New Years Eve. 10 minutes to midnight.

It had been a few weeks since the island had flipped over and everyone had moved on to it and started new lives.

The island, now known as Artemis, had a lot to offer in places to live and settle down. Maybe even more than Apollo. After life returned to some sort of normalcy, Marigold decided to stick around with Jules and the boys while Orelia and Astra return to where they came from.

Ramirez, having no way back to I.O for now, decided to find a house to stay at until she figures out a way to get home or I.O find her.

As for Dark Jonesy and the other snapshots of John Jones, they all set up a colony of their own near the tropical and desert side of the island. It was humbly dubbed 'The Joneses'.

On the North-East side of the new island stood a white mansion-like house with a beautiful garden.

You'd think with his endless amount of money Midas would take it and move in with Jones and the others.

But no. They chose to move to a normal house just outside the currently frozen Tilted Towers with Jules having a room to herself and the boys sharing one together. The spare bedroom turned into Marigold's room whenever she wanted to come over.

Christmas had been and gone with festive celebrations happening everywhere. But despite the fun season, Jones couldn't help but notice his boyfriend being down all month.

It was understandable.

The poor guy finally received the love from his father he always wanted as a child, and in the end he died without having the opportunity to spend more time with his son.

Jules felt the same way, but wasn't as upset as Midas about it.

That's why Jones concocted a plan to lift Midas' spirits before the year was out. He had already taken the blond out for a romantic dinner date.

Now it was Jones' turn to treat Midas to a date in his own unique way...

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"Ugh, come on. Where are they?" Midas groans in annoyance as he comes out from under his bed.

Jones was busy downstairs putting the finishing touches to something he was preparing, covering the contents with a blanket.

That is until Midas calls for him.

"Jones? Could you give me a hand?"

The blond exits the kitchen and dashes upstairs into his and Midas' room. He was crouching on the floor on his knees.

"What's up?"

"I believe I've put my winter boots too far for me to reach under the bed. Could you give me some assistance?"

Jones chuckles with a smile.

"Sure."

Both of them look under the bed, Midas blushing slightly as Jones gets closer to him. The blond notices the boots and grabs ahold of them, coming from under the bed.

"Aha! Got 'em!"

When he rolls over on the floor to pass Midas his boots he discovers the position the two of them have gotten themselves into.

Midas was on top of him, pinning him to the floor. Both stare into each other's eyes in the moment they had together. Jones chuckles slightly with a blush.

"Huh. Doesn't this give you deja vu Midas?"

"How so?"

"Y'know. When you saved me from that Terminator on Apollo and you ended up pinning me down on the grass and we started blushing like idiots in love."

Midas blushes a bright red, recalling the memory.

"Ah. Haha. Well I suppose it is deja vu when you put it like that." He laughs, sitting up and letting Jones sit up as well.

"At least this time you're not afraid of admitting your feelings for me." Jones sighs, helping him on to his feet.

"Hmph. That's true."

Jones and Midas smile at each other before the blond kisses him on the forehead and hands him his boots.

"Uh, anyway. I'm almost ready to go. I promise you're gonna love what I have planned." He grins, about to exit their room.

"You never actually told me what we're doing or where we're going. And New Year's Eve is definitely a strange pick for the day." Midas hums, sitting on the bed and putting them on. "So, what are you hiding?"

"Why spoil the surprise?"

Midas chuckles with a smile as Jones goes back downstairs.

"He's got a point there..."

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A few minutes later...

With the two of them dressed up in warm winter clothes the boys set off to the place where Jones had planned this surprise. They keep a tight grip on each other's hand, sharing small talk and enjoying one another's company.

"Remember the way we first met?" Jones asks.

"You mean when I ended up in your office and you came in talking over the phone?" Midas chuckles. "And we stared at each other awkwardly before I was dragged back to the island."

Jones laughs, rubbing his back softly. Midas hums with a smile, leaning his head against his shoulder. The blond quickly glances at the time on his watch.

"11:55. Oh jeez, we better hurry up."

He takes Midas' hand and begins turning his walk into a run. They come across a small hill with piles of snow around it. Jones smiles in relief. The two of them slowly trek up it, Midas still clueless on what Jones had planned.

