Work Text:
His attention was turned to the sloshing of the pool and the gentle patter of damp and slightly heavy footsteps, a sound that Hypnos was now all too familiar with.
"Natural causes again?" came his cheerful question as Zagreus emerged from the murky depths.
"Glad to see you around, Hypnos. You weren’t here the last time I came through."
There it was,that rich and smoky voice that made warmth creep up from the pits of his stomach.
"Well, I can't say I haven't been busy!” he exclaimed, doing his best to mask the true extent of his excitement, “Ever since the queen returned, we’ve had even more guests come through our waters! Do you think Asterius might ever pass through here? Do you think he’d remember me if I showed him the note he wrote for me?"
“He would most certainly ask for a duel, so perhaps it’s best that you don't meet your hero.”
The words barely registered. He was far too lost in those piercing eyes, and he only remembered himself when Zagreus shifted closer.
“Well, you’re all set to move along then!” he tried to dismiss.
“Actually, Hypnos," came the murmur, a little sheepish and dare he say a little shy, "I’d just like a moment more of your time. I have something for you."
Butterflies began to flit in his stomach and try as he might to squash the rising hope, his traitorous mind conjured up a hundred and one scenarios. And his heart—oh his blasted heart—began to thump, beating into a crescendo despite his best intentions.
There was the rustle of cloth as Zagreus pulled a glass bottle from the lapels of his toga and pushed it into his hands. It was still warm where it had laid against his body, and Hypnos could hardly contain his gasp. He barely managed to contain the shake in his hand.
“Zagreus… this… it’s Ambrosia?”
“I haven’t exactly always been the nicest to you, despite all the wonderful advice you’ve given me. I wanted to apologise. I thought that perhaps I could begin to make it up to you with this. That this would be the first step to the possibility of us becoming closer.”
“Oh! Zagreus, you really didn’t have to! You’ve already done so many wonderful things for me! Than and I have been spending far more time together and things are just going so wonderfully well thanks to you!”
“I want to.” The simple reply made the words die on his tongue. For one of the few times in his life, Hypnos was speechless.
He knew that the Prince was generous with his gifts—he had seen the empty bottles lying about the Halls—but never, never had he heard of Zagreus gifting someone a bottle of Ambrosia.
He went to sleep that day clutching the bottle to his chest.
Disorder befell the House as a mortal war ravaged the surface.
Between the multitude of shades disembarking Charon’s beleaguered boat and the constant calls for his attention, Hypnos barely had a moment to breathe. There were no places to get away either — endless queues had long since conquered the House, snaking through the hallways and spilling out into the garden and lounge, leaving them with no place for physical nor mental respite.
Hypnos liked to think of himself as the resilient sort, but the endless work wore him down to the bone and to the soul, and he could feel the imaginary band around his chest tighten to an insufferable degree.
“Next”, he rasped.
And just as his vision began to go blurry, a broad hand clasped his shoulder.
“Hypnos,” came Zagreus’ rumble.
His bum nearly hit the ground when his levitation temporarily faltered for a multitude of reasons.
“Whoa—”
Zagreus’ arm wrapped around his waist, holding him up. Past experience told him that he should have felt disgust at the touch, but a pleasant fog descended on his mind instead and lingered with a single, shocking realisation:
I am in love with him.
“Oh,” was his reply, though it was more of an acknowledgement to his own loaded thoughts.
He struggled to find his footing and it took him a moment, but even when he did, the touch didn’t leave his back.
“You look exhausted, Hypnos. I’ve asked father already and he said I could take over your duties while you rest. You’ve been working terribly hard all day. Or night, as it were.”
“Thanks, Zagreus. You really are such a good friend,” he offered with a smile. And it might have been his imagination, but he saw the prince’s own smile falter for just a second.
“It’s not a problem at all. Well, sleep well then.”
He would have lingered if sleep hadn’t tugged so deeply at the edges of his consciousness. He drifted towards the generous chaise that Zagreus had ordered for him, wondering how he could reciprocate some of that generosity and perhaps even move him a little with his actions.
But, how? He could fashion the cushioned seat he now laid on. But what would he even do with a cushion pin? Perhaps a miniature version of their mother Nyx? Or that of his father Hades, so that he could prick it whenever he was on the receiving end of his wrath.
He slipped down his sleeping mask and pulled his cloak over himself, quite ready for bed. The very last thing he saw was the bright red fur of Cerberus, and inspiration crept in as he drifted off.
Ah, he realised, a doll of Cerberus; one as soft and warm as Zagreus’ touch had been. He would set to work on it when the halls grew quieter.
He saw Zagreus give Thanatos a bottle of Ambrosia.
He hadn't meant to—he'd been gliding down the corridor on his way to the administrative department and simply turned the wrong corner at the wrong time. He saw them at the far end of the hallway huddled together, and heard the contemplation, the nervousness, the hesitation within their quiet whispers. Though he caught none of the words, he knew.
Hypnos hurried away, turning his back to his duties and his lists and headed straight for his bedroom.
Perhaps Than will reject him, came the first selfish thought that he immediately berated himself for.
Ridiculous.
