Chapter Text
When Seth woke, it was still dark out.
His ass hurt.
He could feel Horus, overly warm and large, at his back, still holding him tightly around the chest, his cock still buried deep in Seth.
It was odd, to be in a bed with someone again for sleep - and sex - after all this time. Nephthys hadn’t stayed, and before that had been 30 years of nothing. The few one night stands he’d taken over the years were kicked out in the early morning. Or Seth left.
Was it a mistake, he wondered, the night before? Yes, he felt… something with Horus, and the way Horus wanted him in a way no one else had appealed, but…
Did he have to rethink and rethink every decision he ever made? Couldn’t it just be how it used to be? Sex? It made him feel good, once, the rare times he sought it out.
He remembered the last time he’d felt sorry for himself about not having the courage to ask Nephthys to be with him, when he’d gone into the desert with his servants and thrown a big party after a hunt. He didn’t remember much of the party, but he remembered being miserable during it and ordering more incense be burned. Two humans in particular had caught his eye: a pretty muscular thing with ridiculously good hands, and a woman who looked far too much like Nephthys and had Seth thinking thoughts he’d be ashamed of Nephthys hearing. He’d watched them together for a while, as the woman road the man – imagining himself in the man’s place, making Nephthys moan like that, and thinking horrible thoughts about himself before pulling them over to his side. He woke up staring at the tent walls as dawn peeked in, surrounded by sleeping naked humans in various silly positions on the cushions and floor. The air smelling of splashed wine, sex, and fading incense.
He’d promised himself not to do that again. It was cruel to have Nephthys stand-ins just because he was a coward, and if she said no, then it was worse… And he hadn’t just wanted her carnally, he’d wanted her at his side, smiling at him, talking with him, spending time with him, riding in a chariot at his side more regularly.
Maybe part of how he'd been with Horus side was guilt. Wanting to drown out the memory of Nephthys from the other night, how it had been everything he’d wanted once upon a time, and yet felt completely empty in reality.
Or wanting to drown out—
No, he didn’t think about Osiris. The more things he did between that and the present, the better.
Osiris had wanted control, obedience, isolation.
Nephthys… Seth had no idea what she wanted, and realized he never had.
Horus… seemed to just want him. In whatever capacity Seth would offer.
It made a part of him warm, his throat tighten.
Perhaps letting Horus fuck him had been an exchange for what Horus offered. Perhaps he wanted to taste what that devotion felt like, and compare it to Osiris and Nephthys.
Perhaps it had been a long set of days and he wanted the distraction, and the hunt and the music had been getting to him.
But really, Horus was insatiable. Seth shouldn’t feel bad for whatever reason he’d consented to what they did that night, since Horus had certainly made good work of him!
Seth huffed and wished for sleep. He could smell Horus. Mostly he smelled like the desert, the incense used during their meal, and faintly of bird musk. There was also the faint scent of the fabric for his headdress, and a vaguely ozone smell that all sky gods seemed to have.
He didn’t smell like earth or rot or plants.
Osiris is dead, he reminded himself, pulling Horus’s hands tighter, needing to feel someone solid who wasn’t Osiris, oddly grateful now for Horus' stupidly unforgettably huge cock buried deep in him. Osiris is dead, and he cannot touch me.
Seth hadn’t believed the initial message from Isis 30 years ago, letting him know of Osiris’ death, and that she was taking the throne in her unborn child’s place. Seth had felt something, of course, when Osiris had presumably died – like a shiver in the very air – but he didn’t believe it. How could the pharaoh, the God of Life, die? It didn’t make sense. Even Ra hadn’t died, though part of that had been Isis always keeping a tool in her pocket as needed. Ra was more useful in her ability to protect Egypt than be destroyed.
And hadn’t he tried to… to…
Seth abruptly felt caged in, trapped. Just like… He pulled away from Horus, forming into sand to get fully away, and went out into the desert. Away from the tent, away from anyone living. He called his chariot and drove across the dunes, with sunshine starting to turn the sand pink. The chill of night and early morning ever so slowly retreated as the sun’s warmth reached its hungry fingers out.
This endless place had been a refuge 30 years ago. He’d raced around it purely as sand for longer than he’d been used to, and only returned to his humanoid form to fight the odd beast or enemy. He’d called more sandstorms, scaring away travelers and enemies alike. Every second he’d expected Osiris to call him back, or come for him, but it hadn’t happened.
