Jupiter;

Noticing the way a few people stopped walking to stare at his friend, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself and try to focus his attention on the numerous stores they walked past while walking down the main street. ‘’Do you think they look at us because they aren’t used to see visitors in their village? Or it’s all because of that white overall you’re wearing,’’ he mused, his tongue clicking as he gently nudged Daith with his left elbow. 

‘‘I wouldn’t bet my life on it, but I think it might be a little bit of both.’‘ Thank God they were smart enough to hide the Pegasi in the forest nearby before they got to the small village. Imagine the scene.

Phillip was sitting on the floor in the middle of his living room, right next to his coffee table. There were a few ingredients in front of him, including seaweeds in a bowl, different types of roots, and a dark blue kettle, a mug, and much more... He lifted his head up to look at the entrance when his friend walked into his cabin like it was his own: ‘‘Hey, Ash! Glad you’re here, bro. I need to test something, and you look like you will suit the role of my own personal guinea pig perfectly.’‘ A wide smile spread across his face as he looked at the other male, fingers drumming gently against the edge of the table. A low budget survival bro; if you please. 

It’s on that same dock that he decided to lie down with a feeling of accomplishment, muscular arms crossed behind his head as he enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon sun on his skin. He could already tell it was going to be his favorite place to nap. 

on the ground, though, he had to laugh. that didn’t go the way he expected but no real harm was done. he’d fallen plenty of times before and he was sure to do so again. “ah, poor lip.” he said with the most exaggerated tone. “you mean to tell me you’ve played hockey and done mma? and you can’t take an accidental knee?” he didn’t know much about hockey but hedefinitely knew how it was almost known for its full-on fights alone above anything else. “i thinksomeone’s being a bit wimpy.”

‘‘fuck off,’‘ he simply said, followed by a heartfelt laugh as he tried to push the other male further away. ‘‘I can’t take anything! But I could live without having my balls crushed,’‘ he commented. ‘‘I’ll show you wimpy,’‘ Phillip threatened, moving up but only to climb on top of Jamael. He straddled his waist, but instead of trying to attack him properly he smiled widely and gave him a small slap across the face.  The surprising effect was there, but it didn’t hurt much. It wasn’t his intention either.

‘‘You’re too soft for me to even try to hurt you,’‘ he added, grabbing his jaw with his left hand to annoy him. 

“You telling me you’ve never just lounged around with friends, cuddled for comfort? I know people have their boundaries but sheesh. Then again…I guess some people are quicker to put a penis in their mouth than show some actual affection. Not that I’m directing that towards you. I’m just speaking in general.” He rolled his eyes at Phillip’s excuse for staying. Yeah, the bed was pretty damn comfortable; firm for the support but molded to the person’s shape. It was like memory foam but…not? Maybe it was a enchanted; Hestia’s influence, every piece of furniture was designed for ultimate comfort.

“You really think this is weird?” Hestia’s son asked as he scooted over to lady against Phillip, now using the Sea Demi-God’s chest as his headrest. “Let your guard down and just chill. Well…” he paused to rethink the words. From what he’d gathered and the peril they faced and the losses suffered, he fully understood why Phillip would be guarded. “…I meant, just know this is a safe space to unwind and take your mind off of what we’ve got to deal with. When you’re tired of looking at the chandelier, you’ve got the stars to rest your eyes on.”  That being said, the Son of Hearth leaned upwards and pecked Phillip’s cheek, hoping that’d further break the tension.

“You take my dog, you don’t get any breakfast in the morning and I’m kicking your booty. Period.”

‘‘I’ve had proper cuddles, thank you for your vote of confidence,’‘ he told Omarion with a small snort. ‘‘I was usually the one offering the comfort, not the opposite way around,’‘ Lip simply added as he looked at the other male taking his clothes off. He didn’t try to look away, appreciating the sight he was given. Omarion was gorgeous, but he couldn’t say the same thing about that pink tank top he still had on. 

