Chapter Text
Free time was something Charon indulged in sparingly, typically preferring to work in his shop, help his many siblings when they asked which was often enough, or tidy up around the house when he deemed it necessary to be away from work. Either way, he was frequently busying himself with one thing or another, something he had in common with his boyfriend. If anyone could be considered more of a busybody than Charon it would be Hermes.
It was with this idea of a general desire to always be working in some capacity that the older man found himself at a loss for the first time in years. After saving up for the last two years, Charon had enough to renovate The River so that he might update a few things in the way of general furnishing and technology. The wallpaper needed to be redone, his computers and security system were beyond outdated, and truth be told he mainly just wanted a few additions that might make Phlegethon (and possibly Chellen) feeling more comfortable. Not to mention the secret plan of opening up the backroom to include a place that Hermes might use for storage if he wanted for his delivery company.
With all that planned, he needed to be out of the contractor's way for a minimum of a full week. Which meant a full week off of work. A job he has been working ten hours a day, everyday (excluding shortened hours on Sundays) for the past decade or so. To say he was befuddled with what to do with all this spare time would be an understatement. Especially now that, even if they didn't live together yet, Hermes had taken to cleaning up his house in his spare time because he also hates to slow down.
It was that Sunday night, after he had long since returned home, that Charon found himself aimlessly staring at the dining room table while idly petting his feline companion. The orange and white cat relished in the attention, purring loudly and blissfully oblivious to the plight of her retainer. His mind was muddled with thousands of things he wanted to do, all of which involved work in one way or another. There was something that resonated sweetly in the back of his mind, however, a serenade that called him back to the present moment.
Hermes had been cooking for the two of them tonight, as he liked to do every other Sunday. He had threatened to cook every night if his partner kept ordering take out, so they compromised to take turns cooking. Charon wasn't the best at it, even when basically raising his younger twin brothers he would stick to simple meals, but he was certainly improving as time went by. He by no means was a disaster in the kitchen, could confidently cook actual meals and not just frozen dishes, but he could never compete with Hermes.
Growing up with his mother, Hermes and Maia would often cook large portions of whatever it was the two of them were having for dinner to then share with every neighbor that was interested (and sometimes those who pretended they weren’t and had to be coerced into it). It was often the case that they would have what almost looked like a gathering simply to share their love of cooking with those around them. It took some getting used to not cooking huge portions for just the two of them, but he would still make enough to drop off little care packages to his regulars and friends around Arcadia. Couldn’t pass up the chance to see if Eurydice or Tya had any thoughts on his cooking after all.
“Do you plan on moping all evening or are you going to at least help me eat this delicious meal? First one to finish doesn't have to pack the rest up.” A bowl of bicol express, lovingly served with a generous helping of freshly steamed rice on the side in as equal portions as he could manage between the two of them. Charon could tell the bowl in front of Hermes' seat was made with more spice just by the smell of it, but that didn't mean his bowl was devoid of it. His fiery companion had long been tweaking dishes to up the spice levels he could handle, to varying degrees of success. Charon was pretty sure one of these days Hermes was going to go too far and put him in the hospital, but he’d rather suffer a little than turn down such a lovingly crafted meal. Though he had suspicions that the level of heat depended on the type of day his boyfriend was having, so at least he could take a guess as to what he was getting himself into.
After Hermes had set both bowls down, before joining the table he placed a saucer of thinly chopped and pan cooked plain chicken for Phlegethon, who now elegantly abandoned Charon for her meal, and a small bowl of kale, a few slivers of freshly picked bell pepper, and two peeled slices of apple in front of Chelly. Satisfied as the two pampered pets began to eat, his eyes lighting up as always with the growing purrs from Phlegmy, he sat beside Charon and leaned into his shoulder. “Talk to me, Char, you know stewing in your thoughts isn't helpful.”
Of course Hermes was right, as he often was in these types of situations. He could detect the slightest worry or concern in Charon before anyone else could, to an extent that it even took him by surprise. An empath much like his mother, though he usually saved such powers for those dearest to him. “I am unsure of how to spend my week off, nothing serious to worry about.” Truthfully, he didn't see why it should be a thing to worry about. Surely he could just relax.
Relaxing wasn't completely the issue though, his thoughts wandering as he felt Hermes’ arms wrap around his own. They'd been on several dates now, they've gone from kissing, to making out, to probably fast tracking straight to sex sooner than either likely anticipated given how slow everything had started. Considering how busy they both always were, they fit time for intimacy in fast moments of reprieve between jobs or tasks for family. Having no obligations for a full week though?
