Fantasy O/O? // Closed

Itzal woke up with his heart in his throat and a splitting headache. He gasped in pain, clutching at his head. Half of his mind was still in his dreams and for about 30 seconds, he had no idea where he was. Itzal tried not to show it, but he couldn't remember who this person next to him was. Eventually, he remembered, but it scared him. His memories were slipping, it seemed. Even Cole, who he had grown quite fond of, wasn't spared from it. Whatever this was, he had to fight it. Itzal closed his eyes for a second, his hands twitching on his forehead. He was in a cab, he was heading out of danger, he had figured out how to kill the beings, and Cole was safe. Cole, who he… he… he liked. A lot. He had to make sure Cole was safe, that was the priority. And he had to make sure he remembered him. Whatever happened right as he woke up couldn't happen again. Never. He had to make sure of it. It had been the dreams, probably. Which… well, if it meant that he couldn't sleep anymore, then so be it. He was a god, after all. He had been too scared these past days. That had to stop. Itzal opened his eyes, gritting his teeth against the stabbing pain. "Are we close?" He asked, his voice a little too strained for his liking.

Cole didn’t even notice when Itzal woke up, staring at his lap while being heavily zoned out. His hands still shook as he toyed with the sword, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek, hundreds of silent thoughts racing though his mind. He did notice when Itzal groaned though, and it snapped him back into reality, his eyes widening at the unusual noise.
“We’re…I think we’re close, this is the exit we need to take here,” He replied, his words both slow and rushed at the same time, as if he didn’t even really know what he was saying. Still, he pointed to the exit the cab was turning onto. “From here…it’s a few blocks, I think.”
While his mind was crumbling under his thoughts, his brain was working overtime, flagging Itzal’s pain and bringing it to his attention. Itzal, the mysterious god who he had met not long ago and who he already cared for much too deeply.
Thankfully, he recognized it, and after blinking to rid the thoughts from his mind, he looked over at the god, masking his worry under real concern for him, “How are you feeling? Did your nap help?”

"Ah, okay. Good." Itzal nodded slowly, trying not to jostle his head too much. "I'm fine. It helped a lot." He gave Cole a smile, ignoring the fact that he was outright lying to the man. Cole had been through so much, far too much. He didn't need anything else to worry about. "What's the plan when we get there?" Itzal placed his hands on his lap, curling one into a fist under the other. Now that he knew how to take care of the beings, he could probably stop hiding so much of his godly power. He wasn't worried they would find him, now. He almost wanted them to find him because then he could take them all out and be done with it. But Cole… Cole would be in danger if all the beings came in at once. He wouldn't be able to guarantee the man's safety, so he wouldn't do it. Just a little power, to calm the headache and allow him to focus.

Cole pulled a tiny smile onto his face to mirror Itzal's before shrugging, feeling himself push his panic to the side. He had to come across as alright. At least for the time being. "I have no clue…..I need something to eat, for sure, and lots of sleep, but we need to get moving again. Who knows how many of the beings are following us. At the very least, we have to get away from the city…the less people around when the beings attack, the safer it will be. Any opinions on what we do?" As much as Cole was not alright, he was just as hungry, and exhausted, both of which probably contributed to his bad mental state. Looking over at the god, he sighed and leaned his head back against the seat, grabbing onto the hilt of the sword and his pants to hide his trembling hands. "Whatever we're going to do, I'm going to need a few minutes of calm. Almost dying can freak you out a bit."

"I'm sure we can stop for a day." Itzal gave Cole a soft look. The man deserved some relaxation. "It will probably take the beings a while to regroup, so we have time." If any beings dared show up before Cole was fully rested and had enough to eat, Itzal would destroy them. "I'm feeling very rested, so I can keep watch for you." Itzal raised a hand to Cole's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Exactly why we should rest. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you ever again." He would do anything in his power to make sure that situation never happened to Cole again. No matter what happened to him, Cole would make it out of this alive.

