Back in Black

[AbelXCain]

"I grant you back your powers and your position as Guardian of Elysium. You're welcome."

"What?"

I don't think I heard that correctly. Even after Hades had shooed me out of his palace so he could retreat into his evil dark lair of experimental toys, I still hadn't wrapped my head around the fact that he'd not only given me back all my powers so that I was just as strong as my brothers, but he'd given me permission to take over Elysium again. It felt like the breath had been knocked from me and my body was running on auto-pilot as I vanished from the front doors of his palace to appear outside the doors to Cain's palace.

And my shock was short-lived as I realized that this was both the best thing that ever happened to me, and the worst thing that ever happened to me.

Cain was going to kill me.

And I wasn't sure if that was metaphorically or literally.

Now that I was given my position back, I would be required to live in Elysium in order to oversee all of it. I would have to hire more people to work for me, including a second-in-command. While it was totally exciting, it was also terrifying.

Cain was going to go balistic on me when he found out I wouldn't be living with him anymore. We'd lived together ever since we made up all those years ago at the Labyrinth. After he confessed to the truth of why he killed me in the first place. A bitter cold combination of ancient ignorance, jealousy, and unintentional betrayal. After we'd finally vented to each other for half an hour, we had made up and gotten together again. Since then, Cain hadn't tried to kill me.

No, instead, he'd practically held me hostage. If I went out, he had to go out too. If I had to start a war against Hades, he was right by my side. The only thing we very strongly disagreed on was leaving Hannibal alive; Hannibal was the Atlantean-Greek hybrid god who'd attacked me all those years ago before Cain and I had officially made up. It was his attack that seemed to wake Cain up to the fact that he'd done the same thing to me for years and I had only made up excuses for it.

It was the fact that I let Hannibal off the hook that drove Cain insane, though.

Even now, I wasn't sure why I had done it. Maybe it was the fact that Hannibal suffered enough without my help or Cain's. Maybe it was the fact that Hannibal had done it for the same reason Cain had killed me in the first place. According to Akin, Hannibal felt like Cain had practically slapped him in the face for getting back together with me. Hannibal had been scared and confused and angry and hurt. And while that was no excuse whatsoever for what he'd done, he was in enough pain without me hounding him. And he was trying to move on, and so was I.

So that was how I had left it.

Other than that, Cain was always showering me with gifts and affection... as well as following me like a desperate puppy. This was one the few times he didn't follow me out of the house, because Hades had ordered I come alone. He knew very well that Cain would throw a bitch fit when he heard, and he didn't want to deal with it. So he sent me home to deal with it.

Part of me was furious that he'd do such a thing knowing Cain's violent history, but then again, Hades had done a bit of a U-turn since he and Lucifer got into a relationship. Lucifer was always jumping all over him if he treated us like shit. Not that he needed to. Now that we, my brothers and I, knew the truth about Hades and why he was the way he was, Hades had calmed down when it came to us. And he would never send me back home if he knew Cain would kill me again.

Even so, that didn't stop me from getting scared.

I didn't want to make Cain angry, nor did I want to hurt him.

But I wanted to get back a life of my own. A private life that involved my own job.

And I knew I couldn't just run off and try to hide it from him. It'd be impossible to. Cain was perceptive, especially when it came to me. It was either now or later, and I'd rather he hear it from me than someone else once news got around.

Taking a deep breath and straightening my black leather jacket, I pushed the doors open and entered the small lobby that led opened up further back into the main throne room, which was adorned with elegant shades of black, blue, and purple. Large iron chandeliers with fake candles glowed overhead, reflecting off the shiny black floors that matched the large throne at the head of the room. Several hallways led off into multiple directions, and any second I waited for Cain to come through angrily at being dismissed by Hades.

"What happened?" His voice came from behind me and I gave a pathetic half-gasp, half-cry because he scared the shit out of me and I whirled around to meet his pointed glare.

