticking his calmness away on the cold grey wall, to self confirm that his statement was right.

He wasn't angry, nowhere near to getting truly upset, but winter nights had been mean to his nerves, making his voice a tad more snappy than it was expected to be. He sat still on the couch, slightly bloodshot eyes staring aimlessly at the darkness outside the open window, and his voice dropped low, words rumbling out from his chest. "You home? Eaten yet?"

[lioxmp]

A green Halloween with @mpxinvidia