Meanwhile, out on the fishing deck outside Softeez in Believer Beach, Midas kept his word and treated Jones to ice cream by the sea.

Jones had mint with chocolate chips and a flake in it, while Midas stuck with being basic and had vanilla. The blond however insisted that he at least had either chocolate sauce or sprinkles on his since it looked, in his eyes, 'boring'.

Begrudgingly, he settled with sprinkles.

Now, the two of them were outside relaxing on a bench with no one but each other for company. But that's all they needed.

"How's your ice cream dear?" Midas asks, getting out a napkin.

"Mmm, delicious thank you." Jones chuckles, licking his lips.

"I'm glad." He smiles. "Goodness you're a mess though, come here."

Midas wipes Jones' face with the napkin, sighing with a smile and a blush. The blond blushes with him, grinning like an idiot.

"Jonesy sweetheart I know you love your food, but try to get it in your mouth and not around it."

He seals the sentence off with a peck on the lips.

"I'll have nowhere else that's clean to kiss you otherwise, haha."

Jones snickers with a dorky smile, an arm hooked over his shoulders while Midas rests his head on his broad ones.

"Midas?"

"Hm?"

"I never said thank you by the way. I had a lot of fun tonight." Jones smiles, pulling him closer as he finishes the ice cream cone.

"Even though I had a mental freak out and we were attacked by sideways monsters?"

"Yes even that. Just remember that if you need someone to talk to about your mental health issues or you just need to let out your bottled up emotions, I'm gonna be right here for you."

Midas appreciates the kind gesture, smiling with a chuckle. As he finishes his own ice cream he checks his watch.

"6:55. We better get back. Jules and Ares could be back by now." Midas hums, a hint of sadness in his sigh.

Jones agrees with a nod and holds out his hand with a soft smile. Midas takes it while pulling out his phone to call a taxi. As they walk across the pier, the blond takes a glance at his face.

He looked like he was pondering a thought.

"Hey, you okay? You look like you need to get something off your chest."

Finishing the call, Midas turns to Jones.

"Those cube soldiers back at the restaurant...the one that called me by Oro's name..."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm confused...How do they know him?"

"Maybe Oro interacted with the Cubes before?"

"Oro didn't say anything about knowing the Cubes...unless, he didn't want to tell me..?" Midas thinks, folding his arms. "To be fair I was still a child when he took me under his watchful eye."

"Who knows? Maybe he didn't want you finding out about his knowledge of the Cubes." Jones suggests.

As the taxi arrives and they take their seats, Midas begins thinking about Oro in a new perspective. He considered him the father figure he always needed back in the day, guiding him, teaching him and helping him get to where he is now.

But now, he only had one thing going through his mind:

What connections with the Cubes did Oro, and potentially Orelia, have?

Because now he's found out the Cubes knew Oro, maybe the god he called his friend hadn't been very truthful with him...

----------

The taxi eventually pulls up outside the house in Pleasant Park. To Midas' relief as they get out, the car that belonged to Jules was still missing, meaning she and Ares hadn't returned just yet.

"Phew, we're home early!" Jones sighs in relief, closing the door as they get indoors.

"Thank god. I don't need Ares questioning where we've been."

"Yeah. Hey! Why don't you go run a bath for yourself upstairs, and I'll come do your hair?" Jones suggests, wrapping his arms over Midas and around his neck.

"I'd... I'd like that..." He smiles, but it quickly turns to a frown. "But no. You up there with me doing my hair, it's too risky. You know my father doesn't care about respecting my privacy. He'll catch us instantly."

Jones sighs sadly, knowing he's right.

God, having a relationship with Midas with Ares around was like a stealth mission!

They couldn't do anything together with him around. It frustrated the blond, and yet Midas kept telling him not to get himself on his father's bad side.

If he did...well, neither didn't really want to find out what would happen.

At that moment the sound of a car approaching the driveway alerts the boys and makes Jones unwrap his arms from his boyfriend.

Ares and Jules were back!

"Go get dressed into some different clothes, I'll stay down here." Midas says, nudging his shoulder.

Jones runs upstairs to his and closes the door, just as the door handle on the front door is pushed down. Ares opens it, stepping inside with Jules.

"Why don't you go put those gifts in your room sweetie?" Ares smiles as Jules runs past him and Midas with a few bags in her hands.

Ares' smiles fades completely as he faces Midas. He folds his arms and scans his eyes over him, while Midas hugs his arms.

"So, where have you been M?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Nowhere whatsoever. Me and John have just been doing our own thing in our rooms, nothing more."

Ares walks over to him, making Midas back into the dining table. He was trembling slightly, which his father found pathetic.

"If you're gonna wear long sleeved shirts again, roll those sleeves down young man." Ares frowns, grabbing Midas by the wrist.

