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though the days of castrum kremnos' glory are gone, mydei still finds himself being relied on by his people as though they were still home.
the kremnoan detachment lives in okhema now, yes, but that never changed how they see their crown prince, mydeimos.
no kremnoan used that name for him. no kremnoan referred to him as though he was from the holy city.
to them, he was still the crown prince they take orders from. not the goldweaver or okhema's council of elders.
and as such, mydei was busy with many things. whether be it solving conflicts between the men who once held their spears proudly as they fought by his side or aiding the kremnoan women, just like his mother taught him, mydei was always around his people in some way.
he'd even "babysit" the kremnoan children, playing family and "castle" with them. he never once complained.
how could he?
they're his people. people who lost their home, as well as their lives, and now have to put up with the okhemans.
he'd never complain; for just like him, they lost it all.
and while he has duties of a chrysos heir, appointed to him by the goldweaver and the holy maiden of januspolis, mydei will always make time for his people. mydei will always check in on them, ensuring they have the strength to push forward.
even if that means making a certain dog upset.
said dog was a tall man with white hair and blue eyes - the deliverer of okhema.
how aglaea managed to find a dog-shaped hero will always confuse mydei.
phainon would always find an excuse to spend time with mydei, often tagging along to check in on the kremnoans with their crown prince, dragging him to the baths twice a day or challenging him to stupid little competitions. mydei wasn't sure why phainon stuck to him like a loyal dog to its owner, but that's not something he realistically had time to worry about.
what he "has" time to worry about is how weirdly said dog behaves around him.
he always wants to spend time together, then starts to pout when told no? starts to pout when he's made aware of mydei's duties?
does he not understand mydei has duties just like he does?
seriously, where did aglaea find such a weird hero?
it came as no surprise that when mydei missed their fourth late night bath in a row, phainon was sulking and walking around like a kicked dog.
almost every heir commented on it; tribbie questioned him if he was okay, anaxagoras acknowledged it and told him to get his act together, hyacine offered therapy services (how she herself doesn't need therapy after listening to the chrysos heirs' woes is something no one knows), aglaea reminded him that "the flame chase journey is one of constant loss" and assigned phainon some more work to help him find a distraction...
but cipher and castorice? they had other plans.
or well, cipher had a plan, and employed castorice as her other partner in crime "support". the first one was, of course, bartholos the spirit thief, or well, zagreus themself.
as for her plan, cifera decided to do something tricky and mischievous. with zagreus' help, they would turn phainon into a chimera. the catch? to turn back, he must get a kiss from the little lion!
originally, he was supposed to do twelve tasks, but princess homebody offered a few changes to "cheer lord phainon up more".
and so, the updated version of the plan was born.
operation: chimera may proceed!
with enough trickery and love, the sulking and pouting will surely be gone!
and the little lion loves cute things, so this is a win-win for everyone.
cipher has to pat herself on the back for that one. she made a wonderful solution to the problem at hand, after all.
ahem, back to executing the plan. she can celebrate after phainon is turned into a little chimera.
with castorice's help, cipher made a perfect opening for zagreus, disguised as bartholos, to trick phainon into a "duel".
of course, the second the duel started, cipher and bartholos played a little dirty.
and soon, the great deliverer of okhema was a tiny ball of floof, letting out confused awoos once he realized his hands no longer held dawnmaker, and he no longer stood tall.
"apologies, lord phainon.." castorice says quietly, kneeling down before the little chimera. "it's only temporary, we promise."
an angry awoo was about to follow, but was stopped as cipher placed a finger to his little mouth.
"you want a kiss from the prince?" cipher questioned, straight to the point. phainon, in his little chimera form, nods eagerly. he would do anything for a kiss from mydei! "then don't complain, and act like you're a normal chimera, alright beagle coconut?"
"beagle coconut?" castorice questions, giving cipher a confused look.
"that's his codename. can't have the little prince knowing its the deliverer."
from then, the chrysos heirs of death and trickery departed to both drop "beagle coconut" at the garden of life, as well as tell aglaea a little white lie - phainon tagged along with a recent expedition outside of okhema for a few days.
after that, cipher and castorice went their separate ways to initiate part two of the plan - getting mydei and phainon "stuck" together.
while castorice went to find mydei and request his assistance with a chimera crisis, cipher found phainon in all his chimera-glory and disappeared into the shadows to have a word.
"listen, deliverer boy. you gotta do something." she says, holding phainon up as though he were a cat. "you're gonna be sick, while actively refusing help from everyone. that's when castorice and the little lion will step in. from then, you and the lion are stuck together, got it?"
"awooo!"
"...i'll take that as a yes!"
and since phainon believed her lie, he started showing mild symptoms of a common chimeric cold.
nothing drastic, thankfully, just a fever and an attitude. and since the scholars in the garden noticed his sickness immediately, they tried to help, to which the little chimera would growl and snarl, refusing to let anyone come close. part of him feels really bad for growling at hyacine and professor anaxagoras, but he's desperate. he'll apologize to them later, after he gets cuddles and warm soup from mydei. and of course, after he gets that kiss. for now, he'll keep up the act of an angry and scared chimera.
phainon's salvation comes soon as he hears the crowd mention mydei's name, and sees his beloved prince enter the garden. he has to stop himself from letting out happy awoos.
