Get it Together!

"I don't understand what's going on here, but I don't like it." Gonzalo said in a slightly frustrated tone of voice. His arms were crossed over his chest. He was currently staring down at Santiago and Cyrus. "You two haven't talked to each other in weeks and you're warriors are suffering because of it. Now if either you want to remain in your current positions than I suggest you figure it out." His nostrils were flared slightly in annoyance. The primary leader sighed, rubbing his forehead. His braided hair was over his shoulder, wearing simple Aztec attire with blue paint on his chest.

Santiago had calmed down since the their first date and didn't hold any form of hostility toward Cyrus. By hostility I mean wanting to rip his throat out with his teeth. Now he just wanted to show him aggression in a different way. Wink wonk. "I'm just following orders given by the senior leader. Although I did...provoke. What can I say? I'm a bad kitty."

Cyrus had been a little rocky since his and Santiago's first date a while back, sill trying to control all evil thoughts of him whenever his name appeared in his head. He had been avoiding the Junior Tribe Leader all this time that it became a bit of a habit. He only realized then, as he was scolded by Gonzalo, how good he was at avoiding people. He shot an irritated look at Santiago before turning his full attention - and I mean ALL attention - to Gonzalo once again. "...Lo siento, Gonzalo. I will work again with this...man-child for the sake of my warriors only. I swear it on my position." He was dressed in his usual sweatpants, but his bare chest (from a visit with Javier) reminded him too much of their last meeting for his liking.

His eyes shot between the two leaders, wanting to make a commit, but reminding himself not to get into their personal business. He was well aware of both Cyrus and Santiago's past. separately and conjoined. "Bien and to make sure this happens, I want the two of you to be joined at the hip until Christmas Eve. Then you can go home to your families." This Christmas he would be spending it with Marisol and her family. What fun.

Santiago let out a growl at Cyrus calling him a "man-child". His eyes looked over at Cyrus, getting a good look before turning away. He wanted to make a snarky comment sooo bad, but he knew that he would only make the situation worse. "I don't think the showers are big enough for that, Gonzalo. I'm sure Cyrus has tried." Like you haven't??? Don't you remember that time with Jo-- no, don't bite me!!

"Señor Gonzalo," Cyrus began to protest, his hand slightly raised like a student in school. "I don't think Santiago would be open to us being attached anywhere at this point." And by Santiago, he meant himself. And by anywhere, he meant attached at the hip but in a totally different way. That's right, even that urge faded some over the past few weeks.

Cyrus fanned away Santiago's growl. Damn pussy cat. He was just taking this time to get most of his pent up anger out in the calm way he usually did. At Santiago's little..."comment" the son of Tlaloc couldn't quite hide his guilty look all the way. He looked at the ground, then in between the two men that stood before him. "...They are. The showers...they are big enough. But that's beside the point!"

Gonzalo couldn't help, but enjoy this a little. The passiveness of the two demigods made for slight entertainment. "That's enough. Both of you. I except for this to happen. Don't make me use you as a precedence for those who are in leadership roles to remain single until their term if over." He took in a deep breath. "First you two will start with cleaning off the weapons in the armory, you'll then clean up the arenas. After that you can do what you will."

"Wait, what about Brett? Did his blanco familia bail him out?" Santiago asked, glancing over at Cyrus with a slight chuckle, but then remembering that they weren't friends at the moment.

The son of Tezxatilpoca's nose flared up more. "Would you like for me to get Lord Quetzalcoatl? Because I'm sure he would love to hear your question. No? I didn't think so." With that, he started to head to the main offices.

Cyrus was prepared to make another comment about how he was prepared to become a monk, minus the celibacy, but thought that now would not be a good time. Who knew, Gonzalo could have meant "single" altogether, and Cyrus was not physically prepared for that. He nodded at the list of chores they were given, feeling like he was a New Blood again receiving the punishments he got all the time.

"They probably forgot about him like the rest of the camp does." Cyrus said back to Santiago. Then, like him, remembered that he disliked him. He was frightened by Gonzalo, of course he was, but found it just a bit comical that he grew irritated with their jokes. He knew they were true. And as soon as the Primary left, Cyrus turned to Santiago. Then he balled up his fist and fired a hard punch at his jaw. "Just," He grunted, holding his knuckles. Gods his face hurt even him. "So we're clear. Don't mention my personal life, I won't mention yours. ¿Sí?"

