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“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it,” he replied with a smile, patting her knee. He had been watching her get more and more stressed throughout the day and he knew that it was a really important dress, so he did not blame her one bit. It maybe didn’t help that the bride was kind of demanding. She had yelled at him for making her coffee wrong when she came in for her fitting. He didn’t like her much– as much as Felix couldn’t like someone, that is.

“I don’t have to, but I offered,” he replied cheerfully, linking arms with her and basically dragging her out of the store. “So, what do you want to eat? Chicken? Pizza? Dumplings? Burritos? The world is our oyster, so… Oysters? I’ve never had oysters. They don’t look very good, so maybe not that. What do you feel like? What’s gonna get you through the rest of this dress?”

Felix was really an absolute sweetheart. On the one hand Mia loved him for it, on the other hand she was terrified of the day that someone would fuck him up. But hey, apparently he had half the island protecting him, so maybe that day wouldn’t come. Or at least, he’d have enough of a support system when it finally arrived.

It had been a long time since Nathaniel had felt that way. Before he got together with Mia, he was so content with his casual dating lifestyle - there was a different girl every week or so, most of them models and all of them only really in it for the money, but he never saw anything wrong with it. Nathaniel never had himself down as a relationship type of guy; his father had always taught him to be business first because people were sharks, and Serena had proven that. With Mia in the picture though, he was beginning to think that maybe it was that he and his father only knew the wrong type of people.

He wouldn’t pretend like he understood Mia’s world - in fact, he was still struggling to wrap his head around the appeal of street food - but her being in his arms did show that there was something more out there. He loved her.

“Look, if I could bribe your brother into liking me too, then I would,” he chuckled, “But for real, I’m glad that he’s okay.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek again, lips trailing just a few moments against her jaw line. Nathaniel had wanted to book the flight back for Mia too, somewhat bewildered that she was even considering an economy ticket (apparently those seats were stuck together in rows and those passengers didn’t even get an en suite!) “Go take a shower,” he pressed a last kiss to her lips, “I waited for you long enough. I can wait a little bit longer.”

“Don’t bribe him, babe, he’ll never shut up about it and he’s so fucking insufferable when he brags, honestly. He’s already a dick most days, but when someone fuels his ego... even worse.” Mia hummed when he kissed her cheek, eyes still closed, as if this were a dream and she was afraid to wake up. The fact that she and Nate had been dating (unofficially dating, at least) for, what, over a year now? Was kind of insane to her. But she was actually happy, and that was worth being vulnerable for. With Nate, at least.

“Mmh I promise I won’t make you wait too long.” She kissed him back, then slowly slid out of his arms, smiling the entire time. After giving Fluffy a kiss, too, she dragged her suitcase into the bedroom, then went to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. As much as she wanted a bath, she wanted Nate more, and a shower was enough to at least get the gross plane feeling off of her.

As she proceeded to expose not only her uncle but also her pantheon he couldn’t help but chuckle. He’d heard many things about the Greeks and seen many other things about them first hand. They were an interesting bunch to be sure. “I would say he’s more grumpy than rude but that’s only been my experience with him. That’s quite funny either way.”

He waved off her denial easily and with a smile. “Nonsense, Gou and I are happy to accompany you. It’s no burden at all. Besides, if Hades won’t let you pet his dog you are more than allowed to pet mine. If Gou wants pets there’s no stopping him. Even for me.” Right on time Gou barked happily and bumped her hand for said pets.

Mia grinned at the god. “Feel free to use stuff like that against him. Grumpy Uncle Hades, that’s gonna be my nickname for him from now on.” Maybe she’d write a name tag for him that said that, or some shit. Then again, she hadn’t spent much time with any of the Greeks recently, too busy hanging out with her found family rather than her related one.

He smiled at her god he had missed her, he had missed being with his family here at Mount Phoenix. He laughed a little, “I am so glad to be back.” he said with a smile, he loved being here - and while he had considered staying in Texas, this really was where he belonged. He was just someone who was divided across the world. It really had taken him leaving to realise how loved and supported he was back here. He loved being here, he loved the people here and how they could understand him, how they could share experiences and help each other grow into their powers and help each other - which was something that he loved, he loved helping people and here was where he was needed most. 

He was just about to get his phone and show her when she made the comment. He laughed a little, “this is why I stopped wearing them.” He whined, well that and Kai had bought them for him. “Kai picked them out - and let me tell you out of the two of us, he was the fashionable gay guy. So they must look good.” He laughed, although he did honestly like the fit, and he thought they looked good on him, and he did love how they looked. 

