Archive of Our Own ^beta

expressionless, arms crossed, mydei stares ahead at the scenery that okhema has to offer. despite being enemies with kremnos… in comparison, the scenery of the eternal city was rather… peaceful. calming. much unlike the perilous city he comes from.

but it can’t be home for everyone. or so he says.

the sounds of nearby idle chatter, while faint, could be heard. trees rustled as a gentle breeze whispers over their leaves.

his gaze lowers as he finds himself lost in thought, his eyes shutting as well. focused on his thinking… what was he thinking? about his hometown, perhaps?

or… a certain someone, a certain healer and nameless who he once sought as hyacine was assisting anaxa in one of his lectures.

yet the nameless… as soon as her eyes laid on him, she fled faster than the warrior could approach. he didn’t utter a word nor did anything to offend her. he didn’t pay much mind to her reaction, yet he found himself confused.

people fear him, but none have reacted as you did.

he hadn’t even noticed the footsteps heard besides him, nor to the certain swordsman who now stood next to him. his brows furrow before he lets out a sigh.

“is something troubling you, mydeimos?” a familiar voice speaks upon hearing his sigh.

mydei’s eyes open, snapping out of his thoughts as he looks over to see…

oh. its him.

while phainon is quite competitive with mydei, and mydei isn’t the nicest with his words, the two are still companions at the end of the day… if anything was troubling him, if he wanted to speak, phainon is willing to listen.

the swordsman looks at the warrior with a calm, patient gaze, paired with that small smile he usually wore.

“…tell me,” mydei begins, gaze returning towards ahead. “does the quiet one fear you too?”

the quiet one… phainon knows exactly who he speaks of. his smile grows as a short laugh escapes him.

“haha, afraid you say? i never thought of it that way. i suppose she’s just shy.”

his blue eyes, as well as his voice, now begin to have a hint of playfulness. phainon never misses an opportunity to mess with mydei, even a little bit, much like a little sibling bothering their older one.

“why, do you think she’s afraid of you?” he asks, his smile growing.

mydei blinks, unamused. was that really a question?

“she should be,” he replies flatly. “weakness trembles before strength.”

ah, of course… typical mydei. yet deep down, he wonders… why is it that you treat him as if he is plotting your demise?

a pause.

“…yet there are two types of fearing,” he begins, now facing the swordsman.

“the fear you hold for one who has authority over you. or the fear that is simply cowardice.”

you were a member of the express, joining a short time after caelus. quite some time has passed since then…

you thought that being a nameless could help you combat your shyness over time. not to mention, the thought of trailblazing, visiting other planets… it was something that interested you despite that.

…it didn’t really help. much. but you did manage to find yourself more comfortable with the express as time went on.

march… was a bit too much at first, often trying to get you to talk more, but you got used to her eventually.

unlike her, caelus would take things at a slower pace, trying to get you to laugh with silly jokes and such.

dan heng was the one you found yourself most comfortable with. he, too, was quiet, even though it wasn’t for the same reason as you. he never forced you to open up or anything, nor did your shyness annoy him.

ending up in amphoreus with him and caelus, the three of you have dealt with quite a lot, as well as meeting quite a few people.

those few people, of course, included the chrysos heirs.

that professor with an eyepatch who wields a gun, yet his tongue sharp like a blade… some refer to him as “dromas draped in finery”, but you thought that dromases are friendly creatures. each and every time, you’d always try to avoid any interaction with him as you found him quite scary.

the swift thief, fleet-footed traveler… unpredictable, quick to catch you off guard. she, too, was a bit scary at times.

the little triplets, as capable as they are, are also simply so adorable, how could one fear them? while your shyness was there, it wasn’t too strong.

phainon, the gentle swordsman… you’d try to speak, thinking it’ll be easier around him due to his personality… but you could not make a peep.

a friendly laugh would leave him as he’d try to gently help you open up, just like how caelus would.

and mydeimos… he was so intimidating…

you’ve gotten the chance to see him in battle a few times. truly, he is not one to be messed with. while his tongue was not quite like the scholar’s, he just seemed so… scary… intimidating…

you always ran off when he’s around, even that one time where he approached you for healing… afterwards, you quickly ended up feeling bad, yet at the same time, you couldn’t pull yourself together.

now, you find yourself walking down the streets of kephale plaza, trying to stay calm, yet your nervousness was stronger.

you were looking for caelus and dan heng, but just as you stopped in your tracks and were about to text them, a familiar voice is heard behind you.

“there you are.”

you turn back and held a small, surprised yelp.

