"Mm…" Cas huddled up against Zachary and closed his eyes, gradually relaxing again. He sighed softly, shifting around a bit to be more comfortable.
"Mhmm." Nix purred when Halm pet him, turning his ears back. "Maybe we can try that when we get back."
Zachary let Cas move however he wanted, sighing softly. He hadn't been expecting to do this tonight, but here he was. Still, he wasn't upset. He gently patted Cas's head, smiling softly.
"Okay then." Halm slipped the vessel into one pocket and the soul into another. He scratched Nix's head again, smiling a little.
"Do you want to do another tonight or go home to Cas?"
Cas soon drifted back off to sleep in Zachary's arms, seeming more relaxed now than he'd been when he was awake.
"We should probably head back. He might wake up soon, and he'd probably freak out when he noticed that we were gone and there was some random guy he didn't know in there with him."
Zachary held Cas close, glad he was more relaxed now that he was asleep.
Halm nodded, standing and offering his hand to Nix. He nodded.
"That's true. We'll have to get back soon just in case."
(Boi are they in for a surprise)
(Yeah lol)
Nix nodded as well and accepted Halm's hand. He cast one last glance over to the mangled body and smiled, pleased with their work.
Halm moved closer to Nix, glancing once at his work with a smile. He led Nix into one of the shadows, reappearing in the kitchen. Halm let go of Nix's hand t to wash the blood off of himself momentarily, setting the memory vessel down on the counter and letting the soul float out to the others.
"Wanna try to cook this now or go check on Cas?"
"We should probably check on Cas first just in case he's already woken up." Nix said, already heading towards Halm's bedroom.
Halm nodded, coming with Nix to the bedroom. He sucked in a little breath when he saw how Cas and Zachary were.
"What's going on?" He asked quietly.
Nix eyed Zachary suspiciously, turning his ears back a bit as he glared at him. Cas yawned a bit and huddled closer to him in his sleep.
Halm was not happy with this, not at all.
"Get up," he ordered. Zachary swallowed very thickly, carefully moving Cas off of himself. He felt a bit bad, though. Cas had seemed so comfortable. Halm glared a at Zachary a bit.
"You were just supposed to keep him safe."
"I-I'm sorry sir," Zachary mumbled, looking down at the floor.
Cas whined softly in his sleep when he was moved, trying to move closer to Zachary again. Nix crossed his arms, still suspicious. "How did that even happen? Hasn't he been asleep the whole time?"
Zachary kept his eyes on the ground, no matter how much he wanted to glance at Cas.
"He… Woke up, sir. I- I'm sorry." Halm looked over when Cas whined, tucking him in more and thinking over what Zachary had said.
Nix followed Halm, standing between Zachary and Cas protectively. "Explain. What did he do when he woke up?"
"H-he asked where both of you were, and… And he got emotion about me being nice to him, a-and he kept getting closer and closer, a and I'm sorry, I-I didn't know what it do-" Zachary was freaking out a little. If Halm didn't approve of what he had done, he was in horrible, terrible, trouble. Especially considering what he had been out doing.
Halm looked up at Zachary, lips pursed. He wasn't sure he was happy with what Zachary had done.
"It's you're call," he told Nix.
Nix kept his narrowed eyes on Zachary for a few seconds. "You're on thin fucking ice, you hear me? I know Cas gets clingy when he's upset. If you hurt him in any way, you'll end up the same as all his ex boyfriends are going to be. I'd watch the news for the next few days if I were you." Cas whimpered quietly and huddled up more tightly in the covers, shivering a bit.
Zachary nodded quickly.
"Y-yes sir," Zachary said quietly. Halm tucked Cas in a bit more, trying to sooth him a little.
"M-may I leave sir?" Zachary was absolutely terrified now.
Nix nodded and waved him off casually with one hand as he turned to Cas as well. Cas relaxed a bit when Halm tucked him in, but he continued shivering.
(How tall is Zachary? I imagine him being pretty tall lmao)
(hmm… Like maybe 6'1")
(When he's the same height as my brother, also named Zachary)
Zachary hurried out of the room, giving Halm and Cas a lot of space. Halm sighed softly.
"He doesn't seem to be done well now," he noted coldly. Zachary heard this, and he practically ran out of the house back to the pond.
(what the f u c k)
(Lmao I loosely based his appearance on my brother as well)
Nix sighed as well, running his fingers through Cas's hair. "I believe the fish's story. Cas would cling to whoever was nearest if he was scared and upset, at least once he was sure the other person wasn't dangerous. It doesn't surprise me. I still don't entirely trust him, though."
(oh dear XD)
"I'm not sure we'll be able to ever trust someone around Cas, not with Cas's past." Halm sat down next to Cas, sighing softly. "I even trust Zachary, but when it comes to Cas…" He shook his head.
"Mhmm…" Nix sat beside Halm and rested his head against the god's shoulder. "I just can't help but worry for him… especially because of what we're doing."
Halm put his arm lightly around Nix.
"This is true," he agreed. "I just want him to be happy. Is it too much to ask?"
"That's what I want as well…" Nix sighed quietly. "He's had a rough life. He deserves a bit of joy."
Halm nodded, putting his hand on Nix's head.
"So," he said quietly, "do you want me to go try to cook the memories, or should we wait till morning?"
"You can go cook them if you want. I'll stay here with Cas." Nix got into the bed and huddled up with Cas.
Halm patted Nix's head.
"Alright then." He stood, making his way out to the kitchen. He picked the memories up, thinking a bit. He had to find a way to cook them without them dissolving first.
"Maybe I'll just boil them…" Halm shrugged. He set the pot to boil, humming a little. After a bit, he dropped the memory vessel in. He had no idea how long to cook them. The vessel melted away, but the memories stayed intact thankfully. Of course, there was faint screaming coming from them, but that just made Halm smile. After a few minutes, Halm took the memories out, putting them in a bowl and bringing them to Nix. They were sure boiled, and sagged a little, but were still every much there.
"Here," he said, offering the bowl to Nix and sitting down.
"What did you do to it?" Nix asked, picking up the memories between two fingers and examining them with a bewildered expression. After a few seconds of examining the strange memory sac, he just stuck it in his mouth and swallowed. "Eugh… kinda slimy. Still bitter, too, but not as bad as Cas's dad."