Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For those who aren't familiar with flower meanings:
Orange lilies = embarrassed
Anemone Flowers = anticipation
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Persephone couldn't catch a break. She loved working in Tower 1, but her encounters with Hades had suspiciously gone up in numbers. It was always when she least expected it, curse the Fates. Once it was when she was at her desk and she just happened to spill tea on the front of her white dress right as Hades walked in to talk to Thanatos. Another time it was when she was talking to Meg and the strap on her shoulder snapped as Hades was coming back from the Mortal Realm. These instances continued occurring until Persephone had half a mind to march over to the Fates and demand what the big idea was! 

It wasn't all bad though. There was a time that Hades had come to ask her to lunch and as they were walking to his office, she tripped and grabbed onto his suit jacket sleeve. She had immediately blushed and orange lilies sprouted in her hair. It was only after getting herself upright that she noted Hades' hand on her waist, and that he didn't let go until she sat on the couch next to him. 

Today was another level of encounter entirely. 

"Thank you so much for coming up to visit me, Meg! You look beautiful as always," Persephone gushed at her friend. 
"Thank you! I love your dress today, too!" Meg complimented back. The friends chatted easily at the water cooler in a semi populated hallway, noting that they hadn't had much time to hang out lately. 

"We really should get together soon. I'm considering moving to the Underworld so if you have any recommendations for apartments, let me know!" Persephone tried to hold back the unpleasant memories as to why she wanted to move from showing on her face. 
"I definitely have some in mind! I bet you would line your walls with so many plants aaaanndd g-good afternoon, Your Majesty," Meg ended her sentence with a shaky voice. Persephone whipped around and saw the boss himself towering behind her. He kept an unreadable expression on his face. 

"Good afternoon, ladies. Persephone, I was hoping to talk to you for a moment?" He said with a small smile on his face. 
"I'll see you later, Persephone! Text me!" Meg called and she practically ran away. 
"Oh, you didn't have to leave!" Hades tried calling out, but it was too late. Meg was so far down the hallway that she was a dot of purple in the distance. Persephone giggled at the situation, looking up at Hades with playful eyes. 

"I think that bumps you up to 42%, boss." Hades rubbed the back of his neck and huffed out a laugh. 
"Am I really that high up, Sweetness? I thought I was only at 19% the other day." He reached over the top of her head to grab a small paper cup and fill it with water. 
"I do believe stealing Cerberus away two days ago is what brought you up to 40%, mister." 
"Ah, yes. He glared at me for an hour and a half hour straight when he came back." They both chuckled at their shared memory until Persephone remembered that Hades had cornered her at work for a reason. 
"So," she started. "What exactly did you want to discuss?" She didn't bother to try and restrain the blue petals that now littered her hair as she moved half a step closer to him. 
"Right, yes. I was wondering if you could help me with a scroll I believe you worked on? Y-You didn't do anything wrong!" He finished quickly, noting that Persephone's face had morphed into one of worry. "I just wanted your opinion on where to put this soul. I'm a bit torn." 

Knowing Hades could easily take care of this on his own, Persephone figured there was something else he wanted to discuss.

Before she could give him an answer, she found herself in a dark, confined space.
"H-Hades?" She called out. "What just happened?" She felt his hand on her shoulder move away, and she immediately missed the sensation. Hades had reached for his phone in the breast pocket of his suit and turned the flashlight on as low as it would go, slightly illuminating them both. 
"S-s-sorry. I panicked. Minthe was coming towards us and I don't want to deal with her today." As soon as he finished talking, Persephone could hear the click clack of Minthe's high heels stop in front of the water cooler they had just been occupying. As the two both held their breath, Persephone turned towards Hades, taking in his sharp, handsome features. She couldn't stop herself from reaching out and adjusting a strand of white hair that had fallen out of place. She saw Hades close his eyes, apparently savoring the touch before looking at her. They searched each other's eyes for something. Anything. A sign to stop or continue. They sat stoically, waiting for the other to make the decision. Gravity seemed to keep them apart like magnets with the same pole facing one another and their tiny space being the unstoppable force in the middle. Persephone realized that one of Hades' hands was still on her waist, gently squeezing as if debating whether to push her away, let go, or pull her closer. She could swear she could smell fresh anemone flowers blossoming in her hair. The tension between them and their close proximity was interrupted by Minthe's steps started retreat and Persephone let go of a shaky breath she didn't realize she had been holding. After clearing his throat and pulling away slightly, Hades reached for the door handle. After jiggling it a few times, Persephone realized their predicament. 

