Chapter Text
City lights washed across the windshield as he navigated through the late-night traffic. Cars passed in slow streams, their taillights streaking red against the rain-slicked street. He kept one hand loose on the wheel, watching familiar signs blur past through the drizzle, while the other reaching for his phone as it buzzed against the passenger seat. He answered without checking the caller ID.
“How is it?”
Straight to business as always.
“Deal’s on.” He kept his tone light, eyes on the road as he switched lanes. “Next week, just as you planned.”
A low hum of satisfaction filtered through the line. “Good. We can start preparing the shipment then.” A brief pause followed before the voice continued, threaded with faint amusement. “At this point they’ll start thinking you’re my next successor, Phainon.”
Phainon laughed softly. “Are they wrong, though?”
The sound that came back was more breath than laughter, but the amusement beneath it was unmistakable. “You’re going to visit him?”
The café came into view a block ahead. Phainon flicked on the turn signal and eased toward the curb, scanning for an empty spot.
“Mm.”
He guided the car into an open space and cut the engine. Through the windshield, he could see the inside of the café clearly enough, his attention settling immediately on the figure moving between tables with plates balanced carefully in his hands.
Phainon glanced back at his phone. “Do you want me to bring you anything, Father?”
“No need.”
Arching an eyebrow, a smile tugged at his mouth.“You sure? Don’t come stealing my honeycake later,” Phainon said, his voice edged with teasing.
The line went dead.
Phainon laughed again, shaking his head as he pocketed his phone and stepped out of the car. The cold night air made him pull his jacket tighter, the lingering scent of rain still woven through the air as he made his way toward the café’s entrance.
Time to check on this brat.
The door chimed as Phainon stepped inside, and before he’d even made it three steps, Mydei was already turning on his heel to disappear into the kitchen.
“Mydei!”
The man stopped mid-step and Phainon couldn’t help the grin that pulled at his mouth. Mydei turned back around with a roll of his eyes and made his way to the counter as if he was walking to his own execution.
Phainon followed, sliding up to the counter where Mydei now stood with his arms folded and a frown firmly in place.
“What do you want, Haikas.”
“Seriously. Who taught you to greet a customer like that? Shouldn’t you be saying—” Phainon brought two fingers to the corner of his mouth, pulling it into a smile. “Welcome, dear customer. What would you like to order?”
Mydei’s frown deepened. “If you came all the way here just to lecture me, the exit door’s right there.”
Phainon sighed. “Your customer service is still zero out of ten, and you’ve been working here for months now. Guess nothing can fix your manners, huh.”
Mydei placed both palms flat on the counter and leaned in, voice dripping with venom. “And you’re still the same two-faced hypocrite who goes around killing people with that disgusting fake personality. Did Eurypon teach you that?”
Phainon went still for just a moment. Then the smile returned, easy as breathing, and Mydei sneered at the sight of it. He straightened up, arms folded like the hostile exchange didn’t happen. “What do you want?”
“Two honeycakes. Takeout.” He slid the exact amount of credits needed across the counter and Mydei took the money without a word before disappearing into the kitchen.
Phainon let out a breath and made his way to an empty table near the window. The café was quieter than usual tonight. Maybe people were still avoiding the streets after that heavy rain earlier. He scanned the room out of habit and noted the absence of Cifera, that whimsical girl who usually worked the evening shift with Mydei. Maybe that’s why he was being more of a pain in the ass than usual.
Phainon leaned on the table and rubbed at his temple.
Mydei. He was such a sweet child, once. Always trailing behind him, tugging at his sleeve, calling him big brother with that bright, earnest voice. Now Mydei didn’t even call him Phainon anymore, only haikas spoken so often it might as well have been his real name.
He sighed for the third time tonight. The headache, which had been a dull presence behind his eyes for the better part of the evening, chose that moment to sharpen. Honestly, Phainon would’ve preferred to eat here, while the honeycake was still warm. Mydei’s hostility be damned. But his schedule was packed and he couldn’t afford to—
A droplet of red hit the table.
Phainon stared at it for half a second before wiping it away with his jacket sleeve. He pulled out his handkerchief and brought it up to his nose.
Not again.
He was about to stand and head for the restroom when Mydei appeared at his table and set the packaged honeycakes down in front of him. His eyes narrowing as he took in the handkerchief pressed to Phainon’s face.
“Are you sick?”
Phainon waved a hand dismissively. “Nope. Just need some rest.”
He fully expected Mydei to leave. Instead Mydei pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, his gaze still fixed on Phainon with that extremely rare hint of patience. “Does this happen often?”
Phainon blinked in surprise and he felt the corner of his mouth tug upward. “My, my. Look at that. Worried about your big brother now, are you?”
Mydei rolled his eyes and muttered, “Haikas.”
Phainon felt his eye twitch. “Haikas, Haikas. You really like to cuss me out of nowhere, don’t you? Do you even still remember my name? At least call me big brother, brat.”
“I’ll call you that if you start acting like one.”
“Hoho? Do you have amnesia while this big brother was away, brat? Who do you think taught you to fight, huh? Who was forced to be your taste tester when you were just learning how to cook? Who—”
His rant was abruptly cut off by the sudden ring of his phone. Phainon glanced at the screen and suppressed a groan.
Work's calling.
He pulled the handkerchief away from his nose, checked to make sure the bleeding had stopped, and grabbed the packaged honeycakes. When he stood, Phainon reached over and flicked Mydei lightly in the forehead.
“Don’t worry about me. Just focus on your study.” He pocketed his phone and turned toward the door. “I’ll see you next week, Haikas.”
And with those parting words, their paths diverged once more.