Work Text:
Hector didn't want to be here. He wasn't sure why he was here.
The answer was: he chose to come here and he did want to be in this particular area. He just didn’t feel like he deserved quite yet to be here.
It smelled like perfume, and it was a scent he missed. A scent that made his heart ache.
It was the entrance to Thespius’s domain, and it smelled like hibiscus and fresh grass growing without a mow. The kind with little flowers one would call weeds, growing wild and each one loved.
The kind that just makes you want to take a deep breath and clear your mind.
That was…a very tall ask for Hector, as he stood in the light like what’s behind would bite him.
He kicked himself inside for even thinking that. Behind this light was one of the sweetest people he ever had the pleasure of sharing a godly rift-space with.
He was here for a reason and here he was pittering back and forth with himself on if he was ready and if he truly actually deserved to be here.
The light swirled, small flowers glowing in the spaces between. Like Thespius could sense him there and was trying to beckon him inside.
Hector took a deep breath, and shook his head as he stepped in. He squeaked at the feeling he thought he wouldn’t forget.
Being enveloped by warmth as the ground was swept from his feet and left him falling all for a tense moment, making one feel their heartbeat before calm relief overtook them with soft clouds beneath.
His legs wobbled as he tried to steady himself, hand to chest for a brief moment.
He looked up, one eye squeezed shut from discomfort and the other hazy from either shock or just astigmatism.
The world was so bright.
His eyes adjusted, as he blinked to get there quicker. He rubbed his eyes before he heard a gasp.
“Do the eyes deceive? Hector! Come closer, how are you!?” Thespius’s excitable voice echoed through the clouds and almost knocked Hector over both literally and metaphorically.
It made his head swim when that spotlight eye shone down on him. He stumbled forward and was immediately steadied by a wisp of cloud.
“Ope! Sorry, sorry!” Thespius blinked until his eye was less bright and made Hector a chair out of the clouds with a flick of the wrist.
“You alright, Hector?”
Hector shook his head, but amended with his words, “I'm okay- It's fine-” He did take the seat, gratefully, however.
The two of them sat in patient quiet for a moment as Hector made sure to not give into vertigo.
Thespius gave him two finger guns, and asked him point blank. “What’s going on in Hector-ville? Are you doing alright?”
Hector rubbed the back of his head, unsure of where to start. All the mental rehearsing he did for himself vanished in an instant.
“I…don’t know- Just…what’s up with you?” He tried to deflect so he could reprocess, and Thespius hummed.
“Nothing out of my usual. Writing, writing, writing.”
“That's…that’s good…”
Awkward silence filled the domain, and it was palpable. Thespius put his hands together, and had to ask one more time.
“Is there anything I can do for you? My ears are always open to a soul like yours Hector!”
Hector sighed, and rubbed his legs around his lap, patting them. “Gods…I had it all together in my head but seeing you…”
Thespius shrank a bit, tapping two fingers gently, “I know things are still a struggle for ya, if it’s too much you should-”
Hector shook his head, “I’m not gonna leave, that ain’t fair to ya. I guess…I’ve not talked to myself much about it either. So I figured if I talk to you maybe you could talk to me which’ll make me talk to myself-”
Thespius leaned down, and pointed out one thing. “Well, it looks like that starts with you talking to me, doesn’t it, my friend?”
That made Hector blush, because it was very true, but intimidation poured down his soul looking up at him. That kind gentle eye peering down at him, bigger than his whole body.
“It’s- it’s not easy- to say, anyways. When you’re so…larger than life-”
Hector saw worry creep into Thespius’s expression, and blinked. All it took was a blink, and Thespius had twirled into a smaller form. Still taller than him, somehow, but it was most comfortable.
“That’s all you had to say, pal.” Thespius had his hands behind his back as he approached from the swirling clouds he left behind.
He sat in the clouds next to Hector and fluffed down his lovely pink skirt.
He put his hands together, crossed his legs and held up his knee, striking a pose that very much said that he was listening very intently to whatever Hector wanted to say.
It made Hector even more nervous, but he knew Thespius would be the one to maybe understand.
“It’s…been on my mind since I left the pantheon…It’s…some things that are changing that I didn’t think could for me.”
Thespius nodded, “I know a lot has changed for you. I can’t even imagine the half of it.” He shifted, putting his leg back down and still giving a firm “paying attention” look.
“I know you have that Capochin and my sweet Patience to help you, at least.” That made Hector laugh a hollow little thing.
