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Entry tags:
take my hand (now and forever) (Hades, Thanatos/Zagreus)
Title: take my hand (now and forever)
Fandom: Hades
Characters: Thanatos/Zagreus
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 3,214
Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Banter
Challenge: Fluffity Fluff Exchange 2024
Summary: Five times Thanatos watches out for Zagreus, and one time Zagreus does the same for him.
Notes: Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fluffityfluffexchange, for Goldtinted on AO3. I took the prompts of "A taking care of injured B" and "5+1 Things" as the jumping off point for this fic.
Contains minor spoilers for anyone who hasn't reached the surface in-game yet, plus a warning for temporary character death, but given that this is Hades The Temporary Character Death Game I didn't think that warranted an official tag.
Read on AO3.
1.
Zagreus opens his eyes and sees only darkness above him. For a moment he worries that he’s somehow damaged his vision, and he wonders how that could be possible—hit his head too hard, perhaps?—until a face appears in his line of sight, peering down at him. Ah. His eyesight is fine. That’s only the darkness of Tartarus looming above—as well as a mildly concerned-looking Thanatos.
“Thought I’d lost you there for a second,” Thanatos says, once Zagreus stirs.
Zagreus opens his mouth to tease—“Were you worried about me?”—but he barely manages to make a sound before Thanatos continues,
“It would be very embarrassing if you wiped out this early.”
Zagreus shuts his mouth. His head does hurt, but the blow he’d taken from the Wretched Thug had hardly been strong enough to kill him. This time.
Thanatos holds out a hand and Zagreus clasps his wrist, allowing himself to be pulled up onto his feet. He sways, only slightly, but it’s enough to make Thanatos frown. His hand curls tighter around Zagreus’s forearm, and Zagreus stands perfectly still, not wanting to dislodge him. Or fall over.
When Thanatos finally lets go, it’s to conjure up a Centaur Heart.
“I didn’t earn that,” Zagreus says, not moving to take it. “You clearly won.”
Thanatos isn’t dissuaded. “A gift, then.”
Zagreus continues to eye the heart suspiciously.
“You give me gifts all the time,” Thanatos points out, crossing his arms over his chest. “Take it, before I change my mind.”
Zagreus doesn’t need more persuading than that, and he accepts the gift with a small smile, already feeling a little better. Thanatos doesn’t gloat, but he looks subtly satisfied in a way that pleases Zagreus as well.
“You best be careful out there,” Thanatos says. “I can’t always be around to bail you out.”
“I’ll try my best,” Zagreus replies. “No promises.”
Thanatos makes an unimpressed noise and vanishes in a swirl of smoke.
2.
With one more hefty swing of his sword, the final Inferno Bomber vanishes in an explosion of light and smoke, its last bomb detonating with a bang. Zagreus stumbles away from the site of impact, breathing heavily, the end of his sword trailing through the dirt and ash. It’s been a rough few battles and Zagreus really could use a breather, but he can’t afford to stop now. Not when he’s still got so far to go.
Dragging himself to the nearest raft, he steadies it with one foot on the edge and prepares to board.
“I’d try that one over there,” a voice interrupts. Zagreus jerks back, looking around.
Thanatos is behind him, and he’s pointing at the next raft over.
“Cheers, mate,” Zagreus says, leaning more of his weight on the Stygian Blade. “I remember you telling me once you couldn’t keep bailing me out.”
Thanatos remains floating, keeping out of the grime of Asphodel. “Clearly I underestimated how much help you would need.”
Zagreus grins at him, dirty and burn-marked but cheerful underneath it all. “Regretting it yet?”
“Of course not,” Thanatos says in that deadly serious way of his.
“Of course not,” Zagreus repeats, his smile going soft.
Thanatos cocks his head, watching him. “What’s that look for?”
“Just thinking about what a softy you are,” Zagreus says without missing a beat.
Thanatos scoffs and looks away, motioning at the raft he’d indicated before. “Get on with it then, before I change my mind about helping.”
“You said you weren’t regretting it!” Zagreus exclaims, but Thanatos is gone already, nothing but smoke left behind.
“A temperamental softy,” Zagreus mutters to no one, picking up his sword so it’s no longer dragging on the ground and making his way over to the suggested raft. He steps onto it and floats his way to the next island over the rivers of magma.
When he lands he sees the fountain at the other end of the path, a moment of peace to rest and heal before moving on, and as he approaches the crisp blue waters he silently thanks Thanatos for looking out for him.
