And they were professional associates. Oh my god they were professional associates. I just had a mighty need to write these two just being soft and cute together, so I hope I did this rare but sweet pair justice. Thanks for reading!
As the messenger of the gods, and a conductor of souls into the afterlife, Hermes was always on the move, making his deliveries with the swiftness that he was famous for. He loved his job, as the important, time-sensitive work let him challenge himself to get things done as quickly as possible. The fast-paced lifestyle suited Hermes perfectly.
There were some rare occasions, however, where he preferred to take things slow and wished that time would do the same. His visits to drop off souls at the river Styx were such occasions, and that had everything to do with the river's notoriously intimidating boatman.
"Charon! You got here before me for once!"
Hermes paused his descent from the sky and watched as Charon turned towards him, his boat rocking slightly with the movement. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw Hermes, and that ever-present purple smoke billowed out of his mouth at an increased rate; Hermes had figured out that there was a positive correlation between the amount of smoke Charon produced and how happy he was. The fact made Hermes' heart flutter, because the smoke always seemed to be the most abundant when they were together.
Hermes had always been told that mixing business with pleasure was generally a terrible idea, but he knew now that it wasn't a universal truth, as it was the best thing that he himself had ever done. He didn't really know how it happened, but throughout their frequent business dealings, Hermes had fallen in love with Charon. Luckily for him, those feelings were mutual, and their relationship had grown to something much more than just a professional association. It was a shame that their jobs kept them apart so much, and yet those same jobs always brought them together again, so Hermes couldn't really complain too much about that.
As his feet touched down on the ground, Hermes didn't bother to hide the eagerness in his steps as he stopped in front of Charon's boat. "So, how's my favorite river Styx boatman doing on this fine day?" Hermes leaned up to place a quick kiss on Charon's cheek, and he let out a delighted groan in response as more purple smoke filled the air around both of them.
A cheeky grin crossed Hermes' face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I really am surprised, though, that you actually beat me here. Did you really miss me that much?" Hermes teased, and Charon averted his gaze for a moment in a rare showing of embarrassment.
Charon's flustered state didn't last long, and when his eyes met Hermes' again, he groaned softly as he lifted a bony hand to Hermes' face and cupped his cheek. Hermes couldn't help but sigh deeply, his eyes slipping shut as he leaned into the touch, something that he had missed desperately during their time apart. Charon was a denizen of the underworld, a supposedly dark and cold place, but Hermes had never felt warmth quite like what he felt whenever his lover's hands touched his skin.
"Yeah, I missed you too," Hermes said as he opened his eyes. He gazed up at Charon's face, and his hand moved to cover the one that cupped his cheek, his fingers slipping in between Charon's. Charon hummed a response, his head tilting slightly to one side, and Hermes grinned and shook his head.
"Oh no, I definitely missed you more." Hermes laughed as Charon's eyes narrowed, and he shrugged as his hands moved up to cup Charon's face.
"...Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree there, love." Hermes whispered, and he closed the distance between them as he leaned up to press his lips against Charon's mouth. A burst of purple smoke erupted from the gaps in their connection, tickling Hermes' nose and coaxing a soft giggle out of him. A low rumbling came from deep in Charon's chest as he laughed as well, and Hermes didn't think he had ever heard such a beautiful sound before in his entire existence.
"Let's get this transfer of souls over with already," Hermes said when they parted, and he stepped onto Charon's boat, "'cause we have a lot to catch up on, you and I. The gossip floating around Olympus is particularly juicy this time around." Charon hummed in response and they did their jobs quickly, as they both were more eager to just relax and enjoy each other's company for as long as they could.
In no time at all, Hermes found himself in his most comfortable position: sitting on the boat, with his back pressed against Charon's chest. One of Charon's strong arms was wrapped around him, his hand settled in Hermes' lap while the latter held it in his own. Charon's other hand was resting on Hermes' head, his fingers running languidly through his hair and brushing pleasantly against his scalp.
Hermes did most of the talking, as usual, and he rambled on about many things: the latest gossip concerning the Olympian Gods, interesting happenings during Hermes' travels, and just whatever else he felt like talking about. Charon mostly listened silently, but he did occasionally offer some brief comments, and he gave Hermes an update on how his family was doing when he was asked.
Normally, Hermes liked his fast paced lifestyle, but it was times like these where he wished that he could stop time for as long as he wished. Ironically, these were the times that also seemed to fly by the fastest, and before he knew it, Hermes realized that it was time to head to his next destination.
