Shay was starting to drift off to sleep, tears drying on his cheeks, when he heard a loud crash outside the room. He sat up, tensed and poised to run.

The door swung open violently and Shay dove off the bed. His knee hit the marble floor rather sharply, but he managed not to cry out as he rolled under the bed.

“Shay!” a voice that was newly familiar rang through the room, “where’d you go?”

With the Sun God calling him, Shay had to fight the instincts that made him hide and crawl out from under the bed. Still on his hands and knees, Shay looked up at the Sun God in the doorway. Shisu was not alone, he had Xxx the Demon God by one of his curled ram horns. Xxx braced against Shisu’s tanned forearm, snarling like a beast, but that anger drained away the minute he locked eyes with Shay. “Shay! Are you alright?”

Xxx winced when Shisu shook him, “obviously he’s fucking alright, does he look hurt to you?!”

Xxx floundered to get his feet back under him, “his eyes are red, he’s been crying!” He tried to stand but Shisu’s strong, stiff arm kept him down.

Shisu frowned and squinted at Shay. His eyes widened and he dropped Xxx’s horn. In a few large strides he crossed the marble floor and crouched down in front of Shay, cupping the human’s face in his godly hands. “Shay, what’s wrong?” With his thumbs he rubbed the tear tracks under Shay’s eyes.

Shay’s cheeks grew warm, from the inside and out, and his jaw began to work, opening and closing as he tried to think of an explanation that wouldn’t be humiliating.

Xxx stomped closer, the sound of his sandals on the marble tiles had a different quality than Shisu’s, sounding more like angry footsteps of the Head Priest in the temple. Once more, instinctually, Shay moved towards the shelter of the space under the bed.

Shisu turned his head to snap at the other god, “Xxx!”

Shay flinched hard enough from the shout that he pulled his face out of Shisu’s hands. Xxxhad already stopped his approach, face pale. Shisu’s hands hung in the air. The two shared a look. With a soft voice, barely above a whisper, Xxx asked, “what’s wrong, Shay?”

“I was just sacrificed, am I not allowed to cry about it?!”