Chapter Text
When Horus opened his eyes, he saw… the yellow kitten sitting on Seth’s chest, asleep.
Horus raised an eyebrow. He noted that Seth was also still asleep, curled against him. The kitten rose and fell on his pale skin as he breathed in his sleep.
Horus stared at the cat again. “How did you get in here?”
“One of the servants knocked on the door while you were sleeping,” Seth said, quietly, making Horus jump. “You slept through it.”
“You… you woke up already?” Horus was about as light a sleeper as Seth, if not more so. How had he slept through that?
Seth cracked open an eye and smiled at him. “Yes. I needed to stretch. Didn’t leave the room, though.” His smile softened. “I know yesterday took it out of you. You needed the sleep.”
Horus accepted that and sighed, leaning his forehead against Seth’s. “I know.”
The kitten grumbled and scrambled off, jumping over Horus’ legs and down the bed, then off it entirely.
“Fast creature,” Horus said, absently.
“Yes, she—” Whatever Seth was going to say was smothered by Horus pulling him close for a morning kiss. Seth relaxed into it, and made a contented noise as Horus’ hand wandered down his front, drifting under the waist of Seth’s black shendyt. Seth made a soft sound into Horus’ mouth, shivering slightly as Horus pumped his cock almost lazily. Seth’s right arm wrapped around Horus’ back so he could dig his nails into the skin there, clinging tightly as Horus worked him over.
Horus could feel the way Seth’s legs twitched against his, and grinned against Seth’s lips as he pumped his hand harder and faster.
Seth pulled out of the kiss and clung to Horus’ neck, breathing hard and loudly. His right leg reach out to wrap around Horus’ hip, making Horus shiver slightly.
Horus rolled them over so that Seth was under him, shoved Seth’s shendyt up and dissolved his own. Before long he was pushing his cock into Seth’s ass, quickly thrusting inside that tight, warm heat, feeling how Seth was still a little loose from two nights before – only that little time! – when they’d fucked in the armory.
Seth wrapped his legs around Horus’ back, pulling him deep on every thrust, and tossed his head back. He clutched at the bedsheets with his long fingers.
Horus was breathing hard, too as he pressed in and out with each thrust, and continued pumping Seth’s cock, his eyes on Seth coming apart.
“H-H-Horusss…”
Horus gasped and pressed deep as he came hard.
Seth gave a muffled shout and came in his hand.
Horus stayed buried deep, and only belatedly realized he was essentially crushing Seth’s cock. He slowly let go, listening to the other god pant, his eyes still shut, and an oddly soft contented smile on his face.
Seth finally cracked one eye open slightly to look at him. “Good morning to you, too.”
Horus laughed and leaned down to kiss him again. When he pulled away, he asked, quietly, “Was that all right?”
“Mmm…” Seth tilted his head slight to look at him. “Yeah. It was nice, honestly.”
Horus sat up and said, “I’ll get the servants to bring us something to eat.”
Seth mumbled something in agreement.
“You’re staring again,” Seth murmured between swallowing bites of apple.
Horus blinked. He’d finished a bit of his own food, and had been sitting on his side of the bed, just watching Seth work at the bowl of fruit.
Horus smiled. “To be fair, you haven’t seen yourself eat grapes.” Horus seriously considered never allowing anyone else to, either. It was too much for someone to bear and stay sane.
Seth snorted, and slowly, even more seductively than before, picked up an apple slice and put it to his lips, sucking gently and completely unnecessarily on one tip of it, his eyes on Horus, before carefully sucking it into his lips.
Horus swallowed, loudly.
Seth snorted as he chewed. After he swallowed it down, he asked, “Besides how sexy I am, you’re doing a worried stare. Why?”
Horus grimaced. “How are you feeling, generally?”
“I told you this morning was—”
“I meant with yesterday.”
Seth sighed, but stared at the ceiling. “Right now it’s… It’s there, on the edge. Waiting, I think. I may… lose it at some point. Start crying or… or something. I’ll probably need to go to the desert again, to offload. But for now it’s… it’s the moment between the tides coming in, I suppose. I’m managing.”
“You can stay here while I discuss my plans with Mother and Ra.”
Seth stilled, then looked at him. “You’ve decided what to do about Osiris.”
“I have some ideas.” Horus sighed. “But… I worry we may have to tell the court about what Mother did.”
Seth pursed his lips.
