#rydice sings!!
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flowers full cover!! could be better but @finleyforevermore and @scrunchiesandsquips were hoping to hear it so here you go!!
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i love you
this was supposed to be a part of a larger series but here. take some modern au orphydice fluff at midnight <3
***
It’s so easy to say I love you.
Eurydice realizes this slowly. Over a stretch of time that feels far too long to realize something so simple. She’s always been afraid of those words. What if, when she said it, it didn’t feel right, or it wasn’t the right moment, or she didn’t really mean it? The world is complicated and the idea of love itself felt like just another layer of fear to add to all relationships. Far easier to just never say it or to wait as long as possible, to avoid making a mistake.
But she finds that she has said “I love you” so many times without knowing it.
*
The first time is after a long day at her work, and she’d come stumbling home in the dark. The apartment is pitch black, not a single light on, and she knows Orpheus is already asleep. Pushing down her disappointment, she stumbles to the couch and flops face forwards onto the cushions. He had already been gone this morning when she’d woken up, though there was a text on her phone wishing her a good day that made her smile, but she wanted to see him, wanted to hold him when it wasn’t already nighttime and they were both exhausted. Her bones ache and her fingers are stiff from the autumn air… the pillows smell like him. She can imagine him, lying here watching one of his movies, mouthing along to Singin’ In The Rain or some other oldy. The image makes her smile and she rolls onto her back, sighing audibly as she stares up at the dark ceiling. Their neighbors upstairs must be asleep too, sometimes she can hear their footsteps in nights where she can’t sleep. They’ve met the older couple a few times, mostly in passing. The woman, Persephone, gave them a welcome card when they first moved in. It’s still hanging on the fridge.
Finally, she gathers the energy to push herself off the couch and walks quietly to the kitchen. Before looking in any of the cabinets for food she knows isn’t there, she leans against the counter, scrolling through her phone, looking at pictures and texts from throughout the day, distracting herself from the gnawing hunger in her stomach and the exhaustion behind her eyes. It’s only when she reaches the text from Orpheus that she had gotten around noon that day, reminding her to eat lunch and several heart emojis, that she cements herself to get dinner. She can just hear him, his voice tinged with worry, “Eurydice, you gotta remember to eat! It’s important!” Even just the thought of his worry and slight disappointment at her lack of self care is enough to get to open the fridge and flip on a light in the kitchen.
To her surprise, sitting on the first shelf is a plate, covered in fogged plastic wrap. With a post-it on top that when she pulls it off, reads “don’t forget, see you in the morning <3”. She can’t help but smile to herself, pulling the plate out and feeling a warm buzzing in her chest that can only come from him. She has only ever felt this way around her Orpheus; when he takes her hand while they’re walking and squeezes it twice, when he hugs her from behind and rests his head on top of her head. The intimacy of such a simple gesture makes her feeling infinitely better, pulling the plastic wrap off of the plate of roasted vegetables and chicken that Orpheus must’ve made for dinner that night. A nicer meal than they’re used to and she wonders if he had been expecting her back sooner, if he had been preparing a surprise dinner of some sort. Either way, the plate is piled high and she eats it slowly, wanting to savor every bite.
She can see the night outside the window, the stars hidden by the treeline but she can faintly see the glow of the moon. Casting a soft gray glow over their porch. It’s a peaceful night, the wind isn’t too strong especially for an autumn night, and the air around her feels peaceful, each breath feels the same. Light and fresh.
When she’s done, she washes the plate and dries it, carefully placing it back in their cupboards, careful not to make too much noise. It looks like he did the dishes too, it’s the least she can do since it seems like he did so much while she was out. She gets the idea from the intense cleanliness of their apartment that he might have been anxious. After living with him for about half a year at this point, she has become very comfortable with the different sides of anxious Orpheus. How he cleans when he worries, how he’ll write music when the world gets too overwhelming, so many little habits too that would take hours to name. It feels like she knows him both inside and out and not at all at the exact same time. She knows exactly how he looked when he was washing the dishes, but she could not for the life of her figure out what goes on in his head half the time. His thoughts are foreign to her, and when he voices them, she can’t help but melt at the dreamish nature that he exists in all the time.
“Our honeymoon should be at the ocean.” he’ll say out of the blue (even though they aren’t even engaged).
“Do you ever think about how there are billions of people we’ll never meet?” he’d ask.
And he sings. Oh, he sings all the time. Under his breath, it always seems like there is a song playing perpetually in his mind. She tries to convince herself at times that it gets a little too much, that anyone who dreams that much and sings that much cannot be connected with reality, but she knows she’s lying to herself. She’s jealous of him, most of the time. She wishes she could exist like that, able to disconnect from reality and paint a picture in her mind of some other place. Travel to a different realm outside of this chaos they live in.
When she’s climbing into bed, she doesn’t expect for him to be awake but nevertheless, he shifts softly and opens his arms, which she climbs into. He’s half asleep, she can tell, and slipping away into whatever dreams he has at night but she pauses for a moment, looking over at him. The moonlight from their window makes his skin glow and his eyelashes appear to be made of dark chocolate and gold. She’s always known he’s beautiful but sometimes it hits her all over again, this is her life. He’s a part of her life. And she never wants him to leave. In these quiet moments she wants to say so much.
“Thank you.” is what she whispers quietly into his chest.
“Mm, for what?” his words are slurred with sleep.
“For leaving me dinner. For making sure I eat. For being there for me.” she murmurs, fluttering her eyes closed. It feels as if they’ve had this conversation a dozen times over, like they’ve thanked each other for existing over and over.
“You’re welcome,” he murmurs into her hair. “Night, ‘rydice.”
Goodnight. I love you.
Her mind fills it in easily enough, but with her eyes closed and Orpheus heartbeat in her ears, she can’t seem to bring those words past her lips. He’s said it to her before, and she’s told him that she’s too scared, that she’s not real, and he hasn’t pressured her. He’s loved her from the start, and moved much faster than she was comfortable with but it’s been so long… maybe he’s wondering if she really does love him. But she does. Gods, she does. Orpheus says “I love you” every day, in the smallest ways possible. She can recognize them more and more, the way he did tonight, showing her love in a soft, domestic way she has never known. He didn’t need to say it.
She should be able to.
#what's this???? actual content on MY blog?????? whaaaaaaaaat????#hadestown#hadestown bway#hadestown fic#hannah-joy.fic#orphydice#orpheus#eurydice#hadestown modern#hadestown fanfiction#orphydice fic#hadestown broadway#god this is my first fic put out......... in so long#somebody remind me to reblog this tmrw thx#if ur seeing this rn ily
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Charcuterie Board
Well. This did not turn out like I meant it to. But alas. Enjoy.
-A
“That’s cheating”
“There’s no cheating, this is my house and my tradition.”
“This isn’t a tradition, we didn’t do this last year!”
“You didn’t do this last year because you didn’t come, ask Orpheus, we’ve done this ever since he was a child.”
