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Tired of being bullied as the god of spring and seen as fragile and weak, he ran in the direction towards the one person who once saved him from his tormentors when said savior was on his way to a meeting at Olympus.
Having never been able to forget that sarcastic and smug smile of the god of the underworld, Tadashi was certain he was a part of the group insulted by his mocking words; but despite all that, he was hooked and didn’t want to let go.
He slinked into the underworld on the advice of the messenger god but was caught by a guard after having shoved several seeds in his mouth already, and he was forcibly taken to see the god of the underworld. Kei sat on his throne, a look of mild disdain and annoyance set into his face.
“Explain yourself,” Kei ordered tersely.
Any bravery that he felt earlier seemed to dissipate like morning dew. All he could really do was just whisper an apology. “I—I’m sorry.”
“Do you not understand the ramifications of your actions?”
“I do!” This time, Tadashi raised his head and responded with nothing but senseless and brazen stupidity.
Any indications of shock or confusion were absent in Kei’s golden brown eyes. “How many pomegranate seeds did you eat?”
‘Four,’ he thought.
“Six,” he lied.
He wanted to ensure his position in the Underworld, to be his god’s most willing prisoner. Tadashi felt himself slightly crumble a little under Kei’s stare, but he held his head high up regardless. Kei stood up from his throne, looming over his figure. And with a flick of his cape, he was gone.
It wasn’t until later on did Tadashi find out that he went to Olympus to argue about his permanent presence in the Underworld. Despite Kei’s insistence, however, Tadashi was to reside in the Underworld for 6 months out of the year—one month for every seed eaten.
‘Well,’ he thought to himself, ‘no one has to know how many I actually ate.”
**1st month**
Tadashi’s gaze lingered on the long slender finger swirling the rim of the goblet. It was tantalizing, almost hypnotic.
“You were in the back gardens earlier in the morning.”
His head snapped up to face the god before him, who always insisted on spending their evening meals together despite almost never talking. Tonight seemed different.
This was the first time in the past month that Kei actually spoke first.
“How did you know that?” Tadashi asked, wondering just how much he witnessed.
“My chambers face the back gardens. I spotted you at my window. What were you even doing there to begin with?”
“Oh, well, um…I was just admiring the gardens. They’re lovely.”
Kei raised an eyebrow and questioned, “…but?”
Tadashi paused in sipping his nectar and cocked his head in confusion. “But what?”
“It seemed like you were greatly disappointed by what you saw,” Kei replied, the faintest hint of a teasing smile curling his lips.
Tadashi put his hands up defensively and furiously shook his head. “No, it was perfectly fine! It’s just…it was a lot of cypress trees and narcissus flowers.”
“Those are my symbols, so isn’t it befitting for my garden to represent its owner?”
“You’re right, it absolutely makes sense. I’m sorry if I offended you, Lord Kei.”
Silence ensued, and Tadashi picked at the ambrosia in front of him. The silence was palpable, and he could feel Kei’s stare on him again. He regretted speaking out of turn.
“You could redesign the garden,” Kei suggested, throwing Tadashi off.
He certainly wasn’t expecting that. Was this a test of some kind?
“How would you like me to design it?” He asked, his nerves causing his stomach to flop around.
Kei placed his chin on his hand and tilted his head to the side. “Surprise me. I’m sure that you will provide some elegance and improve the overall arrangement.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so quick with complimenting me,” Tadashi countered. “After all, I could easily make things worse.”
“It wasn’t a compliment,” Kei corrected. “I was just simply stating what I know based on what I’ve seen.”
“But you haven’t seen any—“
Kei interrupted him before he could finish, “I have to attend a meeting. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”
With that being said, Kei simply vanished without allowing Tadashi to pick at his brain. He stared down at the half-eaten meal in front of him, not even the enticing aroma of the ambrosia stimulating his appetite.
Two sides inside of him warred. Thrilled at being thought highly well of battled with the confusion he felt at being abruptly left behind.
He forced himself to push down these feelings. After all, he had a garden to redesign.