Cain was pretty intimidating, even if he was a couple inches shorter than me. He was also incredibly sexy and adorable at the same time, despite being my twin. While my hair was dyed navy blue, his was chestnut brown and currently swept back from his face and cut at a medium length with bangs that framed a sharp featured face, like a Greek statue. He was slender, but muscular, and currently wore his signature style of a tight laced black leather corset over an elbow-length black shirt to match his black pants and knee-high heeled boots.

I was half-tempted to sneak a kiss in and maybe distract him, but that would just make matters worse when I finally got up the courage to tell him and he accused me of using him to change the subject.

So I managed a sigh, rubbing at the back of my neck. I felt Cain's eyes scanning me up and down for a moment before his eyes flashed.

Ah, shit. He could feel my elevated powers.

Before he could speak, I cut him off and spoke.

"I know, I have my powers back," I said quickly, and Cain's eyes flickered curiously, his head tilting like a curious puppy that made me want to grab his face and pinch at his cheeks, but ugh, come on, Abel, there was no time for that now, "Hades decided it was about time he returned everything he took from me." Cain continued to give me a blank stare for a moment longer before his eyes widened in realization. He stared at me for even longer like that before I saw his teeth clench, his jaw tightening.

"Oh." Was all he said. He wasn't blowing up or ripping things apart.

That scared me.

Why wasn't he freaking out? I expected him to be jumping off the walls and ripping me a new one, but he just stood there with an unreadable expression. This was worse than him freaking out. He was keeping it from me, all his pent-up emotions, like he did over the situation that had resulted in his repeated killing in the first place. I wanted anything, but that.

"Are you all right?" I asked at last. Cain pursed his lips for a moment, then dropped his eyes.

"Yup."

"Cain, you're kind of scaring me. You're mad, aren't you?"

"Nope." With that, he brushed past me. Okay, yeah, he was angry. Part of me told me to just let him go because my badgering him would no doubt make him angry enough to beat me senseless, but he was also in pain and that allowed me to hurry after him down one of the hallways that led to his bedroom.

"Cain, can we talk about it, please?"

"What's there to talk about? Congrats on getting your super powers back, Superman. Now you can go back to Elysium."

"Cain, don't be like that. This doesn't change anything."

"Nah, 'course not."

"Don't get sarcastic with me," I snapped impatiently, grabbing his arm and forcing him to a stop, causing his whole body to tighten up, "Cain, I want to talk about this, please. This doesn't mean we're breaking up or anything."

"Doesn't it?" Cain snarled so suddenly that I snapped my hand back and took a full step away from him. I was still conditioned to get away from him when he was angry like this, but I forced myself to stand my ground. I wasn't scared of him; not really. But there was still a part of me that wanted to hide whenever he got like this. Now wasn't the time, however. He needed to vent and he needed to understand the situation fully.

"No," I told him, sternly, watching his blue eyes darken menacingly, "It doesn't mean that, Cain. It just means I finally got a job now, I can do my own thing on the side, and I can still come see you after work and we can do whatever you want to do." Cain looked distressed at that, clenching his fists. He started to whip away from me again, but I caught his arm and this time, pulled him back so he was up against me and my arms were wrapped tightly around him, my cheek resting against his head.

"Cain, you don't have to worry; I still love you. I always will. After everything that's happened, do you really think I'd end it now? Just because I have a job somewhere else now doesn't mean that I will never see you again." I told him gently this time. His muscles bunched under my hands and his breathing was quick and angry as he pushed against my chest, but I tightened my grip on me and after a moment of struggling to get him to calm down, he finally slumped against me.

"I don't want you to get a job somewhere else," He seethed against my shoulder, his arms going around me reluctantly, "I don't want you to go anywhere else. You're fine right here. Elysium doesn't need a guardian. It's done fine under someone else's command. I want you to stay here... I want... you to depend on me again." I half-smiled at that. Of course, he did. He was used to it.

