Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Table of Contents

1. Table of Contents
2. Chapter 1: Solstice.  A 'what if' scenario depicting confessions of love between Persephone and Hades
   • Romance, light angst to happy ending
3. Chapter 2: Sweat (explicit)
   • m/f, piv, pronebone sex, blurb
4. Chapter 3: Touch (explicit)
   1. m/f, fingering, dirty talk

Chapter Text

Persephone didn’t know exactly when she'd fallen in love with Hades, but she could remember how things had changed between them. A playful pinch that once caused a frown now sent her heart racing. She used to tease him for brushing against her when they walked side-by-side, calling him a ‘half-asleep birdbrain’. Then he’d stick his foot out and trip her (though he always caught her before she went face-first into the ground). When had she stopped saying those things? One day she went sweaty and weak-kneed when it happened, and since then she dared not speak a word.

She often wondered if he'd noticed. She'd stare at her ceiling, just like now, and mull it over while sprawled across her bed like a starfish. Maybe he wasn't as observant as she gave him credit for -- but that seemed wrong. He was as lazy as he could get away with being, yet his mind was sharp as a tack and most everyone knew it.

However, academic brilliance didn't equate to emotional intelligence, and this was as true for Hades as anyone else. She eventually arrived at the same conclusion as always -- that he was either an idiot, or he wanted to avoid the subject. If it was the latter it was probably to save any hurt feelings on her part, for he'd always been considerate when it mattered.

The only way to know for certain was to swallow her fears and confess her affections. She made up her mind at that moment, for the thought of even one more restless night spent pining for her dear friend was suddenly unbearable. She would do it tomorrow -- the day of the summer solstice. Of course it would take a fertility festival of all things to instill some urgency within her, she thought. At least this would put the matter to bed. Either he would reciprocate, or he would properly break her heart so she might move on.

It was hardly a comforting thought to sleep on, but she tried.

*****

Hades may have been oblivious to Persephone’s romantic intentions, but there was at least one person who saw them quite clearly. Of course, it was Hythlodaeus. This terrified her almost as much as Hades finding out for himself, for the former had a more clever tongue and would easily bait her into a trap.

It was one of many interesting contrasts between the two men. Hades was usually direct with his language, and she didn't have to guess at where she stood. He would tell someone quite plainly to ‘sod off’ when necessary. Hythlodaeus, on the other hand, tended to flavor his words. He had a way of telling someone to go screw themselves that made the recipient feel good about it. They often thanked him and walked away with a smile.

It was a frightening power.

That's why she hesitated to speak freely to him of her heartache. He would never tell her to get lost, but he would unravel all of her secrets. She didn't want anyone to pry that deep into her soul, even her dearly beloved friend. Yet that friend had seen enough already to decide his intervention was necessary.

"You need to talk with him," he'd said. "Be clear, if you please. Hades is quite obtuse in matters of the heart." She hadn't thought much of these words -- at least not at the time.

"You make it sound easy," she whined.

"Easy? No, it’s an act that requires no small amount of courage. Be brave, dear girl. Pick a day and get it over with. Let's say the next solstice, that's a popular time for such confessions."

"I'll do it when I feel ready," she tried, but he wouldn't hear it.

"Then I fear you never will." She was set to protest, but he continued. "Make the choice you can live with, Persephone. I'd rather not be drying your tears at his wedding."

Those words lodged themselves in her breast, sharp and bitter and cold. She knew that Hythlodaeus was serving the brutal honesty she needed, and still he took care to cause the least amount of pain while twisting the knife. He even tried to lighten the mood after saying such a thing. She picked up on his shift to a chipper tone, but the words were muffled and unintelligible, as though she had cotton stuffed in her ears.

*****

“I can do this,” she said to her mirror image the following day. “I’m going to tell him. Even if he doesn’t feel the same way, I’ll sleep soundly knowing that I tried.” She told herself many such things to rally her spirits, but her fingers trembled around the small flowerpot clutched between her hands.

Amaurot was quite busy during the event, for the day was marked to celebrate their labors and pray that the Star blessed them with a bountiful harvest -- and as Hythlodaeus noted, many confessions of romance were made during this time (he’d all but elbowed her in that stupid way of his, “another type of bountiful harvest, eh??”). She knew why he’d suggested this particular day to her. It was the longest of the year, and the resolution people made was something like “I’ll make my confession before the sun sets, or give up on it.” Only, she didn't want to give up -- even if the outcome was the one she didn't want.

