#and i can say this before in reported and just in everyday life. compared to fucking 2019 its literally gotten worse

[robotpussy]

when i tell you i dont think the world has gotten any better or made much progress in terms of social justice or equal rights like we talk abt how awful it has been for marginalised groups 20+ years ago but it hasn't improved either?????

[chocolate-floof]

Fuck it, short homelander fic

Tw: canon typical violence, homelander, stalking detailed description of injuries. Allusion the child abuse and neglect (blink and you'll miss it) Sfw

Clicking send you finally finished the report for the day. Seeing the time on your phone, you had to do a double take to make sure you saw correctly. You had been here for nearly 12 hours, thanklessly working the night shift, despite also taking the mid-day shift. Working in media crisis management for the seven can be hard work especially when the member you have to deal with is the homelander. Deciding to use this time to your advantage, you walk around the darkened corporate hallways, mapping the building out internally, unaware of the prying eyes watching your every move.

"What is she still doing here?" He questioned to himself. Sometimes homelander gets bored and lonely, so he decides to watch the occasional Vought employees and how they run their "normal" lives that he definitely doesn't want, it's not stalking they should be glad their holding his attention! But their was something... Strange about you. He could never quite figure out what it was that made you feel so... Different compared to the rest. Maybe it was how much you work, often forgetting to take care of your bodily needs, maybe it's how interact with people, like your trying your best to make everyone happy. Or perhaps it has something to do with how often you flinch when people touch you. Whatever it is, for the past week he's been stuck on watching YOU. He watches you pack your things into your purse and head out. Clutching your purse closer to you as you weave and make your way down the city streets and through alleyways with seemingly no care for yourself.

He hears a scream, from a nearby alleyway he hears a woman scream in terror "I don't have it ,please!" She yells, the sharp shift in volume stinging his ears. He ignores it, trying surveil you but the panic continues. With a small irritated sigh he looks over, and lasers into the man's heart, chest now and open cavity he tries to scream and fails. He tries to put his hand were his heart once was, attempting to pant before blackened thick visceral starts spilling from his agape mouth and he falls to the ground, gurgling on his own blood. The woman looks up spotting homelander before running away without a word. "Not even a fucking thank you." He quietly says to himself before turning to follow your flowery scent. Making it to your small one bedroom apartment he watches from the roof of a near by building as you make yourself dinner. Your seemingly having a rice dish tonight, chickpea curry. The smell wafts from your open balcony door and he wants to fly closer to see if he can get more of it. He wonders if you'd ever cook for him. If you'd ever pet his head the way you pet your cat, like it's the most valuable and lovely thing you have. He wonders if you have the the same infatuation with his life as he does yours. People wanted him dead, his son seems to hate him and he's started aging abruptly. It felt like his life was falling apart, as the noise of everyday became louder, more urgent, suffocating. But when he watches you his thoughts quiet down. It MUST be because your life is so much more boring than his, because theirs no way he'd be stuck on a simple mud person he hasn't even spoken to once. No it's not because he wonders if you'd watch him too. Not because he wonders if you smile at him like that. Not because he wondered if the syrupy sound you make as you say "I love you so much" to the small mammal curled in your lap would ever be directed at him. He didn't wonder about you, no that preposterous. He just wished you'd be less oblivious, and less alluring.

[kenananamin]

Nanami watching a reality show

a very short list of hcs about nanami kento watching a reality show bc i was watching jersey shore, the hills, and sister wives and wondered what he would think about those shows and reality shows in general lol enjoy!

always avoided watching them bc gojo gave him enough drama and he did not want more

passes you the control and tells you to put whatever you'd like since he was gonna finish his report and read his newspaper for a bit

you put on a reality show, and he doesn't do it but he feels like groaning just from hearing the cast speak

he's a quarter of the way in one section of the newspaper when he hears some of the juiciest comebacks he has ever heard in his life

he doesn't lift his head the whole way but he watches the tv for a bit under his eyebrows

the thing is, nanami is a lowkey chismoso aka nosy

he skims through the rest of the newspaper and closes it and leans back w you to watch. you ask if he wants to change it and get ready to pass him the remote but he stops you and says to keep watching it bc he's getting up in a bit to make lunch anyways

does not get up to make lunch, y'all end up ordering in and nanami asks who each person is 10 times before finally (kinda) remembering names and understanding the dynamics

he'll shake his head and quietly mumble, "damn, that so messy" or "why would anyone in their right mind do that?"

is very shocked at half the things they do or say, but tries to hold in his laughter when someone says something ridiculous

quickly has nicknames for the cast and has his favorites

strongly dislikes the instigator and sits on the edge of the couch when someone stands up to them... but also looks forward to what the instigator does next

watches 90 day fiancé w you and grunts about the episode length but quietly watches... and enjoys

watches 90 day fiancé the other way and enjoys the way americans complain

can only watch a bit everyday and compares reality shows to medication, can only do so much at a time

will later ask which shows you've watched and looks them up when he's alone

will give you updates on the casts after looking them up on social media. "did you know she got married? i think they'll cover that in the next season?"

takes mental notes of contradictions and reminds you of these contradictions during the reunions

feels himself getting irrationally upset at some of these people and has to remind himself it might be scripted

will eventually ask if you'd like to watch a more wholesome reality show to balance out the dramatic ones

later falls into the hole of survival shows

gets a bit sulky if you watch the shows without him

hates to admit that he wants to get back home and watch one of these shows

quietly asks if you'd like to have a weekly reality show day w him where you can relax all day (or most of it at least) and have snacks, order in and just watch watch and comment on these shows

these end up being one of his favorite moments of the week w you, snuggling and enjoying brain rotting television

extras about certain shows:

prays that angelina is removed from the shore house, that sammi and ron separate for their own good, and mike gets the help he needs (is happy when it all happens except for when angelina comes back in the family vacation spin-off)

lowkey wants to rewatch the hills after the ending leaves him wondering how scripted the entire show was (you go back to explain the drama behind that and how it was mtv poking fun at it all)

has given up on trying to learn the names of the kids in sister wives. knows their faces, not their names. feels like he has personal beef with kody. wants to catch up on all recent drama.

[cpvnksabm]

anyway here's some fun facts about the choir in my aussie rtc au because i am cringe and i am free

Ocean

genuinely believes "cunt" is a horribly vulgar term despite having lived here her whole life. says "australian" instead of "aussie". gets snooty when people shorten australia to 'straya. generally trying very hard to pretend she isn't here

got told she had a british accent as a kid and she latched onto that REALLY hard because she thinks it's more "proper" english. in actuality she sounds slightly british compared to other aussies but if she talks to anyone outside of australia they will undoubtedly say she has an aussie accent.

as i've said before i believe she is "the kind of povvo cunt who would call her mates dolebludgers despite being on centrelink herself" however i have been told that this sentence is nonsense to non-aussies without a translation.

has occasionally gotten sunburned during winter. tries to go outside during summer anyway. this usually ends badly for her

Noel

works at what i believe to be the shittiest taco bell in sydney. i've never eaten taco bell myself, but i've walked past this place a couple of times, and it looks like it's probably the worst taco bell in sydney.

has absolutely no sense of aussie patriotism. as far as he's concerned fuck this country fuck the flag and fuck the wallabies too

his father, who is a serial child abandoner, fucked off to new zealand when noel was 13. he went through a phase of very seriously romanticising waiting until he was 14 years and 9 months old, so that he could get a job and be in less shit financially. he compared it to the part in the hunger games where katniss is waiting to be old enough to enter her name in the reaping more times to take out tessarae. in actuality the "you have to be 14 years and 9 months old to get a job" thing is just a myth that a lot of aussies believe for no real reason so he could have started working much earlier than he actually did. also it didnt really help financially because employees here literally dont get paid minimum wage until theyre 21 and at 14 you get like way less than half of minimum wage

saving up to move to france as per canon. his french is absolute dogshit and i'm not convinced he'd survive in europe. i'm also not convinced he's successfully saving money he's still years away from being able to earn minimum wage

genuinely does not really believe that 30 degrees celsius is even warm. 35 degrees is the point at which he will consider taking off his jacket. he does not own one single pair of shorts. ocean's proudest moment is the time she caught a screenshot of her lock screen having a notification from noel, complaining about it being too hot for the first time in his goddamn life, and then 3 minutes later a notification from a news app, reporting on record breaking high temperatures

misha

willing to second noel's statement regarding this country, the flag, and the wallabies too

has actually seen an impressive amount of sydney (and the surrounding area) compared to most of the choir who never go anywhere or do anything. this is because whenever he doesn't want to be somewhere (often) he will just get on a train and go wherever the fuck. he's like a "tom scott introducing places" compilation video bc he's always just texting the groupchat to say he's In A Location and when people ask what he's doing there he doesn't know. he'll get back to you when he finds a part of sydney/nsw that he thinks doesn't suck.

he has his sleeves rolled up all the time because he thinks it makes him look tough and gangsta, but more importantly, because he thinks 30 degrees celsius is "too hot".

i hate to say this but he'd probably be a fucking eshay

in summer he constantly takes photos of regular everyday items to send to talia with the caption "did you know this can melt".

i've never been in a house that had a basement so he doesnt have one. his adoptive parents still ignore him and expect him to Stay Out Of Their Sight, but like, he just has way less space in which he could do so. this is definitely part of why he's so often on a train to bumfuck nowhere to do fuck all rather than stay at home.

ricky

straight up does not like it here tbh this place is insanely ableist

so chronically online (and just generally isolated) that once he starts interacting with the choir he has to google the aussie slang they use regularly. his sleep schedule is Bad so he mainly interacts with americans.

refers to mcdonalds as "maccas" not because it's easier for him to call it that, but because it pisses off the americans in his discord servers

perpetually fighting tooth and nail for the school & the government to recognise that he is Really Disabled. he has several diagnoses on record. he can't walk unassisted. come on this is ridiculous.

big fan of "aussie cuisine" specifically because he cannot cook. fairy bread is a meal if you use your imagination.

penny

the aussie equivalent of Elysium is in katoomba or somewhere similar, in the blue mountains. this should explain most of why she's so insane i think.

she probably still lives in the blue mountains but closer to sydney, or maybe in one of the parts of sydney that we all secretly think of as being Basically Not Even Sydney (sorry emu plains)

since high school starts in year 7 here, ezra 100% goes to the same school as her (maybe he already did in canon tbh, i feel like it was kind of unclear if uranium city had a middle school or if it was one of those towns so small that st cassians would be a k-12 school)

ezra and penny usually avoid each other like the plague at school (because having siblings is #cringe) but occasionally they will pass each other in the school hallways, reference some utterly incomprehensible inside joke, exchange some bizarre assortment of objects that they needed to borrow from each other, and then leave and go back to avoiding each other

because nobody ever goes to their house (because theyre both loners/outcasts and also because they live in the middle of fucking nowhere and nobody wants to travel that far), the fact that they're siblings is Deep Lore that you only find out once you're really close to them. it was a rumour once but most people brushed it off because it seemed too unbelievable

#1 aussie animal apologist

really does not understand noel & misha's beef with the wallabies. she gets stressed every time they mention it.

constance

frequently goes for walks alone at night, often in notoriously "dodgy" areas. she hangs out at parks and goes on the swing. she's honestly more scared of the bats than of other people. why are there so many fucking bats here

pretends dropbears are real

hates the weather here. so much. all the time. if she complains about the cold then she is inevitably smugly reminded that in other places it gets cold enough to snow, so this is just chilly. if she complains about the heat then she is inevitably smugly reminded that it's not record-breaking hot. if it is record-breaking hot then she still can't complain because everyone is focused on being surprised that noel finally noticed it was hot. she suffers like jesus here.

has never actually seen snow in person. really wants to. at some point penny probably takes her down to the mountains in winter to see it and it doesn't really live up to the hype.

would probably super enjoy a "let's get on a train and go Wherever The Fuck to do Fuck All" trip with misha but people (ocean) always expect her to justify why she's going anywhere. secretly really enjoys whenever something inconvenient happens requiring her to travel far

i've never seen bluey but i feel like she'd be one of those people that watches it as an adult

[andreisvechnikov]

Andrei Svechnikov: A Primer

written October 5th, 2023

BASICS:

Born 26 March 2000 in Barnaul, Russia

Right winger on the Carolina Hurricanes (who drafted him 2nd overall in 2018)

6’2 and 195 lbs

Andrei’s first and foremost a family oriented person. One of the most important people in his life is his brother, Evgeny. He followed Evgeny everywhere, including to Michigan in 2016, where in juniors he played for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks; near Grand Rapids where Evgeny was playing for the Red Wings AHL affiliate. Svechnikov led the team in scoring and was named to the All-USHL Team and declared USHL Rookie of the Year. He then was selected first overall by the OHL’s Barrie Colts and later won the Emms Family Award as rookie of the year. After being selected 2nd overall by Carolina, he chose the number 37, the same as his brother.

On their childhood: 

“We didn’t have much money,” Evgeny said of their childhood in Siberian Russia. “We ate from the same plate. We did everything together.” “I’ve waited for this my whole life,” Andrei said, sweat still dripping. “It’s my dream. My dream came true.” “It’s huge,” Evgeny said of both the goal and their relationship. “It’s everything.” “They moved from job to job every city,” Evgeny said. “They sacrificed so much for us.” If you ask Evgeny, there was “no doubt” Andrei would make it from the time he started dominating older competition at 5 years old. Evgeny was 8 when he fostered that opinion. Clearly he was on to something. (X)

The brothers have a special handshake and Evgeny wears a bracelet Andrei gave him everyday.

In the NHL:

Andrei made NHL history being the first player to ever score a lacrosse style goal. Seen here.

And is the only player (so far) to do two successfully.

But he can do tricks off the ice too. His first few years on the Hurricanes, he enjoyed learning magic tricks. Here's one with former beat reporter Sara Civian.

Andrei is loved by many, if not most, current and former teammates, coaches, media, and more. 

Praise from others: 

“I’m just proud of the kid in general,” Brind’Amour said after his first win as coach and Svechnikov’s first point. “He’s a great kid. He wants to learn and he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s going to be a great player in this league. You gotta remember how young he is, and that’s something I have to keep reminding myself. He’s just a kid, and he’s out there in the NHL and he doesn’t look out of place. We’re very fortunate to have him.”

(X)

Former Muskegon Lumberjacks GM John Vanbiesbrouck once told me he didn’t want to drop a bomb too soon, but yeah, he could see hints of Gordie Howe in a young Svechnikov. Vanbiesbrouck was more comfortable with a comparison to Todd Bertuzzi. “You know what? He’s hard to compare to anyone because there’s not a lot of guys like him,” he said after Svechnikov’s NHL debut. “Because sometimes he drives the net or sometimes he’ll see a play. He’s so multi-talented. When he drives the net — Todd Bertuzzi, one of the best net-drivers I’ve ever seen. He’s got an acute way to make plays and find lanes and shoot in place. There’s not a lot of guys like him in that way and how he can play a speed game, then a slowed-down game.”

(X)

“We were just hoping, when we got the pick, that we would get someone who was a star,” Carolina owner Tom Dundon says. “And I think we did.” 

(X)

He is a gem. Always has time for everyone. Can’t wait to see him back in action next season for the canes - Justin Williams

(X)

Here's a snippet of a very heart felt interview the Svechnikov brothers gave before their first match up.

What’s his best quality as a person? Evgeny: Humble. Humble, shyness, respectful. There’s not just one word. But one thing (that) comes in my head, humble and respect(ful), of anything: parents, people around, polite. Just a good kid, man. He’s just a good kid. Andrei: I feel like he’s just a kind person — he’s always going to care about you, he’s always going to ask you if something’s wrong. He’s a culture guy. But obviously he gets a little emotional sometimes (laughter) … He’s gotta work on that a little bit, probably. When have you been the proudest of him? Evgeny: Just one thing? … That he doesn’t let himself get down, and anything happens, nothing stops him. But I think he learned that from me (laughs). And yeah, he doesn’t give up and he keeps going. Nothing bothers him, and he’s like a tractor, just keeps going, and I’m telling you, he learned that from me. Andrei: Every day, to be honest. Every day I am proud of him, to be completely honest. He’s been through a lot, there have been a lot of hard things. He was injured, now he’s here in the show. It’s going to be fun to play against him. I’m proud of him every day. Anything else you want to add about him? Evgeny: That I love him so much. He’s a great brother. Andrei: I don’t know, really — did he say anything interesting? The Athletic: He said he loves you so much and that you’re a great brother. Andrei: I love him so much, too. He is my hero.

Read the rest here.

A big mama's boy. (1)(2)

Friends on the team:

When he first joined the Hurricanes, Andrei became good friends with Dougie Hamilton and Warren Foegele. They all lived in the same building and new to the team. The Hurricanes even made a video of them hanging out and talking about their friendship called the “Three Amigos.”

Even after both Dougie and Warren were traded to other teams, he remains good friends with them. (X)

**Fun fact: Both Dougie and Warren had to pick new numbers with their new teams. Dougie, formerly #19, picked 7, (at the time, Pavel Zacha already took #37) and Warren, formerly #13,  picked 37.

Andrei has always been good friends with alternate captain, Jordan Martinook. Taken under Marty’s wing from the start in 2018 when they both joined the team, Jordan has a pre-game tunnel tradition to scream Andrei’s last name to hype them up. Martinook will occasionally add in other players but he always exaggerates ‘Mista Svechnikov’ the most. Like another older brother figure, Martinook enjoys messing with Andrei in practice and in general.

After Dougie and Warren were traded, Andrei became closer with Martin Necas. Always good friends, they started going out to eat together more and attended the US Open Men’s Final in 2023.

With Seth Jarvis joining the team, Andrei gained the opportunity to be the "big brother" for once. Pulling pranks and messing around with Jarvy.

Another player who’s allowed Andrei the opportunity to grow as a leader on the team is Pyotr Kochetkov, fellow Russian and a goalie. The two have become good friends, Andrei acting as a guide and translator. 

Andrei loves Carolina, and Carolina loves Andrei. One of the many reasons he agreed to an eight-year, $62 million contract with the Hurricanes in 2021.

Andrei has always loved animals. He’s good with both cats and dogs, looking forward to the annual calendar photoshoot, and adopting one of his own in 2023.

Andrei has never met a penalty box he didn’t like.

(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

“I just love that style. Just hit hard, you know?,” Svechnikov said. “I think I’m playing a hard game, and that’s why I think I’m scoring goals. I’m gonna hit, then I’m gonna go to the offensive zone and someone’s going to give it to me and then I try and shoot it into the net. Good tries for me. I love that style of play.” (X)

He made the 2023 All Star Game, winning the Fastest Skater competition. The first person he called after was his brother.

He suffered a tear in his left ACL a couple months later, and missed the rest of the season and playoffs. However, he had fun sounding the siren and joining his good friends in the broadcast booth. He had a successful surgery and is recovering well, hoping to start the 2023-2024 season on the right foot.

[natspookie]

back to december

inspired by back to december ;)

natasha romanoff x fem!reader

☆ summary : natasha accepts the hard truth that things wont be the same as they were last december

☆ warning : short & not so happy ending? kind of for reader though

��—————-

natasha tapped her finger nervously against the steering wheel, wondering if this was a good idea.

she pushed all the thoughts aside and got out of the car, walking up to the front porch.

she knocked thrice, you opened the door approximately 12 seconds after, letting your hair down.

“natasha, hi” you smiled softly, opening the door.

“hey” natasha softened upon seeing you after all this time.

she made a call 4 days ago, wanting to meet up after 9 months. you told her all you could do was a meet up at your house at the suburbs.

“oh come in, you can sit there” you nodded to the table.

natasha nodded and took her seat, nervously tapping on it as she glanced at you in the kitchen.

“do you want anything? i made some mac and cheese” you called out

“sounds good” she said “coffee?” “yup” she eyed the vase of fresh roses in front of her.

“ugh y/n! i just need to be free from you for a second! would you just wait?” it came out too fast for natasha to process what she was saying.

“free? what am i some mission report that’s holding you hostage for living your life?” you tossed the towel aside after drying your hands, tilting your head at natasha.

“i cant do this anymore” she shook her head with a sigh, rubbing her temples. you bit back your tongue from telling her to stay, to work it out. why would you want someone who said she wanted to be ‘free from you’ to stay?

you shut the door of your shared room, immediately feeling hot tears roll down your face. you heard the front door shut as well when you opened up your suitcase and duffle bag.

at some point the salt lamp was shoved in. all that was left in your side of the closet was the shirts of natasha that you loved, now tainted with her words.

you opened the door to silence. you rolled the suitcase through the living room, sparing a glance at the dead roses in the middle of the dining table.

with one last breath, you shut the door, not looking back.

natasha snapped out of the flashback when you came back with two bowls of mac and cheese, running back to get the drinks.

“sorry, i’ve been a little busy” you smiled sitting across her. “thanks for makin time to see me” natasha looked up from her bowl to look at you nodding in acknowledgment. “how’s life, hows work?” “stressful but good, just busier than ever. what about you?” you gave a short answer

“work is good. i missed you” you pursed your lips, unsure what to do with that. “i missed talking to you, natasha” you sipped your coffee

there was some conversation here and there but mostly natasha looking at you.

it didn’t hit natasha till when she arrived home the next week to your stuff being gone.

the pain that hit her didn’t compare to all the fresh bruises she got from her mission.

she immediately called you to see that you had blocked her and changed your number

she understood then, what she had lost on that one january night.

of course, natasha eventually had to leave. you were standing face to face beside the door when natasha sighed “i’m sorry for that night, y/n/n”

“i- i didn’t mean it okay? if only i knew this ‘freedom’ is nothing but missing you everyday. i can’t close my eyes without thinking about you” natasha swallowed her pride as she looked at you while you shifted awkwardly on your feet.

“natasha, it’s all in the past, okay?” “please give me another chance?” you shifted right after she said that “i can’t” natasha frowned, nodding.

“i’m sorry, again” she whispered, opening the door “nat?” she turned around “don’t beat yourself up okay?” with one last hug, natasha walked out, not before looking back twice.

[specialagentlokitty]

Mr Evershed x student!reader - live your youth

Hi would you write number 66 on the 2024 prompts with Mr evershed x student!reader? - @rogerssssssss💜

66: “Why do you insist on breaking all the rules?”

Running through the hallways, you wore a large grin on your face, gripping a doorframe so you could swing yourself around the corner before running down the next one.

“(Y/N)!” Mrs Carp yelled.

She was some distance behind you, unable to keep up, and you knew somewhere else there was another teacher trying to find you.

You ran straight towards the fire exit, pushing the bar to open the door, making your way outside.

You slowly your run into a jog, and you looked at the trophy that you had managed to take and grinned even more.

You spent ages trying to find the perfect place to put it, but you found it, and you placed it there, just in view of anybody who walked past and smirked at your handy work.

Hearing your name being shouted, you turned around, backing up a few steps before spinning around, nearly crashing into Mrs Carter and Mr Evershed.

“Nice to see you’re still in spirit.” Mrs Carter sighed.

“Never out of spirit miss, just thought I’d add some new decorations to the school.”

You side stepped around her and carried on walking backwards.

“Gotta run, but I’ll catch you tomorrow!”

Mrs Carter sighed.

“My office!”

“I’ll be there tomorrow! Got places to be and all of that!” 

Mr Evershed did try to catch you, but he failed, and you were gone from sight before he could even say anything about it.

You behaviour never changed, you were always up to something, finding some way to break the rules, trying to break as many in one day.

You spent a lot of time in resolve or detention, and Mr Evershed there was sure that since he started working there that there wasn’t a whole week combined where you weren’t on report.

As he listened to the chatter on the radio, he sighed heavily as he walked into the canteen.

“(Y/N) that’s enough!” He snapped out.

You looked at him from the table you were stood on, and you tossed a bag of crisps at him.

“You seem hungry.”

“I’m not hungry, I’m cross because everyday there seems to be something new with you, let’s go, my office.”

You smirked a little, jumping on a different table.

“Or what?”

“Or you can find yourself suspended.”

“Oo scary, suspension, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing outside of school, that’s not going to stop much.”

He pointed to the door, and you gave a small bow to the students who laughed and clapped, and you jumped down, heading towards the door.

Hands in your pockets, you hummed happily to yourself, making your way to the office and stood behind a chair.

Mr Evershed sat down, placing a file on the table.

“You have the biggest folder here compared to any other student, yours is bigger than most of the students combined.”

“Impressive.”

“No, it’s not. It’s disruptive and honestly it’s concerning to see how relaxed you are about ruining your own education.”

You shrugged a bit, sitting down in the chair.

“Did you know that most of the students in this school don’t eat lunch.”

He blinked a little confused.

“What does that have to do with your behaviour?”

“Well, everybody is entitled to food, yet you’re here charging them for it, and if they can’t afford it they can’t it. So what if I’m handing food about, I paid for it, I don’t need it.”

“You were stood on a table throwing it.”

“I threw it at you, I nicely handed it to other people. I just happened to enjoy standing on things.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I’ve had enough of your behaviour, at this rate you’re going to find yourself stuck, not going very far in life and you’ll be wondering why you wasted so many years being childish.”

“My mother said you should speak with anger, you should try that sometime.”

“(Y/N)!” He snapped.

You looked at him, smiling a little and he sighed.

“Do you think this is funny? Do you think it’s going to be funny when I call your parents? When you get suspended or expelled?”

“I think it’ll be hilarious.” You grinned.

Taking a deep breath, he got up, walking around to sit on the edge of the desk as he looked at you.

“Your lack of concern for your own future worry’s me, your behaviour worry’s me.”

“I’m just a nuisance, I’m not hurting anybody. Plus if you must know sir, I have some decent grades.”

“And you’ll think this behaviour will be tolerated in a work place?”

You half shrugged, leaning back in your chair as you looked up at him.

“Probably not, but I’ll grow up by then.”

“Why do you insist on breaking all the rules?”

You grinned a little.

“We’re kids sir, kids should be having fun, living life in their youth before we have to grow up and be boring, shoving us into little rooms, forcing us to take work outside of home, which by the way most jobs won’t make you do, it takes out time to be kids away from us.”

Mr Evershed furrowed his brows a little.

“People grow up too fast, I don’t want to look back later in life and see I didn’t do anything fun.”

“So, this is your way of trying to solve that?”

“Some rules are made to be broken.”

He shook his head.

“They’re made to be followed (Y/N).”

“If everybody followed the rules, I think that would be a boring world, we’d all be the same, there’d be no difference between me, you and the next person.”

He crossed his arms, raising a brow in question.

“What exactly is the difference between us here?”

“You’ve lived by the rules your whole life, I break them, you tell me. Who seems happier here?”

You grinned at him, and tried to look unimpressed but all he did was chuckle a little, shaking his head.

“All of this is just so you can live in your youth?”

“Maybe I’ll be embarrassed when I’m an adult looking back, but right now, I’m having the time of my life.”

“And that’s unfortunately going to land you in detention.”

You shrugged a little.

“Might as well go all in right?”

You stood up, and you walking over to his desk, flicking through your folder as he tried to take it back from you.

You ducked under his arm, read it aloud.

“Seriously? We’ve just talked about this.”

You ducked again, stepped around the table and you grinned from ear to ear, holding it up.

“Being the same as everyone is boring.”

With that, you tossed the file aside and jumped around the table as he went to get it and you were out of the room laughing loudly.

Yes, he was furious with you, but it did make him relieved to know that you weren’t just acting out for a serious reason.

You were just doing what kids did best, you were doing what any other teenager probably would’ve bern doing if the school rules weren’t in place.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give you detention, of course he would, but it meant he knew that you meant no harm on anybody, which made things just a little better.

But of course you couldn’t go the afternoon without causing trouble, and he sighed as he heard your name over the radio and got up.

Maybe one day you could get through just a single day without trouble, today definitely wasn’t that day

[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

When Kristin Batykefer fell ill with a headache, sore throat and body aches, the other women in her house baked her cookies, served her homemade vegetable soup and took her four-year-old daughter to the park so she could rest.