"Midas could you wait here a second?" Jones asks, taking him by the hands.

"Uh, sure dear."

He turns around, letting Jones run to the top and set everything up. When he's ready, the blond chuckles and pats his shoulder. As he turns around he covers Midas' eyes and takes his hand.

"Come on my love, quit making me wait." Midas chuckles, stepping carefully.

"Ok ok!" Jones snickers. "Okay, you can look now."

As his eyes are uncovered Midas gasps at the sight before him.

Jones had set up a cute date with a blanket for them to sit on. To make things more romantic, red roses were scattered around and a few candles holding the blanket down.

"Ta-da! You've been really down as of late and I wanted to treat you to something nice." Jones explains, sitting down and beckoning Midas to join him. "Do you like it?"

As he sits down Midas was overwhelmed with emotions.

Jones planned all this for him?

"Jonesy, I..."

Tears of joy roll down his face as he laughs softly. The blond wraps his arms around him.

"Thank you my love. I wasn't expecting a date on New Year's Eve of all nights." He chuckles, wiping his tears as Jones passes him a rectangular box filled with what smelt like warm Chinese noodles with a few spices.

"I remembered that you have a fondness for Chinese delicacy." He smiles. "So I ordered noodles for the two of us."

"Heh, Chinese was the last thing I had in my childhood home before I ran away." Midas mutters.

"Oh, I-I see. Is...that a problem?" Jones asks, a little worried.

"No, of course not. I guess I got a little nostalgic at the scent." He reassures him, taking a bite.

As if on cue fireworks begin shooting into the air and going off, signifing that the new year had arrived. The two men watch on, mesmerized by the beauty of both the fireworks and the stars in the sky. Jones looks over at Midas, seeing his tearful yet happy expression.

It was as if Jones could see a glint of a long lost childlike wonder in Midas' mismatched eyes.

"Happy New Year Midas." He whispers, cuddling him tight.

Midas briefly puts down his noodles after taking a few bites and turns to look at Jones, smiling gratefully at him.

"And to you as well my darling."

Taking each other's hands, the two of them share a passionate kiss under the stars and fireworks. For the first time in a while, Midas felt genuinely happy again. Jonesy always knew how to cheer him up.

The deep kiss between them was so passionate that it's enough to get a noise out of Midas, making them briefly part lips and blush a bright red at each other.

"Aha, s-sorry. I guess I got a little too into it." He apologizes with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah? Sounded like you wanted to go further." Jones smiles, nudging his shoulder.

Midas' face goes a deep red. He fiddles around with his tie, doing it up with an embarrassed smile.

"N-No. I have no clue what you're talking about, haha."

Jones begins laughing, smiling at him.

"Hey, I'm just teasing you." He snickers, seeing his reddening face.

They both can't help but laugh and continue to eat their noodles, all while holding hands. Midas rubbing his thumb over Jones' makes him remember something.

"Oh! I knew there was something I was forgetting." Midas says, fishing through the pockets on his jeans.

Jones gasps slightly as Midas pulls out a glittering gold ring.

"I forgot to give this back to you. I apologize for taking too long to return it."

"Oh, no. It's okay."

Midas slips the ring back on his finger where it belongs. Jones catches sight of the other one still on Midas' finger and smiles.

"Hey. Not that I don't like all you've done here, but why did you plan all this?" Midas questions out of curiosity.

"You've been really down since the island flipped over and your dad passed. I thought planning a nice evening out would cheer you up." Jones explains, pulling him closer. "It might not be as fancy as what you did for me, but just wanted to help cheer you up."

"Well, I appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm glad I have you by my side to help me." He thanks him. "I know my trauma from my childhood may never fully go away, but I know you'll be here to comfort me."

Midas hums happily resting his head on Jones' shoulder, a smile on his face.

"Y'know, this power of mine is sometimes simply know as the light. But, if I'm being honest..."

He looks up at Jones, cupping his face with his hands.

"To me, it's just a golden touch. The light in my life was always and it always will be."

Jones blushes a bright red. That was one of the most romantic things Midas had ever said.

"Haha.... you're the light in my life too Midas."