He smiled as she told him, he nodded, “How did I get so lucky?” he teased, knowing he would hold her hand too and help her through her first tattoo. “Ah I want a portrait of Shy on my arm.” He said, “its kinda minimal, like it’s not going to look like a photo, but it will look like her and not just a random cat. I promise.” 

He smiled at her, “Oh I need to show you our baby Kat. Don’t I? She’s seriously beautiful, shame her dad’s a complete asshat, but whatever.” he mumbled as he opened his phone to show the other the pictures of his niece, including some of her in his arms. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but my siblings back home are half siblings and both of them are a lot taller than me, so I imagine Kat is going to grow up to be tall. I have to make the most of her being small.” He laughed. He missed her so much, but here was the best place for him. “She’s so perfect.” 

“Welcome home.” Mia’s usual teasing-older-sister-grin slipped away for a few seconds to reveal a gentle smile and a softness to her eyes. She’d been worried about him, worried sick, and when her actual brother got hurt she couldn’t help but think about Bryan and wondering how he was doing. But now he was back and she knew he had a good time, and everything was okay again.

She nudged him and laughed. “I’ll keep the cowboy jokes to a minimum, promised. Well... sort of promised. They look fucking good! Genuinely.” As good a liar as Mia was, she had made a vow to herself not to lie to family or friends. Close friends, at least. “If I start singing Old Town Road it’s completely unrelated.” And she winked and pulled Bryan into another tight hug, just because.

“Well, you’re a great mate, and your older brother is a really good kisser,” Mia joked. “So of course I’m gonna be nice to you! As nice as I can fucking be, at least, we all know that’s not my strong suit and shit.” Again, she tried her best. “That’s adorable, you’re such a cat dad. I’ll be a cat aunt if you ever need someone to cat-sit the baby.”

tea, by far the most superior drink, especially compared to coffee, or so jongin thought. ranging from black tea to blooming tea, not a single one was not to his taste. in fact, he harboured a collection of the product, each useful for different emotions and days.  he ignores where the obsession with the beverage stems from, although he has an idea. coming back to korea following his days in the united kingdom, his grandmother more than happily taught him about the benefits that tea brought to one’s body. she would tell the boy stories of her past whilst sipping from her favourite cup, letting the younger taste all the different leaves she kept reserved in a special cabinet. the love was most probably genetic, a thought of jongin’s that always brought the warmest of smiles on his facade.  frequent were the visits to the coffee shop, asking for whatever tea they served on the day. pineapple tea, an interesting beverage to offer, but his money was quick to end up in the hands of the waitress as he was more than willing to try. passing by him was a fair gal, black hair braided into two, rosy cheeks. he had seen her often, the two often enjoying their drinks a couple of meter apart. perhaps she was another tea lover, or maybe it was just a coincidence, jongin didn’t give it much attention.  as he received the cup, his brows furrowed. the note was heartwarming, if not cute, however he refused to admit it. meeting the waitress’ gaze, her confused expression was quick to tell him that the words written did not come from her. could it be the young lass who had walked past him? it was a strong possibility and the only way to know was to come maybe fifteen minutes earlier.  and so that’s what he did. the following day, he waited, patiently sat at a table, awaiting the girl to walk through those doors.

In retrospect, Mia wasn’t quite sure why she had written that note. Sure, she wanted to get to know more people, wanted more friends, and having a common interest made friendships a lot easier, but -- wasn’t this all a bit too cliché? It’s not like this was a drama or anything.

But hey, maybe it would all work out okay and end up being fun? She wasn’t too sure what to expect when she came into the coffee shop the next day, but there he sat, having arrived earlier than her this time.

It was clear that he knew it was her who’d written the note, not that Mia had bothered to be particularly sneaky about it. And so there was no reason for her to hide why she was here, and she walked straight up to him, smiling. With one hand, she brushed her hair behind her shoulder, and with the other she waved.

chang’e was so honored, even as a goddess to have a dress made specifically for her. it was something she wasn’t used too. more often then not she would make her own dresses. sometimes simply tucking in a piece of fabric here and there. it was always something simple. most of her dress making was on the full moon, when her eyes allowed her to see once more. 

“ this is amazing mia ! its more then amazing ! its gorgeous !” she exclaimed gently touching the fabric. 

It made Mia incredibly happy to hear that Chang’e liked the dress. It had been a complicated project, and to see that her hard work and the sleepless nights had paid off was just... fucking amazing. “I’m so, so glad you like it,” she said with a big smile, trying (and failing) to maintain a semi-professional aura.