Back when we lived in the mortal realm with our mortal parents in a time when intelligence was still minimal, I had depended on Cain for everything. Food, shelter, protection, sex, everything. But over the millenia, I'd gained more knowledge about the world and now I wanted a sense of independence and Cain hated it because thought it meant I didn't need him anymore.

God, he was silly sometimes.

I stepped back a little in his arms to cup his face in my hands, watching him glare at me past his dark hair. I bent my head down to kiss him hungrily on the lips. He groaned against my lips, tightening his arms around my waist to draw me closer so he could press his hips into mine, causing us both to moan faintly deep in our throats. Cain nipped at my bottom lip desperately, tugging on the lapels of my jacket now before he dipped his hands inside to slide his palms against my shirt.

"I want to be able to do this all the time." Cain pouted, pulling back from me breathlessly, his eyes boring into mine. I smiled, stroking his cheeks with my thumbs and savoring the soft skin beneath the pads of my fingers.

"We can do it all the time. But now you can come over to my place."

"I want you to stay here."

"Cain." I started, but he caught me off guard when he hugged me around the torso tightly, pressing his cheek to my chest. I sighed and hugged him back, cradling him in my arms as he hid his face against me. He shook a little, but I wasn't entirely sure if he was crying or not. Cain didn't generally cry about anything. Of course, when it involved me, there was a first time for everything. So I just held him for a while before he tilted his head in to kiss at my throat. I purred at the feel of his lips on my skin, sliding my hand up his back to cup the back of his head as he kissed at my throat.

My fangs throbbed in my gums and I could feel the hot curse swelling up inside me, making me curse mentally. Now was not the time for this thing to kick in.

Despite our victory against the Titans, and the current submission of those that weren't killed and absorbed by Hades, it didn't mean Prometheus's curse on me was gone. He may be under a spell and incapacitated, but his curse remained. My lust and hunger for Cain's blood made my mouth water, my veins feel as if they were on fire. I licked at my suddenly dry lips, eyeing the vein in Cain's neck that gave me chills.

"Do it." Cain whispered in my ear. That was all I needed before I completely forgot about everything in existence, except that delicious vein in Cain's throat. I parted my lips, jammed my fangs down into his soft throat, and savored the hot red blood that gushed into my mouth through the puncture wounds. I sucked hard and Cain moaned, grinding up against me. I growled, picking him up and smashing him against the wall, making him gasp. Without taking my mouth off his throat, I feverishly moved my hands down to his pants to rip them off.

"Slow down." Cain managed. I ignored him and he didn't seem to care as I finally tore his pants off, tossing them aside.

"I liked those pants." Cain muttered in my ear. I only growled at him and he laughed breathlessly.

"I don't recall giving you permission to do this." He told me. I snapped my fangs in his face now and he quickly switched our position, breaking away from me to grab me and throw me down on the floor. I started to fling myself upright, but he waved his hands and invisible restraints chained my arms over my head and to the floor, allowing little mobility of them. I cursed, breathing heavily as Cain licked his lips, looking down at me hungrily. He pushed my jacket open and hoisted my shirt up to my chest so he could lean down and lick a hot wet path across my abs down to my groin. He used his teeth to undo the zipper on my jeans and I groaned, arching my hips up, but he pushed them back down and arched a brow at me.

"Ah, ah." He teased. I licked the leftover blood off my lips to watch him shimmy down between my legs, spreading them open and dipping his head down between them. I moaned as his hot wet mouth engulfed me, practically swallowing me. I writhed beneath him, distracted by his mouth and the sound of his heart beating, pumping sweet juicy blood through his system, teasing me further.

I'd completely forgotten about our argument before, Cain's worries about my leaving, or even about Elysium and the fact that I had the power to remove the restraints. Something about it felt so good, so nice to be restrained so I couldn't touch him, even though my body physically ached to throw him down and take him right here and now.