“Orpheus!” Eurydice whines, turning on the balls of her feet to face him, hands going to her hips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Orpheus looks up from where he stands beside Persephone, where he bounces Melody as Persephone tries to make her laugh. His eyes give the evidence that he was not in fact paying attention to the complaints of his almost wife, as hazel eye flit around the kitchen looking for context. “Tell you what? Oh, that we make char-Coochie boards?”
Persephone snorts, looking away from Orpheus as she reaches for her wine, trying not to laugh at him for his slip up, instead, biting her lip as she looks away. Demeter shakes her head at her daughter, instead reaching into Orpheus’ arms to rock Melody in her own.
Hades chuckles to himself, not letting Orpheus distract him from the way he was slicing strawberries to fit the aesthetic he aimed for, Junie sitting on the counter next to him as she organizes pieces of cheese with the delicate hands of a four year old.
Hermes does not react, instead sipping his red wine as he organizes wheat crackers into elaborate shapes on the bamboo board in front of him.
“A… what board Orpheus?” Eurydice asks, looking between the three adults who raised him, who seemed unfazed by his choice of words. She’s shaking her head as she looks between them all, mostly at Persephone who couldn’t quite succeed at hiding her laughter.
“A char-Coochie board? What you’re making? With the cheese and the crackers..” Orpheus gestures to the island, covered with the makings of multiple cheese boards, spread out for the apparent tradition. He swipes a handful of grapes as his hand grazes over them, holding them out to her.
“....that’s not what it’s called Orpheus.” Eurydice explains, wide eyes glancing at his with concern. “It’s a charcuterie board.”
“No, Rydice, we always do this, it’s a char coochie board.” Orpheus argues playfully, tossing a few grapes into his mouth. “We do this every year.”
Eurydice looks around the kitchen incredulously, between Hades who chuckles and Hermes who just shakes his head in disbelief. Demeter is the only one not reacting, instead walking around the kitchen with her forehead pressed to Melody’s as she sings lightly to the four month old.
“...No one ever told him what it was called?” Eurydice asks in exasperation, directly linking eyes with Persephone. “No one thought it was a good idea?”
“What are you talking about? Seph-“ He looks to her desperately, confusion etched on his sweet features. “What do you mean that’s not what it’s called?”
Persephone is smirking now, as she settles her wine glass down, leaning forward on her elbows. “Listen. The first time you said it you were like four! And you were so cute and it was so funny..”
“And to be fair, we did correct you. You just couldn’t say it.” Hades chimes in, now handing Junie individual slices of various vegetables to place around the cutting board.
“And we just assumed as you got older you’d learn on you own.” Comes Hermes calming voice, as he adds rosemary garnishes to the dish in front of him, before reaching out to take Melody from Demeter, allowing the older woman to go back to making some herbal based tea at the stove.
“Even I know it’s a charcuterie board, Ophie.” Comes the sweet voice of Junie, who is adamantly stirring honey and cream cheese in an elegantly designed dip bowl. “I just thought you said it funny, and daddy said not to tell you you’re wrong.”
“Besides-“ Persephone clears her throat, pouring herself another glass of wine. She looks at her husband and makes a gesture with her hand “Hades, cover her ears.”
“Mama, i’m a big-“ Junie starts but is too late as her father’s hands are over her ears.
Persephone looks between Orpheus and Eurydice with a smirk on her face. “A char coochie board is what you’ll be having after your wedding in four days-“
The color drains out of Orpheus’s face as Eurydice’s jaw falls, looking frantically between the others in the room. “Seph!” Eurydice hisses, hiding her face in her hands.
“Persephone!” Hades admonishes, shaking his head, and despite this he still laughs before letting Junie hear again. “I mean, I hope you’re-“
“Stop, stop, stop, please.” Orpheus begs, shaking his head anxiously. “Please stop talking about-“
“Orpheus, there is nothing to be ashamed of, it’s perfectly normal and natural, you two are very in love, and Melody is evidence that you-“ Demeter begins, in an ethereal voice that usually signifies the beginning of a discussion on the cosmic nature of their lives.
“Leave the boy alone, we all know what he does and we all don’t want to think about it.” Hermes defends the young couple, walking back and forth with Melody babbling content lay in his arms. “Orpheus, sit down before you fall over. Eurydice, you look like you could use a drink.”
Eurydice can feel the color has drained from her face, the humiliation running deep in her veins. “I can’t drink, Melody might get hungry and-“
“Girl. You look ready to pass out.” Hermes instructs, nodding to Persephone who pulls one of the wine glasses from the above head drying rack.
Eurydice only nods, making her way closer to the island in a daze. Orpheus has settled himself on the nearby couch, blankly staring into the fireplace.
“Great job, Seph, they’re in shock.” Hades murmurs, helping Junie jump down from the counter top as they finish their board.
“They’re just embarrassed, as if we can’t all do the Melody math.” Persephone rolls her eyes, scooping her daughter onto her lap as she runs over, before sliding a half filled glass of wine to Eurydice. “It’ll take the edge off.”
“It’s time to judge the boards, everyone.” Junie announces, kicking her feet contently from her place in her mother’s arms. “Amma judges.” She explains, looking to Demeter who is patiently steeping a bag of tea in her favorite mug at Persephone’s house.
“Only two this year?” Demeter asks, glancing between the elegance of Hades and the Simplicity of Hermes’. “Unlike you.”
“Well I was going to make one-“ Eurydice mumbles, easily drinking the whole glass of wine at once. “But someone cheated and used Junie.”
“You could have used melody for help, no rules against it. Junie just has the creative eye, right baby?” Persephone teases, kissing June’s cheek. “Ooh, Junie, go get my board out for Amma.”
“...okay now that’s cheating.” Eurydice grumbles, swirling the drops of red wine in her glass. “You can’t pre-make the board.”
“Persephone, you don’t even cook.” Hermes reminds, gently patting melody’s back to coax the infant to sleep against his shoulder.
“It’s not a cheese board, silly.” Junie explains, as she dutifully runs to the refrigerator and pulls out the bright red plate.
“It’s a dessert board, not a char coochie board.” Persephone teases, helping Junie place the plate on the table. Indeed, it is covered in chocolates and strawberries, crackers replaced by graham crackers, and marshmallows as a topping. “Though, I suppose, a char coochie board could be your dessert, Orpheus-“
“Persephone.” Hades groans, scooping Junie onto his hip as Demeter traipsed the various options at the table, adamantly judging her family’s work.
“Why don’t you do gingerbread houses like normal people?” Eurydice snaps, pouring herself another glass of wine right at the table.
“Why not use birth control like normal people?” Persephone teases, eating a handful of sugared almonds.
“Persephone wins!” Demeter decides in her airy voice, looking between her family around her. “I like the honey comb.”
“...okay, that’s cheating, mama.”
#umm I can't say charcuterie#so I said char coochie#and thats how this happened#eurydice#orpheus#hades#persephone#hermes#orpheus and eurydice#orphydice#innuendos#hades and perseophone#modern au#Hadestown modern#hadestown modern au#Annika writes
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Marketplace
Hey everyone! This fic is just some domestic orphydice! In this house we love Orpheus talking to all the townspeople in the morning. I wrote this for @waitformereprise because if there is anything we enjoy its domestorphydice.
