Case 2: The Immaculate Deception

Ares tended to consider himself a man of simple needs. Ridiculous as it sounded for some considering his age and nature – he very long ago learned not to care about his peers' opinions. When asked about that, he would shrug and move on – not pointing out the fact that he spend literally millennia surrounded by people who wished he was never born in the first place… or what that idea could do to one's self-esteem.

So, yes, his ideas and wants tended to be on the simple side: he was literally the happiest man when he could do something for the people he considered a family – and to his delight, the number of those grew exponentially since he was reborn into his split, reincarnated self. He also tended to think that it was a trait that Senri very much inherited from him… however, that whole reincarnation business worked because he also didn't bother himself with breaking that down…

…like Damon did – but he long, long ago learned that his brilliant husband did love to ponder the strangest ideas. Like, for example, what made his boy, Raha, so distinctively different from what his lover considered himself to be – while for Ares, it was always quite obvious, really.

The redhead – smart as he was by himself – wasn't burdened since his birth by the exponential intelligence his original self had to deal with. And he – despite his sad upbringing – wasn't seen as a tool by literally everyone around him. Back in the day, their people praised Damon's intellect and skill, yes – so polar opposite to how they regarded Ares – but they even more loved to go to him with whatever idea or an issue they needed help with – and by the time they met, his brilliant scholar was bored to the point of insanity by it… and so painfully unaware that half of that at least was the loneliness he was never taught to recognize by those who literally breed him to be a perfect tool.

They were both unique – if in different ways – and in a stifling world that scorned all hint of individuality, that by itself was a sin their people could never forgive or understand.

Now, eons later – past that world's destruction and done with their insane plan – they both enjoyed the freedom of the new, imperfect world of the mortals, if again – in different ways. At least most of 'their' days.

The whole idea of sharing the days of the week in charge of their shared bodies was, of course, Raha's idea. In their somewhat symbiotic relationship, there was never a doubt that Ares and Damon were the dominant side over their hosts – by nature alone – but they both quite honestly enjoyed sitting back and watching what their boys got up to on a daily basis. It was fun and – in a way – educational, too. He, personally, spend literally years hiding his presence from Senri after he first woke up (which, in the case of Damon, went up the whole century of doing just that), so it was still quite refreshing to simply be able to comment on whatever was going on around them – and funny, because he and his boy definitely shared also their type of sense of humor.

And both agreed that there was definitely nothing as amusing – and arousing – as riling up their respective lovers. Senri, who was however only starting to get comfortable with the idea of making his Raha jealous on occasion, was quite less experienced in that than he considered himself to be, having literally millennia of dealing with Damon's fiery temperament.

If, since the ordeal of the Final Days and the fact that his brilliant scholar sacrificed a good portion of his mind and memory to save them all… it was definitely different than it used to be. Difficult, in a way, because his husband no longer had the pure, undiluted confidence in Ares's devotion to him – and he… well, he was still quite sore that doing what he did, Damon broke his trust, too.

He – like Senri – hated the very idea of self-sacrifice with passion, but what hurt more was the fact that by doing it, Damon literally took from him the possibility of being even able to mourn him if his plan worked as intended. If he wasn't so enamored with his mortal host that he has literally woven a massive portion of his soul into a shield protecting Raha's… he would be gone, and none of them would even remember his existence.

Eons they spent together… just gone, wiped out by the spell that, impossible as it should be, broke apart their Eternal Bond. All to spare Ares's feelings when his husband believed that his sacrifice was the only way to save them. Him, and their boys…

…and considering that they both knew that if set in exact same circumstances, Damon would do it all over again… was putting a wedge between them that was never before there.

And the fact that there was certain… uncertainty to his before downright smug, utterly confident lover was also something that only worked to remind Ares about that. The sense of wonder his husband experienced – he could feel across their bond – with things that shouldn't be new… was unsettling and made his insides clench with the idea that he was so fucking close to losing him.

