season of the witch.

     When Toni fled the place they had lived in, for him there had been no question that Cauchemar would come with him. While the blind Australian Shepherd had become their dog, he initially had been his idea and responsibility. And after losing his first dog so brutally, he could not lose another one. Later he wondered whether it had been an awful thing to do to Cihangir — but he tried not to dwell on it. “He‘s like my child,” he said quietly, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the two dogs play. It didn‘t often happen that Cauche got the chance for that, and to see his dog so happy and how careful Kiraz was with him put a smile on his lips. “And my best friend. I would never let go of him.” Not unless he absolutely had to, because of death most likely. “I also can‘t sleep alone.” A leftover of how he had been raised, but Toni hadn‘t meant to say the words out loud, even if Cihangir knew that better than anyone. Their eyes met for just a moment, then the genasi quickly looked away again. “But he missed you a lot. I could tell.”

“Gods, Cihangir. Odin is the All-Father, my uncle, and the Norse’s power of a binding oath apparently goes through life and death.” He kept his arms crossed over his chest, looking at the other. “I care for my relationship with Aydin, and I care about the one I want to have with you. Your experiences are unique, and you are my blood. You are under my protection.”

location: asclepius’s herbs starter for: @cihangirxlykos​

The illness that now swept its way through the Vidalis home was only the start of the season, though the genasi was hearing rumors that it was no illness at all but a curse. But that was a different matter within Daphne’s mind that she would hardly share with the store’s latest employee. Feelings were only revealed to those she trusted the most and that hadn’t been earned in her eyes just yet, but the mere fact that Cihangir was willing to work alongside her was a start. She needed more allies, more folks around here that she could refer to as a friend and was hopeful in finding that in him. “So, tell me,” the water genasi made her way slowly out of the backroom with a bundle of chrysanthemums and dianthus flowers for restock, “What got you interested in healing and medicine?” After all, that’s what the very god that the shop was named after represented, taking on those similar qualities to his father Apollo.

+

Cihangir looks up, from where he stands near one of the shelves. His eyes linger on Daphne, wondering how truthful of an answer he should give to her inquiry. “My mother always had an interest in the stuff.” What he doesn’t say is the reason why, how she had done all of that for him. All the different remedies she had made him try, for the sake of trying to fix him. He’s not ready to disclose more about himself than necessary, each deficiency seen as a weakness and in the wrong hands, deadly information. Even if Cihangir hopes that won’t turn out to be Daphne. “But to tell the truth, I have more interest in working alongside you.” He decides to put his cards on the table — partially, anyways. “I’ve been around genasi before. Worked with them.” Used to sleep with one, but that information is definitely not something that needs to be shared.

for: @cihangirxlykos​

“Now,” Zehra said, curving coyly around one of the tall shelves to come up behind the witch who seemed all too busy sliding volumes into their places among the rest of the literature. Her chin fit neatly into the crook of his neck as she tipped up on her toes, hovering before pressing a kiss onto warm skin. Best to not, she decided, continuing her train of thought, drawing every syllable out dramatically. “I was looking for Gabriel because I’m so, so, so bored— but he’s off somewhere getting ready for that wedding of his.” Her words fell sweetly by Cihangir’s ear, “Come play with me.”

+

There’s a certain presence Zehra carries with her, something Cihangir has grown accustomed to. She’s a very tactile person, he can recognize the feeling of her as she presses into his backside, ignoring the fact that he’s actually at work right now. Though Cihangir’s interest in the library is entirely selfish, merely using it as an excuse to have access to everything that would normally be denied, he still does not think it wise to run off under a cubi’s whims. “I’m working, Zehra.” He says without turning around, still placing books against the shelf. “You are in a library. I’m sure there are plenty books around that can entertain you, if you are so bored.”

      Cihangir was right – Toni did always have a soft spot for broken things. Mostly because he saw himself as one of those broken things. His parents had broken him, and even if it wasn’t visible from the outside, that was what it felt like to him. It was why he loved Cauche, why he also loved Pétoche even when she kept him awake by jumping around on him during the night. And maybe it was why he loved Cihangir. Despite everything – to him the witch was perfect. He was just right. Everything he wanted from life. Until it fell apart. He pushed the thought aside, and his lips pressed together as he looked down at Kiraz. At least he knew someone took over his job. Maybe she could look out even better for his ex than he ever could. If she wasn’t a dog he would probably be jealous. But now he was simply grateful, giving her ears an extra scratch to show her through actions that he was grateful she looked out for Cihangir. “That’s good,” he said quietly. “That you… have someone to look out for you.” Toni cleared his throat and then looked from one dog to the other, their tails wagging as they looked at each other. “Should we – let them play for a moment? I’m sure Cauche would love to.”