3.
“Ow,” Zagreus says pointedly, then repeats it for good measure. “Ow.”
As Zagreus sits on a large rock in one of the many grassy fields of Elysium, keeping as still as he can, Thanatos pokes and prods at his dislocated shoulder.
“Is there any use in me pointing out that you’ve suffered far graver injuries than this before?”
Zagreus pouts at him. “That doesn’t mean you have to be so rough.”
Thanatos mutters something under his breath that Zagreus doesn’t quite hear, though it sounds a bit like Thanatos is threatening him. Nothing to be concerned about, he’s sure. If Thanatos actually meant it, he wouldn’t be taking the time to patch Zagreus up.
“Just tell me when you’re going to—”
Without warning, Thanatos pops his arm back into the socket with one quick motion, and Zagreus yelps in surprise.
“Sorry.” Thanatos’s hands are still on Zagreus’s bare shoulder, fingers gentle as he feels for anything out of place. “You’re lucky you scraped by with only a dislocation.”
“Right, I’ll be sure to thank Asterius next time I see him,” Zagreus says dryly.
“That will likely be soon. Be sure to watch for when he starts to charge. You always wait too long to dodge—or worse, use your sword to try and block it.”
Zagreus reaches up and grasps at one of Thanatos’s hands, giving him a squeeze. “I’ll be all right, Than. I’ve done this plenty of times.”
“And died plenty of times,” Thanatos reminds him, but he stops fussing over Zagreus’s shoulder. He doesn’t pull his hand out of Zagreus’s grasp, so Zagreus doesn’t let go either. Maybe Thanatos needs the reassurance. Maybe he hasn’t noticed Zagreus is holding onto him. He’s so hard to read sometimes.
“No chance I can get you to turn around now?” Thanatos asks after a few moments, voice soft.
“Not a one,” Zagreus replies breezily. Before he can think better of it, he ducks his head and kisses the hand he’s still holding onto, a brief graze of lips over Thanatos’s knuckles. Thanatos’s hand tightens involuntarily on Zagreus’s (freshly dislocated) shoulder, and Zagreus can’t even be mad. He did sort of ask for that, acting like he is.
“I’ll make it this time, Than. Trust me.”
Thanatos sighs and finally draws his hand back from Zagreus’s grasp. “How are you always so damn confident?”
Zagreus grins. “Easy. I’ve got you on my side.”
4.
There’s blood in his eyes and he feels rather woozy as he surfaces in the Pool of Styx. Strange how it’s something new every time. He rubs a hand over his face, expecting to hear Hypnos’s startled exclamation of surprise like he usually does, but the hall is blissfully quiet. Instead he’s the one who’s startled to discover Thanatos lounging against a pillar near the steps leading out of the pool.
“Helping Hypnos shirk his duties?” Zagreus jokes.
“He was called away by your father,” Thanatos says, unmoving as Zagreus stumbles up the stairs. “I happened to be nearby.”
“My lucky day.” Zagreus flashes Thanatos a charming smile made only slightly less charming by the blood smeared across his face. “How’d you know I was going to show up?”
“I didn’t.”
Zagreus’s expression flickers, ever so briefly surprised, but the smile returns almost at once. “Your lucky day, then.”
Thanatos doesn’t reply, just makes a quiet noise. He seems to be studying Zagreus, but what for, Zagreus doesn’t know. It certainly is unnerving to be on the other end of that stare—or it would be if Zagreus wasn’t so used to it.
“Since you’re here, do you want to hang out?” Zagreus asks, once it’s clear Thanatos isn’t going to offer any more conversation himself.
“Not going to rush off again?”
Zagreus shakes his head, and blood drips out of his hair onto his face, making him wince. He probably looks terrible right now, though it isn’t like Thanatos hasn’t seen him looking worse.
Thanatos’s shoulders loosen slightly, and he steps away from the wall at last, joining Zagreus by the entrance to the pool.
“All right, then,” he agrees. Then, even more surprisingly, he lifts the end of the cloak normally draped over his arm and uses the hem to wipe away the blood dripping from Zagreus’s hair, dabbing at his temple.
“Oh,” says Zagreus, and doesn’t even think of pulling away. Thanatos’s touch is soft, almost careful, as he runs the hem of his cloak down the side of Zagreus’s face, then back to wipe at the curve of his ear.
“I’m okay,” Zagreus says just as softly, so as not to disturb whatever this is. “Never felt better.”