“l—lord phainon…?” you squeak. there he stood, expression filled with kindness and warmth. you almost began to feel a bit calm, but as soon as your eyes laid on the man who stood next to him, your shyness and nervousness had returned, stronger.

mydei. arms crossed. expression unreadable, yet golden orbs piercing. not a word escapes his lips. phainon smiles and chuckles softly at your shy reaction.

“there’s no need to be so afraid,” he assures you, his voice low and gentle.

“i’ve known him for a long while, so trust me, even when he’s quiet, he’s not as scary as he looks.”

mydei, still, does not respond, almost statuoe-like, not exactly confirming phainon’s words.

“now’s your chance,” he whispers, looking over at mydei with a grin, almost a bit excited. “come on, say something.”

he returns his gaze to towards you, waiting… phainon hoped for a friendly moment, naturally, a bit awkward of course, but not what was about to unfold.

yet still, mydei simply continues to just… stare at you. you tried to lock eyes with him and realized that, up close, he’s even more frightening than you thought…

“e-eek…!“ you let out a noise of fear, immediately looking down on the ground, not daring to look up even for a second. you just want to run off to the express, hide in your room, and never come out… unless march drags you out, which will definitely happen.

phainon’s excitement fades at your reaction. once more, he turns to look at mydei with mild annoyance.

“i told you to say something, not glare at her. you’re just scaring her.”

“pathetic,” is all mydei says, voice devoid of emotion.

you do not take any offense to his words, still not looking up. there is a short pause before phainon, placing a hand to his own head, breaks the silence.

“mydei… seriously?”

“if she is so easily intimidated by a mere stare, than what is she, if not pathetic?” the warrior counters.

a sigh escapes phainon before his gentle smile makes its return, his hand leaving his head.

“listen…” he begins. “while his silence speaks volumes, i promise that he’s not thinking about taking your life. let me translate his stare for you.”

hs clears his throat and attempts to imitate the other man’s voice.

“good day, milady,” he greets you. “for your protection and safety, i would gladly slay a hundred titankin.”

while trying to be serious, he couldn’t resist the goofy grin that quickly formed as soon as he finished. in response, mydei immediately shoots phainon a glare that could kill.

“oh, i know that look!” he chirps. “this one says: ‘shut that trap, you fool’. ha…”

“if i were to slay a hundred titankin, it would be for the sake of kremnos or okhema,” mydei corrected, his brows furrowing.

he then looks at you, his tone slightly less harsh, but not exactly kind and warm.

“do not listen to his nonsense.”

fiddling with your thumbs, you hesitantly look up at him.

“…c—can’t we all just get along instead of fighting…?” you stuttered.

everyone on the express knew how to fight, even march thanks to yanqing and yunli. you, however, feared bloodshed and fighting, preferring the role of a healer.

as impossible as it is, sometimes you just wish everyone could get along…

“see mydei, she’s a peacemaker,” phainon’s playful tone made its grand return. “you’re trying to impress her with spilling blood while she just wants world peace.”

mydei looks at phainon again, not amused in the slightest.

“again, i did not say any of that nonsense.”

“right, you were thinking it! your menacing stares speak volumes.”

“i swear if you don’t shut up…”

at mydei’s growing annoyance, you only grew more and more scared. phainon was not helping…

“you’ll what? smack me upside the head?” he asks, still grinning, egging him on.

“or worse,” mydei replied flatly. whether he was being serious or not, you couldn’t tell, but it was scaring you.

phainon’s brows furrow.

“oh? wanna duel right here and now, then?”

“tch. you’re on.”

as the two seem to be in their own world, it doesn’t seem like they’d notice you. without second thought, you run off from them like a startled bunny, not thinking about where you’re headed or that people will see you running for your life.

hearing your sudden, rushed footsteps, phainon and mydei both immediately snap out of it.

“wha— hey, wait!” phainon calls out, watching you flee almost as fast as an energetic tribbie. “we weren’t actually going to duel to death!!”

mydei watches in silence before he looks at phainon in mild annoyance.

“this is precisely why lady aglaea should sew your mouth shut you absolute numbskull,” said mydei, flatly.

“i was trying to help!” phainon replied. “you, on the other hand, traumatized her with a mere stare.”

“that is her own fault for being a coward,” mydei counters. “and yours as well. your words filled her with more fear. now she fled like prey.”

“you could’ve just said something nice when i told you to. even a simple “hello” would’ve been a good start. then none of this would’ve happened.”