“Orpheus…” Eurydice crooned, taking her place on the edge of their small bed, hand coming to cradle her husband’s face. “Orpheus..” She coaxed, crossing her legs on the thin mattress, hands coming to rest on either side of his face. “Wake up, my love..” Her voice is airy as her lips find his jaw, trailing down to kiss along the exposed skin of his neck and chest, smiling against his skin as she feels him begin to stir. She’s resting her chin on his sternum, humming looking up at him with wide eyes and a contented smile as she yawns into consciousness, lifting his head to look down at her.
“‘Morning, Rydice.” He calls back, sweet voice lulled by the haze associated with coming out of sleep. He raises an eyebrow, lips turning up in a smile. “You aren’t usually up before me..” Orpheus notes, raising his hand to brush some of her dark hair behind her ear. “Do you wanna-”
“Mmm, not this morning...we have to get to the market before they’re out of everything again. Can’t repeat last week’s nightly potato dinners, can we?” Eurydice muses as she crawls back up his chest, resting her elbows again beside his head as she dips her head down to catch his lips with her own, smiling as they effortlessly melded together. She pulls back again, smiling down at him as she brings a finger to bop his nose. “Besides. Baby’s awake.”
“Where is she?” Orpheus questioned, raising his head to glance around the bedroom. Now that his judgement was not hazed by sleep nor other activities, he noticed that his daughter was neither in the bed nor in her permanent spot on Eurydice’s hip.
As if she knew she was being talked about, tiny footsteps echoed through the tiny two room cottage they called their home, and excited baby babbles grew louder as tiny legs carried the toddler to her parents. Little hands gripped the door frame, before bright hazel eyes peaked around too.
Eurydice put her fingers on her lips, looking at Orpheus. A coy smile graced her face as she looked away from the door. “Do you hear something, Orpheus?” She teased loudly, looking around the room playfully.
“Me? No. Must be the wind.” He replies, a giggle on the edge of his airy voice. “Do you hear something, Rydice?”
“Nope, nothin, must be some birds.” She plays, before she feels tiny hands hit her thigh.
“me, mama!” The toddler exclaims, bouncing excitedly at the bedside. “Up?” She requests, holding her arms up to both her parents.
Eurydice doesn’t hesitate before scooping Ophelia into her lap, kissing over her face and making her erupt into giggles.
“ ‘mornin dada.” She coos to Orpheus, lunging at him with open arms, wrapping them around his face in her own version of a hug.
“It IS you, sunshine girl.” Eurydice teases, tickling her foot as she buries her face into Orpheus’s shoulder.
“Good morning, Ophelia!” Orpheus greets brightly, joy leaking into his voice. He was always so happy to see his daughter in the morning, even if it was usually a result of her kicking him awake much like her mother. “What have you been doing with your mama?”
“Someone was supposed to be eating her breakfast.” Eurydice raised her eyebrows at Ophelia, who just giggled and hid her face. “Did you finish your eggs, baby?” It had been her fear most of Ophelia’s life. The baby she loved so dearly going hungry in the way she had, or not having enough to make it through a particularly rough winter.
“Noooo mama.” Ophelia admitted, resting her little body on her father’s , kicking her feet innocently. “Want boo-berries.”
Eurydice sighed, shaking her head as she reached her arm out to smooth Ophelia’s wavy hair. “Well honey, i’m sorry, we don’t have any blueberries right now. But if you can get your daddy out of bed..” She poked Orpheus’s exposed side, making him jump slightly. “We can go get some before they’re out again this week.”
Ophelia lifted her head excitedly, bringing her pudgy hands to Orphues’s cheeks. She squeezed her hands on his face, smiling down at him. “Dada, its booberry time!” She kicked her feet in time with her little hands patting on his face. “Booberry time..booberry time..”
“Hmm, singing to get what she wants, wonder where she learned that.” Eurydice mused, reaching down to grab Ophelia and pull her onto her own lap. “Come on, baby, lets go finish your breakfast, while your father gets dressed, then I will go get you as many blueberries as your hands can hold.”
Eurydice winked at Orpheus as she stood, kissing Opheila’s temple. “And maybe Persephone will let you play with Winter tonight, huh? So that your mama and dada can finish what they started earlier.”
Not long after, Orpheus joined them in the kitchen meets living room, that really comprised the rest of their little home. Eurydice is sitting on the floor with Ophelia, clapping excitedly every time Ophelia took another spoonful of breakfast, the high giggles of his daughter reach his ears as she excitedly bounces around her mother, dancing in little circles around Eurydice.
Eurydice may notice him staring, but decides not to comment as she pulls Ophelia into her arms and stands in one fluid motion. “Looks like it’s time to go, O.” She comments, adjusting Ophelia’s tiny pigtails atop her head. “Do you want the baby or the bag, Orpheus?” She asks softly, gesturing to the cotton grocery bag hanging on the doorknob.
“She seems plenty happy right where she is.” Orpheus leans down to kiss Eurydice’s forehead before kissing Ophelia’s nose as well. He slings the bag over his shoulder, before extending a hand to his wife. “Ready?”
Eurydice wordlessly takes his hand, leaning her head against his arm. On her opposite hip was Ophelia, babbling happily as they began the short walk home.
Eurydice could remember her very first walk with Ophelia through this town, a little infant who slept at her chest, bundled under all of her clothes and blankets to keep her warm. She could still feel her, that tiny human, the soft shallow baby breaths against her skin, tiny baby fingers drumming along her chest. It was so different from now, yet so similar. Ophelia, at nearly two, is perfectly capable of walking, holding conversations with her parents, and requesting whatever she wanted. Yet she still found her comfort in her mother’s arms, still slept the best with her head over Eurydice’s heart, and preferred to be carried on one of her parent’s hips.
Orpheus didn’t need to say much, just bringing their hands to his lips, drawing her out of her thoughts. They reach the market quickly, their home not terribly far from town, just enough that they could raise their daughter in the peace of the country.
It was a busy day, considering the ideal summer weather warming the street of the market place. He lead her towards the first booth, where summer berries were advertised. They had a short shopping list, and their daughter’s favorite fruit was a luxury they were glad to splurge on.
“Well good morning Miss Eurydice, Orpheus. And to you too, pretty girl.” The old woman at the booth greeted, adjusting her light cotton wrap around her as she leaned back into her chair. The booth was well designed, with a shady over hand protecting her from the summer sun. “Lovely day to see you three out.” She remarks, her gaze bouncing between the three of them. “That girl of yours is getting so big. And she’s lookin’ more like her mama every day.” It’s a normal comment. Part of their weekly trips together.
“Oh she’s your twin, Eurydice. ‘Cept for her daddy’s eyes.”
“She’s getting so big, you’ve done such a good job with her.”
Orpheus smiles as their daughter waves shyly, fishing his shopping list from the bag. “Eurydice’s to thank for all of that, trust me. Do you remember when I used to bring Ophelia by before… before Eurydice came home? All she needed was her mother, and look at her now.” He’s always so proud, when he muses on and on about his daughter and wife, offering the woman at the stand some coins.