Thanatos, as often is the case, isn’t dissuaded. His cloaked fingers brush against the underside of Zagreus’s jaw. “You did just die.”
“A lot of people die, Than. As you very well know.”
“A lot of people aren’t like you.”
Zagreus doesn’t know what that means and he’s too afraid to ask. He just lets Thanatos do as he likes and tries not to be weird about it.
For his part, Thanatos isn’t weird about it at all. He wipes the blood from Zagreus’s face and then draws his hand back as if everything that just happened was the most normal thing in the world for him to do, releasing the bloodied end of his cloak and letting it fall.
“Thanks,” Zagreus says in that earnest way of his. “Are we still—do you want—”
“Lead the way, Zag,” Thanatos replies, and Zagreus beams at him.
5.
“When I make it to the surface this time, join me up there.”
He’d said that to Thanatos before he left the House of Hades, but now that he’s only a short ways away from getting out, he wonders if Thanatos will actually listen. He’s a very busy person, and while he’s always been willing to help out when Zagreus is in trouble, maybe this doesn’t count as something important enough to slack off from work for.
He treks down the forest path, feet melting the clumps of snow beginning to pile up. He supposes if Thanatos doesn’t show up, he can just tend to Mother’s house and garden until the River Styx claims him.
Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait. Thanatos is waiting for him on the path, and Zagreus smiles, hurrying to greet him. Thanatos is floating again, keeping out of the cold and the dirt, but Zagreus doesn’t care, just reaches for his hand.
“What’s all this about, Zag?” Thanatos asks, allowing Zagreus to take his hand without protest.
“Just hold on,” he says, leading Thanatos the rest of the way down the path. As the trees thin, the path opens up to the cliffside he passes every time on the way to his mother’s cottage. It’s still dark out, the cold winter air prickling his skin, but he doesn’t mind it.
“Zagreus…” Thanatos prompts again. “Is everything…well? I know you can’t stay up here long.”
“I’m fine, we won’t be long.” He squeezes Thanatos’s hand and leads him up to the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea. The waters below look dull and dark, the sky very much the same. But as it often does whenever Zagreus passes by, the sun soon begins to rise.
It moves slowly over the horizon, a mere wisp of red and orange at first, then growing stronger as it rises higher, pulled along by Helios’s shining chariot. The surface world explodes in an array of color, the sky warming under the brilliant rays, the churning waters of the sea shimmering brightly, each crystal of melting snow sparkling as the light hits them. The first time Zagreus had witnessed this, he almost hadn’t thought it real.
His hand still in Zagreus’s, Thanatos lands beside him, the snow crunching softly beneath his feet. They stand together in silence watching the sunrise, fingers entwined.
The quiet is only broken when Zagreus lets out a pained grunt, dropping to one knee. He clutches at his chest, feeling the tug of the Styx at his very core. Thanatos falls to his knees without hesitation and catches Zagreus before he hits the ground, cradling him gently in his arms. He settles down in the snowy grass and rests Zagreus against his lap.
“Thank you for being here,” Zagreus grits out, his breath quickening as he struggles to cling to consciousness. He can feel Thanatos’s fingers in his hair, stroking soothingly, but his vision is fading fast.
“Always,” Thanatos murmurs, and the last thing Zagreus feels is the press of lips against his forehead before the Styx takes him away.
+1
“I ask that you take care of my dear son. I often fear that he shall work himself too hard.”
Zagreus turns Nyx’s words around in his mind for what feels like the hundredth time since he heard them. It shames him slightly that in his desperate quest to reach the surface he never stopped to check how Thanatos was doing, especially with how Thanatos had, in his own odd way, been taking care of him. He’d just been so single-mindedly focused on his goal that all else fell to the wayside.
Well, now he has the chance to make up for his oversight. He just has to get his hands on Thanatos, which is proving more difficult than expected.
“I believe your friend left to take care of a job,” Achilles says to him with a knowing smile, and Zagreus’s ears are red as he trudges away.
“Thanatos? I think he just left,” Megaera says, idly tapping the end of her whip against the table. “Want me to track him down and drag him back for you?” she adds, a little too gleefully, which Zagreus politely declines.
“What, Thanatos? No, I haven’t talked to him!” Hypnos says cheerfully. “Does he want to talk to me? That’s swell, tell him he can talk to me any time!”