Thanatos was his beloved brother—his wonderfully competent,confident beloved brother, and though he was Death Incarnate, his heart was woven of the finest gold. And there was Zagreus in all his boisterous glory, who took time out of his busy schedule to reconcile the denizens of the Underworld, his generosity rivalled only by his tenacity. He thought of them standing close together, of Zagreus brushing Thanatos’ arm hesitantly and holding back despite all his apparent longing. They looked wonderful together.
Then there was himself—just a sleepy god who had barely grown out of his childish ways.
Who was he next to these accomplished gods?
In a fit of unfamiliar rage, he threw the bottle of Ambrosia and the doll he had been sewing into the bin.
Hours later, when he pushed himself off his dampened pillow, he picked the bottle back out.
"You've been avoiding me," came the accusation one cold evening… morning…it was always difficult to tell.
Hypnos had been wiling his time away in the staff lounge, pushing the chunks of trout around his plate, his appetite still barely there.
He looked up to the familiar face of Thanatos and managed a wide smile. It took everything in him to push his enthusiasm to the absolute most he was capable of.
"Have I?" Hypnos asked, pulling up a chair for Thanatos, "Why would I, your dear brother who has been attempting to make a connection with you for years, suddenly avoid you?"
His twin’s gold eyes bore through him and for a moment Hypnos felt terribly naked, a feeling he had never been comfortable with.
"You're angry with me," Thanatos concluded rather succinctly, and Hypnos was reminded once again that he could not hold a candle to him, much less steal the heart of his lover. He should have been happy, but the truth was that he was miserable. He had been for a month.
"If I'm to be honest with you, dear brother," Hypnos tried for a jovial tone that clearly wasn't working, "You and Zagreus are quite loud! I'm certain that enthusiasm is wonderful for your relationship, but my bedroom is right by yours and my sleep has been disrupted by all the ruckus you've been making."
He never knew Thanatos was capable of blushing. He saw gold shoot up the other's cheeks, and as painful as the entire ordeal had been, it was rather entertaining seeing the sheer mortification. He stepped backwards, then forwards, and then palmed his hand into his face and groaned loudly.
"I apologise. I… will see to it that your sleep is no longer disturbed," Thanatos fumbled. "I'll be leaving then. I apologise. I'll just…"
He turned tail before he could finish his sentence and evaporated in a flash of green light.
It must have been nice to be able to disappear on a whim. If only his feelings were as effervescent.
Zagreus sent over a bottle of Nectar.
He would ask Zagreus, Hypnos eventually concluded. He needed to ask Zagreus. He had assumed with Megaera and he loathed to assume again.
Though, if he were honest with himself, he was terrified.
There were three possible outcomes to his current situation, each one worse than the other. He could keep trying to hide it and wait till his heart imploded from the weight of his emotions, or he could tell Zagreus and have his heart broken when he inevitably explained that he was with Thanatos. Even the last, in a world when Zagreus chose Hypnos, he couldn’t give him everything.
It was no secret that Zagreus enjoyed physical intimacy, but Hypnos did not. He had hid his secret from the entire Underworld to great success, for the idea of aversion to physical touch was something so foreign and incomprehensible to even the gods around him, it wasn’t even in their minds.
But of all of them, Zagreus might understand. Zagreus with his overflowing kindness and his willingness to listen… perhaps it was what drove his heart towards him in the first place. Hypnos had crushes, and he had bouts of infatuation, but not once had he felt such an achingly intense longing for another being. One who made him feel safe.
He would speak with Zagreus.
He would put effort into it, just as Zagreus had put effort into procuring each bottle of Nectar and Ambrosia for him.
And thus, Hypnos drifted down the corridor towards their sleeping chambers, where he knew Zagreus might be.
”Meg—” a strangled and muffled cry echoed down the hallway.
”Oh come now, Zag. Don’t tell me you’re capable of tearing my sisters and I down, but unable to withstand a little bit of this.”
He was rushing towards Thanatos’ room before he could fully register what was happening.
“Than! Than are you there?! Open up! Than!”
Was it disappointment he was feeling as he pounded against the door? Perhaps, but at the forefront of his thoughts was anger. How dare Zagreus treat his brother like this.
It swung open to an extraordinarily concerned Thanatos, only half-dressed and looking rather groggy.
“Hypnos? What is it?”
He barged his way into his brother’s room and shut the door behind him. There was simply no time to be cordial.
“I heard Megaera and Zagreus being intimate—I swear I heard it and I swear I interpreted it correctly! They’re at it right this moment, right down the corridor, you don’t even need to be near the room in order to hear it! Oh blood and darkness, I’m so sorry that he’s treating you this way Than, you’re amazing at everything you do and so intelligent and you absolutely do not deserve to be disregarded this way!”
Thanatos just stared at him with a wayward smile, and it should have been his first inkling that it was far more complicated that it appeared. He waited, patient, until Hypnos had calmed down and he calmly gave his answer:
“I know. I was the one who persuaded Meg to go to him.”
Hypnos drifted back. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words would not come out.
“It is a good arrangement for us. Zagreus’ job is important; however, it is far less time-consuming than either mine or Megaera’s or even your own. To be honest, I feel far more reassured when I know that there are others taking care of him.”