“Ohhh those two…incredibly grateful but it’s…it can be a little awkward. We’re all still figuring it out. Also sometimes Capochin’s idea of helping is “oh let me get you a cat without talking to you first.” and that gave me a stress scare.” Hector pinched his nose, rubbing his temple.
“I love that cat though, if she wasn’t skittish, I’d try and stick a harness on her and let you pet her.”
Thespius smiled, “I love the idea of that. I hope you give it a try.”
Hector chuckled, “Well, these bright clouds may scare her to stay at the door. Like those videos of cats seeing snow for the first time!”
Thespius snapped his fingers, and pointed at Hector. “I can actually make it more cat friendly for her! Watch-” He leaned down from his cloud chair, and held his hand flat above it.
The clouds warped around before thinning so flat he could run two fingers on it.
He walked his fingers about and said in a sing-song voice, “Oooo I’m a little kitty cat! I’m not scared at all!”
Hector looked at that with amazement, and couldn’t help but ask, “How do you do that?”
“Oh I just focus on the cloud and can change its properties-”
Hector shook his head, and pointed, “No no, just change your domain in general- and your form so vastly- It’s fascinating-”
“I can do more than just fuss with the clouds, yeah! It just takes a bit of concentration. I could show you more, if you wanted!” Thespius held out a hand to Hector, and Hector looked down at it like it was an offer to go ride a rollercoaster.
Thrilling, yet terrifying.
Though…letting Thespius tangent would give him more time to gather his thoughts…so Hector took his hand and let Thespius walk him to where his larger than life form once stood.
“Okay…so-” Thespius clicked the heel of his boot down, creating a small circle in the clouds that he reached down and grabbed with two fingers.
He twirled the clouds around his arm, pulled them around his neck like a boa and flinged it to Hector.
Hector coughed when it laid on his shoulders for a moment before fizzling away. Thespius pointed down, and Hector saw that Thespius had opened a whole new layer to his domain.
“These domains are more than meets the eye, hehe.” He took Hector’s hand as he jumped in. Hector let out a small shout, but Thespius caught him as the two of them floated deeper into his domain.
“....whoa…” Hector breathed when they touched the ground.
Water flowed in a river, and it wasn’t bright red like Mitternacht’s tears…it was more of a golden shimmer against the clouds.
So it was either a literal heart of gold water, or crystal clear. It made Hector’s eyes sparkle to walk beside it with Thespius at his side.
“I try to stay on the upper levels, but I love to come here to...decompress now again.” Thespius walked around piles of clouds that clustered like bushes, flowers blooming out of them.
He picked one, and gave it a sniff. Taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh.
He waved Hector over, and handed it to him as he waved him to keep walking.
Hector held it to his chest as he continued to match Thespius’s steps.
They hiked down the river, until they reached a beautiful cloud-laid garden of sorts. The water flowed around like little moats giving it life and filling it with love.
Hector let out a soft breath as he followed, admiring the beauty of it with shimmering eyes.
“Thespius…” Hector spoke softly as Thespius took a seat in the clouds that made up the “grass” of the garden, patting the floor beside him.
“How’d you do all this?!” Hector couldn’t help but exclaim as he plopped himself next to him.
Thespius tilted his head, and said, “Well my domain’s resources are limited but I can do pretty much anything I wish with the elements inside. It’s like my own personalized box of crafts!” He smiled, reached into a bush beside him and from it he picked strawberries.
Perfectly ripe looking strawberries.
Another one of his hands took them, and washed them in the river while Hector looked in awe.
“So all you gods can just do that? Just like that?” Hector waved his arms and dropped them in his lap as if he was disappointed.
“Why couldn’t I? You mean I spent thirty years under a desk and I could’ve just whup-da-whuped me up a tech palace if I wanted to?”
Thespius hesitated at that, watching Hector’s eyebrows knit in frustration. “Well…” Thespius closed his other eye and felt the water with the other hands, making sure the hands weren't squishing the berries. Washing gently in the clean water.
“If it’s any consolation, It took me about…seventy years, give or take, to figure out the extent of my control with my area.”
That made Hector's eyes widen a bit as Thespius twiddled his thumbs.
The water flowed through his fingers, despite floating, feeling grounded in his mind. For him to rise and plunge while his body stayed still.
For him to feel. For him to love.
On a hot day. On a cool day.
On any day where hearts beat heavy.
Nights spent with his back to this water, hair flowing in it, just thinking.