There’s no proper passage of time in the Underworld, but this goes on for what Zagreus assumes days feel like. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Thanatos was avoiding him. Thankfully they’re past all that by now and the most likely explanation is that Thanatos is, unsurprisingly, working too much.
Zagreus is relaxing (not moping!) in his bedroom when Dusa helpfully pops into the room and tells him Thanatos has been spotted by the lounge. He just stares dumbly at her for a long moment, then there’s a flurry of movement as he scrambles out of bed and nearly trips over his own feet rushing into the hall, frantically signaling the shades to begin setting up his grand plan. Then he hurries toward the lounge to catch Thanatos before he disappears again.
“Than!” Zagreus calls as soon as he spots him, waving. Thanatos turns toward the noise, smiling faintly when he realizes who’s calling him.
“Zagreus,” Thanatos replies with less volume but no less affection, and Zagreus skids to a stop in front of him. “I’m sorry, it’s been a while.”
“Right! Which is why you’re coming with me,” Zagreus says, taking Thanatos’s hand in a way that has become second nature to him and dragging him away from the lounge.
Thanatos doesn’t resist, but he does say, “Is this going to take long? I have to—”
“Nope! You don’t have to do anything tonight. I have everything under control.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
Zagreus glances over his shoulder at him. “That you have to work?”
Thanatos presses his lips together, staying silent, and Zagreus laughs and leads him into the garden. The shades he’s employed worked quick—lights are strung up, glowing lanterns that illuminate the dim space, and a table is set up in the middle of the garden, decorated with flowers from the garden itself.
“I know the mortal realm needs you,” Zagreus says, “but you have friends down here willing to help. So let us help you.”
Thanatos doesn’t reply right away, looking at the lights and the table and at Zagreus. “Is this a…date?”
Zagreus laughs. “I sure hope so, or I’m going to feel very foolish by the time this is over.”
Thanatos looks like he doesn’t know what to do with himself at that, so Zagreus guides him over to one of the chairs and sits him down at the table before taking his own seat. A few shades float in from outside, bringing platters with foods prepared by the Head Chef, and Zagreus happily thanks them as they deposit the goods and go on their own way now their job is done.
When Thanatos still doesn’t move, Zagreus scoots his chair a little closer and says, “I know you don’t need to eat, but have some anyway. I hear that’s the thing to do on dates.”
That gets Thanatos finally reaching for his goblet of wine, taking a long swig. Zagreus encouragingly pushes one of the plates toward him.
He chatters about unimportant things for a little while, hoping to help Thanatos relax. He doesn’t know what’s so different now compared to all the other times they’ve hung out, but apparently it’s put Thanatos on edge.
“I just wanted to thank you,” he eventually says at a natural lull in the conversation.
“For what?” Thanatos is leaning against the table now, looking much more at ease, though Zagreus isn’t sure if that’s because of him or just the wine.
“For always looking out for me. For taking care of me. Even before all—this.” Zagreus gestures vaguely between the two of them. “I ought to have been doing the same for you.”
“I’m more than capable of looking out for myself, Zagreus.”
“And I’m not?” Zagreus replies, then shoots Thanatos an affronted look when Thanatos starts to reply without a hint of hesitation. “Hey—!”
Thanatos chuckles softly, shaking his head. “No, I know you are.”
Zagreus flushes. “Sorry, I thought—right, yeah, so. If you can do that for me, I want to do the same for you."
Setting down his cup, Thanatos reaches across the table and takes hold of Zagreus’s hand. “Okay.”
Zagreus blinks at him. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Thanatos repeats. “I’m sure you know it won’t be easy, given how I can be…”
“A workaholic? Perfectionist? Stubborn?”
“Something like that.” Thanatos rubs his thumb over the back of Zagreus’s hand, not meeting his eyes. “But I’d like you to try anyway.”
Zagreus sandwiches Thanatos’s hand between both of his and gives him a squeeze. “I will never stop trying,” he promises. “You’ve seen how persistent I can be.”
That startles a laugh out of Thanatos, his gaze full of warmth as he looks up at Zagreus. “Yes, I suppose I have.”
Leaning forward, Thanatos glances down at Zagreus’s mouth, which is probably the least subtle thing Zagreus has ever seen him do. Perfectly happy to bypass subtle altogether, Zagreus leans in the rest of the way to meet him for an enthusiastic kiss, which Thanatos responds to beautifully.
Yes, Zagreus thinks as his eyes flutter shut and he sinks into the kiss, taking care of Thanatos isn’t going to be any trouble at all.