“Support system like no other,” Batykefer, 33, wrote on a TikTok post that has since been viewed more than one million times. “Shoulda moved into a mommune a long time ago.”

Batykefer had no idea that her video — and the concept of mommunes, a group of single mothers sharing a house, bills, childcare and support, seen in the US for the past decade or so — would go viral. When last year she split from her husband and lost her job, an old family friend with grown-up children invited her to move into her house in Jacksonville, Florida, while she found her feet. Then Batykefer was contacted by an old college roommate, Tessa Gilder, 32, who was also going through a divorce, with two children, aged five and one. “Tessa was, like, ‘I can’t do it any more.’ I said, ‘Come here. You’ll be welcomed with open arms.’ Originally our plan was we’d get our own place together, but once she arrived we became like a little family unit and it’s just awesome. Our friends said, ‘Stay as long as you guys want.’ ”

The 1960s and 1970s saw the rise of communes where like-minded souls joined together to raise families in capitalism-defying self-sufficiency. In a 21st-century version, more and more women are channelling the age-old spirit of sisterhood to establish mommunes, to tackle the ever-rising cost of living and everyday motherhood grind. “We just help each other out,” Batykefer explains over Zoom. “It’s not ‘You do the dishes, I’ll take out the trash,’ it’s more when we see something needs to be done we just do it. As a mother that’s just what your instincts are. It’s so nice having three minds in a house thinking like that.”

Indeed, as the thousands of comments on Batykefer’s posts make clear, many women in relationships — even happy ones — are envious of her mommune’s roll-up-your-sleeves environment. “There are some comments saying, ‘My husband does all this for me,’ but about 95 per cent say, ‘Wow, how do I get part of this?’ So many are from married women asking, ‘Where do I drop my husband off? I’m joining!’ ” Batykefer says, laughing. “It resonates because there are so many what we call ‘single married women’ out there who are not getting the kind of help with the physical, mental and emotional labour of being a parent that we have. I definitely didn’t get this support in my marriage, it all fell on me. If I was sick, I still had to cook for us and make sure my daughter was fed and taken care of and entertained.”

Batykefer, who before her break-up was documenting on TikTok her family’s itinerant life on a renovated bus, is also revelling in living in an environment free of marital bickering. “Whenever I would be driving our bus when I was married, it was such a stressful, anxiety-inducing experience because of the negative energy, but I’ve just been on a bus trip with a girlfriend, driving the whole time, and it was so peaceful and amazing.”

There are 2.5 million single-mother families in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics, a figure that has more than tripled since the 1970s, as the stigma about divorce has decreased and women have gained more financial independence. But several international studies show that single mothers are at greater risk of physical and mental health disorders compared with their married counterparts, mainly as a result of lack of support — with many women living far away from their extended families.

Financial stresses can also be overwhelming, with a recent marked rise in lone-parent families using food banks or relying on benefits. A report last month by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that half of such families are now living in relative poverty.

While there are no official, large-scale mommunes in the UK or US, many single mothers are turning to local mommune groups on platforms such as Facebook (the London branch has 700-plus members) to find others to team up with.

Sara Memba, 34, a restaurant worker from Barcelona who has a one-year-old son, is sharing a house with a friend with four children aged between one and eleven in south London after finding that landlords were reluctant to have her as a tenant. “Many don’t trust single mothers to pay the rent on their own or they think your kid is going to destroy their house,” she says. Memba loves her situation. “We can go to work knowing our children are well cared for and it’s great to find a person with whom to talk and share concerns, joys and different, sometimes contradictory, emotions. It’s fun for the children too — they have more playmates and adventures.”

In an ideal world she’d love to see flats built specifically for single mothers. “There’d be common areas and spaces adapted for children to facilitate socialisation between neighbours. It would make a very difficult experience so much easier.”

The author Janet Hoggarth, from East Dulwich, south London — whose latest novel is Us Two — struggled after her divorce from her husband of 11 years, when she was left to bring up her three children, aged five, three and one. When she discovered that her friend Vicki Hillman, who had a newborn, had split from her fiancé, she invited her to move into her attic bedroom. Another single mother of two who lived around the corner frequently joined them in the evenings and stayed at weekends.

“I was feeling utterly bereft. I was navigating a divorce that took ages while juggling the kids and we were all feeling quite traumatised. It was so nice to have another adult there who knew how you felt, who could help me fill out forms, talk to lawyers and bounce ideas off. Plus, when the kids are in bed at night and you’re rolling around the house alone, you have company, which was such a relief because most of my contemporaries were busy with their own families. It stopped my constant feeling of a racing heart and feeling sick in my stomach. It was like a weird miracle drug.”

After two years Hillman moved out because she wanted a bedroom for her daughter but the women are still close friends. “We rubbed along really well without any bitchiness. It was very reassuring, like being in a family, just a different version of it. It really did stop me feeling broken. There’s definitely a different energy in an all-mothers house — there’s no weird bouncing of egos and someone expecting a medal for having wiped down the sides or polishing their halo because they’ve taken the bins out. Everyone just gets on.”

Not all mommunes are so successful. Elizabeth (surname withheld), 34, tried briefly sharing a flat with an old friend in Liverpool, when both had baby daughters. “We thought it would be perfect, but even though we got along well, our babies’ sleeping schedules were completely incompatible, which made it impossible for them to do anything together. I had no child support and had to work crazy hours with a long commute and my baby in a nursery, while she had a generous settlement from her ex and didn’t work. The imbalance made life so much more stressful than it would have been living alone. I felt guilty I couldn’t be around to do more babysitting. I still think mommunes are a brilliant idea, not least because being a single mum is so horribly expensive, but just as with any housemate, you have to find the right person.”

Victoria Benson, chief executive of Gingerbread, a charity for single-parent families that offers local networks for single parents to connect, agrees that mommunes are one “creative solution to a big problem. But we need to see a better welfare system, an increase in flexible work, and more affordable and available childcare that works for all single-parent families.”

Batykefer’s mommune keeps on giving, as demonstrated by the TikToks of her and Gilder enjoying concerts, karaoke and home-spa days together on weekends when their children are with their fathers. Now they’re in discussions about filming a reality show about their set-up, with the hope of bringing in more income but also inspiring more mommunes.

“I just fell into this but it’s such an obvious idea,” Batykefer says. “Women have always helped women. Let’s make it even easier for them.”

[the5thelement]

Literally have had zero energy since March 😭

Speaking of, I went to my follow up with my primary the other day, they said my labs were okay. I asked about going to a rheumatologist and he said they take a year to get in and really only deal with auto immune disease… ( uhh I fucking donated blood and woke up the next day and for 9 months have been a god damn fucking zombie with crazy tachycardia, if that doesn’t seem like some kind of auto immune reaction i don’t know what does.) I asked him so they would do anything different to test or rule anything out than we’re doing here. He said let’s follow up with the cardiologist and do that follow up sleep study and you already have the follow up with the endocrinologist and you need a new obgyn. I said yeah sure but are you diagnosing me with pots then? He said no i wouldn’t diagnose you with that now. I said okay so are we going to do more tests to diagnose it or rule it out? because I can’t live like this and not know what is the reason. Then I explained that you just told me my kidney functions were fine but sometimes when I urinate I’ll feel a pulsing or squeezing feeling in my lower back. He asked me about pain and I said I can’t express enough how I was in such severe pain for most of my life that after my surgery I don’t really register anything now as painful. I said I can’t say it’s painful because it’s not bad compared to what I just casually lived with everyday for 20years but I feel something there that’s not typically there. He said well even if you had kidney stones you wouldn’t feel pain until it passes into the ureters… then never fucking was like maybe we can get ultrasound to make sure there are no stones.

I texted one of my sisters that night and explained what happened. She’s my #1 support when it comes to anything medical. As I’m texting with her I’m on the verge of crying because I’m so frustrated and then she calls. So I take a breath and answer the phone but couldn’t get the words out. She was like helloooo and I managed to squeak out the word hi, clearly upset. Her voice immediately cracks also saying oh Katelyn I’m so sorry. Which made me just full blown cry at this point. She called so she could explain what she just had to go through at her daughters doctors and forcing them to run extra tests. So she told me to get a copy of every single one of my medical reports and when I go visit her we’ll go through everything and find me a functional medicine doctor which of course fucking insurance doesn’t cover but they usually will actually find out what the fuck is wrong and causing issues and not just treat random symptoms as they happen. My whole life I’ve push my doctors to do anything for me, I literally walked in to my ob and diagnosed myself when I was 27. The start of the year I was in the best shape of my life mentality, physically, emotionally, and so hopeful and excited to live my life again, then I donated blood and this happened. I just don’t have the fight in me anymore to do it all by myself. I didn’t realize how much I was desperate for that support and guidance until she offered it. I’ve never asked anyone for help like this before, I didn’t have to ask her and just knowing she’ll help me figure this out gives me hope again. She’s been supportive of me this whole time but in smaller ways like checking in and finding research articles. I’ve never really broken down about it to anyone. As soon as she heard my voice crack saying hi she immediately said we’re doing this together now, you give me all of your charts and I’ll go through them, if you need me on the phone at all your future appointments I’ll do that no matter what. We’ll figure this out together. I really wish she lived as close as my other siblings but even across the country she’s always been the most supportive of me and I am beyond grateful to have a sister like her. 🥹

i am supposed to have the energy… to do stuff...?

[distinguished-slacker]

saw some people on tiktok saying that Shinoa sa’d mitsuba (when she touches her b00bs (shower scene and drunk mitsu and shinoa scene) and i was just wondering if you could elaborate on it?

(WARNING: This post talks about sexual assault so you might or might not want to read it.)

Hi :3

I don’t really know much about TikTok but I definitely have seen people on Reddit and Twitter discussing about this topic before.

Fans always raise the point that Shinoa’s feelings for Yuu are being forced on her by other people like Shikama and Mahiru, and that she should be with Mitsuba instead because Shinoa looks happier, is more physically open and takes more initiative when she is with Mitsuba. However, the problem is that mitsunoa is always talked about from Shinoa’s perspective, her comphet and how being with Mitsuba would be much better for her, but it’s never talked from Mitsuba’s perspective so naturally some people would like to raise some issues here.

The shower scene is quite popular among the fandom as a cute lesbian scene but not many people stop to think about how that would go for a real life situation. That’s like going to the gym showers with your friend while being unaware that they are ogling at you while showering. Unfortunately, things don’t stop there and said friend then starts sticking to you and roams their hands over every single naked part of your body. It’s a terrifying situation and a potentially traumatic experience, and if that were to happen to me I would terminate my friendship with her right there and file a sexual assault report not caring that she was my friend and that she is a woman like me. If Shinoa was a man and did that to Mitsuba, I’m telling you he(she) would definitely be hated by the whole fandom as some disgusting pervert and this ship wouldn’t even be existing in the first place. Therefore, some fans find frustrating these double standards that a guy touching a girl without her consent is sexual assault, but when a girl touches another girl in the same way then it’s cute and shipping material.

But at the end of the day this is anime/manga we are talking about, where it’s commonplace to have that beach/pool/public showers/hot springs/bathroom episode where female characters compare sizes and there is always that one female friend that goes like “Oh! You are so big! Let me touch them for a bit! <3” to the big breasted girl. So in the end I can just turn a blind eye on this because it’s the same Japanese fanservice story. I mean, Kagami obviously did not write this with the intention of portraying sexual assault. In the showers Mitsuba told Shinoa to not go inside her shower and to stop touching her when she went in. In the drunk episode she told Shinoa to stop groping her. That’s something, but if Kagami wanted to portray a scene of sexual assault he would go further than that, showing Mitsuba uncomfortable and conflicted after those scenes (not that Kagami really shows Mitsuba that much anyways) but instead Mitsuba is still the same, being on friendly terms with Shinoa. I must add here that liking the other person doesn’t mean that they cannot sexually assault you in case the argument that Mitsuba seems to like Shinoa comes forwards because “no” is still “no”, and “stop” is still “stop”.

So what I want to say is that both sexual assault in real life and in fiction are unacceptable but in this case I feel like it’s better to not look much into it and ignore these kind of scenes because it’s just clear fanservice that you can see in your everyday anime; the kind of writing that is not going anywhere from a narrative and character development standpoint.

However, the problem here is that mitsunoa has long passed the point of going through that single fanservice episode, but rather the whole basis of what could have been a potentially well written relationship between two girls who share similar backgrounds and a story together is at this point a whole big fanservice. It’s not just the shower scene and the drunk scene. There was also another scene in chapter 54 where Shinoa rips Mitsuba’s uniform open (with her frickin scythe if I must add) exposing Mitsuba’s breasts which was so random and uncalled for (aside from dangerous). Also, in the CD drama, Mitsuba tells Shinoa that she discovered Shinoa has been looking at her in the showers when Mitsuba was washing her hair. Basically, almost every major mitsunoa interaction we get contains a sexually denigrating component that in almost all the cases is initiated by Shinoa being unable to stop obsessing over Mitsuba’s boobs.

As I said before, it’s better to ignore these kind of scenes and to be honest I feel like most fans do, and only respond when:

Mitsunoa is simply treated as a cute lesbian ship without the sexual assaulting being acknowledged

Shinoa stans see these mitsunoa scenes and still treat Shinoa as an empowering female character

Shinoa stans are trying to excuse Shinoa’s inappropriate behaviour

I already talked about the first one at the beginning so I’ll talk about the other two.

In the second case, fans are defending Shinoa’s character from other potential misogynistic fans (although in most cases the latter are not misogynistic but rather are rightfully complaining about the way Shinoa is written but this is a story for another day…) when ironically the very same female character they are defending is also shaming another female character (Mitsuba). This is not defending women, this defending you favourite character, who happens to be a woman. It’s okay to like and admire Shinoa but unconscious biases in cases like these don’t sit well with some fans (including myself).

In the third case, I’ve seen people defending Shinoa saying that she herself has had her boundaries breached when she was being experimented on while naked in front of the scientists, when Shikama tried to make her give in to lust and when he (they?) possessed her body. I acknowledge Shinoa went through terrible things but still this, in no way, does justify Shinoa breaching Mitsuba’s boundaries. Just because something bad happened to you doesn’t mean you have the rights of doing the same thing to someone else. With this kind of life I’m aware Shinoa must not have a proper sense of boundaries when touching other people or struggles to be considerate when talking to others (like calling Mitsuba “Holstein cow” in the manga or “girl with unnecessarily big breasts” in the CD Drama or just her everyday sexual dry jokes towards the squad). Her background explains her behaviour and makes it understandable, but not excusable. Not at all.

Of course, I want to make the point that this is not Shinoa’s fault but rather it’s just the same story about male authors lacking understanding about women, which consequently ends in superficial and sexualised portrayals of female friendships in fiction. I mean, even Mitsuba recently went over the line when she got drunk and called Shinoa flat and tried to grope Krul too. In the LNs Shigure also casually lifts Sayuri’s boobs and Sayuri treats it as if it was nothing. So basically no OnS female character is safe from this kind of writing and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again…and again. Sadly “boobs” has become a running gag in the manga.

In conclusion what Shinoa does to Mitsuba can be indeed considered sexual assault from a non-fictional and fictional perspective but not from a narrative one as this is just your everyday fanservice that most of the time comes from male writers like Kagami that think they will appeal to the audience/readers by showing female characters half-naked. By what I’ve seen most of the fans simply brush it off as fanservice too and only start debating when some other fans either deny Shinoa sexually harassing Mitsuba, elevate Shinoa’s character in the wrong areas or try to justify her actions. In the end this is the author’s fault because of the way he portrays women and no woman in OnS will never be in danger of such writing, either as a character who sexually assaults, or a victim of one, or even both.

🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

I didn’t know if by “elaborate” you meant whether to elaborate on why what Shinoa does to Mitsuba is sexual harassment or elaborate on why are fans pointing this out so I tried to do both and cover all the points. As for the latter, since I’m basing a big part of the analysis in this post on the fandom’s activity (mostly from other online platforms bc ofc Tumblr is dead🥲) I would mention some usernames as references but I don’t want to since this is a delicate topic and I don’t want to openly talk about these users, expose them, bother them or spark any fights at all. So if you happen to see this post, think that I used your words/analysis/discussion/conversation as reference and if it happens to be the case and you actually want me to mention you please feel free to do so. I just hope I didn’t offend anyone by writing this.

[donaweasley]

Their Little Secret

Pairing: Loki x Fem!Reader

Plot: This can be read as a sequel to What If or even as a solo.

The reader and Loki have been best friends for long, but eventually realised that it was more than just friendship. As they secretly step into a new world, the entire team, unbeknownst to it all, makes it their mission to make the love birds realise and confess what they feel for each other.

Warnings: Fluff, slight angst in relationship, a happy ending! Oh! And late-night hazards and a long read. Sorry!

Read time: ~26 mins

“(Y/N), could you please take a look at this once?”

Loki waltzed in through (Y/N)’s door with a file in his hand. She was reading a book, when he knocked.

“It’s pretty late. I thought you said you’d go straight to bed. What are you doing with this poor old piece of rat-food now?”

“I did. But then I couldn’t sleep. So...I thought of doing something boring enough to lull me to sleep. But this old file actually turned out to be quite interesting,” he explained animatedly. “I just couldn’t understand one part. So, here I am!”

She eyed him suspiciously as he spread his arms to accentuate his royal presence.

“That, or you wanted to see me, and this file is a flimsy excuse,” she drawled.

“Come on, darling! I’m fond of you but not to the extent that I’ll have to make lame excuses to see you. Besides, why would I need to lie to you?”

After taking a moment to consider his words, she stepped beside him and asked him to show the file.

“It is here - this part,” he pointed at a chunk of printed information.

“This one is…” She pondered aloud. “That doesn’t make sense! Loki, w-where did you get this from? That doesn’t look like any mission report or anything. It looks like...an excerpt...from...a book?”

Before she could register, a kiss landed on her cheek. It was immediately followed by Loki excitedly wishing her, “Goodnight, darling,” and vanishing into a green glow.

She stood stunned for a while. Gradually, the tingling sensation where Loki’s lips had caressed her skin began to spread like wildfire through her face, and soon she was blushing and smiling like an idiot.

“Idiot!” She cursed him as she flopped back on the bed.

After a few seconds of fiddling with the bookmark, and staring at blurred lines on the page, she closed the book, and decided to call it a night. After what Loki just did, nothing else could compare to a happier ending to the day.

As she closed her eyes, sunny memories started flooding her mind.

It had all started hardly two months ago, when they were having their usual midnight snacks, casually talking the day’s stress away, talking nonsense - just the usual best buddy night.

But then something happened: a childish game of “what-ifs”.

It was fun, for the most part, until Loki had asked her about her intentions if she met the love of her life the next day. Already stained with painful memories of past relationships and with the hopelessness about her love life, she tried her best to evade the question. But Loki, being Loki, kept proding her until she gave him a genuine reason for her frustration.

And everything changed after that. Because in trying to save the other from falling down the emotional cliff, they had saved each other. They had found each other.

She laughed softly as she remembered the hesitancy in both their hearts as they had crossed the threshold of friendship.

That was the first time that she had kissed him. On the cheek. And that was even before she had fully realised that her feelings for him were no longer platonic.

That was the first time Loki had put an arm around her and pulled her close to him.

Another giggle escaped her as she remembered the moment when the soft morning light, and a stiff back had awakened her from her sleep.

Both were still sitting in almost the same position as they had been when they were chatting.

She had found herself cocooned in the arms of Loki, her legs tangled with his, both of them safe under the thin blanket that Loki had picked while preparing for their night. Her head rested on his chest, while his rested on the top of her head.

The last thing that she remembered from the previous night was them promising each other that no matter how things turned out, they’d always be beside one another. And then Loki had pulled her closer, and gently laid her head on his throbbing chest.

It was now peacefully moving up and down with his sleepy breaths. Before opening her eyes to reality, she stole a few moments to let this feeling sink in.

When she had closed her eyes the night before, there was an excitement so high in the air that Thor’s thunder would have been ashamed. It was the hammering of Loki’s heart that had eventually put her to sleep.

The morning brought a peaceful rhythm beneath her ears. It was beautiful, it was calm, it was...reassuring. She loved it more than the thrill of the past few hours.

But no matter how long she tried to soak herself in the feeling, the incidents of the night before still seemed somewhat unbelievable. How could something months long change overnight? Was it all a mirage then, cast by the treacherous night?

The darkness of the night sets the mind free to imagine anything, take any decision. But the clarity of the day brings logic to the forefront, which sometimes turns out to be good but sometimes not so good.

But...it had felt right. She took a deep breath to clear her mind. It still felt right. That was all the assurance that she needed for the moment.

As she turned in her bed, she remembered the raspy voice in which Loki had wished her a good morning.

The close proximity, the husky, sleep-laden voice, the sudden change in the air - everything made blood rush to her cheeks and ears. Loki had sleepily chuckled at her flushed state, though he was only slightly better than her in hiding his own flustered state.

Ever since, not a single day had passed when the two of them hadn’t thanked the stars.

She used to think that she loved Loki’s friendship more than anything. She was happy to be proven wrong when she experienced Loki’s courtship.

A different flower everyday, sometimes inside her room, laid carefully near her door, sometimes on her bedside table, and on some mornings, beside her pillow.

She was used to going out with her best friend Loki, but going out with her boyfriend Loki was an experience on a whole new level. Light brushes of the fingers, sometimes an arm around her shoulder, intertwining of fingers, occasional brushes of his lips on her temple, and not-very-occasional blushes that tinted both their skins.

Every day, before parting for the day, she was blessed with bear hugs from him - something that she had never expected him to be fond of.

It was the best time of her life! Almost every doubt that she had about this relationship not working out had evaporated long ago. It was - she dared to say - perfect!

Except for one small hiccup: they had to keep everything off the radar.

For one, they were still testing the waters. No matter how happy and confident they were with one another, their newfound relationship was still at its infancy, and they didn’t want to declare anything to the rest of the team right away.

Second, everybody in the compound had been teasing both (Y/N) and Loki about “getting a room” for a long time. They didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they were finally correct. Well, figuratively.

Unfortunately, the team did not know that they had already confessed their feelings to each other. And so, they were desperate to make the love birds see the truth of their emotions. The Avengers, tough and stubborn as they were, never gave up. And Loki and (Y/N) simply decided to play along.

For instance, around a month and a half ago, Tony had thrown one of his usual parties at the compound, and had brought a line of apparent suitors for (Y/N) and a host of gorgeous ladies and lads to introduce to Loki.

Though the new couple was initially confused at the unbridled attention, they eventually understood what was going on: Tony Stark had decided to use the age-old recipe of jealousy to crack either one or both of them.

It was fun, they both admitted later, to dance to the tune, and give the host a frowning face when he realised that neither were biting the bait. Instead, both seemed to be enjoying themselves flirting or dancing with their respective “baits”.

What escaped the eagle eyes of the team were the furtive looks that both (Y/N) and Loki threw at each other from time to time. It wasn’t easy to masquerade those longing glances with playful teases that two friends might share. But they had to.

Late into the night, after the party was over, Loki teleported into (Y/N)’s room. The security cameras were still a threat to their little secret.

“Hello beautiful!” Loki purred when she didn’t turn all her attention towards him as she usually did, but kept herself apparently busy in making the bed.

“Is this my consolation prize for all your flirting this evening?” She tried to keep it casual but her displeasure seeped into her tone.

“Ooh, someone sounds jealous,” he drawled.

“Speak for yourself, God!”

Loki stepped towards her, and gently caught her hand, putting a pause to her actions.

“Look at me. Please?”

She smiled as she faced him, but he could easily catch the facade.

“I know what you're trying to do. You can’t fool me, (Y/N).”

“And what is it that I’m doing?” She tried to question with the same casualness but her voice kept betraying her.

“You are trying to make it look like it didn’t affect you - me being with all those lovely people. But in reality, you are hurt, even if it is a tiny bit.”

Her smile faltered. Of course, she couldn’t fool the God of Lies!

Closing her eyes, she shook her head, “I don’t know why you’re saying this Loki. I’m perfectly fine! Why would I-”

“You and I understand each other perfectly,” Loki gently cut her off. “Or did you forget that?”

He reminded her of the one line - of the one realisation - that had triggered the tiniest thoughts of them being possibly together, if at all.

Realizing that all doors were closed for her, she tried to turn away from him, only to be stopped by the trickster.

“If it makes you feel any good,” he resumed, “it did burn me a bit, too, to watch you dance and laugh with those clowns.”

At this, she burst into laughter. Loki was glad at the change of mood, and allowed a few happy creases around his eyes as well.

“Is that true,” she asked, “or are you simply trying to make me feel better?”

He shrugged, “What do you think?”

“I’d like to believe that it’s true,” she confessed shyly.

“It is.”

“Well then,” she said after suppressing a wild grin that tried to crack its way through, “I guess that makes us even.”

“Guess so.”

“I’m sorry, Loki,” she sighed, “I lied earlier because I didn’t want to put any kind of pressure on you or anything. I mean...jealousy? That’s the first stage of obsession. And...I don’t want you to think that...”

“Hey,” Loki held both her hands in his, “your feelings for me will never suffocate me. On the contrary, they help me breathe. You have given my life a new purpose. I thought I was happy being your best friend. But this...this is even better. Never think that you’re putting any kind of pressure on me. None of those men or women out there, or anywhere for that matter, can bring me what I feel with you, for you.”

Words seemed insufficient for what she wanted to say. So, she simply nodded, and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Thank you,” she murmured into his chest.

He chuckled as he ran his hand on her head, “Being jealous actually makes you look cute.”

She unwrapped herself from him just enough to look at his face, “Says the man who just confessed being jealous himself!”

“I never said I don’t look cute,” he shrugged again.

Shaking her head and laughing, she pulled his face down, and placed a warm kiss on his cheek.

“Go now, before I punch that cute face of yours.”

“When you say ‘punch’,” Loki drawled, “do you mean…’kiss every inch of’...?”

Blushing furiously, she pushed him towards the door.

“Shut up, and just go!”

Loki laughed as he wished her a lovely night, and disappeared into his usual green glow.

---------------

But the Avengers were not the ones to give up.

Not many weeks later, Natasha planned an evening at one of her favourite nightclubs. While Steve, Vision and Bucky backed out of the plan, given their previous not-so-delightful interactions with the loudness and the crowd, Thor and Tony were adamant on dragging Loki with them.

“We thought you liked a little fun! Since when did you start wearing grandpa’s knickers?” Tony snorted.

“C’mon, brother, don’t embarrass me,” Thor’s voice boomed in Loki’s room. “(Y/N) has embarrassed me enough. She didn’t want to go either. Said she’d rather sleep than be tormented by the blasted noise.”

She said what? That means she’s going to stay back-

“Wait, what?” Tony turned towards Thor with a perplexed look, “She said that?”

He turned around to face Loki again, “Are you two planning something or have you both become boring?”

No, no, no! They’ll add up…

“I am not boring!” Loki declared. He decided to stay quiet on the other option that Stark had mentioned.

“Well, then join us,” Tony shrugged.

With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Loki agreed.

Needless to say, his eyes went wide when he saw (Y/N) dressed up and ready for the outing when he was expecting her in her pajamas. When she silently questioned him, he immediately realised that he had been tricked.

I have to be more careful.

The team’s plan soon became obvious when, after a few rounds of shots, everyone made a beeline to the dance floor, leaving behind a string of excuses, and Loki and (Y/N) at the bar. Even through the crowd, the duo’s trained eyes could catch glimpses of their teammates shadowing them.

“Do they really think getting drunk will make us confess?” She shouted over the sound of the music.

“I’m a God,” he shouted back. “Midgardian liquor doesn’t affect me anyway.”

“Well, it affects me,” she shrugged and drained another shot down her throat, “and I love it!”

Last one.

She had started feeling dizzy. Getting wasted could be saved for another moment when she wasn’t being spied on.

