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“Hello,” Hypnos called, drawing out the ‘o’ sound as long as possible, as he swung open the front door.
The door crashed loudly into the wall, nearly knocking over a vase sitting on the floor beside it. Hypnos ignored it and slammed the door shut equally as hard behind him, dropping his bag next to him. There was the muffled sound of feet moving across the wooden floor and a figure appeared from around the corner.
“Hypnos, please don’t break anything,” Thanatos said dryly, making his way into the front hall. He was wearing a black ruffled apron covered with flour over a drab grey suit. The contradiction was comical though Hypnos was sure his brother couldn’t see that.
“Hey, Than,” Hypnos greeted cheerily. “Where’s mom?”
“She’s grabbing a few things at the store,” Thanatos answered, turning around to walk back to, presumably, the kitchen. He stopped once he realized Hypnos wasn’t following him.
“Are you not going to come help?” Thanatos asked, looking over his shoulder at his brother.
“I just got here,” Hypnos whined. “You’re really going to put me right to work?”
“It’s Thanksgiving,” Thanatos reminded him. “We have a lot to get done.”
Hypnos grumbled but kicked off his shoes and followed his brother into the kitchen. Thanatos had clearly been working for hours already. There were dishes half made strewn across the counters and any available table space. There was something bubbling on the stove and a wonderful smell was wafting from the oven.
“Ooh, what’s this?” Hypnos asked, sticking a finger into the nearest bowl.
“Sweet potatoes,” Thanatos said, slapping his hand away. “At least wash up before you go sticking your fingers where they don’t belong.”
“Where do they belong?” Hypnos asked, waggling his eyebrows. Thanatos very pointedly ignored him and Hypnos laughed, sticking his finger in his mouth. He sucked on it for a moment then pulled the digit out with an exaggerated pop.
“Are you planning on doing anything productive?” Thanatos asked, annoyed. Hypnos plopped down on a stool next to the counter.
“I’m the taste tester,” he said confidently. Thanatos glared at him.
“Look, I’ll show you,” Hypnos assured him. He dipped his finger into another bowl, this one containing some kind of gravy, and popped the finger in his mouth. This time, however, he made exaggerated sucking motions, hollowing out his cheeks. He slid the finger deeper into his mouth before letting his mouth fall open and dragging the digit slowly down his tongue. He made eye contact with his brother to see his reaction to the obscene performance.
Thanatos’s face was very flushed. He was glaring at his brother but the pink on his cheeks was clearly not from anger. He crossed his arms, just to have something to do.
“Needs more salt,” Hypnos said finally, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Hypnos,” Thanatos started to say but was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.
“Children, I’m home,” called Nyx from the doorway.
“Mom!” Hypnos exclaimed and hopped up from the stool to run into the front hall.
“Hello, my son,” Nyx greeted. “Please assist me with these groceries.”
Hypnos took the bags without complaint. Thanatos, who had followed his brother into the room and was now leaning against the wall, huffed in annoyance. Was it only him that Hypnos wouldn’t listen to?
“Thanatos,” their mother greeted. “Thank you for helping so much with the cooking.”
“Of course, mother,” Thanatos said politely as the three of them made their way back into the kitchen. “It was no trouble.”
“Yeah, no trouble,” Hypnos agreed.
“As if you did anything to help,” Thanatos snorted.
Hypnos pulled down under one eye with his finger and stuck his tongue out at his brother. Thanatos glared back at him.
“Do you have to be so immature?” Thanatos asked, exasperatedly.
“It’s part of my charm,” Hypnos replied, grinning.
“Children,” Nyx said loudly, silencing her sons. “Let us get back to work. We have guests arriving shortly.”
“Guests?” Hypnos asked, leaning on what little free space there was left on the counter.
“Zagreus and Megaera are joining us for dinner,” Nyx said, picking up a knife and beginning to chop the vegetables that were sitting out.
“Why didn’t I get to invite anyone?” Hypnos whined. “I thought this was a family function.”