But he didn't really know how to convey to his husband - in a way that Damon could really understand – what bothered him about this whole thing the most: that he didn't want to live without him. He loved their family and friends, yes, but Damon was quite literally the meaning of his eternity… and without him, Ares didn't know how or want to go on. He swore once – twice now, as they renewed their Bond – that they'll slip into the aetherial sea together… and for him, that vows were very, very binding.

So, while he used to have a thrill of making his possessive husband jealous, he quite… refrained from that since the whole ordeal. Mostly because, like this, Damon was extremely dangerous – and very few and only those close to them recognized the signs of his lover's temper.

While most would scream or curse when pissed off, Damon got extremely polite – and Ares always found that dichotomy somewhat amusing. Back in the day, many of their peers made the mistake of letting that mislead them into tripping his husband into snapping… and paid for that with their existence. Much less reserved as he was about using his inborn – potentially terrifying - gift and with a tendency to make his 'lessons in manners' spectacular… Damon was a flame incarnate and prone to be vengeful and hold a grudge to a sometimes ridiculous degree.

Erebus, the Pashtarot of the Convocation of Fourteen, was one of the people who learned about that first hand, and even now in this new world and while their respective hosts became quite good friends… he would be the first one to cringe when someone made the mistake of getting on Damon's bad side.

Which – apparently – Hildibrand Mandeville was quite determined to achieve!

Deciding to spend their day again following the ridiculous man around was somewhat brought by the caution on their side. If it happened that the so-called Inspector wasn't as stupid as he seemed and managed to get a hint of their boys' side activities, warranted making sure… well, he didn't, or they agreed to deal with him accordingly.

After all, none threatened their boys – and their families – without paying the price. Especially when both Damon and him fully agreed with their hosts' ideals in getting rid of the trash who otherwise preyed on innocents. All things considered, they even somewhat gingerly considered testing where Rahm – and Erebus, by extension – stood on the whole matter next week after giving them some time to adjust to their new situation. The boy's Esteem was a no-brainer since it seemed happiest when it could tear someone to pieces – and the more vile the subject, the more violent it became. It was somewhat weirdly submissive toward Ares after their initial encounter, though – with Rahm occasionally joking that if he allowed it, Esteem would love to bring Ares 'tributes'… and all things considered, he was grateful for Rahm not letting it do that.

Ares never actually figured it out… but he did apparently have some weird tendency to be surrounded by people who loved to embarrass him with their unbidden… adoration. And Damon teased him over Themis and Senri already enough, thank you very much…!

…and all of that put together – in a way – apparently led him to this ridiculous, weird situation he found himself in at the edge of a shallow pond near Camp Drybone, with Raha blinking at him with clear surprise on his face before he looked around and frowned.

"What's… wrong?" he finally asked gingerly, turning his crimson eyes between him – working his jaw furiously – and the immobile figures of the mortals.

Immobile because he had to use his inborn gift to manipulate the aether around him to stop his fiery husband from literally snapping one senseless Mandeville out of existence… in the best-case scenario. Worse… he didn't even want to think about it because, due to observing their hosts' side activities… well, Damon was definitely expanding his arsenal of creative punishments at a rapid pace.

So, he stopped all from moving and forced his lover to give control to his host… and he cringed internally at the thought of the price he would pay for that later.

"Damon got… upset," he said neutrally, glaring daggers at the tall figure of the Hyur immobilized next to them. He fully intended to wipe this… slip from their minds later before freeing them… but now he very pointedly lifted his booted foot, braced it against the Mandeville's ass, and shoved him in the shallow pond. Let's see if he's really immortal or not, he thought to himself, grinning wickedly before he turned back to the redhead in time to see his dark-red eyebrows shot near his hairline. Ares shrugged and wasn't even that surprised when Raha sighed with resignation, moved around him, and turned the asshole around, letting him float on his back.

"I think he wasn't the only one…" Raha suggested, then tilted his head curiously. "So… what happened?"

Ares scowled, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants before answering.

