the song of persephone ♡ ziall/niam au [COMPLETE]

trois

niall felt uneasy. his mother was keeping secrets from him, and he knew it. she was also acting strangely, only letting him go to the fields closer to the house and always popping her head out of the house to spy on him.

that was why niall didn't tell her about liam.

he didn't want her to know that liam came to visit him nearly every day, without her knowledge. he would just come and sit in the grass with niall, listen to him. that was so important to niall – liam listened to him. demeter didn't listen anymore.

niall was actually looking forward to seeing liam. he felt trapped in his house with his mother, like he was suffocating, and being out with liam was like coming up for air.

"hi," liam said softly, smiling down at the tiny boy in the grass. his shirt was pale yellow, and he was making a flower crown out of sunflowers.

"hi!" niall cheered, patting the spot next to him so liam could sit down.

"how're you?" liam asked lightly, so much fondness on his face as he looked at niall. he couldn't help it. the poor boy was so sweet and warm, liam wanted to give him everything he'd ever wanted. (that was very unlike liam).

"i'm okay," niall mumbled, staring down at his fingers.

"what's wrong, really?" liam asked softly, not liking niall being so upset.

"i..." niall bit his trembling lower lip. "i feel like my mother is smothering me. i love her, of course, how could i not? but..."

"you feel trapped," liam finished, and niall nodded eagerly, and then sighed.

"i wish i could just go with you," niall pouted. "you...you make me feel better."

"i do?" liam asked, heart melting. he never knew he had the ability to make someone feel good. as king of the underworld, he'd always associated himself with death and pain, never light or goodness. but niall...niall brought out this new side of him, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. "niall...come with me."

"go with you?" niall repeated.

"to the underworld. you can..." liam tilted his chin up, and niall bit his lip, cheeks pink. "you can be my prince. i'll keep you safe, baby, i promise."

niall's heart felt like it had grown three times its size. "i...do you mean it?"

"yeah," liam said, feeling crazy impulsive. he couldn't believe he was inviting someone to hell. it seemed bizarre and maybe even a little morbid, but he could do this for niall. he could give this boy a home, right by liam, where he would be safe, always. "you can come with me, be away from her."

"i..." niall was smiling, cheeks pink. "can i bring my flower crowns?"

liam laughed. "of course, of course. go get them," he urged, nudging niall towards his house. niall knew he would have to deal with his mother's wrath when he got there. but as of now – he was going away, he would be free, and he could be with liam all the time. this was exactly what he'd always wanted.

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a/n: this is short bc i'm going to try and do a double update today for y'all. :) thanks for reading!