timexticksxby

[timexticksxby]

"Why? This ones perfect." He hadn't actually looked up from it yet, his eyes taking in every little detail he could. Knick and missed carves included. An eventual shift of his weight, until he could duck his head in enough to kiss his jaw for a moment, before knowing he'd need to argue his point before the other would even maybe possibly accept it. "I can see every time you figured something out. How to hold the knife, where the grain of the wood was, all... All the little lessons you learned when you were working on it. Those mean something, Ax. And not some...'Oh I failed at this part' because you learned something from it."

A beat, before.

"Besides, if we were docking points for marks I'm pretty sure this still has less than me."

However long it took for Calvin to respond? It wasn't nearly as long as it felt for Axel. A funny little turn of the tables from the whole saying 'I love you' moment not too long ago. But he'd put a lot of time, thought, and work into these little trinkets- something he would've never done before. Because who would he give it to before coming here? Who would notice, let alone appreciate them? Now he had people who cared and appreciated him. It was new and he wanted to make sure they knew how he felt.

"Once I get better at the whole woodworking thing, I can try and make you a better one." Because, even with Calvin's reaction, he could still see all the knicks and mistakes that he wished he could undo.

[timexticksxby]

Of all the things that Calvin had seen Axel produce from that bag of seemingly never ending items, a wooden carving had been pretty much nowhere on the list of expected outcomes. But... Almost as soon as the wooden carving was offered to him? Calvin was beaming.

Because if anybody understood the sentiment of time going in to something, it was the son of Chronus. All he'd ever known to offer was things with sentiment and time attached to them. The best gifts he'd ever been able to think of were things like this. Sure, somebody that was trying to assess it for workmanship might have grievances, but Calvin?

He was holding it between his hands, taking in every little detail, and looking like a damn enamoured kid when he spotted exactly what the hands were, or what the pin was.

"This is beautiful, Ax."

"Alright, alright." Axel begrudingly let go of Calvin so that he could go into that extradimensional pocket (he really hated calling it a portable hole- that didn't make sense to him) that had served him so well on both trials. "Probably for the best so that I don't raise expectations higher than the execution of it."

He pulled out a small wooden object. It wasn't the most impressive thing to look at but the son of Hermes had clearly made it himself. It was a flat circle carved into the shape of the clock with roman numerals for the numbers. The clock hands? It was a best attempt at making them look like Calvin's swords. And the pin in the middle that usually kept the clock hands anchored to a clock? Axel's best attempt at making a teeny tiny anatomical heart.

He held it out for Calvin to take, wincing a little because he was clearly not the best at woodworking art. "Been working on this for a while. Was gonna give it to you before the trial but..."

[timexticksxby]

Was there the distinct possibility Calvin had taken it upon himself to find enough resolve to not let the weight of what trial they'd been on really settle in his head? Absolutely. He'd come to terms with death as a thing a long time ago but that hadn't made it any less daunting it face one of it's Warden's trials. But, he'd needed to stand strong, and he liked to think he had. Those hands immediately anchoring to his waist, well, yeah okay now he could really let the tension seep out of his system.

"I'd say now, because I'm the worst person when I know I'm getting a present but have to wait." The warm smile was returned, combined with the slow drop of his head to rest their foreheads together for just a moment. Thumb idly circling the Contingency Band. "...Another present. You're spoiling me. I'm gonna end up turning in to Milo."

With the pup released and the two of them alone for a moment, Axel walked in ahead of Calvin and waited for the door to be closed. Now in the privacy of the Chronus cabin, he pivoted in spot and put his hands on its resident's hips. Just something to anchor them both: the heat and weight of their proximity a reminder that they've both made it out of a trial revolving around death.

"Not sure if you remember, but I need to give you something." He smiled warmly as he kept his voice quiet, despite them being alone. "You want it now or after a nap?"

[timexticksxby]

"Same. I know there isn't a huge amount I can do to keep you safe out there, but I know there's plenty of people who will." Thankfully he was pretty good at one of the few things he could do out in the middle of the fray to keep the people he cared about safe: beat the ever living hell out of enemies before they could get to them. Make himself a prime target. Or. Tempting target, he was clearly not a good idea for a prime target given that altercation but still.

Door open, Milo was quickly released in to the confines of the Chronus cabin once he got the door open, and a nod of his own. "Right? Solid nights sleep fixing all of that is... Really handy. Could've done with that way sooner."

"I'm happy you're in one piece, yeah." He hummed, relishing their closeness. They'd been like this for a while, but it felt different now, with feelings now expressed. "Me being the one to help keep you that way is a bonus but someone else doing it wouldn't upset me. What matters most is you being okay." Thankfully, Calvin seemed to be liked well enough by everyone that he didn't have to worry too much about someone having his back if Axel wasn't around.