“Hermes, I have something…odd to talk with you about.” It wasn't as though Hermes was his first partner nor that he disliked sex as a whole. The issue was actually quite the opposite.
His loving, sweet as can be partner had since untangled himself from Charon and was happily eating, soft thrill like sounds of enjoyment occurring habitually as he ate far too quickly. Attention remained on Charon even as he ate, only not pushing the other to do the same because this sounded important, but that slight twitch in his eye seemed to indicate confusion as to why he was allowing his meal to cool. Eyes glued to his partner, wordlessly encouraging him to continue, even at the behest of a bit of culinary judgement.
Pulling his long, unruly hair back in a ponytail so as to keep it out of the way when eating, Charon stared at his meal before finally admitting something he felt almost ashamed about. “I haven't been completely honest to you about my libido. I worry that with you stopping by so often and me not having anything to distract me, I might…inconvenience you with my desires. Of course I can keep my hands to myself, but having you around more frequently lately has been difficult to say the least for my restraint.” It felt completely foolish to even think something like that let alone say it aloud, yet it had been a blossoming issue as they grew closer.
It wasn't often Hermes was rendered speechless, and it didn't seem like having a face full of food had caused it given his bemused expression. Struggling not to laugh, he swallowed his mouthful before trying to be very sincere in replying. “Oh, boss, that's…probably not gonna be an issue. No offense, really I mean it, but I don't think you could ever overdo it with me. I would be delighted if you let loose on those inhibitions this coming week actually.” The sentence ended with a familiar smirk, something conniving and calculated.
“Hermes, you aren't taking me seriously at all. I'm trying to be honest.” Charon wasn't exactly angry, just a bit frustrated at not being taken by his word. “This has been an issue for me in past relationships, and I don't want-”
Hands clasped gently along both sides of Charon's face, forcing him to look down at his partner. “I give you extensive and explicit permission to use me for your sexual desires, no holds barred, this entire week that you are away from work. Just don't feel bad when you can't keep up, old man.” Hermes pushed himself up to kiss his lover chastely on the lips before unhanding him and returning to his meal. “But if you continue to not eat my wonderful food, I'm going to stay at my apartment all week in retaliation and you and your supposed super libido can pout in solitude.”
The following day had started just like any other for Hermes. He went home after dinner the previous night, assuring Charon at least five times that, yes, he was serious about what was now being considered an agreement and that, yes, he was positive he would not regret it and break up with the man. Honestly, he had no idea what the people his darling boyfriend had dated prior had put him through to be so anxious about something like this. Maybe it had something to do with his promiscuity in early college years, but taking this so seriously was almost funny. He’d never tell Charon that though, the man looked so worried about the whole conversation, to a point that he’d made Hermes promise several times to be okay with ‘what might happen’.
And then Monday started as it always did. Wake up, shower, quick and balanced breakfast for himself and Chelly, quick cup of coffee or three from the cold brew he’d let chill overnight, and he was out the door and running deliveries by eight AM sharp. He flew down the stairs as always, never bothering with the elevator because that was far too slow and tedious even if it was more convenient. He had legs and they worked, thank the gods, so he was going to use them until they broke down. He hoped that would not happen for a long, long time.
Things went as they always did, flitting from one destination to the next, chatting with his wonderful friends and clients, zipping back and forth from his little storage unit when necessary. He’d actually made a few deliveries ahead of schedule so that by one in the afternoon, on the dot, he was parked in Charon’s driveway and letting himself in the front door with his spare key as opposed to entering The River as he usually would at this exact time. Seeing as his current stop was closed for renovations, Hermes felt it was the perfect time to take a break and see his likely very bored and aimless partner. Of course he had shot the man a text about thirty minutes prior as a heads up that he’d be arriving now. No reason to give the man a heart attack arriving so suddenly, but he was a creature of habit and not seeing Charon the same time every day sounded dreadful even for just a week.
“Honey, I’m home!” He couldn’t help but chuckle at the silly announcement, but soon realized he had no reason to call out so loudly as he turned to look Charon in the eyes. “Oh, well hello there, boss, you startled m-” Hermes felt lips press against his, simmering his sentence into a pleased hum as he kissed back. It didn’t last long, the two breaking away and instead entangled with Charon’s arms around Hermes’ waist and Hermes’ up around Charon’s shoulders. “What a warm welcome, you greet everyone with so much enthusiasm or do I get special privileges?” The low rumble of a laugh escaping the man that towered above him made the silly joke worthwhile.
