he was a man who sometimes spoke in metaphors, who turned even the simplest observations into something lyrical, much to mydei’s exasperation. most people either rolled their eyes, sighed in exasperation or awe, or just ignored him entirely. mydei certainly did, his patience for phainon’s antics as thin as the edge of a titankin's blade.

but then there was you.

it happened during the chaos of nikador’s attack, the city trembling under the weight of the titankin’s assault. phainon, ever the showman even in the face of danger, spun his weapon in a wide arc before slamming it into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the earth.

"and here we have the mighty mydeimos," he announced, voice dripping with exaggerated grandeur, as if narrating some ancient gladiatorial match, "facing down the beast with all the enthusiasm of a man reading tax reports!"

mydei didn’t even dignify him with a glare, too focused on the fight—but then, cutting through the clamor of battle, came the sound of laughter. your laughter. bright, unrestrained, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

phainon turned, just in time to see you wiping a grin from your face before shooting back, "ah, careful, sir phainon! i'm afraid if you make this spectacle even more interesting than it is, then this arena might become overflowed with guests! though honestly—" you dodged a swipe from a nearby enemy with an easy spin, flashing him a look that was all mischief, "—at this rate, the rest of us might as well be background dancers in your grand performance."

the battlefield clamor faded for a heartbeat as you twirled your weapon with a flick of your wrist, enough to catch his eye. "though..." you punctuated the word with a sharp strike against an enemy, clean and efficient, "...i must admit—best show in town." your voice softened just slightly, the tease giving way to something warmer as you fell into step beside him, shoulders brushing. "wouldn’t trade my front-row seat for anything."

the admission slipped out between breaths, genuine beneath the playful lilt, and for once, phainon’s answering smile wasn’t performative—just soft, just for you.

the sharp clang of dan heng's (temporary) spear striking titankin armor rang out nearby, followed by his trademark sigh—the kind that said 'i'm surrounded by idiots' without a single word.

"they're really putting on a performance, huh?" the trailblazer called over the chaos, their voice dripping with amusement as they parried a blow. "what's next, matching outfits? poetry under the stars?" their teasing lilt carried even through the battle's din, punctuated by the trailblazer's poorly suppressed snicker.

phainon could practically hear the eye-roll in dan heng's voice as he deadpanned, "focus. unless you want to be crushed before you could beat that level you've been so determined to beat in the simulated universe." but the slight upward tilt at the end betrayed his own reluctant amusement—not that he'd ever admit it.

meanwhile, you—completely unbothered by their commentary—just flashed phainon another grin, your blade carving a neat arc through the air as you quipped, "what can i say? some things are worth the audience." your voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as you stepped back-to-back with him, "though between you and me? they're just jealous they can't pull off the dramatic entrance like we can."

your voice was light, teasing, but there was something underneath it—a warmth, an admiration that slipped through despite your playful tone. like you weren’t just humoring him, but genuinely enjoying this, his antics, the way he turned battle into something grander. like you saw the poetry in his movements, the rhythm in his words, and couldn’t help but dance along.

(and if your cheeks flushed just a little after saying it—well, you could always blame the heat of battle.)

something in his chest tightened.

it wasn’t just the sound of your laughter—though stars above, he could listen to it forever, could bottle it up and keep it like the rarest of wines. it was the way you matched him, quip for quip, your words sharp and playful, your eyes alight with mischief. suddenly, he was the one caught off guard, the one laughing, the rhythm of battle momentarily forgotten.

but that wasn’t the end, no.

even after the battle with the false nikador, after the dust had settled and the adrenaline faded into something quieter, you stayed. the market bustled around you—vendors calling out their wares, the scent of spices thick in the air, sunlight filtering through colorful awnings—and yet, phainon found his attention drifting back to you again and again.

you weren’t just cheerful; you carried joy like it was something natural, effortless, like sunlight. when he pointed out a particularly garish trinket with a dry remark, you laughed, not out of politeness, but because you genuinely found it funny.

when he mused aloud about the impracticality of amphoreus’ winding streets, you countered with some absurd observation about how it was clearly designed by someone who loved getting lost.

and something about that—about you—settled in his chest like warmth after a long chill. it was unfamiliar, this careful attention to his own words, this sudden awareness of how they might land.

he’d never second-guessed a joke before, never lingered on the shape of a sentence, wondering if it would make you smile. but now? now he caught himself measuring pauses, weighing words, chasing the sound of your laughter like it was something rare and precious.

(he didn’t know what to call it. he just knew it felt like standing at the edge of something vast—something bright and terrifying and beautiful.)

and phainon couldn’t shake this strange, lingering feeling—like the echo of a dream half-remembered upon waking. it wasn’t just familiarity; it was something quieter, something older.

as if in some other life, beneath some other sky, your laughter had been a constant thing. as if your paths had crossed countless times before, written in the spaces between stars, only to converge again here, now, in the golden haze of amphoreus’ sunlight.

the thought settled in his chest like a secret. how strange, to look at you and feel the weight of centuries. how wonderful, to meet you anew in this lifetime anyway.

and as the days unfolded—as he watched you grin at street vendors, as he caught the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed, as he memorized the rhythm of your footsteps beside his—phainon found himself whispering silent prayers to titans.

not for victory, not for glory, but for this: that whatever comes next, whatever lives may wait beyond this one, the universe might be kind enough to let him find you again.

phainon thinks—no, knows—that if there was one thing carved into the very core of his being, one thing that would survive the collapse of stars and the turning of ages, it would be the sound of your laughter.

not just the sound, but the way it unfolds: how it starts as a quiet huff against your lips before spilling over, bright and unguarded, like sunlight breaking through stormclouds. the way your nose scrunches just slightly, the way your shoulders shake when it really takes hold of you, the way you sometimes press a hand to your chest as if trying to contain the joy of it.

he’s a man built on dramatics, on grand gestures and louder words, but this—this undoes him completely. every time he coaxes that laughter from you, it feels like stepping into the holiest of temples.

like catching starlight in his palms. like if he could just live in these moments forever, curled around the warmth of your joy, he would ascend to something greater than any godhood.

(and maybe, in another life, he did. maybe he knelt at altars built for quieter things, prayed to the curve of your smile instead of any titan. maybe he’ll do it again, in every life that follows.

the thought doesn’t scare him. it feels like coming home.)