Cole nodded, trying to convince himself that he truly would be alright. The taxi rolled to a stop in front of the hotel, parking before turning to tell them how much they owed for the ride. Barely opening his eyes, Cole rifled around in his pocket for his wallet, handing the driver enough money to cover the ride.
"Keep the change," He said softly before slipping out, triple checking that he had the sword in his hand and that Itzal was getting out after him. "Do we want to get food from somewhere? Or I think there's room service if you want to go straight in."

(Sorry this is so late, school started up again and it's… crazy, to say the least.)
Itzal followed Cole out of the taxi. "I think that we should get room service. I don't think I would be able to go anywhere other than the hotel." Itzal laughed weakly. "And you would be able to rest more." He laid a gentle hand on Cole's shoulder. "But I will do whatever you need me to do." Itzal quickly glanced around for beings before realizing he didn't need to. The beings wouldn't be around for a while. He'd just gotten used to it, it seemed.

(No worries same here!)
Cole nodded in agreement, liking the idea of more rest and not having to walk anywhere for food. He wasn't sure why, but Itzal's hand on his shoulder was comforting, even if it did spook him slightly with the sudden touch. "Room service it is." He, like Itzal, did a quick scan for the beings before leading the way into the hotel, smiling gently at the young man behind the front counter before speaking to him for a few moments to arrange a room for the night. It didn't take long before Cole fumbled for his credit card and was paying for the room and the young man was sliding a set of keys to them in return. After he got his card back, Cole turned to Itzal and started leading the way into the hotel, explaining slightly apologetically, "I hope you don't mind, but I got a cheap room so I could save money…getting a train here and the taxi used a fair amount of cash. It only has one bed, but there's also a pullout couch that I could crash on for the night if we end up staying here." His words were quick, like he was worried the god wasn't going to be upset with his choice of room.

Itzal followed Cole into the hotel, hanging back slightly while he paid for the room. "Oh, no, I don't mind. That's fine. Preferred, in fact." Itzal shook his head, feeling guilty that he wasn't able to help Cole with the financial part of this adventure. "There's no reason we can't share it, especially if it's a big bed. After everything you've been through, you deserve a real bed, not a pullout couch." The second the words were out of his mouth, the god realized what he'd just said. His face growing hot, Itzal quickly tried to backtrack. "I mean, uh, I can take the couch. If you want me to. If we stay. Um."

It wasn't hard to see how red Cole's face got with Itzal's statement, but all he did was clear his throat and glance at the keys, "We can figure it out later. Right now…look out for room 115." He didn't want to freak him out by saying he didn't mind just sharing the bed, but he also knew there was no way he was letting Itzal sleep on the couch. Not after everything the god had done to keep him safe and alive. Cole didn't realize he had zoned out until he finally glanced up to see that they had just passed their room, and he quickly backtracked to the door, taking one of the two electronic keys while handing Itzal the other one.

"Right… yeah." Itzal nodded rather vigorously. He couldn't help but notice Cole's red face, and he didn't know what to think about that. Did that mean that he… no, Itzal couldn't think about that. Especially since he didn't know exactly what his own feelings were. Just like Cole, he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice them passing the room. Itzal backtracked with Cole and accepted the card. He had to focus, but the one bed had flustered him just a little bit. At least he was pretty sure the beings wouldn't be around for a while. Maybe… he could relax just a little. He deserved it… but he would only relax if Cole could do the same. Cole deserved to relax even more than he did.

Cole was silent as he opened the room, surveying the area with mild satisfaction. For so cheap, it wasn’t a horrible room, especially in the city. There was a small bathroom tucked right at the entrance to the room, and walking in further, the layout of the rest was simple. A couch was set against the far wall, facing the Tv, and a single, queen sized bed was against the other wall. There was a small window by the couch, and an air conditioner tucked into the corner, but other than that, it was plain.

“What do you think? Alright for now?” Cole asked as he looked around, flicking on the lights. His eyes instantly went to the bed, but he pulled his eyes away to glance over at Itzal, looking for his reaction. “At the very least, there’s a shower here so we can clean ourselves up. That’s probably the first thing we should do…in case the beings randomly show up.”