**2nd month**
The enchanting scent of gardenias curled itself around Tadashi as he allowed his magic to seep itself into the soil. Surrounded by a myriad of blooming flowers and vivid greenery, he felt like he was almost back on Earth.
But despite everything, he was hyper-aware that there are things absent in the Underworld. The sun’s rays kissing his exposed skin. The fluttering birds with their high-pitched singing. The glisten of the morning dew as it settles on the leaves.
Most importantly though, he was aware that there was an absence of provocations. Mocked for his powers being ‘inconsequential’ and ‘effeminate,’ he embraced the silence that came with living in the Underworld.
Soon enough, that silence would be punctured.
“It seems that everything is looking to be in order.”
He turned around to face Kei, who he didn’t realize was standing directly behind him. Kneeling down the ground, he had to tilt his head upwards to look him in the eye. Today, Kei was adorned in a brilliant shade of violet, and the stark contrast between the gold of his hair and his clothing brought a blush to Tadashi’s cheeks.
‘Now that is what a god should be like,’ he thought to himself. He seemed to exude confidence and immense power, something he felt he never would be able to accomplish.
Kei cleared his throat, indicating for Tadashi to speak. That was when he realized that all he’s been doing this entire time was admiring him. The blush on his cheeks deepened.
“I hope that everything has been to your liking. I attempted to still highlight the narcissus flowers and spread out the cypress plants to honor you, Lord Kei,” he responded, lowering his head to show respect (but mostly to obscure his reddened face).
He heard a soft rustle to his side and peeped up through a curtain of his dark hair. Kei situated himself next to him, his shoulders brushing against his. “Come to my chambers this evening.”
The gears in his head seemed to stop working and only a single thought seemed to flitter into his mind. An unholy thought, one that he was afraid of even imagining. A glance downwards at the god’s curved neck seemed to cement that thought further. Oh, gods yes.
“We’ll be having our evening meal at my balcony,” Kei tacked on, “so we can enjoy the view of the gardens while we eat. If you so wish, of course.”
“Oh, that’s what you meant,” Tadashi blurted out.
Kei cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow almost knowingly. “What else could I have meant?”
Tadashi averted his gaze and muttered in embarrassment, “Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
A soft chuckle escaped Kei’s lips, and the sound of it burned itself into his memory. That was the first time that Tadashi had ever heard him laugh, and a desire to want more grew. The god of the underworld was nothing at all what he had expected him to be. With the rumors of the twisted and cruel ruler, he couldn’t help but imagine a hideous shadow-like creature that tortures dead souls; they were all wrong.
He quickly learned that Kei’s snarky remarks were always laced with a teasing tone. And though he might be an unreliable narrator because of his biases, Kei seemed to always speak to him in a softer voice in comparison to his servants or other gods that visited the Underworld for work.
And in contrast to how other gods and goddesses brandished their immortality and power through displaying a blazing golden light around them, Kei’s glow was a softer silver. It illuminated his entire being, but it was soft enough for Tadashi to drink him all in.
Looks aside, Tadashi has seen him rule his kingdom justly and in an organized fashion. He may not always express it openly, but he cared about the souls in his world and ensured punishments and rewards were given fairly.
He has witnessed just how busy Kei always seemed to be so he can run the Underworld efficiently, which was a stark contrast to many of the indifferent gods and goddesses who lived their lives leisurely and hedonistically.
Kei reached out and gently caressed through Tadashi’s hair. “You had something in your hair. I hope you didn’t mind me removing it.”
Tadashi eyed the amethyst petal of the wisteria flower in between Kei’s fingers and let out a half-disappointed sigh. He was slightly hoping that Kei was stroking his hair for a different reason. “I appreciate it, thank you.”
Kei released the petal from his fingers and allowed it to descend onto the grass. He reached back up and this time, he stroked through Tadashi’s locks until he reached the back of his head and tightened his grip on his hair. Tadashi felt like every cell in his body was on fire.