    That was not exactly what he expected to hear, and Ryker arched his brows in surprise as he looked at Cihangir. “You hooked up in a backroom?”, he echoed. The phoenix may not be an expert, but he knew that sounded like one big cliché. “Okay, well, to be able to judge your level of stupidity, I need some more details: Who is he? why did you break up? And most importantly, how was the sex? Was it worth it?”

    Toni’s lips curved up into a smile when the husky moved forward to greet him, a wet snout pressing into the palm of his hand, followed by a rough tongue licking expertly at the skin. “Hey Kiraz,” he said softly, scratching underneath her chin and behind her ears. “You’re absolutely stunning,” he murmured, the words meant only for the dog, no matter how close by Cihangir was. It was a bit like a small reward, to see how the dog immediately seemed to like him – it might not be anything special, but to Toni it felt like that in this moment. He took in Cihangir’s words as he kept petting the other’s dog, and his heart ached. Cauchemar had been his idea, but the dog had quickly become theirs. Almost like a child, like a family member. For months the blind dog had been waiting for Cihangir to walk through the door, and eventually he started sleeping on the side of the bed that used to be the witch’s. It seemed neither of them had forgotten, as the Australian shepherd was currently busy pressing his head into Cihangir’s side lovingly. “It’s good to have a partner in crime,” he stated simply. And then, “I have a cat now, too. She’s deaf.” And why was he saying that? The words just sort of slipped out, and he couldn’t take them back, so he just pretended to still be entirely focused on Kiraz, who didn’t seem to mind that one bit.

     Toni watched as Cihangir introduced the two dogs. Cauche was friendly with most, despite having made bad experiences before Toni adopted him into his life. He could be a bit clumsy during playing because he could not see anything – but he made up for that with love and enthusiasm. The husky seemed just as friendly, and well-trained, not surprising considering that she might be a service dog. Toni decided to also crouch down, all four of them on eye level now. He smiled, and slowly extended a hand in the direction of the husky. “Hey beautiful,” he said softly, his voice low as he held enough distance between them that the dog could decide for herself whether she wanted to greet him and get to know him. He hoped that she would, a petty part of him hoping Kiraz might love him, and if only to rub that into Cihangir’s face. Look, she likes me, as if it’s meant to be. It was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. “How long have you had her?”

     This was incredibly awkward. Even more so than their first meeting. After the fight in his car, if it could be called that, Toni was in no mood to talk to Cihangir. But he had to admit seeing how happy Cauche was to hear Cihangir’s voice completely melted his defenses, and evaporated whatever anger had been bubbling inside of him since that night. He reached forward to take off the leash so the dog could continue his greeting more freely. Cauche tried to lick Cihangir’s face, his wrists, do anything to show his ex just how much he’d missed him. “He uh – missed you,” he stated the obvious, gesturing to the dog as he cleared his throat. It was stupid to say, but Toni didn’t really know what else he should say in this moment. He missed you, like I did. He decided to push his hands into the pockets of his pants, and now he couldn’t help the small smile that took over his lips. “He must have heard your voice from all the way back there.” Then his eyes fell to the dog by Cihangir’s side, and he arched his brows in curiosity. “Yours?” 

@cihangirxlykos​

     Walking his dog was one of the best parts of Toni’s day. He could get out of the house, clear his mind, and just enjoy nature. Cauchemar was one of the best parts of his life, and aside of a ring, the only remain of his relationship with Cihangir. His best friend, and always there for him. Today they were going to the park, and the blind dog was sniffing by his side to his heart’s content. The park was relatively empty, and so Toni was rather surprised when all of a sudden, his dog lifted his head, his ears standing up – and then he started pulling like he never had before. “Hey buddy–”, he started, but the surprise effect was on Cauche’s side, and Toni stumbled behind him. Around a tree, and suddenly Cauche was barking, jumping, his tail wagging like a helicopter blade as he jumped onto a person. “I’m so sorr–”, Toni started, but before he could finish his apology, he realized who had Cauchemar going crazy with happiness. It seemed that he hadn’t been the only one who missed Cihangir in the past years. “Hi.”