“Special, only for you.” Charon stated oh so seriously, pulling Hermes closer so that their bodies were flush together. It was impossible to ignore how the homebound man pressed against him with an unexpected hardness. “How much time do you have?” The question sounded out in a husky desperation, hips rolled ever so slightly forward in a way that made Hermes feel weak. He hadn’t anticipated a greeting like this, had really been ready to chat away about his day and then be off on his next job. And in his disbelief in the warnings of the previous night, he had not prepared for strong hands to begin undoing the button and zipper on his cargo pants already.
Not that he was in the slightest upset about this development, Hermes let out a shaky breath as he felt clothes slide down his thighs and around his knees so easily. “Don’t you have a rule about keeping things in the bedroom? I’ve only got thirty minutes on this ‘delivery’, so I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone until later, but I promise I’ll-” This time he paused his own sentence, mainly because he hadn’t noticed Charon had undone his own dress pants in a similar fashion until he was currently rubbing his fully erect cock up against Hermes’ a few times before pushing between his strong thighs. “Are you trying to prove a point about yesterday? You are going to wear yourself out if you start so early.”
“You promised.” The way Charon’s voice sent shivers down Hermes’ spine when he talked so hungrily like that, that low almost growl of an utterance barely audible over his pounding heart. “Need you. Needed you all morning. Now you are here, all for the taking.” Teeth grazed Hermes’ neck as he found himself gripping onto Charon’s shoulders, his thighs held tight and pressed closer so the stronger man could fuck between them, seeming content to use the slick sweat he’d worked up running about to do his business. “Thirty minutes. All mine.”
Hermes would have never taken his lovely associate as someone to be so needy, as he eloquently expressed in words and actions alike. The events unfolded like a suffocating heat in all the best ways, arching his head back as Charon sucked against his neck where it lay exposed above his collared work shirt. He'd have a hard time hiding that, having previously not needed to worry about such visible markings from his lover. Hermes couldn't find any protest in his body against the attention though, as he groaned each and every time Charon thrust forward against his legs and in doing so confined his own neglected dick between them in a brief moment of friction.
It barely registered that he'd dropped one hand from Charon's shoulders to take hold of his erection and stroke himself between the moments when he felt their bodies mesh together at the hips, allowing his hand to be squished along with the rest of him. It wasn't getting him much of anywhere, and his partner seemed to pick up on the distressed expression of frustration it brought up on Hermes' face.
So the man he so adored suddenly pulled away, leaving him cold and alone for barely a second, as he was spun to face the front door before being used once more. Hip gripped tight with one hand, powerful movement pushed between his thighs again that now felt warm and raw, and the remaining hand tangled through black hair and tugged his head back to continue assaulting his neck with kisses and bites. With the new position Hermes was free to hold himself up against the door with one hand pressed firm onto the old wood and the other hand frantically jerking himself off as he was pushed and pulled like a ragdoll.
It felt like hours that Hermes felt himself being used so roughly, never once thrust into but still being thoroughly unraveled regardless. What pushed him over the edge had ironically been so simple, a gentle kiss to the back of his head and the softest whisper in that now raggedly low voice, “I love you, Hermes.” The confession, still a newer expression between the two of them and only in private, broke any resolve to last longer, a whimpered reply in kind as he thankfully managed to release into his hand as opposed to against the door. Which was admittedly pretty unimportant when Charon followed a moment later, covering his thighs and the door in seed.
Arms wrapped possessively around Hermes' midsection as Charon nuzzles against his neck and rambled quiet praises. “You're so beautiful, little bird. So perfect for me. So amazing.” It wasn't often Charon was the one to babble on, still notably yet slowly grinding between plump and sticky thighs, and the mixture of sensations made Hermes wonder if he'd actually be leaving at his intended thirty minute mark. He didn't have to wonder long as thrusting picked back up and teeth found purchase upon his neck once more.
Hermes managed to finish his deliveries for this strange Monday without too much lateness, though he did end up needing to be very particular with how his scarf wrapped his neck when bringing supplies for the rest of the afternoon lest he be questioned about the handful of blossoming hickeys in clear sight. The only appointment he ended up arriving a bit late to had unfortunately been to Hades and Persephone’s shop, and the scrutiny on his Uncle’s face had been difficult to enjoy when he was being leered at with a knowing expression from his loitering cousin.