“Make sure you’re at my chambers at our usual dinner time. I’ll be postponing any meetings I have tonight,” Kei commanded with a slight tug at his hair to force Tadashi to look him in the eyes.
Once Kei released his grip on him, Tadashi also released a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. His mother would whip him if he realized the sinful things that were running through his head.
**3rd month**
Tadashi was going to go insane out of frustration and confusion, and it was all Kei’s fault. At least that’s what he’s telling himself, knowing full well that it was on him for raising his hopes up for absolutely nothing to happen.
Tadashi has never really thought of himself as someone who was socially awkward and unable to understand cues and implications. Until now, that is. Just as soon as he was getting a handle of what Kei wanted from him, Tadashi felt like someone kicked his legs out from under him.
It’s been a month since he was invited to Kei’s chambers on the promise of dinner and spending the rest of the evening together. Dinner and talking. That was all they had done and what they have been doing once a week since. From the vantage point from the balcony, Tadashi can clearly see Kei’s enormous bed through the clear glass doors. The idea of wrapping his bare flesh along the silk sheets tempted him every week.
And yet, here was Tadashi just simply sipping his nectar while fully clothed. The bed felt like it was oceans away.
“I’ll be attending the seasonal meeting tomorrow and will be gone all day, so don’t wait for me to have dinner,” Kei informed him, causing Tadashi to shift his gaze from the mattress to the god.
“Back at Olympus, correct? Let me know how it’s adorned for the winter solstice,” Tadashi said with a smile.Kei’s lips twitched upwards. “I’m sure it won’t look as magnificent as it normally does without you there to work your magic. I will say that being able to see their reactions to me ‘kidnapping’ their beloved god of flowers can be the one thing to look forward to tomorrow.”
“Is it really kidnapping if I came here out of my own volition, though?” Tadashi asked teasingly. “And I’m sure that the meeting is not going to be as bad as you make it out to be.”
“You don’t think it’ll be that bad because you’re generally well-liked by the other gods.”
Tadashi frowned at that. “I don’t understand why you’re saying that when you’ve met my bullies before. I think I can see from your perspective on what it’s like to be mistreated, but the difference between us is that you command respect from other gods. They know that you’re one of the most powerful beings and would never harass you. That’s only something I wish I could hope to dream.”
Kei didn’t respond right away, and Tadashi wished a hole would open up from beneath him to suck him through. He didn’t mean to bare himself to the literal king of the underworld like this.
A cold hand placed itself onto Tadashi’s. “Those two were barely gods. They picked on you simply to feel better about their lowly status. You’re stronger than they ever will be, and I hope you realize that one day.”
Tadashi attempted to pull his hand back, but Kei interlaced his fingers through his to secure his grip on him. “My lord, all you’ve seen me do is grow flowers and trees. Thank you for trying...but I think I...”
...will never be good enough.
He couldn’t seem to finish his sentence. Tears stung his eyes, and he tried to blink them as fast as he could. It was too late, though; Kei noticed immediately.
All of a sudden a sweeping shadow blanketed over him, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. He was laid down on a mattress swathed in silk sheets, with Kei pinning him down so he couldn’t leave. Tadashi has been imagining this moment in countless ways, but tears threatening to fall due to his own self-frustration was not one of them.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have made it all about me. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have false rumors made about you that are far from the actual truth.”
“Why should I care about the opinions of the lowly?” Kei questioned while wiping a tear that escaped. “I have all that I would ever need in my life to be happy and caving to their gossip won’t benefit me in the end.”
Tadashi leaned into Kei’s touch. “Like your wealth and power?”
“Amongst other things.”
He felt a cold finger trace itself from his cheekbones and down to the angle of his jaw. The beating of his heart seemed to slow into an even pace, and his eyelids started to feel heavier with each passing second. And right before sleep was about to overtake him, he could have sworn he felt a pair of lips brush against his temple.
But when Tadashi woke up from his sleep, he was all alone.
**4th month**
Tadashi was sure that the king of the underworld was messing with him. He had to be. There would be no other reason for him to be hot one day and cold the next. Tadashi considers himself to be a very mild-mannered god, but even he had his limits.