"Like that woman… Ellie, was it?... said, we found that Humphrey man near the Golden Bazaar and those two…" he pulled his hand back and pointed toward Hildibrand and Nashu, who sat in the water next to the woman in question nearby, before putting it back in his pocket. "…showed up soon after. Ah… by the way, that man actually claimed to be the Warrior of Light – and that he – I quote – protected 'Lou' at Carteneau…"

"'Lou'?" the redhead wrinkled his nose, frowning with confusion.

"Louisoix," he deadpanned, and Raha blinked… then snorted and shook his head.

"Good thing Alisaie wasn't here to hear that, then," he said, and Ares grinned involuntarily, imagining it. The lad would likely end up with his sword shoved up his arse… or his shield to make the lesson more effective. "But was there any truth to that? You know that none remember those Warriors faces…"

"Nah," he shook his head with confidence. "He's a kid, far too young to participate in that battle. But apparently, he had the misfortune to stumble upon that infamous 'duelist' and lose a sword that wasn't his. A family heirloom, to be precise, he was requested to bring to a blacksmith for restoration – and paid for, money he spend later on a healer if he's to be believed. The sword's real owner, an older man called Eleazar who lives in Golden Bazaar, apparently was so distressed over the whole thing he went bald…" he snickered when Raha snorted again. "…yeah. So this fool decided to get involved, and long story short: we came here looking for a fake sword that apparently is supposed to look very similar to the one that was lost, to soothe the older man's nerves – until the real one could be recovered. And all went fine… until this asshole turned around and requested I give him a massage," he said, and the redhead blinked slowly.

"Ah… and Damon didn't like that?" he said slowly.

"Well… he was fine the first two times," he replied, and Raha's eyes grew huge as his mouth dropped open. "Since the man insisted that his injuries were so severe he couldn't go one without someone rubbing the salamander oil in his body… Well, I should have realized something was up when he refused Damon's very polite offer of healing, yes…? But I didn't really think of it much," he admitted with a shrug. "Since when Senri was a Gladiator back in the day, it was considered something to be completely normal and innocent among the fighters in Coliseum, you know? Not only for the health's improvement, but it was also something that the sponsors would require from them – since it made the ladies eager to watch the fights."

"Ah… I can imagine," the slight flush on the boy's face was as obvious as how his crimson eyes ran down their body… and Ares smirked.

"No doubt," he snarked, and Raha's eyes snapped back to his eyes as he smiled sheepishly, and his flush worsened.

"Can't blame them," he said with a shrug. "Senri – and you – are so beautiful… If I think of covering him in oil head to toe… Well, I can see how that would bring crowds to see his flights."

"That was the idea," he waved his hand dismissively. After all, he was hardly as self-conscious about their appearance as his host… but he also was never in the same situation as Senri was growing up and later, too. Their people rejected him – but the very idea of rape was something… that apparently Sundering wrought upon the Eitherys. Or, perhaps the tendency itself was always there, but it was in some way tempered before…? Eh, perhaps that was an idea he would buy his husband's forgiveness with – knowing that he loved to ponder such notions. "Anyway, leaning on those memories – as I said – I didn't really think it that weird, but since I didn't have an experience of it… Well, with anyone but Damon, obviously… The first time I was apparently too gentle. Second… too rough. And I do mean… up to that point, Damon seemed fine, too – considering it the same way I did, I think… But then at the third, that asshole started moaning a very obvious way… and yeah," he shrugged, glaring toward the male again.

It was a tad… weird notion – for him, anyway – but in a way, he couldn't help but feel… violated. Used. And all things considered… well, he was almost too late with stopping Damon for a reason.

"I see…" the redhead sighed softly and turned, then Ares's dark eyebrows raised over his sky-blue eyes when Raha set his foot square in the middle of Hildibrand's chest and pushed, submerging the Hyur in the shallow pond. He didn't even look angry, Raha, that is, his full lips only slightly tilted at the corners.