I gasped breathlessly as Cain switched his attention to my sac, sucking and licking before he made his way to the tip of me again, tonguing the tender slit there before he slid back up my back, hands wandering and groping everything in their path before he made eye contact with me, his blue eyes hooded with sexual appetite. I licked my lips and tilted my head up, capturing his lips in a hungry kiss that he returned full force to the point where our teeth clicked together and his bottom lip was punctured by one of my fangs, allowing more blood to seep into my awaiting mouth.

I moaned at the sweet taste of it, then watched Cain pull his lips back from mine just a bit so he could gasp and it took me a moment to realize that he was preparing himself for me with his lube soaked fingers. A giddy rush of excitement fled through me. It was rare that Cain let me fuck him. It was usually the other way around. He always mocked me whenever I was the one to go in. He called me sloppy, or he'd simply say "I'm suited for top". I had no idea what that meant, but it didn't matter.

Today, it was my turn.

Cain trembled above me, purring low in his throat and nuzzling against my cheek as he plunged his fingers inside himself with wet sucking sounds. I shuddered, my groin so tight that it almost hurt. I wanted to be in him now.

Unable to stand it anymore, I growled lowly and ripped free from Cain's restraints, reaching up to grab him, flipping us around so he was on his back on the floor and I was above him, grabbing him by the knees and spreading his legs apart. He cursed, dropping his hands to the floor to prop himself up.

"Slow down!" Cain snapped. I almost bared my fangs at him, but the slight panic in his voice reached through the hunger inside me and I hesitated, then slowly let go of his legs, letting him sit up breathlessly while I sat back on my knees.

"Shit," I cursed, reaching up to rub the heel of my palm against my forehead, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Cain eyed me wearily, biting at his bottom lip before he reached out, grabbing me by the lapels of my jacket to get my attention.

"I said slow down, don't stop." He told me sternly. I looked at him, still hesitant about it before he leaned in and kissed me passionately on the mouth, this time no biting or snarling. Just a warm hungry kiss that encouraged me to continue. So I let Cain slump back down on the floor so I could get between his legs again. Cain stared up at me, dark eyes hungry, encouraging. So without further adieu, I filled him instantly and Cain squeaked and tilted his head back against the floor, gasping out loud a second later. I hissed through clenched teeth at how tight and wet he was already, his cock oozing.

My hunger sparked and I started to move slowly at first, allowing him a moment or two to get accustomed to the size and feel of me. He moaned, reaching a hand up to rake it through his hair, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip, his toes curling. I smirked pleasantly at that, leaning over him now with a steady rocking pace that had him arching his back up off the floor, his hands grabbing atr his hair as if he could barely handle the pleasure.

"We should do this more often." I murmured down at him.

"Don't get used to it." He purred. I laughed quietly at that, leaning down to kiss and suckle gently at his neck now. He sank his hand into my hair, tightening his grip on the loose locks there, neck craned to allow me more access. I rocked into him repeatedly, listening to him moan and cry out in pleasure until I felt him reaching his peak, so I sank my fangs down into him once more and he screamed in orgasm, trembling beneath me and slamming down onto me. I shuddered and came hard, filling him before we slumped onto the floor and I rolled over on my back beside him.

We lay in silence, aside from panting for breath anyway

"Kat is gonna kill us for doing it in the hallway again." I breathed at last, referring to his second-in-command, who hated noting more than Cain and I doing it in the halls since she was in charge of watching the cameras that were set up everywhere. Cain laughed and rolled over on his side, resting his head on his arm and reaching his other hand out to rub at my chest.

"Who cares? My house, my rules." He answered. I smiled at that, reaching up to take his hand in mine and bringing his fingertips to my lips so I could place gentle kisses there. He shivered, then wiggled closer so he could settle himself under my arm and against my chest. I held his hand and we laid there for a while, completely oblivious to the cold hard floor beneath us.