A few minutes passed in silence as neither was fond of shouting to communicate. (Y/N) bobbed her head to the music while Loki eyed the mass of bodies swaying and moving with the beats.

“Would you-” Loki began but stopped midway.

While her eyes questioned him, he silently slipped from the stool, and came to stand almost behind her.

His hot breath, dipped in a faint whiff of alcohol, hit the shell of her ear as he purred, “Would you like to dance with me?”

She was rendered immobile for a while. A small corner of her mind wondered if Loki knew what he was doing to her.

I bet he knows what he’s doing.

“I’d have loved to!” She drawled. “It’s a shame there isn’t room for a waltz here, and I wouldn’t want a God like you to hop like teeangers in the crowd.”

She felt his chest brush against her back.

“I was actually hoping that you’d be up for that dance,” he pointed at a section of the crowd where bodies were gliding against each other in the most provocative ways.

Her breath hitched again. She didn’t need to turn her head to know that Loki was smirking at his achievement.

But this time, she wouldn’t squeal, she wouldn’t push him away with a timid smile. Diffidence and boldness both tugged at polar ends of her heart until boldness won the war.

Not this time. Two can play the game, darling.

“So, what’s stopping you?” Her lips almost brushed his earlobe as she tilted her head to whisper in his ear.

Where did that come from?!

Loki wasn’t prepared for this.

It was usually him who threw mildly suggestive comments which she pushed away with a shy gesture. He never expected the tables to turn so quickly.

She did not even have enough shots to get drunk yet, he noticed.

“What happened, did the cat get your silver tongue?” She smirked.

“I-I...uh...”

While Loki continued to gape at her, an inkling of panic nudged her chest.

Did I take it too far? He obviously wasn’t ready for this, but…

It all must have been another prank for him, and I…

No!

With a cackle, she sliced the apparent tension in the air. “So, finally got you, ha? Mischief!” She winked.

Turning towards the bartender, she ordered another shot.

Loki’s brain was still trying to decipher her behaviour.

Did she really mean it…? It didn’t look like a joke though…

As she focused on her drink, he thought he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face, but the incessant dance of light and shadows made her features almost unreadable.

“You should get back to your seat, y’know?” She told him with downcast eyes.

“What?”

“The team might notice and...they might know.”

Did her voice just...tremble?

Loki hated the place: the noise, the dim lights, the secrecy - he hated the way everything seemed to veil her from him.

“I think I’ll go find them.”

Downing another drink, she hopped off her seat, and disappeared in the crowd, leaving Loki to his thoughts.

Once they were back in the compound, Loki went straight to (Y/N)’s room. This time he did not sneak into her room using magic; he knocked on her door. This wasn’t the moment to play a game of cat and mouse. If the entire compound was prying on him, he would gladly allow them to. Well, maybe not gladly.

“Hey! Hi, Loki!”

Her smile was as bright as ever.

Was it all in my mind then?

“Are you alright?” He tried to sound calm but his anxiety turned out to be more stubborn than him.

“Yes, I am. What- Come inside first.”

She stepped aside, allowing him to stride into her room, and flump down on the bed.

“I’m sorry,” he began honestly, “I thought...I thought you were upset. At the club… I thought I saw you...sad? I’m not sure. I just had this feeling that you’re probably not okay, and-”

“Loki,” she held his shoulders and gently hushed him, “I’m fine.”

Her assurance enabled him to breathe normally again.

Caressing his face, she placed a light kiss on his forehead.

“Thank you, Loki! For everything. For caring so much about me.”

“(Y/N),” he held her hand, “are you hiding something? From me?”

He didn’t miss the way she gulped before replying.

“Why would you say that?”

“Look, I’m sorry if I cross the lines sometimes. I know I tease you but those are… I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you uncomfortable or have hurt you.”

“You are an idiot! Do you know that? You’ve never hurt me or made me uncomfortable. Now, get these stupid thoughts out of your little brain, and give me that devilishly charming smile of yours.”

Despite all her compliments, his eyes did not light up as they usually did.

“Are you sure?” He asked her.

“Absolutely!”

“You’ll tell me if you’re upset, won’t you? Promise me.”

He took note of how she licked her lips before nodding.

Something is not right.

“Come here,” he pulled her in his arms, and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “And I’m not an idiot. I am smart.”

---------------

The next few weeks turned out to be more and more challenging as the team was now hell-bent on getting them exposed. What made them so sure of their relationship was still a mystery to the couple.

“Are we that obvious?” (Y/N) asked Loki one day.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “It is said that it shows on the faces of those in love. So, I guess...”

The words, coming from him, filled her with warmth. If that be true, and if everyone could see that they were in love only by looking at them, then she’d happily trade their secrecy for more obviousness.

But every time they came close to taking the relationship to the next level, she would find Loki backing away. Every time they had the opportunity to reveal their beautiful secret to the team, he would quickly shield both of them.

Why, Loki? Do you not want us?

---------------

It was a rainy evening when Tony had gathered everyone in the living room. At first (Y/N) thought that it was an urgent meeting for a new mission. But when she knew the actual reason behind it, she couldn’t prevent the snort that escaped her.

“Excuse me?” Tony pointed at her. “You got some problem, princess?”

“Truth or dare? Like, how old are we? Twelve?”

Tony spread his arms as if to silently make a point. “Since when did you start categorizing fun into ages? Ever since you started dating Rock of Ages?”

“Hey!” Loki made a tiny protest at his nickname.

“We are not dating,” (Y/N) deadpanned.

“And there goes my question,” Wanda sighed from across the room.

In response, (Y/N) simply rolled her eyes, and grumbled, “Kids!”

Once the game started, the team wasted no time in getting to the point: (Y/N) and Loki.

The first one to get attacked was Loki.

“No, no truth for you,” Sam chimed in just as Loki sucked in a breath to choose “truth”.

“He’s the God of Lies!” Sam announced, “He can easily slip away with any lie!”

“The bird’s got a point!” Tony agreed, followed by everyone else. “‘Dare’ for you!”

“This is not how it works,” Loki protested.

“Did you play this on Asgard? Thor?”

“No, we had never even heard of it until we came here,” the big brother responded.

“But-”

“Nah-ah!” Tony didn’t let him finish. “This is exactly how it is played. Who wants to give the God of Mischief a mischievous dare?”

(Y/N) wanted to protest; she wanted to tell Tony that he was bending the rules to get to them. But any word of support would further corner them both. All she could do was play along.

“Kiss (Y/N). And you know where I mean.”

Nat’s voice yanked her out of her thoughts. She watched in horror as Loki’s expressions changed from shock to anger while the entire team cheered.

“Nat!” (Y/N) jumped up from her seat, “do you even hear yourself? He’s my best friend! We can’t just...”

“Why not?” Sam questioned with a smirk. “You seemed to be enjoying it when I was asked to kiss Buck. He’s my best buddy.”

“Speak for yourself,” Bucky mumbled.

“C’mon, it’s just a game! Don’t be a spoilsport.”

Steve?? Et tu?

Rubbing her eyes, (Y/N) tried to find a way out of it. She knew well that if Loki kissed her, she’d melt into it. Everything would become obvious.

No, no, no!! This can’t be. They can’t just expose us like this. Loki would be so....

Wait, why isn’t he saying anything?

She opened her eyes to see Loki standing. His expression was unfathomable.

Oh no! Is he going to…

“This is outrageous!” Loki snapped and turned on his heels to walk out of the room.

Oh!

For reasons she did not want to explore then, (Y/N)’s heart dropped several feet. She was expecting a similar reaction from him but wasn’t hoping for it.

Quickly gravitating back to the situation in hand, she stammered an excuse or two for his behaviour, and followed his tracks to check on him.

Once both of them were out of earshot, Tony leaned towards the group, “Did we save it or kill it.”

“Looks like we killed it,” Sam sighed.

“Trust me,” Wanda smiled, “we saved it.”

“Vision? What do you think?”

“I still do not understand why you have to torment them like this. Let them come out when they want to. It’s-”

“Okay!” Tony interrupted him. “Sorry I asked! My bad!”

The door to Loki’s room was half open when (Y/N) arrived. Gingerly, she admitted herself inside.

Loki was standing at the window, with his back towards her. His head was bowed but his hands were curled into fists on both sides of his body.

“Loki?”

The name came out so softly that she couldn’t be sure if he had heard it, given that he did not move at all.

But before she could call him again, he spoke.

“I did not want this to happen,” his voice bore that particular kind of seriousness that usually preceded an unwanted or unhappy revelation.

What?

“I am sorry, (Y/N).” He turned towards her, and she realised in an instant that he wasn’t fooling around.

“What are you talking about, Loki? What did you not want to happen?”

Her chest felt tighter with every passing second.

Please, not what I’m fearing.

“This,” his hand vaguely gestured towards the hallway. “Whatever happened just now. I knew they would come down to this one day. I never wanted-”

“It’s okay,” she interjected. “I did not like that either. Although they meant no harm. It was just for fun… And I understand if you're having second thoughts. This entire thing between us was just something… y’know, a spur of the moment kind of thing. I totally understand if-"

"(Y/N)! Where is this coming from? What are you even talking about?"

She couldn’t make herself look at him, for if she did, he could clearly see the moisture pooling in her eyes. She needed to appear strong.

“Loki, you’ve always been my best friend. And I’ve loved that. You know it. And it’s okay if this new turn in our relationship does not turn out to be something that you had hoped for. It happens. It’s okay-”

“It’s not okay for me,” Loki grasped her hands. “What are you saying? Why? A-are you not happy with me? Have I done something wrong? Did I offend you in any way?”

What is he saying? I thought…

As she looked up at him, a couple of drops ran down her cheeks and on her shirt.

“(Y/N), please tell me. You had promised to tell me anything and everything that upsets you. So, tell me what happened. Why do you speak of our relationship as if it was a mistake?”

“It never was a mistake for me,” she breathed, “I thought you felt...I thought you...”

“What?”

The shaky way in which the question came out of him stung her more than any thought of Loki not wanting this relationship. It was then that she realised how badly she had hurt him.

He never wanted to leave! He always wanted me? Us?

She didn’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry,” she finally managed. “I thought that you...didn’t want...this. Us. I-”

“Why would you even think so? Why would you bear such thoughts when I love you with every fiber of my being?”

Her head snapped up.

“You love me?” Her own voice became shaky.

“Of course, I do,” he gently placed a hand on her cheek, “always have. At first I thought it was a love for friends until that night, when I realised that I wanted to be more than just friends with you.”

More tears fell down her cheek as she rejoiced in the moment. Loki wiped them all, and placed soft kisses on each cheek.

“And all this time, I was afraid that you’re having second thoughts,” she confessed.

“And why is that?”

“Because...”

How do I say that it’s because you haven’t kissed me yet? And ran away from the one moment we had today, albeit in a not-so-comfortable situation?

“Because I haven’t kissed you yet?” Loki asked her.

Her heart beat so violently, she could have sworn that Loki could hear it. Her tongue felt too heavy to speak.

“I didn’t think you were ready,” he admitted. “That is the reason why I did not dance with you in the club either. I was teasing you, yes, but when you responded I was definitely taken aback. I wasn’t sure if it was you or the ambience talking. So…

You have always shied away from any comments that I make, and...I did not want to push anything on you.”

“Oh, Loki!”

She hugged him so hard that even the Asgardian had to take two steps back to balance himself.

“I’m so, so sorry,” she wept into his shirt. “I misunderstood your actions for… I pushed you away. I thought you weren’t ready for this relationship. I’m sorry!”

Tears of both apology and relief flooded her. He tried to sush her as he rocked her slowly from side to side.

After taking a moment to compose herself, she stood straight. Loki looked at her red-eyed, tear-stained face and tutted.

“Doesn’t suit you, darling. Show me your crazy, grinning face.”

With a chuckle, she gave him a funny face-splitting smile, making both of them laugh.

“(Y/N), I didn’t want to kiss you because of a game or under the watchful eyes of that insufferable bunch of imbeciles. But if you will allow me now, I-”

“Just stop being so polite for a change, and kiss me,” she tugged at the collars of his shirt.

Loki didn’t need to be asked twice.

---------------

In the hall, the Avengers were busy speculating the outcome of their little plan, when the couple in discussion walked in. Hand in hand.

“Yes, we had changed our relationship status around six months ago,” (Y/N) announced to a stunned audience.

“And yes, we kissed. Just now. And I hope you know where I mean,” Loki added before dragging his love away towards the elevator.

“What was that?” She whispered as she was being whisked away.

“What?” Loki asked innocently, although his eyes stated otherwise.

“You didn’t need to declare that we just kissed!” She laughed as the doors of the elevator closed.

He shrugged while jabbing at a button. “They wanted us to kiss anyway. So, I gave them the satisfaction of knowledge. Besides, they need to know who you belong to now.”

“Aha! Possessive?”

“No! I also made it clear who I belong to now.”

He smiled as the doors opened to the hallway that led to his room. And once again, his words had rendered her speechless.

Silver tongue!

***

-----------------------------------------------

You can read the backstory here.

And here's a song to sing along and keep the mood floating...

[soyouthinkucanwrite]

I can be your mirror - Daniel Ricciardo smut!

You feel insecure when you see his ex's instagram and Daniel decides to show you why you don't need to be

Warnings: smut! unprotected sex, low self esteem, etc

You were just chilling in the hotel bed, scrolling through your phone while Daniel finished taking a shower. It was Thursday night in Hungary, and media day was relatively calm (all eyes were still on Max and Lewis, after the whole Silverstone incident).

Your relationship was still new, you guys had just went public a couple months ago, and you liked that you were still discovering things about each other everyday, like how he prefers his eggs in the morning or that small scar under your chin he just noticed yesterday. Yet, some things weren't as fun to find out, like what his exes looked like.

A few fan accounts had started following you, including some F1 WAGs accounts, and you followed some of them back - you wanted to the updated, after all (or at least that's what you told yourself). The thing is, comparisons were inevitable to you - no matter how much you tried to be reasonable, low self esteem was always an issue to you. When a WAGs account posted about Daniel's ex hanging around in the paddock today and how cute her outfit was, you quickly found yourself clicking on the tag and stalking her ig. Perfect. Fucking perfect. You just have to set your own heartbreak up, don’t you? If at least you could let life do that, but no, you had to go and fall for the guy with the instagram models as his exes. You smiled ironically to yourself.

"Did you see Max shutting down that reporter on the press conference today?" Daniel said walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his torso and another drying his hair. You quickly locked your phone and looked up, startled like a kid caught with their hands on the cookie jar.

"Hum?" you asked him.

“What were you looking at?” he grinned you, throwing himself on the bed and sitting by your side.

“Nothing” you answered quickly, looking away.

“Don’t be like that. Tell me” he asked again, nudging you with his head.

“It’s nothing Dan, just silly old instagram”

“You wanna know one of the things I love most about you?” He asked before continuing. “You don’t really have filters. And even when you try to hide what you’re thinking, your face and body gives you away” He said. “That’s why you’re so perfect, you’re genuine” he touched your nose with his. “Let’s be honest with each other. Tell me what’s going on in there” Then he tried to lighten the mood saying "Can't be shirtless pictures of me that got you smirking, cause here I am in the flesh for you" you rolled your eyes but smiled at him.

“I’m laughing at myself” You said and he just looked at you, waiting for you to continue. “I’m setting myself up for heartbreak, more and more, and it’s just like me”

“What you’re talking about?”

“Please don’t say it’s stupid” you said before continuing. “You’re like, a rock star… fast cars, VIP, supermodels… these stuff are routine for you, you have the most interesting life. And you could have any girl. And your exes are like movie stars, fucking supermodels, and I'm not sure how much longer till you realize that and just, you know” you said gesturing to yourself and waving your fingers in front of your throat like who says 'abort mission'.

"I should know better, I really should and this might be nothing, but the deeper we get in this, the harder it's to wrap my own head around it and it’s so stupid, but how can anyone compete with that?” You weren’t making any sense, you knew and he was looking at you with his eyebrows raised and lips pressed, like he was holding a smile. “I’m rambling, forget I said anything it's so stupid” You said hiding your face behind your hand.

“I thought you said it wasn’t stupid” He said opening up a smirk and you opened your fingers to look at him. He pulled your hand down. “But you’re right, it is fucking stupid, because there’s no competing with you. I don’t care if I have to repeat that a thousand times for you to believe me, I mean…you had to have a flaw, huh?” You turned your head to the side. “This insecurity of yours, that you’re not good enough, it’s just the most crazy thing ever. Because I feel exactly the same. I’m the one that’s not good enough for you. You’re so smart, and good and you actually do good in the world. I’m just the lucky bastard that got picked to drive in circles around the world”

“You know that’s bullshit” You said.

“I’m serious. This whole stuff, fame, whatever… doesn’t mean anything. It’s just not real. I’m glad I realized that when I did” you were watching him intently. “Racing, challenging myself, working with the team, you... what we have, those are the stuff that are real to me, what really matters".

"Okay" you nodded agreeing.

"If you must to know, the reason why I didn’t work out with anybody else, it’s because we were never more than fuck buddies. Those girls are great fun, but they're more worried about showing than being, you know? And I’m not really interested in talking about them because it doesn’t mean anything, but I’ll tell you anything you ask me” You were dying to ask him more, to know every little details and to learn from their mistakes, but you knew you’d become obsessed with comparing yourself to them and didn’t he just tell you he wasn’t interest in anything about it?

“Sorry” you said quietly.

“What for?”

“Being a nag. Killing the mood” he smiled.

“Don’t-” “you-” “dare-” He kissed your face in between every word. “apologizing-” “for-” “your-” “feelings” he pulled away and looked at you. “Specially not to me. I meant it, let’s be honest, huh?” you nodded smiling back at him. “And if I’m ever a dick, please tell me before screw things up. This is not nothing, okay?”

“Okay”

“And I’m flattered you think I could have any girl” he said grinning. “I mean, I AM pretty hot, but-”

“Shut up. You know I’m right”

“Maybe any girl who cares about that stuff, and my amazing six pack” he says laughing and kissing you.

“And hard butts” you replied laughing and reaching to squeeze his, playfully.

“And hard butts” he agreed, rolling so he was on top of you.

“Those girls are usually the hottest”

“Do you honestly don’t have a mirror at home?” he said pulling away slightly from you. “It’s okay baby” he said in your ear, lifting your shirt over your head, then nibbling at your earlobe, making you moan. “I can be your mirror” he said in a low voice, taking your hands over your head and pinning them with his own.

Then he used his knees to push your legs apart. You were following his face, trying to kiss his mouth but he was holding you down, his lips barely touching your skin now, him hovering over your neck, your collarbone, your exposed breasts. You were squirming now, trying to get some release. He just wouldn’t let you have any yet.

“You have the most amazing skin” he begin saying. “So soft” he looked up to you, you had your eyes closed now. “The most amazing boobs. Fucking perfect tits, so round… and these perking nipples, so hard when you’re turned on” his lips touched your breasts lightly, barely.

“Your hair always smells so good, it’s the perfect frame for your perfect face” He went up again and kissed your lips, biting them lightly and dragging them out. “I love your lips, I love how plumped they are. I’m kind of jealous actually” he chuckled and you opened your eyes rolling them. “And those eyes. Fuck, I know it’s the first thing anyone notices about you, isn’t it? Are you sick of it by now? So big and green. I love seeing them rolling back when you come” he brought one hand down, pulling your pijama pants down and holding both of your hands up with only one of his. “I’m getting there in a minute” he said grabbing your pussy. “I just want to tell you about your ass first” he said sliding his hand through your hips until he reached your ass, grabbing it then releasing to give it a slap. You let out a yelp. “You in the mood for a little rough love?” he slapped you again and you smiled through your moan, this is so hot. And the best part of it was that no one else knew this side of his, just you. It's petty yeah, but you decided to indulge yourself in that thought.

“I love your ass, I swear I was trying to be respectful today, but you were such a tease, on those little shorts, made me hard as soon as you walked in the paddock” he went down to suck your left boob in his mouth and you were so sensitive you couldn’t help but moan, loudly. “Yeah baby, let me hear you. Let everyone hear you” He said releasing your boob and nibbling at it. “I saw how the guys were staring at your ass today. Fuckers, couldn’t help themselves. Let them stare…as long as they know who you belong to” he said leaning down to suck on your other boob. “Tell me who you belong to” his voice was so low.

“Uh…you” You were a moaning mess.

“Huh?”

“You, Daniel! I’m yours”

“That’s right”

“Please” you begged.

“What is it? What you what baby?” he whispered against your skin.

“Touch me, please”

“But I am touching you baby” he said and you heard the smirk in his voice. “Oh, I see what you mean… you want me to touch your pussy?”

“Yeah” you nodded. At the same time this was torture, it felt so, so good.

“This fucking perfect cunt of yours” he said sliding two fingers through your lips and opening them to spread you to him, you were soaking wet and pulsating, clenching around nothing. “Fuck, look at this” He said almost to himself, licking his lips. Then he slid his fingers in, curling them up, making a ‘come here’ motion. He dipped his head down, kissing the inside of your leg, then right over your clit, taking it in between his lips and sucking. You moaned loudly. “Oh sorry baby… you wanted it rough, huh?” he sucked your clit harder, then bit on it lightly. You could scream at how much pleasure he was giving you.

“Fuck! Oh my god Dan” He started to tease you with another finger meanwhile.

“Think you can take another one?” his words sending vibrations against you and making you forget how to form words. “I know you can, you take me so well. Such a good girl for me” he inserted another finger and started to pump them in and out of you faster. “So fucking tight. Can’t wait to feel you around me. That’s my favorite place you know? Buried deep inside your cunt” that was it, you came, hard. Arching your back and hips, Daniel releasing your hands to push you down and hold you there while you came and he kept sucking and licking and biting your clit. You couldn’t take anymore, you pushed him away, pulling his hair.

“Can’t-” You tried to say. “Dan”

“Yes, you can. Come here” He said pulling away and lifting you, dragging you out of the bed and into the bathroom, the rest of your clothes and his towel getting lost in the way. He pushed you against the sink, pulling your face up, making you look at yourself on the mirror. He was pressing against you from behind, his cock leaking in between your legs. “I want you to see what I see” he said staring at you through the mirror. “Gonna fuck you so good, you don’t ever forget how fucking perfect you are” and with that he slammed inside you. “Fucking-” he had one hand on your hair and the other around you, between your folders, massaging your clit. “Fucking heaven, taking me so good”

“Ah Dan” You screamed. He started to fuck you hard and fast, pushing you against the sink. You lifted your head and looked at the mirror, it was the most erotic thing you’ve ever seen. Daniel was dripping sweat, thrusting with perfect precision. His eyes were locked on yours and you knew he was as close as you. The thought of how deep the connection between you were at that moment made you clench again and he lost it, giving you one final thrust and a guttural groan. You came again, shaking more than ever, the feeling too much this time. “I can’t-” You tried to say again. “Too much-” Squeezing him over and over, so he pulled out, still spilling, making a mess over your legs and on the bathroom floor. He was still holding you though.

“I’m right here baby. Right here” He whispered on you ear from behind. You both were riding out your orgasms, rocking slightly, your body leaned on the sink, pressing your boobs against it, and he leaning over you, breathing hard.

After you both calmed down, you tried to move but his weight was too much. You let out a weak laugh and he moved. “Sorry” he said kissing your back. When you got up, you turned to him and kissed him lightly.

“You are-” You said against his lips “amazing”. And kissed him again, lovinly. “Thank you. You make me feel so good, Daniel. Let me take care of you now”

Daniel's POV

This woman is trying to kill me. “Baby I don’t think I have it in me-” “Not like that” she smiled. “I meant with a bath” she said gesturing to the bathtub.

“Yes, please” I said already opening the tap and letting the water run. She went back to the room and returned with a water bottle, taking a sip before passing it to me. I took it from her hand and almost finished it, before giving it back to her.

“Do they have any bubbles? Bath salts?” she asked.

“Hum…I don’t think so, baby” I answered looking around on the sink.

“That’s fine” she smiled, getting in the tub and motioning for me to sit in between her legs. Her hair was up in a knot, but some of it was clinging to her neck due to the sweat. She was so beautiful, I can’t believe she wants me.

“You don’t want me to stay behind you?” she shook her head smiling and I did as she asked, leaning on her. The tap was still running, filling the tub with hot water, while we two of us just soaked in there, relaxing. “This is nice,” I said while she ran her hands through my hair. When the tub was full enough, she turned off the water and applied some body wash on my skin, running her hand over my back and shoulders, it felt so good, so comfortable, like I didn’t have a worry in the world. Then I washed her legs around me, kissing her feet and calves and making her giggle. She kept massaging my shoulders. We stayed there for good while, half an hour? More or less? There’s nothing else in the world other than this bathroom anyway, so who cares?

“Can we stay here forever?” She asked me after a while, kissing behind my neck. I just hummed in response. “Actually, scratch that. I’m getting hungry. And thirsty”

“The limitations of the human body” I said jokingly but got out of the tub after a few minutes. If m’lady wants to eat, I’m getting her food. I dried myself, wrapping a towel around me and holding hers open for her to step out of the tub.

We went back to the room, she picked her clothes from the floor and put them away in her travel bag back inside the closet. I watched as she got a fresh pair of underwear and a clean bra, while I put on boxers and sweatpants. She wore some leggings that hugged her ass perfectly, what a view. I noticed her going through her bag, probably looking for a shirt but I just wanted her to wear some clothing of mine, so I took the hoodie I was going to wear and passed it to her. She smiled and accepted it, it looked oversized on her and covered her ass, but maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t need anyone thirsting over what’s mine, I don’t care how much of a prick that makes me sound.

"Do you wanna order or go out to eat?" I asked her.

"Let's just go downstairs, to the restaurant?"

"Yeah, that's fine" I say and peck her lips.

I put on a sweatshirt, and hold the door open for her. We walk out and the temperature was a bit colder out here in the hallway (or maybe it was just too hot inside the room), so I just take her hand and intertwine our fingers, passing my arms around her and holding her closer. I just love that I can do that whenever I want.

And I plan on doing that for the rest of my life.

[shinra-makonoid]

There is a time during anesthesia that can be lower and therefore allow for those and/or also there is a time before full anesthesia and a time after full anesthesia. All those dreams/hallucinations can happen during those times. Nobody can pinpoint when exactly those NDEs happen.

All the ""verifiable"" NDEs are made by people years after the NDEs and also after discussing with other health professionals.

People hallucinate in similar ways, and after years their memories build up and create fake memories of things that were "verifiable" when it actually wasn't and that there is absolutely no evidence for it.

Yes they do...? When you have oxygen deprivation you can hallucinate and believe a lot of things. Your brain is malfunctioning.

Again, obviously in general anesthesia they have the same or more (considering they breathe in an O2 mask). For general anesthesia, it has nothing to do with the lack of oxygen, only the funny meds making your brain malfunction.

No well defined electrical activity means that the tools aren't good enough to measure it, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And again, you can't be certain that the NDE was occurring during the cardiac arrest, it could have been before or after. Do you know exactly when you dream during your sleep? Neither do I.

And no, there are no verifiable NDEs, please check accurate sources for that. Testimonies that weren't verified by any other parties are not trustable. You can imagine things, even in good faith, especially when it happened years after.

You have no source for the "given medication in medical settings reports fewer NDEs" but even if there was, then what? There's already chemicals in the brain. It only needs to be a funny interaction going on for the brain to pop. Have you ever tried magic mushrooms? Your brain gets wacky, it doesn't need to be spiritual, and it probably isn't.

Your source which you can find here https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826080903565321

Actually says that ketamine used by drug addicts have the effect of giving NDEs. So...? Not sure what you claimed there, but the study says the complete opposite.

The materialist model is the reason you can even type your bullshit on Tumblr, so I would say this is spitting to the face of every scientist who allowed you to be stupid on the internet.

No spiritual beliefs ever created the phone or the internet and they never will. Materialism is the best way to understand reality because it gives testable and verifiable evidence. It's not perfect (and I never will say it is, especially since science works with models, and even the field of science and research is really criticizable especially in our current economy), but it gives actual results that are visible everyday everywhere in your life. So give it some respect.