Itzal's eyes had gone straight for the bed, and then he'd forced himself to look around the room. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's good." He nodded quickly. There was no way he was complaining about the room if he wasn't paying for it– and he wasn't. So it was the perfect room all the time, no matter what. "That does sound like a good idea. Um… you can go first. I'll keep watch," Itzal offered, making his way over to the couch. A shower sounded like the best thing in the world at the moment, but he wanted to make sure Cole was taken care of first. Cole always came first.

Cole wanted to turn down the offer and let Itzal go first, but he figured it would lead to a never ending chain of them offering first choice to the other. “Thanks, I’ll be quick. If you want, you can order food from room service while I shower,” He offered, walking far enough into the room to set the sword on the bed and glance around once more. It was no five star hotel, but it was hopefully safe, and seemed clean. That’s all he needed.

"Alright." Itzal nodded, though he made no move to order any food. He'd sat down and realized that it was way too comfortable. He couldn't get back up, at least not until he'd rested for a little bit. "Is there anything you want to eat?" Itzal asked. He had no idea what he wanted to eat, so he figured asking what Cole wanted was a good start. As Cole set down the sword, Itzal's eyes locked onto it. He hoped that Cole would never have to use it again. If anyone was using it now, it would be him.

“Pizza…or pasta.” Cole thought for a moment and nodded, “Something warm.” He ran a hand over his head, waiting a few seconds longer before finally turning towards the bathroom. It was quite a tiny bathroom, if he was honest, but it worked. Cole closed the door behind him while he tried to assure himself that the beings weren’t going to attack him while he was away from the sword. As he figured out how to get the water running, the thoughts didn’t leave him and it took him several moments to fully convince himself that it was alright.

"Alright." Itzal nodded, finally pushing himself onto his feet. He couldn't find any pasta to order, but they did have pizza. Perfect. Itzal ordered some, then flopped back onto the couch. Although he knew the beings wouldn't be around for a while, he still had to check. Itzal let his eyes close, his senses expanding beyond his body and into the world. He hadn't done this since he'd crashed into Cole's yard, and he honestly kind of missed it. Being free, seeing so many more things than he normally could… it was a beautiful sensation. Itzal did a quick sweep of the immediate area and found no beings. But he did… there was something…
"Itzal." The voice that reverberated through his mind wasn't a voice, per se. It wasn't words, but Itzal knew what the person had said. He knew who had said it.
"Alluma," Itzal breathed, opening his eyes. Standing in front of him, where there used to be no one, was a god clad in black. Itzal shot to his feet, hardly believing what he was seeing. "Oh, stars, Alluma," he gasped, slipping back into the godly tongue. As he did, Itzal habitually slipped back into his godly form. Hair slipped from the laws of gravity, eyes suddenly contained the void of space. "You're alright. What are you doing here?"

Waiting until the water was about as hot as he could stand, Cole finally slipped into the shower. He knew he should hurry so Itzal could take his turn in the shower, but between the spray of the water and the simplicity of the task, he drew out the shower. Doing something so easy as washing himself off, and scrubbing the invisible blood off his hands was comforting. But before long he had finished, and had to turn off the water. And when he finished halfheartedly dried off, he finally got dressed once more.

“Did the food get here yet?” Cole called once he opened the door, drying his hair with a towel while walking back into the room.

"Looking for you," Alluma blinked slowly, his silver eyes darting around the room. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm…" Itzal trailed off. He was here with Cole, trying to keep him safe, which wasn't something Alluma would understand.
"You're with someone." Alluma turned slightly towards the bathroom door. "A human. Why?"
"Because I… I put him in danger. I need to make sure he gets out of here alive," Itzal answered.
"Ah, yes. The protector in you never sleeps." Alluma's lips curled into a slight smile.
"No, I suppose not," Itzal agreed, a smile matching Alluma's appearing on his face. "I–" Cole's voice interrupted his thoughts. Itzal's eyes darted around Alluma to see Cole coming out of the bathroom.
"Hmm…" Alluma's smile vanished, turning to face Cole.
"I, uh, no." Itzal shook his head slowly, the movement causing dark hair to swirl around his face. "Sorry." He quickly shifted back into a more human form, earning an unsatisfied feeling from Alluma.