Thanatos laughed in a way that straddled the line between teasing and cruelty. “Who would you have invited?”
“I have friends,” Hypnos protested.
“Your pot dealer doesn’t count,” Thanatos countered.
“That’s enough,” Nyx intervened. “You would have been free to invite someone if you so chose. Besides, Zagreus and Megaera are practically family.”
It was true. Having all grown up in the same neighborhood, Megaera and Zagreus had spent a lot of time at their house as children. Zagreus didn’t get along with his father and hated being at home, so he spent most of his free time with Thanatos. Megaera wasn’t very open about her family, but Hypnos knew that she and her sisters also had a rather unfortunate home life.
“So, Than,” Hypnos drawled. “Does it count as meeting the parents if your mom helped raise them? Or have you not discussed that with your boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Thanatos turned to glare at his brother from where he stood, stirring the pot on the stove, but brushed his hand against the burning metal as he did so.
“Shit,” Thanatos cried, pulling his hand quickly from the hot surface to his lips.
“That looks like it hurt,” Hypnos said sympathetically. “Maybe next time try not touching the pot while it’s on the stove.”
“Hypnos,” Thanatos growled in warning.
“Well!” Hypnos said brightly, pushing himself up from the counter. “Looks like you two have everything under control. I’m gonna go take a nap.”
“There are clean sheets on your bed,” Nyx told him, not looking up from where she was slicing. “I thought you may want to stay the night if dinner runs late.”
“Thanks, mom,” Hypnos said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
“You mean if he gets drunk and passes out,” Thanatos mumbled under his breath.
“Love you too, Than,” Hypnos said in a mockingly sweet voice. He walked over and made to kiss Thanatos too, but his brother ducked out of the way. Hypnos laughed.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” he called as he walked to his room.
It was a few hours later when Hypnos finally emerged from his bedroom. The sun was beginning to set and the house was full of wonderful smells. He walked leisurely to the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
“Finally,” Thanatos said when he saw Hypnos. “Why don’t you- what in the world is on your head?”
“A hat,” Hypnos said casually, tugging it further down over his ears. It was shaped like a whole cooked turkey and had the words “LET’S GET STUFFED!” stitched onto the side. It looked incredibly silly, especially with Hypnos’s snowy hair poking out at every angle from underneath it.
“You look ridiculous,” Thanatos told him.
“It’s festive!” Hypnos told him jovially. He tilted his head back and forth so the turkey’s legs flopped around. Thanatos stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.
“Just go set the table,” he said finally.
“Do you hate all fun?” Hypnos asked. Thanatos just glared at him. Hypnos laughed and put his hands up in mock surrender.
“Fine, fine,” he conceded. “I’ll make the house presentable for your army of suitors.”
“They’re not suitors if we’re already dating,” Thanatos called after him as Hypnos made his way to the dining room.
Nyx must have already pulled out the good china because there was a stack of dishes and cutlery waiting for Hypnos on the dining room table. He whistled cheerfully as he walked around the table, setting a plate in front of every chair. He could hear the muffled sound of Nyx and Thanatos talking from the next room. Hypnos loved the holidays. It didn’t matter what holiday really, but anything that brought their family together was a good thing in his books. Okay maybe not a funeral, but Thanksgiving was a great excuse to see mom and Than.
Thanatos was always working. Hypnos admired that about him, but it made it hard to see his brother. Thanatos was often out of town, too, for medical conventions or just traveling to see patients. It’s not like Hypnos was jealous. He knew Zagreus was desperate to get out of their small town, but Hypnos didn’t have the same wanderlust. He was content to make ends meet less than twenty minutes from where he grew up. He just missed his brother sometimes was all.
Hypnos was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it!” he yelled, rushing to the front door. He pushed past Thanatos on the way, ignoring his brother’s squawk of protest.