Midas sighs and does just that, looking down with a glum expression. Ares grumbles at his face.

"Oh don't give me that look, and where are your gloves?"

The helpless mastermind gulps, realising Jones never actually gave him his gloves back and they were still in his pocket. Ares growls in annoyance.

"Ugh, you're fucking useless."

Begrudgingly, Ares fishes through his pocket and tosses him another pair.

"Here. Put them on."

He obeys, slipping them on.

"Honestly, these gloves to conceal that dirt on your hands don't come cheap y'know." Ares groans, walking upstairs into the bathroom and slamming the door slightly.

Midas sits down on the couch, hugging his arms. He could feel tears brim in his eyes again, threatening to slide down his face. He wanted to let his emotions flow out, but was afraid his father would reappear and scold him for it.

Two doors open upstairs and Midas looks up to see who's there.

It was Jules and Jones coming down to see him. The blond slides next to him while his sister perches on the arm of the couch. It earns them a small smile from him.

If there was anyone he could count on, it was Jules and Jones.

------------

Later that night...

It was the middle of the night, and the whole household was fast asleep.

Well...except for Midas.

He flinches slightly, struggling to get to sleep. As he turns over in his bed his breathing quickens, gripping on to the bedsheets and clenching his teeth.

"Mmph..."

"Your majesty!"

"Ngh.."

"King Oro!"

With a gasp he sits up, breathing heavily as the strange voice calls out. A sigh of relief leaves him, relieved he woke up from that horrible nightmare.

Only to realise...he wasn't in his own bed anymore. He was still dreaming.

He was in a bed interlaced with gold, the bedsheets being the same colour. He was even back in Oro's outfit.

"What the devil is going on?"

"Your majesty we must make haste! The celebrations will begin soon!" The voice calls out.

It seemed to be sunny outside too. Confused yet curious, Midas slips on what seemed to be sandles he found sat by the bed, seeing as it was either those or walking around bare foot, and gets up to investigate.

Peeking inside a wardrobe he finds multiple copies of Oro's outfit hanging on golden hangers.

He then heads to the door and opens it up.

Waiting patiently for him is a young-ish looking girl dressed in golden robes, diamond patterns in it, a cloak on her back reaching down to her thighs, a rose gold ribbon in her brown hair and a symbol on her outfit on her chest reflecting the one on Oro's outfit.

"Ah, you've awoken my king!" She salutes him, making a diamond shape with her hands. "Come, Orelia and your followers await!"

With a curtsy she extends a hand and leads Midas down a flight of glass stairs going down. He obviously very confused on what's going on, but follows the girl nonetheless.

"So...what celebrations are we talking about?" He asks, trying not to come off as impolite.

"Have you forgotten so soon my king? We're celebrating our truce!"

"With whom exactly?"

"Why with their majesties the Cube Queen and her husband of course Oro!"

Midas stops in his tracks.

"Uh, but is she trying to destroy the Island right now? Also forgive me. But I'm not Oro. My name is-"

"Oro! Welcome!"

Midas is interrupted as he's greeted by a bunch of other people in similar clothing to the girl, though less royal looking, and Orelia holding a pillow with a crown and his staff lying on it.

"Here he is my queen. All ready for the festivities."

"Thank you dear servant." Orelia bows her head, turning to Midas. "Come now, we must be presentable for their majesties."

Midas hums, bowing his head slightly as Orelia places the crown on his head. He takes the staff out of instinct and approaches the double doors not too far away.

They open before him, and he's greeted by probably over a thousand people standing outside the lavish palace he was leaving. He felt very overwhelmed and utterly confused. Here he was, stuck in a dream and with no clue on what he was doing.

"What's happening? Why won't I wake up?!" He mentally yells at himself.

He glances at the servant walking beside him on his right as they all walk through the court yard to something covered by a sheet in the middle.

"She looks awfully young to be Oro's servant. But she seems happy..." He thinks to himself, her reminding him of another young child he knew.

Midas tentatively reaches out a hand and ruffles her hair a little bit. She looks up at him with a smile before going back to her semi professional posture.

They reach the object covered by the sheet. Midas and Orelia reach out a hand to pull the sheet off revealing...

---------

"Midas!!"

The mastermind gasps, sitting up with a gasp. Jones was there shaking him awake. He looked worried. He was back in his room again, back in his night clothes, back in his bed with his boyfriend.

"Jeez, thank god. You were sweating real bad just now and mumbling in your sleep."

"I was?"

"Mhm. Are you okay? What happened this time?"

Jones wraps his arms around Midas, ready to listen to his nightmare.

"I had the strangest of dreams just now my dear..."

"Really?"

"Indeed. It seems like less of a dream...more like a memory...but it wasn't mine..."

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