That last sentence got a small laugh out of the son of Hermes. "Gotta love how divine blood makes it so we can sleep off the worst of things with a couple hours of rest."

[timexticksxby]

It certainly highlighted some of the differences. Reverence filled Isaac's words as he spoke of duty, of standing as the champion of Thanatos, of fulfilling his birth right, while Calvin's own tone had remained something more casual. Maybe he'd had more time for it to settle, maybe his own perspective differed, but he was hardly going to knock Isaac's relationship with divinity and Thanatos himself.

"Just don't forget you're also half mortal, yeah? We come from both worlds." Both the world of divinity, and of the world of men. An idle moment of consideration, his own gaze soon settling on the lake, before a slow hum broke free. "Crossing the bridge, being shown illusions or images or whatever they were, I may have told my dad that my duty to protect us and this path I'm walking including protecting it from him if I had to. Not sure how much of that was vision or him, but the sentiment still stands. I've made my choice to protect the people I care about not just as the chosen son of Chronus, but also a very protective mortal man. I believe we have to take the best of both if we want to survive all of this."

"I've made the choice to walk my path, not just the one fate's picked out for me. World's tried to remove me from the equation way too much for me not to want to stand out from anybody else's shadow, even Their's."

The next question earned a couple of seconds of thought.

"One of the mages or supports, maybe? Hard to tell if there's a pattern to it or not when we're the only points to try and guess off of." There were plenty he'd already consider more than worthy.

The word. Isaac would spin out another for Calvin when the punny demigod and he weren't balls deep in chosen one talk.

Isaac listened to Calvin's words with solemn attentiveness, the firelight casting a warm glow on his determined features. He nodded slowly, absorbing the significance of Calvin's experience with his own divine parent. When Isaac spoke, there was a reverence to it. "It feels like this... sacred thing, the bond between me and my father. Thanatos is not just my father; I'm his champion. I made a vow to protect my friends and to uphold his design, and Thanatos emboldened me to stand as his champion over peaceful death - and bring my wrath down upon those who'd try and bring us to a violent end." Again, Isaac thought to corruption, to the Keres, to Olivia, and to all the bastards who'd try to do them in. He thought about Sethan and about Simon. No more sacrifices, no more violent deaths.

Isaac's gaze drifted to the Lake of Souls, dark, serene, mysterious, and deadly all at once. "I thought the responsibility would break me - that I'd fail." He wasn't really a people person, Isaac was arrogant and stubborn, and his perspective rubbed a lot of his fellows the wrong way, but he was who he was and it would take all of them to make it out of this alive. "But I was born for this task, just as you were," he gestured with his chin toward the others. "just as they were. This doubt... It's just another test, like fear, and everything else."

There was a shift in Isaac's demeanor as he looked back to Calvin, still curious, "If you had to guess, who would you say is next?"

[timexticksxby]

He was glad that it had stuck. It hadn't even fully been an intentional thing, to start calling Axel that more than anything else, it just came naturally with the lessons. He didn't miss the way the other's was beaming at the name given, his own lips contently curled upward as they eventually made it to his door.

"If it makes you feel any better, pretty sure you stopped me getting straight up ko'd by myself. And during my trial. You've got my back when I need it most and I know that." He wasn't sure how much he could say the same, but he tried when he could. The mention of the book earned a nod. "Not that I'm ever going to stop you doing things like that, because we both know if you hadn't I'd have been getting up in there myself. We're not great at the whole 'not doing reckless things' thing, are we? Thankfully we can just... Sleep that off."

God, he was never gonna get tired of hearing that nickname in that language. It was only made better by knowing he was the one who'd taught it to him. He hoped the day that the one word in Celestial didn't make him smile wouldn't come any time soon. It definitely wasn't today because Axel was damn near beaming as he turned to return the kiss, though it only got Calvin on the corner of his mouth.

"It never gets easy seeing you hurt but there's only so much I can do about that." He could only get his protective illusions out so fast. "But after jumping on top of some corrupted avatar of death to steal one of it's books, I'm sure I didn't help much to the anxiety of everything."

[timexticksxby]

"The word."

It was right there, how was he meant to pass up punning the punner when he set him up so perfectly for it? The grin that had been on Cal's lips didn't falter for a second, either, while listening to the way that Isaac spoke of his experiences at the end of the trial. While he himself hadn't been lacking for a father figure in his life prior to all of this, it didn't take away a similar sentiment.