"Raha…" Ares said slowly, tilting his head when unreadable crimson eyes returned to him. Normally his eyes were extremely expressive – making it half the reason why the boy painfully sucked at lying and something he knew that Senri adored about his lover.

"He thought you're Senri," the redhead said calmly, then looked back toward his victim – and the bubbles appearing on the water's surface above Hildibrand's head. "And I have very, very little patience – or compassion – for the fuckers who think to use my beast's generous nature, Ares… Because we both know that Senri would let himself be no less tricked into this than you did, yeah? He already gets enough of that shit from females, and I would not let this cretin be a reason why Senri would feel the need to be wary around men as well…"

Ares sighed, shook his head, and then wrapped his hands around the redhead's shoulders, pulling him back and letting the Hyur float again.

"Don't make me make you immobile too, hmm?" he said, then chuckled when Raha hissed with outrage, glaring at him over his shoulder. That was also a difference between him and Damon – as his husband rarely would suffer the indignity of some seeing him in a tantrum. No, he would literally destroy the reason for his annoyance and move on instantly toward something more interesting… other than when it was Ares who was the reason behind his temper. He was likely the only person alive – mortal or not – who could claim to have seen and survived one of Damon's hissing fits.

…and as much as he loved that blaze, even if it was Raha who looked at Hildibrand with something akin to murderous rage, he only chuckled and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, pulling him further back.

"He's not worth it, boy," he said against his flattened ear and was quite glad that apparently Raha didn't really try to fight back – or seemed to forget in a fit that he was stronger out of the two of them. He only seethe quietly, taking deep, slow breaths until he stopped to shake and eventually relaxed, going lax and leaning back against him.

"He isn't," he finally said, then tilted his head to look at him with narrowed eyes. "But he does deserve to pay, Ares. If not for anything else, then for making you uncomfortable, yeah? Otherwise, Damon will snuff him out as soon as he's back in charge, regardless of your wants."

He wasn't wrong… Ares sighed, then let go of the redhead, scratching his chin with consideration.

"…suggestions?" he finally asked, watching the way Raha kept glaring at the man but folded his hands behind his back as if to keep himself in check.

A moment of silence followed as the boy appeared to consider it, narrowing his eyes as they moved between him and the Hyur… before a downright mean grin bloomed on his face.

"I might have one," he said slowly, and Ares hummed with interest… to cackle madly when Raha shared his idea.

"I did always know that there's a good reason why I adore you," Damon stated somewhat hauntingly as he settled down behind his… their desk and smiled involuntarily when Raha chuckled in the back of their shared head.

If nothing else, his face the first time was definitely worth it, the boy laughed, and he easily nodded in agreement. But you're good now, Damon?

"I suppose… I'll still need to punish Ares for his… interference, but I'll also definitely add this to my personal list of the less lethal ones," he hummed with distraction, pulling open one of his shelves in the dark-red desk and picking out of it the stack of papers covered in a thinly writing in a language that very few could now understand. Especially not the extremely curious kits that loved to nose about every nook and cranny of their home. He set them before him and moved the pages to the empty one, then picked up the pen from the stack of them on the edge and, still smiling, wrote down Raha's ingenious idea.

514. Going bald with every untoward thought toward Ares (or Senri).

He was lucky Nashu brought such a big stock of that tonic, Raha snarked, and he nodded with a snicker as he put the pen aside and leaned back in his seat with a sigh.

"What now…?" He hummed, staring at the painting set on the wall across from their desk. It pictured him and Ares – as they used to look like, and it was a combined effort of two of his boys, with Themis drawing outlines and Alphinaud filling them out with brilliant colors. One of the gifts they received on their anniversary not that long ago – if very few were aware that Hades – sentimental as his son was under all of his usual bluster – kept the date alive by suggesting it across the millennia as the celebration of love. "You're going to follow up tomorrow on Ellie's suggestion?"

Maybe… I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't enjoy the company of that cretin any more than you do, especially after today… Raha sighed with exaggerated resignation. But this whole duelist… I do wonder what's that about. Perhaps we can investigate him independently?