“She was asking for your blueberries this morning. They’re her favorite thing. She’d eat nothing but them all day, for every meal.” Eurydice explains, kissing Ophelia’s fists gently, the toddler not fighting to run today, instead she is happy to be close to her parents.
“Boo-berries?” Ophelia asks, tilting her head to look at Eurydice.
“Yes baby, we’re getting you berries.” Eurydice promises, offering a kind smile. “Orpheus can you finish up here, I’m going to get some eggs before they run out again.” She waves to the elderly woman running the fruit stand, Ophelia doing the same. “We’ll see you next week.”
“You take care of yourself, girl.”
Eurydice arrives at the stand a few down, thankful to see they are not out of stock again. “Mornin!” She greets, shifting Ophelia from her left to her right hip.
“Good morning, Eurydice. And to you, Ophelia.” The woman running this stand was not terribly older than Eurydice, though she had four boys running about behind her. “You two have the most well behaved baby in this town, I swear. And look at her. How old is she now, two? Thinkin’ about giving her a sister?”
Eurydice smiles at the compliment, before shaking her head. “Thank you..yeah she’ll be two this fall. Hard to believe..” It was hard to believe that two years prior she was in an apartment in Hadestown, begging any god who would listen to let her baby be able to go to Orpheus. Even more hard to believe was that she had been home for just over a year now. Life was funny that way, how it escaped you when you tried to cherish every moment. “Any more? Gods, no, she is more than I ever thought i’d have. And We’ve finally got her to sleep a whole night. And it’s nice, to not be her personal dairy, you know?” She waves off, letting Ophelia down to go chase the chicken that the merchant brought with her. “She’s a dream, we aren’t gonna get greedy… Ophelia be gentle.”
The merchant just smiled at her, shaking her head. “I understand. She’s a good girl, you did a good job. And look at her. She’s gotten so big. I remember Orpheus coming through here, this tiny peanut of a girl in his arms, trying his damndest to find something she could eat. Noone knew how to explain that an infant couldn’t eat fried eggs. He has loved her so fiercely ever since.. I could see it in his eyes those first days. LIke he’d jump in front of that train for this baby of yours.”
“We love your daddy very much, don’t we Ophelia?” Eurydice knelt to Ophelia’s height, gently helping the child pet the feathers of the bird.
“Should we get you a bird to play with, honey?” Comes Orpheus’s voice, as he kneels down beside his wife.
“We are NOT getting her a chicken, Orpheus. Chickens are for food, not pets.” She teased, glancing at his bag. “orpheus..How many berries did you buy?”
“Ophelia likes them, I want her to have enough!” He defends, standing and offering Eurydice a hand to pull her to her feet. “We may..just be having a lot this week.”
“You can’t say no.” Eurydice teases, kissing his cheek. Though she understands. If they can manage it, they will. There is no length they will not go for each other and their little family, if they can manage. She remains holding Ophelia’s hand, as she talks to the chicken as if it were her peer.
Orpheus completes the transactions as he watches his wife with their daughter, Ophelia’s dissenting whines hurting him as they pull her away from the birds. He scoops up their daughter, his other arm wrapping around Eurydice’s shoulders.
They make their way through, exchanging for what they need for the week. They by no means live lavishly, but they have what they could want. By mid day, the sun is beating onto their skin, as they start the short walk home.
Orpheus’ nose is burned, and Eurydice’s hair is curling tighter in the humid heat. They are not paying attention to that though, only to the soft singing of their daughter, as she swings her arms between them.
#orphydice#ophelia tag#hadestown au#hadestown#ophelia au#orpheus#eurydice#hadestown fic#hadestown fanfic#orpheus and eurydice#parenting orphydice
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up on the board
when orpheus needs a taste-tester for a new round of customized cocktails, eurydice is more than happy to help.
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saturday afternoons were for the two of them. eurydice didn’t work on weekends, and the dust bowl was only open in the evenings, so the afternoons were spent catching up on one another’s lives. most days, you could find eurydice and orpheus sitting in the empty bar, orpheus writing music, eurydice writing papers. you could find them on the rooftop, laying out in the sun together.
but for an hour before opening, you could find orpheus behind the bar, and eurydice in her spot, as she watched her bartender rewrite the chalkboard.
“who’s idea was it to do customised drinks every week?” eurydice asked, leaning her elbows on the bar. she was watching orpheus flip through the little notebook he kept in his apron, finding another recipe he had written down over the past week.
“my mom used to do it,” orpheus said with a little smile on his face as he found the page he was looking for. “everyone used to say that she was a really good bartender. people would tell her what mood they were in. what kind of thing they needed. and she would make a drink for them.” eurydice smiled at orpheus as she watched him remember his mom.
“when did she stop bartending?”
orpheus chuckled softly, reaching for an lemon to slice. “she never really stopped. when she started working for the school district, she didn’t have regular hours, but we were here almost every night. she’d get behind the bar whenever she could.”
“and now you’re carrying the torch?” she asked, spotting the framed photo of calliope, hermes, and a baby orpheus sat amongst the liquor bottles.
“something like that,” orpheus said, distraction in his voice as he pulled a shot, before dropping it into a low baller glass. she watched as he measured out ingredients, looking through the containers of bitters, garnishes, and specialty liquors that hermes seemed to collect.
“try this one,” he said, sliding a drink in front of her a few minutes later. she smiled at him and took a sip, tilting her head to the side as she tasted it.
orpheus loved spending this time with her. quiet time where they could just enjoy each other’s company. eurydice had a good taste for cocktails, and orpheus liked making things that made her smile, so their weekly menu creating session always had him smiling.
“it’s good,” she said. “strong. try orange instead of lemon.” his eyes lit up at her words and he quickly went into the back to grab an orange, slicing it up and remaking the drink. when he passed it to eurydice, he waited as she sipped. when she smiled, a sure sign of his accomplishment, he smiled back at her, a big toothy grin.
“this is going on the board,” she said, grabbing the chalk from the little bowl. “got a name for it?” orpheus thought for a moment, before snapping and pointing at the board.
“free as a honeybee.”
“up on the board!”
and so on they went, orpheus pulling together different flavour combinations as they went. some were hits, some misses. she added the winners onto the board, as well as a fan favourite -- the one he and hermes had made for persephone years ago made with bourbon, pomegranate liquor, and angostura bitters. he called it ‘our lady of the upside-down’.
but no matter what he was making, eurydice loved watching him measure out drinks, messing around with different ingredients. she was caught up watching him when he slid a drink in front of her.
“what about this one. lemon juice, elderflower gin, rosemary, and soda.” she took a sip, and made a face.
“nuh-uh. too much lemon.”
“would grapefruit be better?” eurydice grinned.
“worth a try?” he got back to work.
when he slid her the drink again, and he got that smile of approval, he stood up a little straighter. “ooh. it’s perfect.”
orpheus smiled and cleared that drink away, as she wrote the ingredients on the board. “call that one the scarborough fair,” orpheus said, looking for a different kind of glass.
“the what?” orpheus’ head poked up from below the bar.