Fandom: Hades
Characters: Thanatos/Zagreus
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 3,214
Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Banter
Challenge: Fluffity Fluff Exchange 2024
Summary: Five times Thanatos watches out for Zagreus, and one time Zagreus does the same for him.
Notes: Written for
fluffityfluffexchange, for Goldtinted on AO3. I took the prompts of "A taking care of injured B" and "5+1 Things" as the jumping off point for this fic.Contains minor spoilers for anyone who hasn't reached the surface in-game yet, plus a warning for temporary character death, but given that this is Hades The Temporary Character Death Game I didn't think that warranted an official tag.
Read on AO3.
1.
Zagreus opens his eyes and sees only darkness above him. For a moment he worries that he’s somehow damaged his vision, and he wonders how that could be possible—hit his head too hard, perhaps?—until a face appears in his line of sight, peering down at him. Ah. His eyesight is fine. That’s only the darkness of Tartarus looming above—as well as a mildly concerned-looking Thanatos.
“Thought I’d lost you there for a second,” Thanatos says, once Zagreus stirs.
Zagreus opens his mouth to tease—“Were you worried about me?”—but he barely manages to make a sound before Thanatos continues,
“It would be very embarrassing if you wiped out this early.”
Zagreus shuts his mouth. His head does hurt, but the blow he’d taken from the Wretched Thug had hardly been strong enough to kill him. This time.
Thanatos holds out a hand and Zagreus clasps his wrist, allowing himself to be pulled up onto his feet. He sways, only slightly, but it’s enough to make Thanatos frown. His hand curls tighter around Zagreus’s forearm, and Zagreus stands perfectly still, not wanting to dislodge him. Or fall over.
When Thanatos finally lets go, it’s to conjure up a Centaur Heart.
“I didn’t earn that,” Zagreus says, not moving to take it. “You clearly won.”
Thanatos isn’t dissuaded. “A gift, then.”
Zagreus continues to eye the heart suspiciously.
“You give me gifts all the time,” Thanatos points out, crossing his arms over his chest. “Take it, before I change my mind.”
Zagreus doesn’t need more persuading than that, and he accepts the gift with a small smile, already feeling a little better. Thanatos doesn’t gloat, but he looks subtly satisfied in a way that pleases Zagreus as well.
“You best be careful out there,” Thanatos says. “I can’t always be around to bail you out.”
“I’ll try my best,” Zagreus replies. “No promises.”
Thanatos makes an unimpressed noise and vanishes in a swirl of smoke.
2.
With one more hefty swing of his sword, the final Inferno Bomber vanishes in an explosion of light and smoke, its last bomb detonating with a bang. Zagreus stumbles away from the site of impact, breathing heavily, the end of his sword trailing through the dirt and ash. It’s been a rough few battles and Zagreus really could use a breather, but he can’t afford to stop now. Not when he’s still got so far to go.
Dragging himself to the nearest raft, he steadies it with one foot on the edge and prepares to board.
“I’d try that one over there,” a voice interrupts. Zagreus jerks back, looking around.
Thanatos is behind him, and he’s pointing at the next raft over.
“Cheers, mate,” Zagreus says, leaning more of his weight on the Stygian Blade. “I remember you telling me once you couldn’t keep bailing me out.”
Thanatos remains floating, keeping out of the grime of Asphodel. “Clearly I underestimated how much help you would need.”
Zagreus grins at him, dirty and burn-marked but cheerful underneath it all. “Regretting it yet?”
“Of course not,” Thanatos says in that deadly serious way of his.
“Of course not,” Zagreus repeats, his smile going soft.
Thanatos cocks his head, watching him. “What’s that look for?”
“Just thinking about what a softy you are,” Zagreus says without missing a beat.
Thanatos scoffs and looks away, motioning at the raft he’d indicated before. “Get on with it then, before I change my mind about helping.”
“You said you weren’t regretting it!” Zagreus exclaims, but Thanatos is gone already, nothing but smoke left behind.
“A temperamental softy,” Zagreus mutters to no one, picking up his sword so it’s no longer dragging on the ground and making his way over to the suggested raft. He steps onto it and floats his way to the next island over the rivers of magma.
When he lands he sees the fountain at the other end of the path, a moment of peace to rest and heal before moving on, and as he approaches the crisp blue waters he silently thanks Thanatos for looking out for him.
3.