"Hades?" She asked. 
"Yes, Kore?" Hades said in a slightly fearful tone. 
"Are we locked in?" 

"...Yes, Kore." 

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Next chapter will be what the trapped couple does while they wait for someone to let them out. 

xoxo Luvcandy :)

Chapter Text

Hades desperately wanted to die. He had never been so humiliated in his life. Persephone on the other hand found the entire situation quite amusing. She can only see a little bit of Hades' face due to the flashlight on his phone, but he was still as handsome as ever. It was only then when she was focusing on his face that she could see the rising panic. 

"Hades? What's the matter?" She asked as she reached out to him but at the last second, he pulled away. Persephone was temporarily hurt by this action, but it was swallowed by the wave of worry that washed over her at his next actions. He was desperately clawing his neck, trying to loosen his tie and unbutton the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt. He was breathing heavily and trying to shrug out of his jacket as well. They knew each other well enough by this point that Persephone had an idea of what was going on. 

"What can I do?" she asked just loud enough for him to hear. Or so she thought. Hades' heart was beating so loudly that he didn't hear a word she said. His were ears ringing louder and louder until he thought he had gone deaf. He felt her soft hand on his cheek and she was startled by the sheer terror in his eyes. No one had looked at her like that since... 

No. She wouldn't think about it, not when Hades was the one who needed help. 

"What can I do?" she said a louder this time. Hades only shook his head, not comprehending what she wanted to do for him. Persephone weighed her options and decided to take a gentle approach. Hades had collapsed to the floor and was hugging his knees, so she sunk down and kneeled next to him. She decided that she would try gently touching his hair. If anything, he would know that he wasn't alone. It seemed to work a little. After about 25 seconds, a ragged "Persephone" passed his lips. He looked up at her and noticed she held his phone in her hand, illuminating her soft features. He focused on her eyes. They were always so beautiful... Next he noted her lips. They had teased him so many times with their luscious volume and he so badly wanted to taste them. They were moving though. She was speaking to him. He rooted himself to this moment and closed his eyes, focusing everything he had to her voice. 

"...ember the first time I saw you when I woke up at your house. I couldn't believe how tall you were. It felt like I had to tilt my head all the way back just to see your face. Cerberus was undoubtedly the most adorable dog I had ever seen in my life. I love being able to squish his face." She paused and looked at him. He was still breathing heavily, but not shaking as much as before. 

"Hades, I think I have an idea that might help. Can I hug you?" In response, he only leaned into her touch, not trusting himself to speak yet. She maneuvered herself inbetween his legs and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. Putting her mouth close to his ear, she whispered her intentions. 

"I've read that this can help. If you can't answer out loud, just respond in your head. What can you smell right now?" 

The flowers in your hair.

"What can you feel?"

The fabric of your dress and the warmth of your skin.

"What can you see?" 

"The pin in your hair that I gave you." he muttered 

She smiled. "I wear this pin whenever I can. It's my favorite accessory." He smiled in return at this, pulling her a little closer. 

"We're almost done. What can you hear?"

"Your voice...." 

"What can you taste?" 

Hades paused at this. A truthful answer would have been stale coffee, but he desperately wanted to be able to taste her. He seriously considered kissing her neck just so he could answer 'You', but he wouldn't push her like that. So he told a version of the truth instead. 

"Water from the water cooler outside."

"Water doesn't have a taste, silly," Persephone joked. 

"Yes, it does!" He protested. "Remind me to tell someone to change the company we get the water tanks from. It was horrendous." He was rewarded with an intoxicating giggle. He rested his forehead on hers. "Thank you, Kore. Thank you for helping me." 

"Of course. Do you want to talk about it? I heard that can help, too." 

"Just the same old thing. Flashbacks of when my father ate me." 