(This may be very dumb…but Cole can see Alluma right?)

(Yep, he can!)

“Did you get pizza? I’m craving it now, but if you got something else that-“
Cole wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see when he came out of the bathroom. Maybe Itzal would be watching tv, or waiting patiently for the food to arrive. Drying off the rest of his hair when he stepped out, he flipped the towel away from his face, his eyes widening in a combination of shock and fear.
“Who’s this?” He asked simply, his eyes locked on the new being infront of him. Just from its appearance, he could tell it wasn’t human, but he wasn’t sure if they were good or bad. Briefly, he looked over to his traveling partner, just in time to see Itzal slip into a more human form before his eyes were back on the new creature. Whoever they were, they looked less than pleased to see him.

"Ah, um…" Itzal gave a quick glance at Alluma. "This is Alluma, the god of sleep and dreams. Alluma, this is Cole."
"The human." When Alluma spoke, his lips didn't move. They weren't words, either. A combination of images and feelings conveyed his thoughts instead. Itzal was used to it, but it was definitely something you had to get used to. "Itzal, you have to come with me." Alluma's silver eyes turned to Itzal.
"Why?" Itzal's eyes narrowed at the god.
"The rest of the gods need a leader."
"They're alive?" Itzal's eyes widened. "Those beings didn't kill them?"
"Mmm, no. Some were injured severely, but no one died." The news hit Itzal hard. He had tried to avoid thinking about the fates of the other gods, but hearing that they were alive lifted a weight he didn't know he had in his heart.
"Oh, my…" Itzal covered his mouth with a hand. If they were alive, then he had to go back. But Cole… Itzal's eyes wandered to the man. If he went back to the gods, he had to leave Cole behind. He didn't want to do that, not in the least bit. "I… give me a night. I'll join you tomorrow." Alluma rolled his eyes, but let out a resigned sigh.
"You and your soft heart. Fine, I'll tell them." Alluma disappeared in a flash, leaving the faint scent of eucalyptus in the air.

Cole tipped his head in acknowledgement toward the god, only to be bombarded with a barrage of what seemed like everything. And yet, he could tell it was from Alluma speaking. The god’s mouth never opened, but he felt the words in his mind, like nothing he had ever experienced before.

He visibly winced at the mental attack, but quickly steadied himself, catching onto the next string of words from Alluma. Questions filled his mind while he attempted to listen, quickly earning a headache from the task. Yet, he didn’t interrupt the pair, feeling and processing his emotions as they appeared. He had no idea there were more gods, but seeing Itzal’s reaction to news about them made him feel something like secondhand relief. The family Itzal had was alive, and though he felt the sinking feeling that it meant his time around the god was gone, he knew it was probably for the best.

“If you need to go, you can go, Itzal.” Cole finally spoke softly once Alluma had gone, “I understand. You’re not forced to stay the night.” While Cole meant what he said, there was much he was holding back. Like the fact that he wanted Itzal to stay, that the selfish part of him wanted to spend more time with him, even if it meant he had to wait longer to get back to the gods.

"No, no." Itzal shook his head. "I promised I'd keep you safe. I can't leave so suddenly." He didn't want to, either. He didn't want to, but he had to. The most he could was stay for one more night. Then he would go back to being a god, to doing his job. "Besides, the rest of the gods have managed well enough on their own up to this point. I think they can last one more night without me telling them what to do." Itzal laughed softly, then remembered what the man had just had an interaction with Alluma. He stepped up to Cole, placing his hands gently on the man's shoulders. "Are you okay? I know Alluma can be a lot if you're not used to him." Itzal did a quick once-over, eyes full of concern. He should have told Alluma to shut it as soon as Cole appeared.