“Although Sekhmet was worried about what the general populace might do with that knowledge… It may be unavoidable, and better if we do it now, than it come out louder, should the worst occur and Osiris come back. What Mother did on your behalf was well-intentioned. But she still murdered a pharaoh, and without bringing his crimes before a court.” He grimaced. “But even if I do that, and make it clear what happened, going easy on her would require explaining why she did what she did, as well, because the court would understand.”
Seth stiffened.
Horus reached out and brushed his shoulder. “I know. I don’t want to. And I don’t plan to. I’ve been thinking of alternatives.”
“…These alternatives involve lying?”
“Yes. The best we could have without fully lying would be to make up reasons for why we’re not doing our best to get my father out of Duat, and why no one else should try.”
“…I see.”
“I don’t want you to have to testify before the court, Seth,” Horus said. “If you want to, I will respect that decision. And if you want one of us to give a summary of it, we’ll endeavor to do so. But trust that I’m trying to avoid forcing you into it. There are alternatives.”
“…I do. Trust you.” Seth sighed. “It would still be easier if I just… if I just said…” His expression was stricken.
“In the short-term, maybe. But Seth, it’d be hurting you. We both know that.” Horus reached out and touched his shoulder. “You don’t owe the Ennead what happened to you. There are alternatives. Mother stated that Osiris is trapped in Duat. We can simply tell them we did our best, and that’s that. Much as I wish to confront him,” to have a word or two about how he treated you, “I doubt even that’s possible. No one will be surprised if we present that. It’s not like we have many gods of the afterlife as it is. Ammit…” Horus frowned. “She keeps to herself, mostly. But if Father did somehow talk to her… Convince her of something…”
“Ammit is close with Maat,” Seth said. “What little Ammit has spoken to the rest of us has mostly been through Maat for a number of centuries.” He frowned. “It’s possible Osiris would still speak with her. He’s good at… at charming people.”
Horus rubbed his shoulder. “Then… we need to get ahead of whatever Osiris has told Ammit.”
Seth was quiet for a while, then said, “Perhaps if Maat used her feather, I could…” He swallowed. “She’d believe that, convince Ammit. And… that would be that. We might even have a bulwark against Osiris, with Ammit on our side. If… if it was enough.”
“Maat is the Goddess of Justice,” Horus said. “She would side with us. With you. And she would do her best to speak to Ammit if we asked. Maybe even without asking.”
Seth nodded, a little jerkily.
Horus frowned. “But you’d have to tell the truth.”
Seth was quiet for a while, then smiled. “When we were younger, we used to… Well. It’s easy to avoid saying too much before Maat, if you limit your answers. I could say less if she asks, than if I simply speak, and talk to fill the silence.” His gaze went distant.
“What’s wrong?” Horus asked.
“…Your father was the best at it.”
Horus grimaced, and to change the topic he asked, “How did you figure out you could limit yourself when it came to the feather of truth? That seems… risky.”
Seth laughed. “Well… we watched a few of Maat’s trials with the feather, and once, Maat questioned Isis. Isis wanted to test it: her magic against Maat’s. And Isis always liked challenges. Then it became a sort of game. How honest can you be without being too honest?” His gaze softened. “Even your parents, Nephthys, and I were young once. Things were… simpler. In a way.”
Horus watched him and the soft fondness there. “Do you miss it? Those days?”
The fondness faded away. “Sometimes. And sometimes I remember feeling directionless, and it felt a lot like how I was in the desert, in a way. And then I remember it’s pointless to reminisce. We are none of us the same people we were back then.”
“But you were happy.”
Seth blinked and looked at him, then smiled, “I can be happy now. I am… happy. With you.” He shut his eyes. “I may not always be. I may be tired or morose or angry… I may go quiet for days or longer… But I can be happy. And knowing I was once happier because I had less to worry about doesn’t change that.”
Horus smiled, then said, “Whatever the case, we won’t be doing whatever we have to… discussing our plans for Osiris with the court, talking to Maat, and whatever else, today.”
Seth frowned. “But you need to act quickly. The court will gossip—”
Horus squeezed Seth’s shoulder. “They can wait.” He didn’t want to push Seth into this.
“You have duties to your people, Horus!” Seth’s expression was angry, which took Horus by surprise. “I know you took time to visit me in the desert, but that was when your mother was at court. With her in her rooms, and Nephthys, too, someone has to be out there…” He grimaced.
“…You’re really worried.”
“Of course I am!”
For a moment, Horus saw again the god who could command legions. Who protected his troops as they attacked. Who fought alone sometimes not just because he could, but also because it meant fewer human lives lost.