Of course we don't know everything about NDEs today, but it is largely more coherent to believe in a materialistic mechanism rather than a spiritual one, because this is what's testable and verifiable. You can say "god did it" to everything, it won't bring you answers. Saying it's your spirit or any other mambo jumbo doesn't answer the question about what mechanisms are implicated in what's happening. It's a call for ignorance.

Just because we don't know everything doesn't mean we should let a call for ignorance dictates our beliefs.

Copernic works were heavily criticized and unaccepted because he tried to bring a materialistic view of the world that was contrarian to the religious beliefs of that time. Some scientists were put in tribunals for thinking it was right. Again, how disrespectful it is to compare your beliefs you so desperately want to be true, to the history of science that was oppressed by religions for hundreds of years and still is today in some parts of the world?

Case studies are data, but they're not trustworthy as they are. People can be wrong. People can remember wrong. People can invent things. It's not cherry picking, it's just being reasonable. I'm not gonna believe it if you tell me you saw a unicorn in your garden today. I'm not gonna believe someone saw the afterlife when their brain was malfunctioning. I think it's reasonable to think that, especially when there are other plausible explanations that don't require you to believe in a whole other plane of existence. Ockham's razor.

I have a certain amount of admiration for cognitive scientists who are prepared to cut the Gordian knot of defining what a mind is and simply deny the validity of their own subjective experience. I mean, obviously someone who looks you in the eye and says "I'm not actually conscious, I just behave as though I am" is full of shit, but you've gotta respect the audacity.

[epic-sorcerer]

Queer imagery in BBC Merlin

Content warning: kink/fetish, fisting in particular but I show I big image containing a long list of different kinks, homophobia, dom/sub dynamics, sex

Merlin is shown wearing a purple tunic in s4, despite the fact he is a servant and purple(especially with such saturation) was extremely expensive bc purple dye was so hard to make. Gwen also has a light purple dress(or maybe 2? It’s hard to tell). Even though it’s definitely lighter than Merlins tunic, it’s still expensive.

it was illegal for peasants to wear expensive fabrics because of the Sumptuary Law. Basically it makes sure that lower class people are not fashionable. However, BBC Merlin doesn’t seam to care about that law, considering Merlins other bright clothing so take this was a grain of salt.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that there’s no way they could have gotten their hands on these clothes without the help of nobles. Gwen might have, because she works with clothing and could have easily mixed blue and red dye together. Merlin probably not have because he’s never shown to be particularly materialistic or interested much in fashion, despite his bright clothes. Bright Purple would have been much, much harder to get.

It makes the most sense for Merlin and possibly Gwen too to have been gifted such expensive clothing by a noble for being a good servant. I’d imagine Arthur would be the one to give Merlin the tunic and morgana the dresses.

Why does this matter? Lavender(and also purple in general) was considered a queer color starting in the 19th century. Queer men especially were said to possess a “streak of lavender” and a serge of homophobia at the time was often referred to as the “Lavender Scare.” Purple and lavender is still used now to symbolize queerness.

Since Merlin is a modern interpretation of Arthurian myths, it would be perfectly plausible that this symbol was on purpose. Merlin/Arthur and Gwen/Morgana are both extremely popular ships and they are both shown to have a very deep form of trust(Gwen/Morgana being at the beginning of the show). Arthur and Morgana gifting Merlin and Gwen purple clothing could be show them they accept their queerness and/or signaling their own queer attraction to them.

Now, this next symbolism concerns only Merlin/Arthur.

Merlin is shown to have three neckerchiefs.

Navy blue, red, and light grey. Why does this matter? Well, let’s take a look at something called the handkerchief code, also known as the hanky code or “flagging.”

This code has its origins all the way back in time during the Wild West in the USA, but got more popular during the late 20th century in USA and UK gay bars. This code was used mainly by queer men and some nonbinary people to signal to other queers what they wanted sexually. While typically worn in people’s back pockets, a handkerchief could also be worn around one’s neck to show they are a versatile and experienced.

According to this code, Merlin is into;

Red: fisting and getting fisted. This color was hard to get an exact shade from, but the second best option was dark red for double fisting which is honestly so similar I’m not sure if it really matters much.

Light grey: stone topping and getting fucked by a stone top

Navy blue: fucking and being fucked anally

For any one wanting to make their own interpretations of Merlins neckerchief colors(the lighting makes it hard to tell the exact ones) have a look at this handy chart

Not only that, but Arthur is seen wearing a favour on his left arm in s3 ep 4.

What’s a favour? It’s a fabric strip of affection commonly given by maidens to knights before a tournament as a symbol of good luck. It’s often a very important scarf, hankcerchlif , towel, really any bit of cloth that can be tied around someone’s arm. This is also a popular trope in historical media for a female love interest to give a favour to a male one to show chemistry between them.

Regardless of your stance on Merlins gender identity, you have to admit how commonly Merlin is shown to be gender nonconforming(GNC) or otherwise be associated with “womanly” qualities. Especially in a society so heteronormative, the only “pure” option for a knight receiving a romantic gesture would have it be from a woman. If the token was from a queer man, it would also out the noble and cause lots of horrific chaos and destroy both of their reputations.

Even if it was common for women to give knights favours, queer men still existed and with that came romantic gestures—this time hopefully more secret.

Even though the favour on Arthur’s arm doesn’t look exactly like Merlin’s neckerchief, Merlin was the only person to speak with him while preparing for the tournament. Also, the original theorist who I linked in my sources also pointed out that Merlins neckerchief looks lopsided. Almost like Merlin tore off a bit of it and hastily tied it back on.

Although this theory is definitely flawed, it doesn’t matter. Arthur is still wearing a red handkerchief on his left arm. But what does that tell us exactly?

Regardless of wether or not it was Merlin’s, the red is the same shade and also implies Arthur is also into fisting. What about the placement? Sicne it’s on his left, it shows that he is a top/dom, meaning that he prefers to be the one fisting. Since it is worn around his upper arm, it shows that he is simply into the fetish, compared to what other placements mean. In another source, it shows taht upper arm means switch, but because Arthur is wearing it on his left it wouldn’t really make sense for him to signal being a “top-switch” compared to being a top and having the fetish in general.

If you look closely, you can see a different colored stripe on the favour. It’s hard to tell exactly what the color is, it could be yellow, gold, orange, etc. because the color is so dubious, I’ll just leave y’all with a list of color meanings that may apply to Arthur’s favour.

YELLOW: pisser/watersports kink

YELLOW, Pale: spitter/spit kink

MUSTARD: Has 8+ inch dick

GOLD: two looking for one

ORANGE: anything anytime

Also, it’s important to bring up what many in thsi fandom refer to as the “fisting scene.” Where Arthur threatens Merlin by showing him his gloved fist and pulling a bit at the glove.

In the blooper, you can see Merlin’s actor(Colin Morgan) breaking character and giggling as Arthur shows him his fist. Many in the fandom agree that this was a clear innuendo for fisting, and it is very well possible.

Merlin is shown hitting Arthur and saying he was just doing some horse play, but still indirectly convincing Arthur that he needs to teach Merlin a lesson. This is actually a common act in BDSM sex, where the submissive person purposely angers the dominant into punishing them in a way that somehow involves sex or fetish play.

If you look closely, you can see Merlin is wearing at kinky red fisting handkerchief, showing Merlin is perfectly capable of being a submissive fistee. Also, the hanky code also includes other symbols such as latex or rubber gloves that, surprise surprise, also mean fisting. Although it’s more likely Arthur’s gloves where made of leather, it can still further be interpreted as a fisting symbol if you want. Either way, Arthur’s favour still holds water as he is undoubtedly the dom in this situation.

Also, Merlin is very impulsive and a madlad. Tell me he wouldn’t wear his secret fetish symbols infrount of stuck up, Roman Catholics who are none the wiser. He’d probably think it’s hilarious which is probably why he wears them almost everyday. Merlin loves playfully misbehaving(and is also a brat sometimes) so it makes sense for him to have some dangerous fun.

Now, you may be asking. Why does this matter? At the end of the day, it probably wasn’t intentional. Well, there is alwyas room for doupt BUT I do have some ferther proof. One of the co writers of BBC Merlin—Johnny Capps—actually won a Stone Wall Award. You know, an award named after a core part of queer culture?

The award’s website and Wikipedia page say they give the award for art that describes the LGBT experience well. While I am unsure why or what Capps made to be nominated, it still shows he is very much in touch with queer culture. Capp himself even said at an interview about Merlin, “... in the end, deep, deep down it’s about sexuality and things you just can’t tackle head-on.”

Well, what says more about sexuality than the main characters fist fucking each other? That’s a lot of sexuality. While I am unsure of Capp’s age, he does look to be about middle age and it would make sense for him to know about a code popularized in a 70s to 90s. Especially for someone who has made multiple queer oriented stories in his life time.

Sources:

Why is purple considered the color of royalty?

Sumptuary law

How lavender became a symbol of LGBTQ resistance

How Lavender Became a Symbol of LGBTQ Resistance(part 2)

flagging opinicus rampant

Handkerchief code

DO YOU KNOW THE HANKY CODE?

Picspam: The Red Favour (Proof of Arthur Wearing Merlin's Favour in 3x04)

Five medieval love tokens

The Lady's Favour

Hanky codes

Nominees for Stonewall Awards announced

Merlin series 5 spoiler-free launch report

Pls reblog I spent hours on this /np 😭👊

[kajikxp]

Coincidence or a fate?

The feeling when you know that one person is just right for you and nobody else. The feeling of dread when the night come, and all shadows are casted at you but then someone gives you the moonlight. But the feeling of losing my mind in the process, feels so right.

…

It was Friday and I had my last shift at Cat Caffe I work in. It was small but cosy caffe where we had only few true customers who came here mainly of the cats. Here and there, there was a new customer I did not know, so I had to look quite presentable even with all the fur at my clothes. I would say I was good looking back then but still it surprised me when a new customer came in and give me his order and with money gave me his phone number written on the one of the paper bills, so I saved it and texted him because I was always looking for opportunities to flirt with someone. I am not going to say that I only work in caffe because of this. Nope, definitely you got me wrong! But that day held even more surprises for me.

I was cleaning in the closing time after the last of our customers left. It did not take me so much time given that caffe was small, so I left around 9 p.m. when the sun was already set. I was going everyday the same route though one long but dark alley. It was always dark and lonely, so I was not scared but I have received text that I should wait there before going into the next alley that was illuminated with lamps and because my gut was telling me the same, I stayed.

 I was waiting there as quietly as I could and then I heard that. There were some shooting and dull tones of body falling to the ground, that was all I could heard. I was never ever so terrified in my life. Few minutes have passed, my heartbeat was so loud I could not hear anything else. I didn’t even notice, but in the next minute I was swayed by my shoulder so my back was against a cold wall in the dark alley and thanks to the cold and brimming eyes I could make out who was that. Before I could even open my mouth to shout from fright his mouth was on mine. I was still so shocked, but he kept his eyes locked with mine as well his mouth. I could feel his strong body against mine, which gave me heat that exactly I needed to compare the coldness of the wall behind me. When my senses finally kicked in, I started to fight but he grabbed my wrist and pinned them over my head easily. He pulled away a little and whispered into my lips sentence that I am not going to ever forget. “I’m glad you listened and stayed here or else there could be two dead bodies. My friends would not have a merci after you’d saw them kill. You have too much pretty face and even personality to be dead. And I was not gonna risk it and let them sway you away from me, Birdie.”

After that he taken me home and I swore to him that I was not going to report what I had seen. Maybe you will say that I am crazy, you will ask me why I did not do it. For both I will only tell you, that you can fall in love easily as well as in craziness. And I am so crazy in love with him. From that day I was not scared of hearing shooting, I was not scared of sharp knifes or even fast driving. I felt like I was finally living with my soulmate on the right place that was next to me. When I was with him, nothing else mattered. So here we are. Soaked in blood and gasoline, gunpowder on our burned clothes, hand in hand against the law. The two of us in League of Villains. The wild double. Hot Wings.

[papermatisse]

flowers & pomegranates || O.SH

pairing: hades!sehun x persephone!reader

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 28k~ (oof)

warnings: none? barely any plot? just kinda word vomit ive been working on?

synopsis: the hades/persephone story, but it's sehun

a/n: im new. that is all.

masterlist

A scowl crossed the face of Sehun who emerged from his dark hovel for the first time in centuries. The accursed Sun deemed its primary ambition of the day to blind the God of the Underworld who dared tread the once prosperous lands of Earth. He says once prosperous, acknowledging the state in which the Earth has been left in; Pestilence and famines ravage the lands, and Sehun hadn't the need for the update given to him by Demeter, for the torrent of lost souls arriving in his world was key enough that it were time for Hades himself to visit the now plagued lands. 

Although having morphed in one way or another over the past few decades of his absence, Sehun knew the precise path to take to lead him to Mother Earth herself. He hoped he wouldn't have to collide with any other god who may feel the need to catch up with the man himself, wishing to just crawl back into his dark domicile and away from life.

Life.

The concept to him was once his main concern long ago. Not regarding the lives of the mortals he'd see everyday crossing the River Styx to their designated afterlife location, but instead his own. He once detested his family for tossing him aside and condemning him to the Underworld to manage the traffic of the dead, but now he thanks them as he is devoid of drama that haunts every god in Olympus. Whilst Aphrodite pines over an uncaring Ares, and Hera scolds her adulterous husband, Sehun raises his Cerberus in peace and silence. He has no complaint whatsoever of his outcome now as he feels he lives the simplest of lives regarding social statures compared to the others. 

At least that's what he found himself reminding his conscience of.

As if the Earth beneath his feet decided to greet him with some ill humored gag, the most hyperactive of the gods spawned before him as if from thin air, though Sehun knew it was the god's unfathomable speed which formulated this illusion. 

"Well, well, well," drawled out Jongin, 'Hermes' as the mortals have labelled him. "If it isn't the King of the Underworld himself, gracing us mere minor gods with his presence." Jongin bowed dramatically, one arm crossed over his waist and the other extended behind him. "I thank thee, and acknowledge your superiority over me."

"Enough," Sehun grumbled, treading past the god who burst into laughter.

"Oh, you can't blame me!" Jongin jogged over to catch up, patting his sore stomach from his laughter. "I haven't seen you in a millennia!"

"Would you stop being so over dramatic, it's only been but a handful of centuries." Sehun was exasperated already with the messenger, though he did find a sliver of nostalgia upon seeing him once more. It truly has been quite a long while since he's spoken to anyone besides Charon and the Fates. Perhaps an escort to guide him to Demeter wouldn't be too strenuous of a deed. 

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your arrival to the Mortal Realm?" Jongin seemed to have had the same idea as Sehun, as he was now walking beside him and continuing the conversation. 

"As you know, the mortals have been suffering," Sehun began, taking notice of the ever growing amount of greenery in their wake, signaling his venture with Jongin wouldn't be too long and agonizing. "Demeter wanted me to visit the lands and take a casualty report of sorts."

"Why?" Jongin scoffed, kicking a stray rock along the dirt path. "It's not like you're at fault for all of this, why are you being tortured?"

"You know how bad my reputation is to the Olympians." Sehun sighed, remembering yet another reason to not visit the others regularly. "Plus, Demeter is rather distraught over this. I can tell this is just her way of grieving. I've seen it tons of times, families calling out to the gods to remember their lost ones. I guess Demeter is just very close to this city or something." 

"Makes sense." 

Sehun felt the subtle bitter pangs of jealousy strike his being, as he's rarely ever respected by the people. Not that he necessarily cares what measly mortals think of him, but instead how little they acknowledge him if not for the negative tragedies in their lives. Even his brother Jongdae, ever the idiot, gets one of the largest temples of the gods, a steady influx of gifts and offerings bestowed to his statue. The people seem to love him, labeling him as Zeus, god of gods. Little do they know of his absolute ignorance and skewed marriage. 

Oh, how he once detested his brother. 

Jongdae was the one to condemn him to the Underworld, a command which seemed not as awful as it truly was. Sehun thought it to be rather tricky to navigate from his realm to Mount Olympus at times, but he made do to keep in touch with his family. That was his agenda in the beginning, until the mortals began cursing him for taking the souls of their lost ones. That was when Sehun realized what Jongdae had done to him, and he stopped visiting Mount Olympus entirely. 

He still remembers reconstructing the Underworld entirely after that revelation. 

It was at first a plain of barren land, akin to that of the remains of a forest fire. He hadn't the slightest idea on what to do with these souls. He had just observed them wander about aimlessly for his own entertainment, watching them kick into the dry dirt beneath them, pass longing glances to one another, stare into the nothingness of his world for hours at a time. The first few batches of souls were well behaved, stayed quiet for the most part and tended to keep to their own devices. It was around the same time he started realizing his reputation on Earth that he felt the impact in his own realm. 

Hundreds of souls rioting against him, throwing slanderous words to him and expelling any and all rage upon him. That was the last straw for Sehun, and he finally began to do his role of a god properly. 

He looked over to Jongin briefly, recalling the last time he had actually spoken to him. He had heard his calls to him from across the River Styx, a fresh batch of souls behind Jongin as he awaited for his friend's arrival. Sehun stood beyond the river, explaining to him that Jongin was no longer needed for soul transportation, and that he was to now deliver the souls to the entrance of the Underworld and leave. Jongin tried questioning him, yet Sehun turned his back to him, his new decrees unshakable to him.

"Oh, we've arrived!" Jongin called out excitedly, walking ahead to take in the haven which was Demeter's garden. Greenery stretched across the Earth, dabs of color spread about as the flowers beneath them bloomed carelessly. The sky was a deep blue, not a cloud in sight for miles beyond.

Sehun grimaced at the display before him, his eyes aching with the influx of nature before him. Nymphs scurried about, smiles gracing their gorgeous features and flowers stuffed into their flowing locks. Sehun felt if he concentrated hard enough, he could maybe identify a distant harp playing graceful melodies to further amplify the elegant scenery. 

This was a paradise on Earth. Just not for Sehun. 

It served as a reminder to what he had lost many centuries ago when he barricaded himself beneath the Earth. He had forgotten what it felt to be with the living. To have the Sun warm his icy skin like a blanket, the wind brush against his stiff features as if trying to smooth out his tensions, to be in the presence of others. He had to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Where's Demeter?" Sehun asked, his voice sounding more demanding than curious. 

"Why are you in such a rush?" Jongin chuckled out, spinning around gleefully and taking in everything which Sehun detested. "Enjoy the Earth for a while longer before you crawl back into your pit of death." 

"Jongin–" Sehun attempted to reach out to his friend, feeling entirely too uncomfortable with where he was. However, Jongin grabbed Sehun's wrist and began dragging him along with him, slowly introducing him to dozens of nymphs who were insignificant to Sehun. He was growing increasingly irritated with his friend with every passing shudder displayed by those in the gardens. Sehun felt disgusted with himself, wanting nothing more than to shrivel up in his lonesome bed and forget about his eternal damnation. 

Before Sehun could utter a word of complaint, however, his eyes landed upon a girl seated upon a rock beside the river bed. It was as picturesque of a scene as it could get, the ever beaming sun basking her radiant form in a warm glow, the water behind her reflecting the light up and creating a breathtaking backdrop to the already otherworldly scene before him. Her hair fell in soft waves down her shoulders, gentle tendrils mirroring that of the waters before her. She hadn't a care in the world but thriving in nature and what she had to offer, yet Sehun felt no negative thoughts plaguing him this time. 

What would have been– should have been– envy, discomfort, and rage, was nothing but admiration, warmth, and, dare he say, optimism; Emotions Sehun couldn't recall feeling, for it's been too long for his cold heart to register anything before his isolation. 

"Who is that?" Sehun found himself asking, yanking his arm back to prevent Jongin from dragging him on. Jongin hummed in confusion, following Sehun's gaze which landed on the girl before. 

"Oh, that's just Persephone." 

"Just?" Sehun quirked a brow at his wording, his mannerism so casual that even Sehun the Stoic was concerned. 

"She's Demeter's daughter, so she's technically a goddess, but she's more of a nymph really." Sehun looked over at her again, studying her soft and calming presence. Sehun had never felt so at ease, and this was only looking at her from a distance. "She doesn't really matter though, so we'll just move on." Those words are what spurred Sehun into the beginning stages of a meltdown. Of all the nymphs in these accursed lands, she seemed to Sehun the most fit to hold the position of garden tender, nonetheless Demeter's daughter. How such a cold, uptight woman as Demeter could produce such a beacon of warmth was beyond Sehun, but that didn't stop him from nearly releasing his rage upon his comrade.

"Jongin," Sehun spat out, fists clenched beside him. Jongin ceased his rant, stumbling the slightest bit on his still feet after taking in Sehun's deadly expression. "Stop this nonsense and get me Demeter already." 

Once Jongin scurried away, fear encouraging him to dash over to said goddess rather than take his intended leisure stroll, Sehun found himself turning back to face Persephone. To any other passerby, she would've just been another nymph, what with her flowy gown, carefree hair, and overall natural ambience, but to Sehun, he could clearly see how much more important she truly was. He just knew there was something about her which held significance, whether to the world, or maybe to himself. 

Sehun's steady gaze met her wandering eyes, the two of them stiffening at the unexpected found attention. Sehun has stared into the souls of murderers, heroines, and everything in between, yet he was seemingly awestruck by her presence alone, even from the vast distance they shared. It was something to do with her attentiveness towards him which left Sehun incredibly perturbed, for he's never felt so open, like the subject of an anatomy lesson. Even as she tilted her head to the side in wonder, she dared not back down from this sudden challenge, even smiling at Sehun's frozen expression, though she was the first to break as she waved him over like a dear old friend. 

He was hesitant, of course. Did she believe there to be some ulterior motive to inviting him over? Would she reap the benefits of befriending the god of the Underworld? If so, she would be tragically incorrect, since "Sehun" and "charity" have never been put in one sentence, aside from perhaps him not acting upon said deed. So he believed maybe she would refrain after the first rejection by him, yet it was with an eye roll and a more exaggerated summoning gesture that finally had his feet stuttering forward. Perhaps he'd entertain her hidden agenda for a few moments until he either found out her intentions or was summoned by Demeter. Whichever came first. 

"Good day!" She called to him once he was within ear shot.

"Good day," he responded cautiously, narrowing his eyes to analyze her facade, expecting some signs of wavering, yet she was completely genuine; Genuine in her joy of his existence.

"I'm Persephone." She lifted her hand to him, palm turned downwards expectantly to which he responded by slipping his own hand into hers, bowing his head in a curt manner. He could feel her shiver from his touch, and he quickly retracted before she could. It was a common occurrence when those encountered him. Disgusted expressions, recoiling in fear, he's seen it all, though she remained smiling at him with her chin resting on her knees. "And you are?" 

"Excuse me?" He asked after a beat, voice low and steady. Who was he? He was one of the Olympians, brother of Zeus, god of the Underworld. He was notorious, a boogie man in bedtime stories to keep children on their toes. He was practically the living embodiment of fear, and yet here she was bursting into giggles and repeating her question like she wasn't in the presence of a malevolent god– supposedly. "My name is Sehun."

"Sehun." She repeated, voice soft and delicate like she. "I like it." If he had any semblance of emotion anymore, he could tell he'd have an abundance of blood flow reddening his face at that moment, possibly the closest thing to a compliment he's ever received. "Come sit with me!" She tugged at his tunic with a surprising amount of strength, having him nearly collapse onto the rock she occupied, though he caught himself and finished his journey down calmly. "I've never seen you here. Are you new?"

Was he new? He was older than not only her, but the existence of humanity itself on Earth. She truly did not know who he was. He feared she'd dismiss his presence upon hearing his name, or to immediately bombard him with insults. This was the last thing he expected, though he now realized how predictable this was to be. Of course Demeter didn't teach her daughter who he was. Demeter never cared in the slightest for him, even when he was younger. She was probably overjoyed she'd never see his face again once he went down into the Earth. Although, maybe he could use this ordeal to his advantage.

"I'm just visiting," he explained, keeping his sights low in order to avoid her piercing eyes. He could already feel her gaze roaming around his everything, from his dark clothing to pale skin. He knew he was grotesque, he didn't need to be reminded by such a beauty as she. With his weak disposition, he found himself glancing for just the briefest of seconds to her. She had to have easily been the most breathtaking sight he's ever beheld. Prettier than Aphrodite, ever the conceited being she was. Contrary to her, Persephone seemed to be kind and whole-hearted; Rare traits to find in the Olympians nowadays.

"Oh, business with Demeter?" She asked, scooting closer to him. 

"Yes, actually." He bit the inside of his cheek, finally deciding to turn and give her his undivided attention to which she straightened her posture and beamed even brighter for him. She was so optimistic, a complete contrast to the nymphs which alienated him upon entry. Speaking of which. "Why do you sit here alone?" She turned her gaze to the sky and hummed, as if deep in thought to his simple question.

"Perhaps I just like the lack of company," she answered, shifting her eyes to the river murmuring it's song. 

"If you enjoyed the lack of company, why would you invite me over?" She snapped her neck back to him, squinting at him with a smug expression. 

"Why did you come here so willingly?"

"Did you not notice my initial refrain?"

"Hmm, touché." She sat back after having leant forward excitedly, picking at the blades of grass peeking through the cracks of the stone they sat on. "If we're asking a million questions anyway, what is your business here with Demeter?" Did Demeter really not update her daughter on anything? Is this what Jongin was talking about? His uncaring mannerism when discussing her struck a chord with Sehun suddenly, who was now putting the pieces together slowly but surely.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, but the city has been struck with many disasters, and so Demeter wanted to discuss that with me." He explained, hoping to keep his ambiguity intact. "Like a counseling session." She nodded, a frown settling in place for a moment before being replaced with a forced grin. She really didn't know about the city. Sehun's heart ached, witnessing her sudden downtrodden expression. What kind of a mother is Demeter to have her daughter be treated like some black sheep. Like an unwanted pest. Like him. "I guess since you've asked me a question, I'm allowed to ask you one?" 

"Oh, yes, of course," she laughed, hugging her knees and gazing up at him. 

"Why do you call your mother by her name?" Sehun kept his attention on her, taking note of her sarcastic scoff and sudden stiff shoulders.

"So you know?" She asked. 

"That's all I've been informed of." He reassured her, hoping his tone was soft enough that she wasn't intimidated by him in any way. Her sigh and averting gaze proved her discomfort came with the topic rather than with him, but before he could revoke his question, she continued. 

"Yes, I am technically Demeter's daughter." She started, scratching her nail against the warm surface beneath her. "I say technically because I am her blood, but she's practically disowned me at this point." Sehun furrowed his brows, frowning in disbelief of Demeter's actions. "Apparently when I was born, I was the weakest god they've ever seen. Basically, all I can do is grow stuff, and every nature nymph can do things such as that." She tapped her finger on the crack of the rock she was ripping grass out of before, a patch of new blades sprouting out as healthy as ever. "Demeter was embarrassed by my existence, but didn't bother to get rid of me because I'm just an accidental nymph, and now I live here doing the tasks of a nymph." She looked back up at him, a sad smile gracing her lovely features. Sehun found himself despising any negativity on her. Sad didn't suit her. 

"I'm sorry to hear about this."

"It really isn't a big issue. It's always been this way. I actually did believe I was a nymph for a long while until I asked the others why they never include me in things, and they explained that I'm not them and that I should stop trying to be them." She plucked a flower from the basketful she had hidden behind her, twirling the stem between two fingers and smiling at the dainty petals glistening in the Sun's rays which seemed to glow brighter around her, like a halo of light. "Apologies. You probably didn't ask for my tale of woe, but I do not call Demeter my mother because she is not a mother to me." She pursed her lips into a thin line, as if stating the forecast casually to someone rather than having denounced her mother to nothing but a stranger. 

