Zachary shook his head slowly.
"I'll c-come back out as soon as I've fixed this," the minor god promised softly. "I love you so, so much, Cas, and you've got to make sure Nix is safe, okay? D-Don't let Derlik hurt him, and don't let him h-hurt you."
"Zachary, no…" Cas whispered, more tears rolling down his cheeks. "P-Please don't do this… what are you going to be able to do, anyway? What if… what if he hurts you?" He asked weakly. Nix huddled closer to Derlik, obviously afraid.
"I… I don't know… but, I'll do anything to make sure I can g-get you back, okay? There's no way I'm not going to be hugging you again soon…" Zachary let out a shaky breath, moving to close the door.
"I could help," Derlik said, calmly. Unaffected by what was going on.
Cas hiccuped weakly and rubbed at his eyes, looking up when Derlik said he could help. He didn't trust the god, but… he also didn't want Zachary to have to go through this. "W-What could you do?"
"I could heal Halm from whatever's going on. It's something all gods can do." Derlik still held Nix close, looking at Cas and the minor god hidden slightly behind the half-closed door.
"Well… go ahead and do that, then. And leave Nix here, preferably. I don't want him to feel… w-whatever is going on in there." Cas looked up at Zachary weakly.
(Derlick you had better play nice!!!!)
(Mhmm >:3)
Derlik nodded, looking down at Nix.
"I'm going to fix this, okay? Can I set you down?" Zachary watched Derlik wearily, looking back to Cas with tears in his eyes.
"I…"
Nix hesitantly nodded, allowing Derlik to set him down in the grass. Cas kissed Zachary's cheek and stepped back, trembling with fear. He held onto Nix's hand to comfort both of them.
Derlik lightly patted Nix's head and kissed the spot, moving over to the door. Zachary stepped out of the way, ending up out of Cas's line of sight. The door was closed, and the two were left alone.
Cas whimpered softly in fear, a couple more tears rolling down his cheeks. Nix glanced over at him and hugged him tightly, purring to comfort him.
It took time. Derlik was in there for what looked like forever, but eventually he and Zachary made their way out. Zachary hurried to Cas and Nix, hugging them both tightly.
Cas hugged Zachary tightly, burying his face in his chest as he sobbed. "Oh my god… t-thank god you're okay…" He whispered. "W-What did you do?" He asked. "To… to Halm?"
"I'm right here," Zachary said softly, holding him close. "I'm okay…" He paused as Cas asked about Halm, tucking his head close so Nix couldn't hear.
"He… He was almost dead," he whispered softly. "It looked like he'd tried to… you know… but he passed out before he could finish. Derlik helped us patch him up… He's still unconscious, in his bed now."
Cas paled a bit, holding tighter to Zachary. "What… w-what would happen to us?" He asked in a shaky whisper. "If he… if he died? Since we're his claimed souls and all…" Nix wandered over to Derlik and hugged him as well as he could considering the size difference.
Zachary fell quiet.
"Well…" He looked away, hugging Cas tight. "You would…" He was hesitant to tell Cas. He didn't want to scare his lover with the truth, after all. Derlik lifted Nix up into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"It's okay now," he said softly.
Cas looked up at Zachary weakly, his eyes still stinging with tears. "I-I would what…?" He asked softly. Nix purred softly and huddled up against Derlik, not really seeming to understand the weight of the situation.
Zachary held Cas close, moving to sit down on the path. He was quiet, pulling Cas to his chest.
"You… you know the soul orbs?" He asked softly. "The ones in the flowers..?"
Derlik preferred Nix to not understand. He gently kissed Nix's head, patting his back. He glanced over at Cas and Zachary, then back to Nix.
Cas nodded a bit and huddled up against Zachary's chest. "Yeah… what about them?" He asked.
Nix yawned a bit and buried his face in Derlik's shoulder, not wanting to see Cas or Zachary or go inside.
"W-Well…" Zachary held Cas close, head against him. "You'd… you'd be stuck like that until Halm was brought back to life…" He let out a shaky breath, kissing Cas's head. He'd been so terrified…
Derlik gently kissed Nix's head, rubbing his back.
"I've got you, you're okay…"
"O-Oh… and… I guess I'd be stuck there forever if he never got brought back?" He asked in a shaky whisper.
"Mm…" Nix closed his eyes, turning his ears back a bit. "I-I don't wanna…"
Zachary nodded slowly. He hugged Cas tighter, not wanting to let go. He couldn't… he couldn't handle the thought of having to see his lover trapped like that.
"I know, I know…" Derlik moved his hands up to Nix's head to run through his hair.
Cas buried his face in Zachary's shoulder, trembling a bit. "And… a-and there's no other way for me to get free, even if another god did something…?" He asked weakly.
Zachary shook his head silently. Not a thing.
"But- but i-it's okay! The god is safe, n-nothing can happen to you…" Zachary tightened his grip on Cas, kissing his head with wavering lips.
Cas nodded a bit and held tighter to Zachary. "R-Right… we're… we're gonna be fine. I'm not gonna get trapped in the thing any time soon…"
"Not ever," Zachary said softly. "I… I won't let it happen, I swear it." The minor god kissed Cas's head, curled up around him as they sat outside the house.
Cas nodded again, curling up in Zachary's lap with his legs around the other man's waist. "W-We should probably head in soon, but… Nix doesn't need to see whatever is in there."
"Sis… sis is cleaning up now. We… just need to keep him out of the bathroom and the bedroom," Zachary said softly. There was so much of Halm's black blood.
"Okay… we can try, anyway. We don't want him to know that anything is seriously wrong." He sighed softly.
Zachary nodded some. He stood, holding Cas tight to his chest still. He began to hesitantly walk over to Derlik and Nix.