Work Text:
‘Finally,’ Minghao sighed to himself, tired and hungry. He was on his way home, having just stopped by one of his favorite restaurants to pick up the order he had placed before leaving his workplace. He was going through the park nearby his apartment when he paused for a moment and looked down at the bag of food, contemplating.
‘Hm… It’s been a while…’ With that, he decided to head to an empty bench to sit down and eat his meal, thankful that the weather was warming up as winter turned into spring. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the grass around him and feeling the nearly setting sun on his skin.
Nature was something he always felt drawn to. Even as a kid, he spent most of his time outside drawing and collecting flowers he would find. The interest carried on as he grew older, which naturally led him to pursue botany. He has been working at a research lab for two years and he loves it, but for the past few weeks, he had been so busy at work that by the end of the day, all he wanted to do was head straight home, eat a quick dinner, and pass out on his bed, ignorant to the rest of the world.
Now a small smile grew on his face as he basked in the sunlight, pleased with his decision to stay outside, but after a short while his eyes shot open upon hearing a shutter sound near him. He turned his head and found himself looking straight into a camera lens when the shutter went off again, and he froze in surprise.
“Uh, hi,” a low voice spoke as the camera was slowly being lowered. Minghao’s eyes widened upon seeing the other man’s face.
He was very handsome; dark eyes, large build, very tall. Minghao was around one hundred eighty centimeters himself, but as the man fully stood from the crouched position he was previously in, Minghao deduced that he had to be at least five centimeters taller than him. Even while supporting a sheepish grin, ‘He looks like he could be a celebrity.’ However, there was something about him that Minghao found familiar, very familiar. ‘Did I dream about him? That sounds crazy. I think I would remember if I met someone like him, but... maybe?’ Minghao mentally shook his head.
“Um, hello…”
“I was walking around looking to take some nature shots, but then I saw you walk over to sit here and the lighting and everything was perfect, and you looked really beautiful…” Minghao could feel a blush spreading on his cheeks as the man went on, “I’m normally not- I don’t-,” a sigh, “I’m really sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’ll delete the photos right away-”
Before he could continue blabbering, Minghao interrupted him, “Could I see them?”
The man freezes before registering Minghao’s request and hurriedly replies, “Huh? Oh, yeah, sure! Of course.”
Minghao moved over to make space for the man to sit next to him on the bench and he held up the camera screen for them to see the pictures he took.
Minghao’s jaw dropped. 'He’s really good at this,’ Minghao thought, looking at the way his own skin glowed with the sunlight, accentuating his features; the trees standing tall behind him; the pinks and oranges illuminating the sky above.
“These are incredible! Are you a photographer?”
The stranger grins and Minghao can see his canines peeking out while he talks. ‘He’s like a puppy.’
“No, it’s just a hobby. I love taking pictures of anything, but mostly nature. There’s a lot to appreciate, you know? There’s so much life thriving around us and I think a lot of people tend to forget or look past that.” Minghao wholeheartedly agrees. “Oh! And animals! It’s so fun coming across people walking here and there with their pets, and fortunately they’re usually pretty willing to let me take some photos. I don’t really take a lot of portraits though.” The man stops and turns to face Minghao. “But when I saw you…”
The man bites his lip in thought, seemingly hesitant, and opens and closes his mouth a few times, fidgeting with the camera before decisively placing it down on the bench and finally speaking, “I know this might sound like a pickup line, and please believe me, I don’t want you to think I was just trying to make a move on you, although, like I said, you are very pretty! I mean, who wouldn’t want to flirt with you?”
Minghao’s lips subconsciously stretched into a small smile. He could feel a sense of fondness growing, crazily enough.
“I just- I feel like I know you from somewhere.” The other man takes a deep breath and looks into Minghao’s eyes, and he can’t help but be slightly taken aback by the intense gaze. “Have we met before?”
In any other scenario, Minghao would roll his eyes and ignore anyone that would use such a lame attempt at flirting, but at this moment, he knows exactly what this stranger means.
A brief vision flashes through his mind of a palace, grand and imposing, but shrouded in darkness and consumed by shadows. There seemed to be a presence of dread constantly looming over the entire domain.