“So…” Hypnos managed to stammer out, “You’re alright with him sleeping with Meg?”
“Yes. I had meant to speak to you about it, as it is quite obvious that Zagreus is quite affectionate of you. I was perhaps wondering if you would also return his interest.”
His heart leapt and his head spun rather violently from the abrupt shift in his perspective.
It was far too much to take in.
He nearly dropped to his feet.
“Hypnos, easy there.”
What in the entirety of the pits of Tartarus.
When he came to, Thanatos had his arm around his shoulder holding him up and was pulling a chair towards him.
“You seem surprised,” Thanatos nudged, his expression equal parts concerned and amused.
He couldn’t look at Than for days after.
Waiting was the difficult part.
In circumstances of Hynos' own making, he would have had a comfortable bed to lounge in, a book to read, and a hot beverage to soothe his nerves.
But, standing here at the entrance of Zagreus' room, he could only fiddle with his hands and shift his feet awkwardly together. Every creak, every bump was reason for him to flinch and for his weary heart to race, for his mouth to go dry.
He thought he had picked the most inconspicuous wall to wait by, but Dusa promptly spotted him from across the hall and offered him a brief chat, and Thanatos snuck in from behind and offered him a pat on the shoulder.
Shortly after his brother left him, Zagreus came bolting down the corridor.
“Hypnos! I apologise for making you wait. How long have you been standing there?”
He braced himself as the distance closed between them.
“Zagreus! You look like you’re in a hurry, I can always come back later,” he babbled, the words he had carefully rehearsed dying in his throat.
“I died and came running as soon as Than told me you were looking for me.”
Oh darkness.
“You didn’t have to, it wasn’t that important.”
“I wanted to,” was the simple answer that again tugged at his heartstrings.
He could feel the flames of Zagreus’ feet licking at the tips of his toes and see the droplets of the river Styx on his still-damp skin. The vibrant green of his eye was even more stunning at this distance, and Hypnos wanted nothing more than to melt under that gaze and right into the wall.
“Would you like to come in?” Zagreus offered. After a moment of hesitation, Hypnos nodded.
Oh blood and darkness.
The last time he had stepped into Zagreus’ room was when they were children, at an age when they were still flinging dolls at each other and with Thanatos sneaking back in at night because he didn't want to sleep alone. Aside from the much larger bed and the haphazard splay of personal belongings, he was quite surprised to find that the furniture had mostly remained the same.
"Alright. Hypnos, what did you want to speak with me about?"
Zagreus pulled him a seat and leaned up against the table. His arms were folded across his chest and he had on a peculiar smirk—a rather arrogant one at that.
He knew.
"I was just thinking," he began rambling, as he always did when he was nervous, "you've been giving me all those gifts, and at first I thought you were just being nice to me, but then you gave me Ambrosia, oh!—I haven't drank it because it was so precious and I don’t want to waste it and I’m just going to save it for a special occasion—anyway, I don't know what to make of it, except that you mii~iight be interested in me, but you’ve gotten together with Than, so I thought I was just thinking too much. But then, I heard Meg's voice in your room, and I ran to tell Than because you were cheating on him, but it turns out—"
Zagreus shifted, hands now clutching Hypnos’ shoulders, and his face far closer than it had ever been. His heart was pounding desperately against his ribcage. He couldn't think straight, not with those fingers brushing away the stray strands of hair off his face.
"Slow down, Hypnos. Take a deep breath."
He sucked in a deep breath on command. Then two more, because his head was spinning and he so desperately needed air and the air was beginning to grow stuffy and had it been this hot?
"I like you," Hypnos blurted out, the words clumsy on his tongue.
For a moment he was so scared that he might be thrown out or laughed at, but a smile just blossomed on Zagreus' ridiculously handsome face, the joy clear in every line of his expression.
"I like you too, Hypnos, more than you can imagine. I know we have plenty to talk about, but for the moment I wish to kiss you. May I?"
He couldn't think. He could barely move a muscle. Zagreus was thumbing his jaw. Everything was moving so fast. There was a question but he couldn't remember it—
"Hypnos? Are you alright?"
"I— Yes," he managed.
"I would very much like to kiss you now, if you would allow it."
Hypnos flinched back a little. Kiss. Zagreus wanted to kiss him. He scrambled—
"Before we set anything in stone I need to tell you that I really don't like doing anything beyond kissing and I know you do, so I've been hesitant about this entire thing because I know you and Than and Meg get it on quite often, so I understand if you don't want to be with me—"
"Hypnos," Zagreus chuckled warmly, "I want to be with you. We will make it work"
There were gentle brushes to the helix of his ear, and Zagreus was smiling like he meant it. His voice and his touch quelled the rising panic in his throat, and as the fog of fear dispelled the answer was crystal clear.
"I would like you to kiss me."
Before he could finish his sentence, a hand threaded through his curls and cupped the back of his head. The softest lips were on his, working his heart open. As he sat there, Zagreus leaning into his space, and they poured their affections upon each other, all Hypnos could think about was how he was the luckiest god in all of the Underworld.