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All was quiet in the Underworld after the fall of the usurper.
The House had to be brought back to its glory, and Zagreus wasn’t sure whether it was luck or a curse that his room was mostly untouched. It was covered in long-forgotten dust and some grains of sand. However, as everything came under control, Zagreus was cooed by his mother to finally rest. And he declined the proposition, pressing that Father had no idea about interior design, and the Prince’s previous experience is a must. Finally, after a divine intervention done by the combined strength of Than and Meg, the Prince let himself be led to his room.
The Prince exhaled a slow, weighted sigh. He tried to find comfort, he truly did, but the tension thrumming beneath his skin refused to fade. Zagreus’s back ached faintly, begging him to move, yet he dared not. Any shift might disturb the warmth pressed close around him. Thanatos lay draped over his chest, his breath ghosting against Zagreus’s throat, his face buried in the hollow of his neck. On the other side, Megaera’s fingers curled possessively around his arm, her touch deceptively soft yet enough to send a tingling numbness through his skin.
For him it was just a second, a blink. In one moment he was facing off against the Titan of Time, and the other he was freed from a prison with even some of his memories of a different world. One where he got to have the complete family he always wanted. One where his Father actually changed with some influence from their Grandfather. Time itself, Lord Chronos who graced the House of Hades.
After what felt like forever, his eyelids began to close on their own. Zagreus moved only a little before feeling the sleep taking over-
Suddenly, a sensation like falling seized him, and Zagreus’s body jerked violently before he could stop it. His eyes were wide open and he fought with himself not to sit up completely. The tension returned to his body and he felt his shoulder lift themself and teeth grind against themselves. The sudden movement startled the bodies pressed against him; both of them tensed in alarm.
“Blast,” he muttered under his breath, feeling them stir and shift upright. “It’s fine, really, go back to sleep.”
In the faint, flickering light of a few forgotten candles, he could just make out their faces, soft with drowsiness, shadowed by concern.
“You’re sure?” Thanatos asked, his voice low and edged with suspicion.
“Yes, quite su-”
“You’re trembling, Zag,” Megaera cut in gently, her sharp eyes catching the truth before he could hide it. She lifted a hand to cradle his face, her palm warm against his skin.
“Oh,” he murmured lamely, leaning into her touch before he could think better of it. “I’m… having trouble falling asleep,” he admitted at last. “Not sure why.”
Megaera hummed softly, her thumb brushing over his cheek in a slow, soothing rhythm. Zagreus pressed closer, his breath unsteady but easing under her touch.
“You should have woken us,” Thanatos said quietly, his hand finding Zagreus’s and lacing their fingers together.
“No need, Than,” Zagreus replied with a tired smile. “I was happy just… holding you both. I nearly drifted off too, just got hit by that strange falling feeling, made me jerk awake and, well…”
He trailed off, the corners of his mouth lifting faintly as Thanatos gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and Megaera leaned in to press a light kiss to his temple. The tension began to leave him, replaced by the warmth of their quiet closeness.
“Where’s Hypnos when you need him?” Than murmured, annoyed.
“Somewhere in Erebus,” Zag scoffed. “Mel’s almost figured out how to wake him up.”
“Do you want to just sit for a bit or-”
“Nah, thanks, Meg,” he let out a faint giggle. Then he started to lie down once again with his eyes closed. “I think I’ll count Lernie’s heads or something.”
That earned him a low chuckle from Thanatos and a quiet sigh from Megaera, who brushed her fingers through his hair with sleepy affection. A moment later, he felt the mattress dip as both lovers settled in beside him once more. Megaera guided him gently onto his side so he was facing her, the faintest smile curving her lips as she pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his nose. Zagreus’s mouth twitched into a drowsy grin before he melted into Thanatos’s embrace, the god’s cool arms wrapping around him from behind.
His body remained restless, unaccustomed to such a slow rhythm after so long in motion. Even in stillness, the heat beneath his skin refused to quiet, his flaming feet shifting restlessly against the sheets, moving of their own accord.
He sighed, frustrated by his own nature. Stillness had never suited him; it reminded him too much of the endless chambers of the Underworld of waiting, of stalling, of death standing still. For so long, every moment had been a chase: toward the surface, toward freedom, toward something he couldn’t quite name.
“Blast, I can’t wait to get back to doing runs,” the Prince mumbled, his voice slurred with sleep.
“Yes, you certainly hate being stuck in here with us,” Megaera replied dryly, her eyeroll almost loud enough for him to hear.
“Aw, Meg, don’t be like that.” He reached out, his arms trembling only a little, cupping her face gently between his palms. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
And he meant it - at least now he did. There had been a time when all he wanted was to break free of the Underworld, to run and never look back. But lately, he found himself wanting something different. More time with them. More quiet moments like this. And now, with his sister grown and living her own life above, he could finally visit her too, something he once only dreamed of. Still, a faint ache lingered in his chest at the thought that he hadn’t been there to see her grow.
“And if any of you see Princess Melinoë before me, please do kindly remind her to return my scythe,” Thanatos suddenly broke the silence.
“What, you can’t gather souls without the matching weapon?”
“Funny, Zagreus,” he breathed out into his hair when the Prince tried to hide his small giggles. Then Zagreus jerked once more with a yelp this time when he felt his cold fingers squeeze his hips.
“Aw!”
“Shush,” Than chuckled. “Rest, Zag.”
The Prince opened his mouth to continue the discussion, but his lips were crushed by Megaera to calm him down. Annoyed by the team up against him, Zagreus just accepted his fate and closed his eyes. Between Megaera’s warmth and Thanatos’s steady hold, the last of Zagreus’s tension slipped away, leaving only quiet breath and the faint flicker of candlelight dancing across their skin.