There were two beats of silence. 

"It's almost scary how nonchalantly you can say that, Aidoneus." Hades' head reared back so fast and quick that he hit it on the door. 

"OW!" 

"What happened?! Are you okay!?" He heard Persephone ask. Instead of answering her questions, he asked one of his own. 

"How do you know my first name?!" Even with the limited light, Hades was sure she was blushing. 

"...H-Hecate might have let it slip." 

"Remind me to demote her when we get out of here." 
"Oh. I'm sorry. I won't call you that again if it bothers you." 

He mentally smacked himself. He couldn't admit how much he loved hearing the name his mother gave him pass her lips, but maybe he could give her a hint. 

"I supposed it's okay if you say it, but don't tell anyone please." It was a good thing he already had his back against the door because he would have surely lost his balance from the force of the hug Persephone gave him. 

"I promise," she whispered in his ear. It sent a shiver down his spine that he tried to ignore. "Do you want to stand up?" 

"I should probably see if there's a light in here. I think my phone is about to die." Persephone helped him up onto shaky legs and he kept a hand on her waist, savoring the feeling of her own small arm wrapping around him to support him until he was ready. 

"I'll help!" They felt along the walls with no luck. Hades then tried to feel around the empty space to see if it was a string that needed to be pulled. He thought he caught a glimpse of it just before his light went out. 

"Damn. I thought I had longer," he cursed softly. "Do you have your phone, Sweetness?" 

"I left it at my desk. I thought I was only going to be away for a couple minutes." Hades swore he could hear a smile in her voice. "I can feel you staring at me, Hades." It was true that he was looking intensely at the spot where he thought he heard her voice come from, but he quickly turned and searched for the string again. 

He cleared his throat. "I think I found the light. One moment...." He felt the string and gave it a gentle tug. To say that this was light would be a bit of an overstatement. It barely lit the room enough for Hades to see his shoes. Persephone joined him near the string and smiled. 

"Well, Your Majesty. What should we do now?" 

Chapter Text

Hades tried not to let his imagination run wild at her question.

"I-I suppose we will just need to wait until someone finds us." His answer was less than satisfactory for Persephone. She lightly rolled her eyes and clarified.

"What should we do during that time, then?"

"We could do our quarterly one-on-one?" Hades jokingly offered. He was rewarded with a small smack to his arm. 
Persephone looked around. It was a pretty small space but it looked like there was enough room for them to get comfortable. 
There were some wide filing cabinets that weren't very tall, but it would look very undignified for her to try to climb on top of them. Instead, she floated and rested on the edge. Hades followed and stood in front of her, tucking his hands into his pant pockets.  

"Wow, the air is so clear and fresh up here! I think I am officially taller than you right now!" she teased, loving the deep chuckle that rumbled through his chest.

"Very funny, little goddess."

"So you want to remind me why we're in here?" Hades felt a deep blush spread over his cheeks and he was grateful for the miniscule amount of light they had.

"Minthe and I parted on not so great terms and because of that, she got a new position in Tower 1. I wasn't expecting to see her around so much and the encounters we have had were... less than polite." He could feel the anger radiating off of the small goddess in front of him.

"It's alright, Sweetness. I manage to avoid her pretty well nowadays."

"That doesn't make up for the fact that she's still rude to you." She tried to turn her face away, but Hades held her cheek in place. He marveled at the red glow her eyes took on, knowing this was a sign she was sincerely upset. As beautiful and terrifying as she looked, Hades knew he needed to distract her.

"In new things going on with your powers?" He was sincerely interested to see if she had discovered any new abilities.

"I'm not really sure. Sometimes this thing happens but I can't control it."

"That is aggravatingly vague, Kore," Hades said in a flat tone. Persephone reached out and tucked a stray lock of his hair behind his ear. He involuntarily leaned into her touch and his eyelids lowered, not realizing the effect it had on the young goddess. She rubbed her legs together and withdrew her hand quickly.

"Fine. I'll show you if I can, but only if you promise not to laugh."

"Normally I would say I could never laugh at you, but we both know that's not true." Persephone let her mind wander to the day he gave her a full staff intern and the playful banter they shared before she interrupted them.