“Hello!” Hypnos singsonged as he pulled the door open.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” Zagreus responded, cheerfully. Megaera stood silently beside him, staring down Hypnos. She still managed to look intimidating while holding what was possibly the cutest pie Hypnos had ever seen. The lattice work was excellent and the top crust was decorated with little hearts and stars. Megaera may not look it but she had a soft spot for cute things and was an excellent baker. Of course, you would never mention either of these facts in front of her if you valued your life, but it was quite endearing.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” Hypnos greeted in response. He stepped back to allow them inside the house. They stepped inside and began to remove jackets and shoes. Hypnos tried not to gawk when Megaera slid her coat off. He usually only saw her when she was hanging out at their house in casual clothing or when she was just getting off of work and was still in athletic shorts and tank top. Not that she didn’t look attractive like that (Hypnos didn’t think there was any time she didn’t look attractive) but wow she cleaned up nice.
Megaera was wearing an elegant but tight fitting dress. The light blue color looked almost otherworldly against her pale skin. The hem went below her knees but it had a slit that went up to almost her hip, ruining any notion of modesty the dress may have had. Her golden boots came up almost to the hemline with a heel Hypnos couldn’t even imagine walking in.
“You look amazing, Meg,” Hypnos told her. Megaera looked him up and down for a moment.
“You look homeless,” she said.
Zagreus laughed loudly and clapped Hypnos on the shoulder.
“You look fine, Hypnos,” he said. “She’s just cranky.”
Hypnos looked down at what he was wearing. Maybe he was a little underdressed. All he had on was some old jeans and a baggy hoodie. Even Zagreus was wearing a dress shirt and slacks.
“I like your hat, by the way,” Zagreaus told him as they moved as one to the dining room. Hypnos waved one of the turkey legs at him and Zagreus laughed again. “I love it!”
“Hey, Than!” Zagreus called when he spotted Thanatos in the doorway.
“Hello, Zagreus,” Thanatos said evenly, but he had a small smile on his face. “Hello, Megaera.”
“We brought a pie,” Zagreus told him, gesturing to the tin in Megaera’s hands. “Where should we put it?”
“I’ll set it in the kitchen,” Nyx said, walking airily into the room.
“Nyx!” Zagreus exclaimed and rushed to hug her.
“Hello, my child,” Nyx said, sounding amused as Zagreus wrapped his arm around her small but still formidable frame.
“How have you been?” he asked when he finally released her.
“I cannot complain. My work keeps me busy.”
The two of them made their way to the kitchen but remained in earshot. Zagreus asked more about how work was going. Nyx was a nurse at the local hospital and almost exclusively worked night shifts. She had enough seniority she could probably work whenever she wanted, but she preferred to be out at night. She said she liked the quiet.
Hypnos, Thanatos and Megaera stood awkwardly around the table.
“I’ll go get some water to fill the glasses,” Thanatos said finally. Meg gave Hypnos a look as if she were sizing him up.
“I’ll come with you,” she said, meeting Hypnos’s gaze like she was daring him to invite himself to come with them.
“Okay,” Hypnos started. “I’ll just-”
But the two had already left the room.
“Stay here then.”
Dinner was very pleasant. All the food turned out amazing. The five of them sat around the table talking and eating for over an hour.
“How is work going for the two of you?” Nyx asked Zagreus and Megaera.
“I’ve got a couple of new clients,” Megaera said. “I’ve been spending most of my time not in the gym coming up with exercise regimens for them.”
“I don’t know how your clients can handle you one on one for an hour,” Zagreus teased her. “Just hearing you yelling from across the gym is frightening enough.”
“I don’t know how your coworkers can put up with your astounding incompetence,” Megaera shot back. “How is McDonald’s these days?”
“It’s Burger King and you know it,” Zagreus said, sounding mildly offended.
“Oh, you’re still there?” Thanatos asked mildly. “This must be a new record for holding down a job.”
“Six months next week,” Zagreus said proudly. “They’re talking about promoting me to assistant manager.”
“That’s great, Zag,” Hypnos said, waving his fork around dangerously as he spoke. “We’re both real working adults, now. We’ve come a long way from getting stoned together in the basement.”
