PHILTATOS // Foolish X Reader

5

You immediately dropped to your knees. "My lord-" You began, keeping your eyes cast at his feet. But you had no idea what you wanted to say - a thousand questions came to mind all at once.

You didn't need to speak though, for he just laughed, plopping down in front of you on the altar steps. "There's no need for all that." He said, pulling a sprig of grapes from the tray of offerings you had left earlier. "We're friends, aren't we?"

You faltered, breaking your stare at the ground and glancing up at him in confusion. "Friends?"

His eyes sparkled emerald green as he smiled at you, tilting his head. "Yeah - I mean, you're the only person who prays to me anymore, right? So I figured you must like me - and I really like you! You always bring me all sorts of treats- oh!" He paused, extending the sprig of grapes he had pulled out to you. "D'you want one?"

"I can't." You said, mind churning. He considered you a friend?

"Oh right." He said, laughing. "It'll kill you, I forgot. Either way, you don't have to kneel - come sit."

You got up hesitantly, instead sitting beside him on the altar steps. You couldn't take your eyes off him - he was here, beside you. And just when you had been beginning to think that you would never get even a signal from above.

"Also, you can drop the whole 'my lord' thing now." He prattled on. "I know you can't invoke my true name - 'cause that'll also kill you - but uh, what do they call me in the common tongue again?" He glanced over to you, blinking.

"Foolish." You supplied.

"Yeah!" He grinned. "You can call me that."

The conversation dwindled there, and you watched Foolish munch happily on the grapes you had delivered not an hour before. Whatever you had been expecting a god to be like, it certainly wasn't this. In your head, he was a lot more, well... godly.

"You know, you're a lot less talkative in person."

Foolish's offhand comment took you by surprise, and you balked. "I'm sorry, I just... how are you here?"

"I'm always here." He said simply. "I mean, not usually physically while you're here, but this is my temple, you know? It's kind of where I hang out." He shrugged, proudly grinning like he was showing off. You supposed, in a way he was - though the impression didn't work as you had already been here before.

"So, you're always here?" You asked. Had he really been here every time you had come in with the daily offering, and said your prayers? Why hadn't he shown himself before - you had literally been asking for a sign.

"Yeah." He said. "Sorry I never said anything, by the way - we're not really supposed to show ourselves. Nkri said it was supposed to be a test of faith, or something?"

So your prayers were heard - they just weren't answered. "But you're showing yourself to me now." You said, pointedly looking at Foolish's very corporeal form sitting next to you.

Foolish looked down at his own body, like he'd forgotten he was in it. "Right." He said. "Well... this was an accident. I thought you had gone for the day, and I was hungry so I was just going to eat what you brought me, but then you came back." He paused. "Why did you come back, by the way?"

"I left my prayer beads." You said, remembering why you had returned, and glancing down to the altar steps you were sitting on. "They should be right here-"

"Found 'em!" Foolish said, gingerly holding up your beads like he was afraid he might break them.

"Thank you." You said, extending a hand. Foolish let the beads fall from his palm into yours, pooling like a liquid. You draped the string back around your neck where they belonged right away - not eager to leave them behind again.

"Anytime." Foolish said. "Wouldn't want you losing those."

The conversation dwindled again, though this time it wasn't because you were starstruck - no, you had too many questions swirling around in your head. With proof of the gods existence sitting right in front of you, there were a million things you could ask - but one question stuck out the most.

"You said you weren't allowed to show yourself." You said. "Does that mean that this is the only time I'll ever see you?"

Foolish pursed his lips. "Maybe?" He said. "I kind of don't want it to be - I know we're supposed to stay hidden and not interfere with anything, but it gets so boring." He pouted. "All the other guys have so many people that pray to them all the time, but I just have you."

"Ah." You said. "So-"

"Not to say that I don't appreciate you!" Foolish interrupted. "I really do - you're awesome. But none of the other guys have prayers to answer and I just sit up there and have nothing to do since we're not allowed to interfere with anything. It just gets lonely, you know?"

He turned to you, eyes wide, and you nodded in sympathy. "I'm sure."

"But I guess I could hang out here some more." He said, perking back up again. "It is my temple- they can't yell at me for hanging out in my own house! Hey, maybe I should!"

"So you'll be around?" You asked.

"Yeah!" Foolish said. "We can hang out, and I can talk to you, and you can bring me more of those, uh... what were those tiny little things that you brought me last week? They were so sweet."

"Sweet berries." You said.

"Sweet berries!" Foolish repeated. "You can bring me more of those."

You smiled, rising from where you had been sat beside him. "Unfortunatley, I do have other business to attend to, so I'll leave you to finish your meal, my-" You stopped yourself. "Foolish."

"Oh- goodbye!" He said, that dopey grin stretching across his face again. "It was lovely meeting you!"

You nodded once more before ducking out of the door of the temple, your heart hammering in your chest.