Days.

It had been days since Haruka had talked to him last. They’d been out under the stars, just the two of them together, and it had been beautiful. For a moment, it had seemed like Hades was going to relent, to give up on pushing Haruka away… and then the rain had finally come, Hades’s famous bad luck coming to ruin their night, and Haruka had ended up the way he often found himself at the school for gods- alone.

It wasn’t that he minded being alone. He’d rather be alone than watch the gods fawn over his sister; as much as he liked her, it seemed like a waste. But he wasn’t going to find any friends in the spirits that inhabited the school thanks to Zeus. The one person who’d chased away his loneliness, the one person who made the whole ridiculous charade a little bit better, was the one person who was ignoring him.

Haruka sighed, curling his legs closer to him and trying to focus on the book he was reading. It was a book on greek mythology, and he had been hoping to learn something about how to deal with Hades from it. Anything would be a help right then.

He didn’t expect that anything to be Apollon.

It was hard to miss the god; he carried an aura of light with him that seemed to brighten up the world around him. Haruka didn’t look up from his book, still irritated over the last time Apollon had tried to take him up on that giant flying horse of his. To spare himself the embarrassment, Haruka always just said it hadn’t ended well.

“What?” Haruka finally gave in and looked up after five minutes of the god silently staring at him.

Apollon didn’t look guilty about it; he plucked the book from Haruka’s hands, scanning the page Haruka had been reading. “What are you trying to find out about Hades? And why?”

“What does it matter?” Haruka asked defensively, his face turning a soft pink as he tried to snatch the book back.

Apollon easily held it up out of Haruka’s reach, his eyes full of honest curiosity. “I just want to know,” he said, sounding slightly hurt.

“I-” Haruka stopped, sighed, and sat back down. He pulled his legs back up to his chest, crossing his arms on top of them so he had a resting spot for his chin. “I’m worried about him, that’s all. It’s nothing that important.”

Apollon begged to differ, even if he didn’t say it aloud. People were never so forlorn about ‘nothing that important’. “What are you worried about?” The god sat down next to Haruka, crossing his legs and putting the book in his lap, still open to the chapter on Hades.

“Well it’s just… he seems so lonely. I hate to see him like that,” Haruka confessed, his eyes on the bookshelf opposite them.

Apollon’s gaze was thoughtful as he looked down at the pinkette. “His alienation is his own choice. You know that.”

“I know,” Haruka grumbled.

He knew about Hades’s misfortune. He was the god of the Underworld, and because he was in charge, he was the subject of the resentment of all the spirits trapped there. It manifested itself as a curse, a symbol etched into his skin and a misfortune that followed him everywhere, turning every sweet moment sour. It was the reason why Hades pushed everybody away; he didn’t want anybody else hurt by his misfortune.

“He’s selfish,” Haruka spoke before he could catch the words and keep them inside.

Apollon looked away to hide his smile. “I suppose,” he said, schooling his features into nonchalance before he looked back at Haruka, “It could be considered selfish. He is, after all, making your decision for you. But isn’t it a little selfless too? How much does he give up to make sure we can all be happy while he has to suffer?”

“I… I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Haruka admitted, his fingers curling so they rucked up the fabric of his pants.

Apollon gave the boy a gentle smile. “We never do. You should think about it some more,” Apollon said, getting gingerly to his feet and stretching his long legs. “You might change your mind about him.”

Haruka didn’t look up to watch the god leave; his gaze was fixed firmly on that bookshelf across the room. All he could think about was how lonely Hades had to be; trapped in his loneliness, unable to let people close because he was afraid his curse would get them hurt. It had to be a terrible way to live. Haruka wasn’t surprised when a couple of the tears stinging his eyes slipped past, dripping onto the sleeves of his uniform, turning it a slightly darker color.

Haruka sniffled, wiping at his face with a scowl. He wasn’t the one cursed to be lonely forever. He didn’t have to bear that huge burden by himself. Haruka only wished he could shoulder half that burden for Hades.

Haruka’s frown deepened, and he pursed his lips. Was it impossible to help Hades? Surely it couldn’t be; people always went on and on about how nothing was impossible. And if it wasn’t, if it was possible, what would that mean? Hades wouldn’t have to be alone… and neither would Haruka.

He was on his feet before he could think about it. Haruka knew where Hades would be, because there was only one place the god could be: the planetarium.

***

It was quiet, peaceful… lonely. But Hades was used to that. He was always alone. Always- except when the new boy, the happy one with the pink hair, chased after him when he went to look at the stars.

Hades pretended he didn’t enjoy it, every time Haruka tagged along. He had to, because he couldn’t give Haruka any ideas; he didn’t want the boy to end up getting hurt because of him. Because of his misfortune. Hades looked down to see his hand on the right side of his chest where, just under his uniform, the mark of his curse lay.

Hades dropped his hand, looking away at the paintings of the stars on the walls; he didn’t need to be reminded of the reason for his loneliness. Sighing softly, he retrieved the case that held his telescope, and crossed to the door to sneak outside.

The door opened before he could get there, revealing a familiar head of pink hair and a flushed face. “Haruka?” Hades backed away from the door as Haruka stumbled inside, trying to catch his breath; somehow, on the way to the planetarium, he’d ended up running.

“A-are you going to watch the stars?” Haruka panted, trying to lean casually against a desk but ending up hunched over as he tried to catch his breath.