“Ow,” Zagreus says pointedly, then repeats it for good measure. “Ow.”
As Zagreus sits on a large rock in one of the many grassy fields of Elysium, keeping as still as he can, Thanatos pokes and prods at his dislocated shoulder.
“Is there any use in me pointing out that you’ve suffered far graver injuries than this before?”
Zagreus pouts at him. “That doesn’t mean you have to be so rough.”
Thanatos mutters something under his breath that Zagreus doesn’t quite hear, though it sounds a bit like Thanatos is threatening him. Nothing to be concerned about, he’s sure. If Thanatos actually meant it, he wouldn’t be taking the time to patch Zagreus up.
“Just tell me when you’re going to—”
Without warning, Thanatos pops his arm back into the socket with one quick motion, and Zagreus yelps in surprise.
“Sorry.” Thanatos’s hands are still on Zagreus’s bare shoulder, fingers gentle as he feels for anything out of place. “You’re lucky you scraped by with only a dislocation.”
“Right, I’ll be sure to thank Asterius next time I see him,” Zagreus says dryly.
“That will likely be soon. Be sure to watch for when he starts to charge. You always wait too long to dodge—or worse, use your sword to try and block it.”
Zagreus reaches up and grasps at one of Thanatos’s hands, giving him a squeeze. “I’ll be all right, Than. I’ve done this plenty of times.”
“And died plenty of times,” Thanatos reminds him, but he stops fussing over Zagreus’s shoulder. He doesn’t pull his hand out of Zagreus’s grasp, so Zagreus doesn’t let go either. Maybe Thanatos needs the reassurance. Maybe he hasn’t noticed Zagreus is holding onto him. He’s so hard to read sometimes.
“No chance I can get you to turn around now?” Thanatos asks after a few moments, voice soft.
“Not a one,” Zagreus replies breezily. Before he can think better of it, he ducks his head and kisses the hand he’s still holding onto, a brief graze of lips over Thanatos’s knuckles. Thanatos’s hand tightens involuntarily on Zagreus’s (freshly dislocated) shoulder, and Zagreus can’t even be mad. He did sort of ask for that, acting like he is.
“I’ll make it this time, Than. Trust me.”
Thanatos sighs and finally draws his hand back from Zagreus’s grasp. “How are you always so damn confident?”
Zagreus grins. “Easy. I’ve got you on my side.”
4.
There’s blood in his eyes and he feels rather woozy as he surfaces in the Pool of Styx. Strange how it’s something new every time. He rubs a hand over his face, expecting to hear Hypnos’s startled exclamation of surprise like he usually does, but the hall is blissfully quiet. Instead he’s the one who’s startled to discover Thanatos lounging against a pillar near the steps leading out of the pool.
“Helping Hypnos shirk his duties?” Zagreus jokes.
“He was called away by your father,” Thanatos says, unmoving as Zagreus stumbles up the stairs. “I happened to be nearby.”
“My lucky day.” Zagreus flashes Thanatos a charming smile made only slightly less charming by the blood smeared across his face. “How’d you know I was going to show up?”
“I didn’t.”
Zagreus’s expression flickers, ever so briefly surprised, but the smile returns almost at once. “Your lucky day, then.”
Thanatos doesn’t reply, just makes a quiet noise. He seems to be studying Zagreus, but what for, Zagreus doesn’t know. It certainly is unnerving to be on the other end of that stare—or it would be if Zagreus wasn’t so used to it.
“Since you’re here, do you want to hang out?” Zagreus asks, once it’s clear Thanatos isn’t going to offer any more conversation himself.
“Not going to rush off again?”
Zagreus shakes his head, and blood drips out of his hair onto his face, making him wince. He probably looks terrible right now, though it isn’t like Thanatos hasn’t seen him looking worse.
Thanatos’s shoulders loosen slightly, and he steps away from the wall at last, joining Zagreus by the entrance to the pool.
“All right, then,” he agrees. Then, even more surprisingly, he lifts the end of the cloak normally draped over his arm and uses the hem to wipe away the blood dripping from Zagreus’s hair, dabbing at his temple.
“Oh,” says Zagreus, and doesn’t even think of pulling away. Thanatos’s touch is soft, almost careful, as he runs the hem of his cloak down the side of Zagreus’s face, then back to wipe at the curve of his ear.
“I’m okay,” Zagreus says just as softly, so as not to disturb whatever this is. “Never felt better.”