Tears adding to it as he worried he'd never get what his heart truly desired. Talking to himself but not louder than its flow.
Loneliness. Forever flowing. Never staying, but seeping through and watering the chrysanthemums.
“It’s not something that really occurs to you when you’re just starting out. For my first thirty years I spent half of it making cloud shapes with my hands attached to my arms and watching over, well, my Charlie.”
That thought made Thespius wiggle a finger at Hector. “You wanna know something, Hector? You didn’t figure out a lot of powers, your form was limited to growing and shrinking, but you figured out “watching over someone” in less than a month."
He put his hands to his chest, "It took me nearly a year. Admirable! I don’t know how you did that!” Thespius grinned at him, holding out his arms.
Hector rubbed the back of his neck, and had to just admit, “I…had a lot of people I wanted to watch over so I just…focused really hard until my desk turned on. I guess…I never really gave myself much time to focus on anything else. If it wasn’t in my bubble…I guess I figured it didn’t matter.”
Thespius hummed, nodding. “And now your bubble is gone, so you gotta blow yourself a new one. One that includes yourself, ay?” Thespius held his hands out, the clean berries floating over to be deposited into them.
Hector looked down at the flower Thespius had given him, and held it a little tighter. “...I suppose.”
Thespius smiled softly at him. “It doesn’t matter what you did and didn’t do with your power anymore. It matters how you go forward with what happened, and that you do it with truth in your heart.”
He held out the strawberry, and Hector took it with his free hand. He turned it over. Perfectly ripe. Perfectly plump.
Yet oh so real.
Thespius held up another, and gave Hector a little blink of affection. “Can you try, at least? For us folks up here?” He was asked, as Thespius swayed the berry by the leaves.
Hector shook his head, and tapped his berry to Thespius’s like a cheers. “...I’ll try.”
“Thank you.”
The two of them bit into the berries, and they were the most juicy, sweet, and succulent strawberries that Hector had ever tasted.
Love, heaven, and hydration straight to his soul. It made him smile, and he couldn’t cry, not in front of Thespius, but if he could he would.
“Ohhh that’s wonderful…you’re wonderful, I’m sorry it took me so long to visit-” Hector tried to start, and Thespius merely held up a hand.
“It’s nothing in the face of eternity. I’m glad you came so quickly, actually.” Thespius took in Hector, and smiled softly.
“I missed you. Every time your van skirts the border of Milldread and Hobbyhoo I get little flashes from Cobi y’know.”
Thespius put on an impression of their dear friend, “HECTOR’S COMIN’ HECTOR’S COMIN!!! WATCH OVER HIM, LET ME KNOW HOW HE'S DOIN’!!”
Hector couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. “I’ll visit her soon too, I just…needta come up with a gooder than good apology for the blood-drinker thing…” He bit into his berry again, and Thespius waved his hand down.
“She’s gonna scoop you up and pretend to nibble you to bits.”
Hector nervously laughed, but Thespius merely stated, face serious for just a moment. “That’s a warning, not a joke, you’re in danger of being tickled to death with it.”
That made both of them laugh more, Hector giving a mild jest that he needs to come prepared with a prank of his own instead of an apology.
Thespius snorted, and said, “Ohhhh, she’d love that! We’re all looking forward to seeing you, try not to forget that, okay?”
Hector nodded. It was all he could do, after all.
The two of them continued to share the berries, and talked lightly about little changes.
New seasons of Oh Partner Mine to be written, new charity projects to investigate.
The forces of nature to lighten up the springtime, a new job to fund a trip to the Drain for a fundraiser to continue a growing healthy cycle of aid.
Until they ate all the ripest berries, and Hector’s phone started buzzing.
“Oh, that’s Cappy.” Hector checked it. “He’s probably home and starting dinner. I should get back.”
Thespius smiled, and stood to help Hector up. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Hector gave him a grin back, and accepted Thespius’s hand once more. He helped him up the clouds, and eventually they made their way back to the light of reality.
The light of mortality.
The light of Capochin making his phone screen unlock by calling, making Hector shake his head.
“Ohhh Cappy. Y’know he’s probably gonna ask if I want red or white sauce with dinner and choose the opposite of what I say. Or make both.”
Thespius clapped his hands once. “I’m glad you guys are making it work again though! You have a good rest of your day. Great talk! Visit again soon, y'hear?”
Hector blinked, and Thespius had rejoined the clouds at his full size, smiling down at him. Love was smiling down at him...
