Time Together
Pairing: ThanZag / Thanatos x Zagreus
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Humor, Oneshot
Rating: G / General
Words: 1760
Summary: Zagreus and Thanatos finally get some time off as well as some alone time together in the House of Hades.
It was awfully quiet in the House of Hades, for once. Only soft chatter and murmurs could be heard from the idle shades along the hallways. Hades put away the parchment he had just finished working on and paused, piquing Persephone's interest mid-petting Cerberus. Without prompting, Hades asked aloud, "Where's the bo- I mean, Zagreus? It's... too quiet today."
Persephone chuckled a little, "The last I saw of Zagreus, he was heading towards his chambers in a sort of hurry. Though, I can't be sure why. When he ran past me earlier, I think he mentioned something about Thanatos?" She handed Cerberus three treats, one for each head, and smiled at the sight of a happily wagging tail as he swiftly devoured them all.
"Hmph, I see. Thanatos informed me he wanted to take a break for a while and I agreed upon noting his excellent performance as of late," Hades' fiery quill pen once again hard at work, in an attempt to make up for all the lost time Hades had to spend fighting his son to the death up on the surface. "In any case, there is peace and quiet at last. I can finally catch up on all the parchment work that got delayed because of him." Ā Who knows when he would have to do it again? He better get some work done while he could. Persephone, on the other hand, had some other ideas.
Peeking over Hades' arm, Persephone suggested, "After this one's done, why don't we take a short break as well?" Hades paused again and looked at her. "You've been working hard these days, or nights, and you deserve to take a breather, Hades. Besides, it's not good to be cooped up at your desk forever."
"It's not like I get to stay cooped up here for long, thanks to our son," Hades wanted to say, but seeing how Persephone was looking at him... He averted his gaze and instead replied, "... Fine. Once I'm done with this one."
Persephone beamed with satisfaction, and Hades could see how wide her smile was from his peripheral vision, "Let's head to the garden together to visit our pom trees, alright?"
Hades' quill pen moves just a little faster.
Meanwhile, just east of the House of Hades, Zagreus stepped into his bedchambers to be greeted by the familiar sight of Thanatos, whom also just arrived a little before him.
"Thanatos!" Zagreus said with a tinge of surprise as if they did not plan this beforehand.
"What's with that? We agreed to meet here, didn't we?" Thanatos greeted lightheartedly, his lips slightly upturned.
"Well, yes, but I didn't expect you to turn up so... early," Zagreus said, a sheepish smile forming on his face as he reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "To be honest, I didn't think this far ahead. I... I just wanted to spend some time together with you, seeing as to how we're both always occupied with our jobs."
"Well, we have the whole day ahead of us," Thanatos started, gently setting down his scythe in a safe corner of Zagreus' messy Prince chambers. "We can figure it out as we go along."
Zagreus let out a slight chuckle, "You're right, Than. Let's just take our time, yeah?" He looked around his room and his eyes laid upon the biggest furniture he had: his recently furnished Chthonic bed he ordered from the House Contractor. Before he could say anything, however, Thanatos spoke up.
"For starters, why don't we take an actual break for once? Especially you," Thanatos walked towards the bed, vaguely gesturing to it. "When was the last time you even sat down?"
Zagreus wanted to mention the other day when he was drinking some Ambrosia with Megaera in the lounā nope. They were both standing. He swallowed his words.
"Just as I thought," Thanatos noticed the Prince's mouth opening and closing without muttering a single word. "Now, just... just come sit down." His voice trailed away as he took a seat at the edge of the bed, his gaze averted.
"Since... Since we're going to rest," Zagreus paused. "Why don't we just lie down on the bed together? I don't know when I'll get a chance to use the bed again."
Thanatos looked up at him, caught his gaze for a second before looking away again, "... You make a good point." It might be the lighting in his room but Zagreus thought he saw a tinge of gold coloring Thanatos' cheeks as the latter turned and moved to the other side of the bed.
As they both quietly settled in under the covers, nothing but silence and the ruffling of sheets could be heard. Conveniently, the Chthonic bed came with two pillowsānot like Zagreus ever used themāso Thanatos took the one nearer to the wall while Zagreus scooched next to him. They both got comfortable, their heads sinking into the pillows, their faces inches away from each other.
It's not their first time being this close to each other, but the quiet and serene atmosphere of Zagreus' room, and them being alone with each other after so long felt... different. After they stopped fidgeting and moving under the covers, Zagreus looked at Thanatos with a slight smile, his voice a little lower, "So... what did you do lately? I haven't seen you around for quite a long time while ransacking my father's realm."
