Listen | A Walt Stone x Anubis story

10

Anubis did quick work of Walt's body, carefully removing the plagued part of the curse. Walt's soul was soft and gentle in his hands, like a tiny ball of flame that warmed his heart. He threw the curse away from him with a force unbeknownst to men, and as the dark spirit bounded off into the unknown folds of the Duat and splashed right into the acidic depths of Chaos, Anubis slowly set down the human's soul back into his body like a jeweler would a diamond to a golden ring.

Now, to wait. If Walt's soul was strong enough, it would set back into his body and he would wake. If not, the soul will slowly dissolve without his knowing, and then it will fade into the void, becoming nothing more than an empty shell of what Walt once was.

Anubis pushed his snout against Walt's forehead, as if planting a reverent kiss on the human.

Studying the contours of the human's face, he marveled at the beauty of the human. He caressed his cheeks, tracing the underside of his lips with his thumb. The boy was beautiful, that he had no doubt about, but so was the soul. It burned in a strong flame of reds and golds, blazing with a ferocity that he seldomly saw in humans.

Thinking back to all the lessons Walt had taught Anubis–the human world, the life of a villager, the happiness and sorrows of a teenager, and how to listen, to feel, to learn what it was like to be a human.

Walt would always ask him, at the end of the day: "What did you learn?"

"I learnt that humans are nothing like gods," Anubis croaked, his attention on the human and only on the human. "I learnt that humans value life as it is precious time. I learnt to listen to the sounds of life. I'll listen to every sound that the world makes, and every sound of every single living being makes. There is a world out there for me to learn, and I will hear it. I will listen."

This was taking far too long. If Walt's soul was completely intact and not dissolving, Walt should be awake now. He should be awake.

Anubis felt his world crumble, his golden-brown eyes stricken with panic and fear. For the first time, Anubis felt a piece of his heart die with Walt.

"I will hold your teachings dear to my heart, mortal, for you are the first and only one to have held my heart in your hands and cared for it so deeply. Your caring towards your fellow humans, your selfless acts, all of these I will cherish and make them known throughout the human realm. Your spirit will love forever in them," Anubis said, a tear dripping from his eyes, running across his jackal head's fur and landing on Walt's plump lips. "I will do as you have taught me to. I will open my ears to anyone who asks, and I will listen. I will listen."

To punctuate that, Anubis pushed his snout against Walt's collarbones.

"I promise."

Walt's eyes flew open, fixing themselves on Anubis.

The jackal-headed god was looking at him with tear-filled eyes, and upon seeing his human's eyes flutter open, gave a heart-wrenching gasp.

He choked a sob that was cut off by Walt's massive hug.

Another sob, and Anubis' body shook in Walt's arms.

That embrace lasted an eternity. Walt breathed in the scent of the god, still his signature crisp smell of lotus and a hint of incense, comforting Walt and soothing him.

"I thought I lost you," Anubis said, his voice raw. "At least now you're back with me."

"I am."

"Walt, let me let go of my hands, alright? Let's see if it works this time."

Walt let go of their hands, and lo and behold, Walt was doing fine. Anubis stared at their disconnected hands in wonder. "It worked," Anubis breathed, laughing a little.

"It worked." Walt grinned.

"Oh, my lovely human, my wonderful, amazing, strong human," Anubis scooped Walt up from the floor and swept him off his feet, his jackal head nuzzling Walt's neck as Walt ran a hand through the jackal's black head and scratched him behind the ears where he knew Anubis loved best.

Anubis rumbled deeply, and as Walt's body was completely stuck to Anubis', he felt the powerful and content vibrations of the jackal that ran through Walt's body as well.

Walt chuckled. He really was just too adorable.

Anubis bridal-carried Walt in his very strong arms, and stepped out a door of light and into Walt's village again. The village was mostly quiet, since it was the evening and most of them had finished their cleaning of the festival for the day. The scrap metal heap was nowhere in sight, and Walt breathed a sigh of relief.

The sun was setting slowly, casting his little village in swaths of blue and yellow, and the golden color of the sky bathed everything in a warm tone. Everything looked so peaceful, so serene and so normal. He could make out the outline of his house some houses away.

"Walt Stone," Anubis said, his face turned back to a human face, his warm eyes gazing lovingly into Walt's. The golden sun had turned Anubis' eyes into molten gold. "Would you give me the pleasure of being the luckiest god alive to court you as my mate?"

Walt had to process Anubis' words for a bit.

"...Did I hear you right?"

"You did."

"You want to be involved with me, um," Walt gulped. "Romantically?"

"If you would want me to. I assume you have heard Hathor's words? It seems she will not stop pestering me and giving me reminders until I ask you out."

Walt blinked at Anubis. For a dreadful moment, Anubis thought the human would say no, but...

"Yes!" Walt squealed. "Yes, yes, yes! Oh my gods, I had fantasized about this for days, gods! Yes, I would love to be your boyfriend."

Anubis' face split into a wide grin, a beautiful sight that only Walt would witness. "Then, can I kiss you, my charming prince?"

Walt, still in Anubis' arms, his feet kicking in the air as he was in a princess carry, could not do anything as he was helplessly twirled around. He leaned in, closing his eyes, and–

His lips met very human ones, and he engulfed the god's lips on his own, clashing them together in a delicate dance of beauty and romance. The sensation of kissing the King of the Underworld's lips should not be this alive and warm, yet it is. The kiss started off slow, but as Walt pushed in for more, Anubis growled, nicking Walt's lips with his fangs, and deepened the kiss.

That was enough for Walt to tighten the hold on Anubis' turtleneck shirt, kissing the god senseless.

Under the rays of the sunlight that slowly bled into the sunset, the world witnessed the blossoming romance of a human and a god.

One encased and shrouded in the scent of death, the other hovered by a shadow of death. Both found solace in each other, and both found a whole new world with each other.

As Anubis held his human between his arms, his jackal trilled happily. His human mate, he was his. 

His, his, his.

That marks the end of the story! Thank you all once again for all the support you've shown and glad that you liked this story (if you didn't, you wouldn't have made it this far). One bonus chapter coming right up on Christmas-- just a short and fluffy one-- and YAY to the launching of the new TV series on PJO!