Santiago was about to say something to Cyrus when he suddenly got a punch in the jaw. He stumbled back a bit, holding it. His eyes flashed to those as a jaguar and his incisors increased in length. With the speed of a big cat, Santiago had his hand wrapped around his throat and held him clean off the ground. "Don't you ever do that to me again. I could care less about who you're fucking and by the smell of it," He took a sniff. "It's that son of Xochiquetzal, Javier Salvador." He flung him to the ground. "Stupid, irritating....urgh! I cant stand the look of you. You're hideous stature, eyes, lips, tongue, voice. I hate all of it!"

Cyrus had expected him to fight back, but not exactly like this. His hands clawed at his throat as he was held up from the ground, kicking at Santiago while this happened. He didn't beg. He didn't apologize. He just glared down at him and waited until his windpipe wasn't being crushed to speak. Unfortunately that meant when he was thrown onto the ground. His bare back scraped against a few twigs and rocks, but he didn't pay much mind to it. At all, actually.

"Or what? You'll 'kill' me? We both know you wouldn't." said Cyrus calmly as the sky darkened around them. "And yeah, Javier and I have a thing. It's none of your business, but honestly he's the best at what he does. Hands down." When he stood up, he charged Santiago's torso and tackled him to the ground.

"You started all of this! All of this is your fault!" Thunder cracked somewhere, but Cyrus' demeanor had not changed in the slightest.

Santiago scuffed. "If I wanted you dead, Cyrus. You would be." He still had his feline eyes and teeth characteristics. Gods forbid it got worse. When he commented about Javier being "the best at what he does. Hands down", the son of Tepeyollotl wanted to bite his tongue out of the his mouth. "Well good for hi--." Santiago was tackled to the ground by Cyrus, hearing the thunder roll in the distance and the skies darken. "How is this my fault?! Is it my fault that I care?! That I had feelings for you?! Well I'm sorry!!!" The ground started to shake beneath them.

Cyrus was on top of him, pinning him as best he could with his forearm at his throat and his knees on either side of him. He almost lost his balance when the ground began to quake, but maybe it was his anger that kept him from taking a spill. He lowered his face so that their noses almost touched.

"Then stop! Stop having feelings for me, stop caring - I don't need that, and you're not doing yourself any good by having them!" Cyrus shoved his forearm into his throat once more before standing up from him, offering a hand. "Get up, Fuckface. We need to start cleaning those gods damn weapons so I can get as far away from you as possible."

All Santiago could do was stare up at Cyrus, planning his death while also trying to get himself from being attracted to the son of Tlaloc. His glance went to his hand, then back at his face. "I cant stop having feelings for you, Cyrus. No matter how I try, I just cant. I wish I could. I'm sorry you rather fuck someone instead of actually date them." Santiago got up, brushing off his soccer shorts (;)). "...You're worse than José." He shoved Cyrus back as hard as he could and made his way to the armory.

Cyrus' hand retreated once he saw Santiago eyeing it like it was poison. Forget being civil then. He shoved his hands in his pockets and backed away some more to give Santiago room to get up. "Try harder." He responded coldly. He set his jaw when he remembered that Santiago couldn't just leave things alone.

"Wow. You know nothing about me, do you, Santiago? I mean, sure you ignored me when we were kids. But this much? Impressive." He didn't explain or elaborate further, because he was laughing bitterly to himself. Cyrus stumbled back when he was pushed, but did not fall because he is a rock. He ignored it, thinking that it was best to not fight physically any longer for the sake of his fist and the advantage of now being able to angrily stare at Santiago's butt from behind as they walked. "...Santiago, I think you keep forgetting that we never have been - and never will be at the point - a couple in any way, shape, or form. Therefore, how can I ever be like your dickhead of a boyfriend?"

Santiago didn't like this coldness that Cyrus was exhibiting. He wanted him to stop. He wanted him to cause thunder to roll over head. Anything other than being noticeablely mean. Now don't ey Santiago wrong, he knew that bringing up Cyrus' ex in a argument was fucked up, but that was out of anger.  "What are you talking about? I'm not ignoring you right now!" Once they were at the armory, he grabbed a handful of daggers, a cloth, some shine, and sat down.

"I tried to get to know you, Cyrus and you assumed that I wanted sex from you. If that's what I wanted then I would've asked for it." He took in a deep breath and started to clean a dagger at a time. His heart cracked completely across when Cyrus said that they, at that current point, wouldn't be a couple and that he had no desire to be. "You aren't...I just got upset and needed something to say to hurt your feelings. Because you hurt mine."

