Lucius tipped his head lightly, watching Feo. Somewhere, in the depths of his eyes, there were shadows and skeletons. The closet doors had been partially opened and Feo had seen them again. It wasn't his fault, it was that woman. Aera... more like Arse-a. She was nothing more than an annoyance and if she ever dared to actually show her face, Lucius absolutely would poke a few holes in her side.

Lucius leaned back against the pillows and headboard of the bed. His arms wrapped themselves around Feo, one hand running along his shoulders and the other through his hair.

"You're not dragging me into anything," Lucius soothed quietly--well, at least he hoped it was soothing. By all means, he could choose to leave. But he wasn't. Lucius wanted to stay, he needed to stay. To prove to everybody else that he could do something, to prove to Feo that he really did have someone in his corner, to prove to the gods that they could be more--and they should be better.

"You don't have to worry about keeping me safe, I can do that just well," Lucius added. Somehow. He'd... he'd figure that out later. The Greek was still slightly relieved that the woman was illusion and not actually solid. That was not going to be a fun aftermath to deal with and he was quite honestly okay with it.

An arm brace of sorts would probably be helpful but Lucius wasn't sure how to find one without... making it somewhat obvious.

"Some people do," he added, addressing the first thoughts, "that's all they can do. They're too cowardly to actually fight so they try and dig under your skin. But the biggest thing is that the past... is done. There's nothing to change it, you can't 'fix' it or whatnot, you can just move past and learn from it. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to--or if you don't feel ready to address it. I understand and that's alright."

His eyes softened slightly as he let out a small breath. The dark hair felt soft, silky even. The way it slid through his fingers, piecing through like slim feathers of a sort.

"At the least, now that we know she's not a threat, we can continue doing what we want to do," Lucius whispered. "We can get on the train, fly out to Florida... and just get on with our plans. If Heimdal comes to contact us... well, we can tell him that somebody is trying to mess up our plans. He can ... maybe deal with it," he had little faith in the god considering the fact he had just now decided to keep an eye on Loki.

What an idiot.

"But right now, we rest. We take a breather, we rest, we'll fix some trousers and pants and then we'll decide. It's just like you say, one step at a time. Right now, that step?"

Lucius tilted his head to the side. "That step is resting."

Feo remained pressed close to Lucius, the soothing motion of his hand through his hair doing more to calm him than he cared to admit. He let the words sink in, each one grounding him a little more. Lucius's confidence was almost enviable, the way he carried on with such unwavering determination. Feo wished he could believe in his own strength the same way Lucius seemed to believe in his.

Rest. It sounded simple, logical even, but Feo’s mind churned restlessly beneath the surface. His fingers idly traced a small pattern against Lucius’s side, his mind juggling the weight of everything that had just happened. Aera might have been an illusion, but her words weren’t, and neither was the threat she represented. Still, Lucius’s perspective helped ease some of that burden, even if Feo didn’t entirely agree.

“I don’t know if I believe that she’s not a threat,” Feo murmured, his voice quiet but steady. “Even as an illusion, she managed to get under my skin, dredge up things that I’ve buried for years. And if she can do that, what’s stopping her from taking it further? From coming after you?” His voice tightened on the last word, and he hated how raw it sounded.

He shook his head and let out a small sigh, finally pulling back just enough to meet Lucius’s eyes. “I know you can take care of yourself,” he said, his tone softening. “But the idea of her—or anyone—hurting you because of me... I don’t know if I can handle that.” Feo’s brow furrowed slightly as he looked away, his fingers flexing unconsciously against Lucius’s arm.

“But you’re right,” Feo conceded after a moment. “One step at a time.” The words felt heavier than they should have, as though he were trying to convince himself more than anything. He glanced toward the small suitcase of their rushedly bought belongings, thinking about the journey ahead. A part of him wanted to drop everything, to just stay here and pretend the outside world didn’t exist. But that wasn’t an option—not for them.