Seth bit his lip and set up.
Horus blinked, and sat up with him.
“…I’ll do it. Today,” Seth said.
“Seth…”
“We need to get it done. This’ll be hanging over our heads otherwise.”
“Seth, we can give it time… Yesterday alone was just… way too much for anyone. People would understand if we waited a day, minimum…”
“I’m not so weak that I need to wait!” Seth said, pushing himself out of the bed.
Horus stared after him, his eyes wide.
Seth had his back to the other god, his arms crossed. “We don’t need to hold this back because I’m…! I’m…”
Horus stood up and walked over to him.
“I don’t think waiting makes you weak,” Horus said, reaching out to lightly touch his shoulders. “You know I don’t.”
Seth grimaced, still not looking at him.
“You are not the one holding this back,” Horus said, rubbing his back. “It’s a bad situation. It’s my job, as a leader, to ensure it’s handled with the least cruelty to all the people I govern. And you’re one of those people, Seth.” Seth stiffened. “I know you don’t like it, because it… takes some of your autonomy away, but as Pharaoh I am responsible for you, and I take that seriously. Especially because I’ve seen how hard for you just to tell me.”
Seth blinked and looked at him, surprised.
Horus smiled sadly. “Call it softness because I love you, or… I don’t know. But I owe you a duty, too. I don’t want to put you through this. I don’t want to put anyone through this. But you’re at least in my power to protect a little.” Horus leaned his forehead against Seth’s and shut his eyes. “You’re one of the strongest gods I know, Seth. And I still want to do my best to save you from what I know will be painful, because it would hurt anyone. And because I know you and at least some of how it’s hurt you. Wanting to protect the people I govern isn’t about them being weak. It’s about… doing what I can to help those I care for.”
Seth swallowed. After a while he said, “…I know. I just…”
“I could tell you more often,” Horus offered. He opened his eyes a little, seeing the uncomfortable set of Seth’s mouth. “That you’re strong. It’s my father isn’t it? His words to you that night.”
Seth swallowed.
“He didn’t know you, Seth. He had a version of you in his head and that’s all he saw. What he thinks… has nothing to do with who you are.”
Seth shut his eyes as tears fell. Then he laughed. “Doesn’t it? Here I’m panicking over nothing, and thinking I can somehow go before a court and talk about… about...” He put his head in his hands. “Fuck, I can’t, I can’t…”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes,” Seth said, sighing. “Yes I do.” He looked at Horus, his expression sad. “For a long time I imagined him coming to collect me in the desert, with the Ennead at his back. Imagined him telling them all what he’d done. Imagined them laughing, or shrugging, or… I don’t know. I imagined them accepting his story over mine. Even now, people adore him. His worshippers are strong. And if he… if he somehow came back and… and…” He swallowed. “It’d be the nightmare, but this time it’d be real. Because they’d believe him. He was the best with the feather, don’t you understand? Even if questioned that way, they’d believe.”
“You’d have Mother on your side,” Horus said, quietly, rubbing his back. “Nephthys. Perhaps Sekhmet and even Ra. And me.” Horus leaned his forehead against Seth’s, wishing it was enough to calm Seth’s panicked breathing. “Even Osiris isn’t enough against all of us.”
They were quiet for a while, until they heard a meow, and Seth pulled away to see the kitten wandering around his ankles. Seth leaned down to pick her up, petting her for a bit until she purred, and even nuzzling her head a bit.
Horus watched him, not knowing what to say.
“…I have so much because of you,” Seth said, watching the kitten thoughtfully. “My life is so much more than it was even a short while ago. I’m back here, among other gods, in the city… The world seems so much more alive. And I’m on speaking terms with my family again. And… thinking hopefully about the future, even with its difficulties.” He looked at Horus, something warm in his gaze. “You give me strength, Horus. You give me so much.” He swallowed, and shut his eyes. “That’s… that’s how I know I can do this. Because… because you’re here. With me.”
Horus smiled and gently cupped his cheek. “Always.”
Seth opened his eyes and smiled, and then his gaze grew distant. He looked out over the city. “It’s going to change things. What we do here. Forever.”
Horus breathed in deeply, and stepped closer to him, wrapping an around his back, and looking out. “Yes. But… I feel better too, knowing you’ll be at my side for it.” He looked down at Seth, who looked up at him. “You give me strength, too.”
Seth blinked at him, then smiled.