Sensations

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dark scoffed, crossing her arms to dig her elbow into his sternum.

"I'm not trying to fight with you but--"

"You have a weird way of not fighting..." she cut him off and shifted her legs away but he pulled them back.

"BUT," he glared at the side of her face and though he fought it, his lips curved in the corner, "I think it's important for us to have this conversation. We haven't had any time alone and we can't keep going like this."

"Great you plan to put your foot down like your brother? Just what a girl needs to kill her high."

Hades' eyes darkened, his lips brushing the underside of her jaw, "And what exactly, did my brother put his foot down about?"

"Don't get that jealous fucking tone with me," she growled but refused to move away from his lips, "He said I needed to be honest about the fact that I'm not the girl you love anymore so I don't break you with my immature games. I'm paraphrasing a rather long, annoying conversation, obviously. But that was the point."

"Being around you doesn't make me uncomfortable, no matter what my brothers have probably said," Hades looked up at the sky, throat bobbing, "They're just... cautious about my triggers. Things get ugly when I lose control. And I'll admit that I fell off the deep end a little bit when you were taken. But it was because I didn't know what to do. You were gone and I hadn't felt that..." he paused searching for the right word, "Powerless in a long time. It made me vulnerable in a way I never wanted to be. You make me vulnerable."

"You mean when Angel..."

"Stop doing that Dark!" Hades eyes were trained back on her and she could see the fire flickering in them. Just a glint of his teeth peeking out at her. What had she said that could piss him off that much? Because she said Angel's name?

"Stop doing what?" she asked, noting how quiet her voice had gotten. She was suddenly aware of how scared she was. Not because she was alone with Hades while he was angry or because she had almost no control over herself in this state. It wasn't because they had enough history and baggage between them to start a fight that would probably hurt. But because as she stared up into his angry eyes, she felt something. It wasn't small or annoying but aching and overwhelming.

All the memories she and Angel had shared. All the things she'd seen in the backseat of Angel's mind. The muscle in her chest twisted in agony, a sweet, bitter pain. She loved him too. In as much as way as she was capable of loving anything, she did. And it was her single most terrifying moment. And he had the potential to really hurt her by admitting that she was never going to be Angel. She already knew it but to hear him say it...

"Stop pretending you're not her!" he shouted, "Putting emphasis on her versus you. Her experiences versus yours. Basically saying I love her, not you or that I'm missing her while I'm with you. It's the only thing you do that genuinely gets under my skin!" Hades' fingers were digging into her skin now, one arm draped just across her lap, the other encircling her back to grip her hip. There chests pressed close enough for her to smell the heat rolling off his skin as he huffed at her. Her knees clamped down on the sensation growing between them. This wasn't the time to get distracted.

"But I'm no-"

"Am I the king of the underworld?" he asked in a calm voice though his demeanor said he was anything but relaxed.

Dark turned towards him enough that their noses were nearly touching, "Yes..."

"Then you know I can see your shade?" his eyes were so piercing her stomach was in knots. She nodded her head, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Then you'll believe me when I say you and Angel share one shade. You're not two separate people. You're both *one* soul. Two sides of the same coin," the hand that was on her hip found its way to her hair, gripping it firmly to angle her head, "Look at me." His warm breath feathered her face.

She gave him her eyes, not even realizing she'd looked away, "You are her and she is you. I see bits of her in you and now that I've met you, I saw bits of you in her too. You're not whole because Asteria broke you in two. You're not less than her or worse than her. The fact that your emotions are stunted doesn't mean anything to me, Dark. You understand?" He kissed her soft and light then pulled back, "I love the whole you. Her half and yours, though I'm man enough to admit your half could probably give me nightmares." He laughed quietly and kissed her again. This time she leaned into it, bringing her own hands up to wrap around his neck and tangle into his hair. He pulled apart her lips and took them each into his mouth.

"I like this length," she whispered, pulling back and tugging at his hair. He chuckled, "I like yours too. It suits you. Long does too. Anything you do or don't do suits you. Whoever you choose to be suits me. I'm not bothered by your darkness and I'm not blinded by your light. You need both. I need both. I want both. Fuck my brothers and their good intentions. Or bad. I don't care. I don't even care about Tantalus. If you need that, if you want him, fine. It's all fine. I can't promise not to try and kill him but I can't hold you to things Angel put in place between us. When you're whole you'll make the final decisions but for now, I just want you, whoever that is."

His thumb stroked the sliver of skin where her shirt met her jeans. Flustered, her hand dropped against his chest, every part of her angled closer to every part of him, "This didn't turn out to be so bad of a conversation," she whispered, "No idea what I was so worried about."

Running his nose along her cheek, "You should never be scared to talk to me about anything."

"Gods," she gulped, her skin suddenly so sensitive she arched against his hand now palming her stomach under her shirt.

"Which sense is hitting you now?" he licked the lobe of her ear and nibbled.

"Touch," she breathed, tingling from her head to her toes with hot sensation.

"And what does my touch feel like, my love?" he tilted her head back to give him more of her neck. His lips grazed her first, then his teeth. He nicked her gently, lapping the small bead of blood and pulled a moan from some primal part of her brain that didn't care where they were.

He tugged one shoulder of her shirt off, covering it in kisses, "Dark," he groaned, "I'm waiting for your answer. What do I feel like?"

"F-fire," she shivered as a trickle of flame went up her torso and licked over her nipple before his mouth soothed the sting. She swallowed air, gripping his shirt to stay grounded against the pleasure of it but she wanted more and told him so.

"Why must you always make it so difficult to go slow, hmm?" his mouth crashed back down on hers, "Tell me to take you home and I'll end this game." Another flame slithered across her belly, then lower and she could feel the sting of tears as she bit her lip. Her whole body was alive with heat and want and the pressure she felt beneath her told her Hades was just as effected.

"P-please take me h-home," she panted, taking his tongue so deep in her mouth she was sure she would swallow it. She slipped her hand into his pants for the hot flesh below, "Take me home, now."

She didn't need to repeat herself a third time because the next thing she knew her back was hitting the black satin sheets of Hades' bed.