Neon Gods

Chapter Nine

(Hello. The chapters will be split into two POVs from here on out. Usually it'll be the character and their Chosen Being, and will be indicated with a *. But sometimes i'll cross over with another character of a chapter if it moves the story along. If I think of a better way to indicate switches I'll update these.)
As Leo drove, sprinkles of rain continued to fall and wind made the car shake from side to side. Zakari wasn't listening either. He had messed with the touchscreen panel in the car. "Will you stop touching that? I already told you that was enough ten minutes ago," Leo snapped, taking his eyes from the road for a second to shoot a frustrated scowl at Zakari. Zakari looked back at Leo, his lips quivered slightly. "No, I don't like the talking computer."
Leo scrunched his face in annoyance. "To bad, I need it. You had the option of staying at the hotel if you didn't want to deal with it." Truthfully, Leo only needed the GPS to get him out of Phenix. Once they got into Tucson he didn't need it because of how often he drove that route. That wasn't what he told Zakari though—he was under the impression that Leo needed the GPS for the entire drive. While Leo was driving, he made a wrong turn. This caused the rhythmic dinging to start, and the "calculating routes" to start again. While Leo was amused, Zakari didn't appreciate it.
"you did that on purpose." Zakari whispered, his green eyes filled with tears and Leo swore they stared into his soul." "Yes," he answered, he-tried to ignore the way his own eyes prickled uncomfortably at the sight of the man's tears. "But why?" Zakari's voice broke mid sentence, which forced him to clear his throat.
Leo's heart pinched slightly. "Because... Because it's fun?" Leo's voice sounded hollow even to his own ears: and his words seemed more like a question rather than a statement even to himself. As Zakari's tears spilt down his cheeks, it was all he could do to keep driving and not hug him. Damn it, stop crying, it was a joke. I didn't know you were that scared of it.
Leo did what he could to soothe the man. He turned off the GPS, and turned the radio on just loud enough to cover his soft sniffles. but Zakari was already upset. Perhaps Leo was trying to tease his friend? Perhaps Leo was trying to dispel the strange feelings for his friend by making him mad on purpose? Yes, Leo decided, it would be better to live with an angry Zachary then to find himself in another dead-end relationship.
****
Zakari wasn't sure what upset him more: the fact that he'd gone from a respected yet feared and powerful god to a weak mortal in what seemed like a matter of seconds. Or the fact that he could not access any of his powers due to the mortal form. He couldn't even keep his name for the sake of his disguise. Zeus was worshipped. He was respected, powerful, feared... He was praised and had his following that fed his powers. Zeus was a name that was powerful. It was a name that had struck fear into the hearts of the mortals that dared not worship him, and every other god on Olympus knew not to challenge his orders. But now he was called Zakari, a simple and weak name for a simple and weak mortal. Nobody would bow or pray in reverence to a god named Zakari. Even the stupid mortal that had agreed to help him could not be bothered to show him any respect. That mortal—Leo—was supposed to teach him everything he needed to know about the Earth Realm. Evidently, Athena thought it would be a good idea to keep that from him. He didn't know why, but he suspected it had something to do with his stubborn personality. He was used to people listening to him, gods or not. Now it felt like everything he had was slipping through his fingers faster than he was able to cope with it.
Zakari knew a more severe Ability Displacement was coming, he just didn't realize how soon it would be. It had started the night he'd been found by Leo, when a telltale throbbing started behind his eyes. The next morning, it had spread to his temples, and he could feel a faint but still annoying squeezing at the top of his skull. Most mortals who experienced this would call it a migraine, but for him it was different. He knew that this was likely a result of stress and would be accompanied by his powers acting up. This would usually result in a storm, but since his powers were sealed, only his temper would fluctuate and he would stay with a headache.
If Zakari had to tell the truth, he knew what a GPS was. He just didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to learn about anything in the earth realm; he didn't want to be there at all. If he could help it, he would make Leo's job as difficult as he could. He really didn't care how it sounded or if the mortal got upset. He was lonely and miserable, and he would do his best to make Leo feel the same.
"Did you do that on purpose?" He whispered, after Leo had made a wrong turn. "Yeah." Zakari could not help but notice the slightly challenging undertone to Leo's voice. A small prickle of irritation flickered in his chest. He couldn't help it, his eyes started to well with tears. A stinging twinge of shame shot threw him as he turned his face away. Lowering his eyes, he attempted to prevent Leo from seeing his tear streaked face.