“You say that like we’re gonna stop getting stoned together in your basement,” Zagreus laughed.
“Zagreus,” Thanatos warned, looking warily at Nyx. Their mother just shook her head, smiling.
“I am not a fool, Thanatos,” Nyx said, sounding amused. “I know what goes on in my own house.”
Thanatos looked embarrassed. Zagreus, maybe in an attempt to save him, spoke up.
“Hey, Than, do you want half of my roll? I can’t finish the whole thing.”
“Sure,” Thanatos grumbled.
“Top or bottom?” Zagreus asked, offering both.
“I’m not particular,” Thanatos said, reaching for the bottom half.
“Oh, so you’re a switch,” Hypnos said loudly. Thanatos choked and nearly dropped the roll.
“Hypnos,” Thanatos spluttered, face growing red. Hypnos just laughed, not sounding concerned about making dirty jokes in front of his mother. The only thing he cared about was watching his brother squirm.
“On that note,” Megaera said, standing. “Why don’t we start cleaning up.”
She and Nyx began collecting plates and bringing them to the kitchen while Thanatos and Zagreus tried to find tupperware to put away all the leftover food in. Hypnos took this opportunity to sneak away to his bedroom to lie down.
Hypnos awoke to the sound of a knock at his door. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it was completely dark outside.
“Come in,” Hypnos called sleepily.
Thanatos opened the door and stepped nimbly into the room. He pushed the door shut behind him.
“Did everyone leave?” Hypnos asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes and sitting up.
“Zagreus and Megeara went home, yes. Mother has retired to her room for the night. She mentioned again that you are welcome to sleep over.”
“So do you call them Zagreus and Megeara in bed, too?” Hypnos asked standing up and walking towards his brother. “Those are kind of formal names to moan as you cum.”
“What do you care?” Thanatos asked callously.
“I don’t,” Hypnos laughed. “Just curious.”
He was now chest to chest with his brother. Hypnos reached up to pull Thanatos into a rough, passionate kiss. When they broke apart, they were both breathing hard.
“Are you gonna fuck me or what?” Hypnos said slyly, tugging his brother by the lapels.
The two of them stumbled backwards until they hit the bed and Hypnos fell backwards and landed gracelessly on his ass. Thanatos barked out a laugh. Hypnos just smirked and pulled his brother forward until he toppled on top of him.
“Come here often?” Hypnos asked seductively. Thanatos rolled his eyes.
“Is fucking your brother in your childhood bedroom not weird enough? Do you have to make it weirder?” he asked, sounding a bit exasperated.
“That’s what I do, babe,” Hypnos said, winking. Thanatos glared down at him. Hypnos just laughed and grabbed his brother’s shoulders to shove him onto his back. He crawled on top of Thanatos until he was straddling his hips. He could tell his brother was starting to get hard.
“Are you just going to sit there?” Thanatos asked. Hypnos put his finger to his chin as if he were considering it.
“Maybe,” he said, rolling his hips against his brother’s crotch. Thanatos’s breath hitched. “Maybe I’ll sit here all night. I don’t have anything better to do.”
Hypnos continued to grind down on his brother, savoring the feeling of his cock hardening beneath him.
“Gods, you’re such a tease,” Thanatos growled. He grabbed Hypnos by the hips to keep him from moving.
“Fine, I’ll stop,” Hypnos conceded, wriggling out of his brother’s grip. He crawled down to position himself above Thanatos’s crotch. He tugged the pants zipper down and pulled out his brother’s half hard cock.
“Is this better?” Hypnos asked, holding the cock tantalizingly close to his mouth. He slowly licked his lips.
“Get on with it,” Thanatos said, voice low. Hypnos smirked and took the whole length in his mouth.
“Fuck, Hypnos,” his brother moaned. Hypnos laughed, mouth still full, and the vibrations caused a stream of curses to pour from Thanatos’s lips. Hypnos let his brother’s cock fall from his mouth, a line of saliva still connecting it to his lips.
