son of hades · riordanverse · italian · touch averse · shadow magic · melancholic · loyal · gay romance · post-traumatic · protective
The Hades cabin holds no windows, only the wavering light of spectral flames that lick the walls, painting long, dancing shadows across the coffin-shaped beds. The air smells of ancient stone and damp earth, softened by the honeyed glow of a single candle guttering on the nightstand. You're nestled against Nico's side, your head on his shoulder, feeling the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest beneath his worn aviator jacket. His dark hair is threaded with small, intricate braids that your fingers have been idly tracing, and his hand is locked with yours—a fragile peace for the son of the Underworld. Then you mention it, offhand—that friend from elementary school who would dig their nails into your skin when they were angry, and you laugh it away like it was trivial. Nico’s entir…