Hades set his case down immediately. “Ah, no, I was just-”

“You shouldn’t lie,” Haruka said reproachfully, his eyes full of disapproval as he looked up from underneath his eyelashes.

Hades looked away quickly, before his heart could beat faster. Hauling in a slow breath, he released it out with the truth. “Yes, I am going to watch the stars. But I would prefer to do that alone.”

“You’re lying again.” Haruka clucked his tongue at the god of the Underworld, shaking his head.

Hades felt the strange urge to laugh, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth; he quickly banished the temptation. “Haruka… I don’t want you with me.”

“That’s still not the truth.” Haruka stood up, stepping close to the god, challenging him.

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me!” Hades snapped before he could think. He immediately tried to step away, to flee before anything else bad could happen.

Haruka caught his wrist before he could go more than a step away. “Hades,” he said the name on a whisper. “I’m not the one who’s hurting.”

“Stop,” Hades tried to pull his hand away. “You’re going to be hurt, if you stay near me. Walk away, Haruka, don’t get any closer.”

Either Haruka wasn’t listening, or he didn’t care- or maybe a little of both- because he pulled Hades closer. “You’re not going to hurt me, Hades. And I’m not going to stop, because I want to be close to you. That’s all I want.”

“Haruka…” Hades was helpless against it, the determination on Haruka’s face and the boy’s tight grip on his wrist, the emotion shining in his eyes. “Please,” he begged, giving his wrist another half-hearted tug.

“Hades,” Haruka breathed. They were lined up, toe to toe, and Hades was reminded of how close they were in height, almost perfect for each other. “Let me help you?”

“I-I-”

“Give me some of your burden.” Haruka was undoing the buttons of Hades’s clothes with the nimble fingers of his free hand. Hades’s chest was bare to him in barely seconds, and he splayed his fingers across the god’s chest, his fingers resting over the shimmering mark of his curse.

Hades’s breath hissed in between his clenched teeth, and he closed his eyes as he tried to keep from trembling under Haruka’s touch. “I-I can’t, Haruka.”

“You can,” Haruka let go of Hades’s wrist, using the hand to guide Hades’s face down to his. “Let me help you carry it, Hades. You can do it, because I love you.”

He would have protested, the lonely god of the Underworld, but it was too late; he was lost in the taste of Haruka’s lips against his. They swayed into each other, human and god, their kiss blazing and beautiful like the stars.

Hades was different when his shell was cracked; bold, demanding, his hands resting on Haruka’s waist as he led the boy back against a wall. Haruka didn’t protest the change, delighting in the press of Hades’s body against his, his mouth blossoming open when Hades nipped at his bottom lip.

Haruka let his hands wander, one hand climbing behind Hades’s neck so his fingers could twine in the deep green hair. The other settled over the mark of Hades’s curse, feeling the heat of his soft skin, the very faint echo of the heart that was pounding on the other side of his chest. Haruka smiled into the kiss, making a soft noise when Hades slipped his knee between his legs, rubbing against him and making his back arch.

Haruka knew when things started to change; the mark under his hand heated, in tiny increments at first before quickly becoming a roaring inferno under his hand. He instinctively tried to bite his lips to keep from making a noise, but his teeth caught Hades’s lip instead, and the god moaned. Hades slipped his hands under Haruka’s shirt, exploring his skin, while the mark grew hotter.

Haruka couldn’t help the tiny cry of pain when a sharp, shooting stab of agony ran from where his hand rested to his heart.

“Haruka?” Hades pulled away, putting just the tiniest bit of distance between them- and Haruka’s hand didn’t shift at all. “Are you okay?”

Haruka couldn’t say anything, his teeth clenched against another groan. It hurt. He hadn’t thought sharing the burden would be so bad, but it

. Wave after wave of burning pain passing up his arm, building up on the right side of his chest. He could feel it there, burning, and he knew what was happening; the mark of the curse was being placed on his body.

“Haruka!” Hades sounded pained, guilty… afraid.

Haruka looked up, and hoped his eyes didn’t show his pain. “I-it’s okay, it’s what I w-wanted.” His words ended in a whimper, and his head dropped to the god’s shoulder. Hades pulled him close, and he clung to the god as the pain burned in his chest, searing the mark into his skin.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Hades murmured, over and over again, stroking Haruka’s pink hair as the boy shook in his arms. He was afraid the mark wasn’t going to transfer, that it was going to kill the boy instead.

So he was surprised when Haruka’s shivers slowly grew less harsh, and less frequent. When Haruka could pull away, tears drying on his face, and produce a shaky smile. “I-it wasn’t so bad,” the boy lied through his teeth.

“Haruka.” Hades said it softly, like a prayer, as he looked down at the matching marks on their chests. Neither of them was as bright as the original, muted marks that were almost translucent on their skin. They were sharing the burden, helping each other shoulder the pain. Hades raised his eyes to Haruka’s, and they were glimmering with tears. “Thank you.”

Haruka smiled softly, and leaned forward to kiss him again. “I love you,” he replied, before giving himself permission to sag into the god.

Hades gladly took his weight, sweeping the boy up into his arms when he began to softly snore. He knew where Haruka’s room was, but he didn’t bother; he carried Haruka to his own room, ignoring his nephews’ questions. He wanted to be there when Haruka woke up, every day for the rest of their lives. Because Haruka’s love wasn’t one-sided, and neither of them would ever have to be alone.