"I don't know if you'd be surprised to hear this, but I actually do understand you very well." She quirked her head to the side, eyes glistening in wonderment at his vague statement. "Why do you think you've never once heard of me before today?" She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by someone calling out to him. The two of them turned to an approaching Jongin who stared at Persephone with a scrutinizing stare, not even attempting to conceal his emotions. 

"Sehun, Demeter asked me to take you to her." He explained, reaching down to help Sehun to his feet, but Sehun rejected his offer and turned back to the goddess before him.

"I apologize, I must cut this conversation short." He reached down and held her free hand in his, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her warm skin, which ignited another set of giggles from her. 

"I understand," she sighed out, looking down at her lap. Before Sehun could pull away from her, she tucked the very flower which once resided in her other hand into his unkempt locks. She laid her hand unto his jaw and gave one final grin. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

He bowed his head one last time before retracting from her warm touch, the feeling of her skin still present on his icy body. Sehun stood to his feet, following Jongin silently and relishing the tingling sensation which overcame his lips. It felt like witchcraft of sorts, the way his lifeless mouth twitched here and there, almost resurrecting a smile. He shook his head of such thoughts, recounting the last time he smiled being thousands of years ago. Yet here she was, so inviting and accepting of him whilst knowing so little of his life, and blessing his sorrowful aura with warmth and happiness. The way she wore her smile like an everyday necessity, even when she lives a life doomed to be as tortured as his. Her strength was admirable, and he hoped she continued to persevere unlike he who hid away in a labyrinth of his own machinations. 

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Jongin snapped, halting his steps and staring at Sehun, too absorbed in his own thoughts to care about his guide and his whereabouts. Jongin rolled his eyes upon seeing Sehun's glazed eyes, like that of a corpse. "I said steer clear of Persephone. You're already hated on the surface, and associating yourself with another outcast will further worsen your reputation which is already lower than your precious domicile."

Sehun stared at Jongin with his usual stoic facade, yet inside he was appalled. Jongin was always so chipper and hyperactive, more a squirrel in a god's body. He was one of the few who attempted to keep in contact with him many years ago, but he had given up when the ferryman forbade his entry. Sehun perceived Jongin as the epitome of positive energy. So why was he here speaking so poorly of the only person to show Sehun any form of attention aside from repugnance? And why was he getting the feeling that Jongin says the same thing about him to people?

"We're here," Jongin announced in a dull tone, gesturing to the most extravagant garden of this hellhole. "Stay quiet, listen, and don't mention Persephone." With that, Jongin darted away, gone with the wind. Sehun breathed a sigh of relief from the riddance of one nuisance, and prepared to handle the most insufferable of vexations known to mankind: Demeter. He could see her very clearly, stroking a broad leaf of one of her many vegetation. She was tall, with her light brunette hair pulled back in a braided bun and purple robes drowning her body. She seemed like any normal person you'd come across, but the wrinkles surrounding her brows gave away her unending fury towards anything and everything in her world.

Sehun had prepared for the worst case scenario, so he was perplexed by her kind grin and respectful bow. 

"Sehun," she called to him in a warm tone, similar to that of long lost siblings reuniting. This reunion, however, was not one supposed to warm the heart. It was a business meeting. "You look well. As young as ever." When she finally reached him, she placed her hands on his shoulders with a strong grip, and he couldn't help but think back to Persephone and her strength, both physically and mentally. "I wish we could've been meeting under better circumstances, but as you know, times are very tough." She turned and began walking deeper into her garden, leaving Sehun to trail behind her with long lazy strides. 

"Earthquakes every other month, flash floods after every monsoon." She reached a peak in her garden which overlooked the entire city, now dull and lifeless. Sehun was not as affected as she was by the sight as she gasped quietly and placed a hand over her aching heart. "If not plagues of locusts, the poor citizens are being tortured by actual plagues." She turned away from the sight of the debilitating city, tutting her tongue in dismay and retreating from the source of her pains. "It's heart wrenching, really. I've attempted to cease the never ending death toll, creating a garden on the opposite side of the city where they could pray to any god of their choosing, yet it seems like this land is just cursed."

After a brief moment of silence, she turned back to him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. 

"Sehun, my dear. If you could do anything in your power to cease this, I would be eternally grateful. Please, you have to understand the chaos which is tormenting these poor citizens, find some sympathy in your cold heart for them. I beg of you." 

Sehun sneered at Demeter's pitiful attempt at begging, knowing she holds no authenticity to her words. She doesn't care about getting on Sehun's "good side," she just wants to help the citizens. Noble of her, yet foolish to think speaking to him would solve anything. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and prepared the words which he has said to every single god who's asked, every person who's prayed, even to himself in situations like these.

"I am sorry that this is happening. I truly am. I more than anyone else understands the impact one death can have, let alone hundreds." She looked up to him with a shred of hope in her glassy eyes, but Sehun continued on with an unwavering seriousness to his face. "But I cannot do anything about this. I do not control the influx of deaths, nor does Thanatos who is the one who actually deals with death. I'm just in charge of the Underworld, where every soul winds up. I can make wagers with people who want to give up their life for another, but that's as far as I'll go." Demeter's hope dwindled to nothing, leaving her in her usual state of contempt for everything, especially Sehun. "My condolences for your people, but this is not my doing like you may believe it to be."

"Is this because of your condemnation?" She spat at him, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed into daggers. "You're seriously still holding a grudge after thousands and thousands of years?" Sehun raised an eyebrow, not surprised by Demeter's usual demeanor. She scoffed, brushing past him with a shove at his shoulders. "You're so petty, Hades. You think you're so high and mighty, better than the rest of us. Hiding away in your little chasm of death and acting like you were never one of us." She stood back on the edge of the cliff, staring down at the city once more as she continued to spew out grievance after grievance to the god who couldn't care less. "I don't even know why I tried to appeal to your better nature. You don't have a better nature." She whirled around and stomped to him, jabbing a bony finger into his chest with every insult his way. He stood his ground, staring at her with a blank expression. "You have nothing. You are nothing. You have no cares, and you will never be cared for." She paused for a breath, but her eyes landed on something stuck in his hair. She snatched it with no warning, pulling a hiss from Sehun as she yanked some of his hairs. She rolled her eyes, dangling the now crushed daisy between two fingers. "Of course you'd find sympathy for a nobody like her." Sehun watched as she dropped the once beautiful flower, stepping on it when it reached the ground as if it were an unwanted roach. "Two worthless gods with nothing to live for." 

Just like that, she broke Sehun's last defense. Sehun was furious. He felt the blood dripping from his fingers before he had felt his nails digging into his palm. Sehun had the patience of a saint, bottling his anger up whenever he had to deal with a god or an enraged soul, but Demeter was the one to finally crack his restraint.

"It was a pleasure to catch up with you, Demeter," Sehun stated, calm and collected as ever as he backed away from her. "But I find the company of my single colleague, three old hags, and my dog to be far more pleasant than you will ever hope to be." She gaped at him, eyebrows as tense as ever. He turned his head to the row of plants he had walked in on her stroking. He reached out with a bloody hand, repeating her actions and staining the leaves of the greenery. "I'm also so envious of your garden. Wish I had one of my own. You wouldn't mind if I took some of your ideas, would you?" And just like that, the once lovely plant began shriveling up, dying before her eyes. She gasped loudly, watching as not only that one plant, but the ones surrounding it began to turn brown and crumble into ashes. He turned and began walking away, hands stroking any plant he could touch, leaving death in his wake and causing Demeter to holler in outrage at his behavior. 

He was prepared to all but stomp his way back to his Underworld, never before so violently wrathful and not knowing how to exactly deal with such an apparent emotion. Before he could let his thoughts stray any further, though, Persephone appeared from his peripheral, steps so light and airy as if she were walking on clouds.

"Sehun, are you alright?" She asked in a soft, lilted voice. She gasped when she took in his bloodied hands, reaching out and grasping his fist in her hands. "Come with me." She insisted, no trace of argument evident. 

He couldn't reply, as she was already busy dragging him away from his escape. She cradled his injured hands in her own, weaving him through bushels of various flora, vibrant colors Sehun either hasn't seen or couldn't remember. Her touch soothed his skin, a comfort akin to aloe encasing a burn. She was the remedy to his pain.

She had taken him to a cottage stowed away in a remote area where he could no longer hear the joyous songs of nature and nymphs. It was silent with just the two of them. It was peaceful. Sehun never thought peace could occur with more than two people in the same room, yet there they stood together as one. He admired her as she washed his hands clean, running cool water onto his skin and easing the faint thrum of pain now ebbing away slowly. She concluded her work on a cushioned bench, lathering his hands with oils and wrapping cloth around his palms.

"I realize you're a god, and we heal faster than usual, but occasionally it feels nice to delve into the world of human remedies." She explained, laughing to herself as she tucked away the excess cloth. She examined her work, holding his hands in hers so delicately. His heart swelled at her every action, so minuscule yet so caring. "Are you okay now?"

"Yes, I am," he whispered out, flexing his fingers' mobility to reassure her of his health. "Thank you." She smiled again to him, nodding her head and focusing on his injury. A comfortable silence settled in the small room, reminding Sehun of his years of solitude. Although here, in this cottage with his side pressed against the most lovely woman he's ever met, felt different from all those other times. He knew after taking a whiff of her sweet, floral scent, he wouldn't be able to survive on his own again. Before, he didn't have a reason to keep in touch with anyone. Now, he wants Persephone. He craves her warmth, her sunshine, her happiness. The gentle touch she applies to his rough exterior, the smiles she gives with no malicious intent. She was wholesome and polite, like an angel summoned to bring light to his ever dark world. 

"I'm assuming your meeting with Demeter did not go smoothly?" She laughed at the groan he released, Sehun's exhaustion evident in the way he slouched and stared at the wooden floor. 

"It did not go well. She has somehow worsened over the years." He looked back to her as she listened intently to him. She didn't deserve Demeter's harsh words. She was not Demeter's harsh words. She was everything good in the world, and the only thing that was beginning to matter in his world. "I'd rather not go into explicit details of the matter, however. I apologize." It was silent for a moment as Persephone hummed at his words, curling her legs under her robes in a criss-crossed position. 

"Then allow me to take a wild assumption to what I believe Demeter said." She cleared her throat and took in a big breath. "She tried to manipulate you into saving the city, you said no, she got mad, insulted you, noticed the flower I put in your hair, crushed it, and then insulted me?" She snickered, taking his silence as answer enough. "I can feel the flowers I grow, so yes, I did feel her crushing my flower beneath her foot. The insulting is just a regular occurrence in our relationship, so I assumed the sight of my flower triggered that part of her." 

"You don't deserve this." Sehun found himself declaring, startling not only himself, but Persephone. "I know we've just met, but never in my life have I been so sure of someone's significance, and it's my job to decide people's worth." He straightened his back, focusing on the wall across him as he thought of his next words carefully. "I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but I am the god of the Underworld. I am hated by all, feared by all, and neglected by all. You were the first and only person to ever treat me as an equal." She was silent, absorbing his every word and letting it register in her head. "I understand you may be disgusted by me now, but I wanted to tell you all this before I disappear once more. I may never see you after today."

He shifted his attention to her with a lazy roll of his head. Her eyes bore holes into her lap, shoulders tense and eyebrows frowned. Her fingers were clenched into the cushion of the bench they sat on and her head was down turned with tendrils of hair acting as  curtains framing her face. Sehun could see she was deep in thought, and perhaps even uncomfortable with him after he said what he had. He grimaced at the thought that she now despised him, though he couldn't blame her. 

He brought upon death, and she gave life. He was cold and desolate, and she was warm and loving. He was monstrous in every sense of the word. How could she ever tolerate someone like him? It was with these thoughts that he found himself rising to his feet and heading to the front door, though before he could turn the handle, he felt a tug on his sleeve. 

Persephone stood right beside him, holding his arm loosely with her head still facing the floor. Even from the askew angle of their position, he could see the shimmer of tears staining her rosy cheeks. His eyes widened, hand sliding to her jaw and lifting her head so he could examine her. Red rimmed eyes, eyebrows stitched together, what seemed like a permanent frown pulling at her lips. 

"What do you mean I'll never see you again?" She asked under her breath. Sehun strained his ears to hear her broken question, heart crumbling at her unsteady voice. "I don't want you to disappear. Just as I am the first person to show you attention, you are my first." She pressed her forehead to his arm, sobs racking her shoulders. "I don't want to be left alone again." He was left flabbergasted by her touch and distraught over her crying, his hands twitching to touch her, yet restraining from the foreign urge to comfort. So they stood together, her arms wrapped around the one she wept into as he stood as stiff as a tree. 

Everyday, he woke up alone. He would feed Cerberus, check the surface world through the fates, and hand Charon the destination for each incoming soul. He'd do his work, wander his house, rummage through his cupboards for snacks. Then he'd go back to sleep. Alone. It was a routine he had grown accustomed to, though he remembers how difficult it was for him to accept it. He knew what he would be putting Persephone through if he were to leave. He kept reinforcing how she was the change he had always craved, yet he never considered he was just as influential to her as she was to him. He needed her just as she needed him. It would be foolish for either of them to part ways. 

But she was needed here. He just knew it. No matter what Demeter or Jongin said, he knew deep within she was integral to the stability of the surface world. He couldn't just selfishly take her for himself just so neither of them would be lonely. Though perhaps maybe that's exactly what's needed. 

"Persephone." He spoke, turning to face her directly. Her vision was bleary, but she could see his serious expression and knew that something had happened in his thoughts. "Do you like living here?" 

Of course she loved her home. She loved waking in her cozy sheets, preparing for her day in the familiarity of her abode, the flowers which would bloom as she made her way to the central area of the garden. Though she began weighing the negatives with the positives, realizing how much she hated being ignored by everyone, never being good enough for anyone. Everyday, she discovers new ways that she's been neglected, and today's was discovering that the town neighboring the garden has been dying, and no one had bothered to tell her this. 

"No. No, I do not," she answered in a sure tone, standing straighter to show her unwavering stance on the matter. She loved the peace and the beauty, but she would give all that up for the validation she had always craved. He bit his lip as he took her hands in his, a puff of air expelling from his mouth before he continued on. 

"Come with me." Her eyebrows shot up towards her hair line, eyes nearly popping out of her skull at his offer. Sure she was already thinking of running away, but never would she have presumed a man she just met today would so openly invite her to his realm. "You are worth more than anyone in this forsaken garden, and it's appalling to see how you are treated. You don't know what you possess until it's gone, and I believe everyone here needs an awakening."

"Are you sure about this?" He squeezed her hands in his and nodded.

"I've never been more sure of something in my life." It was now her turn to bite her lip, thinking back to the things she'd lose by going with him. The comfort of familiarity and routine, though she then looked to Sehun who's eyes only held kindness and she knew her answer. Sehun sighed at her rapid nodding, letting out a huff of disbelief and gripping her hands tighter. "I want you to stay here for now. Pack your things, prepare to leave. I'll be back by early dawn to retrieve you." He stroked back her hair, tucking the soft strands behind her ear and sighing. "I promise." 

With that, he turned and left the cottage, afraid his rationale would make an appearance in the conversation and revoke his every word. He made sure to keep his sporadic nature in charge for once. He didn't want to regret this decision. This was for Persephone. It didn't matter what he would've done if it hadn't been for his lack of intuition and reason. He knew any other day, he'd have left Persephone behind crying. What made him so different here?

On his journey back to the Underworld, he ignored the looks he received by the nymphs, glowering in contempt though fleeing when Sehun's eyes would merely flicker in their general direction. The thought of having Persephone residing in his lonely domain obscured any thoughts he had towards the disapproval he received from others. He did, however, absorb every scene he encountered as he left. He took in the structures strewn about the area; the landscape and various quirks about the world Persephone lives in. He noted everything up to the point where the green faded away into dark dirt and he knew he was home.

Upon entering the Underworld, Sehun was greeted by a chorus of groans and pleas, cries and screams, and more sounds of the tormented souls who hadn't enough money for the toll. A woman brushed against his sleeve, begging for a coin from him, but he brushed past her and made note of reorganizing the entry to make for a smoother waiting area. 

"Good evening, Sehun," Minseok called out to him in his usual bland tone, chin resting against his oar as he waited for the god to enter his boat. 

"Is this area usually this clustered?" Sehun asked as he stepped foot onto the vessel, more pleas wailing from behind him.

"More so than usual since I've been awaiting your return." Minseok ended the conversation there as he pushed off the shore and began wading through the Styx. Minseok had always been this way, and Sehun could only wonder if the atmosphere he's surrounded by has only worsened the ferryman's attitude. Nonetheless, Minseok did his work diligently, never wasted Sehun's time, and was respectful whenever they did wind up having discussions. He was glad for Minseok's usual silence this time around as he had far too many worries plaguing his mind at the moment. He had to prepare for Persephone's arrival, and he had virtually no time. "Sir, I forgot to mention that Hecate has decided to visit." 

"Hecate?" Sehun responded excitedly, the mention of his technical assistant hitting many points within Sehun. For now, he'll ignore her obvious infatuation with him and instead focus on how she does his bidding whenever he asks. 

"Yes, she's currently at your home." Minseok pulled over to the shore of Sehun's isolated island, nodding his head to his boss as the man fled the boat. Sehun had constructed an island to himself once the inhabitants of the Underworld began to hiss remarks at him any chance they got, causing even more seclusion for the god. The only ones to live on this tract of black dirt were Sehun himself and Cerberus, although Hecate, as mentioned prior, visited occasionally to remind Sehun of her unwanted presence. Though right now, Sehun was thanking himself and the other Olympians for her existence as he entered his home and saw her standing at the center of his foyer. 

"Sehun," she purred out, already making her way over to him earnestly. It was a known fact that she had an undeniable attraction to him. He's made it clear several times that he sees her as nothing more than a secondary transporter of souls and a mere assistant, yet she insists on trying to climb the fictional social totem pole she's created for herself. 

"Hecate, I am in dire need of your assistance," Sehun interjected before she could add any remarks to how she's missed him or how well he looks. Her presence was nauseating as is, he didn't need her useless small talk any more than he already tolerated. "I have a guest arriving here soon, and I need you to gather a crew to construct a separate section of this island for her."

"A guest?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes into slits suspiciously. "You've never had guests."

"I understand the confusion, but I do not have time to answer your questions. Will you assist me?" 

"Of course, your highness." She rolled her eyes, already exasperated by him and he's only just arrived. "What are your construction plans?"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

As instructed, Persephone sat atop the grass outside her precious cottage, awaiting the arrival of the ruler of the Underworld. She had a woven sack of clothes and memorabilia laying beside her, stuffed to the brim and taking a rounded form due to the excessive content within. It was a warm night, and she tried to cherish the feeling for a little while longer before it would be gone. Before she would be gone. She didn't know for how long, though she knew it would be a rather long time. Until they appreciated her, Sehun had insinuated. 

They never would, she reminded herself. Ever since she was born, she was the forgotten one. Left to fend for herself, learn on her own. Her mother cared for the nymphs more than she did Persephone, and Persephone never understood why she was never loved. Not even by her mother. She could see Sehun's thought process in the matter, but he hadn't thought about the results thoroughly enough. Would she just remain beside him once he realizes the others despise her as much as they do him? 

Staying beside Sehun wouldn't be so bad. She rather enjoyed her time with him earlier that day, and even after he left, she missed him dearly. She had gotten attached, though who could blame her considering he was her first ever acquaintance. If this act of spontaneity on his part were any indication of his inner emotions, then perhaps he feels she's worthy of his efforts, thereby placing her on a special tier in his life. Either way, she knew they needed one another in this cruel world, no matter what the other thought of them. She could feel it deep in her soul that they were meant to collide, as if by fate. 

The earth beneath her rumbled, as if shuddering in fear at something. In this case, perhaps Sehun's arrival. The grass before her split and a hole formed before her eyes. If she wasn't startled enough, the head of her comrade popped up, mimicking that of a mole. The thought had her giggling as she crept over to the hole on her hands and knees. 

"Good evening," she whispered out, as if fearing the sleeping crickets would alert any wandering nymphs. At this point of the night, everyone was dormant and she knew this. "Rather, should I say good night?" 

"Indeed," Sehun huffed out of his nose as if replacement for a chortle, the corner of his lip quirking up a centimeter into an amused smirk. "Have you gathered everything?" She nodded, gesturing to the sack tossed behind her. Approving of the sheer capacity of the carrier, he held his hand out to her, helping her into the hole. 

The hole wasn't too low, though it did cause her some strain to get in without injuring herself in any way. Glancing up into the sky for perhaps the last time in a while, she realized the peculiarity of the hole (aside from it being a hole which generated with no warning). She was 6 feet below the surface. 

"Are you okay?" He asked, rotating her arms in his hands to check for cuts and bruises. When her skin appeared to be as flawless as before, he continued on, gesturing to behind her where an incline lower led them to a tunnel of sorts. "Then shall we?"

She took another look up, counting as many stars as she could, letting the crescent moon burn into her corneas, allowing for the last breath of warmth to touch her skin. She'd see them again some other time. With a smile, she nodded once more, watching as he raised a hand up and allowed for the ground to close up again with a silent thud.

She draped an arm around his as he guided her down the tunnels, torches lining the walls and lighting the path deeper into the unknown. She'd never been in such an enclosed space before, the height of the arched walkway being perhaps a foot taller than Sehun, and the width being able to hold maybe three people across. She couldn't help but cling closer to Sehun as the temperature dropped more and the silence seemed to thicken to the point that she felt the nonexistent weight of the still atmosphere pushing her down. A soft yet audible whimper drew Sehun's attention to Persephone, her trepidatious expression speaking for herself. 

"It'll be alright," he reassured her, placing his other hand over hers which clung to his bicep. "Nothing will harm you down here. Not as long as I am here." She chanced a look up to him, eyebrows curved in worry. He tried with every fiber of his body to display a sense of serenity, though the words thrown at him about his grotesque appearance shut down any further attempts on his part. "I assure you I shall never leave your side." 

She had no choice but to trust him, and she felt she did. He had been nothing but helpful to her. He would never lay a harmful touch to her. They were symbiotic with one another, assisting the other and helping them to survive. How could she ever feel unsafe with him? Her eyes stayed on his, dark and empty yet still retaining a sort of warmth which tickled her stomach in a silly way. They were so deep, even in the dim lights of the tunnel. They held so many stories, so many emotions, so many unsaid words. She spoke to her plants when she wanted to vent, knowing they listened and loved her. Who did he have here to listen to him? 

"This way." He lead her to an opening from the tunnel. A vast cavern with stalactites which threatened to pierce her if she dared look away. Although lacking the torches of the tunnel, a low blue light seemed to completely fill the atmosphere. It was cold, damp, and muggy, with only the sounds of water echoing off the stone walls. The dirt was nearly black with no life to it at all, not even a weed, though with the lack of natural light, what had she expected. He continued to hold her close to him, more so than before as she now spotted columns of people waiting in orderly lines. 

"There are people down here," she stated, voice echoing even at the low volume she spoke in. 

"They're souls," he explained, taking her around the throngs of the dead which stared at them with lifeless, sunken black eyes. They seemed to wear permanent frowns and sagging shoulders. Very different from the lively people who she had encountered to and fro in the city. 

He lead her to the source of the water she continuously heard. A large river lay before the souls in waiting, so wide she could barely glimpse the opposite end, and so long that her line of vision didn't even reach the point it stopped. At the shore was a long wooden boat manned by someone with skin as pale as Sehun's. He was frail, with a similar expression to the dead, but he seemed much more approachable. Sehun guided her into the skiff, making sure the ends of her dress didn't touch the cold water of the Styx. Once she was seated, he followed and sat beside her, still keeping her hand secured in his. The man pushed off the shore with a large oar and propelled weakly into the waterway. 

"This is Minseok," Sehun explained, "the ferryman of the dead. The mortals call him Charon."

"Good evening, Minseok," she called out to him. No reaction. 

"He usually doesn't respond unless he needs to, so do not take offense to his cold demeanor."

Even whilst seated on the boat, she was secure in Sehun's grasp as he further explained the development of the Underworld. The disorder which reigned beforehand, his initial plans and his results, the various locations of the Underworld which she wouldn't see during her stay. He explained that some parts of the Underworld would take weeks to travel to, so he went ahead and began describing each region of his land. She listened intently, expression morphing with every detail shared to her. Sehun found himself snickering as she clung to him tighter when he had gotten to describing Tartarus, deciding to only mention the bare necessities rather than delving into every intricacy of the Hellscape his tormented psyche had conjured. 

It was when he began speaking of the Elysian Fields that Persephone's eyes sparkled with mirth and fascination, unknowingly leaning her chin on his shoulder and gazing up at him as he recounted the glories of the wondrous land he created. The camaraderie and the general peace of this safe haven he had created for those who lived out their lives as significant heroes to the population. He detailed how he wished for more, but hadn't the resources to create it. 

"It sounds lovely nevertheless," she sighed, a dreamlike glaze directed to Sehun which he had yet to notice. She liked this side of him. She had taken a keen intrigue to him when they first met, but the more she learns, the more beguiled she becomes. "You have to take me there one day." 

Sehun gazed down at her in wonderment. She was the first person to ever ask to see his world. Though she is technically the first outsider he's taken in. Most grimace at the mention of his hard work, yet here she is completely enraptured by every tale of his. He cleared his throat, attempting to ignore the undeniable warmth that radiated off of her. A foreign feeling tugged at the corners of his lips, causing him to avert his gaze away from her and stare into the inky blackness of the Styx. A moment of silence had passed before he felt her body shift and get surprisingly closer to him, now leaning over his lap to stare into the river with him.

"Oh," she uttered, confusion entwining with her tone. "There's no reflection." She quirked her head to the side, leaning closer to try and find her face. Panic bubbled in Sehun, causing him to softly grip her shoulder and pull her back in her seat. 

"Don't lean in too close." He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close to him as she giggled and nodded.

"Right, I apologize." It wasn't proper of him to hold a woman in such a way. He knew this, yet he couldn't resist the pull he felt around her. 'It's due to her unrivaled curiosity,' he insisted, head resting on hers for the remainder of the voyage. 

Minseok rowed to the surface of Sehun's mainland with the skill of a practiced sailor, an incomprehensible grumble sounding from him as he stilled the boat. Sehun stood first, holding her hand in his helping Persephone to her foot. Just as before, he made sure that the ends of her dress were untouched by the water before he himself stepped off. He turned to Minseok to thank him for the ride, but was met with a never before seen spectacle from his longtime associate: a smirk. He narrowed his eyes to the ferryman and gave a low growl, dismissing any remarks Minseok dared to arise. Minseok, although ever the cold and expressionless man he was, had an underlying personality that took Sehun decades to unearth, to which he regrets now as he knows he'll get an earful from him regarding his guest. 

Speaking of which, Sehun turned back to Persephone, holding out his arm for her to grasp once more as he began leading her to his abode. The further in they got, the more worried Sehun became. He hoped all of his efforts would be enough for her. The last thing he wants is for her to run away from him, begging him to return her and never wanting to face him again. These were the only thoughts in his head as they finally reached their destination. 

Sehun's home was that of any noble above; a two story home with a center dedicated to the courtyard. The only difference between his and a regular human's home would be the dark palette of the entire domicile and the lack of flora in the barren courtyard. Although dreary beyond belief, Persephone couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort whilst looking at the structure before her. It was Sehun, after-all.

"You have a very humble house," she noted, taking in the building some more. "I had expected you to live in temples like the others."

"I didn't deem it necessary, considering I myself am not a man to be worshiped." He glanced down to her again, meeting her gaze already on him. Flustered, he continued on with his main anxiety. "Follow me." He began leading her away from his house, now heading to another smaller structure just a few meters beside it. 

Persephone gasped, taking in the sight of the familiar cottage now residing in the Underworld. It was an exact replica of her own on the surface, though now surrounded by dark dirt with little to no life in it. Sehun released her, allowing her to wander on her own into the quaint house. It was exactly like her own, down to the placement of her bench where they had sat together earlier. The attention to detail took her breath away, all coming from Sehun and his brief encounter with her home. 

