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How did this all happen again?
. . .
“That’s a really cool sword, Corpse!”
“. . . yeah, it was a gift from my dad.”
“It’s really different from the usual Celestial Bronze weapons we use around here, what’s it called?”
“Stygian Iron.”
“That’s so cool, I wish I had one.”
“. . . what if I hand delivered you one then?”
. . .
Sykkuno nervously took a shaky breath, stuffing his hands in his hoodie’s pocket as he took a few steps toward the door. Cabin 13 was possibly the most isolated living space in Camp Half Blood, and it's only known resident- the infamous Corpse Husband (Gods know if that’s even his real name), has managed to keep it all to himself, and only rumors of what he could possibly be hiding in there.
Now, Sykkuno wasn’t scared of Corpse or his secrets, unlike most of the campers. In fact, he was rather fond of the son of Hades- he was probably one of the people he was closest with in Camp Half Blood. He wasn’t nervous because he was scared of Corpse, he was nervous because he was more worried of making Corpse uncomfortable; as far as he knew, he was the first and only person so far who has been invited to the Hades Cabin. The son of Aphrodite was terrified of making one wrong move, and ruining whatever friendship he may have had with Corpse. To lose someone he cared so much for again- no, he wouldn’t allow it.
Taking a few seconds to muster his courage, the brunette knocked on the door.
“Give me one second,” a deep voice responded from the other side.
A moment later, the door opened, and standing there was the son of Hades himself. He was wearing a black hoodie with the orange Camp Half Blood shirt peeking through, and his mask and eyepatch covering most of his face as usual, although you can see in his dark eyes that he was happy to see Sykkuno.
“Hey there Sy,” Corpse greeted him, fondly calling him by his nickname. Sykkuno smiled in response, and gave a little wave. “Hi Corpse!”
Corpse’s gaze landed on the brunette’s fingernails and he starred, appearing stunned. “You painted your nails,” He said, still looking at the son of Aphrodite’s hand, his fingernails painted a solid black color. Sykkuno followed Corpse’s gaze, and jumped a little upon realization that the son of Hades noticed. “Oh!” He blushed a little and chuckled shyly, “Yeah, uh- I tried to do what you taught me, I thought it looked really cool, but it’s harder than it seems- my siblings saw me though and decided to help me out.” Sykkuno narrated cheerfully, his cheeks still red. No way was he going to tell Corpse that he’d had his nails painted just for this moment.
The pair stood there in awkward silence, until Corpse cleared his throat and stepped away, making room for Sykkuno to enter. “You should come in,” Corpse said, looking at the brunette hopefully, silently praying that he wouldn’t back out at the last minute. Relief set on Corpse when Sykkuno nodded and quietly walked into the cabin.
The Hades Cabin was far from what Sykkuno expected; well, based on the rumors around camp, anyway. It wasn’t exactly the most well-lit cabin, obviously, but it wasn’t too dark to the point that it was creepy or hard to see. It actually seemed quite comfortable and the muted interior was easy on the eyes, in contrast to the bright colors of the Aphrodite Cabin that Sykkuno was used to.
“Make yourself at home,” Corpse said suddenly, pulling Sykkuno out of his thoughts. He gestured to one of the empty bunks nearby, but Sykkuno shook his head, looking embarrassed. “No Corpse, I’m fine just standing-”
“You should sit,” Corpse said again, more firmly than before. Sykkuno felt his face heat up, although he managed a nervous smile, “Really, I’m fine-”
The next thing he knew, Corpse had scooped him up in his arms and had him sit down in one of the unused beds he was gesturing to nearby. Thank gods that it was kind of dark in the Hades cabin, it would have been way more embarrassing for Sykkuno if Corpse could see how much he was blushing right now, although how they looked right now felt pretty awkward.
Corpse chuckled, pulling away from the other male. Sykkuno laughed along, although he felt pretty awkward about what just happened. Not that he wasn’t uncomfortable, it just took him by surprise. “You stay here,” Corpse said, as the brunette turned to face him, “I’ll be right back.”
. . .
It had been a good while since Corpse walked off, leaving Sykkuno to sit in silence as he studied his surroundings. He’d noticed a bunch of scribbles on loose sheets of paper around, although he couldn’t tell if they were poems, or songs? He’d tried reading one though, it said something like ‘Choke me, like you hate me, but you love me, lowkey wanna date me when you-’ ok, maybe Sykkuno didn’t really want to read the rest of that.
Footsteps echoed from the other side of the cabin, and Sykkuno looked up to see the son of Hades approaching him, holding something that looked like a knife. Corpse looked really pleased with himself though, and Sykkuno’s curiosity grew. He tilted his head, looking at the object in Corpse’s hands. “What’s that?”
Corpse walked over to Sykkuno, and handed it to him. “I . . . I got this for you.” Sykkuno gripped the hilt, and it fit comfortably in his hands, like it was made perfectly for him. He pulled the sheath off, and it revealed an obsidian-black Stygian Iron blade, sharp but well polished, that Sykkuno could see his own reflection in the dagger. It was perfectly balanced, and the dagger felt comfortable in his grip.
“O-oh Jesus, thank you Corpse but I can’t accept this-'' Sykkuno stuttered, clearly flattered that Corpse even thought of giving him such a gift. He tried to hand it back, but Corpse shook his head. “Keep it, it’s all yours.” he said, nudging it back to the son of Aphrodite. “B-but Corpse I’m sure you made a lot of effort to get this, you can’t just give it to me like that! I’m sure you need it more than I do-” Sykkuno protested, although Corpse shook his head again, firm with his decision. “I already have a sword, remember?” He said, nocking his head in the direction of the blade, resting across his bed. Sykkuno suddenly wondered if Corpse slept next to that sword. Was that too awkward to ask?
“I want you to keep it, is that something you can do, Sy?” Corpse said again, looking at the brunette. Even with only one eye uncovered, Sykkuno could see the sincerity and hopefulness in his eyes. After a few seconds of heavy silence, Sykkuno nodded. “Well . . . if you really want me to have it badly, then, I’ll keep it for you,” he said, meeting Corpse’s eyes with his own. “I promise to take care of it, I swear it on the River Styx.”
Although Sykkuno couldn’t see it, the son of Hades smiled behind his mask.
. . .
“That’s a really cool knife, Sykkuno!” Rae exclaimed, upon seeing the son of Aphrodite’s new weapon during training. “Where’d you get it?”
Sykkuno chuckled at his friend’s compliment. “Well, let’s just say it was a hand delivered gift,” he responded simply, winking at a certain son of Hades sitting behind Rae, who promptly winked back.