He waved at him with wiggling fingers, which made Hector wave back with the little flower still in between his fingers.
He left Thespius’s domain, and answered the phone.
He held it up to his ear and spun the little flower around in his fingers. “You’ve reached Hector. How can I direct your spam call?”
“Har har-” Hector could hear the sound of a spoon stirring a pot, scraping against the bottom. “I’m making bolognese, ya want red or white?”
Hector approached the van, and held his phone with his shoulder so he could open the door without dropping the bloom. “Red.”
Capochin hummed, and mumbled, “I got some cream and just a SPLISH left of this wine.”
Hector sat down in the van, and told him. “Do white then.” to which he got a simple “Okay.”
Hector chuckled under his breath, sitting back in the seat and resting his eyes a bit before he had to take off.
“You’ll be back soon then, eh? This won't take more than an hour.”
Hector merely gave him an “Mhm.” as he half-listened while looking at the flower.
That let Capochin segue into asking “Did you have a good chat with Thespius? Get that outta your system?”
Hector’s eyes snapped open as he realized he didn’t even talk to Thespius about anything he actually wanted to talk about. He did not, not one bit.
Was that visit all for nothing then? If he couldn't even ask what he wanted?
He looked at the flowers white bloom, and hummed. He wanted to try and talk about something important. About himself.
It’s hard for him to talk so deeply about himself. Especially when it comes to even more change. He wasn’t sure, he wasn’t.
How cliche, though…coming to Thespius with those thoughts…though if he went to Huzzle Mug, it may confuzzle him or try to bite him playfully. Mitternacht would smother him with love and advice, but he wasn’t ready to face her yet either.
“‘Ekta? I lose ya?”
Hector blinked, and held the phone a little tighter. “Oh no, I’m here! It was-”
He saw Thespius’s face smiling down at him, and knew if he went back in there and blurted it, he’d accept him with open arms and they’d have another long talk about it.
…yet, he wasn’t quite ready to be that open himself.
So he had to be patient, steadfast, and continue teeing his tenacity.
Hector tilted the flower to the side, and with a small motion he tucked it into his hair.
“...it was good. A good…good chat. I’ll see ya at home.”
Hector hung up, and tossed his phone into the passenger seat before sighing. He grabbed a hold of his sweater, hands against his chest as he pressed his head back.
He looked towards the van’s metal ceiling, glancing through the windshield to see the clouds swirl around.
He’d get himself figured out with time. It may take more than one conversation…to figure out who he truly is.
It may never happen, he didn’t know!
He started the van, and drove off, because all that he wanted to do today was go back home, ruminate a bit, and eat white sauce instead of red.
He’d get there one day.
---
Thespius sighed once Hector left his domain, immediately laying down in his clouds and crossing his legs.
He thought about the entire talk, what he said and shouldn’t’ve said. Wondering if it meant anything that Hector merely waved instead of saying goodbye...
The way he got Hector to smile again, and the beauty of that smile…
It made Thespius’s heart race inside, and he felt it warm on the side of his arm. He rubbed it, and thought deeply about his emotions.
He waved his hand, and a book flew into his hands. It was labeled “Potential new characters for OPM.”
He clicked his pen, glittery pink with its hearts and cherub wings decorating it so and started slowly writing.
“Styella reunites with a long lost friend of hers named…Katherine, a hard-working spunky gal who has trouble asking for help. Katherine returns after a long trip away and sparks fly with old flames when she, Styella and Byella must perform a crucial new…”
Thespius thought hard of a proper way to put it, and just wrote. “Balancing act???” three question marks bled deep in the paper.
Thespius hummed, blushing deep as he wondered. With a flick of the wrist, he changed the pens color to blue.
He simply sketched monikers into the night…Beautiful thick curly hair, imperfect and missing teeth, large glasses, little wrinkles under her eyes, lines when she laughs, and a confident stance when her mind was set to something…
It made him flush harder in confusion and knew he’d figure it out too.
Maybe as quick as Inspekta, or maybe as passionately as Hector.
Either way, they’d get there.
Overthinking, bending, shrinking, but trial and error would lead to resting and rising. Water flowing through hair.
It's always changing, and a new shape reveals a new feeling. Body and mind, soul and heart…
Change would find them, and change would love them as the world would.
As they’d love each other, in darkness and warmth.
In each other, in their worlds as different as they are. As long as they’re true with themselves.
The heart would lead the leader and the leader would love the heart.