Christmas Eve had finally arrived and brought its share of joy and good humour, much to Day's delight. He had waited impatiently for this Thursday, he was not going to spoil it! A whole week was available for him to rest, even though he had to do with Nyx's company and that of the kitchen. Since the biker god had decided to take over the Christmas dinner, he had been figuring out what to do for the meal for several days already. The bartender wasn't going to complain about it: he could rest and think of nothing at all. Or maybe he was going to complain about it. Being woken up on Christmas Eve at five in the morning, to the sounds of pots and drawers, certainly didn't put him in a good mood as he made his way to the kitchen. It is thus with a poorly tied dressing gown that he appears in the doorway of the kitchen, his hair badly combed and the fatigue very present on his face.
"Oh, hello Day! Slept well ?" Nyx smirked as he kneaded the dough in his hands.
"Look at my face."
"You didn't sleep well I guess. What an idea to wake up so early too, it's still dark."
"Oh, it's the night, really? I did not notice. I thought it was already ten o'clock seeing that you are cooking, you freak finished!"
"Why are you screaming?"
"What are you serious about cooking in the middle of the night ?!"
"Well nothing, I'm just cooking dinner."
"It's five in the morning!"
"So what ?"
"You can cook later, I'm not asking you to cook me a feast worthy of a palace!"
"I suspect it, fine as you are."
Day looked at Nyx disapprovingly before entering the kitchen and taking a closer look at the astronomical amount of dishes in the sink.
"There won't be just two of us tonight, although I would like a candlelight dinner with you," ends up confessing to the god, stopping for a moment.
"First news."
"Yes indeed and…"
"You were going to tell me that when exactly? When I would have been robbed again?"
"It would be a long time ago if I waited for this to happen. Don't look at me like that I just kidding! However, I would like to point out to you that since I have been here, you have not received any threats or anything else. "
"OK, I understand. Thank you. Are you happy? Can you answer me now?"
"I was planning to tell you in the morning."
"Who exactly is coming?"
"My family and…"
Day tensed and put down the cup he'd taken out and put it in a corner where there were miraculously no dishes.
"Your family and who else?" he asked suspiciously.
"And yours."
The bartender's blood only ran through his veins. His gaze fell almost immediately on the knife on the counter, but out of self-preservation, Nyx grabbed it.
"I know that's not good news but…" he began as his landlord stepped forward towards him.
"There is no "but"! You don't have to bring in people without my advice when I'm around! Invite anyone when I'm not there!" he snapped, grabbing him by the collar.
"I never invited anyone, I promise! I got a letter this morning that said they were coming for the holidays. And celebrating the fact that I have a lover too. My family is like that. As soon as something happens to a member, they want to know everything."
"Wait, what? You are going out with someone?"
"Yes."
"Who is this person who inherited a flaming god for a companion?"
"You."
The blond couldn't tell what took him but he couldn't stop shaking Nyx.
"Why?!"
"I said I was going out with you to don't say I was staying to protect you from assaults and your beautiful eyes!" he defended himself, grabbing his wrists.
"Stop flirting with me, flirtatious! Shut up, shut up now!"
"It's for your own good!"
"Shut your mouth for five minutes, Nyx!"
The god nodded and put his jacket back on correctly once the blonde let go. Silently, he amused himself with the cookie cutters while he absorbed the news and made several shapes in the dough, going from the tree to the gift box, passing by deer, or reindeer he could not say.
"Nyx." ended up calling him fair-haired, paler than his tiles.
"Yes, Day?"
"Give me some packets of sugar, please, quickly."
The master of fire immediately raised his head and stopped whatever he was doing to bring him the box of sugars. He opened several sachets ahead of time with his hands full of dough and slid them over to Day.
"Two by two, in one go." he reminded him, leaning over. "Look at me Day, here I am. Don't pass out now, wait until I wash my hands."
"Idiot… You are using me."
"No, certainly not."
"You say you're in a relationship with me, you let whoever you want in. Admit now that you slept with someone in bed, it will be done."
"I won't do such a thing with anyone other than you!"
"You sink, you idiot! Shut up now, shut up! " thundered the younger, banging his fist on the table. "You brought them in. This will attract local vampires and will make people talk! I'm not hassled enough, is that it? Did you say to yourself that adding my parents who will intrude on my privacy was a good thing? "
"Swallow a few more sachets of sugar, don't stop."
"What do you want from me exactly, other than waiting for me to make up my mind to take on my role?"
"Sugar Day, sugar."
"Answer me right now where I'm throwing you out."