And if Kei was indeed playing with his feelings, then Tadashi needed to ensure that he wouldn’t be getting the last laugh in the end.
The latest incident that has Tadashi heated more than usual? Well, it came in the form of a naiad named Minthe, a dazzling beauty with voluptuous curves. Tadashi wanted nothing more than to crush her like a weed.
She openly flirted and lusted after Kei, placing her body against his and whispering offers into his ear. What infuriated Tadashi the most was the fact that Kei didn’t seem to do anything about her behavior at all.
“She can have him then, what do I care?” Tadashi grumbled, while pacing in the back gardens to calm himself down. “And if he’s not stopping her, then why should I intervene between them?”
Despite all the pacing and words of indifference, his anger and jealousy was still overflowing. He couldn’t figure out who he was infuriated at more: Kei or Minthe. Shouldn’t they both know better?
Or maybe...maybe, he was frustrated at himself for being so delusional about actually being with Kei himself. Maybe he was the one intervening. Maybe he should just leave. He only ate four pomegranate seeds and it’s been four months now. He shouldn’t have lied about the amount he ate because he wouldn’t be able to withstand two more months of Minthe seducing the man he desired for himself.
“Why are you just walking back and forth?” asked a voice from behind him.
Tadashi silently cursed to himself. This was one of the rare times that he wished that Kei didn’t have the ability to teleport himself through the shadows.
“I was just thinking,” he replied carefully, “about leaving soon.”
A frown settled itself onto Kei’s face and a flash of pain in his eyes swiftly came and left. “You still have two more months before you’re allowed to leave. You know the rules of the Underworld and your conditions for staying here.”
Tadashi hesitated on admitting the truth, but then the scent of her reached his nostrils. Her scent was all over Kei, and it drove him nearly insane with envy.
“I only ate four pomegranate seeds,” he confessed, bitterness in his voice. “I only really need to stay for four months of the year.”
Silence ensued for a few moments, but Kei finally spoke up, “Why did you lie about it?”
“Because I wanted to stay here for as long as I could, so I changed the number since no one had counted how many I actually ate.”
“So, why are you trying to leave early if you wanted to stay here longer? Was I a terrible host? Did I do something to offend you?” If Tadashi wasn’t so blinded by his own jealousy, he would notice the panic and fear starting to settle in Kei’s words and behavior.
“Because I can’t handle being here anymore,” he admitted. “Go ahead and enjoy fooling around and bedding Minthe for all I care, but I’m not going to stay around for it. I’m sure you must find it hilarious to play with my feelings all you want, but I’m not standing for it another day longer.”
Kei closed the distance between them and grabbed onto both of Tadashi’s arms in an act of frenzy. “Tadashi, what in the gods name are you talking about? I have absolutely zero interest in Minthe. I haven’t been playing with your feelings. I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but you can’t leave. Not just yet.”
Tadashi pushed off Kei’s hands from his arms and seized the front of Kei’s shirt. “You know that I’ve wanted you since the very beginning, and yet here I am smelling her scent all over your body. So maybe, just maybe, don’t lie to me anymore. I know that I’m nowhere near as beautiful as she is but I was still stupid enough to—”
Kei crashed his lips onto his as his final act of desperation. Wrapping his arms tightly around Tadashi’s waist to secure himself, he tried to pour everything he had in the kiss. Maybe, just a little too much of everything; because just as Tadashi endeavored to shove him off, snippets of scenes floated across his mind.
Spring, summer, fall, winter. Again and again. Changing seasons, but it’s always the same premise: Tadashi blossoming flowers in the main Olympic garden, Tadashi laughing with a goddess on a terrible joke they just made, Tadashi almost tripping when walking down a hallway, Tadashi hiding his tears after encountering his bullies, etc. It was always him.
Tadashi brought to Kei in the Underworld, with the faintest hint of pomegranate juice on the corner of his lips. His eyes were defiant when addressing him, which was something different than Kei had seen so far. Kei wanted more, and here he was as if brought to him on a golden platter. He couldn’t let this all go to waste.