“you don’t know that song?” eurydice shook her head, and orpheus took the opportunity to lean in towards her.
“love imposes impossible tasks, parsley sage, rosemary and thyme,” he sang to her, reaching across the bar to brush her hair behind her ear. she leaned in until their noses were brushing. “though not more than any heart asks, and i must know she’s a true love of mine.” eurydice rolled her eyes lovingly at his singing, before closing the small gap between them, pressing their lips together. he sighed into her kiss, and smiled against her lips. she reached up to cup his cheek, relaxing into his embrace.
when he pulled back, he smiled at her. “you taste like scarborough fair.” a blush rose on her cheeks as she thought about orpheus’ lips on hers yet again. so long without this boy, and now she could barely go minutes without his kisses.
“back to work, poet,” she said, writing the drink’s name on the board. “you got one more to do.”
“i’m… stuck,” he murmured, his back to eurydice as he scanned the shelf behind him. he could hear her shifting and only a moment later, he felt her arms around his neck, a feat only possible were she sitting on the bar again.
“hermes is going to kill you if he finds out you’re on the bar again,” he chuckled as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
“i won’t tell if you won’t, “ she whispered, looking at the shelves of bottles as well.
“your secret’s safe with me, ‘rydice.” he could feel her smile before pressing a kiss to his neck. “now help me out — i’ve got no more ideas.”
eurydice thought for a moment, hooking her chin over his shoulder. it was quiet in the dust bowl, just their breathing and the sound of cars passing by outside audible.
“what would your mom do?” she could feel orpheus take in a breath, and she hoped to the gods that she didn’t strike a nerve. but then she could tell, without even looking at him, that he was smiling.
“she’d ask her customers,” orpheus said quietly, shifting out of eurydice’s grasp to turn to face her. she sat up straight, her arms wrapping around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, while his hands found their spot on her waist.
“tell me,” he started. “what are you in the mood for? what do you need right now?”
eurydice thought for a moment, looking up. “besides you?” she asked, making him blush slightly. she leaned in a little bit, closing the gap between them. “something strong. something… warming. but not hot. something that reminds you of coming home after a long day, or waking up next to someone you love. something that tastes the way a good kiss feels.”
eurydice thought she was going to get a kiss, but orpheus suddenly perked up and let her go, running into the back room to grab something out of the fridge. eurydice just laughed. her poet, so focused on the task at hand.
she kept her spot on top of the bar, but leaned back on her hands, watching him make his concoction. she watched him bite his lip as he considered portions, and then watched as he smiled and handed her a glass with dark, swirling liquid. without asking for the ingredients, she took a sip. as soon as the drink touched her tongue, she knew this was it. spicy and familiar, but also bitter and smooth at the same time. just what she needed.
“it’s perfect.”
“cold brew, cinnamon vodka, and irish whiskey. your favourites.” she smiled at him, shaking her head.
“what are you gonna call it?”
“come home with me.” he smiled at his own joke, a play on what he first asked eurydice, and she just rolled her eyes, putting the drink down. she reached for him and he came back into her grasp, his hands squeezing her waist.
“what are you? some kind of poet?” she whispered pulling him in for a kiss.
saturdays were for cocktail taste tests. saturdays were for lazy kisses in the bar. but saturdays were for them, for taking the day at their own pace, finding joy and freedom in the time they got to spend together.
they wouldn’t give up their saturdays for anything.
#them!#orphydice#orpheus#eurydice#Dust Bowl#dust bowl fic#hadestown fanfic#hadestown au#dust bowl au
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They May Not Have My Smile, But They Have All My Heart
Okay, I spent so long on this story and it’s finally finished! @hollywoodx4 I hope I did your prompt of Orphydice adopting a kid okay. Thank you flower-anon for beta-reading and helping me edit and for coming up with the title. You are a lifesaver!
Also, the song lyrics are from “I Think of You” by Reeve Carney (I’m obsessed)
“When it's time to say goodbye
And a tear wells in my eye
I can hold my head up high
When I think of You
My flesh is weak, but Your Spirit wills
That my heart and mind ooh, will think of You”
Orpheus trailed off, strumming softly at his guitar that was placed down in his lap. With his eyes shut, he let his thoughts and daydreams drift him away, far away, to the corners of his mind where inspiration would fill his head and soon, the many crumbled pages of his worn notebook.
It was a dreary fall afternoon; the grey sky was beginning to peer out from behind puffy, dirty clouds. The air smelled of freshly poured rain, the browning grass wet from the morning dew. The once colorful leaves that hung bountiful from the trees now littered the muddy ground, stomped and tattered.
Eurydice had left for a midday walk earlier that afternoon. Orpheus could sense something was off with his wife; the poor woman had grown antsier and antsier in the last few weeks. Orpheus had chalked the shifting mood up to the changing weather. The warm and sweet summer had morphed into breezy, frigid fall. And with that change came all the worries and pressures the season provided.
Orpheus had been the one to suggest the walk. It was their first day off in weeks. And due to the weather, the two had been cramped in their tiny cabin. Cabin fever was harshly setting in. Eurydice sat silently perched in their ratty recliner, a near busted thing they found in a junk pile. Bundled under a sheet, she watched the clouds drift away from out the window.
“Love, why don’t you go for a walk?” Orpheus suggested, in a warm, enthused tone.
“Trying to kick me out of the house, Lover?” she shot back with no real bite.
“Oh no, not at all!” Orpheus scrambled, cheeks and ears red and hot like the sun. “I just thought maybe some fresh air would cheer you up a bit and-”
Eurydice let out a single snort and smiled at her stuttering husband- a tiny one where only the corners of her mouth curled the slightest bit up, purely genuine. Orpheus felt the air get caught in his throat. Married for two years and the sight of Eurydice’s smile never failed to send giddy sensations throughout his body, stalling his body into a trance. “Maybe you’re right. A walk could do me some good.”
With a wide toothy grin, Orpheus grabbed her hand. With a slight tug, he pulled his wife from her spot on the chair, the sheet falling slowly to the ground. Eurydice wrapped her arms around Orpheus’ neck, perched herself on the top of her toes, and brought Orpheus down to place a slow, chaste kiss on his lips. It was moments like this that the two loves the most, huddled close together in a warm embrace, completely enamored with one another. They knew each other's strengths and weak spots, and in response, how to soothe and to inspire. Their love knew no bounds, and it showed in times like this.
Eurydice left shortly afterward. In the few hours since Eurydice’s departure, Orpheus spent his free time with not only his lyre but now his guitar he received as a present from the town when he and Eurydice returned. Since coming back from Hadestown, he tried to devote more time to work and Eurydice, never wanting her to feel neglected or lonely again. But in return, it meant fewer hours with his music. Sure, he still performed at Hermes bar quite frequently, but whenever free time was available, he could be found sprawled out on the floor, at the bar counter, music sheets spread to the wind, strumming away.
The sun was beginning to set over the trees; Eurydice would usually be home by now. Just then, Orpheus heard the sound of their creaky door being swung open. A familiar pattern of footsteps: Eurydice’s.
