The bouquet of Narcissus remained intact, this meant that Loki had kept his word and lifted the curse, however, now there was another problem that Hades would face, how would he go about winning over a man?

After the initial shock, he realized that it did not matter what gender Persephone, or rather Narcissus, had, it did not matter that his personality was stronger and not so naive, he had spent years talking to that person and knew that his feelings had not changed, quite the opposite, they had only grown, this was no longer a issue for him, but what if it were for Narcissus?

The first step would be to figure out how to approach the matter and, depending on the reaction, he would try to seduce him or would give up, since his powers were getting weaker by the day, as he spent almost everything he had to help Loki, these were his last years as a God, soon he would be a mortal and would die as such. If this happened there was a risk that they would never meet again, but at least he was able to remove the curse and the person he loved could have a future, could have a full and happy life.

Days went by and Holden refused to meet with Narcissus in person again. They kept talking every day, but he always made up an excuse not to meet, as he was not yet ready to face reality and make such a drastic decision in his life.

What Holden didn't know was that his older version would have no way to avoid this encounter and he almost fell from his chair when he saw a name on the call list and discovered that Narcissus was one of his students. He knew the young boy was going to the same college he worked at, but had no idea he had signed up for one of his subjects.

"I'm in trouble"

It was the first day of school and he already wanted some time off. As the students were entering the class, his heartbeat pounded, until the room was filled with them. However, there was no sign of Narcissus. He breathed a sigh of relief and began his presentation, but in the midst of which, his greatest fear came true.

"Late in your first day of school?!" he said harshly. "Do we have a celebrity here?" 

Resorting to sarcasm as a coping mechanism was one of the skills he developed for years while dealing with Zeus. It was an habit ingrained in him, he couldn't help it and regretted it as soon as he closed his mouth. However, ultimately, he was a demanding teacher and could not go easy on Narcissus, in his classroom there would be no favoritism, that was how he would behave with all of his students. 

Every time he saw that face, chills ran through his body, sometimes from joy, sometimes from sadness. His future was too uncertain and he did not know what to do, that was why his coping mechanism was triggered and he ended up becoming even more strict with Narcissus than he would normally be and the boy did not seem satisfied with it at all.

Unaware that Holden, his teacher, and Holden, his online friend, were the same person, Narcissus directed all his hatred toward his tyrannical professor, who singled him out with ruthless behavior during classes. The more Narcissus vented, the more critical the situation became.

Narcissus: He's unbearable! He may have the same name as you, and even physically resemble you a little, but that personality of his is just trash! How annoying! Just looking at that disgusting face makes me want to punch him!

Holden was subjected to messages like this about himself on a daily basis, which heightened his anxiety. He didn't know how to find out Narcissus's sexual preferences because he just complained all the time. However, he was unable to modify his own behavior with the boy since panic always took over. He didn't know what else to do.

The urge to meet grew; Narcissus kept remembering that he had something to say to his friend in person, something he couldn't say on his birthday, and Holden was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control his emotions if he met him as the other version of himself. If his older self was already unable to, then his younger self, who would hug and speak closely to Narcissus, would likewise not be able to. Since the last thing he wanted was to push his beloved away, he chose to remain physically apart from him and keep in touch through the internet, until he could decide what to do and how to act. It was safer that way.

Holden was at loss, he wasn't eating or sleeping properly. He had to escape that vicious loop in which he was too harsh with Narcissus and the boy would vent to him, which only served to make him more anxious, which ended up worsening his behavior. He had already endured enough suffering from the curse he had faced for two millennia, which he had managed to end. There will be no more tragedies or reincarnations, so he didn't need to begin another round of torture; instead, it was preferable to rip off the bandage at once and tell the truth, or at least a part of it.

The much-feared meeting was set. They would stroll through the mall, watch a movie and then eat some junk food somewhere over there. It would be a special day, as aside from being an ordinary outing that Holden had never done, the company would be more than pleasant and it would be the day when he would finally reveal his feelings. 

Using his younger appearance with the piercing and all, Holden bought a bouquet of narcissus and went to meet his friend and loved one.

"Flowers?!" a bewildered Narcissus said.

"You mentioned you liked it, isn't that why you're studying botany?"

"I like it, but I never thought I'd receive flowers, let alone narcissus, which I'd never seen up close before; they're gorgeous."

"All narcissus are gorgeous..." Holden muttered without realizing it, causing an awkward silence. 

Narcissus looked radiant with the flowers while also being embarrassed by the indirect compliment; his eyes sparkled like two emeralds as he walked absently looking at the flowers with Holden by his side; he sensed the friend's gaze and felt hesitant to meet his eyes.

"Watch out!" Holden's voice was even closer, and his hand had wrapped around Narcissus's waist, pulling him out of the way of the security guard, who was coming towards him on an electric two-wheeler. 

Finally, their eyes linked; Holden was too close, and the bouquet was placed between them, concealing the blush on their faces. 

Their time together was wonderful, and their dynamic was like if they'd known each other their entire lives. Holden felt dumb for putting it off for so long; how could he deny himself so much happiness? Their conversation proceeded being delightful; whenever Narcissus laughed, his eyes formed beautiful half moons, making him even more attractive. His heart beat so fast that he felt like he was a young man with his first love; he might not be younger anymore, but Persephone has always been and will always be his first and only love, regardless of his form, gender, or personality.

By the end of the day, after eating burgers, fries, and drinking a lot of soda, they went for a walk on the mall's balcony that faces the street. The chilly breeze of the night was refreshing and brought the smell of the Square trees just ahead; the Starry Sky boasted a beautiful crescent moon; the place was half light and few people were talking in a distant corner.

"So beautiful, isn't it?" said Narcissus observing the contrast of nature in the middle of the urban jungle.

"Yes, very beautiful" Holden agreed without taking his eyes off Narcissus, his beauty certainly transcended all their lives, as well as his kindness.

They remained silent for a while, enjoying the view and each other's company. It was simple to remain quiet knowing that the other was around; it offered a sense of comfort; there was no need to say or do anything; simply be.

The silence was broken by both of them speaking at the same time:

"I like you," said Holden.

"I like men," said Narcissus.

"What?" they both asked in sync, laughing.

"That's what I wanted to tell you on my birthday," said Narcissus laughing. "So you like men too?"

"I don't know..." Holden responded sincerely, getting closer and looking into his eyes. "I just know that I like you."

"Really?" Narcissus asked, averting his gaze; the blushing on his skin was obvious.

"I have never been so serious in my entire life" Holden's tone when he spoke was heavy and velvety, serious yet soothing; you could sense his sincerity. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

"I might not be very good at it," Narcissus's eyes were glued to the ground.

"That's okay, I'll teach you," Holden moved slowly, held Narcissus's face with his fingertip so he could look at him, and gently touched his lips before covering the kiss with the narcissus bouquet. It was only a small peck, but when he felt the silky touch of those delicate lips, his heart seemed to burst; he, who had almost given up hope, had finally found his great love.