Tadashi was kneeling on the garden soil with his head tilted up towards him. A dirty thought that he belonged on his knees flickered into his mind. He looked so beautiful amongst the flowers and his body was the closest it had ever been in the countless years he’s watched him. He couldn’t help but express his desires for him to come to his chambers that night. In the end, it took everything in him to hold back.
Tadashi was pinned underneath him, and he watched as a tear escaped down his temple. He softly wiped it away, but his fingers didn’t leave his skin. His skin was softer than Kei ever thought it could be, and he couldn’t help but marvel at all the freckles. Tadashi’s eyes fluttered close as sleep took him over. Before Kei could even think about what he was doing, he pressed his lips on the same temple that he wiped.
He was unsure how long the kiss lasted. But when they finally pulled apart, he was sure of one thing. Kei has loved him longer than he’s ever known.
“You can turn Minthe into a plant for all I care. I only let her be so you wouldn’t see my wrath. Just please stay longer,” Kei implored.
“Kei...why have you never approached me after all this time?” he asked.
He watched as Kei left a few kisses on the tips of his fingers before speaking. “You were the god of spring and flowers. You’ve always been well-adored by many of the other gods and humans, and I was nothing but a bad omen to them. I was satisfied with just watching you from the shadows. That is, until you came here and I started to become greedy.”
Tadashi placed his forehead against his and whispered, “It’s okay to be a little greedy with me.”
**5th month**
He felt Kei’s long fingers wrap itself around his thigh and grip hard. A trail of hot kisses snaked its way down his neck, until a flash of a hot and wet tongue swirled itself on the curve of his neck. He began sucking on the spot a little harder, eliciting a soft moan from Tadashi.
Kei’s hand slinked up alongside his thigh until he reached his destination. A soft gasp escaped his lips as those very same fingers wound itself around his bare cock. With his free hand, Kei roughly lifted his chin upwards and Tadashi stared up at him intensely, already feeling like he’s about to melt.
“I want to watch your face, Tadashi,” he growled as he began to up and down the length of his cock.
Tadashi felt like his body was on fire with every stroke, and Kei was relishing in the feeling of being the cause of his pleasure. He reached up towards Kei’s light golden hair and pulled his face closer. His tongue slipped into his lover’s mouth, eagerly finding his. Kei retreated slightly and smirked.
“Look at you,” Kei murmured, his voice dripping and clouding in lust. “You’re so hard for me, darling.”
His body was quivering under his touch, and he understood well as to why people would go to great lengths for sexual pleasure. Kei reveled at the sight below him: Tadashi’s freckled face flushed with desire, his neck and chest sprinkled with his kiss marks, and panting moans and gasps from his kiss-swollen lips.
Kei knew that Tadashi was starting to get close. It was very obvious from the cloying scent of the flowers that seemed to sprout and blossom around their bedroom. The first time that it happened, Kei found it ironic that flowers appeared as Tadashi was being deflowered himself.
He placed two fingers into Tadashi’s mouth, to which the latter eagerly received it by sucking lightly on them. Kei pulled his fingers back after a few seconds, the hot saliva still dripping from them. He sat up straighter and settled his wet fingers into Tadashi’s opening.
A sharp gasp came from Tadashi as he felt himself being stretched open while the other hand continued stroking his hard cock. “Kei...please.”
With a smug look on his face, he teased, “Do you already want me that badly, my love?”
All Tadashi could do was whimper as he knew that he was at Kei’s mercy. He extracted his fingers and replaced it with his own long and neglected cock. As soon as he fully entered inside of his partner, the familiar feeling of fireworks crackling in his brain and stars exploding behind his eyes came with the sensation of being enveloped by Tadashi’s warmth.
His hips moved slowly at first, but it gradually began to increase in speed. Soon enough, the sound of their skins were slamming against each other as his hips tried to shift towards Tadashi’s, harder and faster with each movement.