The two of them close their eyes, embracing each other with another passionate kiss. They had both come a long way together, both in their separate lives and in their relationship.

The fireworks continue, illuminating the sky above. Before long Jones notices Midas slipping in and out of his sleep, trying to stay awake.

"Heh...tired Goldie?" He asks.

"N-No. Of course not my dear." Midas says, obviously lying as bags were under his eyes. He eventually lets a yawn slip out. "Okay... maybe I'm a little tired."

Jones chuckles, the two of them standing up.

"Why don't we finish our dinner at home on the couch." He suggests. "We could watch a movie or something."

Midas smiles a little, liking the idea.

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt." He mutters while helping Jones pack everything into the basket. "But we're not watching Marvel. I know you love it but it gets repetitive after 12 films in a row. For me at least."

Jones nods with a smile putting the blanket over his shoulder and walking over to Midas. To his surprise, the blond swiftly picks him up in his arms and carries him back home.

"Uh, any reason as to why you're carrying me?"

"Saves you walking. Besides, I love carrying you. No offense, but the fact that your a year older and slightly shorter than me is adorable." Jones snickers, winking at him.

Midas blushes before relaxing himself in Jonesy's arms, gripping on to his coat.

---

When they return, the two of them crash on the couch, wrapped up in the blankets borrowed from their room upstairs. Their boxes of noodles resided on the coffee table.

Both were dressed in comfy night clothes, with Jones wearing a vest and shorts lying on the couch while Midas wore a long night shirt and bottom while being on top of Jones, arms wrapped around and cuddling him softly.

"So what do you want to watch?" Midas asks, picking up the remote.

"I dunno... I heard this film called Encanto came out recently." Jones suggests. "It's apparently really good."

"Alright then."

As Midas puts the movie on he felt Jones move to get up, seemingly having forgotten something.

"Oh, shit! I forgot the hot chocolate."

Midas moves to get off him and allow him into the kitchen. With the time he had alone, Midas thinks to himself.

After so many months of fighting and trying to defend the island, he finally got the wish he always wanted:

A peaceful life.

He could live in peace with Jules, Jones and the rest of his friends.

Jones had finally escaped from I.O's clutches, and hopefully this would be the last time he gets himself captured.

While Midas is aware that I.O and Doctor Slone may not be gone, he and Jones, plus The Seven who now live at the Sanctuary not too far away would be waiting to spring an attack.

He made a promise to Jones that together they'd take down the Imagined Order.

And he intends to keep that promise.

No matter how long it takes to destroy them.

When Jones returns with the drinks he notices just how tired Midas looks. He sits down beside him, startling him a little.

"Jeez you really ARE tired. All the chaos you went through while I was gone has taken a really bad toll on you." He mutters, running a hand through Midas' hair. "Maybe you should go to bed-"

"W-What? No, I wish to stay."

Jones lies back down on the couch and pulls Midas closer to him, letting him lie on the blond as he pulls the blankets over them.

"You can fall asleep here then if that's what you want." He tells him.

"But... are you sure it's what you want? Me falling asleep on you?"

Jonesy sighs, cupping Midas' face with his hands.

"Midas. You've been through a lot this past year. You witnessed your mother die, helped me save reality, got abducted and nearly killed, nearly got blown up, had your father come back and-"

"Jones, I get it. Just get to the point." Midas grunts, the lack of sleep taking a toll on him and making him sound annoyed.

Jones pauses, taking a breath.

"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's... fine. What I said just came out the wrong way." Midas mutters. "Please continue."

"What I'm trying to say is... You deserve to rest. I WANT you to rest."

"But-"

Jones shushes him.

"Shh, not another word. As your boyfriend it's my responsibility to look out for you and your mental health." He tells him. "And what I want from you is to rest and get some sleep."

Midas lets his head rest on Jones' chest, his eyes closing in exhaustion. The blond plants a kiss on his forehead, sending him to sleep.

"Get some rest. You deserve it and need it."

The mastermind hums quietly, his eyes closing as he drifts into a much needed deep sleep.

"Goodnight Midas. Sleep well..."

And that was exactly what Midas was going to do.

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