Cole pulled a tiny smile onto his face at the joke, though it turned into a solemn nod as the topic changed. "I'll be fine…I just have a killer headache," He admitted, wondering why he seemed to talk more when Itzal was close to him, "I've never felt anything like what Alluma was doing. It hurts more to think about it than it did to have it happen if that makes sense." He figured he was speaking more to make up for everything he wasn't saying around the god, which was good and bad in equal parts.

He paused after he spoke, looking up at Itzal and offering another small smile, "If you change your mind about leaving to go to the gods..just let me know, alright? I'd rather be woken up and say goodbye than to find out that you disappeared in the middle of the night." Nodding his head towards the bathroom, he switched topics once more, "Also, the bathroom is free if you need to shower, I'll be out here when the food arrives to get it."

"I'm… I'm sorry. I should have made him leave sooner." Itzal reached up, gently running his fingers over Cole's temple. He wasn't an expert in healing magic like Elief was, but he could take away a headache just fine. "Does that feel better?" Itzal peered at Cole with a gentle but concerned look on his face. A second or so later, he realized what he was doing and drew back slightly. His eyes widened at Cole's words. "I would never do that to you. And I'm not leaving until morning. I promise." Itzal blinked at the sudden change in topic but nodded. "Alright." He gave Cole one last glance, then headed into the bathroom. The shower he took was quick and cold, but he didn't mind. It was just to get the grime off of his skin and out of his hair.

The relief from his headache was instant and it took all his power not to cling to Itzal and the soothing power he held. Cole’s eyes fluttered closed, barely nodding in response to his question. It felt wonderful, and by the time Itzal pulled away, his headache was only a faint memory.

He stood in the middle of the room as he tried to decide where to sit, wondering if it was rude to sit on the bed if he was going to offer it to Itzal to sleep on. Before he could mull it over too much, he simply sat down on it, taking only as much as he needed while he waited for their food to arrive. It seemed like moments before there was a knock at the door and he was up to get it, grabbing their food -which he quickly found out was pizza- and bringing it into the comfort of the hotel room. Cole didn’t care as much as he sat down again, opening the box in front of him and turning on a random tv channel just to give the room some background noise.

Itzal could faintly hear the door opening as he dried himself off, which probably meant that the food was there. Hopefully, Cole liked what he'd ordered. Itzal dressed and finished toweling off his hair, but stayed staring into the mirror. This was probably going to be the last time, at least in a while, that he would be able to be with Cole. He didn't like that one bit. Afterward… after he had taken care of the beings and reorganized the gods… he would return. He… he liked Cole too much to not ever see the man again. Cole was… the best person he had ever met. Itzal let out a helpless laugh, running a hand through his damp hair. It seemed as though he'd… he'd fallen for a human. Ah… No. He'd fallen for Cole. Beautiful, kind Cole. Itzal sighed, giving himself a slightly disappointed look.
"You're hopeless." He shook his head, then straightened up and headed for the door. Even if it was hopeless, he'd still make the most out of it. Itzal opened the door to the bathroom and walked into the hotel room.

Cole hadn't moved after he sat down, leaning back on the bed while devouring a slice of wonderfully cheesy pizza. A random nature channel played on the television, and while he wasn't actively watching the show, his eyes were focused on it. He glanced over towards the bathroom as he heard the door open, finishing his mouthful of food before speaking, "I figured we could each take half of the pizza if you want any of it." He offered a small smile to the god, trying to ignore the fact that in the morning, they would have to say goodbye.

Usually, goodbyes didn't bother Cole. He was used to people coming and going, and if he wanted to keep in touch there were always ways to do so. But saying goodbye to Itzal…he could tell it wasn't going to be easy. He had caught feelings for him, whether he wanted to admit it out loud or not. And as he looked at the god, and his heart screamed for him to say it, he kept his mouth shut.

"If you want to watch something else, I can change the channel too."