Feo reached up to push Lucius's hair back from his face, a rare flicker of vulnerability crossing his features. “I’m... glad you’re here, Lulu,” he said quietly, his voice almost hesitant. “Even if I don’t say it enough. I don’t think I’d still be standing if it weren’t for you. I.. I love you too.”

He let the moment hang in the air for a beat before exhaling and leaning back into Lucius, letting himself relax just a little more. "Okay," he muttered, closing his eyes briefly. "We rest now. But after that, we plan. And we keep moving. Because if she thinks she can stop us, then she doesn’t know who she’s dealing with.” His voice carried a faint edge, a spark of determination that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

Feo’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze drawn upward to Lucius’s face. For a moment, he just stared, letting his eyes trace over every familiar feature—the sharp lines of his jaw, the warmth in his expression, and, of course, those impossibly vibrant sapphire eyes. They were breathtaking, even in the dim light, like pieces of the sky had been stolen and set into his face.

A pang of guilt coiled in Feo’s chest, sharp and insistent. He cursed himself silently, his throat tightening. He was so stupid. He had let his feelings for Lucius shine so clearly, so openly, that they had become a target. People like Aera saw how much Lucius meant to him, and they exploited it. Feo wanted to protect him, to shield him from all the chaos and danger that seemed to follow in his wake. But how could he protect Lucius when he was the reason trouble found them in the first place?

Yet, no matter how much he tried to convince himself to pull back, to guard his heart, Feo couldn’t help the way it soared when he looked at Lucius. He couldn’t stop the warmth that spread through his chest when Lucius smiled, or the way his pulse quickened when those sapphire eyes locked onto his own. Feo was hopeless, absolutely hopeless, and he knew it.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Feo’s lips as he thought back to their first kiss. Gods, it had been awful—awkward, rushed, and far from what he’d wanted it to be. He had been so nervous, so unsure of himself, and to make matters worse, he’d been shapeshifted into a female form at the time. He cringed inwardly just thinking about it. No wonder it had been uncomfortable for Lucius. Feo had spent much too long replaying that moment in his head, kicking himself for how poorly he’d handled it.

But this time... this time, he would make it right.

Feo shifted slightly, his arms loosening just enough to give him room to move. He hesitated for a heartbeat, his eyes flicking between Lucius’s gaze and his lips. His heart pounded in his chest, every nerve in his body buzzing with anticipation.

Then, slowly, carefully, Feo leaned up. His hand moved to rest gently against Lucius’s cheek, his thumb brushing over his skin with a tenderness that made Feo’s chest ache. He tilted his head, his breath mingling with Lucius’s for the briefest of moments before he closed the gap.

The kiss was soft, unhurried, and infinitely more certain than their first. Feo poured everything into it—his gratitude, his adoration, and the quiet, fierce love that he could never quite put into words. It wasn’t about proving anything, or making up for past mistakes. It was simply about being in this moment, with Lucius, and letting him know, in no uncertain terms, just how much he meant to him.

When Feo finally pulled back, his lips lingering near Lucius’s for a moment longer, he opened his eyes to meet that piercing sapphire gaze once more. His voice was soft, almost a whisper. “I... I hope that was better,” he murmured, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

For the first time in a long while, Feo felt a small flicker of hope—fragile, but real.

Lucius shook his head lightly. "Let her come after me, there's nothing she can do. Ha--there's... there's nothing she can say or do that will get under my skin."

While he said it with confidence and a small chuckle, Lucius knew the deeper reason behind it. There was nothing she could say that he hadn't already heard, said or thought himself. That was the problem--or perhaps the blessing. There wasn't a thing, a single thing, that she could do that would be worse than what he had already said to himself. Or... done in a sense. Or almost done.

"It's not because of you," Lucius murmured softly, his eyes soft. "You don't have a choice. I'm here, she just wants to pick at you and tries to use what's available. I can hold my own, I... I'm plenty okay."