However, there was one place that was teeming with life. In a nearly hidden area, there was a flourishing garden filled with an abundance of beautiful flowers and other lush greenery.
Ever since he turned eighteen, he noticed, these fantasy-like settings frequently showed up in his dreams, prompting a comment from his mom about how he’s always had such a wild imagination when he first mentioned them to her (he never told her anything about them again, but for him, there was always a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that seemed to be telling him this wasn’t make-believe).
And it was always the same - he felt like he was looking through someone’s eyes, as if he was really there. And there was only ever one other person that made a frequent appearance - a tall, tan, and broad man, but his face never really seemed to be in focus.
The dreams would take place around different areas within the palace. They showcased a romantic and domestic relationship with the mysterious man, or sometimes he’d find himself among the plants.
As he continues to lose himself in the stranger’s eyes, he doesn’t really realize that the man is also in a similar state.
He can’t help but think of a particular dream ('were they really dreams at all?’ ) taking place in the garden - his eyes were closed and his head was resting on a firm chest with strong arms wrapped snugly around his waist. His own hands, fingers interlaced, were resting around the taller one’s neck, and they were swaying along to a melody the latter was humming, and he felt like he was being lulled to sleep by the mellow sound.
At one point, the humming stops, and when he finally notices, he lifts his head off the other’s chest in slight confusion.
“H̴̪͈̑̀a̵̬͂d̵̡͎͎̿͆́ȇ̶̠͂̎s̷͉̝͂̂̚?” Minghao hears himself ask in a quiet tone. It was the man’s name, he knew, but it sounded faint and obscure. Every time he woke up, it would always be at the tip of his tongue, but he could never quite figure it out, which frustrated him to no end.
“My love.” The man would frequently use this term of endearment over his (this person’s?) own name, which always made his face flush. “Have I ever told you how absolutely breathtaking you are?”
The reddening on his cheeks only deepen and he hides his face back into his chest, bashful. “Why are you always like this?” He mutters in (mostly) fake annoyance and a deep laugh resounds.
“Why are you always so shy around me?” One hand moves from his waist to lift his chin up, then moves to caress the tip of his red pointed ear. “I thought you would have gotten used to it by now. But no matter. I will show you how much you mean to me every single day for the rest of our lives.”
He closes his eyes as a pair of lips press on his forehead, and then he’s suddenly pulled back to the present.
Were all those dreams actually…? No, they couldn’t be. Yet they seemed so, so real…
But then something seemed to click.
Scenes of a different time, different times (different lives), rushed into his head - racing to a battlefield on horseback; driving down a empty highway in matching leather jackets; sitting in a restaurant overlooking a bright neon city as a hover car flies past a window; bright green walls confining thirteen boys with a shared dream.
He could sense a headache coming on as he was suddenly bombarded with new places and names, but he tried to push them to the back of his mind for now - the one name he had been looking for had finally made itself clear in his mind. He was hesitant and apprehensive to say it out loud, like he was acknowledging something he almost couldn’t believe. He could be making a fool out of himself in front of a complete stranger, but he couldn’t hold himself back as he whispers, “Hades?”
There was a look of recognition and relief in the other man’s eyes, then his gaze quickly softened and filled with tenderness. “My love.”
Minghao’s eyes were starting to water and his vision was blurring as he threw himself into the arms of his beloved. He was grateful they were already sitting down as he knew he would be having a hard time staying on his feet. The arms around his waist tighten and Minghao is pulled to practically sit on the man’s lap. Feeling the warmth from the familiar embrace, he was trying hard not to break down crying, but he could not stop the tears flowing down.
“My love, my flower, my Persephone.” There was a hand rubbing circles on his lower back and another stroking his hair lovingly. “You’re as beautiful as ever.” That got Minghao to playfully roll his eyes and pull back to look at him.
“And you’re just as cheesy as ever.”
Two hands move up to cup his face, wiping the tears on his cheeks. “Well, you’re gonna have to get used to it since you’re pretty much stuck with me forever.”
Minghao jokingly sighs. “Unfortunately.” He gets a pout in return as the hands fall back to his waist, and light and airy giggles bubble out of him.