“Oh ‘Rydice, welcome back,” Orpheus called out gleefully, gently placing down his lyre and lifting himself from his spot on the old worn rug. “I think I’ve finally worked out the final verse for that new song and was just about to start dinner. How was your wa-” as Orpheus turned towards the direction of the front door, he couldn’t help but stop mid-sentence. Tucked behind his wife’s small stature was the even smaller frame of a very young boy, no older than six, in a dark, oversized sweatshirt.
The first thing Orpheus noticed was his eyes, a striking teal-ish green that perfectly contrasted with his brown skin. They looked so tired, hard yet sad, hungry; they reminded Orpheus of Eurydice’s when he first met her. Eyes of someone who’s had to deal with more than one person ever should. Leaves and debris protruded from the mop of greasy, ultra-dark hair that curled at the ends to reach the tip of his eyes. The boy’s hoodie was an old thing. Dirt-stained and navy blue. Tattered with rips and holes and the thing completely drowned out his figure. A few cuts and swelling purple-blue bruises covered his arms, cheeks, and neck, instantly making Orpheus’ skin crawl and blood run cold. ‘Did someone hurt this poor boy? He’s so small…’ Orpheus locked eyes with the child who quickly averted his gaze in fear. He violently trembled where he stood, still hiding close behind Eurydice’s legs, little pudgy fingers grasping tight to the woman's ripped black tights. Using all the willpower he could muster, Orpheus held himself back from rushing over and scooping the wee boy up into his arms, wanting nothing more than to sing his pain away. Instead, he chose to address his much calmer wife whose hand was softly brushing through the boy's tangled hair.
“I was just about to start dinner,” Orpheus continued as composed as he could be, not wanting to distress the boy any further. “I was just thinking about making some soup from those beans and other vegetables Lady Persephone gave us.”
Eurydice blew out a relieved sigh, something she nor Orpheus even realized she was holding. The tension in her muscles relaxed, shoulders dropping back down to size, no more bravado needed, “that sounds wonderful, I’m starving. I brought back a few more ingredients from the market that we can use.”
‘That’s not the only thing you brought back…’ Orpheus thought humorously, still stunned by the unknown child in his home.
“Orpheus, hun, would you begin prepping the vegetables? I need to run a quick bath, and then I’ll be out to join you.” Orpheus nodded his head at his wife’s request. Eurydice directed her attention back to the boy, crouching down to his level. She circled her hand back and forth over his head and the side of his face. She looked so...maternal. It was so different from the usually hardened exterior she put on display for others, but not unwelcome. She was quite entrancing when she acted like this.
“Miko, this is my husband Orpheus, remember I told you about him back at the market?”
Miko meekly nodded his head and with a bit more courage, peeked further out from his spot to stare up at Orpheus, hesitance evident. ‘Miko, huh?’ Orpheus took note of the teeny birthmarks near the corners of his eyes. “Hello, Miko. I’m Orpheus,” he smiled, “but I think my wife told you that already.”
The boy didn’t say anything, just continuing to stare. Orpheus frowned, he couldn’t help but wonder if the child didn’t like him. He knew that it was irrational, he just met the child for Gods sake, who was most likely just nervous about being in a new place, but still, Orpheus couldn’t help but be fraught with worry.
“Alright then,” Eurydice chimed in, snapping the two boys out of their reverie, “I’ll go draw a bath for Miko while you, Orpheus, start prepping the vegetables for me. Come, Miko, I’ll get the tub ready for you.” She grabbed the child’s hand and guided him in the direction of the couple's compact bathroom.
Orpheus rushed to the kitchen to start with dinner. He chopped, peeled, and quartered various ingredients- peppers, potatoes, carrots, squash, an onion, some fresh herbs. Most had been a gift from Persephone. He tried to ignore out the sounds of running water and faint chatter of Eurydice. He hoped that by busying himself with his assigned tasks, he could keep his mind from wandering to who and what was happening in his washroom. Soon minutes passed, and Orpheus was so engrossed in his actions, he failed to notice his wife walk out of the bathroom, holding a filthy sweatshirt and pants. She dropped them to the floor and stepped into their kitchen, right next to her husband, who was humming a song she didn’t recognize.
“Looks yummy,” she whispered as she placed her hand on his forearm, causing Orpheus to jump.
“You scared me,” he breathed, turning away from the counter and pulling Eurydice in close.
“‘Rydice-” Orpheus started but was quickly cut off by his wife.
“Oh, before you get too far with cooking, I bought some special ingredients for tonight.” She pulled away from Orpheus and quickly marched back towards the front door to retrieve her satchel. She yanked out a small parcel wrapped in thin, brown paper and tied tightly with white string. She pushed it into Orpheus’ hands. “Open it,” she lightly commanded.
Orpheus undid the string and pulled back the layers of paper: a chain of sausages. Orpheus felt his eyes go wide; actual ground sausages, six of them to be exact. Eurydice smiled, “I also went ahead and bought a loaf of bread. Nothing big or fancy, but it’s freshly baked from this morning instead of days old.” Orpheus was stunned, the two rarely ever purchased meat or fancy bread during their routine trips to the market in the center of town. It was much cheaper to buy freshly grown produce and canned goods or bargain for near stale bread than to buy things like meat and baked goods. And with Eurydice’s anxieties over their expenses, the two figured they would be okay without. They only splurged on such delicacies on the most special of occasions. Tonight must have been bigger than he thought.
“‘Rydice, I’m...what-”
“Do you think you can handle cooking the rest of dinner? I need to get washing Miko’s clothes.” She picked up the pile of laundry from off of the floor, “they’re absolutely disgusting. They probably need to be resown as well…”
“Eurydice.”
Eurydice stopped her rambling and faced her husband. She sees the look in Orpheus’ eyes, he was confused and concerned, and that it was driving him mad. But absent was any sign of resentment or anger. “Eurydice, please, what’s going on with Miko? Who exactly is he?”
Eurydice was silent for a few moments, peering down at the clothes in her hands. “I was finishing up my trip to the market, and on my way back I heard screaming. I ran over to an alleyway, and I saw this older man beating on this little boy. According to the man, the boy stole some food from his stall and started to run away. Which meant, in the man’s words, that he was in the right to beat and berate this poor small child,” Eurydice huffed, her eyes hard and glassy. “I paid for the food he stole, and I asked him where his family was...he said, he said…” Hot, angry tears started to fall from her eyes as she gripped the crumpled clothes still in her hands. “He had no one. Nowhere else to go and he, he reminded me of myself...I just couldn’t-”
Orpheus didn’t need to hear anymore. He pulled Eurydice in his arms as she softly sobbed, memories of her past flooded her mind. “Shh, shh, it’s alright, Eurydice, my love. You’re home. Everything is gonna be okay.” He copied what she did with Miko, running his fingers through her hair as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear, kissing along her forehead and temples.
After a few minutes, Eurydice’s sobs subsided. She roughly wiped at her eyes, “I’m sorry.”
“Never apologize for crying ‘Rydice,” Orpheus cooed, using the pad of his thumb to brush away a stray tear. “We all have to sometimes. It doesn’t make you any less strong.”
