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The soft loamy scent of Elysium floods Zagreus’ senses as he catches his breath. He’d beaten Thanatos by only one kill, cutting it really, really close down to the last second at that. Not his finest work.
So maybe he’d been a little distracted by watching Thanatos fight. The God of Death moved swiftly, effortlessly, hefting his giant scythe as if it weighed no more than a feather. It’s captivating—all of Thanatos is captivating, if Zag is being honest with himself—and it took all his effort to focus on the battle and not watch Thanatos’ deadly dance at the edges of his vision.
“You were good out there today, Zagreus.” Thanatos offers the compliment without hesitation, something Zagreus is still getting used to. “But you seemed a little distracted.” Thanatos quirks his lips, not quite a smile, but not quite not.
Ah, yes. The mortifying ordeal of being known.
Zagreus blushes, feels the warm heat spread across his cheeks, and rubs at the back of his head, sheepishly. “It’s hard to focus when someone is that attractive while dispatching fallen heroes. Re-dispatching? Uh, either way.”
The edges of Thanatos’ not-quite-smile turn up, just a bit more. “Yes. Well. I’m sure you can work on your focus next time, as I have no intention of altering my appearance to appease your base needs.”
“Well, at least you know if you want to beat me, you can always fight nude.” Oh no, now the image is in his head. Zagreus why do you do this to yourself? His cheeks flare with a heat to rival the soles of his feet.
“Certainly a classic, though not my style.” Thanatos deadpans.
“I don’t know, Than.” Zag steps towards him, runs his hand down Thanatos’ chest. “I think it’s quite your style on some occasions.”
“See you at home.” Thanatos says, much too quickly, and disperses into nothingness leaving behind only a cloud of dense, green smoke. He did not need wait for a reply.
“See you at home.” Zag says to the empty air, smiling at nothing. He will never tire of knowing it’s true.
----
“C’mon Than, harder.” Zag leers, the same quirked smile of challenge as out on the battlefield. He tilts his head to the side, tries to meet Than’s eyes behind him. He’s on his hands and knees. Thanatos is finally inside of him after a run that felt like it took an age. And now the bastard’s going so slow that Zagreus wants to scream. “Mess me up, I can take it.”
“Just because you can take it, dear Prince, doesn’t mean you should have to.” Than rolls his hips, his cock dragging across Zag’s prostate in a slow crawl that sends a molten wave down Zag’s spine.
They’d been on one another since almost the very moment Zagreus crawled out of the Pool and found Thanatos waiting for him in his chambers. Always a fine surprise following yet another doomed escape with minimal Surface time. (Look- nobody told Zagreus that one bee, let alone the many bees that beset upon him, could usher in an ignoble death. It’s not Zag’s fault that a glistening beehive filled with honey so closely resembles enticing nectar.)
“Fffuck.” Zag pants. “Fuck.”
“What was that? I couldn’t make out your request.” Than’s pace doesn’t wavier, he just keeps fucking into Zag in slow, deep thrusts, all but raking Zag’s insides with every inch of his thick cock. With seemingly little effort, Thanatos hauls Zagreus’ body higher off the mattress, so that his straining erection barely makes contact with the soft duvet below. The feeling of being manhandled like he weighs nothing manifests itself in a pulse of precome that dribbles helplessly from Zag’s dick. Than digs his nails in harder, holds Zagreus in place as he continues to fuck into him in lazy, deliberate thrusts. The sweetest of tortures.
Zag keens, a high pitched, needy whine. Any hope of Than being too distracted to have noticed dissipates in a shroud of embarrassment as Zag cranes his head to meet his lover’s eyes. One would think Thanatos presided over the very duty of smugness itself rather than Death, given the way he’s grinning. It looks good on him. Zagreus’ cock twitches against the mattress, still not quite enough friction to do much of anything but frustrate him. Zag drops his head, lets his forehead touch the soft sheets beneath him, too momentarily overwhelmed to address his words at the other man.
“M-maybe it’s what I want.” Zag says, defiant, trying to stop himself from allowing another embarrassing noise to escape. “I want you to fuck me up. Take what you want of me. I want to feel it—ah-“ Than pushes Zag back towards the bed, angling himself just so, exactly so, so that his cock lights up Zagreus’ whole being with every roll of his hips. “I need you to fuck me harder.”
