InsaneJournal

Eros had left exceedingly too early. Part of it was to make sure he was there first, he wanted to wait out and have Tobias get situated before he appeared; he feared if it happened the other way the other man would merely turn right around and leave. The other part of it was, he had no idea where he was going. He ran in the park, yes, but he did not go exploring. He stuck to certain paths and had been content that way, he had no intention of getting lost and ending up so late that Tobias and Psyche left instead.

Himeros had been no less then a lazy-susan of teasing and prodding as he had gotten ready. Comments that had nearly had him throwing his little brother out of the flat so he could finish in peace. So, yes, perhaps he was particular on his dress and rituals; he had always been that way, now they merely took longer because unfortunately he was trapped in a mortal body and his power--while quite strong--were not up to their full capacity. At one point Himeros had told him he was going on a lunch date in the park not to meet the Queen, and he did realize he was going a bit overboard.

He had felt frantic by the time he was heading out the door, woolen sleeves pushed up at unequal lengths on his arms, a glance at his watch and a few coarse swears. He was going to miss the tram if he didn't move faster. Eros was nearly out the door when he remembered the wine and Himeros was holding it out to him looking more than slightly amused.

A quick good bye and he was awaiting in the park only a few moments behind schedule, watching a bit secluded for the dashing dark haired man he was finding just as alluring as his wife. Perhaps because he knew his wife resided in him or because he was just that interesting, or perhaps both, as he did find Tobias an interesting mortal and was looking forward to the 'just lunch' even if Psyche remained hidden (though he did prefer otherwise).

As he looked down at his watch, the second hand clicking to one, his eyes rose up and sure enough there was Tobias walking up, looking around. His blood heated, sped up just at the sight. She was within reaching distance, in a beautiful mortal; he was desperate to encircle her in his arms again. There were no words in the english language that could sum up his feelings on the woman he had defied his mother for; though that alone was a telling statement. Aphrodite had been his world, and in some ways remained his world even after Psyche, but he had been willing to turn against his mother for the beautiful woman he still so longed for.

Suddenly his dark jean pocket was vibrating and he pulled it out to look, grinning wildly when he saw who it was; texting back that he was in a grey jumper (sweater he quickly corrected), Eros took a deep breath and carefully tucking the bottle and a box under an arm, he began to walk up, raising a hand as he knew he was in sight of Tobias.

His statement had not been what Eros was expecting and without his control he let out a bark of a laugh. "Ta, appreciated. Age is a relative thing, but being stuck in a mortal body you begin to worry over things such as age. I do not feel any older then I did a thousand years ago, but I look in the mirror and find new signs of it often." His eyes followed the point and gesture toward the large tree and nodded, Eros was curious about the strange emotions he felt flowing off the vessel, they were positive but jumbled. He was usually a much better read of human emotions then this man was letting him, he wondered if it was Psyche's presence that distorted them.

Following only slightly behind, he found his gaze drawn to the form. There was a gentle breeze blowing the leaves of the trees and ruffled Tobias' hair, a strand out of place between the wind and his hand making Eros ache to reach out and fix it. He held back and instead smiled as he caught his eye and as they moved around the tree, he helped to smooth the blanket out and moved to squat for the moment, putting the bottle down and setting the box next to it. With a chesty chuckle, Eros smiled and ran his own hand through his hair. "Truthfully, I was worried at the first comment. I did not want to come between a married couple even if it meant having to deny myself Psyche, by the second I had an inkling. I am glad that was the case. I would have been heartbroken."

As Tobias stretched out, Eros moved to sit down himself, stretching his own legs, moving to lean on his side, propped by a bent elbow as he opened the box of cookies he had picked up at a bakery he'd discovered one afternoon coming home from a run. This was the sort of day he had always enjoyed past or presence, mortal or god, a calm warm day amongst the grass of a beautiful setting. His eyes looked over the man he was with and could not seem to dissuade the smile on his face. "I hope you didn't go to too much trouble, I just picked up cookies, delicious though they are."