‘‘It depends on the mood. Thanks for not directing that towards me, I was about to feel like a proper slut and it’s not how you should treat your guests,’‘ he commented, chuckling to himself as he listened to his explanations. ‘‘I don’t think it’s weird --- it’s unusual.’‘ He moved his arm around the other male’s muscular frame, shoulders slightly moving against the mattress to get into a comfortable position as he closed his eyes. To be fair it was probably the most comfortable bed he ever had the pleasure to lay on. ‘‘This bed is ridiculously comfortable, bet my arm won’t get numb from cuddling either, fucking sorcery,’‘ Lip quipped.

‘‘Call me old fashion but when I get tired of looking around I close my eyes, a crazy concept,’‘ he mused, smirking to himself as he felt the lips of his new friend against his cheek. ‘‘Give me another,’’ he requested with a small grin. ‘’I’ll show you the view from my bedroom someday, no stars or fancy chandelier, but it isn’t too shabby either...’’

‘‘Well you don’t have my words,’‘ smirking to himself, he knew he will leave empty handed.

jamael hadn’t been ‘on the field’ in years but everything still felt fresh to him when he got into that mindset. he wasn’t trying to completely run lip over. he just wanted to trip him up a bit. however, he must’ve put a little more force than he thought he did because they ended up falling. it took him by surprise and he ended up crashing on top of the other before moving off to the side a bit.

‘‘Even if you can’t melt it, I think I’d be able to work my way with snow,’‘ he admitted with a small grin. It would be stupid for him to be able to manipulate water but not transformed water. Snow, ice... It was the same, in his opinion. He just needed to test that theory.

He leaned back against the wall of the pool, taking in the scenery of Lip’s backyard. It was gorgeous, with an extremely soothing atmosphere. The birds jumping, the gentle sound of the water glowing through the filter, the wind rustling through the trees, at this moment in time there was nowhere Asher wanted to be more than right there with Lip. He could tell they’d get a long. “Of course you train at the lake. You’re powers are probably all aquatic, right? Can you like, control the water and the weather and stuff, like your dad?” He hadn’t really asked many people what their powers were, and it suddenly occured to him that it might be important. Seeing what other demis could do might help him figure out his own powers. Might.

He arched a brow the second Lip submerged himself under water. All he could see for a moment was the disjointed image of the demigod’s form gliding under the water toward him, like some kind of shark closing in on his prey. When he popped back out and sprayed him with droplets, he shielded his eyes with one hand, while splashing his friend back with the other. “Yeah, it’s perfect. I might have to take you up on your offer to spend a couple nights here,” he admitted. A place like this definitely beat a clock tower. “And if you’re worried that I’m using you for your pool, don’t worry, I am,” he teased, splashing another wave of water toward Lip with a chuckle.

Phillip chuckled to himself, raising his arm to ‘shield’ himself from the water the other male splashed his way. It was well-deserved, and he was already wet so it’s not like it really bothered him. A wide smile spread across his face, he rested the back of his head against the wall behind him and closed his eyes. He didn’t know if the water falling from the fountain nearby was relaxing him, or if it had something to do with Asher’s low and soothing voice. ‘’Mainly,’’ he confirmed with a nod, opening his eyes to take a look at the male by his side.

‘‘I can’t control the weather, at the moment, but I’m working on it... Haven’t been able to do anything related to earthquake either. I don’t really know where to start,’‘ he had to confess. Most of his current powers could only be used with water around. ‘‘Water manipulation is vague enough to be able to play with it... But I don’t think making you sweat would be of any help in a trial,’‘ he mocked with a small grin now tugging at his lips. ‘‘I can swim fast, got gills to breathe underwater... I could easily make you regret splashing water at my face,’‘ he mused, using his power of manipulation to create a small wave a few feet away from Ashed, only to let it splash him as he broke against the rocks behind them. ‘‘But I’m way to nice, I’ll only hurt you if that’s your thing,’‘ he mused.

‘‘Please, take advantage of it all you want. I’m grateful for the company and you’re easy on the eyes. It’s a win-win situation,’‘ he added with a smirk. ‘‘But now you have to tell me about your powers, it’s the price to pay,’‘ Lip pushed himself away from the wall, slowly swimming away from Asher before turning around to face him.