“Spoiled brat.” Thanatos replies, punctuating his response with a hard slap to one of Zagreus’ firm buttcheeks. He starts fucking him in earnest, nonetheless.
Zagreus is glad his face is now pressed down against the bed, lest Thanatos see just how wide is grin is. Now this is a fight he knows how to win. Zagreus lets himself moan wantonly, lets a litany of oooh and aah and right there Than oh shit spill past his lips. He knows Thanatos loves it when he gets loud, however much the other man protests. He doesn’t even need to be putting on any airs—Thanatos drags the cries of ecstasy from Zagreus willingly or not with every pound of his cock. Thanatos gives him another hard slap on the ass, this time lets his nails dig into the firm muscular flesh. It’s going to leave marks, and it stings just this side of delicious.
Thanatos leans forward, presses one wide palm down on Zag’s shoulderblades and fucks him so hard Zag could swear he feels Than levitating off the bed just a bit. It’s so much, it’s exactly right, it’s too much, it’s everything happening so much at once and Zagreus ruts against the bed, helplessly smearing precome beneath him. It won’t be long now—his orgasm barrels towards him like an foe on the field, one he greets with open arms to obliterate him. So close so CLOSE, Zagreus lets his voice staccato, hisses out little hitches in his breath. He’s so ready to come, he’s so goddamn ready---
He's being flipped over. Wait, what?
Thanatos pulls out of him, flips Zag on the mattress, presses his hand down on his sternum. It’s an unspoken command- stay. Zagreus is on his back with Thanatos over him, slotted between his spread legs.
“Babe, come on, I was so close.” Zagreus does not whine. He doesn’t.
“You said you wanted to be messed up, didn’t you?” Thanatos ruts his cock against Zagreus’ hole, loose and raw from how hard he’d been fucked before this egregious change of plans. The motion is slick but still stings as Thanatos lets his thick cockhead catch against Zag’s entrance before sliding away. Over and over, Thanatos silently rubs himself between Zagreus’ firm cheeks, sometimes pressing the head of his dick in just a bit, just enough to tease, before sliding away. The motion is maddening. So close to what he wants, what he craves. And he brought this on himself with his damn mouth. His mouth—hmm that’s an idea.
“If you won’t fuck me, let me suck you.” Zag says, trying to keep the whine out of his voice. “Let me suck you. Come down my throat, I know you love that, choke me on your cock until I can’t breathe, until all I can taste is you for a week.”
“Tempting.” Thanatos does not cease his ministrations, continues to push down on Zagreus’ chest, continues to rut against the cleft of his ass with no apparent destination in mind.
“Thanatos, please, please. Let me suck you off, let me get your cock in my mouth come on you know I’m good at it you know it. Plea—Come on you need this as bad as I do, I can feel it. I can feel how hard you are.” He isn’t whining and he certainly isn’t begging either. But it’s true—he can feel Than twitch against him, rock hard, fluid leaking steadily from the tip easing the way of this torment.
“I believe you requested something from me, and I am obliged to deliver. Never let it be said I am derelict in my duties.”
“Than wait wha—”
Zagreus doesn’t get a chance to ask for clarification before Thanatos swoops down, pushing back on Zagreus’ legs to spread him wide. His cock catches on the rim of Zagreus’ hole and he can feel himself flutter, feel his body so ready to accept what Thanatos has to give.
Thanatos is silent as he slides back home, right to the hilt.
“FFfffffffuuuuuuuck.” Zagreus offers as all of the air is punched from his lungs. “Blood and darkness, give it to me Than.”
Thanatos seems to oblige, leans forward a bit folding Zag into himself, testing the limits of his flexibility. Angled like this, Zagreus can feel Thanatos hitting his prostate with every push inside, with every thrust. It’s a quick crescendo back to the precipice of orgasm. His mouth falls open, and his swears give way to small hitches again, to slurred words and a lot of Thanatos.
