Work Text:
Hades cuddled the small bundle in his arms closer to his chest as he walked closer to the front door. It had been a very long day. Persephone and him had been at the office before 7am due to an emergency that started in the early hours of the morning. It was now just past 11pm as they were returning home.
Persephone tiredly snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. It had been a long day for both of them but it had been harder on her. She was pregnant with their first child after all. She still only had a small bump but they were both overjoyed at the visible sign of the growing life.
“Sweetness, we’re home,” Hades mumbled tiredly into her hair as he closed the door behind him.
Only Cerberus greeted them, the other dogs having already settled down for the night, “Quiet, boy, you don’t want to wake up Mommy,” Hades whispered to his oldest companion.
He slowly made his way to their bedroom, wanting the trip to be as smooth as possible. He wasn’t going to trip with the precious cargo in his arms. Hades left the door to their room open as he settled her on the bed. He took the time to remove her heels and rub her feet a moment before going to grab some pajamas for her. He stripped to his boxers before heading back out with a simple nightgown for her.
“Come on Honey Bee, we need to get you changed,” he said gently helping her sit up a bit. She mumbled something he couldn’t understand and barely opened her eyes.
Persephone didn’t understand what was going on. She knew that she was with Hades because she could feel him but she was too disoriented to do much of anything. With her barely open eyes she could only focus on the sparkling shine coming off his earring. It was one she’d bought for him, a shining pink stone to match his often-pink pocket square.
“Sparkles,” she mumbled as the earring came back into view as he pulled something over her head.
Hades looked at his wife confused, “Sparkles?” he questioned curiously, not understanding where the word had come from.
He continued to help her get changed and settled her on her pillows then he went to brush his teeth. He wasn’t going to force her to do that task tonight.
Hades got into bed pulling Persephone into his arms, “Night Flower,” He mumbled into her hair, kissing her forehead.
“Night Sparkles,” came a mumbled reply. Hades was still confused but couldn’t stop the sleep closing in on him to ponder farther.
~~~~~~~~
Persephone was the first to wake up the next morning. She didn’t remember getting into bed the night before and knew exactly what had happened. Her husband took care of her like he always did. She slowly and carefully worked her way out of his arms and out of bed. She was going to make him breakfast.
She smiled softly to herself as she made her way to her kitchen. Without realizing she started to rub her lower belly. She was so happy that she’d fallen pregnant. It was certainly a surprise but a very welcome one. They couldn’t wait to welcome the new little god or goddess into the world.
The dogs were all in the kitchen when she got there. She laughed softly as she got their food ready knowing Russel and Cordon Blu would start barking if she didn’t feed them.
Persephone went about making pancakes for both of them. She took out a serving tray and set the pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit on the tray. Hades was just waking up when she entered the room with the food.
Hades smiled when he saw Persephone with the tray, “Morning Sweetness.”
“Morning Love,” she beamed at him setting the tray on the bedside table and settling on the bed next to him. “I made pancakes.”
Hades grabbed the tray and set it across his lap. “Honey Bee, do you remember much about last night?” he asked curiously remembering her calling him Sparkles.
“Not really, no. Did I do something?” she asked interestedly, knowing she often did odd things when very tired.
He just laughed as he explained, “You called me Sparkles.”
Persephone froze, her fork half way to her mouth. “I called you what?”
She’d wanted to give him a nickname like that for awhile but she didn’t know how he would take it. She was amazed he was laughing at it.
“You were out of it and called me Sparkles,” he said again surprised at her reaction. He’d expected her to just laugh it off.
Persephone set her fork down and glanced over at him, looking at the sparkling gems in his ears. “Well, it does kinda fit, doesn’t it?” she questioned, her voice taking on a seductive husk.
“What do you mean?” he asked not able to follow her train of thought.
“Well, you make sparkling gems all the time for me. You wear them frequently as well. Let’s not forget the way your stars sparkle when you’re in your true form,” She smiled at him, “Sparkles suits you well.”
Hades groaned softly. He didn’t want to like the nickname but the way she said it sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine.
“That might be acceptable, but only when we’re at home,” he whispered. He wouldn’t be able to live it down if either of his brothers learned about this nickname.
“I guess I’m starting to catch up then. You are up to four nicknames, even if they’re mostly just at home ones,” she giggled glancing over at him.
“Four?” He questioned only able to think of two.
“Yes, four,” Persephone stated, counting them off on her fingers, “Love, Sparkles, Good boy, and Cuck.”
Hades felt himself harden at the teasing smirk on her face. “You forget I have dozens for you Pinky,” he teased.
“I guess I just have to try and come up with more,” she giggled pulling him into a kiss.
Hades moved the tray to the side table and pulled his wife into his lap. “Yes you will,” he teased back pulling her into another kiss.
It had taken a long time to get here. There had been a lot of pain at the beginning but that was the past. They had each other. They loved each other and now they were adding a member to their family and neither of them could be happier.