Tadashi gripped onto the silk sheets underneath him to steady himself, but it was no good. The stimulation from the hand on his cock and being completely fulfilled was too much for him. His climax came all at once, but all he could moan out was, “O-oh, Kei .”
As his warm cum splattered itself onto Tadashi’s stomach and chest, Kei almost felt like he could join him based on the sound of his sensual moans alone. But his job wasn’t finished. With a snap of his fingers, the cum vanished into thin air.
Kei pulled out without any warning and flipped Tadashi’s body over. He pulled him up by his bottom and landed a hard smack across the right cheek.
Tadashi groaned in pleasure and cried out, “Please do it again.”
Kei’s hand connected again with the curve of his ass before lowering his hips back into his opening in an unceremonious fashion. With the hand that was still tingling from the slap, he placed it around Tadashi’s neck and pulled his jaw slightly upwards with a nudge of his index finger.
He could feel every pulse that came from Tadashi, with his hand wrapped around his neck like that. Every moan that came when he slammed his hips against him, every whisper of pleading and longing, every breath that came raggedly.
Kei felt like he was almost in a trance with their movements, until Tadashi’s second orgasm came on like a hurricane. The glassy-eyed look of rapture was enough to pull himself off the edge as well. His vision nearly turned everything white, and he shouted in pleasure as his seed spilled inside of Tadashi.
Tadashi felt the weight of his lover’s body on top of him as their breaths tried to even themselves out. “I am so in love with you, Kei.”
A hand reached up to stroke his long hair and a pair of soft lips met his. “I wish we could stay forever like this, Tadashi.”
**6th month**
“You should have eaten six more pomegranate seeds, so you never have to leave.”
“Technically, I only really ate four seeds. You know that I would have had to leave two months ago if I didn't lie.”
Kei helped fasten the clip on Tadashi’s clothing and said, “You’re right. You should have lied about having eaten more pomegranate seeds instead.”
“We also could have spent more time together if you confessed your feelings to me countless years ago,” Tadashi teased, chuckling at the reddened ears of the god of the underworld.
“Hmm, but I kind of can’t help but love the rumor going around that I was the one to kidnap and tempt you into staying. It’s sexier knowing that you burst your way in here in hopes to seduce me instead.”
Tadashi pouted at that, “I don’t want people to think terrible thoughts about you, though. When the messenger god came by the other day, he told me about how there are rumors about you that you’re torturing me and keeping me in a small prison.”
“Well, I keep you in my bedroom and do terrible acts to you, so maybe there is some truth to that rumor,” Kei whispered in his ear, enjoying the flush across his partner’s cheeks. “Plus, I have something for you to help ease the rumors for when you’re up there. Close your eyes.”
Tadashi did as he was told and after several seconds, he felt cold metal along his neck. A necklace.
“You can open your eyes now.”
He opened his eyes and looked down at the golden necklace that was draped across his neck. A small medallion hung on the chain and when Tadashi lifted it up to get a closer look, a narcissus flower was engraved on the golden disc.
“I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that you were mine and mine alone. And that when you come back, you’ll be coming back as a ruler of the underworld and not as a lowly prisoner.”
Tadashi grinned, his cheeks hurting from smiling too hard. “I thought you didn’t care about what people thought of you.”
“I still don’t. I guess you could just attribute it to my greediness when it comes to you,” Kei stated, wrapping his arms around Tadashi in a tight embrace.
“You better not get greedy with anyone else when I’m gone,” Tadashi warned, hoping his admonishment would be taken seriously. “I only allowed you to get greedy when it comes to me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Plus, I’m not exactly keen to be turned into a bush or tree,” Kei replied, his eyes flickering to the garden outside where a certain mint plant sat. “Now give me one last final kiss before you leave.”
Tadashi beamed before throwing himself at the waiting lips. He allowed for his own love for the god to surge forward and blossom like the most beautiful flower to ever exist. Too soon, though, they parted.
“I’ll be back in six months.”
“I’ll be waiting.”