He's close again and oh thank the Gods Thanatos has learned every inch of his body, he’s fucking him just right, so delicious and sweet, so close to too much but right on the button, right on target. In, out, in, out—Zagreus gets so focused on the slide of his partner’s cock in and out of him that he misses the flash of movement above him. Right until there’s a firm hand around his throat. Squeezing. Choking. Fuck.
Zagreus sputters. Tears form at the corners of his eyes. Thanatos keeps fucking into him, one hand on the back of a thigh, the other firm around his neck. Than leans down, kisses along Zagreus’ jaw.
“Is this it?” Thanatos hisses, his breath cool against the shell of Zagreus’ ear. Than squeezes at Zag’s throat harder, cutting off the soft whine that had been trying to escape. He pistons in and out of Zag, the wet slap of their bodies threatening—almost—to drown out the rush of blood pounding in Zagreus’ ears. Than’s pace is brutal. His throbbing cock pounds into Zag’s body. He can feel himself getting sore, being rubbed a little raw at his rim where he’s stretched by Thanatos’ size, from where he was so taunted earlier.
“Is what it?” Zagreus gasps his words, his voice lost to his panting.
“Distracted as ever.” Thanatos laughs, the sound of it shoots through Zagreus like a zap of lighting right to his dick, which bobs between them, curving upwards with a crimson flush at the head, desperate for attention. Why is Than mocking him so hot? Goddamn. The hand at his throat grips hard, certainly hard enough to leave a collar of bruises (and isn’t that a thought that makes Zag’s dick leak all the more) and the pressure of it leaves everything floaty around the edges. Zag feels himself drift, lets his eyes slip shut, lets himself be used.
Thanatos keeps fucking him, keeps choking him. There is nothing he can do—Thanatos’ grip is immovable, the hand on is thigh keeps his legs spread wide, and all he can do is lay there and be thoroughly, thoroughly fucked. The haziness increases as every bit of air is fucked from his lungs. (And why does he need to breathe at all? Best not thing about that now. Not that Zagreus can think of much at all at the moment.)
“Mmm I can feel you leaving me, Zag.” Zagreus can barely make out Thantos’ words, can hear almost nothing over the roar of his blood, perceive nothing but the thick darkness flooding the edges of his vision and the way his body is being absolutely wrecked on Than’s dick. “Wouldn’t that be something? To wake up in the pool because of this frivolous exchange.”
“Hrk.” Zag cannot respond, even if he wanted to, his throat being so restricted by his lover’s hand. He strains against the grip, just a little, feels Than’s cock beat at his prostate, dragging him to the edge—so close, so close, so close.
“I wonder what my brother would say upon seeing you emerge, unclothed as you are.” Thanatos punctuates his words with savage blows into Zag’s body. Zag feels pulled taught as a bowstring, his cock leaking thick pulses of precome down his neglected shaft. He’s going to come, or he’s going to die. And at this point either one would feel like sweet release in the arms of the God of Death.
Thanatos laves his tongue against Zagreus’ ear, catching a bead of sweat coming off of his sideburn. His voice is hoarse, barely more than a whisper, clearly the death god is trying to remain in control. “Is this what you wanted so desperately, my love?”
The endearment breaks something inside Zag. Or maybe it’s the way he can feel Thanatos’ nails biting into his neck, leaving—Zagreus so, so hopes—half-moon nail marks in a chain around his throat. Bruises and love bites and scratches and everyone will know exactly who be belongs to and—oh fuck. It’s like every synapse within Zagreus’ brain goes off at once and oh fuck, oh fuck he’s coming he’s coming harder than he’s ever came in his damn life.
“IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou.” It all bubbles out of him—is choked out of him, really—and Zag cannot give a damn, cannot do much more than hiss out a litany of his emotions as his body is brutalized by Thanatos. It’d be pathetic if it didn’t all feel so good.
For it, Thanatos merely smirks and releases his grip on his lover. He moves his hands to push back on Zagreus’ thighs, hitching his ankles over his shoulders, all but folding Zagreus in half as he fucks into him.