"Perhaps… If I doubt that, in that case, we will avoid dealing with the Mandeville along the way," he said with disdain that melted away when Salina, using his position, jumped in his lap, purring loudly when he scratched her ear.

"Are you tired, papa?" she asked in her slightly hissing voice, and he shook his head, smiling again when she curled in his lap like she owned the space. Which, honestly, wasn't that far off – out of all of their cats, she was distinctively most possessive of them, if Sali didn't really care which one – him or Raha, or Senri and Ares – were in charge. "Good. Pet me," she demanded with the tone that earned her the nickname of their Princess – fitting considering her namesake. Or – like Alisaie liked to say: they just spoiled Salina rotten, none of them able to deny her anything.

She was just too cute!

He obediently set to smooth his hand in a soothing rhythm over her soft fur, looking up only when the door of his office opened, and his husband walked in, followed by two kittens that nearly tripped over themselves with loudly meowed 'up!' when Ares sat down in one of the chairs set across their desk.

"I swear…" his lover grumbled, then sighed and picked up both Vexx and Nexx, Sali's daughters, who, since they started to be able to scramble about a mere moon ago, followed him – specifically – about their home constantly. Surprisingly, they tended to ignore Senri when he was in charge, while their two brothers, Dess and Kess, took over the stalking instantly. None of them could really understand why… but Hades took a special thrill over teasing Themis about the boy no longer being Ares's 'biggest fan,' and Hythlodaeus laughed himself silly at Ares's badly concealed weakness for the kittens… and the former Elidibus's apparent jealousy over them!

Honestly… Damon found it no less hilarious, and despite still being still a tad miffed with his husband… he couldn't help but grin at the way Ares smiled when both kittens settled down in his lap with apparent happiness in their adorable, triangular muzzles, waving their tails in sync as they stared in their 'idol's' face and purred deafeningly.

"Perhaps they'll grow out of it," Ares sighed, leaning back in his seat and looking at him carefully.

"…so you said about Themis," he reminded helpfully, smirking when his husband groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I'm still hoping," he replied, then exhaled slowly. "Are you still mad, love?"

He looked down at the cat sprawling in his lap before answering.

"It is my… right to protect you," he said softly, in a neutral tone. "And… I do hope that in the future, you'll refrain from denying me that right, Ares. This world, as better as it is than ours, does have the downside of the mortals' beings quite less… tactful than our peers used to be. As you should be well aware after knowing Senri's experiences with how they regard your appearance. It is new…" he admitted quietly, looking up into his husband's painfully beautiful face. "…and I don't mean because of my memory… loss. Back then, none would dare to trick us like that…"

"…admitting that they felt lust looking at me?" Ares chuckled humorlessly, shifting in his seat to rest his booted feet on the empty edge of their desk. A reason why it was empty, truly, because he definitely shared that habit with Senri, and both loved to accompany him and Raha even when they were busy with whatever they currently worked on. And – in Senri's case at least – the boy would keep careful watch over how long his easily distracted lover spent in their office to whine if Raha dared to forget about indulging in enough substance or sunlight. They didn't really need it – substance at least, considering that their bodies were immortal – but Senri far too much enjoyed taking care of his lover's needs to let a detail like that discourage him. "Nah, they wouldn't admit that out loud if I could still see it just fine," Ares grimaced at the reminder, absentmindedly petting the kittens that curled into each other's fur on his abdomen, clearly recognizing the position his husband took as one that announced their nap-time. "And that particular color always made my stomach quite particularly queasy. Especially from those who knew they could never have me."

Oh…? Raha hummed with interest, and Damon felt his lips twitch involuntarily. His boy was still so distinctively naïve when it came to some things… if he honestly doubted that considering his life experience, he would be ever comfortable considering inviting anyone else into his and Senri's bed. Well… a nest, but still.

