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"What are you doing?" Hypnos asked, staring down at his brother.
There was a soft humming before Thanatos resurfaced. "I've seen Lord Hades give Queen Persephone flowers as a way to court her and show that he loves her," he said. "So I'm looking for the best flower to give-"
"To Zag?" Hypnos finished, content with himself when his brother nodded.
He slowly floated down, making sure to keep his little blanket draped on himself. "I can help! Maybe I can give Zag one too!"
Thanatos puffed out his cheeks, pouting. "But there can only be one flower good enough for Zagreus!" he pointed out, sorting through the fields of soft petals in the Elysium.
"Well you better hurry and find it then!" Hypnos challenged, floating off again to search for a nice flower for Zagreus.
He heard his brother scoff, but he too hurried off.
They spent the rest of the day (night? time passed oddly down here) looking through the fields, trying to find the perfect flower.
Hypnos was rather tired, the menial chore boring him after a while. He yawned, stretching a bit. He lowered himself into the bed of flowers, curling up in the softness; this napping place shall suffice.
.....
There was an insistent shoulder shaking that caused Hypnos to open his eyes, his vision foggy.
"Ughhh, what? 'M sleepy," he said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He sat up, propped up by his elbows.
"I found it I found it!" Thanatos said excitedly, jumping up and down. He held a small flower, red as a mortal's blood and waggled it in front of Hypnos' face.
The latter gasped, pouting and reaching for the flower, but he was too slow. His brother moved out of the way, clutching the thing closely and gently to his chest.
"Nuh uh! I found it first! You can't have it!" he said sternly.
"But I accidentally fell asleep! You can't continue searching when I nap! It's not fair!" Hypnos whined.
The two brothers continued to squabble; Thanatos trying to keep the flower out of his brother's grasp and Hypnos trying to reach for it.
Suddenly, a clear sound of someone clearing their throat sounded throughout the realm.
Both boys froze, turning to see a motherly figure, her hair the color of wheat and her eyes the kindest green of a meadow.
"What are you boys doing?" she asked quietly, looking rather amused.
Both of them straightened their posture. "Q-Queen Persephone!" Thanatos peeped, moving his hands behind his back.
The Queen seemed endeared at the title. She turned and looked down beside her, and that's when Hypnos noticed how the fabric of her skirt was oddly bunched up. The goddess murmured something, then laughed.
Slowly, a little boy with mismatched eyes and black hair looked over to them, his smile wide.
"Hi guys!" Zagreus called out, running over to them.
He tackled them both to the ground, causing a chorus of groans and giggles.
"Zag!" Hypnos said happily, then he partially deflated, realizing he lacked a flower. He should find one - even if Zagreus deserved the best flower, he shouldn't be adverse to having more than one.
As Thanatos stammered a reply in greeting, Hypnos discreetly floated off, trying to look for a flower. He hummed, looking back and forth. He couldn't go too far, lest Zagreus get suspicious or curious.
Hypnos spared a glance behind him, seeing Thanatos about to show his flower. It gave him panicked adrenaline, and finally, Hypnos grabbed a little flower, floating back over to them.
"-and I thought you would like a very special flower," Thanatos said, nervous. He pulled out the red flower and handed it to Zagreus, who looked positively elated.
"I love it!" he said, jumping up and down. He took the flower from Than and placed it behind his ear. "How do I look?" he asked, smiling widely.
His brother blushed and looked down. "Good," he said timidly.
"I have a flower for you too!" Hypnos butted in, eager to see Zagreus' reaction as well. He slowly showed him the flower he quickly picked - a floofy white flower, one that resembled a dandelion. It was less of a flower than a weed, but the young prince still seemed ecstatic about obtaining it.
He happily took the flower and put it in his hair also. "It's really pretty!" he exclaimed, clapping as he put the flower behind his other ear.
Hypnos gave a happy little trill, floating a little bit higher.
Zagreus ran back to his mother, tugging on her chiton. She leaned down in compliance as he whispered into her ear, her face rather amused. He looked very determined once he was down whispering, and she simply ruffled his hair and said "Okay dear."
Then the prince came rushing back, hurrying over. In a quick motion, he pressed a kiss to Thanatos' cheek, then one to Hypnos', bouncing around with pure energy once he pulled back. "I wanted to thank you for the flowers! Mama says it's nice to thank people with kisses!" he said. His mother seemed to say something to him, but Hypnos didn’t register it.
“Okay Mama! Coming! I’ll see you guys later!” he said, then he quickly headed back to his mother, talking endlessly as they headed down the hall and out of the chamber.
Thanatos stood there in shock, his mouth agape. He slowly brought a hand up to rub at his cheek, then he slowly sunk to his knees, a happy giggle bubbling out of him.
Hypnos laughed, then covered his face. "He kissed me!" he bragged, poking his brother in the face.
"He kissed me too, idiot!" Thanatos said back. He pushed the offending hand away, but he didn't seem too bothered.
The two sat in the fields for the rest of the day, teasing each other and laughing, as well as exchanging ideas for what to do tomorrow.