“Not often you are late, coz, and you look far more flushed in the face than usual. And your hair is still soppy wet, did you take a shower mid shift?” More than amused by the general disarray his relative and employer seemed to be in, Zagreus continued to prattle on as Hermes continued to bring in boxes without much to say for once. Seeing that he was not being challenged only spurred on the delighted young man. “Did you run here instead of using your bike? Or maybe you are spending your breaks with company this week? Thought you didn’t like slowing down like that? Surely seems like a strange break in your very meticulous scheduling. Who could you possibly be seeing in the middle of the day that would be free in our little circle of acquaintances?" Zagreus only stopped his teasing when his father rather suddenly dropped a box of flyers in his unprepared arms, causing him to stumble just a little.
“If you two are quite done with this one-sided banter, I would like this distributed around the shop floor and then handed out on the street, boy.” Hades' ever serious and no-nonsense attitude ended the teasing of his eldest child, who muttered about how he was supposed to be on break right now anyway. This quip back was met with an irritated almost growling sound from his father, which seemed well enough a sign to quiet down and get back to work. He’d just sneak in his break later to gossip about the disheveled nature of his oddly quiet cousin.
The real reason that Hermes did not argue back with Zagreus, an argument that he’d likely win because he knew exactly what sort of things to bring up in front of Uncle Hades that would get his son in major trouble, was that there was someone else in the expanse of the jewelry shop that left him awkwardly silent. Standing off in the back at the main cashier counter with Aunt Persephone was someone he hadn’t spoken to one on one since starting his relationship with Charon. Striking gold eyes left the attention of his Aunt and instead locked on to him now, as Nyx adjusted as if she might just head over to talk with him. It isn’t as though he was avoiding her, he liked all of Charon’s family well enough even if some of them didn’t seem to care for him. That in and of itself wasn’t entirely fair though, because the two in question were Nemesis and Thanatos and they just sorta were like that as people, he didn’t think it was direct grumpiness at his existence and more so just a them thing. Charon had a tendency to seem generally annoyed if you didn’t know him better, so surely they were similar.
Nyx was a different story though. She had the same air of seriousness he’d come to revere in Charon, but the difference is he didn’t know Nyx like he did her son. He’d slowly gotten very close to Charon even before they started actually dating instead of dancing around their feelings. In the two years they’ve been acquaintances and business partners in a sense, the most recent four months of which they were actually dating, Hermes had maybe spoken to Nyx on his own twice. In two years, all of which he technically also did business with her through the deliveries that went to Pomegarnite seeing as she had some ties to his relatives shop here, and he hasn’t spoken to her probably since well before he’d started dating her son. Which is probably why she is staring at him, expressionless as always, and now walking towards him and Hades. As much as Hermes didn’t want to have a conversation with his boyfriend’s mom less than an hour after said boyfriend had pinned him to the front door and made a mess of him, it looked like he couldn’t avoid it.
As the imposing force that was Nyx approached, the similarly intimidating Hades greeted her with a nod while basically dismissing that Hermes was even there. “It is appreciated that you could stop by and give your assessment of the latest collection of gemstones, this should be quite the popular sale given the trend data my dear queen collected over the past few weeks.”
It was a business professional conversation that Hermes couldn’t stop himself from interrupting as he blurted out, “You call ‘Seph your queen? That is so unlike you, where in the world has my irritable Uncle gone suddenly?” His words were louder than they ought to have been and now all he accomplished instead of gaining laughter from the silliness was a vacant stare from Nyx and fury from Hades. “You know, maybe I’ve outstayed my welcome here, I have so many more deliveries to do.”
“Yes, maybe you ought to leave if you are just going to be a nuisance. Honestly, Nyx, I cannot fathom what your son sees in this fool of a nephew I am reluctantly stuck working with.” Hurtful but not out of the usual rudeness he had come to expect from Hades. As he attempted to excuse himself though, a hand reached out to lay gently on Hermes’ right shoulder, causing him to turn back and face an expectant looking Nyx.
“Hermes, before you run off, would you mind having a chat with me? I know you are busy with work, but I do believe you have some spare time before your next scheduled delivery, which is just down the way if I am remembering correctly.” The specifics confused him, the expression on his face seemed to bring the tiniest smile out of the woman but Hermes was too perplexed to notice. “It is a minor holiday, so the corner store you would normally deliver to next is closed for a family gathering, so you shouldn’t be late arriving at the bank given it is closer and you won’t need to backtrack as much.”