"As I recall, you got 100% scoundrel that day." She gave him a teasing glare and he only shrugged his shoulders. 

"Here goes nothing." Persephone closed her eyes and concentrated as much as she could, but the king in front of her was proving to be a big distraction. She could hear his gentle breathing, hear the fabric of his shirt rustle, and she could swear she could feel his eyes burning a mark into her skin. She remembered the kiss they shared on the side of the very office building they were in now, and she subconsciously pressed her lips together. 

"Sorry, I don't think I can do it right now," she apologized and opened her eyes. She was immediately startled by how intensely he was watching her and how close he had gotten. 

"Humor me then. What can you do at the moment?" He had an easy smile on his face, but the intensity of his look never retreated. 

"If His Majesty commands," she joked. Taking advantage of his proximity, she held her hands on either side of her hands and easily made him a flower crown of small blue cornflowers, baby's breath, delicate bougainvilleas. "There." 

Hades brushed the tips of his fingers on the petals and smiled. 
"Thank you, Kore. I'm sure it's beautiful." 

"Well, I don't want to pat myself on the back or anything but I think it's pretty good," she responded playfully. 

"May I give you something as well?" 

"Hades-" 

"Don't worry, Sweetness. It's not a big deal." Persephone paused. She didn't give him a flower crown so she could have something in return, however she knew that resistance would be futile. 

"Very well. But nothing expensive! And I already have the hair pin you gave me so keep that in mind." 

"Yes, Goddess." Given the little light they had been provided, Hades reached out to find her shoulder, hoping he wouldn't accidently touch anything he shouldn't, or wished he could. When he found her right shoulder, he used it as a guide and slowly slid his hand down until he held her petite wrist in his large palm. He didn't want to wish for too much, but he could have sworn he felt her quick pulse. He barely had to concentrate before a delicate gold chain was wrapped around her pink skin. Persephone gasped.

"Hades! I said nothing expensive!" but she had brought her wrist closer to her face so she could examine the bracelet closely. 

"It isn't, I promise." He lied easily. "I thought it would match your mortal realm attire since you usually have a gold rope around your waist, though." 

"Always so thoughtful, my King." This goddess would surely kill him at this rate. He suppressed a groan and tried to casually lean on the filing cabinet next to her legs. 

"I try," he responded with a chuckle. "It doesn't sound like there's a lot of foot traffic over here."

"I noticed that, too. I think it might be because it's almost the weekend. I've found that most people work remotely on these days." 

"Sounds like I need to take that privilege away," Hades grumbled.

"It's a nice option though! Wouldn't it be nice if we could both work from home, too?" Persephone said, and as soon as she ended her sentence, she realized how it might have sounded.

"I MEAN, IT WOULD BE NICE NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING HERE AND BUMPING INTO PEOPLE, Y'KNOW?!" 

"Y-yeah! I totally get what you're saying!" Hades responded, just as embarrassed. An awkward silence filled the space. 

"...It would be nice to have you over again though. I know the dogs miss you," Hades said softly. 

'Just the dogs?' Persephone wondered. 
"That sounds fun! I miss them all the time. I sometimes wish that you would bring some of them into the office!" Persephone giggled nervously at her confession. 

"I actually did that today! I brought Mushroom and Big John in!" 

"Aww! I'm sure they love to keep their papa company while he overworks himself." 

"I do not! I work a very appropriate amount for a king!" Hades defended, earning him the joy of hearing the gentle laugher that came from his goddess. 

"You overwork yourself all the time! Hecate told me so herself!" Persephone placed a hand on his shoulder and caught a glimpse of her new bracelet again. "Why do you work so much anyways? Can't you give yourself time off whenever you want?" 

"That sounds like a personal question, Miss Kore. I believe you're out of those." Hades joked. 

"How about we each get 2 more?" She suggested lightly, but in her mind she was sincerely hoping he would accept. He pondered for a moment before responding. 

"Deal. Do you want that to actually be your question?" He asked as he stepped closer, placing a hand on the cabinet next to her leg, effectively trapping her. Her heart was racing at his closeness, but she was thankful that she hadn't released his shoulder. 