"He told m that he wished he could be there with me every step of the way, both before and after. Told me I'm worthy of the heart in my chest, and his, too. Reminded me that I did it all for love, past and future both."

The only other person he'd given as much insight in to what he'd seen with his father was Axel, but he figured fair was fair.

"I can still feel him, sometimes. He's visited me at camp once, when I made an offering. Basically told me to be proud of myself because, y'know, still full of doubt half the time but getting better about stepping up when I need to. Accepted my Oath to protect this timeline, and that I'd carve the path forward through time. That was when one blade became two."

"Triplets and whatever Oliver is doing with our plants has earned me the right." Isaac had crossed over into bad dad joke territory and it would take nothing short of a heartsong to pull him back again. He'd graduated from phone-signature line to belt clip and there was no turning back now. "I've got a hundred of them, just say the word."

"We'll get mugs 'world's best son.'" He wasn't sure how to feel in the after, so much energy had been put into the before that now that Isaac had come out the other side there was this mountain of the unknown suddenly looming ahead of him. "I've been thinking about what it'd be like to have a father since-" he shrugged, "forever. Learning I was a demigod, coming here... I never thought I'd meet him, at least not until I-" he wouldn't say died, but his father was the god of Death. "He told me he loves me. Called me his son.. his heir. Still doesn't feel real." Isaac could feel himself getting a little choked as the words came out of his mouth so he shifted to a smile instead. "What did he say to you?" Isaac asked, "When you two spoke."

[timexticksxby]

It was nice, settling back in to something a little less stressful than the trial of the son of Death. Well. Now he couldn't really use that after meeting Death. Calvin really didn't want to let the semantics of it stop his head for a few moments, but it did. Eventually snapping out of it at some point during the night.

He'd just finished making sure Milo knew which tent was his when he heard Isaac's words, a brief laugh escaping and just as quickly replaced by a groan of disapproval. Milo was running off in to the night, but he figured he'd come back when he got hungry. Or just hide in somebody else's te- Yeah he wasn't seeing him again for the rest of the night.

"Just because you and Rio have kids does not excuse bad dad jokes." He made sure his tone was serious for all of a moment, before turning his head up from watching where the pup had disappeared to, to instead look up toward the other godling. "Guess I get to say welcome to the, what, chosen demigod club? Parent stamp of approval crew? 'I saw my divine parent and all I got was this magical weapon and a sense of being seen' shirts are gonna be mandatory."

It was probably weird, finding a sense of relief at no longer being the only one to have passed.

open starter location: Lake of Souls notes: quintessential autumnal night bonfire for a post-trial celebration

Isaac couldn't think of a better way to spend the night, a couple days following the trial and hopefully everyone had enough time to do what they needed to do to decompress. There was a lot still rattling around in his head, the fear and the uncertainty had done a number, the grief and the outrage, but there was far more good that had come out of it for him.

They were all still here, his father had acknowledged him, and Ignacio was- yeah, that was still going to take Isaac some time to wrap his head around.

In front of him, the campfire crackled, and the sounds of the late evening permeated the still waters of the lake and echoed from the forest at their back. Isaac's tent and maybe a few others had been set up on the sand as he hoped to make camp for the night in their own backyard.

"If you ever get cold while camping, just stand in the corner of a tent for a while. They’re normally around 90 degrees." Isaac shook his head, "That was stupid, sorry." He wasn't exactly known for having a sparkling sense of humor, but he had about a hundred and one dad jokes that he could pull out when needed.

[timexticksxby]

"Maybe? Guess it depends how much you like hearing me say it. If anything it'd be Angel, could you pass me that." It's easy and playful, relaxed now that they were back at camp without twenty thousand looming threats over their head, and it seemed tragedy averted for the time being. The scratches to Milo's head did indeed get the bundle of energy barely being contained by the son of Chronus to start wiggling even more, and almost had him dropped. Nearly. "Besides. I've seen you use your portals. An accident feels like a stretch."

Faith in the man he loved, or an awareness of just how that mind worked. Either way, that would be no accident. A brief kiss pressed to the other's temple at the mention of banged up about all the comfort he could offer.

"I'm okay. Head's finally back to where it should be and not dealing with an... Adrenaline boost being slowed by my own control over time... Honestly it's hard to tell if the bouncing back thing hurt or not with all that going on."

"Is that how you're gonna open every conversation now?" Axel had wrapped one of his own arms around Calvin's back. He gave him a playful squeeze while scratching at Milo's head, probably making him squirm even more. "It'll be all 'I love you, can you grab that for me?' and 'I love you, please tell me you didn't accidentally put someone on a roof again.'" Which, it wasn't an accident the first time.