Aydin bent, squinting as he studied the machinery. “I’m gonna have to take it apart. If it needs to be patched, that means it’ll be a temporary fix— if you’ve got the money now, just replace it.” He straightened up, carding a hand through auburn hair, caring little for the grease that would streak through it. His bathwater would swirl oily and dark when it went down the drain later, evidence of a hard day’s work. “I won’t overcharge you at least, brother.” He had a bad habit of adding a zero to the end of a bill when the client looked like they wouldn’t blink twice at it, but Cihangir was different and Aydin didn’t doubt that he would know well enough what a simple replacement would cost. He gestured for the witch to follow him, and made his way to the desk to grab papers and draft up a damage release. “What brings you so far from home?”

+

Cihangir nods his head along, it doesn’t sound like an unreasonable assessment. “Alright then.” He doesn’t truly know enough about engines to dispute it, and the fact remains that he would rather make sure it stays in prime condition than get simple patchwork done. He trails after Aydin into what appears to be some sort of office, eyes darting around the room as if it could give him any clues as to who his brother has become over the years. “I could ask the same of you.” He slips into Turkish, their mother tongue flows more natural from his lips than Greek does. Still, Cihangir shakes his head lightly, before running fingers through his curls. “Their plans for my future did not align with my own. When it came to a head, I chose to move on.” It’s a simplified explanation, skipping over the weighted details of the story, but it’s all that Cihangir feels comfortable divulging at the moment. “I had half thought that you were dead.” 

    It wasn‘t an answer. And that hurt more than Toni thought it would. After all this time it hadn‘t stopped hurting. So many nights he lay awake trying to figure out what had happened. You didn‘t see me — what was that supposed to mean? It was no answer, no explanation, and it caused his heart to explode with pain inside his chest. Anger bubbled in his stomach, and he reached past Cihangir for the door handle to push it open. This time their bodies brushing together held no spark, only further fueled his answer. “Get the fuck out of my car,” he hissed, and maybe tears weighed on his voice. And purely out of his spite he slipped the pack of cigarettes out of Cihangir’s jacket as he threw it into the other’s lap. “I meant so little to you that you won‘t even give me a reason. So fuck off.”

     The sarcasm and anger in Cihangir‘s voice wasn‘t lost on Toni. Even after the years they spent apart it seemed that he still knew the ther a little too well. And this irritated him greatly. Because what had he done wrong? What did he do that was so bad it deserved what Cihangir had done to him? That he would so willingly throw everything away they had? For a little bit of blood? If he asked Toni, he probably would have given it to him freely. „What have I done wrong then? Tell me.“ His words were sharp like a knife, and Toni moved to pull his shirt over his head in an attempt to keep his hands busy, to give himself something to do. „And tell me why you did that to me. I deserve an answer if you want to make me responsible.“

    When Toni had first seen Cihangir, an old wound that had been badly stitched up opened. And now his ex was poking into it, pushing a knife slowly but deeply inside of it. It hurt, and he pressed his lips together as he tried not to let it show on his face how much it rubbed him the wrong way to know that not even an hour ago, some blond twink had been moaning Cihangir’s name, and giving him the time of day. Toni hadn’t known jealousy before Cihangir, and so he hadn’t known just how awful it could feel. Like claws gnawing at his insides. “I don’t fucking care,” he snapped, which was definitely a lie. “And besides, if it wasn’t for you, we’d probably still be together and you wouldn’t have to fuck anyone else.”

    Cihangir’s words caused laughter to spill from Toni’s lips. It was sort of nice to hear it, that they both connected this car with good things, even after so much had gone wrong. Which he really didn’t want to think about right now – he was in a blissful state, and unwilling to let it be ruined by anything. The smirk was wiped away by Cihangir’s next words, and it caused a frown to appear on Toni’s face. The last thing he wanted was to hear about how his ex fucked that phoenix in a bathroom, after the same had just happened between them. No matter how much he tried to rile the witch up, that was not something Toni thought he would handle very well. “You know what? I’ll pass. I don’t need to hear anything about it.” He waved it off, running a hand through his hair to bring it somewhat back into place. “At least you’ve been very vocal about how much you like what I do.” Because once again, the genasi had made it his mission to get as many noises out of Cihangir as possible.

     The tinted windows of Toni’s car had been a savior for the two men in the past, before Cihangir had left his coven to be with him, and to be out and proud in the world. And they were definitely doing a good deed again tonight, though genasi was certain if someone walked by on the outside, they would be able to hear very telling noises from inside the car. But Toni didn’t care, he was too lost in the moment to worry about anyone else but the man right there with him. By the time his breathing calmed down, the windows had fogged up, and a sheer layer of sweat covered his entire body. He leaned back in the seat, eyes raking over Cihangir’s body once more, before a rather smug smirk took over his lips. “And? Was that better or worse than your first round tonight?”