Power Thief's Revenge [BL]

The elevator dinged softly as Hermes stepped out into the tenth floor of The Golden Apple guild's tower. 

He had never been here before—mostly because only the higher-ups or the heavily wounded ever had a reason to visit the company clinic. He was both, in a way.

Hermes steeled himself and walked toward the frosted glass doors, past the potted plants and soothing scent of antiseptic. 

He clenched his fists. This was the right thing to do.

He needed to see Ymir.

To apologize? Maybe not. To explain? Definitely. To check if he was alright? As much as he didn't want to admit it, he really was worried for this man's wellbeing.

What he didn't expect was the sight that greeted him.

"—and I said stop licking my face, you freak!" Ymir shouted as he swatted away the towering figure that was trying to nuzzle against him like an affectionate St. Bernard.

"Awww, but your sweat tastes so delicious today!" Magni beamed. "So spicy. Like peppermint and pain."

"STOP BEING A CREEP!"

Hermes froze.

Literally. His temperature dropped again just from seeing this. This was not the picture of an S-class hero resting quietly in a hospital bed. This was…

"I…" Hermes blinked. "Am I interrupting something?"

Ymir turned to him with the most exhausted glare in existence. "Yes. An assault. Call the police."

"Oh! Brother Modi has arrived!" Magni sang, jumping to his feet and rushing over to embrace Hermes like a molten boulder of enthusiasm.

Hermes barely sidestepped the full-body hug. "Stop calling me that. My name's Hermes."

"But Brother Modi is such a mighty name!" Magni whined, sniffing dramatically. "So much better than the puny mortal name you were assigned."

"Okay, first of all," Hermes pointed. "Why are you still here? Don't you have a villain hideout or… lava pit to boil in?"

"I waited for my prince to wake up!" Magni said proudly. "I even prepared him some special tea that you humans are so fond of. Though it didn't come out as I expected after I boiled the water over my forearm. It's a bit muddy and taste like charcoal"

"I'M NOT YOUR PRINCE!" Ymir shouted from his bed, chucking a pillow at his head. "And I swear if you lick me again I will freeze your mouth shut permanently!"

Magni caught the pillow with his teeth, chewed it a bit, and muttered. "Mmm. Tastes like denial."

Hermes's eye twitched. "You're like a clingy golden retriever but worse."

"Thank you!" Magni bowed. "That is high praise among Voidlings. Dogs are sacred symbols of loyalty and unhinged passion."

"…Right."

As the chaos fizzled into awkward silence, Hermes slowly approached Ymir's bedside.

"I came to check on you." He said at last, tone low. "I wasn't sure if you were—"

"Save it." Ymir didn't even look at him. "Give me my power back."

Hermes blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Ymir said coldly. "Cryoshift. I want it back. Now."

Hermes frowned. "It doesn't work like that. The ability will return to you naturally in about three days."

"I can't wait that long." Ymir insisted.

"You'll live."

"No, I won't. I've already felt the side effects. You're weakening my system. My body's unstable without it."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have been such a bastard to me in the first place." Hermes snapped.

Magni whistled. "Oooh. Lover's quarrel~"

"SHUT UP, MAGNI!" Both Ymir and Hermes shouted at once.

Magni grinned and reclined on one of the nurse stools, eating Ymir's IV drip like it was noodles.

Hermes folded his arms. "Look. If you really want Cryoshift back right away… there is a method."

Ymir raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

Hermes looked away when he remembered the night he first shared his powers with Somner.

"It's… not pleasant. For you, at least."

Ymir rolled his eyes. "I've fought beasts from the tenth layer of the Void and came back with my limbs. Try me."

Hermes hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "The only way for you to regain an ability I've taken before its duration runs out is through… absorption."

Ymir narrowed his eyes. "Absorption of what?"

"…My blood."

Ymir made a face. "Gross. But fine. I'll bite your arm or whatever. Just do it now."

Hermes looked even more sheepish."…Or my, uh… life essence."

"…Huh?" His former boss just stared at him as if he had grown a third arm.

Magni suddenly burst into wild laughter, howling like a hyena. "Ohhhh! So that's what you meant! Brother Modi, you naughty boy!"

Hermes slapped his forehead. "Oh gods. Here we go."

"What are you laughing about!?" Ymir demanded.

Magni grinned like a madman. "In Void biology, 'life essence' refers to more than just blood, Your Iceness. It's a euphemism."

"A euphemism for what!?" Ymir asked, face already flushing.

Hermes rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. "You… you have to either drink my blood directly from a wound… or ingest something produced from inside me. Something that gives life…."

Ymir's mind clicked the pieces together.

His jaw dropped.

"WAIT. YOU MEAN—?!"

"Yes," Magni said proudly, puffing his chest. "You must swallow his sacred nectar. His royal extract. His godly—"

"SHUT UP!" Ymir's whole body was red now. 

He grabbed his pillow and smacked Hermes with it. "WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?!?! Don't play with me, Potentia! You degenerate!"

Magni was rolling on the floor, tears in his eyes. "This is the greatest day of my life."

Hermes just blocked his attacks while sighing. "I'm really telling the truth. It's not my fault my powers work this way. If you don't want to, then just drink my blood—"

Ymir hurled a cup of ice water at his face. "GET OUT!!!"

Hermes froze the water before it hit him, narrowly avoiding getting wet.

"Fine! Be that way and just wait then!"

But as he was about to leave…

"Oh…"

The door swung open and Eirwyn came inside, his expression grim. It seemed that he had listened in on everything. 

"Don't leave yet, Hermes. We need to talk."