“It’s always so funny to hear you curse,” Hypnos said, wiping his mouth. “Or do anything improper really.”
“Do you have to run your mouth all the time?” Thanatos grumbled.
“You want me to put my mouth to better use?” Hypnos teased. “I can do that.”
He slid Thanatos’s cock back into his mouth, not all the way, but enough that Thanatos let out a low moan. Encouraged by his brother’s reaction, Hypnos sucked and licked at his brother’s cock until he was whimpering and thrusting helplessly up into his mouth.
“Gods, Hypnos, you’re so good at this,” Thanatos moaned. “Is this how you keep your job? You just suck off your boss?”
“Hey, I am an excellent secretary,” Hypnos challenged, pumping Thanatos’s cock with his hand. He leaned down to lap at the head with his cute pink tongue, then looked up and winked. “I blow Hades for fun.”
“Gods, you’re such a slut,” Thanatos growled, pulling Hypnos up to force their lips together again.
Hypnos smiled into Thanatos’s mouth, then took his brother’s bottom lip between his teeth. Thanatos hissed in pain and probably pleasure too. Hypnos ran his fingers through Thanatos’s soft grey hair, tangling in the short locks. He gave it a small tug and Thanatos groaned.
Thanatos groped around for his brother’s jeans, working his belt open and unzipping his fly. He flipped Hypnos around and shoved him down onto his back, tugging the offending article down his brother’s toned thighs and tossing it to the side. Thanatos shoved Hypnos sweatshirt up and slid his cold hands up his brother’s chest. Hypnos shivered at the touch.
Thanatos leaned down and pressed a kiss to Hypnos’s hip. He looked up at his brother and sighed.
“Are you really going to keep the hat on?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“It’s Thanksgiving,” Hypnos answered, grinning.
Thanatos rolled his eyes and sat up. “Do you have condoms and lube?”
Hypnos rolled over to his nightstand and rooted through the drawer before pulling out a bottle and condom and tossing both to his brother. Thanatos caught them with ease and popped open the bottle to drizzle some of the liquid onto his fingers.
Hypnos let his legs fall open and leaned his head back to rest on the pillow. He sighed when Thanatos slid a finger inside of him. His breathing slowed and evened out as Thanatos worked the finger in and out of his brother. It wasn’t until he had three fingers stretching Hypnos out that Thanatos realized.
“Hypnos, are you asleep ?” Thanatos asked, incredulously.
Hypnos shifted but didn’t open his eyes. “You can keep going,” he mumbled.
Thanatos glared down at his brother. Was this so boring for him? He’d show Hypnos what he could do. He pulled his fingers out and watched as Hypnos’s hole twitched at being suddenly empty. Thanatos ripped open the condom wrapper and rolled it onto his hard, leaking cock. He poured a liberal amount of lube onto his cock before positioning himself against his brother’s entrance.
“Are you ready?” Thanatos asked. Hypnos let out a soft snore in response.
That was good enough. Thanatos started pushing in. He knew that, no matter how many times they did this, Hypnos would still be this tight. He was a doctor after all. That didn’t mean he wasn’t overwhelmed at the tightness there, didn’t revel in the resistance.
Eventually, he was entirely sheathed within his brother. Thanatos groaned at the sensation. It was addictive. He ran a hand up and down Hypnos’s thigh. Hypnos clenched around Thanatos but didn’t wake up.
“Fine,” Thanatos mumbled. “I guess I’ve got to work on my performance.”
He pulled slowly out of his brother then snapped his hips forward, forcing himself back inside. Hypnos made a small whining noise and squirmed. Despite being unconscious, his cock was hard and dripping precum onto his stomach. Thanatos took it into his hand and gave it a few quick but efficient pumps. Hypnos made another whimpering noise and his cock twitched in Thanatos’s hand.
“Enjoying yourself?” Thanatos asked breathlessly as he continued thrusting into his brother. Hypnos was breathing hard, beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. His stomach muscles were tense and taught. However, and Thanatos had no idea how, his brother was still fast asleep.