He reaches up to stroke the other’s hair consolingly, who then nestles his face within the crook of Minghao’s neck. “I don’t know why mortals think you’re this big, bad, scary deity. You’re just a big softie.”
“I’m the king of the underworld,” the man whines, his voice slightly muffled and tickling Minghao’s skin. “I’m supposed to be intimidating.”
Intimidating? ‘He’s as intimidating as a -’
“Puppy. You’re like an overgrown puppy. I mean, sometimes I can’t tell the difference between you and Cerberus.” There’s a pause as Minghao recalls the terrifying beast. “Oh Cerbie, I miss my cute baby…”
“...Only you would call the Hound cute.”
Minghao shrugs. “He was always so lovable with me.”
“Because you spoiled him with attention!” Hades exclaims while pulling away, and the pout still remains on his face. “Sometimes he would just ignore me and go straight to you, then he’d take up all of your cuddles and leave me off to the side like a pile of waste. As if I wasn’t the one who raised him for the majority of his life. So rude and ungrateful…”
Minghao nearly snorts at hearing the fearsome overlord grumbling about cuddles. There were virtually ears drooping and this time he could really see the guard dog reflected in its master. He can’t help but let out another laugh, continuing to pet the other’s head. “You’re so easily jealous.” He gets a huff in response.
He presses their foreheads together and brings his hands around to lightly stroke his beloved's nape, and the same movement is reciprocated on the sides of his hips. The previous banter leaves their hearts feeling lighter.
They stay like this for a few moments, eyes closed, basking in each other’s presence. Minghao’s tears have finally subsided. He thinks he could fall asleep like this.
They might look a little strange to anyone walking by, and the food sitting next to them is getting cold, but Minghao is warm and content and that’s all that really matters.
“You know," Hades’ soft tone breaks their silence, "I could feel that something good was gonna happen today. I’m glad I finally found you.”
Minghao thinks about the memories of their past lives that so pleasantly made themselves known, going through their different meetings. This is one of their nicer introductions (definitely one of the least dangerous), so he believes they’ll have a nice ending to this story, too.
He hums contentedly. “We’re Hades and Persephone. We’ll always find each other eventually.”
And when his eyes flutter open, there’s a dopey smile and a look full of affection in his sight, and he’s certain the same emotion is radiating from his own eyes.
“In this life and the next.”
(It’s a little cheesy, but Minghao thinks it’s pretty romantic, so he’ll let this one slide.)
And when Minghao goes to meet his friends at a cafe later that week to tell them about his “new” boyfriend, he freezes in a stupor when he notices Jeonghan, Seokmin, and Chan sitting at their usual spot. They’re all dressed up in tunics and shiny accessories with an otherworldly glow encompassing them.
Athena, Apollo, Hermes, a faraway voice whispers.
But when he blinks, Seokmin is standing in front of him in his soft, brown, and fluffy sweater with a blinding smile as he pulls Minghao over to their table.
“My name is Kim Mingyu in this life.”
“Xu Minghao.”
These are well known names to them, and Minghao is rather grateful. He’s not quite sure how it works, but in some of their lives, they are born with the same names. All of their identities are an extension of themselves as Hades and Persephone, but somehow he likes the familiarity of Kim Mingyu and Xu Minghao.
Despite their ever-changing surroundings, Minghao finds that his partner never really changes at all. Mingyu has always been charismatic and charming and, if the pairs of eyes constantly following them are anything to go by, obviously very attractive (he’s a model this time, of course).
Minghao prides himself on his strong sense of self-confidence and assurance, but sometimes he can’t help but feel a little jealous when they’re out in public, though Mingyu will solemnly declare, “My love, you are the most beautiful flower to bloom throughout all the realms. They’re looking at you, and I have to stop myself from showing them you’re mine.”
(“Well, I never said I wanted you to stop...”
“First of all, ew, and second of all, you’re both stupidly attractive, so please shut up.”
“Soonyoung, envy is not a good look on you~.”)
But Mingyu’s hair is longer now, contrary to the shorter style he used to don during the days when ruling over the underworld was their main responsibility, and Minghao loves to run his hands through his locks and play with the ends when they kiss, so this is one change he doesn’t mind (and Mingyu certainly doesn’t mind either).