Eve
I wiped at my eyes, breathless. "You're telling you can tear through enemies, run a pack, but this—" I waved at the onesie still half-hanging off him, "—is what defeats you?"
His eyes narrowed dangerously, but the color on his face didn't fade. "I swear, if you say one more word—"
"Okay, okay!" I held up my hands in surrender, still grinning ear to ear. "Co here. Let help before you rip it apart."
Reluctantly, he stepped closer, and I crouched to tug the leg of the onesie in the right place, guiding his arm into the correct sleeve. The whole ti, his gaze stayed fixed stubbornly on the far wall, his jaw tight with embarrassnt. I guess this was the real reason he was stalling.
"You look majestic. Like a fearso… unicorn." I teased softly as I zipped him up.
His scowl deepened, but the redness remained stubborn on his cheeks.
"Say it," he deadpanned.
I blinked innocently. "Say what?"
"You're dying to say sothing."
I dragged my gaze up and down, biting back a grin. "You are adorable."
His eye twitched but so did his lips as if he was not sure whether he liked the complint or hated it. "You are having the ti of your life, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
Hades exhaled sharply, tugging at the fabric like it was suffocating him. "You're lucky I love---"
I froze for a second, caught completely off guard by the words he seed like he was about to say.
Hades seed just as surprised, his expression flickering with sothing unreadable.
"I love this," he muttered.
I froze, the teasing smile faltering on my lips.
He caught it too—his eyes flickering with sothing unreadable, sothing just as startled as I felt.
Hades wasn't one to fumble his words.
And yet…
"I love this," he muttered again, tugging the zipper a little too roughly as if that would bury the slip under layers of fabric.
I narrowed my eyes. "You sure about that?"
He didn't et my gaze, suddenly very interested in the loose thread on the onesie's sleeve. "Soft fabric. Warr than it looks."
A pitiful excuse.
I crossed my arms, leaning against the dresser with a smug grin. "Oh, I get it now. You love it so much you spent an hour in the shower, ntally preparing to embrace your true unicorn self."
Hades exhaled through his nose, shooting a flat, unimpressed glare. The flush on his face, however, refused to budge.
"Say what you want, but I think this is a breakthrough for you," I continued, unable to stop the grin spreading across my face.
He ran a hand down his face, shaking his head. "I regret every life choice that led to this mont."
"You're just upset because you know I'm right."
Hades huffed, turning slightly to face the mirror on the far side of the room. He stared at his reflection for a long beat, lips pressed in a thin line.
I was about to say sothing else—another jab at his expense—but the way his shoulders dropped slightly, the subtle shift in his expression, stopped .
He tugged at the fabric again, quieter this ti. "I didn't think I'd be standing here in a unicorn onesie today."
His voice had lost its edge, dipping into sothing softer.
I straightened a little, sensing the shift. "Well, life's full of surprises."
Hades t my gaze in the mirror. "Yeah. It is."
I opened my mouth, ready to throw out another teasing remark, but the heaviness in his eyes pulled back.
I needed to lighten the mood again.
"Hold on," I said, pushing off the dresser. "Where's my phone? This needs to be docunted."
His eyes sharpened imdiately, the softness from before vanishing like smoke. "Ellen, don't—"
But I was already moving, patting the nightstand.
Nothing.
I frowned, checking the edge of the bed, the dresser—anywhere I might've left it. But as the seconds passed, the realization slowly set in.
It wasn't here.
My hand lowered, brushing over the smooth, empty surface of the nightstand.
Right.
I didn't have a phone anymore.
I swallowed hard, forcing the mory down as it crept into the back of my mind—the explosion, the ssage from my sister.
Hades' voice pulled from the edge.
"Red?"
I blinked, plastering on a smile I didn't quite feel. "Ah, I forgot. My phone's gone."
He didn't say anything right away, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Oh..."
"Yeah." I shrugged like it was nothing, but the weight settled in my chest. "Guess that ans no unicorn pictures today."
I tried to make it sound lighthearted, but even I could hear the hollowness in my voice.
For a long mont, neither of us spoke.
Then, without a word, Hades slipped his hand into his pocket and held sothing out to .
His phone.
"Take mine."
I stared at it. "What?"
He didn't move, arm still extended. "Take the picture. If it makes you smile, do it."
I hesitated, eyeing the sleek black device as if it were so dangerous artifact. "You really think I'm going to trust you with those photos on your phone?"
His lips curved faintly. "What's the worst I could do?"
"Delete it?"
He chuckled, but the phone remained between us.
I wanted to brush it off, to make another joke and let the mont pass. But there was sothing in his eyes—sothing patient and unspoken.
Slowly, I took the phone from his hand.
"Just this once," I mumbled, flicking to the cara. "But I'm not keeping these on your phone for long."
Hades arched a brow. "I can get you a new one, you know."
I snorted, raising the phone. "Not happening. I'm not about to owe you for sothing like that." I lied. I just could not imagine holding another bomb to my ear again. At least for the ti being.
"You wouldn't owe anything."
His voice was soft, quieter than before.
But I brushed past it, focusing the cara on him. "Alright, unicorn. Say cheese."
He sighed, resigning himself to the inevitable, but not without tugging the hood lower in a poor attempt to hide.
I snapped the photo, biting my lip as I admired the image—the King of Lycans, draped in fluffy pink fabric, with a unicorn horn flopped over his forehead like a broken crown.
"Perfect," I murmured.
Hades leaned against the bedpost, watching with an unreadable expression. "I hate you."
"Liar," I held up the phone triumphantly. "You can't live without .
His gaze lingered, sothing warm flickering behind the usual sharpness.
"Yeah," he said softly.
I lowered the phone, my heart doing sothing strange and unwelco in my chest.
His eyes hadn't left mine.
I swallowed, clearing my throat. "Alright, majestic unicorn. What now?"
Hades smirked. "We could go for round two in the shower. Reflect so more."
I groaned, launching a pillow at his face. "Absolutely not."
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