Just Isis’ messengers – a nest of scorpions traveling together and carrying her letter above them - with news of her husband’s death, alongside an entourage of servants. In her letter, Isis asked him why he hadn’t left with any.
Seth was the God of War. If he couldn’t kill one person, then how…?
“Your strength is not your own.”
Seth hissed and leapt from his chariot, then dove down into the sand, submerging and racing across it in a small storm.
I know what my strength is, I know what—!
“Seth, with Osiris gone, you realize you’re the most powerful god in Egypt?”
He clawed at the dunes and screamed dust into whirlwinds.
It was midday by the time he returned to his tent, feeling scattered and empty.
Horus stood outside, watching him approach. His headdress and shendyt were back on, but even with the headdress on, Seth could tell he was worried.
Seth walked past him and back into the tent, then lay on the cot, his headdress dissolving around his face.
He heard Horus walk back in and kneel beside the cot, but didn’t look at him.
After a time, Horus asked, “Seth, are you all right?”
“No,” Seth replied, simply, honestly.
“Is there something you need?”
“…It’s done already. There’s nothing anyone can do.” You can’t exactly re-kill him. Or change the past.
“It’s not… because of last night, right?”
Seth considered that for a while, not sure how to answer it, but he realized Horus probably thought he did something to Seth, so Seth replied, “It wasn’t anything you did.” He smiled. “It’s what happens when you sleep with damaged goods.”
Horus stiffened. “You’re not damaged goods, Seth.”
Seth didn’t reply to that.
Horus reached out towards Seth’s scalp and asked, “May I…?”
Seth shut his eyes. He shortly felt Horus’ thick fingers carding through his hair, oddly gentle. Seth knew he shouldn’t find it so odd. Despite Horus’ massive cock and interest in seeing Seth a little scrambled during sex, Horus could be quite gentle. But everything with Horus felt like a new discovery. A new mark on the ledger of what made him not Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, or anyone Seth had ever known in his thousands of years of existence.
“What will you tell Isis?” Seth asked, wondering vaguely what she’d do when she found out.
“About us?”
“Yes.”
“Do you wish me to tell her?”
Seth sighed. “You’re Pharaoh. What I want doesn’t matter.”
“If I’m Pharaoh and my will is law, then I say what you want does matter. And even if I weren’t Pharaoh, I still think what you want matters.”
Seth snorted. “If you weren’t Pharaoh this would be a very different conversation.”
“Oh?” Horus asked. Seth could hear the smile in his voice. “How would it be different?”
Seth opened his eyes and sat up, looking down at Horus, still kneeling by the cot, gazing up at him beneath the falcon headdress, that smile still on his face. He’d sat back so that Seth could put his feet on the floor.
“You say such silly things…” Seth said, watching him thoughtfully. “Despite appearances, I’m quite sure Isis drilled into your head how things are different between a god who is Pharaoh and gods who aren’t.
Horus chuckled, and Seth felt the soft smile on his face pull him in somehow. “Of course she did. She also wonders sometimes at the strange questions I ask.” He pushed forward so that he was between Seth’s legs, and Seth didn’t move to stop him. Horus lightly dragged his right hand down Seth’s left calf, making the war god shiver. “I admit talking is not necessarily my strength.” He lifted Seth’s calf and peppered kisses along the skin there, going up to Seth’s knee.
Seth swallowed, feeling his face warm. He gripped the edge of the cot.
“Perhaps I should treat you as the god you are, hmm?” Horus’ headdress vanished in a wisp of wind as he pressed towards Seth’s inner thigh with the kisses. He eventually pushed Seth’s shendyt back. “One to be worshiped properly.”
Seth felt his breathing speed up. He kind of wanted to touch Horus’ hair, but didn’t know if that was allowed, or what would happen if he tried. So he focused on the feeling of Horus’ lips on his skin, the way Horus maneuvered the leg over his shoulder and then pushed Seth’s shendyt farther back before taking a gentle hold of Seth’s cock.
Seth swallowed, then dissolved his shendyt into sand, letting Horus move more freely.
In return, Horus placed more kisses along Seth’s shaft, making Seth shiver even more.
Seth was already feeling uncomfortably hard from Horus’ attentions, and was shaking slightly as the younger god put his lips around his cock’s leaking head. Horus quickly swallowed him down and Seth tossed his head back with a moan, feeling the tightness, the warmth of Horus’ throat.