"It got really busy with the mortals the past handful of days and nights," Thanatos let out a small sigh, remembering how hectic it all was, before continuing slowly as if choosing his words carefully. "But... I made sure to work even harder, so I could get a break after it all died down and... spend extra time with you."
"Really?" Zagreus' eyes lit up. "No wonder Father let you off for today. I'm... Thank you, Than. I really appreciate it." His smile grew a little wider.
"There's no need to thank me. I just..." Thanatos looked down, not wanting to look any deeper into the other man's eyes. Though, that was how he saw Zagreus' hand reach up towards him first before he noticed his face just centimeters away from his.
"I missed you, too," Zagreus leaned closer a little more and gently rubbed his nose against Thanatos', one hand cupping his cheek. Thanatos blushed, his cheeks a bright gold, and Zagreus chuckled softly upon seeing how flustered he was. He then fell quiet and let the silence simmer for a second or two before continuing, his voice a whisper. "Do you... Do you want to kiss?"
Unbeknownst to both of them, Thanatos could blush harder than he already was, and that Thanatos, being embarrassed and flustered out of his mind, could accidentally teleport out of the chamber entirely.
Meanwhile, further east of the House of Hades, past the Prince's bedchambers, the God and Queen of the Underworld are lovingly tending to the pom trees together. Hades helped gather the poms together, and Persephone prepared the trees for their next bountiful harvest.
"Alright, just one more pom tree to go!" Persephone held Hades' hand as she led him to the last tree. "You can set the basket down over hā" Before she could finish her sentence, a bright green light flashed in front of them.
Standing in front of them was a somewhat disheveled Thanatos with gold-powdered cheeks.
No one said a thing or moved an inch for what felt like a solid minute.
"Um..." Persephone finally broke the silence. "Thanatos? Are you... Are you alrighā"
"Yes!" Thanatos replied a little too quickly, adjusting his robes as naturally as he could while avoiding eye contact with the couple. "A-Apologies for the interruption, my Lord and Queen Persephone. I will take my leave now." The moment the last word left his lips, he was gone in another flash of green light before anyone could say anything more.
Hades and Persephone, left alone once again, looked at each other for a while, neither saying anything. Hades wordlessly set down the basket of poms and Persephone piped up, "Well... I'm sure they'll be fine."
Meanwhile, less east of the House of Hades, in the Prince's bedchambers, Thanatos returned to a Zagreus who was propped up on an elbow, looking back at him with a cheeky grin on his face. He subconsciously braced himself.
"So, how was the trip?" Zagreus said, almost like he rehearsed it while Thanatos was gone.
Thanatos gingerly lay back down beside him, "One more word and you'll have a swim in River Styx."
Zagreus snickered playfully, then kept his mouth shut. Once Thanatos was back beside him, he shuffled closer to him, slipped an arm around his waist, and pulled him closer. Gently and carefully, he pressed his forehead against Thanatos'. Thanatos tried his best to look into his eyes this time around, and his heart skipped a beat at how gentle his gaze was.
"So... You didn't answer my question just now," Zagreus said delicately. "Do you want to kiss?"
Zagreus waited for Thanatos' reply patiently, and Thanatos couldn't help but pull his gaze away. He muttered, "S-Sure..."
They both knew it was their first time together so taking it slow was an unspoken consensus. The only experience Zagreus had when it came to romantic intimacy, however, was squinting at Achilles and Patroclus kissing in the Elysium glades from afar before they eventually spot him and slowly stop. Well, there's always a first time for everything, gods and mortals alike.
They both lean in for a kiss, lips slightly parted and breaths held. Thanatos reached a hand up to hold Zagreus' face softly, and he felt him smile a little into the kiss. When they pulled away, his smile was in full bloom, "Mm, that wasn't too bad... Another one?" Zagreus pushed his nose gently against Thanatos' cheek, nudging him for an answer they both already knew.
Thanatos answered, a little more firmly than both of them expected, "You don't have to ask all the time, you know? Just do it..." His voice trailed off as Zagreus pulled him deeper into his embrace, and they lean in for another kiss or two, or maybe three.
Somehow it felt like they never really left each other's sides. Zagreus leaving without a word and Thanatos trying to get a hold of himāall of that seemed so long ago.
Regardless, they have eternity and more to make up for all the lost time between them, and this is just the start of it all.