"But I'm fine. Banged up, sure, but I'm used to it at this point. You? Did the bring back thing... hurt?"

[timexticksxby]

LOCATION: ENROUTE TO CHRONUS CABIN WITH: AXEL @duckandash

"I love you." He has to say it again, once he's managed to drag the other back... And picked up Milo. Who wasn't exactly happy about having been left behind but it was a weight off Calvin's shoulders. One arm full of writhing wiener dog, the other comfortably curled around Axel's waist for a point of contact. Holding on to the other with an awareness of just how close they'd come to not walking away from that things attacks... and him from his own.

"We made it. Didn't know I had something that'd... Bring me back from the edge like that. Are you okay? That was... Rough feels like one hell of an understatement."

[timexticksxby]

"Trust me when I say there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here."

Settling in against Axel was easy. Letting his own eyes fall shut, limbs tangled with limbs, and comforting himself with the steady pace of the other's breathing and his heart, it was all he needed in that moment to settle any lingering concerns. They'd both made it through another dangerous situation, they were both still here, he had no reason to worry about anything else aside from it.

He laughed quietly at the response he got. It probably wasn't as hard of a laugh as he could, with a whole son of Chronus lying on top of him but the last thing he wanted was for Calvin to move. Hell, he'd keep him exactly where he is for the rest of the day if he could manage it. He'd had this level of closeness and intimacy so rarely in his life that he'd savor this for as long as possible.

Leave it to the demigod at time to be good at making moments.

"Fine." He groaned, shifting a little in his spot to get a little more comfortable. "Just so long as you're here with me when I wake up."

[timexticksxby]

It wasn't like Calvin didn't enjoy parties like this. He'd let himself indulge for a bit, the thrumming music, the general feeling of celebration that lingered in the air even if tinged with a little bittersweet hits. He just didn't think he'd ever get over habits from the past. Ones that had shaped him in to being somebody that just... Took his energy from other people having fun. He ahd to admit, though, that the invitation caught him off guard.

"Only let me lead if you want me stepping on your toes, man. I do not have the rhythm for dancing." More so his lanky ass limbs didn't like working with him but still. He didn't hesitate in taking the outstretched hand with a half laugh.

Location: Harvest fest dancefloor for: @timexticksxby It was a nice little break from everything they had coming up. Everything was left behind and they had lost themselves in the party and smiles of the night. He saw Calvin free from someone else's hands going to his spot to hide and fade into the background to just watch. He knew it was just the spot Calvin wanted to take where the other was most comfortable, but Rio hadn't taken the chance to say thank you for this new life and this new world. "Are you free for a dance?" He asked holding out a hand. "Just a quick one then you can go back to watching." His smile was a little wider but lacking the mischief it normally held, "you can even lead this one if you want." His fingers wiggled as he waited for his friend to accept the offer.

[timexticksxby]

"Yeah, I was thinking about swimming with them next time." It's easy to return the joke when the other pulled back, just allowing himself to indulge in the proximity. Lose himself for a little in the easy contact. Affection. Letting himself feel wanted and needed and worth protecting and all that came with those hushed words moments prior. And while yes, chasing those charged kisses was incredibly tempting, he knew why they were like this in the first place an-

"C'mon, you need to sleep off that brain ache Angel." A name in Celestial, a language taught by the man he was... Yeah.

Axel kissed back. This time, it was a little more charged with the emotions of what had happened. It was filled with a promise neither one of them could uphold but they would do their damnedest to follow through on. Surviving was something both of them had gone through in different ways before coming here. It had shaped so much of who they were now. It also meant they were so averse to the idea to the idea of being more loss for someone else.

And thank the gods for it.

He pulled back from the kiss just to give Calvin a cheeky grin. "But...? But what? No more running with sharks?"

[timexticksxby]

It takes Calvin a minute to actually remember what Khai was referencing. Between trying to figure out how the world had shifted around them, exploration of new places, figuring out his own relationships with somebody in particular... There had been a lot to work on. But eventually the dots connected and he could offer a quick flash of a smile.

Cal was more than happy to give the other the space he needed to talk himself through whatever it was he was actually trying to say, a soft laugh escaping.

"Pretty sure friends sounds just about right to me, y-"

His agreement with Khai was cut off as the other just scooped him up in to a hug, a brief sound of surprise replacing the end of the sentence. Unexpected, but he could roll with it at least, patting a hand against the other's back.

"Figured they should at least go to somebody who'll hopefully use 'em."

"I don't know what Milo did. Was he the one who gifted me a special pair of spectacles?" Khai taps his chin, comically musing as if it had been an actual possibility.