His eyes softened, running one hand through his hair again. It was incredible, Lucius could see the change that Feo had. Even from just the first time they had met, something about the way he had bloomed in who he was. There were the inklings, the faint bud of something amazing and now, Lucius could watch it unfurl into something incredible.

"After this, we plan and we move," Lucius conceded with a soft note to his voice, his own features softening. While he wasn't entirely the scariest being, he had... he had plain and undaunted stupidity on his side. That, in and of itself, was frightening. It scared him--a little bit--but it was far more terrifying to his opponents. Unlike any rational opponent, Lucius didn't have training. He didn't have rational thinking, or logics to back him up. He just had sheer audacity, hopes and dreams and a dash of brave stupidity. Which, so far, had worked.

"She absolutely has no clue who she's dealing with because she couldn't even get her facts straight," Lucius agreed, a touch of amusement in his voice. While Feo's had a slight edge, Lucius was far more amused at her pitiful attempts.

"She thinks that we don't know what we're doing. But, we do. We know more than she does. The fun part is, I don't have trauma. A little bit of a sad childhood maybe but trauma? Nah."

His eyes softened slightly, content to hold Feo for as long as he needed. This was fine, absolutely fine. "Besides, she gets too fiery, we just complain to Heimdal and he gets involved and suddenly? Not our problem any... more..."

His words grew slightly shaky, uncertain as Feo moved and set his hand on his cheek. An electric spike shot through his spine, bringing with it a tight grip of sudden anxiety.

It melted as Lucius returned the emotion. The amazement, his awe, a fierce determined love, the unspoken and spoken promises to stick around him no matter what, everything he could give. He put it into that soft kiss.

His hands lifted up, taking Feo's shoulders in his palms. A looser smile took over his expression before the soft sapphire eyed gaze flickered open.

"That--that was much... better," he mumbled softly. "Between you and me? I think I'll consider that our first," he whispered, a touch of amusement and teasing in his tone. "It was ... it was everything and more."

Feo's hand stayed on his cheek, warm and comforting. A solid presence in the midst of chaos. His eyes were focused on his own. There was something in them, a sort of curiosity perhaps.

That curiosity blossomed into a small smile, followed by his words. That drew a faint laugh from Lucius as he tipped his head forward, pressing his own against Feo's. If he wasn't impossible... what else would he be? Smart? That was essentially wrong and not something he was going to accomplish. In his life time.

"Shh," Lucius whispered softly, his eyes opening for a moment to lift his hand to cup Feo's cheek. "If I decide you deserve me, then that's good enough. You're not getting rid of me either, no matter what. I started this and I'm going to ... end it? I guess? Eh, you get the point," Lucius let out a warmer laugh and tightened his arms around Feo, lowering his head to rest on his shoulder.

His breath fanned over his neck, a loose and quiet sigh. This was just fine. They could rest for just a little bit. The rest of the world could wait, it would wait, they could just settle in right there and be just fine.

A part of him almost felt like maybe he should've pestered the woman with the whole 'being sick' side of things instead but that hadn't exactly been on his mind at the time. He was far too angry about seeing Feo ... like that. But arm braces were probably in the future... because ... that was a good idea.

"We're going to be alright," Lucius said softly, taking in a breath. The warmth of Feo, his slightly coconut-y tinged scent and just the weight of him there was far more comforting than anything else. A part of him realized that he was absolutely brainless for thinking he could've done all of this alone.

There was no way he would've gotten this far alone. Feo was smart enough to realize it... and kind enough to humor him until they could piece together a better plan. One that would work for both of them.

But the bigger thing was their differences. Feo was far more aware of dangers and the likes. Lucius... had no concept of danger. At this point, he had just accepted that fact and now it was a part of life.

Danger? Eh.

But Feo also forced him to slow down, to take moments to breathe and remind himself that they were okay. They could do things together, to just... relax.

"I couldn't do this without you," he whispered.

Staying there in the arms of Feo had Lucius relaxing far more than he had expected. There was something that had his heart soaring and yet, tethered to the man in his arms. He had it... all. Right there, right then and there, he had it all. Everything Lucius ever wanted or needed was right there in his arms. That was all he needed.