The air hits Zagreus’ lungs in a blow so fast it feels like a punch. All at once it’s like everything is in vivid technicolor and he arcs another spurt of come all the way up across his damn chest. It’s as if all of his senses are colliding at the same time—everything is happening so, so much. Above him, Thanatos has a golden splash across his cheeks, down his chest. He is radiant. He is a burning sun in the Underworld, a vortex of light and beauty in this forsaken Hell and man, Zagreus has got it bad.
“Oh, Zagreus. You are s—so perfect.” Thanatos stutters his hips and leans as far down as the stretch of Zagreus’ legs will allow. “Thank you for this. Thank you for allowing me to t-take you like this.”
Now it’s Zagreus’ turn to laugh—he’s dizzy with it, dizzy with love and lust and that this insane psychopomp is thanking him as he’s getting fucked within an inch of his immortality.
“You can thank me by coming.” Zag manages to wheeze, his head still spinning from his release and the unrelenting fuck he is still receiving.
It doesn’t take Thanatos long to finish, another few pumps of his hips at most and Zagreus can’t help but sigh as he feels the cool splash of Thanatos’ spend fill his overheated body.
He is so ready for a good cuddle and a nap.
Zagreus is being flipped over again.
“Hey wait what are you--?”
He's back where they all started, hands and knees, being pushed down against the mattress. Thanatos positions himself between Zagreus’ legs and runs his hands up the backs of Zag’s legs.
Zagreus shudders. His ear feels hot where his laurels have fallen askew, their light flames sizzling as his temple sweats.
“Look this definitely fulfilled my wishes Thanatos, I am messed, I am messed up, I am ready to— hrk.”
Zagreus all but chokes on his tongue as he feels Thanatos lave his own up between his cheeks. All he gets in response is a soft chuckle against the meat of his ass before Thanatos presses forward, curls his tongue inside the loose furl of Zagreus’ well-fucked entrance.
“Darkness.”
Thanatos sucks lightly, drawing his own seed from Zagreus’ body, laps it up like the finest nectar. Zagreus feels himself start to shake, feels his already spent cock start to thicken again with interest. Than licks at Zagreus more, drawing out more of his release. He hooks a thumb into Zagreus’ body, pulls a bit to make room to work, to make room to really lap inside of him.
Zagreus feels dizzy again like he still has a hand on his throat. Every nerve in his body is on fire, and in the quiet of the room it’s hard to focus on anything but how filthy Thanatos’ efforts sound. The wet slurp of every movement, the absolute lewdness of Thanatos downing himself in Zagreus’ body.
Thanatos hums and for it, Zagreus moans so loudly he can feel it reverberate through himself. Thanatos responds by sliding two fingers inside of him—they slide in easily, loose and relaxed as he is. Than pushes the last of his release out of his lover’s body, watches as it slides down the backs of Zagreus’ thighs. It’s warmed up from the heat of his body and Zagreus cannot help but groan for how hot it makes him feel. Thanatos smears his fingers through the wetness, rubs it into Zagreus’ skin.
“You are so delectable, my love.” Thanatos slides his fingers back in, pumps them lazily, scissoring them every now and then.
“St-stop that Than, you’re gonna make me blush.”
Behind him, Thanatos laughs, his voice hoarse and low. He curls his fingers, presses against Zagreus’ prostate. Precome blooms at the tip of his now fully hard cock, further making a mess of himself and the bed.
“That’s going to make you blush, Zag?” Thanatos keeps fucking his fingers into Zagreus, his deft hands pressing right where Zag needs it most. He slides in a fourth finger. “You know, I could probably get my whole hand in. Maybe not today, but it wouldn’t be that hard.”
“Yeah, well.” Zagreus pants, tries to stop himself from pushing back against Thanatos’ hand. “As long as the gauntlet’s off.”
His partner laughs again and crooks his fingers just so, curling them all against the sweet spot inside of Zagreus. He’s unrelenting, pressing and wriggling his fingers and sliding them in and out at a pace not unlike the way in which he had taken Zag earlier.
“Hnngh!” Zagreus jerks back, rolls his hips to ride Thanatos’ fingers, too far gone to feel ashamed.
“Yes, that’s it. Take it. Take what you want of me. It’s all for you, everything, anything you desire.”