Zakari's frustration began to build as he twisted his fingers in the hem of his shirt. "But wh-why?" Zakari choked out past his silent crying. "Cuz it's fun." Leo sounded slightly amused. At that, a soft sob wrenched it's way from his already sore throat. Turning so that he was leaning against the window, he placed his hand over his mouth tryin to muffle his weeping.
****
A couple hours after Zakari had worn himself out and fallen asleep, Leo stopped and got them takeout. He figured it was the least he could do, after he'd made the man cry like that. As he slid into the driver's seat and looked at the sleeping man beside him, a sharp sting of regret pierced his heart. The other man's eyes were red and puffy, his nose was still slightly red and stuffy, and his once pink lips were pale and chapped.
He got the other water bottle from the backseat, cracked it open and reached out to shake the sleeping man's shoulder. "Hey, Zaki. Wake up." Accidentally shaking him too hard, Leo caused Zakari's head to jostle forward and bump the window beside him. "Oww. What are you doing mortal?" Leo's eyes widened and a blush spread across his cheeks as his grip on the bottle tightened. As heat shot through his body, pooling in his lower belly the bottle slipped from his grip and landed on the floor beside his foot. Zakari's eyes were still closed, which allowed him to remain blissfully unaware of Leo's reaction to his husky voice.
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Leo grabbed the bottle, then held it out to Zakari. "Here, drink this." Since he was expecting an argument, Leo was surprised when Zakari said nothing, but simply reached out to take the bottle from his hand letting their fingers gently brush together. His fingers twitched slightly at Zakari's touch, but he didn't pull away. He didn't take Zakari's hand either. He was about to let their fingers twine together, when the pager he had been given started buzzing: making Leo jerk his hand away and swing his door open roughly. He returned a few minutes later, with two bags containing several boxes. Setting the bags in the back, he slid into the car and resumed driving.
"Are you alright?" Zakari asked, his voice still raspy and still sounding stuffy from crying. Leo Glanced briefly at the other man, his expression softened slightly. "I'm fine," Leo snapped back, his tone obviously didn't match. When they made it home ten minutes later, Leo was beyond annoyed by Zakari's insistent questioning.As he took their food from the car, he let his companion into the house. "We'll come back and get your stuff later. Now shut up and eat," he snapped after he served them.
****
Zakari didn't know when he woke up, or where he was. When he looked around, all he knew was that he was in the car by himself. Does he really hate me that much? Am I abandoned? Will Athena take me back, and will they send someone else to replace me? He sighed slightly, and laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes again. He figured that if he were to stay by himself, he may as well rest in case he needed to fight off an attacker.
Zakari woke a few minutes later, to the sound of the door opening. He knew he should have been a little bit uneasy, but he recognized the scent of Leo's cologne. He stayed in that position, with his head rested on the window. He figured, if he didn't look at Leo, then Leo wouldn't have any reason to be rude anymore. That was, until Leo decided to roughly grab his shoulder and shake it. He didn't know what he wanted, but when Leo did that it made him bump his head against the window. "Ow. What are you doing?" Zakari groaned as he attempted to squirm away from Leo's grip.
He was confused when he didn't get a response from Leo for a while. Zakari assumed he'd wanted something, but all he heard was a slight thump like something slightly heavy fell. Then a sharp gasp, and soft panting. He heard Leo shift in his seat, then felt his hand on his arm again. "Drink this." As Zakari glanced over, he saw the bottle of water in Leo's other hand. He considered objecting for a second, but then took the bottle. His mouth was to uncomfortably dry from crying.
As he reached for the bottle, his fingers brushed Leo's. Although it wasn't intentional, the simple contact helped to calm him slightly. Had the water bottle not been in the way, he would have considered holding his hand altogether. Zakari knew it wasn't his fault. At least, not completely. It had to do with The Ability Displacement, because his temper was all over the place he would be a little bit more... sensitive. Before, he had Hera or, at the very least, Athena to rely on when he became more sensitive and needed more physical contact and emotional support. Now, all he had was Leo. A person whom was as supportive as Hades and just as cuddly.
As he sat there, he stared at Leo, wondering what he was thinking and trying to work up the courage to take his hand. Before he could though, he was startled by a buzzing sound and Leo exited the car. When he returned, he had food but he seemed upset. Was it something I did? He wondered idly as the pinching in his temples grew worse.
"Are you alright?" Zakari hesitantly asked, as he sipped the water. "I'm fine." Leo snapped back at him, barely sparing him a glance as he drove. "Are you sure? Did I do something wrong?" Zakari pressed.