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Hades awoke with a stir, his arm stretching and feeling the cool silk of his sheets beneath him until he reached his destination - the gentle plush of his snoozing wife. He rolled onto his side, blanketing his arm over the curve of Persephone’s waist and pressed his chest to the warmth of her back. The King breathed in the homely scent that surrounded him, the smell of roses and honeysuckle filling his nostrils as he buried his face into the overflowing pools of his Queen’s hair. Despite waking up to this exact scene for a century now, he never took a second of it for granted.
He and Persephone had been wed many, many moons ago - a dangerously hurried affair after Demeter’s poor attempt at an embargo. Despite the haste of it all, he wouldn’t change a thing. If changing any of the events they faced caused a rift in achieving this exact scenario, he would rather die (if it were possible for such a thing).
“Hm, Hades..” His thoughts were broken by the low murmur from the pink goddess, he greeted her with a kiss to her temple.
“Yes, my most precious flower in all of the realms?” Hades answered, his voice laced with mirth and rumbling with the grog from his sleep. Persephone rolled her eyes at her husband’s apparent teasing, her hand coming down to clasp over his on her stomach as she rolled over in his embrace to glare at him. Their mornings often began like this, a banterous ritual in which Hades tried a new way of addressing her - trying each day to better his last compliment.
“Not a fan of that one? How about.. Yes, my most glorious goddess in all of the realms whose grace is endless?” He continued, beginning to turn their bodies so he lay above her. He tickled her tender throat with his words of praise, skimming light kisses to try and stir her precious giggles into his ear.
“I’m a fan of them all! Each and every one of them!” She giggled, pressing her hands to his shoulders and wriggling under his gentle pinning.
“Then I must continue, for I aim to please you for all eternity.” Hades hummed with a quirked smile, placing a final kiss to her collarbone before pulling back to his side of the bed. His arm remained tucked below her, as it always did when they slept. He hardly recognised its numbness anymore from bearing the weight of his wife’s head, the joy of holding her overpowering any regret he might have of battling future pins and needles. Persephone curled into his side, her head resting on his chest as she stretched her legs below the covers.
Hades then heard his wife huff in annoyance before she spoke of her woes, “Gods, I forgot I have that meeting with the- the um.. What was it again?”
“The architects overseeing the new park in the central plaza.”
“The architects! That’s it, you’re so smart. You remember everything,” Persephone calmed herself then, settling back against him as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. All the while Hades rubbed reassuring circles into her back as he hummed in appreciation to her words. Sensing his wife wasn’t finished, he patiently waited for her to draw breath. She did.
“It’s not that I don’t want to see them, they’re lovely! But they get so antsy when I’m around, as if I’m gonna hate all their ideas, or- or fire them on the spot because they looked at me funny! I buy them all coffee for Zeus’ sake, and they still cower when I enter the room?!” Her rant concluded, Hades offered his advice.
“Well, Sweetness, it isn’t your fault that they cower in the presence of their Queen. I’ve been frightening my employees for centuries, I think they’ve just been conditioned by me.” He chuckled, despite feeling some regret for his past behavior as King prior to Persephone’s influence. She sighed in agreement, twirling a stray curl between her fingers as she pondered his response.
“You’ve conditioned them well then, as they still barely speak above a whisper. Maybe you should come with me! Show them the real bundle of love and gooeyness you secretly are behind all that royal broodiness!” Persephone sat up with delight at her idea, staring down at Hades to see his expression.
“I save all of my supposed ‘love and gooeyness’ for you and the dogs alone, darling. No worker of mine will ever see a shred of such..”
“Softness?” The flower goddess teased.
“I was going to say kindness, but soft will suffice.” Hades responded as he pecked her plush lips before rising from the bed, making sure to catch the dusting of blush along her cheeks at his first kiss of the day. Gods, that sight would never dull.
“Besides, I have my own meetings to attend to today I’m afraid, otherwise yes, I would join you in delivering the coffee. Nothing more.” He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and checked the time, seeing it was nearing seven in the morning. Persephone huffed a breath from her pouted lips to blow a strand of hair from her view, trying her best to not show how her eyes softened at the sight of her beloved in his grey joggers - blast him and his stupid, perfect physique.
As she went to rise out of bed herself, Hades gently took her hands in his and guided her back against the plush pillows. She quirked her brow as she followed his lead, this sudden change in their routine making her question him.
“No, no. Stay in bed, dear. You deserve the extra time in bed before your meeting. I’ll bring your breakfast and tea, you sit.” Hades reassured her as he cupped her cheek, reveling in the feeling of her leaning into his palm. ‘Be still, my beating heart’ he thought - sap.
“Have I told you I love you?” Persephone cooed, placing a tender kiss to his wrist.