“yet it was your nonsense that scared her off.”

phainon lets out a defeated sigh, giving up on arguing with the warrior as he wasn’t wrong.

mydei looks over at where you once stood. phainon, meanwhile falls lost into his thoughts.

a long moment of silence falls between them until it is broken.

“…should go after her and try to calm her down?” phainon asks, evident guilt within his blue eyes.

it was never his intention to scare you, but to get you to feel less afraid. and yet, he caused the complete opposite of what he was aiming for… still, he can’t give up here.

“i’d give her some space, but i thought we’d try to clear things up…”

giving you some space is an option, but phainon doesn’t want you to run off like a bunny again when you see him or mydei once more, never daring to interact with him ever again because of today.

a pause. mydei hesitates, unsure of this idea, especially because of what happened, before eventually replying.

“fine.”

and then, the search for you begins…

you don’t know where in okhema you are.

you look around, confused, hoping to find the hero’s bath. you just wanted to hide in your chamber until it was time to continue the trailblaze… maybe heading out for a walk in a foreign land without either of your companions to help wasn’t the best idea…

again, as you were about to text dan heng, this time saying “dan heng… come pick me up… i’m scared…”, you hear some footsteps behind you, as if someone or some people are approaching…

oh no, not again… you pick up the pace, but find yourself stopping once you feel someone tap on your shoulder, letting out a surprised noise.

turning back, your eyes widen slightly in fear.

phainon… but without the scary warrior this time.

the fear was written all over your face, clear as day… phainon, meanwhile, looked at you with his usual warmth and kindness, as if he wasn’t the cause of the events of earlier.

seeing you were about to run off, phainon begins to speak.

“no, please don’t run off again,” his tone is calm and gentle, as if he were trying to comfort a timid kitten. “we weren’t going to kill each other before your eyes. i promise that what i said earlier was just a joke.”

seeing the sincerity within his gentle eyes, hearing it within his voice, you found yourself believing him… until a a short few seconds later, mydei shows up, arms crossed.

a—are these two trying to traumatize you!?

…this time, mydei’s expression isn’t as intimidating as earlier, but still somewhat scary.

you take a glance at him before looking down. it was difficult to keep your gaze on him for longer than a second.

“i—i don’t know… he still looks so… s—scary…” you stutter.

phainon faces mydei, a bit annoyed at his emotional constipation.

“there you go again, scaring her,” his brows furrow.

mydei’s tone, still, remained flat and dry.

“i am not “scaring her.”

“well your stare certainly is!”

not again…

“a—are we just repeating what happened earlier…!?” you squeak once more.

hearing your words and noticing you’re still afraid, phainon’s gaze lands on you again.

“what? no, thats not what i’m trying to do. as i said before, mydei may sound and look harsh, but he doesn’t mean you any harm,” he smiled as warmly as he could, trying to help you feel even slightly comfortable.

that warm smile of his… slowly shifts into one of playfulness.

“he’s just… not that sociable.”

“stop speaking for me you useless fool,” mydei said, irritation clear in his voice.

“then say something yourself!”

silence… one so awkward that even the soothing breeze seemed to have stopped.

until… mydei, gaze on you, while not exactly warm and friendly like phainon, it also wasn’t cold, harsh, and intimidating.

…not that much at least.

“…i do not wish for you to fear me,” he finally spoke. calm, no hint of annoyance, yet a bit awkward.

“ah, see?” phainon’s friendly smile grows slightly as he notices you relax a bit. “he can be nice, he’s just not that great at expressing it.”

“you could’ve done that earlier, mydei,” he spoke while looking at the other man. “but you went and insulted her instead.

“she is still pathetic.”

silence falls. phainon observes your reaction for a few moments…

“…she seems a bit less frightened now,” he takes note of how you seem to be calming down a bit, even trying to maintain eye contact with mydei… before breaking it.

despite that, phainon is happy with this outcome.

“looks like we’re making progress. i’ll give you two some space for now, then!

phainon turns to leave, but before he does…

“and remember not to scare her.”

“hmph.”

he holds back a laugh and walks off. you watch as phainon leaves as you return your gaze to the ground below.

a question has been on your mind, one that has been bothering you since all this began.

“…lord mydei…” you start meekly.

“hm?”

a short pause while you try to gather your words.

“is it true… t—that your stares, they… um…”

yet… you were unable to get yourself to finish your sentence.

“…phainon was just spouting nonsense,” mydei answers. “mostly.”

that last part came off more quietly, but you still heard it.

m—mostly…? oh no…

“do not run off,” he says, his tone a little bit stern, but as you attempted to lock your eyes with his…

“i do not seek to spill your blood.”

…his expression seemed a bit friendlier.