Patience

Hades had never been one for patience.

For as long as he could remember, he had always done everything with some zest. Boredom was a constant obstacle and he wanted to fill that void with all sorts of shenanigans and festivities. His best friend Luca understood that much and was always like his partner in crime whenever it came to silly pranks and fun games. No one lived forever and the idea of following rules and obeying orders for the rest of his life was the most boring shit he'd ever heard.

And that was why he never understood River, or at least not at first.

Not when they were kids.

River was an absolute pushover. Despite his rather large Truffle frame and towering height, he was meek and passive in nature. He wouldn't budge, no matter how many times Hades would push him with this rapid-fire stream of sharp teases and sly remarks. He'd boss him around, pressure him into doing all sorts of little favors, and even use him to get free lunch or cut in line.

And River accepted it all.

Not once would he ever raise his voice in protest, nor did he ever reach out to talk to Hades first for anything. It seemed like he was always too hesitant to even offer a simple 'hello' in his way, or at least he'd never be the one to start the conversation. He would always provide replies back, but never would he begin anything.

He’d always been complacent enough to let things happen, regardless of the consequences.

That was what made him so intriguing, in a way. There was just something about his personality that made Hades scratch his head. He didn't understand why he couldn't just grow a spine for once, and he had said so out loud multiple times before to him. In response, with each and every time Hades would freely express this, River would just offer a wobbly smile.

And for whatever reason, Hades was inexplicably drawn to every aspect of him, with perceived flaws and all.

He'd often find himself craving River's company everyday, and it was hard trying to avoid him since he lived in his neighborhood as well.

When he began hitting puberty one day, Hades came to the startling realization that he had a crush on River. However, this only prompted him to push River around even more, just in hopes of getting out of this 'weird love phase' of his. He also knew, deep down, that he would never be good enough for River, not after treating him like shit throughout all those years.

This would go on until high school, where one day, River peaked at a breaking point.

A part of Hades' soul cracked when he heard River scream at him for the first time. With tears watering his eyes, he told Hades to just leave him alone already. There was a large force of raw anger behind his words, and it stung like a bitch, but he took it anyway because he really did deserve that.

It was to be expected, of course, but that didn't make the agony of the situation any better.

Originally, Hades was just going to leave River alone. It was only natural to do so and he seemed like he needed it. Ever since he had lashed out on him, he had been giving Hades a harsh cold shoulder.

However, not being around him anymore still broke Hades.

It just hurt so fucking bad.

Even though Luca had tried to get Hades to move on already and to just leave River alone, since that was the best thing to do at the time, Hades couldn't stand being apart from him. He knew that he deserved this pain, but it was starting to affect him so much that he couldn't even eat or sleep as much as he used to. Even his parents had picked up on his more depressive behaviors and were getting concerned for his health.

One day, Hades decided, with renewed determination, that he would start changing for River from now on. He was tired of the remorse that would often gnaw at his mind and needed to take action.

His attempts at being a more kinder person were shaky at first, especially since it wasn't in his nature to display random acts of generosity. It didn't feel right, it didn't feel natural, but it was better than acting like his real self around River.

River, however, wasn't convinced, mostly because Hades was doing a horrible job at being nice. Every time Hades even attempted to be good, he would always fuck it up somehow.

For example, Hades once baked him a cake, only to accidentally spill it onto his favorite shirt.

Similar incidents would follow after that, only building up River's vexation to a dangerous degree.

Until one day, Hades snapped the last straw after trying and failing to give him some cookies. He had been approaching him, with the box sitting in between a pair of trembling hands, only to trip over his own shoelaces and spill all of them onto River’s feet.

To say that River was mad would be an understatement.

He was livid.

The rage that awakened from within him was enough to stop Hades from breathing.

He didn’t even fully process the words that spewed from River’s lips, erupting from him like scalding lava. Tears blurred his vision as his heart clenched in fear. There was a sharp ringing in his ears and a dizzying sensation clouding his mind.

He would always be a failure to him.

“Hey.” He felt a pair of hands sliding up his shoulders, pulling him together. Just when his whole world had been crumbling away, the soft shift in River’s tone put a pause on all the emotional turmoil. “Hey, I-I’m sorry.”

”S’not your fault,” Hades tried to croak out, his vocals all blubbery and congested. “I’m just stupi—“

”No, hey. Hey, it’s okay.” With the cuffs of his sleeves, River tried to erase his tears. “I’ll listen. I-I’ll listen to whatever you have to say, if you want to talk. I promise.”

And with that, for the first time since Hades had known him, River was the one to start the conversation.