Thanatos, as often is the case, isn’t dissuaded. His cloaked fingers brush against the underside of Zagreus’s jaw. “You did just die.”
“A lot of people die, Than. As you very well know.”
“A lot of people aren’t like you.”
Zagreus doesn’t know what that means and he’s too afraid to ask. He just lets Thanatos do as he likes and tries not to be weird about it.
For his part, Thanatos isn’t weird about it at all. He wipes the blood from Zagreus’s face and then draws his hand back as if everything that just happened was the most normal thing in the world for him to do, releasing the bloodied end of his cloak and letting it fall.
“Thanks,” Zagreus says in that earnest way of his. “Are we still—do you want—”
“Lead the way, Zag,” Thanatos replies, and Zagreus beams at him.
5.
“When I make it to the surface this time, join me up there.”
He’d said that to Thanatos before he left the House of Hades, but now that he’s only a short ways away from getting out, he wonders if Thanatos will actually listen. He’s a very busy person, and while he’s always been willing to help out when Zagreus is in trouble, maybe this doesn’t count as something important enough to slack off from work for.
He treks down the forest path, feet melting the clumps of snow beginning to pile up. He supposes if Thanatos doesn’t show up, he can just tend to Mother’s house and garden until the River Styx claims him.
Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait. Thanatos is waiting for him on the path, and Zagreus smiles, hurrying to greet him. Thanatos is floating again, keeping out of the cold and the dirt, but Zagreus doesn’t care, just reaches for his hand.
“What’s all this about, Zag?” Thanatos asks, allowing Zagreus to take his hand without protest.
“Just hold on,” he says, leading Thanatos the rest of the way down the path. As the trees thin, the path opens up to the cliffside he passes every time on the way to his mother’s cottage. It’s still dark out, the cold winter air prickling his skin, but he doesn’t mind it.
“Zagreus…” Thanatos prompts again. “Is everything…well? I know you can’t stay up here long.”
“I’m fine, we won’t be long.” He squeezes Thanatos’s hand and leads him up to the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea. The waters below look dull and dark, the sky very much the same. But as it often does whenever Zagreus passes by, the sun soon begins to rise.
It moves slowly over the horizon, a mere wisp of red and orange at first, then growing stronger as it rises higher, pulled along by Helios’s shining chariot. The surface world explodes in an array of color, the sky warming under the brilliant rays, the churning waters of the sea shimmering brightly, each crystal of melting snow sparkling as the light hits them. The first time Zagreus had witnessed this, he almost hadn’t thought it real.
His hand still in Zagreus’s, Thanatos lands beside him, the snow crunching softly beneath his feet. They stand together in silence watching the sunrise, fingers entwined.
The quiet is only broken when Zagreus lets out a pained grunt, dropping to one knee. He clutches at his chest, feeling the tug of the Styx at his very core. Thanatos falls to his knees without hesitation and catches Zagreus before he hits the ground, cradling him gently in his arms. He settles down in the snowy grass and rests Zagreus against his lap.
“Thank you for being here,” Zagreus grits out, his breath quickening as he struggles to cling to consciousness. He can feel Thanatos’s fingers in his hair, stroking soothingly, but his vision is fading fast.
“Always,” Thanatos murmurs, and the last thing Zagreus feels is the press of lips against his forehead before the Styx takes him away.
+1
“I ask that you take care of my dear son. I often fear that he shall work himself too hard.”
Zagreus turns Nyx’s words around in his mind for what feels like the hundredth time since he heard them. It shames him slightly that in his desperate quest to reach the surface he never stopped to check how Thanatos was doing, especially with how Thanatos had, in his own odd way, been taking care of him. He’d just been so single-mindedly focused on his goal that all else fell to the wayside.
Well, now he has the chance to make up for his oversight. He just has to get his hands on Thanatos, which is proving more difficult than expected.
“I believe your friend left to take care of a job,” Achilles says to him with a knowing smile, and Zagreus’s ears are red as he trudges away.
“Thanatos? I think he just left,” Megaera says, idly tapping the end of her whip against the table. “Want me to track him down and drag him back for you?” she adds, a little too gleefully, which Zagreus politely declines.
“What, Thanatos? No, I haven’t talked to him!” Hypnos says cheerfully. “Does he want to talk to me? That’s swell, tell him he can talk to me any time!”