Zagreus doesn’t respond—can’t respond—can’t do anything but chase the release that’s building much, much too quickly for someone who was already so thoroughly fucked.
“Come for me, my Prince.”
And Zagreus does, riding Thanatos’ hand, meeting his every touch, his body alight with pleasure. He drops forward, unable to support himself at all, would drop entirely to the bed if it weren’t for the strong arm Thanatos has looped around his legs.
Thanatos does not remove his hand.
“Than…. Please, Than, I’m done, okay?”
Clever fingers press at Zagreus’ prostate, drawing another spurt of come from his spent cock.
“You have more to give me.” Thanatos soothes, his voice low and calm. Somewhere in Zagreus’ mind he wonders if that’s the voice he gives to the dying, to those he’s about to release from their mortal coils. Zagreus feels ready for that sweet embrace of Death, but alas he’s trapped on his fingers instead.
“Than I—I don’t think I can come again.”
Than keeps pressing, keeps rubbing at Zagreus. Zagreus’ whole body is shaking, truly shaking, like he’s back out in the cold of the Surface, like he’s vibrating out of his own skin. Another thin spurt of release dribbles from his softening cock and Zagreus feels like it’s being torn out of him as if on a thread. Thanatos may be brother to the Fates but Zag would not trust this man with his lifethread if, well, his life depended on it.
He almost wants to go back to being choked to death.
“T-than.” Zagreus gasps, feels his body jump as Thanatos curls his fingers slowly in and out of him. He’s so loose, so raw. He knows he’s going to be feeling this for days, feeling this until the next time he crawls out of that bloody pool. Tears bloom at the corners of his eyes. He feels like every ounce of him is being wrung out.
“You’re so warm.” Thanatos says, maybe just to himself, as Zagreus can hardly form a coherent thought for himself let alone to respond.
Zagreus gaps again, this time choking back a loud sob. It’s too much, dammit.
All at once Thanatos removes his fingers, leaving Zagreus to clench down on nothing. He had thought it’d be relief, he had thought it was what he wanted. He cannot help but whine for the loss.
“There, there.” Thanatos soothes, “I’m here.”
Zagreus lets out another choked up sob as Thanatos presses his thick cock back inside of him. He fucks him slowly, reflecting the pace he’d set at the start. Zagreus can’t speak—can’t think—can’t do anything but rock back and forth as Thanatos fucks him in a slow, deliberate pace, drawing him towards one more orgasm like a wave crashing against a shore.
Zag comes not so much with a shout but a whimper, his cock letting out almost nothing, but the pleasure of it rolls through his body like the tide, pulling him closer to Thanatos, threatening to pull him under. His head swims and he can feel tears spilling down his cheeks, hot wet tears the only real release he can manage. He doesn’t even notice when Thanatos comes in him a second time.
When his partner pulls away, Zagreus collapses on his side. He isn’t sure how long he lays there, motionless, in a fugue of overstimulated haze. When he comes back to himself it is at Thanatos’ touch—a warm rag cleaning him up. Thanatos’ hands gently rolling him onto his back away from the mess on the bed. Thanatos pushes the duvet off onto the floor and slides in next to Zagreus. He runs his fingers through Zag’s sweat-soaked hair, pushing it off his face.
Thanatos kisses Zag’s forehead with cool lips and nothing has ever felt so good in Zagreus’ immortal life. Well, maybe those last three orgasms. Maybe.
“I take it you are well satiated.”
“I dunno, Than.” Zagreus’ voice is a slurred, fucked out mess. “Gimme five and let’s see if you can do all that again. I still remember my name, can’t be that messed up—OW!”
Zagreus flinches at the smack across his bicep that he definitely, definitely deserved.
“I don’t think I can get up for an age.” Zagreus tells the truth. To his surprise, Thanatos settles in beside him, nestling his body against his own. It’s not that Thanatos runs after sex—not anymore anyway—but he usually cannot linger overlong.
“Zagreus I don’t think I can get up either. I think I've forgotten if I have legs.”
“I wore you out that much?” Zagreus beams, feels his laurels flare.
“You are the most tiresome man I know.”
“I love you too, Than.”