Reaching into the box, he picked on up and went to take a bite only to stop mid-way to look at Tobias seriously. "I am the god of love Tobias, unlike others of that persuasion I do take the emotion seriously. And commitments there-in." Usually.

Taking a bite then, he was quite thoughtful, enjoying the breeze and the picturesque image of a sculpted youth basking in the sunlight. He was the perfect picture of a greek love god himself, and it was difficult for Eros to remain in his own space and not pull him in to take advantage of such beauty.

Chewing slowly he nodded but made no other motion until he had swallowed and brushed at the side of his face for errant crumbs. "Just me. The bump on the head I had mentioned, I was in a plane altercation and he was hit. When I awoke in the hospital bed it was just me left, Roger was gone."

His head lifted to give another barking laugh, though quieter this time, merely gently amused by the words though noting the concern trailing in his voice. Eros' eyes sought out Tobias' looking for the goddess beneath in an attempt to ease her concern, or his, whomever it may have been. "Not quite a crash, the news downplayed it, I believe a fear of cause more concern, the plane was hijacked and Roger was the unfortunate hostage used in the situation. When a few other brave passengers attempted to intervene he was knocked onto something and there was black." His hand lifted to show where only to be interrupted by the lift of Tobias' and he stopped, watching as if it were a holy event.

His breathing became shallow, chest rising as he nearly held his breath when there was the effervescent touch of rounded fingers and it took the god of love's entire willpower to keep from touching back, kissing him as he so wanted to do. As Tobias began to pull away Eros' own reached out and gently grasped his wrist, sitting up slightly and leaning forward to guide his hand to the back of his head easily finding the bump of a scar on the left side of his skull, nearly towards the neck. "Smashed and bleeding. The doctors found nothing wrong but as I awoke I could tell, it had been damaged. Had there not been two souls in this body, he would not have survived. He did not survive." There was a sense of sadness in his tone. He and Roger had not been perfectly in-sync but there had been mutual respect and Eros had not wanted to come to full power in such a way.

"I am sorry your family disowned you; Roger's father, upon him coming out called him a whole slew of names that were cruel before finishing with the nail on a coffin by telling him never to return. He continued a relationship with his mother, but it was strained." He realized then, he had not let go of Tobias' hand and slowly begin to drop the grasp, letting out a small smile. "It is not an easy thing to live through. Particularly only able to watch, Roger would not allow me to change his father's mind. It was within my power, love is a wide range emotion, but as he told me 'if his father were to love him again it would because he came to the own realization of his cruelty and found the love in his own heart.' I respected that, even if I saw the hurt it caused him."

Eros' eyes nearly closed at the touch though he guided it, fighting the shudder that threatened to run down his spine as the fingers touched the still tender flesh and brushed through his hair. His gaze remained hooded as he got a hold of himself, mouth curving into a smile as he looked at the other man almost apologetically for holding on so long.

When Tobias lay back, it was an easy thing to stay propped and just look at him. His body was a lean sinew of muscles and grace, it reminded Eros of his mother's mortal consort, Adonis, and the love affair the Greeks had with the beautiful god. His eyes drank in the perfect form and caught on the hand that rested relaxed against his stomach. There was something enchanting about those hands, long fingers, groomed and smooth as if the skin had been pulled perfect taut over the bones. He would have killed for such graceful mortal hands.

Pulling his gaze away, eyes catching on the lips that were suddenly moving as he spoke, Eros' leaned back on his elbows and closed his eyes listening, imagining the pain such a thing must have caused him. Living the life many pictured in movies and books as the dream; a man of wealth and fame and sex and then to realize it was as empty as the real world said it would be and to be rejected by the people that should have loved you the most when you tried to explain that.

He knew what that was like, not from Roger, not in this new mortal life, but Aphrodite had not, refused to believe, her son's happiness could rest in a mortal girl. He had had the world, love literally bowed at his feet and he was willing to tie himself to one woman, even a mortal woman, for the sheer ecstasy she gave him. For a goddess that believed love was not so singular, it was a difficult concept to accept, even when forced too.