She sniffed, giving a quick rub at her nose, “please don’t be mad. I know money and food are tight sometimes, but I couldn’t leave him there! I just couldn’t.” She sounded so desperate.
“Hey, why would I ever be mad?” Orpheus asked. Sure he was beyond surprised when his wife, miss lone survivor, brought back a young child home with her from her walk, but he could never be mad at her.
Eurydice gazed at Orpheus, hesitance wavering in her voice, “so Miko, can stay…?”
“Of course, he can!”
A wide grin broke out over Eurydice’s face as she laughed in Orpheus’ neck. Orpheus smiled again at Eurydice’s excitement; he never thought she was the type who wanted to be a mother. He had always wanted to be a dad. To raise a child and teach them many things like how to play the lyre, to sing them lullabies to sleep, watch them grow, be a better father than his own. The happiness in the air turned sour. What if he was a worse parent than his own? Orpheus’ concerns began to manifest on his face, his soft and almost boyish features furrowing at the thought.
“Orpheus? What’s wrong?”
“What if I’m a terrible father? Miko didn’t exactly enjoy my presence earlier when we met.”
Eurydice chuckled, “oh poor, great Orpheus, fretting over how a child sees him.”
“I’m being serious Eurydice,” Orpheus replied somberly.
“And I am too,” she said, bringing her hands up to cup his face. “Orpheus, I need you to listen to me: you are the kindest, sweetest soul I’ve ever had the chance to meet. Your heart is so full of love, and I know you will be a great dad. You’re nothing like your parents; you’re loyal and brave and so, so caring. And yes, you’re not perfect, but no one is, and I wouldn’t want you any other way. I love you, and I’m sure Miko will learn to love you too.”
Orpheus pressed a passionate kiss to her lips, and Eurydice quickly reciprocated it. “I love you,” he said once he pulled back.
“I love you too. Now, let’s make dinner. I wasn’t joking when I said I was starving.”
The two got to work: Orpheus cooking, Eurydice washing, and hanging Miko’s clothes. Just as they were wrapping up, they heard the bathroom door quietly open.
“Euri?” a quiet voice called out. The two turn around and see Miko all clean and wearing an old white button-up of Eurydice’s. It was too big for him, the fabric reaching past his knees, but it would work for the night.
“Euri?” Orpheus asked with a raised eyebrow.
Eurydice rolled her eyes, “oh, Miko! You’re just in time,” she smiled, pouring hot broth into three different bowls. “Dinner’s just about ready.” Miko gingerly padded over to the kitchen. He stands close Eurydice, rising on his toes, poking his head up to look over the counter. “You wanna hold your bowl, or do you want me to carry it?”
“I can do it, Euri,” Miko said, his demure voice now a bit more determined.
Eurydice handed him the smallest bowl they had, “careful, the bowl’s very hot.”
Miko nodded once more before taking the bowl. With small, cautious steps and a stern face, Miko made his way out the kitchen, past the couples measly make-shift dinner table, then abruptly stopped and sat on an empty spot on the floor.
“Uh, um Miko?” Orpheus said puzzled, “why are you sitting on the floor?”
“I ‘posed to sit here,” he said as if by muscle memory.
“Who said that?” Eurydice pressed.
Miko didn’t speak at first, stirring his spoon in his bowl. The couples waited with bated breath, not wanting the boy to continue if he was uncomfortable. “...the mean man and his wife.”
“Mean man and his wife?” Eurydice repeated.
Miko lowered his head. “Dirty boys don’t get to eat at the table.”
Orpheus swore he could feel hot, burning steam radiating off Eurydice. She was angry, no, furious, pissed off even. She took a deep, shaky breath. Eyes glued to the boy alone on the floor, “Miko, for as long as you stay with us, which will hopefully be a for a long while, we will never, and I mean NEVER, make you eat on the floor.”
Miko raised his head, “you want me to stay?”
Eurydice bopped her up and down, “we’d love for you stay with us.”
“A-and no floor?”
“No floor.”
“...never ever?”
Eurydice smiled, “never ever never.”
Miko grinned, letting out an airy giggle at Eurydice’s words. Both adults felt their chest grow warm, filled to the brim with pure, tender joy. As he grinned, Orpheus noticed a few of Miko’s baby teeth were missing. Eurydice spoke again, “so Miko, do you want to eat up here with us?”
Miko’s smile dropped once again. Maybe it was too soon to expect him to be ready for such a major change. Suddenly, Orpheus thought of a brilliant idea, “Miko, how about instead of you sitting up here, we come and eat with you on the floor? We can sit on the rug near the fireplace. It can be like a picnic!”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Eurydice agreed, blown away at how sweet and quickly her husband had come up with the suggestion. “What do ya say, Miko? Can we join you?”
Miko’s eyes widened, tiny tears popping up in his eyes. In a quiet voice, no louder than a whisper, he said, “yes, please.”
…
After their lively meal on the living room floor: jammed packed with giggles, soup slurping contests, and funny stories, the three now lay spread out, bellies full from bowls of hearty soup. The soft sounds of the crackling fire echoed the home. Miko was cuddled up in Eurydice’s side, his arms wrapped around her middle and one of hers going down his back. Orpheus had just finished washing the dishes and returned to join his wife and the young boy. He reached out to grab his guitar, giving the old instrument a few good strums. Miko’s attention promptly fell on Orpheus, curiosity evident on his face.
“Want to hear Orpheus play?” Eurydice asked Miko, fingers back to playing with his hair. “He’s the best musician in the world.”
Without even looking in a mirror, Orpheus could tell his cheeks were aflame. Beaming from his wife’s praise, he stopped his strumming, “any request you two?”
“How about the new one you’ve been working one?” Eurydice suggested. “You mentioned when we came home that you figured out that part you were stuck on.”
“It’s not finished yet.”
“Don’t matter. I still want to hear it. And I’m sure Miko wouldn’t mind. Right, Miko?” Miko, whose eyes were still locked on the guitar in Orpheus’ lap, gave a quick nod.
Orpheus grinned, “okay, if you insist.”
Then he began. Fingers skillfully plucking strings, a beautiful melody floated through the air. After a short instrumental, he opened his mouth and started to sing:
“When I'm lost, you bring me back
When I cry, you make me glad
When I think I have it bad
I think of You
“When I don't know where to go
And I feel like I'm alone
When I hang my head down low
I think of You
“Each night You wait outside my door
Cause You want to know ohh, I think of You…”
Miko was completely enthralled- eyes open and locked, his body leaning forward as if to be closer to the sound. Eurydice had to check that he was still breathing. She had suspected the young boy would enjoy her husband's music, but to see him, this enthused filled her heart with pride. She wiggled her fingers on Miko’s stomach, causing the boy to giggle loudly. Orpheus smiled at the exchange and continued his song until the end, or well until he got to where he last let off. “So, how was that?”
“As lovely as ever lover boy,” Eurydice swooned. “What did you think, Miko?” Miko nodded his head so fast Eurydice was scared it would come flying right off.
“Thanks,” Orpheus said. He watched Miko stare down the guitar, balancing on his legs. “You wanna touch it?”