She could have solved the entire mess by marching directly to his apartments. Instead, she used his habits as an excuse to delay the inevitable. Hades never woke early when he could help it, holiday or not. She spent the time doing menial tasks to keep her hands busy while she recited in her mind the things she would say. The lack of focus caused her to knock her teacup across her journal, and later snip the flowers from several dahlias. Realizing that her efforts were useless, she collected herself and went to the Akadaemia, where she knew the students would congregate for the celebrations.

“Hades? He was here not long ago.”

“I thought I saw him in the commons, try there.”

“If you stay in one place long enough he’ll probably find you first. Isn’t that how it usually works?”

Plenty of familiar faces -- metaphorically speaking -- were as helpful as they could be in hunting the man down, but everywhere she turned she’d missed him by a hair. Worse, she learned that he’d arrived rather early. The icing on the cake was the approaching sunset. She had only herself to blame, but now she was growing desperate under the thought of losing her chance forever.

It was then that a voice, male and familiar, reached her ears like sweet music. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she rushed toward the source. ‘I’m not too late!’ she thought, nearing the corner of the connecting hallway. ‘Hades, please wait for me!’

She nearly dropped her flowerpot. She rounded the corner and he came into view, his smile filling her vision. At the same time a light, feminine laughter filled the air, coming from the woman he was currently ensconced with. Persephone didn’t recognize her, but they seemed comfortable together. They must have tucked themselves into this quiet hallway to have a private conversation. They looked… happy. Choking down the lump in her throat, she took several quick steps backward to hide herself.

She was too late after all.

*****

Grief came quickly. She found her way to the roof where she fell to her knees, a shuddering, sobbing mess. The flowerpot lay shattered on the ground before her, a reflection of how she felt inside. She tore off her mask and wiped furiously at her eyes. That only made them angry and sore and red. The tears wouldn’t stop. Her nose was runny, and her chest ached.

Stars began to twinkle as the sun dipped below the horizon, the last rays of light already fading away. At least she could make her way home under the cover of night. Then she could cry her heart out. She could stay in bed tomorrow, sleep it off and put herself together. They would still have their friendship, and in time the pain would lessen -- or so she tried to console herself. She hugged herself tight and bowed her head, letting her hair shelter her face. She would survive this. She would…

“So here’s where you went.” She went wide-eyed.

“Ah, n-no! Please, just go away,” she begged. In the right mind she’d have realized that such a response would only provoke him, but she was hardly in the right mind now. One moment Hades was behind her, then kneeling in front. Her attempt to move fell flat as he seized her by the shoulders and pulled her into a strong embrace.

“Go away? You don’t mean that,” he snapped.

“Don’t tell me how to feel. Let me go. I can’t deal with this right now.”

“Deal with what?” he asked, exasperation clear.

“With you!” she cried. She struggled against him, wiggling until her hands found his shoulders and she pushed to break his grasp. She fell backwards -- until he snagged her by the elbow and pulled her upright, took her by the chin, and forced her to look at him, truly look. Her heart skipped a beat. There was no hiding from those piercing yellow eyes. Not for the first time she wondered how eyes so light in color could still be so dark.

“If you want to leave then fine,” he growled, “but at least have the courtesy to tell me what I’ve done.” He was angry, but that anger failed to mask the undertones of pain and distress. It gave her pause.

“What you’ve done? Well, you…” There was no delicate way to phrase it. Better to get it over with, she decided. “You chose someone else.”

He didn’t react, not at first. Then he frowned. Soon after his eyebrows furrowed, and she thought the corner of his eye might have twitched. Why was he growing irritable? She was the one who was heartbroken, what did he --

“Every time,” he muttered quietly. He repeated the words, then again, his volume increasing as he went. He restrained himself just enough to keep from drawing attention, but his ire was clear. “You ruin my plans every time! No matter what I do, you find some way to --!”

He kissed her. She reacted late, a muffled squeak when she realized he held her by the shoulders and had sealed his mouth over hers. What was this sensation? She felt light. She grew dizzy. Was this really happening? With unsteady hands she gripped the front of his robes, but he released her just then. She lost her balance and fell backwards onto her bottom, grunting at the blunt pain.

“I waited for you all day!” Hades complained. He still appeared angry, but was flushed from his neck to his hairline. “I waited, and I searched for you! When I’d all but lost hope, that’s when I caught sight of you -- and you ran away.”

She saw that he’d been kneeling in the broken shards of the flowerpot. He’d knelt in the dirt and the thorns, and he hadn’t said a word about it. Was he injured? She scrambled forward, heartache muted by concern, but he signaled for her to halt.