“Not in the last five minutes, but I know all and well. I love you too.” He glanced at his watch to emphasize his joke, his wife’s laugh making him swoon.
As he took his leave, pulling his Underworld Corp hoodie over his chest he heard Persephone call to him from the hallway,
“Don’t forget to-”
“Feed the dogs, I got it!” Hades called back, knowing she wouldn’t begin to actually rest until she made sure her fur babies were well looked after. He still wasn’t sure how he scored the most perfect companion.
He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, greeting each of their dogs as they awoke upon hearing him enter. As usual, Cerberus was already by his bowl awaiting his breakfast, his wagging tail thumping loudly against the tile floor.
“Yeah, morning to you too, mister” Hades rubbed his guard dog’s head as he reached for the dog food, filling each bowl as he bent down. They all began to clammer into the kitchen to greet their owner,most beginning to munch down their first meal of the day. Some whined and searched for Persephone, looking up to Hades with questioning gazes.
“Mama’s having a lie in, guys. My orders. I know, I’m sorry, she’ll be down soon!” He crooned to his fluffy audience, already turning on the kettle and coffee machine for his wife’s tea and his coffee. Disappointed but understanding, all the dogs began to eat their fill. As the kettle boiled, Hades searched the cupboard for what to make his goddess. He had most of her favourites, but he wanted something special for her. She already voiced her stress for the day ahead, the cause of which mainly being his fault when he was a lone monarch, so he wanted to help alleviate in any way he could. He rummaged through the fridge, eyeing up all of the fresh ingredients and pulling out any loved pieces for Persephone.
He opted for a mixture of small plates, knowing her appetite was usually small in the mornings. Hades chose three bowls: a gentle fruit salad, followed by homemade bread and honey, and a warm oaty porridge to finish. He got to work chopping the fruits, slicing the bread and mixing the porridge. Cerberus tried to hop onto the counter with his front paws to inspect his papa’s work, only to be shushed away and accused of trying to steal his mama’s food. He’d only done it once! ..Maybe twice, it didn’t matter! He could be trusted!
With all plates assembled, Hades fetched a floral tray to carry the dishes sensibly. He poured her lemon and ginger tea into her associated pink mug, and finished off the array with a pluck of lavender from their windowsill flower pot. After spending so long with the Goddess of Spring, he’d learnt so many meanings behind heaps of flowers and plant life, appreciating each one and respecting its meanings and properties. He chose lavender for its anxiety reducing speciality, hoping the aroma would ease his wife’s nerves whilst she enjoyed her breakfast. Carrying the tray with his coffee on the side, he followed the path to their bedroom and gently nudged the door with his foot whilst announcing his presence. Persephone’s eyes lit up from the screen of her phone as she saw him enter, placing the device back onto the side table and clapping her hands in anticapatory delight.
“Oh, Hades! That looks amazing!” She squealed as he placed the hefty tray on her lap, sitting on the side to watch her appreciate his handiwork. He thought he might melt.
She took the tea, inhaling its sweet and spicy scent before she took a sip, “gods, and it smells amazing!” The goddess smiled into her mug, reveling in the soothing warmth that trickled down her throat. “And you chose all my favourites..” Her eyes rounded onto him, her lower lip stuck out and began to wobble with love.
“I didn’t want you to have limited choices,” Hades admitted with a shy grin, feeling that his bashfulness was evident on his cheeks. She began with the fruit salad whilst he sipped his first coffee of the day, both of them exchanging small words and their plans for the day. It was a shame, they rarely got to see each other during office hours as they worked in separate departments of Underworld Corp. They always tried to match their schedules for lunch breaks though, hoping to catch even an hour of each other's time to catch the other up on their activities (and the occasional office makeout session, but they won’t mention that to their assistants).
“So, after one I’ll be free for 30 minutes in between conference meetings..” Persephone went through her calendar on her phone in one hand, her honey dipped bread in the other. She spoke between mouthfuls, crumbs covering the corners of her mouth, honey coating her plump lips. Hades was drawn to them as she tried to navigate her busy schedule, his eyes glazing over them the same way as that succulent honey did. She paused her munching to stare at him- crap, had he asked her something?!
Before he could apologise and ask her to repeat herself, she pulled on the strings of his hoodie to edge him close to those ever-so-inviting lips and let him taste the natural nectar acting as her lip gloss. He wasn’t sure how she managed to taste even sweeter. Once they broke, too soon for Hades’ liking, she spoke low against his lips.
“Ready for me to continue?” She asked, the minx.
“Yes, goddess..” Hades breathed, his tongue darting over his own lower lip to collect the remnants of honey. She smirked before returning to her natural state of innocent warmth, filling him in on her scheduled plans.
Gods, he loved their mornings.