#man hades and hypnos was one of my fave pairings from the game and there was so little content

[happyk44]

"Your work ethic has been outstandingly inadequate as of late."

Hypnos rubbed the back of his neck nervously. The weight of Hades' look - intense black eyes - nearly had his feet pressing into the ground. As it was, they were just grazing the carpeting in front of his desk.

"Sorry, Master," he said. "I, uh-"

"Hundreds of shades flock my halls and yet I only see a few dozen names listed," Hades carried on. His voice stung deep into Hypnos' head. "I have given you more chances than you deserve. Your insolence is becoming more than that of my son."

"I don't mean to be insolent, Lord Hades." Hypnos wrung his wrists. A yawn stifled in his mouth, his tongue sluggish in his attempt to hold it back. "It's just awfully exhausting greeting shades every day and night."

"How exhausting can it be when you are lazing about, in pathetic belief I cannot see you?"

"Oh!" Flustered, he stared down at the floor. "I wasn't aware you had noticed that."

"It is near impossible to avoid my notice," Hades growled. "You seek to spend your hours asleep, as though I would continue to pay for services unrendered? Perhaps you will be better suited to the deepest depths of Erebus then."

"Ah, I would prefer to avoid Erebus, if I could, Master."

"You provide me with little benefits these days, Hypnos." Hades folded his hands over one another. "I'm sure your mother would be happy to visit."

A chill burned down his spine. "That's not…. really my concern, Master."

"Then you should have thought of that beforehand." His growl rolled so thick in the air, Cerberus perked up in curiousity, his muzzles snarling before he recognized the tone.

"You of all people should know my sole duty is to house the dead. The living must prove themselves worthy of remaining in my home, lest they find themselves banished. If you are so fearful of Erebus, perhaps you should do as Zagreus does and appeal to the Olympians good graces."

His feet hit the ground. The sensation shuddered up through his soles. His thighs shook. "But I am the god of sleep. It just comes so naturally to me, sir!"

Hades' black eyes bore into him. His knees quaked. "And your brother is death, yet I do not see him dying every minute he should be working!"

"Ah, well, Master-"

"Silence yourself, Hypnos." Hades glowered harder at him. Hypnos near fell to his knees. The trembling began to vibrate throughout his whole body, almost shaking the plush cloak from his shoulders.

He whimpered, averting his gaze. Beside him Cerberus let out a soft woof and began cleaning his center muzzle with one paw.

"You think I shouldn't punish you for your insolence?"

"No, Master. I just…" He did not want to be sentenced to Erebus.

Bleak and cold with no one to visit. And his dreams would not penetrate very far under all those layers. He glanced up once more. The firmness of Hades' stare made his voice crack. "I can do better! I swear!"

"You've sworn the same all too many times!" Hades bellowed. "I cannot sit idly by and allow you to continually disappoint me! The dead do not stop flowing! I cannot have months of backlog on my desk, the hall filled to the brim with shades, so thick I can barely see past them!"

He thumped a mighty hand against his desk. The walls and floor shook. Hypnos squawked as he landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. His ass burned.

"Their chattering is meaningless and bothersome, Hypnos! I prefer to see them moving out rather than lingering."

"But- but-" He flailed to his feet again, stumbling back.

"I have no use for someone who lacks such productivity! Even Zagreus in his administration days worked as well as he could! You-" The snarl echoed throughout Hypnos' head. Heated tears brimmed at his eyes. "-do nothing of the sort."

"My responsibilities to the sleeping are-"

"Inconsequential!" Hades shouted. He stood to full height and Hypnos collapsed back down once more. "People will sleep, people will die! You are not the reason it exists! People died long before your brother was born. People slept long before you were born! Wars were waged long before that blasted Ares was born! You are the belief of it! Not the thing itself!"

He spluttered, flailing.

"You think you do not deserve a punishment as horrendous as Erebus, fine!" Hades appeared in front of him in a flash of flames and shadows. He whimpered. "Then tell me, Hypnos, what should I do with someone so incapable of doing something as simple as greeting the dead."

Such venom dripped from his name that he hated it. Never had he been spoken to with such contempt before. "I-" He looked around for help but the hall was completely vacated of anyone but shades. "I-"

Cerberus ignored him, cleaning the other two heads. He swallowed thickly and weakly whimpered out, "I can do better, Master."

"You can barely stay awake to do better."

"I- I- I can stay awake!" He frantically gripped at his own clothes to avoid desperately clawing at the towering man in front of him. "I'll have the chef make me coffees or-or-or I can- I-"

Hades' large hand gripped through his curls and yanked his head back. His knees buckled.

The pull of his curls sent shocks and shivers down his back. He whined loudly, reaching up to alleviate the pain but Hades only slapped his hands away and forced him even farther back. The angle only sought to prove how terrifying Hades could be up close and in person.

Tall, large and completely imposing. Black eyes like a starless void, whispering nightmares.

"You think you should be allowed to impose your uselessness on the Head Chef?" he hissed. Tears burned at the edge of Hypnos' eyes. "If you cannot keep yourself functioning on your own, then what purpose do you serve me?"

"I can- I can still serve you, Master!" His hands drew up to Hades', still clenched tight in his curls. This time the man didn't bat him away but only tightened his grip.

Pain spiked down the back of his neck.

Don't send me to Erebus, he begged voicelessly, squeezing his eyes shut.

Like a chariot collision, his thoughts were firing rapidly, slamming into each other at high speed. His voice slurred together, endless promises echoing.

"I can!" he swore again. "I can service you!"

Hades' raised an eyebrow. Brief amusement coloured his pastel gray skin.

His slip of the tongue hit him like a spear to the chest. He sputtered rapidly but nothing came out.

"Service me?" Hades' voice crawled over his skin like a shroud of chilling flames. Burning so hot it felt as though he'd been buried alive in the snow. It froze him still in Hades' tight hold. His lips fell open but nothing but a wheezy gasp slid past his tongue.

"Perhaps that would be where you would be best suited, Hypnos."

He whimpered. "Master, I-"

"Silence!" The boom of his voice echoed throughout the filled hall.

The shades lingering began to shuffle away, sliding through walls in fear. Somewhere behind him, he could hear the tell-a-tale clack of shoes turning in the other direction and Dusa's nervous gasp before she'd likely ascended far and out of view.

No one else wanted to become privy to their Master's