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“Can you explain it again?”
Persephone huffed, puffing her bangs out of her eyes with a quick exhale. She stared up at Hades, angling the large knife in her hand so that it pointed towards his chest. The angled tip shone bright silver in the light. He took a step back.
“It’s really very simple,” she mused, turning the knife in her fist so the point faced down, and stabbing it into the pile of innards spread across the top of the table. “You cut the top off, and then you… disembowel it.”
“But it’s so gross,” Hades grumped, sliding a finger through the edge of the slimy pile on the cutting board. His finger came back sticky, coated in thick fluid.
“You’re literally the God of the Dead,” said Persephone, her eyebrow ticking up as she judged him. “And this is what grosses you out?”
“I don’t really spend a lot of my time sticking my hands in the dead, though,” Hades said. “I really don’t ever stick my hands in the dead at all, actually.”
“Good thing this isn’t one of the dead then, isn’t it?” Persephone picked up a large slotted spoon and slid it into the top of the pumpkin. The lid she had carved out of the top had been detached and set next to her spot at the kitchen island, where she perched on a tall stool to give herself enough height to work on her pumpkin. She scraped the side of the spoon around the inside of the pumpkin, scooping out pulp and seeds and depositing them on the pieces of newspaper that were laid across the shining countertop to collect the mess.
“So we empty them,” Hades said, placing both hands on his pumpkin and turning it, searching for a good angle to begin cutting into it, “And then we carve faces into them?”
“Yup,” she replied. She stuck her tongue out as she finished removing the last bit of pumpkin guts from her pumpkin, flinging them away with a wet slap. She picked her knife back up and set it against the waxy orange front. “We can also roast the seeds for a snack. And add little candles so they glow from within. I think I’ll carve Cerberus.”
Hades made a confused face. “You’re going to put an entire dog on yours?”
“Yes. Or at least, I hope it’ll end up looking like a dog,” Persephone said, smiling slowly as she looked up at him. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she took in his casual t-shirt and puzzled expression, hands still poised over his pumpkin but not yet working on it. “What’s wrong Hades? You can craft beautiful gemstones in all kinds of shapes but you can’t carve a pumpkin?”
“I have powers for that, though,” he groused, finally picking up a large chef’s knife and sliding it into the top of the pumpkin. “This is so…. mortal.”
“That’s the point,” Persephone said, her voice soft and open as she smiled at Hades across the counter. “Didn’t you say you wanted to understand why I do certain things the mortal way?”
“Yeah, I do,” Hades answered, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled at her. He pulled the freshly cut top of his pumpkin off and reached for the spoon with a slightly disgusted tilt to his lips. “This part is still gross though.”
“Oh, absolutely, I don’t deny that,” she trilled. “You know what would make it grosser?”
“What?” Hades said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“This!” Persephone grabbed a fistful of gloopy pumpkin pulp and flung it across the table, hitting Hades in the chest just below his chin. He sputtered for a moment and reached up to brush it off, covering his hand in the sticky mess.
“Oh, is that how you want to play it?” Hades said, smirking. He dug his spoon into the heart of his pumpkin and scooped out a heavy measure of pulp. He moved closer to the corner of the kitchen island, stalking towards Persephone. “Come here!”
She shrieked and tried to run out of the kitchen but Hades fizzed out of existence and reappeared directly in front of her, snagging her around the waist with his free arm. He held the spoonful of pumpkin over her head as she laughed joyously, the sound ringing through the large kitchen. Hades was seriously considering dumping the pumpkin onto her head when her fingers snuck under the hem of his t-shirt, tickling across his belly and sides. He huffed out a breath and doubled over, dropping the spoon onto the floor with a slimey splatter. Persephone’s hands fluttered over his torso under his shirt, continuing to tickle his sensitive skin as he let out a loud whoop of laughter. He pulled away, wrapping his hands around hers as they fell from under his shirt. They stood together for a moment, panting, breathless from their antics.
Persephone smiled up at him before stepping into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She tucked her head against his chest, snuggling her cheek against the soft fabric of his t-shirt for a moment before stopping abruptly. She stepped back, pulling a face.
“Ewww,” she moaned, reaching up to touch the bit of slightly dry pumpkin muck now sticking to her forehead. She looked up as Hades snorted, trying to hold in his laughter, his eyes shining with mirth. “Don’t you dare laugh!”
Hades let out a deep belly laugh, reaching out to gather her close to him again as she couldn’t help but join him in his laughter. She wrapped her arms back around his waist, careful to keep her face out of the pumpkin stain on his shirt.
“See?” she said, rubbing her small palms across the small of his back. “Sometimes doing stuff the mortal way is fun.”
“In this moment, I find that I agree,” Hades said softly, gazing down at the top of her head as he held her. He bent forward and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, pulling away slightly as he straightened back up. “Are we gonna finish our pumpkins? You still need to show me how to carve.”
Persephone grinned up at him, sliding her hand into his and tugging him back over to their workspace. Hades went, ready to learn whatever this sweet Goddess was willing to teach him.
rissaleigh49 Fri 23 Oct 2020 12:37AM UTC
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DBrassC Fri 23 Oct 2020 12:51AM UTC
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LateToThePartie Fri 23 Oct 2020 01:06AM UTC
Last Edited Fri 23 Oct 2020 01:11AM UTC
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Mari_who Fri 23 Oct 2020 02:00AM UTC
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wholockinwesteros Fri 23 Oct 2020 04:55AM UTC
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Miss_Understood Fri 23 Oct 2020 11:16PM UTC
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daalex Sat 24 Oct 2020 05:07AM UTC
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Rynakore_babi Sun 25 Oct 2020 01:55AM UTC
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whiskywrites Sun 25 Oct 2020 02:48AM UTC
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