But the longer we sat there, the more I remembered how this happened in the first place. Cain didn't want me to go, but I couldn't stay here. I had a job to get to and it started with building my own palace and getting my own workers and a second-in-command.

"Cain?" I asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Cain told me briefly, closing his eyes and trying to get closer, as if he could practically burrow inside me. I sighed.

"Cain, we can't just ignore the elephant in the room."

"Yes, we can."

"Cain."

"I want you to stay here. So stay here."

"I can't. Elysium needs me."

"Not as much as I do." Cain growled in protest, propping himself up to glare down at me, as if to challenge me. It was like he was saying I thought Elysium was more important than he was, which was just plain ridiculous. I frowned up at him, trying to pet his arm to calm him down, but he yanked it out of my grasp and got to his feet. I sighed, zipping my jeans up and getting to my feet as Cain snatched his ripped pants up off the floor.

"You owe me a new pair of pants." He snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"Cain, don't be like this. Come on. I'm just going to be living on the other side of the border. A mere teleportation away, and it won't even use up much of your magic--"

"That's not the point," Cain snarled and I stepped back to avoid his anger that caused the walls around us to shudder and a crack to form on the wall behind him, "God, you're fucking stupid! I don't wanna talk about it! Go! Leave! I don't care anymore!"

"Cain--"

"I said fuck off!"

The walls cracked all around us and I had about enough. I glared at him.

"Fine. Be a child. You're just pissed you can't control me anymore. That's just fine. But just remember; you're the one who ended this, not me." I told him. Cain stiffened and I didn't give him a chance to argue before I vanished from his palace and appeared in Elysium, which was bathed in a golden glow of sunshine.

And instantly my anger was doused with a moment of nostalgia.

Elysium was as beautiful as ever with rolling green hills, some occupied with grapevines that filled the air with a heavenly sweet scent. And just beyond the hills was the city itself with new modern buildings that Hades had gifted the heroes there, the heroes who'd left Elysium to fight in the Titan war. It was the perfect paradise, and yet, now I felt guilty.

Because I had just fought with Cain over something stupid. But I was so tired of being the one to run to him to apologize, and I knew very well that he was waiting for me to come back and do it. Because I was so fucking predictable. It was always me going to him to say sorry, even when it wasn't my fault.

But not this time.

This time, Cain was going to be the one to cave first.

Because I had a job to do.

I was starting to wonder why I wanted a job so badly in the first place. While the independence was fantastic, the amount of free time I had was finite and the amount of work I had overflowed my new office. I had set up a large mansion between two hills just outside the city of Elysium. A three story mansion that slightly resembled a castle with the stonework on the outside, but it was high-tech and modern on the inside with the help of Hades installing almost everything. My office was on the top floor, with a balcony that hung over the front entrance.

My desk was cluttered with papers and the chair across from it was filed up with files and books, and my bookcases along the walls were only half-filled. And my phone was ringing off the hook with people calling in to check on their applications for the jobs I'd opened up in cleaning, maintenance, and of course, my second-in-command position.

To be honest, I wanted Akin to be my second-in-command. I could think of no one better. However, that meant he had to leave his new home in Hell with Hannibal, who could never return to the underworld, unless he wanted to fall prey to the people of this realm who had yet to forgive him for what he'd done to me, which never would have gotten out if Epimetheus wasn't such a big-mouthed shitfuck.

I sighed in frustration, leaning back in my chair to press the heels of my palms to my eyes.

"Trouble in paradise?" A voice asked, amused. I narrowed my eyes and dropped my hands to see Hades standing on the other side of my desk. Freakishly tall with sleek long black hair that he currently had brushed over his shoulder, and glowing blue eyes with the power of night vision, he was dressed in an attractive black v-neck sweater and matching jeans. And he normally smelled like smoke, ash, and coffee, but today, he held the faintest hints of vanilla, meaning he'd just returned from another visit with Lucifer.