There’s no proper passage of time in the Underworld, but this goes on for what Zagreus assumes days feel like. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Thanatos was avoiding him. Thankfully they’re past all that by now and the most likely explanation is that Thanatos is, unsurprisingly, working too much.
Zagreus is relaxing (not moping!) in his bedroom when Dusa helpfully pops into the room and tells him Thanatos has been spotted by the lounge. He just stares dumbly at her for a long moment, then there’s a flurry of movement as he scrambles out of bed and nearly trips over his own feet rushing into the hall, frantically signaling the shades to begin setting up his grand plan. Then he hurries toward the lounge to catch Thanatos before he disappears again.
“Than!” Zagreus calls as soon as he spots him, waving. Thanatos turns toward the noise, smiling faintly when he realizes who’s calling him.
“Zagreus,” Thanatos replies with less volume but no less affection, and Zagreus skids to a stop in front of him. “I’m sorry, it’s been a while.”
“Right! Which is why you’re coming with me,” Zagreus says, taking Thanatos’s hand in a way that has become second nature to him and dragging him away from the lounge.
Thanatos doesn’t resist, but he does say, “Is this going to take long? I have to—”
“Nope! You don’t have to do anything tonight. I have everything under control.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
Zagreus glances over his shoulder at him. “That you have to work?”
Thanatos presses his lips together, staying silent, and Zagreus laughs and leads him into the garden. The shades he’s employed worked quick—lights are strung up, glowing lanterns that illuminate the dim space, and a table is set up in the middle of the garden, decorated with flowers from the garden itself.
“I know the mortal realm needs you,” Zagreus says, “but you have friends down here willing to help. So let us help you.”
Thanatos doesn’t reply right away, looking at the lights and the table and at Zagreus. “Is this a…date?”
Zagreus laughs. “I sure hope so, or I’m going to feel very foolish by the time this is over.”
Thanatos looks like he doesn’t know what to do with himself at that, so Zagreus guides him over to one of the chairs and sits him down at the table before taking his own seat. A few shades float in from outside, bringing platters with foods prepared by the Head Chef, and Zagreus happily thanks them as they deposit the goods and go on their own way now their job is done.
When Thanatos still doesn’t move, Zagreus scoots his chair a little closer and says, “I know you don’t need to eat, but have some anyway. I hear that’s the thing to do on dates.”
That gets Thanatos finally reaching for his goblet of wine, taking a long swig. Zagreus encouragingly pushes one of the plates toward him.
He chatters about unimportant things for a little while, hoping to help Thanatos relax. He doesn’t know what’s so different now compared to all the other times they’ve hung out, but apparently it’s put Thanatos on edge.
“I just wanted to thank you,” he eventually says at a natural lull in the conversation.
“For what?” Thanatos is leaning against the table now, looking much more at ease, though Zagreus isn’t sure if that’s because of him or just the wine.
“For always looking out for me. For taking care of me. Even before all—this.” Zagreus gestures vaguely between the two of them. “I ought to have been doing the same for you.”
“I’m more than capable of looking out for myself, Zagreus.”
“And I’m not?” Zagreus replies, then shoots Thanatos an affronted look when Thanatos starts to reply without a hint of hesitation. “Hey—!”
Thanatos chuckles softly, shaking his head. “No, I know you are.”
Zagreus flushes. “Sorry, I thought—right, yeah, so. If you can do that for me, I want to do the same for you."
Setting down his cup, Thanatos reaches across the table and takes hold of Zagreus’s hand. “Okay.”
Zagreus blinks at him. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Thanatos repeats. “I’m sure you know it won’t be easy, given how I can be…”
“A workaholic? Perfectionist? Stubborn?”
“Something like that.” Thanatos rubs his thumb over the back of Zagreus’s hand, not meeting his eyes. “But I’d like you to try anyway.”
Zagreus sandwiches Thanatos’s hand between both of his and gives him a squeeze. “I will never stop trying,” he promises. “You’ve seen how persistent I can be.”
That startles a laugh out of Thanatos, his gaze full of warmth as he looks up at Zagreus. “Yes, I suppose I have.”
Leaning forward, Thanatos glances down at Zagreus’s mouth, which is probably the least subtle thing Zagreus has ever seen him do. Perfectly happy to bypass subtle altogether, Zagreus leans in the rest of the way to meet him for an enthusiastic kiss, which Thanatos responds to beautifully.
Yes, Zagreus thinks as his eyes flutter shut and he sinks into the kiss, taking care of Thanatos isn’t going to be any trouble at all.