"I suppose that might be a waste now that you mention it." Her fingers brushed the short hairs at the base of his neck and she thought about the million things she had been wanting to question him about. Which ones were worth asking at this point? 

"So what will it be then?" Hades said, leaning closer with a smirk. 

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Hello all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am debating where I want to go with this but I am open to suggestions. Please leave comments! I live for them since dear Rachel is giving us nothing but cliffhangers at the moment. See you in the next chapter! 

Xoxo Luvcandy :) 

Chapter Text

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"Hmmm...." Persephone pondered. "What was your first impression of me?" 

She felt Hades stiffen. He didn't want her to think that what he told her the morning she woke up after the party was actually true! She had laughed at him! But he had to respect the "Personal Question" rules. 

He sighed "I believe I told you before. I thought you, y'know, put Aphrodite to shame..." Hades voice grew smaller towards the end of his sentence. 

"Oh. You weren't joking about that, huh?" Persephone said shyly. 

"Have you seen yourself, Little Goddess? You're radiant." 

"Come on, Hades," Persephone said and she gentle shoved his shoulder. 

"I'm serious!" And in that moment, she could tell how serious he was. He had gripped her waist with both of his hands and pulled her closer to him. She had put both her hands on his broad shoulders to balance herself, and noted the once again tense atmosphere that had been created. She didn't dare breath too hard, lest he would release her, and that was the last thing she wanted. 

"I think it's your turn... for a question, Hades." He swallowed and willed himself to keep his composure, as well as his grip on her. 

Steeling his nerves, he asked what had been on his mind the moment she had soothed him out of his panic attack. 

"What if... I... kissed you right now?" He felt her hands move closer to his neck and allowed himself to hope. 

"I wouldn't stop you," Persephone whispered. 

The last time they shared a moment like this, it was much more intense. And cold if she recalled. This time, she was glad she had positioned herself on the filing cabinet. She was just about the same height has Hades, allowing for the gentle kiss he gave her. Persephone couldn't help but exhale in relief. She had been so afraid he had lost interest in her the last few weeks. 

She allowed herself to wrap her arms more tightly around his neck, not wanting to push his boundaries so soon after what he just went through. She felt one of his hands move to the middle of her back, trying to bring her impossibly closer. She forced herself not to move her legs, as much as she wanted to, but how often was she going to be locked in a supply closet with the very object of her desires? She allowed herself to spread her legs apart and Hades took advantage of the newly opened space.

He leaned forward, trying desperately to keep their lips connected, but he knew they would need to break for air soon and he cursed whatever god was in charge of oxygen. He felt Persephone tangle one of her hands into his hair and he had to stifle a groan, but he didn't think it worked. The next thing he knew, she was breaking away for half a second and lunging back at him, attacking his lips with a fervor he could only dream about. Nobody had ever kissed him this passionately before. 

Persephone knew she was probably going a bit overboard but she couldn't bring herself to regret it. He was kissing her back with just as much force. She moved her legs, loosely wrapping them around his hips and she felt his large palm graze over the side of her exposed thigh. His hair was so soft in her hand and she gripped it slightly, savoring the sound that came from Hades. It wasn't enough. He had unbutton a few buttons at the top of his shirt earlier and the exposed skin had been driving her wild. She moved both hands to his chest and lightly brushed his skin, gently undoing more buttons. 

"Persephone..." Hades whispered breathily, moving his mouth to her jaw. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head a little and her eyelids fluttered. She ran her hand down his exposed abdomen and paused to trace his white scars. She felt him shiver and kiss her again with a renewed vigor. The sounds that came out of her were not entirely under her control at that moment, but Hades wasn't going to complain. 

He traced her lip with the tip of his tongue and she allowed him entry, intensifying the moans that Persephone was already making. Hades felt his grip on his ethereal form lessen, threatening to shower his skin with stars. He needed to keep a hold on his emotions, for her sake at least.  

Hades moved his hands to her ribcage, applying the smallest amount of pressure, enjoying the feeling of her sharp intake of breath. 

"If we get caught, I'm blaming you." Persephone murmured breathlessly as Hades attacked her neck. She felt his hot breath on her skin as he laughed. 