@mpxmia

Bryan was living his Texan Cowboy fantasy, his cowboy boots reappearing on his feet after so long of him not wearing them. Kai had gotten them for him and he’d stopped wearing them after he died, but he loved them in a way, it was home. He loved the mixing of both of his homes he guessed. The rest of the outfit didn’t really scream cowboy, but he did have a denim jacket on over his short sleeved shirt, he had called Mia when he got back because he wanted a new tattoo and needed someone to come hold his hand. That and he missed her - and maybe wanted the gossip on his brother too. 

He smiled when he saw her, giving her a hug. “Hey, I missed you.” He said with a genuine smile, he had been doing good, he was in a good place since coming back from Texas, he felt like maybe there was some hope in this world, through his niece, Kat. “But I became and uncle so that’s pretty cool” He said with a laugh, “Are you getting anything or just holding my hand?” 

But Bryan was okay, there was no one she had to fight, and now he was back and Mia returned the hug with a tight squeeze, shaking him a little. “I missed you too, you doofus. I’m glad you’re back.” The fact that he was an uncle... did that technically make her an aunt? Since he was like a brother to her-- nope, this was too complicated, Mia already had enough weird family relations going on with the Greeks. Kat was now her family too, and that was all that mattered.

Yixing smiled softly at her immediate outward affection for Gou and the reason was made very clear when she mentioned Hades and he laughed. “Ah Hades. Great guy. Cerberus is great too. But the man can be a little uptight at times so I see your point. To answer you’re question though yes I am a god. I am the Chinese god of protection from evil. It’s a mouthful I know but it’s an apt description.” 

The rain was easing up but not going away completely. “Did you park nearby? Gou and I can walk you to your car if you like. He loves the attention after all.” Gou wagged his tail and barked before moving his head under her hand for more scratches.

“Hades, a great guy... more like a rude-ass uncle,” she grumbled, but there was no real malice behind her words. Apart from not letting her pet Cerberus, which she still held a grudge about, the worst thing he’d done was try to lure her into a creepy alleyway when she’d just arrived on the island, and even that had worked out. “Gotta be honest with you, most of the gods I’ve met are not great guys, but maybe that’s just the Greek pantheon, I don’t know.” Mia shrugged. “But you sound like an alright person. God of Protection sounds a lot better than--” And she stopped herself before she could go on another annoyed rant.

Felix watched her for a moment, halfway between amused and confused. She seemed really interesting, although she sure did swear a lot. That was okay, though, some people were just like that. “I mean, I’d hope we wouldn’t let you sleep in the store for a whole week,” he teased, offering her a smile. “Oh, right. That makes more sense.” Right, not everyone had his wacky memory problems.

“I’m from Sydney! But, I, um, don’t really remember it.” It was kind of annoying that he could pull weird Australian slang out of his brain, but not details about the place where he had apparently lived for eighteen years. Oh well, he supposed he should be grateful that he could recall anything at all, even if it was trivial.

“Oh, that’s a pretty name!” He commented with a bright smile, glancing over at her as the coffee poured out of the machine. “Okie dokie! You’re much lower maintenance than the customers,” he joked, taking out the milk and pouring a splash into the mug before giving it a little stir. Sometimes the things people wanted him to make them were crazy– but luckily the expensive espresso machine seemed to know how to make the drinks, even if he did not know what they were.

“Really? There’s something wrong with it? I thought it looked amazing. Guess that’s why I just run the desk,” he joked, bringing over a mug of coffee and offering it to her. “How long have you been here? On the island, I mean? Oh, and who’s your god parent?” He was really curious about this fellow Aussie, and eager to get to know her as a result.

“I’d hope so too, but who knows~ maybe someone decided to prank me,” Mia teased right back, laughing. This kid already seemed like a fun younger brother type, kind of like her actual (well, sort of) younger brother Sebastian, except less of a dickhead. Sebastian could take some lessons from Felix, honestly.

“Oh really?” That was a bit weird, but maybe he moved away when he’d been really young. Or maybe... this had something to do with that losing-your-memories comment he’d made earlier? Either way, it wasn’t really Mia’s place to pry just yet; she barely knew this kid. “Sydney’s pretty cool, I can recommend going there. Melbourne’s still the best though,” she added with a teasing grin.

“Thanks, mate.” Mia smiled, genuinely, which kind of surprised herself. But this kid just seemed to ooze positivity and happiness, and she’d be surprised if anyone managed to not feel instantly happier with him around. “Oof, yeah, some of the customers request some absolute bullshit. Not being like them is a big compliment,” she said half-jokingly. She liked many of their customers. She also disliked some of their customers.