The steadying force of someone who could see outside of what he did, someone who wasn't afraid to pester him, someone who... who loved him.

Someone who actually, really, cared about him. Not for what he could do, or what he had, but him. Just him.

Give him too much credit? No, no. That wasn't possible! Lucius couldn't give him enough credit for everything he had done so far. He wouldn't have made it this far without Feo.

The brilliant, clever, Norse demigod. The man who could see things for what they were. Who understood the importance of pacing.

His lips pulled as a smile crossed over his face, a warmer and brighter smile that drifted into his expression. This was just fine. They could take on whatever came their way.

Probably.

If not taking it on, then passing it to somebody. Who could. They didn't have to take everything and everyone on, they could, in theory, avoid certain things all together.

His eyes slid closed once again, settling into Feo's embrace. Tell him...? There wasn't anything at the moment, nothing he could think of. Lucius knew he had shadows and Feo had skeletons but that was for another time, when he felt ready to talk about them. Not that it would matter, Lucius knew full well that whatever happened before... under Loki's thumb was Loki's fault.

He had nearly dozed off on Feo's shoulder when his hand bounced and startled himself into some sort of lucid state. His eyes fluttered, blinking a couple times before a small flush of color tinged his cheeks.

Did... oops.

"Right--sorry, I... don't really want to move but we do still have a few things to do before tonight..."

His voice was slightly sheepish and reluctant, as if begging Feo to tell him to stay put, right there. That he didn't have to move at all, to just slip into a light doze for a while.

Avoid responsibility and doing anything else for just a bit longer. That was what he wanted. Just a few moments longer, maybe... half an hour? Enough for a good solid bit of rest...?

It couldn't really hurt, right?

Lucius looked up toward Feo's face again, studying his expression. His amused tone held just the slightest inkling of a tease and Lucius couldn't blame him. It was the type of tone he gladly wanted to hear and without too much--if any protest at all--settled into his arms with a relieved hum.

"Mmh yeah, the pants," he mumbled into his chest, arms wrapped around his waist. "Finish switching those, hemming and whatnot... plans and stuff..."

The Norse demigod was not wrong. He could do it in the morning. It wasn't quite lifting the weight off of his chest but he could shove it off for a bit. But he didn't need to tell him twice, not right there. Lucius was more than happy to settle down, ignore the idea of moving around and even just getting up.

"Just a little longer," Lucius echoed warmly, looking up toward Feo again as he exhaled and closed his eyes again. "Okay. Just a little longer--we can always do the rest of that in the morning... just rest for a bit. It's been a long day... we can get up and get dinner and come back... but we can wait till tomorrow to do everything else," his voice was hardly more than a rambling mumble as he laid out his revised plan for the day. This was totally fine. He was fine with it. The feeling of Feo's gentle fingers toying with his golden hair only helped solidify that feeling of content. He was absolutely fine with just resting for a while.

Nothing was wrong, at all.

Feo was right there... he could just... close his eyes and sleep. Which was absolutely what Lucius was aiming for. His sapphire eyes were closed, mind slowly drifting into the weightlessness of sleep's blanket.

A flutter of feathers settled over the both of them as Lucius finally let himself sink into some semblance of sleep. Hopefully, he'd be able to get some sleep without having any strange visions or dreams or whatever else.

He really, actually, hoped that he could just sleep for once. No dreams, no nightmares, no memories, nothing. Just plain, good, solid sleep. Even for just a few hours. He didn't want to see Heimdal, he didn't want to see anything. Nobody, nothing, not a single dream.

That was exactly what he wanted to do was to just sleep. No worries... no extra loops or whatever. Though he was entirely certain that if he did have something, he was going to lose his mind and his temper. Which, granted, he tried. He tried to keep a patient temper but it was so hard when they kept pestering him!

A silent, unspoken plea before he slipped into the depths was the quiet request to just let him sleep.