"I'm stressed," I told him at last, watching him snort as if it were obvious and I glared at him more harshly, not that it made him soften, "I can't fill out all these applications on my own and I can't contact them all either. Not to mention, Hercules came down from Olympus the other day to start something with one of the guys." Hades gave me a droll stare, waving his hand to summon another leather seat for him to sit in considering the only available seat in the room was occupied with papers.

"Well, boo hoo," He told me, taking a seat and folding one leg over the other, "Try running the entire underworld."

"Yeah, but at least Charon and Ambrosius and Cerberus help you with that. I don't have anyone."

"What about one of your brothers?"

"Malachi's prepping something for Adrian's birthday. Theo's... well, Theo. Zelios is on vacation in the Caribbean with Noe for their anniversary. Akin won't even pick up his damn phone. Everyone else is busy."

"Everyone else," Hades echoed innocently and I narrowed my eyes, "Huh, well, what about your lover slash brother slash bitch?" I glared at him.

"I don't want to talk to him."

"You guys got in a fight?"

"He started it," I blurted without thinking, and decided to go on from there since Hades was obviously baiting me into spilling everything, "He should be happy for me! I finally get to be an adult and take care of myself and now he has to make it seem like I'm doing it to punish him! I have a life too and I'm tired of depending on him! We're equals! He's not my sugar daddy, Christ! I can finally go shopping on my own without him following me the whole way and I swear, if I have to watch one more Supernatural rerun, I'm going to find one of those demon people myself and personally beg them to kill Cain!" Hades just stared at me and I glared back at him.

"That's what you were waiting for, wasn't it? Hurry up and get with the making fun of me for it so I can get back to doing all this work." I snapped. Hades blinked, then smirked, resting his cheek against his hand, elbow on the arm of the chair.

"Nah. You already made yourself look like too much of an ass for me to even help."

"Thanks. Just what I want to hear."

"Could be worse," Hades said with a shrug, "I could've eaten you when you were born, but I didn't. So I think I deserve some kind of medal." I grimaced at that, rubbing my brow at the start of a headache. He was referring to the fact that his own father had devoured him in infancy and sent him to a realm he referred to his stomach. A tiny realm that consisted of a tiny island surrounded by acid waters. It succeeded in calming me down to a degree, knowing Hades parenting skills were shit, but he was trying at least. I sighed, dropping my arm onto my desk before looking at Hades as he picked up one of the applications to go through it with a bored expression.

I chewed my bottom lip, watching him for a moment before averting my eyes.

"You and Lucifer live in completely different realms, but you somehow manage to find time for each other. How do you do that?" I asked.

"Dunno," Hades said without looking up, "He's the one that comes to me or calls me over. I just wait."

"You don't instigate it?"

"I instigate the sex."

"Ew, that's a detail I didn't need. I just want to know if it's hard. Like..."

"You want to know if it'll be too hard to maintain your relationship with Cain while you work here," Hades replied nonchalantly, making me look at him warily, "And yeah, it won't be easy at first because you'll have more work than him as you settle into the place. But once you've got things sorted out, you'll have more than enough time to do whatever it is you two do. It'll still be the same, but now, you won't be bored all the time when Cain's at work. And you just happen to live in different houses, but nobody said you couldn't stay the night at each other's places. Seriously. Cain's just throwing a bitch fit because he's not accepting of change." I blinked and looked at him, surprised.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think you knew that."

"I know a lot more than you think I do." Hades replied briefly, taking one last look at the application before tossing it aside to pin me with an eerie blue stare. Hades was so hard to read sometimes, and he did it on purpose. He didn't let people in. Because he knew that if he did, someone had power over him and he hated that, which was completely understandable given what had happened to him, something that still gave me nightmares and reminded me not to treat Hades the way I had before, like he was just a psychopath without a heart.

Because now I knew he had a heart.

It was just so fragile that he had to protect it at all costs, for fear of becoming the victim he loathed.