Why do you think Lahabrea hated him as much as he did…? He asked the boy instead of pointing it out. All things considered… he also knew that if ever, it would be literally ages before he was even going to consider that as well. It still felt too… new to have Ares in the first place, and despite how much he wished that he could change that – knowing that this involuntary reminder of his stunt hurt his lover – at some level, he… enjoyed rediscovering their relationship. I always thought that he was far too repressed to realize what exactly aggravated him about my husband that fiercely… but, as Ares would tell you if asked, you don't have to be aware of your feelings for him to see their rotten shades.

Ugh, gross… But, yeah, I can imagine that. I never met that… man, obviously, but do you suppose he felt the same about Senri? The shade of humor in Raha's voice made him smirk with devious enjoyment. It would actually explain some… stuff.

Like why he picked Thancred to possess, for example? He asked, and his boy hummed with agreement. Perhaps.

Okay… If you're both fine now, I'll slip back and enjoy my gorgeous beast while imagining Lahabrea's getting a confused hard-on in Preatorium, Raha deadpanned, and he snorted, waving his hand dismissively when Ares hummed with confusion.

Very well, my boy… And again, thank you for adding to my list, he replied, and Raha snickered before going quiet. Damon cleared his throat and looked toward his husband with a wry smile. "Had a chat with Raha about Lahabrea."

"Ugh," Ares grimaced, then tilted his head and wrinkled his nose funnily. "That reminds me… The other day Themis told me that during his… time with Lahabrea, the Speaker apparently had the tendency to really… badmouth me toward those of the Convocation who he partially restored, right? Not a surprise, honestly… However, Hades, who was there to witness once one of his rants, apparently didn't… appropriate it much. Did he share that memory with you…? Themis said his reaction was quite intense but wouldn't explain why…?" He trailed off, lifting his eyebrows curiously, and Damon scowled, searching for anything fitting in the vast number of memories his son shared with him in an effort to help him regain as much of himself as he could….

…and gasped, soon cackling madly until Salina hissed with offense, jumping off his lap. He always knew that their boy had a similar temperament to his older brother… but still!

"He did take offense," he managed after calming down a bit, wiping his teary eyes before looking at his husband's curious expression. "And those Ascians present were blessed with very descriptive explanation of why exactly Lahabrea had such an issue with you, love. I believe the words like 'cock-starved,' 'lust-addled,' and 'impotent' fool were used… among other things, and to sum it up… I definitely wasn't the one to teach him such creative language…" he trailed off, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Ah… He's eons old, remember," Ares said with a far too innocent look… if not for sparks of amusement dancing in the sky-blue eyes. Damon shook his head, sighed with exaggerated resignation but dropped it, and focused on the pile of papers still in front of him.

"Raha still wants to look into that duelist," he hummed, tapping his fingers against the desk's surface as he met his lover's gaze. "Do you suppose Hildibrand will know to keep that tonic at hand… or should I consider a more… drastic deterrent?" he looked toward his list meaningfully.

"Let's say… I hope he learns quickly," Ares shrugged somewhat helplessly, and Damon relaxed, smiling indulgently.

"Let's hope so… for his own good," he agreed, then folded the papers and put them back in their place before pushing his seat back and standing up. "Now, that's that out of the way… I think it's time for your punishment, love."

"…oh?" his husband tilted his head curiously, with no sign of fear in his beautiful visage. "What's that going to be, Damon?"

He pursed his lips, pretending to consider it as he moved around the desk before leaning in over him and delicately resting his hand over Ares's cheek.

"I think…" he drawled, closing the space between their lips until their breaths mixed. "…you earned the feather, Ares. So do meet me by the pool," and his smirk was downright devilish when his husband paled, and his sky-blue eyes grew enormous when he swallowed thickly. He tapped his hand over his cheek and straightened, heading toward the door… snickering only outside of his office at his lover's expression.

Notes:

If anyone wonders what happened with my story: 'Call of the dream,' I took it down because after obvious changes I decided to publish it. Curious? You can find the 1st part on Amazon as:

Monica Vexx - Dreamers.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!