"You aren't? Really?" Cyrus asked sarcastically, his anger making his accent wrapped around and suffocate his words. Slowly he unnoticably began to slip into Spanish, as he often did. "Permítanme parafrasear. ¡Tú no escuchar! Tú pregunta, pero no escuches a la respuesta. ¿Y, si soy honesto? Te enojas, y antipático, y...y..." Cyrus shook his head and, as soon as he stepped foot into the armory, picked up some spears in a barrel near the door and took them to a stool, getting a cloth as well as stealing some shine from Santiago.

"Lo siento por quien soy." He muttered, taking the spearhead off of the shaft and cleaning it with a stern expression. He didn't want to talk to Santiago anymore. He wanted to stay true to his word that he gave on their date. He didn't want to speak to him anymore because his feelings were hurt, and he was upset, and mostly because he didn't know why. He wanted to be left alone and take a nap and forget about anything. Like, not even quickie could pick him up right now. "...I'm not hurt," He said as he switched back to English as he calmed down. "You're hurting yourself more than you're hurting me. I just...why the sudden interest in me, hombre."

Cyrus set down the spearhead and looking at Santiago in confusion. "You couldn't care less for six years, and suddenly you are intrigued and want to change me. That...that isn't how people work, Santiago." He moistened his lips and hesitated a beat, then went back to cleaning.

Santiago listened, for once, to what Cyrus had to say to him. Was he really mean whenever he received an answer he didn't like? That could because of his childhood, getting almost everything he wanted from his madre y abuelos.

"... ¿Es eso realmente lo que hago , Cyrus ? Hago yo sólo actúo amistoso a usted, o cualquier otra persona para esa materia?" This was an honest question. He didn't want to seem that type of leader or demigod. His teeth and eyes went back to human ones, finally calmed down. "There's no need for you to be sorry, Cyrus." The son of Tepeyollotl continued to clean off a few of the dagger.

He sighed, pausing to make sure that he would answer his question as best as he could. "Hijo de Tlaloc," Whenever a demigod was about to confess something personal and sincere to another demigod. They also spoke in their native tongue: Spanish. It's an Aztec thing. "¿Crees que no he prestado atención a usted, pero yo sí. Yo te he visto desde lejos. Demasiado sagrado que iba a ser rechazado o tal vez que usted pensó que lo único que quería de ti era el sexo. Y yo no quiero cambiarte. Acaba de..."

"Sí, es verdad." Cyrus nodded to confirm it. He didn't want Santiago to lose his reputation one day for doing the same thing to the wrong person, so it was better that he knew what he was really doing. That he was a bully, and that sometimes you don't get what you want. He raised his eyes back to Santiago so he had most of his attention even as he made the spear spotless. "I just don't know what else to do. I hate to be pessimistic but..." He hesitated again, then shook his head. He wasn't going to say it outloud. There's so much pressure to be me, was what he wanted to say. To stay the same. If I change, who will like me?

Cyrus raised an eyebrow in question when Santiago began, in such a serious manner, the answer to his equally serious question. His words made his mouth go dry and his face heat, but his blood run cold. He noticed him? All those times when he was little, when he first got his powers and showed Santiago his little raincloud and the latter walked away, he was paying attention? Well that felt...nice. "Tan...Dejas yo creo tú me disgustaba...¿Cuando realmente lo hizo como yo?" He asked patiently, but he was becoming angry again. "¿Por qué me rechazarte? Eso sería estúpido." Santiago was his childhood hero. Who would reject their childhood hero?

"¿Acaba de que, Santiago?"

Santiago's facial expression changed from being curious, confused, then to being ashamed. If he was in his jaguar form, his ears would've flopped downward. He didn't understand how mean he was when he didn't get his way. Maybe he was just a glorified pussy cat. "Lo siento. Nunca quise salir con ese tipo de comportamiento." He wanted to curl up into a ball and hide in the tallest tree in the Amazon-like forest.

"Es más que eso, Cyrus. A lo largo de los pasados ​​seis años que ambos habían tomado y pensé si no me relaciono con usted que no estaba en un nivel profesional que mis sentimientos por ti se irían , pero no fue así. También pensé que salir con alguien como José sería ... No sé . Lo siento." He stared down at the blade of the daggers before getting up and placing them away.

"Sí."

"We all have our faults, don't we." Cyrus said quietly. His goal wasn't to make Santiago feel bad, rather aware of the way he had reacted to Cyrus, as well as the unfair position the son of Tlaloc was put in from it. The same went for when his Warriors got in trouble; he would typically just talk to them and let them know what they did wrong. Hurting people wasn't who he was. Just because his heart was a little broken, didn't mean he was completely heartless.