"It's a very compromising position to be caught in," Hades said as he lifted his head to look at her. She looked positively disheveled. Her hair had grown at least 12 inches, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were a blazing red. He smirked, knowing he was the one who'd had this affect on her. 

"I'll make sure whoever does see us like this doesn't have eyes anymore."

"Not funny, Hades!" Persephone scolded, recalling the paparazzo incident. 

"Come on, it was kinda funny." Hades chuckled and moved to kiss her again. This time it stayed gentle, as much as he wanted to continue the passion they shared earlier. They rested their foreheads together as they caught their breath. After a moment of them smiling stupidly together, Persephone spoke.

"Interesting that it took being locked in a closet for you to kiss me for the first time," she said in a nonchalant tone.  

"Hey! I kissed you on the side of this very building not so long ago!" he defended, whipping his head back to make eye contact. His eyebrows were furrowed, ready to argue this point until she relented, but Persephone just giggled, grabbing either side of his collar and pulling him closer, pecking his lips once again. 

"No, My King. I kissed you. Big difference." 

"N-" Hades stopped before he could finish. "Huh. I guess that is how that played out. I can say that I'm happy you didn't dissolve into butterflies this time." 

"Me too... Sorry again for that." Persephone looked away, and brought her hands to her hair in an attempt to tame it. 

"As long as your comfortable, so am I," Hades promised. He moved to button his shirt up again, remembering the feeling of elation he felt when she had taken the lead to relieve him of the damned fabric. Maybe he should wear more zippers... 

"Can I ask you my last personal question?" He said quietly. 

"I believe it was my turn, but sure," Persephone replied with a teasing look in her eyes. This made Hades smile widely at her, glad they were able to continue like this after a moment of such passion. 

"Do...Do my scars repulse you?" He was nervous for her answer. He had never cared about wanted another being to accept him like this before. He knew his scars were hideous and a reminder of how much of a failure he was. 

"I would try to kiss all your scars away if you wanted, my King, but I find them extremely alluring." He was thrown for a loop, shocked at her answer. His hands paused halfway through buttoning up his shirt to stare at her. 

"You do?" Persephone blushed. 

"I do! I think they make up a part of who you are, and I like who you are. A lot obviously," she smiled shyly, still trying to tame her hair. Hades fought the urge to pull her into a hug, thinking it might upset the mood they had created. 

"Well, Little Goddess, I happen to like who you are a lot, too," he replied with a smirk. Persephone smiled and raised her hands to his head again, gently dotting his hair with white and pink hoary stock flowers. 

"There. Now you have a crown again," she said almost triumphantly. 

'I would give you a crown, too,' Hades thought. 

"H-how long have we been in here?" Hades wondered aloud. 

"Maybe half an hour? It's hard to tell." 

"Remind me to schedule half hour meetings with you every day," he said jokingly and smiled at Persephone's delighted laughter. 

"I'll do that," she replied sarcastically. "Maybe we can start by taking lunch breaks together?" 

Hades didn't want to admit how amazing that sounded. Persephone sitting across from him at a restaurant, or keeping him company in his office while he worked through a particularly tough ruling. Maybe even ditching work and going to the dog park with Cerberus for the rest of the day. 

"I would like that." She smiled and pecked his lips once more before floating down to the floor. She adjusted her dress and tried to manage her hair, but at this point it had grown well beyond her ankles. 

"I should really take care of my hair.... Hades?" 

"Yes, Sweetness?" He replied as he slowly put his tie loosely around his neck 

"Can't you just... transfer us out of here?" 

There was a pause before Persephone thought she heard Hades smack himself in the forehead. 

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Hello all! I hope you liked this chapter! I plan on making this fic into a story that accommodates as many requests as possible. I have some themes for the next couple of chapters in mind, but please feel free to vote on the following:

Jealous Minthe meets Jealous Persephone
First lunch date gone wrong (in all the best ways)
Persephone asks Hades if she can move in (domestic bliss and other themes follow)
Persephone raids Hades pajama drawer
or the ever popular Hades confronts Apollo

Please comment which you would like to see most!