Work Text:
It’s not warmth that Zagreus wakes to, and that alone makes him smile.
Death runs colder, after all, and Thanatos had wrapped himself around Zagreus when he had returned again after his most recent attempt, and corralled him into bed, pulled him close and beckoned him to sleep, and Zagreus had not refused, had not fought once, because he had missed Thanatos, the cool that Thanatos was, as compared to the warmth that seemed to constantly permeate around him.
He still hadn’t had the chance to tell Thanatos about seeing his mother again, but that didn’t matter as much, he thought. Thanatos was cool and safe, and Zagreus smiled, curling himself deeper into Thanatos’s arms, into the safety of his hold, and closed his eyes again.
Thanatos woke to the fire in his arms, and for a moment, he paused, wondering if Zagreus is awake, but it seems as if he had slept on. Good. He needed his rest, though Zagreus had never been one to admit to it. It didn’t matter, knowing that Zagreus would die, time and time again, just to go up and see his mother once more, for just a few moments. Thanatos had learned the best he could do was drag Zagreus into his arms and hope it helped, hope it brought some peace for once.
Zagreus was warmth, a fire burning brighter than even Hades could have accounted for, the perfect opposite to Thanatos, and Thanatos loved him all the more for it, knowing that Zagreus would fight and fight, and no matter what, would fall back into his arms at the end, and Thanatos would wrap him up in safety the best he could, and send him off once more, knowing all the while that his love would come back for him.
And when Nyx steps in, just for a moment, to check on them, she finds them both asleep once more, neither too keen on getting up without the other, and too content to move from their spots. She smiles, and the door clicks shut behind her as she leaves them to sleep on, safe with one another.