"It's long overdue since...well. schedules. Dealing with stuff." He shrugged. That awkwardness was starting to kick in. That warm fuzziness of having people that cared about him and that he cared for.

"I have a heart, and I'm learning to actually use it." That just sounded more weird, as if he had been some stone cold machine. He'd never been coldhearted, more just socially aloof from being disappointed so early in life.

"Casual acquaintances were cool. Friends are better, though. I mean, if you'd like to be." Was that the correct thing to say? He actually scratched his scalp, squinting at Calvin. Khai was over thinking this. Maybe...just follow the impulse.

The Son of Hephaestus moved in and suddenly scooped the Time demigod into his buff arms for a bear hug.

"Thank you for the glasses. I appreciate you."

[timexticksxby]

He was at least aware enough of being tugged in that he didn't end up kneeing anywhere sensitive as he settle atop the other. Which... Well it would probably make for an amusing visual for somebody looking in considering the amount of shifting Calvin had to accomplish to try and get some form of eye contact. Proximity. Watching the other's face as best he could with legs tangling a little.

"I don't want you to lose me either. I know that's not usually in either of our control, but." He knew he could be reckless, just a bit, and while he definitely wasn't as emotionally driven as some of the Godlings it could still end up winning out sometimes. But he took calculated risks more than just diving in head first. The son of Chronus let himself indulge in the eye contact for a moment longer, before leaning in for a kiss.

He really didn't know if he could come back from losing somebody that was steadily becoming so much a part of him again.

He didn't mean to laugh at that but it came out so suddenly. It was a reaction to hearing a string of words put together that he'd only ever read and never expected to have aimed at him. If Calvin was listening to his heartbeat, then he would notice the pick up when he said what he said.

"Cal..." Axel pulled even harder on him. If the guy ended up completely on top of him then so be it. "I can't... I can't say that nothing is ever gonna happen to me. But know that I'll never just let something happen to me, alright? I've spent most of my life looking out for myself 'cause I was all that I had. I wouldn't just stop that now."

A small sigh as he craned his neck to make sure he was looking directly at Calvin. "And I don't want you to lose me."

[timexticksxby]

Somebody looking for him felt like it should raise a red flag or something. Despite generally being a positive presence around Camp... Calvin mostly figured he was just there when he was useful and otherwise just helped wherever he could. Mostly just looking to keep his hands busy as frequently as he could.

"What did I d- What did Milo do?" Usually it was his adorable and terrible dachshund that got in to trouble more than him. There's no helping the laugh, however, at the delayed realization that seemed to hit the son of Hephaestus. He had no room to judge at all for that considering he was... Usually way more inclined to running after people than phoning.

"I got time." A beat, before - "I swear I didn't mean that as a pun, they just happen way too easily now."

@timexticksxby

"Oh. THERE you are. I've been looking for you." The son of Hephaestus ran up behind Calvin. Getting ready to speak before raising a hand to give himself a 'moment' though wouldn't the son of Time have plenty of those? That was introspection for another day!

Khairi was bent over, hands on knees as he panted for a few more seconds to catch his breath. "You weren't at any of the places I thought I'd find you, then I remembered..." He falls silent, and he squints at the realization.

"...I could have just called you....but. Or texted but no I needed to really speak to you in person if you're not busy?"

[timexticksxby]

There was a lot of theory work with Calvin. Trial and error had been his go to for figuring out so much of what he could do. Enhanced, maybe, by his ability to see how wrong things could go before he pushed his luck too far, but still. He knew his limits, but testing them was really only possible in a scenario like this. Give himself fully to that speed and flow of time around him, and course correct with Axel's support.

Neither of them were who they were when they attempted this the first time. The blades in Calvin's hands were proof of his worth. A confidence in himself, in his ability to step up when it was necessary, and to take a few calculated risks when it was viable. All he could was feel the surging speed to walk even more comfortably along the timeline that they were forging. Confident that the Godling of Travellers would have his back.

Letting that power and guidance wash over him as he pushed himself to fit that image. A blur of blades, of surging time and energy.

Manipulation of time and space. Two different ways of working with speed but Axel had embraced them both. He was more of a scholar than a scientist but that didn't mean he hadn't come up with a general concept on how his powers worked. Along with that, he could see how he and others complimented each other. His personal feelings about Calvin aside, there was no denying the synergy that should be possible between the two of them.

No staff this time for this. Whatever they did, it needed to be solely from the two of them. "On your mark..."

He'd throw his burst of adrenaline into Calvin Prime and his secondary boosts into the secondary version of the son of time, when it was manifested. The goal? To make the fighter a blur of blades on the battlefield.