At this point in the conversation, Hades had excused himself instead of waiting for Hermes to leave, knowing well enough this had nothing to do with him and wanting nothing of it. Hermes on the other hand had quietly been led out of the shop and now stood on the sidewalk beside Nyx. As the woman started to continue her conversation, he couldn’t help but stammer into some sort of sentence himself. Likely ought to have been a paragraph if he hadn’t sped through it anxiously. “You certainly know a lot of details about my deliveries, you come to that knowledge yourself or do you have someone watching me or something, that would be crazy though, it isn’t like you’d have a reason to think I’m up to something, I’ve been nothing but a gentleman I promise, I would never do anything to hurt your son honest, why is everyone in your family so tall, are you as tall as Thanatos, is Charon the tallest of the Styx family, the look on your face tells me I am supposed to be listening to you, I am so sorry I don’t know what my problem is, I just, I-” Hermes took in a long breath, letting it out in a quick huff, before straightening his posture and shutting the fuck up for five seconds.
Once again, there was the most miniscule hint of amusement, but this time Hermes did catch it, though he was reluctant to ruin it by pointing it out. Which he almost very nearly instantly pointed and said something. Sometimes he didn’t know why he was like this. Inner and outer panic aside, he stayed quiet and settled his mind by toying with a loose thread on the strap of his messenger bag as Nyx spoke. “I wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of my son, who is the tallest of my children since you asked, though I imagine we are all quite a bit taller than you are so it may be difficult to discern.” Her tone remained steady and almost cold, but the manner of which she spoke was suddenly feeling familiar. There was that very distant warmth in the back of her words that he’d come to adore in his own partner. That hint of enjoyment otherwise hidden behind a steely facade of professionalism at all times. And within that tiny warmth he swore he sensed levity in the last statement.
“I..Thank me? For what, loving your son? No offense, but I was going to do that with or without your approval.” It wasn’t supposed to be harsh, accustomed to defending his relationship with his own family and almost defaulting to that stance with Charon’s mother instead. The way her eyebrows lifted and eyes widened had him stuttering apologies instantly. “Shit, sorry, that’s not, I’m not saying you wouldn’t! I just, I’m used to, I mean-”
“Loving him?” Hermes didn’t even consider the fact that he’d said that to Nyx of all people, far more preoccupied with coming off like an asshole. “Well, that makes my conversation with you easier than. I had anticipated having a long talk letting you know how passionate my child can be. I have a feeling you are already well enough aware if you are so boldly proclaiming your love in the few months you’ve been dating. Perhaps Hypnos was correct to assume you both dated in secret before telling the rest of us?”
Now there was no doubting it, a smile as small as it was, clearly illuminated Nyx’s otherwise stoic expression. It melted away the knot Hermes felt twisting in his gut so that he felt more free to converse. “Well, I’m glad you don’t object, because I’m not taking it back. Except don’t tell him I said any of this to you, he was worried about people thinking we were rushing into things saying I love you so soon. But I do! I do love him. He’s my favorite part of every day and I don’t know what I’d do if I had to go back to living without him in my life. So don’t you worry about that because I’m not going anywhere. He couldn’t shake me if he tried.”
The further extravagant exclamations brought soft laughter out of the powerful woman, who placed a hand once more on Hermes’ shoulder. “You know, I’ve done business against my will with your father for a long time. It is an astonishment he has a child as respectful and caring as you. Though I have a feeling your dear mother Maia has a lot to do with that.” Hermes nodded confidently, having no doubt about the statement, though he did wonder how much Charon told her of all this or how much Nyx had dug up on her own. “Good, I am glad not all of his brood were terrors like him. That does bring me to my next request. At what point are you going to visit for dinner?” She only paused long enough to let the young man look surprised by the question. “He hasn’t invited you? Not once in the last two months of me asking him to?”
“There isn’t an answer I can give you that makes both of us look good, is there?” The smile on her face was short lived, but nothing he couldn’t fix. “What does your schedule look like this week? Since Charon is bored out of his mind without work, maybe we can arrange something for this coming Friday?” Hermes and Nyx looked over what worked best and set up a tentative meeting time, this time putting Hermes in charge of inviting Charon. He was thrilled at the prospect of his boyfriend’s expression when he was the one to bring it up, considering not once has Charon mentioned these attempts at planning.