Thanatos wrapped his brother’s legs around his waist to get a better angle. Hypnos was limp in his arms but was still making the most intoxicating noises. Thanatos tried to hold Hypnos up and jerk him off all while pounding into him. It was strenuous and Thanatos felt his muscles screaming at him, but he was so close. Gods, he was so close.
“Come on,” Thanatos panted. “You’re so good for me. Fuck, Hypnos, you feel amazing. Why don’t you cum for me? Come on, little brother. Show me how good I make you feel too.”
Maybe Hypnos heard him or maybe it was just the physical stimulation, but he gasped and moaned and spilled his seed over his brother’s fist. As Hypnos was ravaged by his orgasm, he spasmed wildly around his brother’s cock and Thanatos knew he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Gods, Hypnos,” Thanatos gasped. “I’m going to cum.”
Hypnos was still panting but otherwise motionless, face and chest flushed and cum coating his stomach. The sight was too much for Thanatos. Finally he stilled inside his brother, emptying into the condom. For a moment, Thanatos remained still, orgasm leaving him open and raw. When he recovered, he pulled gently out of Hypnos and carefully removed the condom, tying it off and tossing it into the small trash can Hypnos had in the corner.
There was a muffled noise from where Hypnos lay on the bed. Thanatos sighed and sat up beside his brother. He nudged his shoulder.
“Wake up, Hypnos,” Thanatos said quietly. Hypnos’s eyes fluttered open.
“Hmm?” he mumbled, adjusting the ridiculous hat he was still wearing. “Are you done?”
Thanatos glared at him. “You finished too,” he grumbled.
“What?” Hypnos looked down and collected some of his own cum between his fingers. “I guess I did.”
Hypnos smiled lazily up at his brother. Thanatos felt a sudden fondness flood him. He quickly looked away. As an excuse, he reached over to grab several tissues and toss them at his brother.
“Clean yourself up,” Thanatos said, still not meeting Hypnos’s gaze.
Hypnos took the tissues and wiped the semen from his stomach. He dropped them on his nightstand which made Thanatos wrinkle his nose in disgust. Thanatos then stood up, tucked himself back in his pants, and did up his fly. He was straightening his clothes when he felt something on his arm.
“Hey,” Hypnos said quietly, tugging on his sleeve. “Were you gonna leave now?”
“I was planning on it, yes,” Thanatos said, uncertainly. Hypnos looked up at him and Thanatos felt his heart skip a beat. His brother looked so small and vulnerable.
“Can you stay here with me?” Hypnos asked. “Just for a minute.”
Thanatos opened his mouth to answer but found he couldn’t so he just nodded. He sat back down beside his brother in bed. Hypnos took Thanatos’s hand in his own and his brother let him. They were both silent for a moment.
“Today was nice,” Hypnos said eventually.
“Yes,” Thanatos agreed. “The food was lovely and I enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone.”
“I miss you sometimes,” Hypnos admitted. “I know you see me when you can but sometimes… I still miss you.”
Thanatos felt another strange sensation in his chest. Hypnos was snarky and sarcastic but still a very genuine person. Even so, Thanatos rarely saw him this open with his emotions.
“Do you think we’re fucked up?” Hypnos asked, sounding only mildly concerned about it.
“Probably,” Thanatos admitted and Hypnos laughed. The sound made Thanatos’s heart ache. As much as they bickered and snarked at each other, they were still brothers. Thanatos would do anything for him.
“I love you, Than,” Hypnos said, warmly. Thanatos froze. It wasn’t like they had never said I love you before. It was a pretty common occurrence. Tonight felt different though. He couldn’t explain why but the word felt heavier.
“I… I love you, too, Hypnos,” Thanatos said finally. Hypnos grinned up at him and rubbed his thumb along the back of his brother’s hand. For a moment, everything felt right. Thanatos wanted to freeze time and stay there forever.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Than.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Hypnos.”