"How do you like it?" He asked from behind her. Her fingers grazed across the smooth countertop of her kitchen, staring out the window now facing Sehun's house. "I wanted you to feel comfortable while you were here. I had thought maybe your safe place would have been a good start to adjusting."

Silently, she turned around, tears freely flowing down her face as she nodded. Every word she wanted to say to him was caught in her throat by the lump forming, a sob racking her body causing her to clamp a hand over her mouth. With nothing else to say, she walked into his body, burying her face into his torso and tossing her arms around his, openly crying and nodding. 

"I love it." She finally settled for, holding the dear man tighter. Never before had someone made this much effort for her, and to think that he would do all of this for someone he met just the day before left her completely awestruck by him and his everything. Hesitantly, he patted her shoulder, movements stiff and awkward which only made her cry more at his endearing genuineness. How anyone could hate a man such as him was beyond her, and she began to loathe her mother and the rest of the Olympians even more than she did when they had just hated her. He didn't deserve this neglect, and she made it her every intention to repay him with the attention and respect he deserved. "Thank you."

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Life in the Underworld was harder to adapt to than Persephone had initially thought it to be. She felt drained, as if the world around her was rejecting her and trying to dispel her from the premises. The lack of life beneath her feet, the constant cold nipping at her skin, the soundless nights with no crickets nor wind to fill in the empty spaces. She persevered for Sehun of course, overjoyed that he made time in his busy schedule to accompany her during her first phase of living with him. Everyday he'd visit her or she'd visit him. They'd share meals together while he would tell her of tales from before she was born, the small dog she had grown acquainted with barking at her feet as she sat mesmerized by Sehun's stories. He'd take her on strolls around the mainland, and though he felt guilty for the lack of scenery he had, she couldn't have been more pleased by his presence. 

At first, she had completely forgotten about her previous life. Her life above ground. Although losing strength in her body and feeling more and more exhausted by the day, she couldn't have been happier. Sehun was patient and forgiving, allowing her to pursue her whims and curiosities freely without the usual scorn and reprimands she'd receive from Demeter. He had only ever raised his voice once with her during one of their frequent strolls. 

"Oh!" She called out, breaking away from their intended path at the sight of a patch of trees. She frolicked over to it, investigating the fruits of its labor. How a tree could grow down here was a mystery in itself, but she wasn't complaining. It was the first sign of plant life she had encountered. 

"Persephone!" Sehun warned from a distance, anxiously staring at her wandering hands. She stroked the dark bark of the tree, brows furrowed at the unfamiliar feeling on her fingertips. This tree felt very nearly dead to her, though it stood erect and sturdy. Tossing her head back, she spotted the plethora of fruits sprouting from its branches. Pomegranates. Excited, she raised her arms up, just barely skimming the surface of the pomegranate before a hand clamped around her wrist. She gasped, head whipping around to face an infuriated Sehun. The hard glare was unexpected and therefore sent shivers through her nerves, though it was not sent her way. Instead, his eyes focused on the tree.

"Don't touch those pomegranates ever." He seethed between gritted teeth. She could tell his frustrations all derived from the pomegranates before her, striking her with a sense of curiosity. At the sight of her worried expression, he quickly shook off his initial hostility and loosened his grip on her wrist. His fingers slid up her arm to her elbow, gently holding her close to him and shutting his eyes. "Don't eat the pomegranates. Please."

She shook the memory away, returning back to the present where she sat at her kitchen table with a glass of water before her. He never did explain what the pomegranates were for. Just briefly mentioned that no matter how many renovations to the land he made, those trees just always wound up sprouting everyday. She didn't have the heart to ask him, just briefly knew that their existence was a nuisance to him; the Underworld equivalent to a weed, she supposed. 

Sehun walked out of his house, prepared to start his busy day with breakfast accompanied by Persephone, just as every morning of theirs has been since she first arrived. Eventually, he did have to get back to his duties, just as today he has to attend a meeting with the Fates. Though now his days don't seem to be as dark as they once were, because now he has someone to return to after traversing his lands daily. 

He knocked on Persephone's door, stepping back to await her usual arrival of a swinging door. Instead, he was met by a curt, "come in!" Entering as told, he was met by the image of a lethargic Persephone, upper body draped atop the table weakly. Sehun rushed over to her, brushing back her hair to observe her pale complexion. Her eyelids seemed to weigh over the dull glaze staring up at him, the darkness shrouding her lower lash line showing the exhaustion within her. Even so, she still gathered enough strength to bless him with one of her breathtaking smiles. 

"Is it morning already?" She mumbled, closing her eyes completely and heaving a deep breath. "Oh, it's so difficult to discern the time of day here."

"Persephone, you're not well." Sehun stated, sliding a hand beneath her head to lift it higher. She hummed and leaned into his palm, smiling at the familiar coolness of his skin. Unbeknownst to her, Sehun near retracted at the feel of her skin, almost as cold as his own. She was ill. Scenarios blurred through his mind, her limp body lying in his arms all because of his selfish thoughts of taking her away from her home to give her a better life. That better life being the death of her own. He shook his head, attempting to clear away the images imprinting themselves into his mind as he scooped her up into his arms, shushing her as she mumbled in confusion. "It's alright, my flower, I've got you." He made his way over to her bed, lying her across the covers and brushing back her hair. He knelt before her, keeping a hand atop her head as she drifted asleep.

This had to have been due to the circumstances she was brought into. The Underworld was nothing like the surface world she resided in. Her body wasn't suited to the conditions that are unmistakably prepared for the dead, not a lively, ever jubilant soul as Persephone's. As he prepared a moist towel to place on her crown, the only thoughts swirling in his head were ones on how to make his environment more suitable for her. He believed she'd be perfectly fine if she had him and his attentiveness, yet even he has failed her. He felt no better than Demeter, though he gave her credit for keeping Persephone standing longer than he had. 

Droplets of water ran down the sides of her head, bringing back a small glimmer of golden glow which had once made up her skin tone. Sehun sighed, taking her limp hand into his. She would be okay, he reminded himself. Though for how long?

Sehun's ears perked up at the familiar sound of sloshing water– a clear indication of Minseok's skiff, though he wasn't to pick him up until later on. Abruptly, he rose, releasing Persephone's hand and rushing out of the cottage to the shore of his island. His jaw dropped upon seeing Minseok a distance away, two familiar, and far too vexing in his mind, passengers in tow. 

"Sehun!" Jongin called out, his voice grating on Sehun's hearing, more so with the reverberations of the cavern they were located in. Behind Jongin stood Apollo, more commonly known to his kind as Baekhyun. Single-handedly, the two managed to not only be the most irritating beings in Sehun's previous life, but also his only two confidants at this point. Although having seen Jongin more recently, he recalls the times he's spent with the two before the humans came along, where they'd reside together and enjoy each other's presence.

Those days were long over now, and Sehun's breathing hitched at the recognition of their presence. Something is happening on the surface, and he has a strong inkling it has something to do with the unconscious goddess he has hidden away. 

The vessel pulled up to where he stood, Jongin and Baekhyun stumbling out and thanking Minseok before scrambling to Sehun frantically. 

"State your purpose and leave." Sehun stated, not sparing them a single sympathetic glance. All of his sympathy went for Persephone who didn't deserve to wake to such chaos as these two. 

"Sehun, you know we would never come down here if it weren't serious." Jongin began, eyebrows upturned in worry. "That being said, we're in a crisis above."

"Aren't you Olympians always in a crisis?" Sehun felt the urge to walk away, but he knew they'd follow and most likely find Persephone. Reluctantly, he nodded his head. "Continue."

"Persephone has gone missing."

Sehun feigned his stoicism, masking his shred of anticipation with a single quirk of his eyebrow. 

"If I take into account what you've said about her, I believe this is a situation worthy of appraisal, no?" Sehun crossed his arms, glaring at Jongin who had dared to insult precious Persephone. 

"I know, I know," Jongin covered his face with his hands, taking a shaky breath before pushing on. "I know I, as well as everyone else, have no right to worry about her, but all the same, she is still but a youngling. I just can't help but worry for her. Where could she have gone? She doesn't even have her own temple, for crying out loud!"

"Relax." Sehun stated, worried the commotion will awaken Persephone. Gulping, he persisted with his neutral demeanor. "How do you know she's gone missing? I met her but a month ago, she seemed perfectly fine."

"Sehun, may we go in?" Baekhyun asked, rubbing Jongin's tense shoulders as he whimpered into his palms.

Sehun flickered his eyes in the direction of his house where Persephone resided close by, though he looked back at Baekhyun before he could notice, or at least acknowledge Sehun's trepidatious attitude. Realizing the conversation wasn't going to end anytime soon, Sehun reluctantly gestured to his house behind him with a simple head jerk, helping Baekhyun to guide Jongin up the small hill leading to the structure.

Jongin was distracted, Sehun could very clearly see, though Baekhyun remained conscious, eyes wandering around the unfamiliar location. His sights landed on the cottage a little ways away, pausing to stare. Baekhyun had never been to his island, so Sehun was about to disregard this observation, but there was a persistent shimmer which shone in the Sun god's eyes; realization. Expression unchanging, Sehun lifted a finger to his lips, silently whispering a shush past his index, which had gone past Jongin's despair directly to Baekhyun's probing gaze. 

He didn't know whether Baekhyun had caught onto his secret, though based off his silence, he believed they had made a silent agreement. 

Once inside, and once Jongin had gathered some semblance of rationality, he began to explain the situation. Demeter had apparently registered Persephone as missing a day prior to the search parties. Jongin explained that Demeter has put that Persephone has been missing for less than a week, but there have been different accounts from nymphs who have usually seen her, all stating different intervals of time of Persephone's disappearance. Some stretching from one week to a month and a half. 

"They say the last time they saw her was when she had spoken to you that day, which would have been a month and a half ago, but I had taken you to Demeter before you could even try anything, right?" Sehun nodded, refusing to meet the piercing stare of the second god on his other side. "Not only has this disappearance shaken Mt. Olympus– Did you know Hera is filing to take Persephone away from Demeter? She's outraged at Demeter's lack of attention to her own daughter– but aside from this matter, there seems to be a full fledged apocalypse taking place above."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, not only have there been plagues and famines, but now the Earth is freezing over." Sehun furrowed his brows, rather intrigued at this new development. "Yes, the rain has frozen into crystals, and rather than returning to the seas, they've just blanketed the earth."

"The humans are calling it an ice age." Baekhyun added. "Even my powers can't warm this atmosphere."

"Demeter is even more stressed now than ever before, and of course that has translated into an even more irate demeanor from her." Jongin rubbed his temple as if recounting the goddess's newly worsened attitude, one which Sehun hoped he'd never have to encounter. She was insufferable as is, Zeus forbid she suddenly has a thorn in her side, or more like a thorn missing from her side. Although everything Jongin has said has been far from good news, Sehun couldn't help but believe that Persephone's worth is already heightening above, which lightened his mood ever so slightly in the situation.

"So she wants Persephone back for what reason?" Sehun challenged, crossing his arms and clenching his jaw. 

"I'm just as confused as you are." Jongin scoffed and threw his head back. "She neglects the girl her whole life, and now that she's finally gone, she demands her back."

"I thought I'd never meet someone more conceited than Narcissus, yet here we are," Baekhyun flexed his jaw before looking back at Sehun, a mischievous glint catching Sehun's attention. "Can you imagine the audacity of someone to claim a living, breathing goddess as their own?" Sehun narrowed his eyes, refusing to back down from the sudden intimidation tactic. "To not let her breathe? Nor choose her own path? Instead, they believe that she is nothing more than cattle they can herd about mindlessly to their heart's content."

He knew. 

"Speaking of Narcissus," Jongin sighed, standing from his seat. "I actually have to go by the river to speak to Cephissus about this. Let's head out, Baek." 

"Actually, I'm going to stay." Baekhyun didn't even spare Jongin a glance, a smug smile on his face as he saw Sehun's momentary startle. "I'd like to reconvene with our dear old friend here." 

"If you insist. I'll have Minseok row back for you once he drops me off at the entry." With that, Jongin sped off in a blur, his speed calming Sehun as he knew the god wouldn't have turned back and seen Persephone's  cottage. Instead, that worry was directed to Baekhyun who remained silent. It's been centuries since he's reunited with Baekhyun; He couldn't deduce what could be going through that brain of his. From what he recalled, Baekhyun was the more elusive of the three, though Sehun hadn't a clue whether time had brought with it maturity, or if Baekhyun was at a standstill in his development. 

"So I see you're interested in surface architecture suddenly?" Baekhyun broke the silence, scraping a nail against the marble surface of Sehun's table. "I just think it's funny because that cottage is a near exact replica of Persephone's." Sehun stayed quiet, though he began broiling with rage at how Baekhyun knew where she had lived. He didn't trust anyone, especially when it came down to Persephone. He'd confess that he'd walk through all layers of Hell and back for her, though that wouldn't carry much weight considering his circumstances. "Sehun, do you have anything to say for yourself?" 

"I haven't the slightest idea to what you're insinuating." Sehun opted for the coy route. What Baekhyun couldn't confirm couldn't hurt him, right?

"Then you wouldn't mind if I just took a peek at said cottage, right?" Sehun's gaze wavered, dropping to the ground and biting his lip. No matter how much he delayed or refused, it wouldn't change the fact that Baekhyun somehow deduced that the obscure cottage by his house was none other than Persephone's. Sehun's anxieties resurfaced once more in his head. What would happen now? Clearly Baekhyun would take her back with him, and she'd fall into the clutches of her evil mother once more. Perhaps Sehun would never be able to see her again. Would never be able to stroke her hair, hold her hand in his, stroll beside her every morning. She'd be gone. He's lost her.

In the midst of his turmoil, he hadn't noticed Baekhyun standing and making his way to him until he saw the end of a white robe coming into his view. Meeting his eyes, he was greeted by a lopsided grin, harmless in every way and halting Sehun's thoughts.

"May I see her?"

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"I must warn you," Sehun began, hand clenching the knob of her door hesitantly. He stared at the swirls of the wood, hoping not to show more of his emotions than has already been seen by Baekhyun standing behind him. "She's fallen ill. I'm currently in the process of helping her recuperate, though I have never been in the presence of such a goddess." Sehun glanced back, eyes unwaveringly confident and still. "Nevertheless, I am working on helping, so do not doubt my efforts."

Baekhyun nodded, and Sehun took that as his cue to push open the door. He called out her name in the silent cottage and was met with silence. A few moments later, a small hum from her bedside could be heard by the two. Baekhyun's eyes widened as he beheld the sickly image of the once golden goddess. If it weren't for the steady movement of her breathing, Baekhyun would have assumed she were on her deathbed. With the little bit of strength in her body, she turned her head to gaze at Sehun, smiling endearingly at the man. She stretched her arm out to him, summoning him to her side as he cradled said hand in his.

"I fell asleep. I missed you this morning." She whispered, still unaware of Baekhyun's presence in the room. 

"Persephone, you have a guest." She blinked away her delirium, rolling her head over to find Baekhyun staring at her in shock. 

"Baekhyun?"

"Persephone." He gasped, breaking from his statue-like stance and rushing over to her. "Persephone, you were here this entire time? Do you know the chaos you've brought upon the surface? Every god and goddess is searching for you!"

"Baekhyun." Sehun warned, clutching her hand tighter in his to signal to Baekhyun not to further stress her. He sighed, taking in her dreary appearance as she huddled closer to Sehun. 

"I couldn't care less what havoc is occurring above." She huffed, closing her eyes as she breathed in Sehun's familiar scent. "I'm happier down here than I ever have been up there."

"You're dying." Baekhyun spoke in a raised voice, Sehun nearly rising from his seat to dispose of the nuisance before them. Persephone remained as is with her eyes shut and a peaceful expression gracing her features. 

"Then I will die blissfully in Sehun's arms." 

Baekhyun's gaze alternated between the two. Never before had he seen Persephone at such peace, nor has he ever seen Sehun in such a tranquil state. The sight itself had him holding back his laughter, the disbelief too overwhelming for him to remain entirely stoic on the matter. A bringer of life and the caretaker of the dead in perfect harmony, living with no worries in their own personal Utopia. So at peace with themselves that she was accepting of her fast approaching death. It was with one last look to Sehun, his eyes fallen helplessly on the girl beside him, that Baekhyun decided then that he'd do everything in his power to keep this strange relationship thriving. 

"May I try something?" He asked aloud, Sehun shooting him a weak glare. Although wanting to dislike Baekhyun for his keen observations which lead him here, he couldn't deny how desperate he was for a solution. Persephone squeezed Sehun's hand calling for his attention on her.

"Can I trust him?" She asked, eyes wavering in worry. Sehun sighed through his nose, reaching his free hand over to her face and gently stroking her cheekbone. He wanted nothing more than for her to recover, though he knew she had to make the decision herself. He didn't want to pressure her, to put her in an uncomfortable situation like her life before he had intervened.

"Do whatever your heart feels is right." He answered, running his fingers through her hair and letting the locks fall back into place. "Though know that I would have never allowed him to set foot in this cottage if I had any suspicions of him bringing you harm." That answer seemed to calm her nerves, and she slowly sat up, using Sehun as support to her weak frame. Once she was situated in a seated position, she turned to Baekhyun and nodded. He approached the two of them as if they were two deer ready to bound away at the slightest move, both their eyes trained on him cautiously.

Once he deemed himself close enough, he lifted his hands before him, stretched out in her direction. With a flick of his wrist, a small ball of light spawned before their eyes, hovering above his palm: a personal Sun. The moment the light touched her skin, she gasped, a plume of golden hue sprouting across her body. She leaned into the warmth, eyes shut and lips tugged back into a content grin. Like a flower, she seemed to thrive in the beacon before her, complexion and strength coming forth once more and returning her to her natural state. 

"She needs life down here," Baekhyun explained to Sehun who was happily brushing her hair with his fingers. If Baekhyun's eyes weren't deceiving him at the moment, Baekhyun could swear that Sehun's mouth was almost pulled into a grin. He figured if he wanted to remain living, he'd have to ignore the development before him. "I'll come back tomorrow with stuff she'd need. Meanwhile," with his free hand, gestured to their surroundings. "You have got to relocate this place. It's like a sore thumb here. I spotted it almost instantly."

"I need to protect her." He explained, now rubbing his hand up and down her back soothingly.

"No, you don't." Baekhyun scoffed. "You're on a deserted island in the most desolate place in existence." Sehun hadn't met Baekhyun's stare, only focused on Persephone blooming before him like a flower. A beautiful, strong flower. "I know you want to keep her close by, but you must understand you'll be doing her more harm than good." 

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"Like I had said prior, I'll return tomorrow with items I believe will fully heal Persephone. Hopefully my theory proves correct." Baekhyun stepped onto the boat manned by Minseok, waving Sehun off. Behind him stood Persephone who meekly waved as well. What a queer couple, Baekhyun thought to himself once more as he drifted further and further away from the duo. 

"Sehun," the gentle voice of Persephone drew him back to the present as he turned to face her. She was radiant once more, practically taking on the form of the Sun Baekhyun had conjured before. Her smile shone just as bright as her aura, and Sehun couldn't resist the temptation to reciprocate it. It was as foreign a feeling could be, the muscles in his face stiff from lack of use for quite some time, though it felt oddly natural – even more so with the sudden gasp emanating from Persephone. "You smiled!" Her hands rose to cup his face, fingers stroking the lines and valleys now indented into his porcelain skin. Her heart fluttered like leaves in the wind, a light and airy feeling now taking the place of her former sluggish mood. As unfamiliar as it was for Sehun to smile, the emotions stirring within her mirrored the rare spectacle. Even though she was on the brink of death moments ago, she couldn't have felt more alive at this moment, flourishing in Sehun's presence.

"Is it strange?" He asked, his smile softening into a close mouthed grin. She found herself overjoyed that his eyes still crinkled from even this slight expression, further proving he was just meant to have a smile adorning his face. As her eyes roved his features, his hands wandered to her own, encompassing them over his cheeks. He couldn't recall ever being held as such; With overflowing adoration and care. He was the embodiment of death, and has been for nearly his entire lifespan, yet she held him like she would a child. 

"It's not strange at all." She answered in a small voice, brushing the tips of her fingers along his cheekbones. With his eyes falling shut, he tilted his head into her touch, causing her grin to widen. "In fact, I wish to see it more often."

"I'm afraid to say that it may be a common sight from now on," he paused, breathing in her familiar floral scent which had never once left her skin. "Now that I have you." The moment his eyes opened, Persephone felt as if she were struck by the likes of Aphrodite's workings. The cinder of his eyes melted like chocolate over a flame, and held the warmth of the wood kindling that exact fire. Comforted her like the tea she'd brew every morning for him, anchored her like his touch on her skin, enthralled her like the sight of him appearing that night – the night he rescued her and made her fall in love. 

"I'd like that." She took one last look at his face before removing her hands from him, instead slipping them into his hands and tugging him up the hill and away from the shoreline. "Come now! We haven't had our daily stroll yet." 

"You should rest, you've only just recovered." He demanded, though followed her nevertheless. 

"I will rest after you spend all of your free time with me." He should've resisted, he knew, but with such an earnest shimmer to her eyes, how could he deny her.

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To Hecate's dissatisfaction, the only reason she was summoned by Sehun that day was regarding his supposed guest once more. 

"You want yet another shed on this island?" She groaned, rubbing her temple and attempting to understand why he insisted on demanding such menial tasks of her. 

"It's a cottage." Sehun corrected, gesturing to said structure before them. "And yes, I need it to be further away. Perhaps down the path a little ways, though not far. Just enough that it is out of immediate range of a passerby."

Hecate stared at him in disbelief, not fully grasping the situation at hand. He had a shed – or cottage, whatever he was demanding it be called – yet he wanted a secondary one? There was something askew going on, and she was suddenly quite curious as to what was brought upon her god to spiral him into this near deranged state.

"Anything else, your highness?" She asked, turning to him with a near hostile smile.

"Yes, I'd like all of the furniture and such from this cottage to be moved to the new one." His eyes were trained on the features of the building before him, continuing on after he had concluded his reveling. "I'd also like this one to be destroyed."

"Excuse me?" She scoffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the man. "You do realize we all but just constructed this. What purpose is there to rebuild an exact replica further away?" 

Sehun's eyes darkened the minute they strayed from the cottage, now directed at Hecate. She cowered before his towering form, suddenly remembering the embodiment of evil she worked for. Two pits of all things dark and malicious rooted her in place, a murderous aura seemingly fogging her surroundings in a black haze, blurring reality with the delirium brought upon her by her crippling terror.

"Are you questioning my authority?" His voice dripped venom, potent enough to kill if he so desired. Hecate had an inkling that he truly did. Her life would end with just one drop of this figurative venom, and she'd be worth nothing more than the dirt beneath their feet.

"No sir, of course not." She breathed out once she had gulped down the swell in her throat. 

"Then get this sorted out." He spat through gritted teeth. "Make note I want no more confliction with my decrees from now on." The scarlet glint in his eyes proved his murderous intent, and Hecate knew she was mere seconds away from meeting her untimely death – That is until the potential bloodbath distilled with the presence of a mellifluous call sounding through the tense atmosphere.

"Sehun!" His eyes had softened when they landed on the approaching presence, and Hecate had become irrelevant as he strode over to the new addition of the conversation. Now free from his domineering aura, Hecate whizzed around to see the being which tamed the notorious beast of the Underworld, gasping at the sight before her. 

A girl, with wavy locks like that of the ocean, skin seemingly kissed by the Sun itself, and the enrapturing smile of a nymph. She was all round curves and soft edges, dainty like the flowers beneath her feet whenever she greeted the surface above. Hecate's disgust somehow hadn't transferred to Sehun, who gently reached out to hold the girl's body. Hecate grimaced at the grotesque spectacle, never before having seen Sehun in such a visibly weak state. 

"My flower, what are you doing out here? I told you to stay inside while I work." Hecate's eyebrows shot up, the kind voice emanating from Sehun being the most bewildering display to ever occur in her life. The thing standing in his arms beamed up at him, entirely unaffected by his notoriety.

"I'm sorry, I finished our tea!" Sehun glanced at Hecate, uncaring of whatever else he had to do regarding her. 

"Hecate, get what I said done." His voice reverted back to it's usual cold tone. She was appalled by the sight of Hades succumbing to such a feeble thing like that, and to rub salt in her wounds, the girl turned over and waved in a friendly manner as if the two of them were acquaintances. As if Hecate would ever associate herself with the likes of that mangy mutt of a lapdog. Never before has Hades entertained a guest before, let alone an insignificant nymph, and to the extent of building a home for her. Something was off, and Hecate wanted to get to the bottom of it. Of course, after she relays to the construction team once more of Hades’ plans. 

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As instructed, the cottage had been completed by the end of that very day, now a distance away from Hades's domicile. The deed was done with little to no hassle from the workers, as they were mere mindless minions of the Underworld, but Hecate stood as the outlier of the bunch. She couldn't help but suspect this newcomer as anything but an innocent being as she carried herself to be. 

The Lily of the Valley was one of the most lovely flowers to grace the plains of earth; graceful and delicate in every way. They dangled gently like bells, and sported a pale blue tint which would lull anyone into a state of tranquility. Such a gorgeous sight can reel in just any being – at the body's discretion. The dainty little things could kill a number of beings, especially if taken at great quantities, and stands to be one of the most poisonous flowers discovered. The only way to solve a Lily of the Valley infestation is to uproot every single bloom before they cause harm.

Hecate crept up to the front door of the cottage, a small lantern in her grasp as to not draw any suspicion. Luckily for her, the cottage was far enough to not draw Hades's attention, that is as long as Hecate's deed is quick and silent. The door was new, so there wasn't a single creek upon her entry, keeping her silent as a field mice as she lurked over to the bed. Through the dim light, she could see the blankets tossed haphazardly over the girl's being, unbeknownst of her untimely demise she was soon to encounter. She slid the lantern onto the floor, the tap against the wood innocuous to Hecate's mission as she proceeded on to the still silhouette hidden away behind a mountain of sheets. Such a feeble thing, to cower from the natural chill of the Underworld behind a plethora of fabrics. Hecate was doing Hades a favor, and as this thought occupied her mind, she raised her blade beyond her head. In a single breath and with all the inertia within her, the blade descended and plunged into the now cold body with little resistance. 

Perhaps too little resistance.

Hecate gasped as a feather suddenly floated into her faint vision, and then another, and another. Abstaining her knife from the body revealed it to be clean. Swooping down and snatching the lantern, she turned to the scene of the crime, choking on her breath at the sight before her.

The girl was never there. 

In her wake was a now mangled pillow in a sea of down. 

Hecate's breathing became ragged, her fingers losing their grip on the source of light as it slipped away and crashed to the floor unceremoniously, the clatter piercing through the silence of the night, the knife following suit and joining the commotion. Now free of any objects to grasp, her hands rose to her hair, gripping the strands like reins as if they were the last grasp of reality she had left.

The girl was gone. Hecate had failed her attempt at murder. Though Hecate isn't one for giving up, she couldn't help but fret about the circumstances underlying this scenario. She couldn't have suspected Hecate. No, she was just a ditsy thing wandering without inhibitions. But why else would she have not been in her bed? Where else could she be? 

Frantically, Hecate scooped up the knife and lantern, whipping around and casting her light onto the rest of the cottage, breathing as labored as ever. She was nowhere. With one final glance around, Hecate stormed out of the house, now terribly weary about the girl and her intentions. Her knowledge. Her purpose. For now, Hecate was safe. She needed to find out more about her, and watch for the next opportunity to strike. 

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Sehun was an ancient being. He was there before the development of humans, thereby was present before their concept of time had been created. At some point, he tried to determine how old he was, but ceased his efforts when he had gotten an exceptionally high number– which wasn't even the final product of his calculations.