And it was a little comforting that Hades knew enough about Cain and I to talk to me about our relationship, even if it was just a bit.

"How do I talk Cain into the whole idea, though?" I asked at last when Hades broke eye contact to pick up another application to review. I think he was also trying to help me get my work out of the way without actually admitting or showing to me that he was. So I resisted the urge to smile at that as I waited for his response.

"You don't," He answered, making me tilt my head, "Cain's a big kid. He can think for himself. He'll realize he's just being a little shit again and try to fix it. Just stick to your guns. That way, he knows that he can't push you around anymore. It'll scare him shitless for a while, but I think he needs a slap across the face to accept the fact that you're not his personal bitch anymore." I accepted that. It sounded like a good plan, and it was nice to have someone on my side for once.

"Thanks," I said at last, making Hades glance up at me, "Seriously. You have no idea how stressed I've been about this whole thing. I was about ready to just give my position to Ambrosius or Nikias."

"Oh please," Hades scoffed as if the very idea disgusted him, "Ambrosius has the attention span of a gnat and refuses to leave the desert and Nikias is a hyperactive monkey. I'd sooner give Elysium to a waffle-cone than those two." I rolled my eyes as he stood up.

"Besides," He drawled, pinning me with a serious stare, "They're not suited for Elysium. You are. I gave this job to you. If you quit, I'd have no one else to dump it on." I stared back at him. Did he just compliment me? I didn't bring it up, though, because he suddenly looked uncomfortable and the momentary lapse in his bitter personality and he cleared his throat, tossing a paper at my face, which I barely caught and fumbled with.

"There's someone to help you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an ex-archangel to piss off." He stated, then vanished in a thin column of black and blue smoke. I smirked, watchihng him disappear before I looked down at the application he'd given me, my eyes widening slightly at the position the person had applied for.

A second-in-command?

That was a hard position to fill. But if Hades liked him, surely that meant he could be trusted? Hades didn't let us choose second-in-commands without prior permission and review first. And even though he hated half of the second-in-commands that he'd let us choose over the years, even he knew when to admit someone was worthy of the job. Kind of anyway.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number on the application. After a couple of rings, a man with a deep gravelly voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi," I said slowly, studying the application for the name, "Uh, is this Demetrius?"

"Yes."

"Hi, it's Abel. You applied for my position as a second-in-command and I'm calling to inform you that you've got the job. You've been preapproved by Hades as well."

"That's shocking." The man deadpanned. I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know him?"

"Yes. We have a small connection. When should I arrive?"

"If you could be here by tomorrow afternoon, that would be great."

"Of course, no problem. Thank you.

"No, thank you. Seriously. I need help. Well, aside from the occasional therapy session anyway. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh, okay. Sure."

We hung up and I added Demetrius's file to the pile of accepted application, which wasn't as big as the other piles. I sighed in relief to at least have some help around here. I stood up to start organizing my papers when a fissure of power shot through the room and I cursede under my breath, recognizing the oveprowering pressure. A column of black smoke swirled about in the room and a second later, Cain appeared in the middle of my office, looking pissy.

And sexy. He wore a tight black steel boned corset with red seams, a tight pair of leather pants with matching boots, and gloves.

"What do you want?' I asked, unable to keep the animosity out of my voice. Cain glared at me.

"You never got me my new pants." He stated. My temper snapped at that.

"Oh," I said, holding my hands up in mock surrender, "Oh, I am so fucking sorry that I didn't replace the pair of pants I'm sure you have twenty other copies off in your infinitely gigantic closet." Cain's eyes flashed dangerously and he took a threatening step toward me, but this time, I held my ground. I wasn't going to be intimidated by him anymore. We were on equal levels now and if he tried to blast me, I now had the power to blast him right back. A thrill shot through me at the confidence that burst through my veins at the thought.

"Those pants were special! I want a new pair, the exact same kind!"