There were no words for him to say, it seemed Tobias had begun his own path to healing and Eros gave his own internal smile. It was a hard road to take, being alone, but he was proud Tobias was walking it. And now, if he accepted it, he would no longer have too.

The lazy smile on such a pristine face was too much, there was a reflection of Psyche in the sunned skin and a beauty unique that he was simply drawn. His body turned just enough and Eros leaned down to capture Tobias' lips in a kiss, affectionate and light regardless of the way it made his flesh raise and the connection seemed to ignite a fire in his soul.

It was meant to be short, he realized half way through he had promised Tobias it could remain a platonic lunch and yet before the sandwiches had even been unwrapped he was giving into his urges and felt, though his wife resided beneath the vessel, the very lecherous old man he had proclaimed he was not.

And yet, it was returned, skin touching, chins brushing, the short coarseness of unshaven hair causing a chill down his spine. He had been a fair faced god, unable to grow a beard unlike Zeus or the other Olympian men, it had been a strange thing to have to deal with in a mortal form, and more so deal with when kissing another man. Anteros had been as fair faced as he.

His chest curled and sung with a flurry of heady emotion and was desperate to move to slide over Tobias completely, to enjoy much more then a simple kiss, a once meant to be chaste kiss. Instead he lifted himself up, he needed to remember that Tobias was not used to such affections; he labelled himself as heterosexual and did not want to be too brash and scaring him away once again.

Eros was raising a hand to run through his hair when he was struck by the pose Tobias had remained in. It was inciting and pure all at once; it looked like the sort of slack expression he had been use to seeing on those that he had struck with an arrow and it had his heart thudding loud in his chest. Though nothing compared to when his eyes opened and caught Eros' gaze.

He saw beyond the mortal's soul, into the one that had buried herself to allow this interaction to happen naturally and he loved her all the more for it. Worst, or better yet, he was beginning to love Tobias for what he saw in his own soul. Perhaps that was an influence of his wife, but he did not care. Especially as he found his lips again occupied.

Only one other mortal had kissed him in such a way that sunk his soul into the depths of the heavens and he had little control in doing more than offering up the same passion he had given that last mortal. An arm dropped next to Tobias' head to brace himself above him, bending at the elbow to sink him back to the ground.

It was taking a much more involved turn then he had ever meant for it too, yet he couldn't find it in him to care much; his heart was attempting to burst from his chest as he was teased into a deeper kiss, head tilting to move more comfortably, elbow bending to bring him that much closer as his tongue was tentative to brush against his; invited yes, but he was still cautious.

Eros was nearly rolling down to rest rather on his elbow then his hand, ready to smother Tobias body with his own, clothes or not, park or not; he was engulfed in the taste of this man and the touch of his hair, his hand having found the dark tresses. He would have remained as such forever if he could have, but just as Tobias needed air, so did he and as his head dropped Eros remained in place, eyes closed as he breathed, a smirk crossing his features as he had to calm his heart and control his lungs.

With a chuckle his eyes opened and he looked down, raising up a little more for a bit more personal space, though did not sit up, as he spoke. "I am glad I haven't turned into a terrible kisser. Himeros made comments I was losing my touch in other ways."

Not able to hold back, he lifted a hand to brush a bent knuckle over the pinked cheek, brushing a lock of the dark hair from the stubbled jaw; smiling like mad. His fingers remained in the silkened hair, rolling a strand around them as he looked down at Tobias' adoringly.

"You are sharing a body with a god, that in of itself is a difficult task to handle. I do not blame you for it, though I will admit I panicked slightly and Himeros had to restrain me from going after you. All I had was your name, I feared I had lost you." As Tobias' hand moved over him, burying into his own hair, it was an easy thing to lean back down to press a soft kiss to his mouth. Short and sweet, for now.

"We will take this at your pace, darling. Whatever that may be."