"Dejar de pedir disculpas, Santiago." Cyrus said, slightly impatiently. The Santiago he knew took everything bravely and (in Cyrus' opinion and assumptions) lived with little to no regret. He shook his head. "Soy no como José. No se por qué tú creo soy. No he hecho trampa en mi vida. No he hecho daño a nadie. Y toda la gente que tenía relaciones sexuales con me fueron mi novios o novias. Y honestamente, eso no es mucho." He leaned back in the stool, his back resting on the edge of a table set up with different shields. He began to clean the last spearhead

He sighed and crossed his arms. Santiago wanted to say a lot of things to Cyrus right now, but he knew that it wouldn't change anything. Actions do speak louder than words and that was especially true for Santiago. "I know."

The son of Tepeyollotl bit the inside of his cheek before going over in front of Cyrus. Sighing, he squatted in front of him and gently took the spear away from his hand. He was determined to fix any wrong that he had committed toward Cyrus. The Aztec demigod rested his hands on his knees before saying, "I don't want you to change. I just want...you." With that he leaned in quickly and placed a kiss on his lips, hard.

Cyrus was almost done cleaning the metal when he was interrupted by Santiago squatting in front of him. He looked up curiously, even though his face seemed only slightly intrigued, as he studied his expression for anything that might reveal what his next words would be. He glanced down at the hands now on his knees, then back into his eyes. He wasn't expecting his that phrase to be what he said next, but he didn't know whether to embrace them or feel dread.

When their lips met, Cyrus felt the electricity surged between them. Sort of literally, because the static in the room change and everything. He felt a warmth that began in his chest and flowed all the way down to his toes. He found himself cupping Santiago's face in both of his hands as he kissed him back in a way he never kissed anyone, but one person, before. And surprisingly, Cyrus was the first to break away. "...Be patient with me. Please, just promise me that." He whispered before letting go of his face and continuing to polish the spearhead.

His hands moved up to his hands up from Cyrus' knees to his shoulders, embracing him. He had wanted this for a very long time and now here it was. Lighting seemed to surge through his body as the kiss continued. It felt nice to feel this way again.

When Cyrus broke away, Santiago stared into his eyes. "I will. I will be patient as long as you can work with me." Once he let go, he stood up and went to get a stool to sit beside Cyrus. After grabbing maquahuitl and a few minutes of silence, Santiago spoke up. "So, we basically have the camp to yourselves...do you want to try again? Our first date, I mean?"

Cyrus released a sigh as he thought about it and set the now clean spearhead with the rest. He began cleaning one of the shields behind him. The son of Tlaloc nodded. "Let's see... Try out first date again, yes?"

It sounded possible, and fun, and Cyrus kind of wanted to experiment with being an actual boyfriend. He placed his hand on Santiago's shoulder and gave it one more thought. "Yes, we can try again," He said. "As long as it starts with cleaning the arenas, because that's where we're headed to next after this place." He let go of his shoulder had finished polishing the shield. Cyrus chuckled to himself.

"I remember I had to do this exact same thing when I was fifteen. Remember when Señora Isadora was Primary Leader? She made me do this when I clogged all the toilets with membrillos."

A little purr along with a small came from the mighty Santiago. "Bene. I'm good with doing that. It should be a breeze cleaning it." He looked over at Cyrus, biting his lip. "A nice dusting with a good shower should do the trick." He went back to cleaning.

Smirking, Santiago added. "Sí, I do. I had watched you for a good hour before going into the jungle for a good nap." He laughed a bit. There was a moment of silence. "That raincloud...was bomb by the way."

Cyrus nodded. "Yes, yes. It should be easy, but it may take a while." Cleaning the arena was another one of his punishments from the past. That time he didn't do anything stupid; it was a very serious fight between him and a Senior Warrior. We're not going to get into that story today, but just remember that Cyrus doesn't fight without a reason.

"Really? I hope you enjoyed watching me curse and accidentally cut my fingers." Cyrus held out his hand to show Santiago the tiny littles scars on his fingers from being in here for longer than he should have been because he was determined to get a single knife absolutely spotless. In the moment of silence, he went back to cleaning the shield before switching to another. And at once, he froze like a statue. Did he really notice from back then, or was he just trying to make him feel good? Either one brought a smile to Cyrus' face. He shook his head and went back to cleaning. "...Gracias."

Santiago agreed to that. Cleaning the arenas always took more effort especially since whoever assigned them to the task always double checked to make sure it was done correctly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It was quite amusing to see that although I wish I could've help." Santiago smiled a bit and looked over at Cyrus as he cleaned. His face was always something peaceful. Peaceful in a way that made Santiago smile. "De nada...do you mind doing it again for me?"