“you underestimate me. if i want to send you tumbling down the snow trail, you better believe that’s exactly what’s going to happen. you won’t know when. all you’ll know is that it’s going to happen at some point.” they wouldn’t have the relationship that they had if one didn’t try to knock the other off their pedestal a little bit. it was how they showed each other they cared. “yep, that was me. they couldn’t catch me once i got the momentum on my side.” since lip faked like he had the ball, it was only right that jamael try and tackle him….which was exactly what he tried to do.

'’Carved properly it’s the closest thing I could think of that looks like a pommel horse,’‘ he confessed with a small grin, knowing it was a stretch. ‘‘Next time we train at the same time, make sure to show me at least one of your favorite moves. I’m curious to see,’‘ Phillip added, a small nod quickly following his sentence.

‘‘Calm your tits or we’ll end up triggering an avalanche during Boreas’ trial,’‘ he told him with a small snort. He didn’t think it was a possibility. Phillip didn’t expect the other male to try to tackle him, so when Jamael did it he tried his best to keep his grounds, but only ended up falling with the impact. His old fighting techniques kicked in at the same time, which helped to take his friend down with him by hooking a leg to the other’s. A semi-muted huff left his lips. 

“I mean do you HAVE to go?” he asked looking to the other in almost a pleading manner. “I mean you said you wanted to bed someone so just come here and chill for a bit. “ He then grinned, patting the empty space next to him excitedly. “Cuddle sesh. Right now. Then you can depart.” he lifted his arm to adjust and fluff the pillow behind his head with a few gentle smacks. “Don’t make Tot sad and leave so early.”

Cut to the scene of the fluff potato snoozing on the seat at the foot of the bed, snoozing with his purple tongue poking out.

‘‘I guess I don’t---’‘ he replied with a small grin, surprised by the offer that came next, he nipped at his lower lip and looked at Omarion for a while. ‘‘Oh, and just so you know, I never said that.’‘ Laughing, he walked closer to the bed. Close enough to let his fingers move through the puppy’s fur, hoping he won’t wake up to bite his fingers off. ‘‘I don’t think I’m the cuddler’s archetype,’‘ Phillip had to admit, grinning to himself while thinking about the possibility of just lying next to Omarion for a while.

‘‘I’m only staying cause your bed looks crazy comfortable,’‘ he said with a matter of fact tone, a small smile tugging at the corner of the son of Poseidon’s lips as he kicked his shoes off. He got into bed a moment after, letting his head fall against the nearest pillow. ‘‘Come here before it gets weird,’‘ he added, moving his arm up for the other demigod to get closer to his chest, an open invitation to share his personal space between they find themselves both staring at the chandelier. 

‘‘As soon as you fall asleep I’m leaving with the dog,’‘ he joked.

“ the nymphs did. ” deciding to lie straight through his teeth at the other. “ says you. i’d bet that milo could get across the water quickly as well or even gus could beat you to the other side. ” the competitive spirit riled up the son of athena, loving to try to squander the other’s swelling pride in any possible way that he could. “ but i’m sure you’re great too, lip. i’m just not really sure what ya can do. ” he left it at that, still curious to the other’s powers and how he could help with his manipulation of water. logan who had deceased hadn’t been too good with his powers either.

“ i get really short timeframes of sleep. maybe 20-30 minute increments with the same horrific dream and this incredible heat that i just can’t stand. everyone i’m sure is having trouble, especially as the assassin attacked but it’s a part of my being until we rid both zeke and i of this curse. ” ari sighed, shrugging which would be enough of an answer for phillip on how he was doing.

“ yeah. same was when you came and all the newbies. it’ll be a change for sure. ” a quick sigh as ari found his way a bit closer so he could rest on the bank of the lake and stand in the water. “ how’s it going for you? you seem like you’re adjusting pretty well. heard a few moans out of your cabin the past couple of nights. ” ari shot the other a look, raising his eyebrows in jest of the other’s position.

‘‘who?’‘ matching the other male’s cockiness didn’t require any effort on his side. He didn’t think another could beat him to it and frankly didn’t know what Ari had to prove. 

‘‘Got it. I thought your curse was different than Zeke’s... Hopefully, we’ll get to find a cure to it before you guys end up looking like zombies.’‘ It was surprising how incredibly well he looked for a guy fueled by a few hours of sleep.