As such, Sehun had grown rather tired of life, as any immortal being would. He could see his brothers also having grown bored, regarding their reckless manners in the mortal realm. Though Sehun was equally as drained, perhaps more so considering his own situation, since he had refrained from sullying his image more than it had already been tarnished. His one escape had been the land of slumber, his one opportunity for peace and tranquility. He would sleep for days at a time back when he had been significantly younger, and was often teased by his brothers for being a resting dragon. What was once a bothersome title had now become what Sehun yearned to be. 

As time passed, civilizations rising and falling before him, humanity itself evolving in unimaginable ways, Sehun lost track of when his insomnia had first begun. First his dreams were revoked from him, though he wasn't one to complain since now his sleep could be silent. Before he knew it, he was sleeping for shorter and rougher periods of time. Eventually, his deep slumbers had become mere periodic naps. 

Now here he lay restless, gazing out of his window upon the depths of his creation, the River Styx. His days were torturous, his nights agonies. His eternal slumber would never reach him, and he wished ever so much that he weren't a god. That he had been born as a normal human with limited abilities and an expiration date. If he couldn't sleep, his body would shut down for him and he'd finally die. That was not the case now, as no matter how many years it's been since he had shut his eyes, his body refused to succumb to death's sweet embrace. So he remained in his state of unrest, waiting for a reasonable time for him to "awake" and proceed with his daily tasks. 

A soft pattering drew closer to his chambers, like a troubled doe stumbling unaware into the lion's den. Though Sehun's initial predatory instincts subsided at the gentle rapping at his door, followed by the delicate voice of his beloved flower. 

"Sehun?" She called out in her lulling voice, nearly putting Sehun to sleep if it weren't for his rush of adrenaline at her presence. He rose to his feet, taking long, rushed strides to his door and pulling it open. There stood Persephone, wrapped in a blanket and her nightgown, gazing up at Sehun with relief washed over her eyes.

"Dear, why have you come all this way?" He asked, reaching out and brushing her loose hair behind her shoulder. 

"I'm no longer used to sleeping so far away anymore, I'm afraid." She let out a nervous chuckle, tugging the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Perhaps you could accompany me for the night?" 

It was dark, and her features were barely visible, though she still enraptured Sehun entirely, his immediate acceptance just proof of his devotion to the goddess. Which is how Sehun found himself just a mere distance away from her form, laid out across his bed right beside him.

So vulnerable, so susceptible to any outside dangers. She put so much faith into him. Why? He had stolen her away, he had nearly killed her, he had detained her in the land of the dead, yet she had given him all of her trust willingly. Her affections were all devoted to him, the last person who deserved her sweet attention. She was lovely, precious to him like gold to the greedy. 

Her eyes opened up, catching him in the act of staring. What flustered him delighted her, and she broke into a fit of giggles, rolling closer to him until she was just a breath away. 

"Thank you for protecting me for the night." She whispered, so silently that if there were anyone else in the room, they'd have not heard her simple message. 

"You should not trust someone so easily." He scolded, keeping his eyes trained on her.

"You are not just someone to me." She responded as if just asked the easiest of questions. "You are very dear to me. I wish you would understand."

He stayed quiet, unknowing of how to respond to such a compliment. He was never one for appreciation, yet here she was showering him with all of the admiration he could have ever hoped for. At his silence, Persephone leaned closer, resting her head against his chest, allowing the gentle thud of his old heart to serenade her like a lullaby. By the time her breathing had evened out, Sehun had overcome his initial shock, now wrapping his arms around the girl and taking in her natural essence.

Lavender. Vanilla. Petrichor. 

Before he could acknowledge it, his eyelids lost their strength, and eventually, the warmth of Persephone in his arms and the concoction of scents surrounding him dragged him into the state of slumber he had craved for so long. 

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It was simple to say Sehun was thoroughly flabbergasted to have actually awoken a while later; to have experienced the heaviness of consciousness settling in upon opening his eyes and to actually feel compelled to close them once more. He took a moment to register his surroundings, knowing it was day even with the lack of Sun present, courtesy of his eternal damnation in the Underworld. It took another moment to register that the reason he had fallen asleep was due to the girl still in his grasp, though now more so laying atop his chest as he had rolled onto his back in the midst of the night. She was still fast asleep, and Sehun felt intrigued. 

She was sleeping so soundly, uncaring of him and what he could do to her unconscious form. Once more, she was far too trusting of a man who handled the dead, who should have no concern for the living. Though he continuously berated her for her lack of caution, he enjoyed having someone so at ease around him.

Of course it was obvious that everyone felt unsafe around him. Never having their backs to him, avoiding eye contact, attempting to keep a respectful tone to him. In all honesty, he'd prefer this respectable fear to the arrogance he receives more recently, treating him like an obtuse child rather than the god he is. 

Yet Persephone didn't treat him as a monster, nor as an unworthy degenerate. She spent her days around him, listening to his tales, filling his thoughts with whimsical stories she's read, prancing around him in her usual carefree manner. She treated him as more than just a captor, even more than a friend. Perhaps that wasn't so bad of a circumstance. 

Realizing she'd wake soon, he attempted to pull away from her, trying not to jostle her from her slumber, though failing as she grumbled softly and latched onto him. 

"Persephone," he whispered, stroking her hair with his free hand not caught by her grasp. She hummed, refusing to open her eyes and merely holding him closer. "I will be back. Keep sleeping." She was silent for a few moments as Sehun continued to brush her hair, and eventually she fell limp, allowing him to pull away and vacate the premises. 

Underworld mornings were as cold as the nights, and did not get any better in the afternoons. To have walked the short distance from her cottage to his home in the middle of the night with nothing but a nightgown and a blanket had to have been an obstacle in and of itself, proving her discomfort with the new living situations. The least he could do was to get one of her gowns for her to wear once she woke up, so as to save her from the frigidity of the outside.

Entering her cottage, Sehun made a beeline for her wardrobe, shuffling through the few gowns and robes to find a sufficient one for her to wear. Once he had found one he deemed warm enough for her, Sehun turned over to her bed, smiling at the thought of her abandoning its warmth and comfort just to get to him. 

At that thought, his brows furrowed in suspicion. 

She came to him in a state of discomfort, most likely rushing to get close to him and leaving behind any other matter of hers. So why was her bed made? He stepped closer, analyzing the scene. Judging from her character, Sehun knew she most likely just wakes up and goes on about her day. If she doesn't make her bed on any other day, why would she make her bed when in a hurry?

A speck of white caught Sehun's eye: a singular feather caught between the floorboards. Not exactly understanding his speculations, Sehun turned back to the wardrobe, grabbing an armful of her clothes, stuffing them into the wicker basket she used for their daily picnics, and left the cottage. He didn't fully comprehend what was happening, but he knew potential danger when it's in front of him.

Arriving back to his room, Persephone was just beginning to stir awake, rubbing her eyes to get a clearer look at the man now sitting beside her on the bed. She smiled, still rubbing her face awake and sighing out a, "good morning."

"What have you got there?" She asked, now sitting up and leaning her head onto his shoulder. 

"It's a few of your clothes I've brought over." He explained, placing the basket onto the floor and shifting to face her. "I don't feel comfortable leaving you in that cottage. Would you be alright staying here for the next few days?"

"With you?" He nodded, now fretting internally over her rejecting him and going back to her cottage. Before he could offer her another room in his house, she continued on. "Of course, Sehun. Why wouldn't I want to be with you?" 

He exhaled, relieved that not only did she comply with his paranoia, but had also assured him of her unfaltering affections while at it. To think that if she hadn't come to him at that time, his little beam of sunshine could have been extinguished for good. He couldn't let this possibility occur again. 

"I'd rather you also remain within the walls of my home." He added, thumb stroking her cheek tenderly. "As long as you have an escort, you may roam about as you usually do. Primarily either myself or Baekhyun."

"I understand." She nodded. "You've always taken care of me. For what reason would I have to doubt you?" The flutter of her eyes meeting his gaze matched that of his heart, their glaze as cloying as honey. She was the radiance of a morning sunrise, the portent of his unwavering joy whenever he basked in her presence. She sat before him with a demure grin, unaware of the fact that she had awakened a new love for mornings in him, and a reminder of his own love for her. 

"I'll leave you to dress." He spoke, tearing his eyes from her and down at their naturally intertwined hands. He fondly rose her own to his lips, pressing a delicate kiss to the pads of her fingers, continuing to hold her grasp in his for a moment more. It was pure agony to hold back his affections, his heart yearning to release the floodgates of his love for her, yet he reminded himself of his position. He was no good for a goddess of her caliber. She was everything beautiful in this world, and he was just a weed in her garden. "I will meet you when you are freshened up." 

With one last glance her way, a rosy tint dusting the apples of her cheeks, risen with the presence of her ever growing smile, Sehun sighed helplessly. While he was but a brief appearance in her own life, she had managed to become his entire world, and he was but a hopeless fragment of matter caught in her irresistible orbit. 

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As Baekhyun had promised, he returned later that day lugging a load of plant life in a sack over his shoulders. Sehun watched from the sidelines as the god revealed each and every fern and flower he had brought along with him, each unveiling coaxing a new reaction from Persephone. She attempted to collect each item in her arms, though failed as Baekhyun would bring out yet another item. 

After he had given her every plant in his possession, he started yet another Sun session with her, allowing her to replenish any exhaustion she may have suffered since the day prior. All the while, she described every plant she had received, explaining to Sehun wonders he had never even imagined in his dreary underworld. His mind was filled with her and her words, the lull of her voice soothing him as she promised to fill his world with unimaginable beauty. 

Baekhyun was still attempting to grasp the situation at hand. From what he had understood through the brief glimpses of their interactions, it was a symbiotic relationship; One which first began as one party benefiting the other for no benefit, but now had become a bond of mutuality. Persephone, the goddess which had once been nothing more than a nuisance, had become the hub of everyone's interest in just the span of a few months, yet stood as the absolute epicenter in Sehun's life. Baekhyun wasn't a fool. He could see the affections they both shared for one another. Though the surface world was suffering, he somehow couldn't find it in himself to obliterate such a doting pair. He couldn't destroy the one source of happiness in either of their lives. Even he could clearly see that they desperately needed one another. Though it would be considered treasonous to withhold the whereabouts of Persephone, he couldn't find any sense of hesitation in his decision: he was going to help them if it was the last thing he did. 

"You enjoy life down here?" Baekhyun asked once Sehun had gone away to feed Cerberus. Persephone nodded eagerly as she organized the plants given to her. 

"I do, truly." She paused to take in her surroundings. It was a bleak atmosphere, always lacking heat and remaining moist. The silence would leave her unnerved at times, though upon hearing any mere noise, she'd be left on high alert. Nevertheless, she couldn't have been more fond of the place which Sehun had created himself. "Thank you for these gifts. There is no sign of life here. It's rather daunting not being able to feel life everywhere I step." She caught a glimpse of the bare path which Sehun and her strolled every morning. Sehun had taken it upon himself to remove the trees which would sprout everyday before he would escort her, ensuring her safety from the accursed fruit he despises so. "Do you know the lore behind the pomegranates?"

"I apologize, but I am as clueless as you." Baekhyun responded. "Not even Sehun knows where they derive from." He pursed his lips, eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to recall any information he had heard of the trees. "Before Mt. Olympus had become as estranged as it is now, Demeter had actually spoken of a mysterious fruit growing in some realm. She believed they had the ability to condemn a person to the realm in which they grew. In this case, the Underworld. Though this could very well be another one of her deceptions to further worsen Sehun's reputation."

Persephone blinked in wonderment at Baekhyun's words. She remembered clearly how Sehun had reacted to her touching the fruit, as it was the only time she'd ever seen Sehun act even the slightest bit hostile.

If Baekhyun's intel proved correct, it would just be another case of Sehun going above and beyond to protect her, and yet another reason her heart seems to beat only for him, bleed only for him, yearn only for him. He had enchanted her entire being with his existence before she could even render the inner machinations of her emotions. She was so terribly, madly in love with him. 

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In the coming days, Persephone spent her time managing her garden. She worked tirelessly on bringing life back to the exanimate dirt beneath their feet before planting her collection of saplings. Once they were in the now fertile soil, greenery had spread like fire. Flowers littered the floor encircling her cabin, vines crept up the walls and claimed it as their own, branches of still infant trees sprouted delicate leaves and buds, soon to provide a canopy for the two to rest beneath. Sehun admired her power, the stamp of her existence now imprinted in his home. He usually loathed the sight of life and nature, but now felt comfort at the scenery in his own domain. He'd watch as she'd nurture her saplings, raising them from nothing, her devotion to her plants allowing Sehun's mind to wander to other scenarios.

How she'd nurture him if she were to stay by his side. He'd go to sleep with her beside him just to wake up to the same beautiful sight. She'd hold his cold hands in hers and whisper words of love to him, share thoughts of only love to him. They'd gather flowers together, have picnics together, spend their mornings together. 

"I am greedy for you." He said to her one day, sat beside Persephone in her evergrowing bed of flowers. "I'm afraid that when the day comes, I won't be able to release you." He stroked the grass he sat upon, enraptured by the sight of his beloved's simple creation. Near his feet sprouted a daisy. The same dainty flower she had given to him upon first meeting. The sight alone had him biting back his emotions, the internal battle becoming increasingly more unbearable the more time he spent with her. "You are but a flower which I do not deserve. A flower which should be blossoming in the Sun freely. I am but the gardener who cut your stem and brought you to your imminent death." 

There was a breath of silence between the two, Persephone absorbing his words begrudgingly, though she didn't like when he would speak so negatively of himself. She reached out to the daisy caught in his vision, plucking it from the Earth and raising it to eye level with her. 

"I am a grown woman, would you agree?" She questioned, to which Sehun nodded bluntly. He still hadn't met her gaze, instead focusing on the blades of grass once more. "Did you know it's a common practice amongst humans to shower their dead with flowers?" Sehun scoffed, nodding again to her queries. 

"They use the flowers to mask the scent of their dead." He explained, far too familiar with the shallow ways of humans. At this, Persephone giggled, causing Sehun to finally turn his head to look at her.

"Well, more common than that, they use flowers to display their love for their lost ones." She reached a hand over to him, planting the daisy in his obsidian locks. Her hand slid down to his cheek, keeping his gaze on her. "Perhaps I am a flower meant for you and your world."

Sehun was taken aback, the weight in his chest dissolving into a light, fluttery sensation. His skin warmed beneath her touch, melting him like mist in the wake of the Sun. Desire pooled in his irises the longer he took in his dearest one, the dam he had worked strenuously on maintaining crumbling into dust. Following the tides of his love, Sehun leant forward, mind going briefly vacant as his heart took command of his actions, pressing his lips to Persephone's in the softest manner he could muster. 

When she kissed back, he felt happy enough to die. No, he felt happy enough to continue living in his personal hell, because now he not only had a reason to push forward, but a beacon of hope which would light his endlessly dark path. The saccharine taste of her lips was like that of warm honey, encasing him in a blissful state of ataraxy at the delicacy in his grasp. He poured his heart into her kiss, attempting to display his affections for her though his heart was pathetic and inexperienced. Nevertheless, she embraced him wholeheartedly, inching closer and closer to him until she had found her throne upon his lap, arms wrapped around his neck in an endearing hug. His hand on her face was chill, tethering her to his presence beside her, though the opposing warmth of his lips had her falling limp in his hold, heat which radiated like a lone fire on a cool night. Even with their striking differences, they melded together, not like oil and water, but like milk and honey. 

He pulled away, lips still grazing over hers as their breaths mingled together, his eyes hooded as he attempted to settle back to reality. His reality now that he had Persephone with him, and for however long he had left, he was going to spend his every waking moment pleasing her, nurturing her, loving her. 

"Our world." He whispered, brushing her hair behind her ear. "For as long as you'll have me and even after, I want this world to be ours."

"That seems like a dangerous proposition, as I do not see myself letting you go anytime soon." She answered back, pressing her forehead to his. 

"You already have my everything til the point I take my final breath." 

"We're immortal, Sehun." At the sight of her smile, Sehun followed with one of his own, eyes falling into the crescent shape she had grown to admire so deeply. 

"Then you'll have to endure my love for the next eternity." 

"I look forward to it."

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Hecate emerged to the surface, having found no answer from the hearsay which traveled through the Underworld. The one constant she had detected was that many were dying from the unexpected shift in climate. At first she merely pushed it aside; humans are weak by nature, their composition having to be in such specific, stable conditions that she didn't understand how they had risen above the rest of nature's creatures. Though as she stumbled into the open world, a gust of bitter wind hit her, an endless tirade of crystalized water droplets obscuring her vision to the point that all she could see was a blur of white overtaking the landscape of Earth. The atmosphere was cooler than the Underworld, and the precipitation added onto the frigidity of the air.

As if the awaited Underworld wasn't bad enough, the living had to experience their own version of Hell. 

Hecate meandered through the dense blanket of white, her feet sinking into the foreign surface with every step she took. Her vision could only reach a few feet ahead of her before being shrouded by gray nothingness, and the natural life which had once occupied every viable surface had gone vacant. 

After following along the infamous mountainside leading to Demeter's garden, she reached what was once the entrance to nature's haven, now but a shell of its former self. Like the rest of the world Hecate had experienced this far, the ivory tyrant had taken over the once lush greenery of the garden. Trees had gone bare, not a leaf nor bird in sight. The waters had stilled into a solid state with no fish present. Of the dozens of nymphs which once ran the place, not one remained. Instead, through the deafening winds cried a defeated woman. 

Hecate had found Demeter amidst her own personal garden, equally as barren as the rest of the realm. She lied in the coat of white which had killed everything she had worked for, hoping for it to absorb her like the rest of her creations. She felt the pain which every plant had suffered through as the snow had frozen them to death, heard the trees go silent as they went into their eternal slumber. The fauna which had once pranced about freely had gone mute, all scattered someplace else in hopes of warmth. The overview of the city which she had loved dearly had gone deathly quiet. She couldn't recall the last time she saw a person leave their home. Their suffering seemed to never cease as this ice age followed along right after the other tragedies. What's more, the daughter she had once neglected and thought of as a mistake had all but disappeared in the wake of this incident. 

Anyone with a sense of mental capability could see the correlation: Persephone was the cause of this. When the nymphs had realized something was askew, they acknowledged Persephone's absence, reporting it to Demeter. She had no other choice but to call a wide search for her missing daughter, but she was nowhere to be found. Demeter could feel her lifeline still present, but she just disappeared off the face of the Earth. Hermes had been scouring the different realms for signs of Demeter, having even gone to the extremes of checking the Underworld alongside Apollo, yet both came back with no luck. Her daughter had truly disappeared, and she knew it was her own fault. She had no other child but this one, the one which spent her days peacefully with the other nymphs and did no harm whatsoever. Of course she'd run off elsewhere, and now everyone was doomed from Demeter's selfishness.

"Demeter." A voice called out to her. She pulled herself up, staring back at Hecate with complete and utter confusion.

"For what reason did Hades send you?" Hecate winced at the lethargic manner the once proud goddess currently carried herself in. "To gloat?" Demeter dug her hand in the snow, lifting a pile of the plush yet deadly material to her eyes. "To remind me that he was right when it came down to how I had treated my daughter?" 

"What is happening?" Hecate chose to ignore Demeter's nonsense, stomping through the thicket of frost beneath her. 

"Haven't you heard?" Demeter laughed sarcastically, letting the snow fall between her fingers. "My daughter has fled from here, and with her is the warmth this world so desperately needs." 

"Persephone?"

"Persephone." She scoffed, staring off in a blank daze. "The Bringer of Destruction." Demeter stopped and looked around her. "I had encouraged the humans name her that when I was told my daughter had virtually no unique abilities. She was the weakest of her generation of gods. In my disappointment, that was the only name that seemed fitting for a case like her." Demeter faced Hecate, not a trace of hostility which once made up her entire character. She was truly empty. "Look what she's brought: destruction upon humanity."

"This... This was Persephone's doing?" She questioned. Demeter nodded, a tear falling at the thought of her unloved daughter. A sinister smile pulled at Hecate's lips, connecting the surface world's scenario with what was happening in the Underworld. "Demeter." Hecate stepped closer, stretching out her hand to help lift Demeter to her feet. "I believe I know where Persephone is."

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Sehun awoke, blinking away the haze of sleep in his eyes to register his surroundings. He was in his room as expected, and it was morning in the Underworld from what he could detect through his window. Beside him lied Persephone, still peacefully sleeping against his person. Though months had passed since they had confessed their love to one another, he still felt unfamiliar with her presence and the effect it had on him. He was enraptured by it all, by every little thing she did. The drowsiness he'd feel whenever she'd nestle into his side at night, the calm that'd settle into his bones as she’d make him tea every morning, how she'd insisted she wanted to be beside him no matter where he went.

One of the first places he had taken her to was Elysium. It was the most pleasant of locations for the dead, designated for those who had done good in their life before passing away. He had assumed she'd cower away at the sight of the dead, insist they go back home and never return, but instead she looked upon his subjects with pity. 

"This is the place where the heroes go?" She questioned, taking in the surrounding area. It seemed to be a near replica of his own island where they resided. Dark sand beneath their feet, barely any light casted over the blindly wandering souls, an overall dark aura laid over the land like fog. She recalled his description of the place upon her entry to the Underworld, and how the heroes above were sent to Elysium as an incentive to their deeds. This was no good for a place honoring the brave and valiant souls from land. "May I help you with your work?" 

"If that is what you want, then of course." 

For the next few days, she worked on improving the conditions of Elysium, bringing life back to the ground until fields of viridian had been cultivated. Upon her request, Baekhyun had made a Sun for the citizens of Elysium, as well as making one for Persephone herself at home. Lastly, she lead Sehun's minions to construct houses for each tenant. The Elysium inhabitants were grateful, thanking her for her work and commending her warm heart. 

She couldn't help but smile, accepting everyone's thanks happily. Sehun grinned, watching as she was acknowledged for her good deeds. She deserved this. It felt like the risks Sehun had taken had finally paid off, and Persephone was experiencing what life had to offer. Though a dangerous idea came to him once more. 

Why give her up? Why not keep her?

She wasn't appreciated up above, yet not only does she have him, but she now has the hundreds of lives on Elysium who practically worship her. What difference would it make if she were to stay down here? 

As she laid her head against his shoulder, the sounds of the water encasing her as Minseok rowed them back, Sehun continued to fight his thoughts.

'She's treated much better down here, so she shouldn't want to leave me anytime soon, but the decision is entirely up to her.' He helped her out of the boat, dismissing Minseok and leading her to her garden, now shining brilliantly with Baekhyun's light. 'I'm just being selfish. I need to let her go when she's ready to leave.'

He laid his head on her lap as she plucked the daisies around her, explaining each step in creating a daisy chain. Though she believed he was listening to her every word, watching as she weaved the daisies together carefully, he was in fact far too distracted watching her. She was beautiful in everything she did. In how she carried herself and how she spoke, how she found charm in every aspect of the world, how she proved her love for him everyday. 

"You seem distracted." She commented, putting down her half finished chain to focus on the man below her. "Would you like to tell me what you are thinking?" 

"Nothing of significance." He mumbled while continuing to stare up at her, admiring how her hair framed her face and fell in soft tendrils. She pouted, fluttering her lashes as if asking him to be honest. Sehun sighed, ever susceptible to her methods of persuasion before adding on to his statement. "I'm afraid."

"The great Hades of the Underworld? Afraid?" She giggled, stroking his hair soothingly. "What could ever strike fear in such a beast?" 

"You." Her smile faded, now furrowing her brows in confusion. "Your control over me." He reached for a lock of hair dangling beside his head, gently kissing the strands. "I am entirely bewitched by you. You've enraptured my entire being by just showing me your true character." Her hand slowly came to a stop as he spoke. He locked his eyes with hers, now glistening with tears soon to be spilled. "I love you, Persephone." Her fingers traced down from his hair to his face, cupping his cheek endearingly with another smile. 

"I love you, Sehun." 

"I... Fear for the day that you leave me. I know you prefer the surface world, and no matter how much I refuse, I know I cannot hold you from your desires." Persephone leaned down, pressing her lips against Sehun's in a brief kiss. 

"Why would you waste your time on such nonsensical thoughts?" She laid another kiss on his nose, grinning at the way he wrinkled face at her action. "I should be the one afraid. You can dismiss me at any point once you grow bored of me."

"I would never." He insisted, brows twitching into a downturned, upset expression.

"That's why I'm not afraid. I know you love me dearly." His face softened as she stroked away his tension with her thumb, chuckling at his awed countenance. "I hope you know that I love you equally." 

He stayed in his place, trying to process that such a radiant, alluring soul like herself loves him, a shunned man who's name is used to scare both children and adults like a nightmarish tall tale.

She was life. She was the first laugh of a child, the whispers shared between lovers, the exhilaration of existing as one in a constant world of motion. She was the budding of a flower, a dewdrop atop a sprouted lotus floating on a lake. She was what everyone craved, a lovely oddity in nature taken for granted yet wanted by all.

He was death. He was the flu taking children away, the decay separating people. He was the fear riddled in everyone's lives, keeping them in check from experiencing too much of life. He was inevitable. Many have tried to evade his grasp, yet they've failed to understand that he is not a mere commodity at the end of the finish line, but he is always with them at every corner of the race, ready to strike at any given moment. At the end of the day, whether they liked it or not, everyone would become dust. 

She was the dewdrop of a lotus petal, indeed, but he was the force which pulled the drop down, soon to enter the lake beneath at any given moment. 

Yet here they were, life and death hand in hand in perfect balance. He was the painful truth to her beautiful lie, the darkness to her light, the biting cold to her comforting warmth. They were nothing similar to one another, yet they complimented each other brilliantly. She was what he needed in his existence, and he was what she needed. Perhaps that's why he can't seem to let her go. 

Nearby, Sehun's ears detected the familiar sound of Minseok's boat, shattering the trance he had been in as he rose from Persephone's lap, briefly holding her close to him as he stared off at the river. 

"Wait here." He commanded, standing to his feet and striding to the shoreline. His panic settled ever so slightly at the sight of Baekhyun, though he stayed alert at Baekhyun's presence. He never appeared this late. 

"Sehun." He stumbled out of the vessel, rushing to him and grabbing his shoulders. "They know." Sehun's heart dropped, his blood running cold as Baekhyun's eyes darted to and fro. "They know, they know everything."

"How did they find out?" Sehun spat out, to which Baekhyun quickly retracted his touch. 

"I assure you, I never spoke a word of this, not even to Jongin." He reassured. He pointed to the end of the river where he had come from. "Someone else who knows told them, and now they're at your entrance demanding your presence." Sehun clenched his jaw before turning around, rushing back to Persephone in her garden. 

"Stay inside, I'll be right back, don't answer to anyone else but me." He helped her to her feet, lifting her in his arms and taking her inside his home. He ignored her questions, too scared to give her a definitive answer to anything. He didn't know what was to happen to them. 

When he got to the entrance of the Underworld, Baekhyun and Minseok beside him, he grimaced at the welcome wagon awaiting him: his two brothers, Jongdae and Junmyeon, as well as Persephone's mother, Demeter. As he pulled into the shore, he was met by the hostile shouts of Demeter, pointing accusingly at him and stomping her way closer. 

"How dare you, you pathetic excuse of a god." She jabbed her finger into his chest the moment he emerged from the boat. "Your ego must've been overwhelming for you to have the audacity to steal away my daughter. You may be one of the three brothers, but you will not be let off easily." 

"Demeter," Jongdae warned, holding a hand up to stop her. Sehun groaned, much rather preferring Demeter's fury to his brother's passive aggressive behavior. He had hoped he wouldn't have to see him for another millennia or so, yet here he was, the god of gods strolling over to him ever so nonchalant. "Brother, it's been a long while."

"I wish it were longer."

"That's no way to greet your sibling! Junmyeon also missed you, didn't he?" Jongdae turned to Junmyeon, the god of the seas that humans call Poseidon. He pursed his lips into a thin line, the only one to not approach Sehun.