The god of night and death was silent for a moment before clearing his throat uncomfortably.
"I don't want you to die. I try to protect you. Every day, I go around the area. I watch over the house. I have even installed repellents that act against me when I go out!" he confessed without even looking at him.
"But why are you doing this to yourself?"
"Because I don't want you to end up dead, you fool! You are in great danger and you are the one who doesn't understand it! "
"But what are you telling me…" Day sighed before swallowing yet another packet of sugar.
"By coming here, your parents will be able to help me protect you more. It's not to hurt you, I just got attached to you Day."
"You're a god, I'm just one… One…"
"I know Day, I know it. I had just to talk to you originally, but you got me with that glowing look, the same one you're doing now. Your eyes often shine with tears and damn it, this is beautifully tragic!"
Day turned and met Nyx's gaze, who began to wash his hands to remove the paste. Without saying a word, the younger stood up and walked away from him as best he could as his migraine intensified. Because of this, he didn't see the rolling pin Nyx had previously dropped on the floor and narrowly caught himself on the edge of the sink, nearly smashing his head on it. The blonde jumped when two hands rested on his waist, a whole weight pressing against his back.
"My name is Day Evennin. I am the son of the terrifying Lord, the grandson of the Mighty One and I am not damn watching where I walk," Nyx mocked bitterly without letting go.
"I need to go to sleep. Let go of me," he summoned while grabs the edge of the sink.
"Kiss me."
"How?!"
"As you wish."
"Not that! Why should I do this? It's the lack of sleep that makes you delirious, isn't it? "
"You still haven't understood? You really are a jerk in love."
"You can't love me."
"Why, then ?"
"Because you are a god."
"Like you. Your human side really dominates over your other genes."
"For who you taking you, you…What was that?"
Nyx straightened his head to looked around and listened to any sound. Footsteps echoed on the floor. Someone was walking into the house.
"There is someone," he whispered close to his ear. "Probably your attacker from the other day."
"What do we do ?" Day asked then without even moving.
"Stay here, take a knife from the drawer and stand ready to defend yourself just in case. I'll throw these bugs away."
"Sorry if I sound childish but, I don't want you to leave me alone. He said he would hurt me. He's probably not alone!"
"Day, I'm just looking at the other parts. It will be quick, I swear. You won't even see that I'm gone."
"I do not want to die."
"Count to a hundred as soon as I leave the kitchen. If at hundred I'm not there, lock yourself in the storeroom."
The blond nodded and discreetly opened a drawer to take a bread knife as a weapon before going to the store. With his hand on the doorknob, he watched Nyx walk out of the room, finding himself alone in the dark. His house was silent, too quiet. He was at fifty in his mental count when a scream rang out from the living room. Noises of crashing and chilling screams echoed in all his house. Then silence. Hundred. He was about to open the door to the storeroom when two red eyes began to shine in the darkness of the kitchen.
"Gone," Nyx growled, approaching him.
Day said nothing, paralyzed in place by his two reddish eyes, which stared at him and seemed to move closer and closer to him.
"You don't want to go to sleep anymore, do you?" he asked in a low voice, putting his hand on his cheek. "Do you want to cook with me? It could be fun, even if it's very early. "
"Things just got worse and worse," Day moaned, leaning his head against his chest. "I want to be buried alive."
"I don't think that's a good thing. There is still a lot to prepare before they happen."
"What time are they coming?"
"My family or yours?"
"Both."
"Around four o'clock it seems to me for mine and for yours, I don't really know."
"Are you going to leave the repellents?"
"No, I will remove them while they are there. You will be safe with us."
"Promised?"
"Swear."
Day only half-believed Nyx's comforting words but smiled slightly, letting himself be hugged like that without adding anything else. His embrace was soothing, and his scent, like that of still-hot ashes, had something intoxicating and soothing about it. His eyes remained closed for a moment before the master of fire pulled away from him, a big smile on his face.
"Come on, sir!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands. "You have to finish preparing everything so that you just have to cook them when the time comes."
"We have plenty of time…"
"We still have to prepare the dishes and the icing of the cakes will take time! Come on, put on the apron that you probably never put on and come help me!"
As Day knotted the apron he had actually never worn, Nyx finished playing with the cookie cutters, proud of his job perfectly well done. The two men, opposed by many things, took pleasure in cooking the rest of the long, very long morning, going from small shortbread to the meats' preparation, including cutting vegetables. Who would have thought for a moment that a skilful god of arms couldn't peel a simple potato with a peeler? Certainly not Day. He took pleasure in pointing it out to him, teasing him with the rest of the morning.