“Red roses,” he murmured. “A symbol of love and desire. You came here to…”

He sifted through the mess until he found what he was looking for, the fullest bloom. He snapped it off at the stem, and as she watched, he removed the thorns one by one. “To think that you brought flowers for me, yet I was the one who intended to confess…”

Ever so gently he reached out and swept her hair back, then placed the flower above her ear. The heat that threatened to boil over from the inside thawed her out, loosening her stiffened posture. She caught him by the wrist before he could pull away.

“I was scared… so I came too late, and by then you were…” She paused, chewing on her lower lip in thought. “Y-you saw me run away?”

“I was…?” A moment passed, and realization became clear in his expression. “You really do ruin my plans,” he sighed. “A colleague stopped in passing. Of course that would be the moment you finally appeared. I can only guess at what story your active imagination conjured.”

“That’s not fair! I was coming to… to find you for the same reason,” she said, frowning. “I thought I was careful. You saw me leaving?”

“All of these emotions have affected your thinking. You know that I can see your color,” he grumbled, though the hint of a smile played on his lips. “I always know when you’re about.”

He did? A mild embarrassment became plain on her face. She should have realized! It was no wonder he found her so quickly in this hiding space -- but now that the air was clearing, the words exchanged between them were finally sinking in. The sun was long gone and the stars shone brightly, but she hadn’t been too late after all.

“Hades,” she said with a smile, even as fresh tears threatened to spill, “I really love you.”

He responded in kind, drawing close to kiss away the droplets that rolled down her cheeks, beneath the brilliant night sky.

Chapter Text

They were having sex. Hades groaned, abdominal muscles flexing as he rolled his hips against his lover. Sweat-soaked hair clung to his cheeks, a bead sliding down his chest. It tickled but he couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. Instead, he brushed his hand across Persephone’s back to sweep her long hair aside. She sighed contentedly as he lowered himself to rain kisses along her neck and shoulders.

Blankets had been carelessly shoved aside, bunched up around them like a barrier. Not that anyone from the outside would see much -- by his design, the windows allowed only its occupants to look out upon the city. Her moonlight-kissed skin belonged to him alone.

Stretched out on her stomach and prone, bottom tilted up, she was all but wrapped in a bow in invitation. An invitation he’d readily accepted. With each of his movements between her thighs she switched between biting and squeezing the pillow in her arms.

It wasn’t unusual for him to awaken in the night, though something, a dream perhaps, had left him stiff and wanting. He was prepared to resolve his needs in private, but the lump in the blankets beside him had other ideas. As if sensing his distress she’d roused from sleep and shifted closer, sliding a hand over his thigh to find the hardness between his legs.

“Shall I rock you back to sleep?” He managed to bite off a curse under his breath before rolling on top of her.

Now he shifted to nearly lay flat across her back, bracing his weight on his forearms to either side of her. He caught her wrists in either hand and held tight, and in response she bucked against him with the strength in her hips. He slid further inside and nearly came apart.

“Enjoying yourself?” Hot, slick muscle flexed around his shaft, threatening to suck him deeper. The moment he broke she would drain him completely.

At the current pace that wouldn’t be long.

Chapter Text

“I can’t… help that I want you…”

Her cheeks grow warm and pink and he shifts to press a kiss there, simultaneously sinking the tip of a finger into her hole. Already so slick and needy, allowing him to easily slip in as far as he can.

“Umm… put another one in…” she whines.

“Oh?” he chuckles against her ear, tugging the delicate shell between his teeth. A second joins the first, gently pressing in until he’s certain that she’s comfortable. “Like this, darling? Tell me how to please you.”

He withdraws before plunging back in with a wet squelch, setting an easy rhythm as he pumps his fingers in and out of her sopping cunt.

“Ahh that’s… that’s so good,” she sighs, lifting her legs to settle in a wide stretch over his. “Touch that place inside me…”

“Mmm, right here?”

Hades beckons with his fingers, stroking the tips along the spongy tissue atop her inner walls. Her delighted squeal sets a smug grin across his face.

“Ahh… like that, yes…” she encourages him, fingers no longer biting but soothing over his thighs. “And my… rub my…”

“Your clit, darling? I know you’re capable of vulgar language,” he teases, even as his thumb, slick with her arousal, begins to circle the tender nub.

“H--Hades,” she coos, her buttocks squirming against his aching prick, “I really… I really love you so much…”