"They're just pants, you spoiled little brat! Get your own pants! You're the one who wanted to have sex in the hallway!"

"Oh, that is such bullshit and you know it! You're the one who couldn't keep your fangs out of me!"

"That's not my fault and you know it! I can't help that!"

"Well, now you can! Find your own blood bag!"

"I can't do that," I snarled at him, coming around my desk to get closer to him, "Prometheus cursed me to suck the blood of the person I love, and that unfortunately, happens to be you!" Cain stiffened, cheeks flushing red with anger. He started to throw a blast my way, but I caught his wrist and charged it right back at him, electrocuting him and making him yelp. I swung him around and threw him at my desk, sending papers flying everywhere. Cain panted hard, then whirled around to face me, baring his fangs.

I almost slapped him, but managed to control myself as I remembered what Hades had told me earlier. Cain didn't like change. He was scared of it, and he was scared of having things out of his control. In fact, he was more like Hades than I even realized. I felt myself relax at the thought.

Cain was just scared.

And I don't think the pants were the reason he came here in the first place. Come on. Who goes this far for a pair of pants that weren't even namebrand?

"Cain," I said, keeping my voice steady and calm, watching my twin's expression darken, "I love you, don't get me wrong. I love you so much that I was willing to demean myself to make you happy, but I'm tired of having to put myself last. I want to be just as important as you."

"You are," Cain blurted suddenly, looking surprisingly panicked, "That's why you have to come back!"

"No," I told him sternly, watching him flinch as if I'd hit him, "Cain, that's not what that means. What I'm trying to say is that I want to do things on my own, including taking care of you once in a while. I'm tired of taking a backseat to everything in our relationship. I'm tired of being the one that has to ask you for money or permission to do pretty much everything. That's not what a relationship is built on. Don't get me wrong; I am so happy that you want to take care of me. It's incredibly sweet. But let me do it once a while, all right? And let me have a job, to be the boss of something, to try and make something more of myself than just Cain's brother and boyfriend. I want to be the Guardian of Elysium. I want to be powerful and I want to be your equal, not your footstool."

Cain hesitated at that. He met my eyes levelly, and the way they flickered told me he was actually considering my words. I held my breath, waiting and hoping and praying that Hades had been right. That getting my point across as confidently and clearly as possible would make Cain finally understand.

This was the 21st century. Things were different now than they were back then, back when there was at least one submissive person in a relationship. Relationships now were based on equality, acceptance, independence, and trust. Not "let me do all the work and you just do the dishes, dear".

"I don't want you to go." Cain managed at last, and I swore I saw fear glow in his eyes. I smiled helplessly at that. God, he was adorable. I came forward and took his face in my hands, forcing him to make eye contact with me again.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby," I promised him, watching his eyes widen at the endearment, "I'll be right here whenever you need me." Cain swallowed.

"I need you right now." He whispered.

"Then just say that, you dork." I laughed, kissing him on the lips. Cain moaned and slumped in defeat, leaning back on the desk and sliding his hand up my arm to reach up and slid through my hair. I dragged my hand down his arm, savoring the warmth of his soft skin. We broke apart and I reached up to cup Cain's face in my hand, brushing at the space beneath his eye where a tear had broken free past his defenses.

"Can I stay the night?" He asked at last. I smirked.

"Absolutely." I replied. Cain sighed in relief at that, smiling hesitantly at me for a moment before he grabbed me by the hips and jerked me against him, making me groan.

"This time, I'm going to fuck you all night." He tacked on, his voice taking on that usual bossy tone of his. I laughed, leaning down to rub my nose against his.

"I look forward to it." I replied, savoring the return of his cocky smirk before we kissed hungrily and I used my powers to lock my office and hold up a barrier so as not to be disturbed.

A/N: This was unexpected, but so fun<3 It's so hard to not write about these guys. Ugh. Anyway, after a ridiculously long hiatus, here's something I can be proud of~ Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :D!