"is this beagle coconut?" mydei asks carefuly, glancing at castorice.
"yes, lord mydei." she answers, giving phainon a pitying look, "he's very sick, but refuses to let anyone help. we need your help, lord mydei..."
mydei sighs, then pinches the bridge of his nose. he kneels down before the little chimera, staring at it blankly.
with great agony, phainon forces himself to let out an angry awoo, flinching away (despite how badly he wanted mydei to hold him). his "prayers" are answered when mydei more or less scruffs him, before cradling the little chimera in his arms.
phainon momentarily keeps up the angry act, before melting into mydei's embrace, happily nuzzling his chest. oh thank kephale, oh thank kephale for mydei's chest.
it's so warm he might just melt.
behind them, some scholars gasp, some sigh with relief.
castorice, bless her, speaks up once more,
"lord mydei?" she starts, "can we ask you to nurse poor beagle coconut back to health? he's only calm around you, and we worry how he'll act when you're gone..."
mydei sighs deeply. what has he gotten himself into?
"alright."
his first day with mydei was pure heaven. but then again, every day with the crown prince is heavenly.
watching mydei read up on chimera food while he held phainon close for warmth was greater than divine ambrosia.
getting spoon-feed the greatest tasting soup was wonderful.
but what phainon loved most was the closeness.
bumping his head against mydei's leg? he gets head pats.
pawing at his legs? he gets picked up and held.
letting out little awoos? he gets scratches and belly rubs.
all in all, he's living the perfect chimera life.
close to someone he loves dearly, taken care of like he's a fragile relic... it all feels like a dream. it really does.
he's being loved and cherished, and it feels wonderful.
phainon is really going to miss this.
but for now, he's going to focus on the good parts.
like visiting the kremnoan detachment with mydei, perching happily on his shoulder, letting out the cutest awoos when the kremnoans offered some affection.
not that it would ever match what mydei was giving him, but why would phainon complain? surprisingly enough, despite being stuck as a little chimera he adores the occasional chin scratches. and the scratches behind the ears. and the belly rubs...
maybe being stuck as a little chimera isn't so bad after all?
oh and he gets to shamelessly press his head into mydei's chest whenever his heart desires.
that might just be the best thing about his new chimera self.
that, and how frequently they cuddle.
turns out mydei enjoys sleeping in sometime. and that means phainon gets to curl up on his chest and sleep alongside the prince, basking in his warmth. usually, mydei will pull him close, as though phainon was a fluffy stuffed animal.
honestly, phainon would kill for more moments like these. he'd love to give up everything if it meant he could enjoy a domestic life with mydei.
he'd give up a lot to bring mydei home to aedes elysiae and simply enjoy the time they have together, laying down in a wheat field, tangled up in each other's arms while they rest under the warm sun.
phainon would love that more than anything.
on one of those nights where mydei holds beagle coconut, or well, phainon, close, he lets his thoughts run in a strange direction.
though he knows beagle coconut's home is the garden of life, part of him wants to ask the scholars to allow the little chimera to stay with him permanently.
he's gotten used to the little one living with him.
he's gotten used to making the silver ball of joy breakfast in the mornings, then warm soup in the evenings, and giving them a few awoo cookies during the day.
and well, mydei got used to sleeping with the little one, too.
at first, he assumed the chimera wouldn't be interested in his bed, but he was proven wrong when he woke up the next day with beagle coconut sleeping on his chest as though it was the best pillow crafted by kephale themself.
not that mydei complained. the weight of the little one pressing down on him was quite comforting.
having someone next to him was comforting, too. it really was.
he'll have to thank castorice for notifying him of the chimera crisis. thanks to her, he now has a cute little companion who loves his attention more than anything.
with a soft smile, he pats the little one on the head, patting it gently, then scratching behind it's ears, and lastly under the chin, before repeating it, forming a little petting routine of sorts.
phainon responded with awoo noises that sounded more like purrs than the usual awoos of a chimera.
mydei smiled at that, pulling the little one even closer. beagle coconut was truly the cutest thing he's ever held.
he pressed a gentle kiss to beagle coconut's nose, and phainon wasted no time in angling his face a little to get a proper kiss.
and in seconds, the fluffy chimera was gone, and in mydei's arms lay phainon, blushing profusely.
mydei, to his credit didn't say anything. didn't laugh, didn't get angry. he simply stared at the deliverer, albeit a little confused.
"hey mydei..." phainon chuckles awkwardly, squeezing the kremnoan's arm gently. he wasn't in the mood for letting go. not yet.
"deliverer..."
they stare at each other for a while longer, neither of them wanting to let go or say anything, lest the moment is ruined.
eventually, their lips meet once more in a proper kiss, before they end up in one another's arms, with phainon holding mydei closely, and mydei keeping his head on phainon's chest, arms wrapped around his waist.
"is this okay?" phainon asks, carding a hand through mydei's messy hair.
"mhm..."
the sleepy hum tells him all that he needs to know.