Horus bobbed his head briefly before swallowing Seth fully again and resting his nose against Seth’s skin. He grabbed Seth’s left hand and placed it on his own head.
Seth swallowed. “You… You want me to?”
Horus nodded as much as he could, then slowly bobbed his head back and forth, making Seth grunt. Horus’ left hand gently clasped Seth’s right hip.
Seth’s fingers tightened in the soft strands of Horus’ short, dark brown hair, which was surprisingly soft, like bird down, and he mostly shut his eyes at the pleasure.
As Horus pulled off at one point just to lick the leaking tip of Seth’s cock, Seth groaned, “H-Horus…” But Horus already pushed back, swallowing him down again.
Seth squeezed Horus’ shoulder with his leg, pressing his ankle into Horus’ back.
Horus simply hummed around Seth’s cock, making Seth shudder more.
“I’m…” Seth swallowed. “I’m close, Horus…”
Horus simply hummed again, and kept bobbing his head.
Seth felt his heart race, his gut twist, and finally pulled Horus in, close.
Horus stayed in place, without objection. His fingers tightened ever so slightly on their grip of Seth’s hip.
Seth gasped as he came, hard, down Horus’ throat. His legs shook.
Horus swallowed and swallowed, moving his nose slightly against Seth’s skin.
When Seth was fully spent, he sagged to his left slightly.
Horus carefully pulled off, and then helped rearrange Seth’s legs on the bed, helping Seth to lay down properly.
“Ha, that was…” Seth shut his eyes. “That was nice.” He felt Horus sit down on the cot beside him, a nice source of warmth as Seth realized he was starting to feel a little cold.
Horus carded his fingers through Seth’s hair again.
After a while, Seth murmured, “Do you need…?”
“I’m fine, Seth.” Horus leaned down and kissed Seth’s brow. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Did you just…? Kiss me with the lips you had around my cock…?”
Horus laughed. “I did, Seth. I wiped them off, though, while you weren’t looking, before I kissed you.”
Seth groaned, but eventually smiled. “You’re impossible.”
“I like being your impossible.”
“Pfft. How does Isis deal with you?”
Horus hummed briefly before saying, “She is very patient.”
“Isis? Patient?” Seth scoffed. “With her work, yes, but people?”
“Perhaps the Isis you knew 30 years ago is the not the Isis I know.”
Seth’s smile faded and he opened his eyes. “…Yes. You could be right.”
Seth abruptly realized... he'd truly had no idea what Isis got up to, raising her own son. A few decades was a blink in the eyes of a god, but here was a whole new being, raised to take up the throne after his parents, to lead Egypt. And in that time, she'd led Egypt herself. And Seth hadn't been there for any of it. He had no idea what her day-to-day was like. Who she was anymore. The closeness they'd had in the past was gone, by his own hand.
For the first time in a while he realized that while he was figuring himself out in the desert, his sisters had been alone in the capital to deal with their brother’s death. Isis had only Nephthys for main support, and was pregnant. And he’d just… left her there. Left them there. Alone.
He'd run away, yes, he knew that, but he didn't fully think about who else he'd left behind, and what pieces they'd picked up in his absence.
“…Seth?”
Seth looked at Horus. The headdress was still gone. Like this, Horus looked so very young. Too young for what he had to bear, as the heir of Isis and Osiris, of Ra... Even Osiris had been older when he’d taken the throne. Isis had been older when she’d taken on Ra.
Seth couldn’t stomach the lies anymore. Or half-truths. Whatever it was. Fleeing from Isis' messengers, not responding to her when she found him in the rare times she tried... He was the God of War, raised to be wise in strategy and planning and subterfuge, but before this young pharaoh seemingly designed to lay him bare, he felt tired of it all. More than he had even in 30 years.
This was his nephew. Isis’ son. …Osiris’ son. Seth owed Horus more than what he’d given.
Osiris was dead. And Seth couldn’t talk to Nephthys. He couldn’t talk to Isis. But Horus…
“…You want to know what happened 30 years ago. Why I left.” Seth felt a mix between so shaky he felt the cot rock, and a strange stillness, like he and Horus were the only two beings in the world. His voice was quiet, worried about breaking that stillness. But he looked to Horus, to gauge his response.
Horus stiffened, his eyes widening in alarm. But there was a curiosity there, too.
Seth sighed. “…Fine. I’ll tell you.”