When Sehun was younger, Junmyeon had been his closest friend, practically raising him himself. It was around the time that Jongdae had become the god of lightning and the skies that he sent Junmyeon to the waters and Sehun to the underworld that they stopped talking. Sehun never meant to show Junmyeon his rage, but he struggled for a long time to understand why his dear brother never bothered to help him in this scenario. Why he didn't take the realm instead, why he never visited him anymore, why he didn't fight for them. Now Sehun was indifferent as he looked upon the man he once cherished more than anything else. 

"I would have much rather preferred we meet again under different circumstances, Sehun." Junmyeon spoke softly, still staying a distance away. "I can't say I'm not disappointed."

"As if that were any new information to me." Sehun snapped, ignoring Junmyeon's pained expression to look at Demeter. "She's fine." At that, Demeter choked on her breath, a tear falling down her cheek as Sehun confirmed her daughters' existence there. She clamped a hand over her mouth, glaring once more at him. 

"That's fantastic news!" Jongdae cheered, clapping a hand over Sehun's shoulder. "So where is she?"

"In the Underworld." Demeter glared at him, just now realizing her daughter was nowhere to be found.

"Why didn't you bring her with you?" She snarled. He smirked, finding her turmoil far more pleasing than he had ever expected.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Sehun derided, raising his hands in feign surrender. "But unfortunately, Underworld visiting hours closes when the Sun sets. Judging from the atmosphere in my world currently, it's past sunset." 

"So you're suggesting we leave?" Demeter retorted, scoffing at Sehun's arrogance and looking to Jongdae. "We know Persephone is in there. You're the god of gods. You can do anything you'd like, right?" Jongdae paused, contemplating what next to say as he had already known he was powerless at this very moment. Sehun snickered, knowing exactly what his brother was thinking. 

"Unfortunately, when he gave me ownership of the Underworld, he assured that this was my realm alone. No influence from Olympus could override my ruling." 

Demeter huffed, attempting to calm her broiling anger in that moment as Sehun continued to look over her demeaningly. 

"Then we'll be sure to return tomorrow at sunrise." With that final say, Demeter whirled around, gown flaring up in a dramatic fashion and exiting the Underworld. Jongdae followed suit, as well as Junmyeon, though more hesitant than the others. He offered one final sorrowful look to his brother before leaving the realm of the dead. Sehun released the breath he'd been holding, unclenching his fists and rolling his shoulders back. 

He'd managed to delay the inevitable, but he knew very well that his deadline had finally been met. He hadn't prepared for this, though he knew he should've. He had been ready to drop Persephone back home as if nothing had happened between the two, both going on with their lives with no troubles; He hadn't expected he'd fall in love with his abductee. 

"Sehun." Baekhyun's voice alerted Sehun to his presence, having forgotten not everyone had left him. "I am truly sorry about this. I know how much she means to you. I never intended to let anyone know. I haven't the slightest idea as to how they found out." Sehun acknowledged his words, studying the genuine anguish on Baekhyun's face for the plight at hand. Baekhyun had no part in this, and Sehun knew this. All this scenario had done was confirm that amongst his ranks resided a rat who had betrayed him. 

"You may leave." Sehun mumbled, pivoting to approach Minseok. 

"Sehun, I'm sorry."

"Don't feel guilty. I don't blame you for any of this. You're the only god I can trust." He turned his head to take a glance at Baekhyun, now standing there helplessly. Baekhyun had promised to protect them, yet he failed. Nevertheless, Sehun had still trusted him. "You did help me, though. Thanks to you, I have one more night to spend with my beloved." He bit the inside of his cheek, struggling to contain the influx of emotions now swirling in him. Having said it aloud seemed to impact him far more than he had intended. Not wanting Baekhyun to see him in this weak state, he stepped into the boat, taking a seat and sighing. "I will see you when the sun rises."

The ride to the island was silent, Minseok seeming to detect the turmoil in his overseer and opting to not press him. Sehun's heart ached as thoughts seemed to enter his mind with no exit, a hectic cacophony of the worries and stresses he had attempted to bury away in lieu of his joy; the joy which was spending his days with Persephone. He choked back a sob as he realized he'd never be able to see her endearing smile. Never feel her gentle touches on him when she believed he'd been sleeping. Never experience the euphoria when they'd connect in a kiss. He'd remain in this insipid cavern for the rest of his eternal damnation, having to live with the fact that his one and only love had been revoked from him. 

The subtle jostle of the boat pulling into shore alerted Sehun that he had reached his final destination. Looking up, he could see the house where he had shared every blissful moment he'd ever had with Persephone, soon to be desolate once more. He thanked Minseok before heading to his home where Persephone awaited, but before he could go very far, Hecate emerged from the house. She smiled at him, a sinister aura residing behind her expression. 

"Sehun!" She greeted, voice laced with a faux sweet tone. "How are you! I see the weed has finally departed as scheduled." In a moment's notice, Sehun clamped his hand around her throat, mercilessly slamming her to the ground and keeping his hold on her.

"So you're the rat." He rasped through gritted teeth. Hecate's prior boastful demeanor withered away as Sehun's belligerent stare burned into her retinas, reminding her that she was but a rabbit having wandered into a wolf's den. His grip seemed to tighten with every passing second, her airways becoming increasingly strained to the point that she felt she'd actually die, her immortality feeling more and more distant as she faced the god of the Underworld.

"It was... for the sanctity of your highness... and this realm." She wheezed, clawing at his hand to free her, though he refused to budge. 

"There is nothing holy of me nor my Underworld." Sehun pressed down harder, Hecate feeling herself sink into the ground more. Her eyes were begging to shut, a white haze gradually closing in on vision, creating a tunnel effect with the end leading to Sehun's livid glare.

Sehun felt the life draining from her, yet before her soul could completely depart, he pulled away. Her now unconscious form took in weak inhales, barely managing to hold on to her lifeline. He couldn't kill her. Not after what she had done. If she thought she could take his flower and get away with it, she was gravely mistaken. He grabbed the back of her gown, dragging her down to where Minseok had remained after hearing the commotion. Sehun tossed his former minion into the boat, uncaring of how she landed against the wood. 

"Take her to Tartarus. The deepest, darkest trench you can find. Dump her there. I'll decide what more to do tomorrow." He commanded, turning around once Minseok nodded. 

Sehun rushed into his home, scanning the area for Persephone. She must've hid when she heard Hecate come in, as Hecate had assumed her deed had been carried forth because of her absence. 

"Persephone!" He called out, checking every nook and cranny he could find, though not having to look very far. Beneath his bed, like a cowering cat, Persephone peered at him curiously. 

"Is she gone?" She asked, crawling out of her hiding spot with Sehun's assistance. 

"Yes, she's been taken care of." Once she was seated beside him on the ground where he crouched, he sighed peacefully, running his hand down the side of her face. "You're safe. Thank you for hiding." 

Persephone sat on her knees, leaning forward to pull Sehun into a hug. He held her back, digging his face into her loose hair and breathing in her scent. The scent he'd soon lose along with her. 

"Where did you go in such an urgent manner?" She asked, brushing the back of his head. He remained quiet, keeping her against him as if she'd dissipate when he'd release her. Sooner or later, she would. The thought had him pulling her closer, shutting his eyes to expel the reminders of what's soon to come. She seemed to realize what had been weighing down on Sehun, tears welling up in her eyes as reality settled in between them. She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but she knew he had just received news that she was to leave him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her like he had done to her, as if molding them together would protect her from those outside. "It's okay, Sehun. I'm here." 

At this, Sehun released his first ever tear, the liquid seeming to just spill freely after the first. He was silent with his crying, but Persephone could feel the moisture building up on her neck, further shattering her heart knowing she'd be leaving this man behind. Returning back to her former world where no one cared for her, no one talked to her, everyone took her for granted and wished her gone. If they had wanted her gone so badly, why were they so insistent on taking her back to her suffering. She had finally found happiness in the arms of this god, a fellow reject who hadn't deserved the shunning directed to him in the first place.

A sob wracked through her body as memories of their love flooded her mind. Memories of him telling her stories from before she was born, burning the candle at both ends to make her feel secure in this foreign world, loving her with all of his heart though he remained unsure with himself. She loved him like she had loved no other, nor will she ever love another more than he. 

Sehun pulled her into his lap, pressing kisses beneath her eyes where tears had fallen. Sadness didn't suit her at all. He'd much rather prefer when she's content, when she's happy. It pained him that these intruders had infiltrated their utopia for their own selfish agenda, uncaring of how the two victims of their deeds would manage with the aftermath.

They had taken everything from him from the very beginning, left him in a grayscale, monotonous world while they enjoyed everything the surface world had to offer.

She showed him the splendors of life, the plethora of shades which he had been denied his whole life. 

He had never received anything in his bleak existence. Now that he finally has something in his grasp which he desires, he is forced to let her go. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to let her go. Though he had to. There was no alternative.

Once her cries had calmed to a mere weep, he directed her gaze to him, guiding her face up before pressing his lips to hers. She kissed back fervently, every ounce of love she had for him being exchanged through their touches. His hand traversed down her arm and into her hand, intertwining their fingers together. When he pulled away, allowing her to catch her breath, he admired her once more, memorizing every detail he could see. The slope of her nose, the curve of her lips, the curl in her lashes. 

"I love you." He breathed, placing a quick kiss upon her once more. "I love you so much."

"I love you, Sehun." She reconnected their mouths, her free hand tugging at the short hairs on the nape of his neck. He lifted her in his arms, not breaking the kiss until he had placed her on the bed, climbing in beside her before continuing where he had left off. One hand rested on her back while the other propped himself up, hovering over her form slightly. She held his shoulders, pressing herself against him once more, not wanting to be even a centimeter apart from the love of her life, the love which was being taken away from her. 

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Sehun awoke first, as he usually did. He didn't necessarily want to wake up, still exhausted from the night before, though his body willed him awake. He looked down to where Persephone lay atop his bare chest, her cheek resting on his shoulder and her arm draped across him. Beneath the covers, he could feel their legs intertwined to the point of confusion. He recalled Persephone's tears before she had fallen to sleep, how she begged him to do something more to ward the lot away. He reassured her that everything was to be fine, though deep down, his heart was pleading for the same thing as she. It was a miracle when she finally succumbed to her tiredness, allowing Sehun to shed a few more tears before he himself fell asleep.

Glancing at the window, he grimaced. Sunrise was in just a few minutes. He fought back the urge to cry more as he gently woke Persephone, pressing kisses to her eyelids until they fluttered open. 

"Good morning, my flower." He whispered, stroking her hair as if it were any other morning. 

"Good morning, my love." She responded, smiling at him, though the act hadn't met her grief stricken eyes. 

"You should get dressed." He pressed another kiss to her forehead. "They'll be here soon." She nodded, too empty inside to cry anymore in his presence, though she knew her tears would return tenfold by the time she reached the surface. Sehun was the one to separate himself from their meshed limbs, quickly dressing into his everyday attire as Persephone sat begrudgingly, contemplating why it was so easy for Sehun to separate himself from her when she was struggling to just leave his bed. He leaned over, kissing her lips one last time. Even after the short, yet sweet, parting gift, he lingered for a moment more, feeling her skin against his another time before he separated and left the room, allowing her to change on her own. 

She took another gander about the room. It was terribly dull, as was the rest of his house. She wished she had more time to really renovate and bring out more of Sehun's character. He was a diamond in the rough if she'd ever seen one, becoming more and more brilliant with every minute detail she'd discover. She pressed her nose into his pillow, drowning in the natural, woodsy aroma of Sehun. She had nothing to remember him by except the memories he'd ingrained into her brain. Every time she closed her eyes, she could clearly envision Sehun's breathtaking smile. The way his eyes would form those endearing crescents, glistening like stardust as they admired her. She raised her hands above her face, cupping them in the same way she would to hold his face, imagining he was before her, gazing down at her with such unfathomable kindness. He protected her from the dangers outside the garden when no one else cared. He guarded her from enemies like Hecate, saved her from her own exhaustion by introducing Baekhyun, even stopped her when she was close to eating the fruits of his island; those ceaseless pomegranates he despised so much. 

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Sehun had waited outside of his home, hoping Persephone would dress quickly before the rescue team arrived to take her away. He wanted more time with her, even a second more would have sufficed. A second more to be with his beloved flower. His pleas were silenced as Minseok rowed to the shore, an entourage of gods loading off the vessel and making their way to Sehun cautiously. Demeter was particularly uncomfortable, peering around the Underworld in disgust. 

"I cannot believe you've had my daughter detained in this pit with the likeness of you." She spat, standing before the now defeated Sehun. "Soon, she'll return to me and proceed with her daily tasks which she has been slacking on." Sehun gritted his teeth, standing at his full height and towering over the lot in front of him. 

"I'm afraid to say Persephone is currently dressing. She will be down any moment now." Demeter gasped, clamping a hand over her heart.

"You've had my daughter sleeping in the same building as yourself?" Sehun smirked, leaning down to be face to face with Demeter. 

"I've had your daughter sleeping in the same bed as myself." At this, she shouted indignantly at the shrewd man, stepping back to give herself space from Sehun, who was chuckling to himself after having found some source of pleasure in this predicament. 

"I'd much rather deal with the likings of Hecate than you." She jeered from behind Jongdae. 

"Please, be my guest. I'll take you to Tartarus myself." Before Demeter could argue back, Jongdae cut into the conversation. 

"When do you think she'll be ready?" He asked, eyebrows curving up in worry as he wanted not one more moment in this place. Sehun glanced up at the window belonging to his room, humming for a moment as he thought back to Jongdae's question. It was peculiar that she was spending a rather long while getting changed. She'd usually just toss on whatever was closest to her before running out to him, not wanting to waste another second without him by her side. 

"Allow me to check." Sehun was about to turn around until Demeter yanked at his clothing, causing him to stumble back slightly. 

"Like I'd ever let you view even a speck of skin on Persephone. I'll check." She attempted to move forward but stopped at Sehun's loud laughter. No one could recall the last time they saw Sehun smile, let alone display such joy. 

"Demeter, I'm sorry to tell you that once more, you're a tad bit late on these matters regarding Persephone." She began shouting profanities at the man who disappeared into his house in search of the goddess of the hour. He was about to head upstairs until he saw the back entrance of his house tossed open haphazardly.

She's run off. 

He stepped out again, scratching his head in confusion as everyone awaited his answer. 

"She's not here." He explained. "Follow me, she's most likely at her cottage." The group trailed behind him as he led them to Persephone's cottage. 

"What is all of this?" Junmyeon asked curiously as they approached the house surrounded by the flora of the surface world. The quaint and lively cottage was a rather far fetched juxtaposition to Sehun's dreary and modest home, so Junmyeon could see this was not fit to his tastes.

"I replicated her home so she'd adjust better to her new surroundings." He replied, reaching the entrance and knocking on the door. There was no answer. Now becoming increasingly worried, Sehun pushed the door open, peeking in as he called out her name. Nothing. 

Where could she have gone? They were on an island, Minseok was still at the shore, and she was in neither of the buildings. He turned around to the path they'd take in their morning strolls, wondering if perhaps she had decided to take one last lap around before leaving to remember their time by. It was rather early in the morning compared to their usual outing schedule, so early he hadn't had time to uproot the pomegranate trees from the surrounding area.

The pomegranate trees.

"Persephone." He whispered, his heart all but sinking to his stomach at the realization. His breathing kicked up, his legs pushing forward in a sprint down the path, leaving behind the flustered group calling out to him. "Persephone!" 

It took him less than a minute to catch up to her, crouched by the shore line with her back to him. He ran to her, pulling her into his arms without another moment of thought. She screamed, arms reaching out desperately as an object in her possession had collapsed to the ground. Sehun looked down, eyes widening at the sight of a half eaten pomegranate. He turned her around to face him, lips stained red from the juices of the fruit she'd consumed. His eyebrows twitched in rage. Not anger towards her, nor towards the fruit she had just eaten,but anger towards himself that he couldn't protect her to the end of the line. 

"What is the matter with you, Sehun?" Jongdae asked, wheezing as he had finally caught up. He gasped as he saw who Sehun had wrapped in his arms. "Persephone."

"Persephone!" Demeter called, running to the girl with a relieved expression until she saw her face. "What were you just eating now?" 

Persephone stayed quiet, rather instead shook off her mother's touch and recoiled into Sehun's hold once more. 

"Oh no." Junmyeon grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he too processed what had happened. 

"Persephone," Baekhyun breathed out, eyes frantically darting from the pomegranate on the ground to the red lipped goddess cowering from them. "Persephone, you didn't." 

"What did you do to my daughter, you tyrant!" Demeter shouted, causing Persephone to fight back for Sehun. 

"Leave him be!" She screamed, frightening the mass of gods who had only ever seen her as a timid nymph her entire life. "He is not the menace you all insist he is. He is the most benevolent of everyone currently here." She pressed herself closer to Sehun, stealing his warmth and shielding herself from both the frigid Underworld morning and the frigid parasites currently trying to steal her away from him. "I love Sehun." 

"Whether you love him or not does not matter. He is the harbinger of death and you are a goddess of life." Persephone scowled at the words being said to her, finding no significance in them as she knew the love she had for Sehun could not be understood by any mere living being. "You do not belong here. I'm taking you back home-"

"This is my home now."

"Persephone." Junmyeon interjected, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're needed on the surface." She peeked at him, eyebrows upturned nervously. "You've probably already heard of what's happening up above, but it's becoming increasingly harder for the people of Earth to manage this winter." Sehun watched Junmyeon tenderly touch Persephone, smiling internally as he watched the aftermath of his plan unfold before him: they've finally acknowledged her worth as a goddess. "The people need you more than ever. You are now the herald of spring." 

"How can she leave though? She ate the pomegranate." Baekhyun questioned. 

"She ate half, to be specific." Jongdae added. "Meaning she's to spend half of her life in the Underworld."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Demeter questioned. "She's immortal, she has no end to her lifetime."

"It would still have the same effect as giving up half of her life in the Underworld if we alternated the times she spends here with the times she spends above using equal increments of time."

"Are you suggesting she spend 100 years above and 100 years below?" The lovers winced at the time span offered, holding each other tighter as they did not want to be separated. 

"I believe we should think more in the circumstance of humans, wouldn't you agree?" Junmyeon asked, glancing to Sehun with reassurance in his eyes. "Therefore, I suggest working in increments of years."

"So they meet every other year?" Jongdae asked. 

"I was thinking perhaps more so the time she's been gone: 6 months." Junmyeon allowed everyone to soak in his words for a moment before continuing. "6 months here, 6 months up above. That way, humans can prepare easier if this winter becomes routine. Like a habit." 

With agreements from every member in the circle, it had been decided like a contract. Persephone was to spend half a year with the humans and the gods, and half a year with her lover in their home. She buried her face into Sehun's chest, tears of joy spilling onto his tunic as she embraced him once more until they meet again, and this time they had an agreed upon reunion. Sehun hugged her back, pressing kiss after kiss atop her head, eyes beginning to water from the overwhelming delight he felt. He glanced over to see Junmyeon smiling at the pair, fondly watching over them like a father.

"Thank you," Sehun mouthed to him. He nodded, following the rest of the group as they retreated back to Minseok's boat. Sehun went along with them, holding Persephone close to him as they took their final ride for the time being. Though Demeter grumbled away about how she now had to associate herself with Sehun more than she previously had, the whispered support from Baekhyun and Junmyeon was enough to firmly plant Sehun's feet on cloud 9. He had finally won something in his miserable life, he's finally achieved the one thing he had been requesting for years: happiness. Persephone traced the lines of his hand, ignoring her mother's prattling to bask in Sehun's ambience one last time as they finally pulled into shore. Sehun pulled her to her feet, helping her to descend from the boat and guiding her directly to the entrance where he could see the flurry of snow everyone had been fretting about. 

"I guess this is goodbye." She smiled up at him, wishing she could take him with her, but she knew he was busy with his own agenda. 

"For now." He added, squeezing her hands. He wrapped his arms around her, encasing her with a little bit more warmth before she'd have to leave him. "Stay safe. You get so terribly cold in the mornings." 

"I will be okay. Take care of yourself. Get sleep, eat your meals, lie under the Sun. Remember you have Cerberus who loves you as much as I." 

"Persephone!" Demeter called, already having ventured into the blizzard. Sehun dove down, pressing a quick, firm kiss to her before separating, allowing her to retreat from his grasp and wander into the abysmal white of the atmosphere. When they had all faded from his vision, he slowly turned around, heading back to Minseok to return to his now near empty home. Though rather than mourning as he had originally planned on doing, he was hopeful. 

"6 months." He reminded himself, stepping on the boat and staring back at the entrance where she had just stood. 

"I assume everything worked out for the best." Minseok noted. Sehun nodded, a small grin on his face as he gazed at the hand Persephone had been touching. "The queen shall return soon?" His heart skipped a beat at the referral of her technical title. As she was now Sehun's other, she was, of course, the Queen of the Underworld. It was fitting for her. Not in an ironic sense, taking into account that she was the bringer of life, but in a practical sense. She not only was a perfect fit for him, a paragon of what a partner should be in both a romantic and professional sense, but she understood the Underworld. She understood the duties Sehun had, the importance of keeping everything orderly, as well as offering true incentives for those who deserved it. She was right for him in every sense of the word. 

"Yes," Sehun responded, turning away from the entrance for now as Minseok sailed off. "She will return in due time."

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Baekhyun bounded off the skiff, Junmyeon following close behind as the two made their way through Sehun's island. By habit, they ignored his house, knowing he was rarely ever home these days. Instead, they approached the distant cottage belonging to Persephone. As expected, at the center of the patch of foliage lies Sehun, far too preoccupied staring at the daisies sprouting around him to notice the duo approaching. 

"Sehun!" Baekhyun called out, stopping at the edge of the small garden where the grass began. Last he had stepped on a singular blade of grass, Sehun nearly sent him to Tartarus himself, claiming he had been tarnishing Persephone's paradise. Sehun turned over, waving at the two men before standing. 

"You two have arrived early." Sehun took a final gander at the garden before reconvening with his two accomplices.

"But of course," Junmyeon responded, patting Sehun's back as they made their way to Minseok once more. "If we had delayed for even a second more, you'd have left us behind." 

"Perhaps."

Junmyeon and Baekhyun had become frequent visitors of Sehun's after the Persephone debacle. Baekhyun had been there for him during the beginning of her absence, when nights had become more agonizing than they've ever been, and the only source of water her garden would experience were from his tears. Baekhyun gave him company, offered him hope for when she would return, and reminded him that he no longer had to suffer the agonizing loneliness he had endured before. Eventually, Baekhyun became a package deal with Junmyeon tagging along with him.

The two naturally made up, Junmyeon apologizing for having abandoned him so early on. He regretted doing so, always thinking of his well being and feeling heartbroken upon every awful rumor which circulated about him. He praised Sehun for having chosen the perfect girl, and for remaining true to his character after all these years. It was simple to say that Junmyeon had become Sehun's brother once more. Another person he could rely on. 

Now here they were together, off to retrieve Persephone from Demeter's haven.

"How is Persephone managing?" Sehun inquired. Baekhyun hummed to himself and grinned.

"She's well." He answered. "She misses you dearly." 

Something Sehun had noticed through this 6 month drought was that his love for her never ceased. He had heard of many gods growing bored of their plaything before tossing it away, soon to be forgotten by the time the next interest arrives. He feared he and his love would lose the spark they had, now condemned to one another for life whether they liked it or not. However, that spark had all but bursted into an undying flame. His love for her seemed to grow by the day, his heart yearning to reunite once more. Oh, how he missed her. 

The road to Demeter's garden seemed to stretch as far as the eye can see, and Sehun groaned at the distance still separating them. Baekhyun and Junmyeon encouraged him to persevere, laughing as he stared indignantly at them. Along the way, they picked up a stray in their path. A certain god by the name of Jongin. 

"Sehun!" He greeted enthusiastically. "It's great to see you again! I'm glad to see our meets are becoming more frequent these days." 

"Do not feel as if you are receiving special treatment." He warned, pushing past him and continuing his trek. "I couldn't care less of our interactions."

"Oh, I realize that." He followed along closely, continuing his conversation even if Sehun was neglecting him. "Every soul on Earth has heard the captivating tale of Hades stealing away the daughter of Demeter and living happily ever after." 

"Grossly mistold, I'm assuming." 

"To an extent. Nevertheless, it has gained you both more intrigue from the humans."

Sehun swept his eyes across the landscape, no longer swept away by barricades of snow, but back to its original glory thanks to Persephone's inherent warmth and power. Even if he was made out to be the villain of the story, he was glad to see that Persephone was finally being acknowledged as she should. 

Demeter's garden had also returned to its original state. Sehun had heard of how barren it had become, though now was flourished with life of all kinds. Nymphs rushed to and fro, making last minute preparations for the winter to come. As he meandered through the chaos, the three gods trailing behind him, nymphs would greet him respectfully, bowing their heads as they whizzed by. If even he was being treated as such, he could only imagine how Persephone was.

As if having heard his thoughts, a yell jostled Sehun into high alert, turning around to see Persephone bounding at him, giving him a mere second to respond by catching her. She pressed kisses over his face, holding him tightly as to ensure he couldn't escape her. Not that he ever would. A content smile stretched across his face, accepting every kiss given to him. He ignored the sets of eyes staring at him, the taunts coming from his friends, and even the domineering aura of Demeter herself. 

"Sehun." She snided, still not fond of him at all. 

"Demeter." She looked to Persephone, still latched onto him like a leech before huffing out of her nose. 

"Take care." She attempted to turn around but stopped for a moment. "That is both yourself and my daughter." 

"Thank you." Sehun bid her farewell. She nodded at his response, turning to further instruct the nymphs on how to prepare the animals for hibernation. 

"Hello," Persephone gushed, pulling away and stepping back to admire him fully.

"Hello." The two laughed as they embraced each other, disregarding any need for a proper greeting. They were too ecstatic to be reunited once more. Sehun's heart swelled with joy as he held her, relief washing over him as if he had found an oasis in the midst of the desert. Even being so far from the Underworld, he felt right at home in her arms. 

"We'll leave you two to make up for lost time," Baekhyun whispered, pulling Junmyeon and Jongin away as they waved back to the two. Sehun faced Persephone again, grinning fondly at the familiar face which had occupied his mind everyday for the past 6 months. She was now here, materialized before him, no longer just a figment of his thoughts. She was as radiant as ever, outshining the Sun above them with her smile and the stars at night with her eyes. He was truly blessed to have such a being love him, all thanks to that day where she spared but a shred of the kindness in her heart to the likes of him. Perhaps he had fallen in love with her right then and there. Perhaps he learned how to truly love along the way.

He took her hand in his, guiding her away from the commotion of the garden and leading her down the road to the Underworld. 

"I missed you, Sehun," She noted as they walked. He glanced at her, meeting her gaze on his eyes with a snicker.

"I missed you more, Persephone."

"Mother changed my name." Sehun quirked a brow at this, boring her stoicism in the matter. "Kore. It means daughter." At this, Sehun scoffed in disbelief.

"That woman is insufferable. After everything she had put you through, all she could muster was 'daughter?'" 

"It's not so bad." She kicked a rock along the way, lips pulling back slightly as she thought of her mother. "At least she acknowledges me as her own rather than thinking of me as a disaster."

"Shall I begin referring to you as Kore?" She laughed, shaking her head at his question. 

"I... Like my name coming from you." Her hand slid away from grasp, wrapping her arms around his in a gentle hug. "You say Persephone with such love. It makes me forget the true meaning. Instead, I feel like someone I've always wanted to be." She rested her head on his bicep, shutting her eyes and letting him escort her to their home. "I feel free when I'm with you. Free to do whatever I want to do, be whoever I want to be, love whoever I want to love." He leaned over, kissing the top of her head endearingly. "Thank you for giving me the life I could never have dreamed of having." 

"Thank you for giving me life."

a/n: if youre reading this: congratulations! youve finished it! i cant offer you much, but i am impressed at your resilience! thank you for reading my stuff :)