Charon knew this too, and Hermes glanced at him over his shoulder when he let out a low, sad groan. A drawn out sigh escaped Hermes as he extracted himself from Charon's warm, comforting embrace and stood up.
"Yeah, I know. Those souls won't get to the underworld by themselves, will they?" Hermes said, a halfhearted smile crossing his face as Charon stood as well. Charon stared at Hermes, his expression unreadable...well, more so than usual anyway.
"I've got other places to be too, although...To be honest, there really is no other place I'd rather be than here with you, love." Hermes' face fell as he averted his gaze, and a familiar feeling of loneliness started to creep its way into his heart.
Suddenly, something was placed onto his head, and Hermes looked back up at Charon, eyebrows knitted together with confusion. He blinked owlishly when he saw that Charon's hat was missing from his head, and Hermes glanced up to see that the brim was casting a shadow over his own face.
"Charon, what…?" Hermes asked, raising an eyebrow. Charon groaned, a string of purple smoke wafting from his mouth as he sipped his fingers under Hermes' chin and tilted his head up. Hermes' eyes went wide and he shook his head.
"Oh, wait! I can't just take this!" Hermes protested, moving to take the hat off, but Charon placed his hands over his, stopping him with another low groan.
"You...want me to take it so that I won't be lonely without you?" Charon nodded, and Hermes felt his eyes start to tear up, but he managed to blink away the moisture and smile instead.
"Well, what a lucky guy I am, to have fallen for such a thoughtful sweetheart! But I can't just leave you with nothing, so...here." Hermes hands dropped from Charon's hat and instead moved to the laurel wreath adorning his head, which he quickly removed and placed on Charon's instead. His hand lingered a moment, adjusting the laurels to make sure they were not crooked, and when Hermes was satisfied, he dropped his hands and gave Charon a once-over. He was staring at Hermes, wide-eyed, with his mouth hanging open slightly; Hermes didn't think he had ever seen the stoic boatman look so shocked before, and he thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.
"Why Charon," Hermes said, a sly smirk crossing his face, "I didn't think you could get any more handsome than you already were, but I guess I was wrong-" He was cut off suddenly, when Charon let out a surprisingly loud and high pitched groan before grabbing Hermes' face and pressing his mouth against his lips. Hermes was too shocked to respond immediately, and he watched with wide eyes as the amount of smoke billowing from where their faces were connected quadrupled in size.
'Oh...Oh wow,' Hermes thought, his heart hammering hard in his chest as his face flushed a bright red. His surroundings were completely blocked out by the smoke, and Hermes couldn't recall it ever being quite this abundant. Charon...he was really happy, and the fact that he was the reason why made Hermes fall even more in love with him.
Smiling against his mouth, Hermes couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled up within him, and he found himself giggling in between kisses. Hermes had never before found himself in such a perfectly blissful state, and for once in his life, he wanted time to slow to a halt in this tender moment with the one that he loved.
Unfortunately, the moment had to come to an end eventually, and when Charon broke the kiss, he groaned fondly as he gently pressed his forehead against Hermes'. Hermes laughed again and wrapped his arms around Charon, pulling him close.
"You...You're really something, Charon. I'm...really glad that I fell in love with you," Hermes whispered, and Charon let out a groan of agreement. Strong arms embraced Hermes in return, and he sighed as his head came to rest on Charon's chest; Hermes wondered if Charon's heart would have been beating as fast as his own, if he actually had one.
When they parted, Hermes placed a final kiss on Charon's cheek as he hovered in the air above the boat. Charon hummed as he reached up to brush the back of his hand over Hermes' cheek, leaving a trail of heat in the wake of his touch.
"Well, see you next time, love. I'll miss you." Hermes smiled and brushed a hand over the brim of Charon's hat. "And I'll take good care of this, don't you worry." Charon's rumbling laughter filled the air, along with a burst of purple smoke, and he promised to do the same with a low groan. With that, Hermes launched himself into the air before he lost the will to pull himself away from his love, leaving Charon to start his journey back to the underworld with his cargo of souls.
As he continued to ascend into the sky, Hermes adjusted Charon's hat on his head and turned to cast one last glance back at the one that he loved. He smiled when he saw that Charon had done the same, those beautiful purple eyes of his full of a rare sparkle of admiration and his bony mouth curved upwards into an even rarer attempt at a smile. Filled with vigorous determination, Hermes took off to his next destination. He knew that his work would bring him back to Charon eventually, and that was all the motivation that he needed to break all of his delivery speed records.