“Can I?”
Orpheus pushed the guitar away and patted his lap, “come sit here.” Miko crawled over to Orpheus, who scooped him up and placed the boy in his lap. He put the guitar over their laps, then guided Miko’s fingers over the strings and fretboard. “Okay, put your fingers here, and one right there, and...strum!”
Miko did as instructed, and a slightly off note rang out. Miko was all smiles regardless, “You hear Euri?”
“I did, Miko, good job hun,” Eurydice cheered.
“Orphe, did I do a good job?” Orphe? ‘Well, I guess that’s my new name.’
“That was very good. You wanna try the next one?”
“Yes!”
So they continued, learning one chord to the next. Soon the lesson was forgotten altogether as Orpheus began to play some simple song that he was most definitely making up as he went:
“Miko, oh Miko,
A young boy dressed in blue
Look out here comes a pack of…uhh...”
“Puppies!” Miko giggled loudly. Orpheus glanced at his wife, eyebrows high. Was this cheery boy in their room even the same child from earlier in the evening?
“Puppies! Oh, Gods please let that be true!”
Eurydice watched the two in awe: Miko all smiles and laughs and Orpheus singing aloud, playing music without a care. She could get used to this; early mornings laughs as the sun blared through the windows, midday walks through the forest, cold fingers entwined as the wind blew, late evening songs bundled up near the fire. She and her now, two boys, yeah, she could get used to this.
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Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else but Me
Y’all on this site there is a beautiful, incredible, intelligent, talented, practically perfect in every way woman who runs the phenomenal blog @waitformereprise . She really does it all. Gifs? She makes them. Art? She draws that. Fics? She writes them. And she’s also like a professional lady???? Who is killing it????? I am in shock, I am in awe, I am inspired daily. She has been working real hard and I wanted to make her a lil treat of some Orphydice Fluff so here is this! I hope you enjoy it Anna!!
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For the most part, Eurydice adored her employment at Hermes Bar. During quiet lulls, Hermes would indulge her with a wild story from his younger days. When Persephone was in town, she would herself at home on her favorite bar stool and the duo would chat about anything and everything for hours at a time between Eurydice mixing drinks. Best of all, she could watch her poet hard at work. Nothing enamored the young girl more than watching his fingers tighten around a pencil as he crafted lyrics or the intricate dance they did each night as he played the lyre. Technically, he was playing for the patrons of the bar, but it always felt as though his songs were just for her.
However, there was one element of the job she hated: inventory day. Of course, taking inventory was fundamental to the success of the bar, but there was nothing worse to Eurydice than being stuck counting inventory in the cellar. During the summer months, one might suffocate from the heat and humidity that trapped itself in the windowless space, while in the winter she would bundle up in her outer coat and a pair of gloves to avoid freezing. Not to mention, every time whoever was manning the bar used the sink it was guaranteed the pipes would drip.
Orpheus could easily sense that today was inventory day as he watched his wife drag out her normally concise morning routine. Eurydice was a clever one when it came to avoiding tasks she didn’t want to do, to the point of it being comedic. Often the couple left their breakfast dishes in the sink, but on inventory days she insisted it was incredibly important all the dishes be cleaned before they headed to work. Same went for laundry, each shirt and pair of trousers had to be pressed and folded, despite the fact that the next morning all the hard work would be undone in a rush to get ready.
Eurydice’s newfound dedication to chores, of course, paled in comparison to her attempts to seduce Orpheus to skip work and spend the day in bed with her. There was nothing she wouldn’t try. Hot, heavy kisses along his neck and collarbone paired with her delicate fingers running along his chest first thing in the morning, earning her an additional five minutes. Next, she would try walking around in her undergarments, bringing him their morning tea to drink in bed rather than at the kitchen table as a traditional morning would have. Finally, when all else failed and the couple was nearly out the door she would grab her lover by his suspenders and pull him down to her, whispering pleases between kisses. As much as the poet longed to indulge her, his fingers always found their way around the doorknob, the first step to getting the couple to work.
As much as she despised these days, there was one perk to inventory, Eurydice could drag Orpheus into the cellar with him for company and assistance. The two of them created little games to make the work more entertaining, from estimating how many bottles of wine they went through in the previous month to competing who could make a taller tower of toilet paper the fastest. Whoever lost the previous month would be on counting duty this month. Hermes would often pop his head down and find the couple in a fit of giggles. The elder god would simply roll his eyes and return to the bar. Orpheus would also hum songs as he counted, and every once and a while he would pull her into the center of the cellar, wrap his arms around her waist and dance to his tune under the dim lighting.
Today, Eurydice crouched above the floor, rocking gently on her heels as she took stock of the remaining cocktail napkins. “200...250….300,” she mumbled to herself, attempting to avoid losing count.
“‘Rydice,” her lover’s voice called out from several shelves away. “You want a snack?”
“300!” She blurted out as a response, her mind hanging on to the number so she wouldn’t have to recount. “Uh- yeah, why not, what did you find?” Eurydice asked as she stuck a paper marker between the last set of recorded napkins.
“Well, I don’t have 300 snacks, just one,” Orpheus laughed softly, striding over with an apple in hand.
“Here, I hope it’s enough,” he smiled as he tossed the apple down to her. With grace, Eurydice caught it between her two hands and raised it to her mouth for a bite. The fruit was perfect, a crisp crunch followed by a subtle sweetness. Audibly, Eurydice’s stomach growled.
“How long have we been down here?” She questioned, standing up and dusting off her lap before making her way over to Orpheus.
“Couple of hours is my guess. Mister Hermes only came down once, but I’m almost done in the back. How much is left up here?” He asked as he bent down to take a bite of the apple.
“Not much just - ah, ah, ah! This is my snack, did I say you could have some?” Eurydice teased, feigning defensiveness as she pulled her arm back so the apple was out of his reach.
“May I have a bite of your apple?” He asked politely, his voice no louder than a whisper. With his wide, puppy dog hazel eyes and soft-spoken tone how could she say no to him?
“Since you asked so nicely,” the young girl said with a smirk, handing the fruit over to her husband. “Did you know in Ancient Greece, if someone tossed an apple at you it was a confession of love?” She mused at him as he crunched.
“Wait, Orpheus did you just confess your love for me? Aww, do you have a crush on me?” Eurydice teased, her nimble fingers taking the apple back from the blushing boy.
“I-I’m your husband! Of course, I love you!!” Orpheus stammered, trying to figure out how and why she always managed to make him feel so bashful. Eurydice sank her teeth into the flesh of the fruit, eyes glinting wickedly.
“Still, having a crush? That’s embarrassing,” she smirked as she shook her head slightly, expressing a falsified disgust.
“You’re my wife, ‘Rydice. We, we’re married!” He exclaimed, his visible confusion of trying to understand her logic spurring her on further.
“I just, it’s very sweet but I don’t know,” Eurydice said as she looked her poet over from head to toe. “You are very tall and gods, those hazel eyes are pretty,” she admired him, her hand coming up to cup his flushed cheek. Her eyes lingered there for a moment, lost in the beauty of him.
“I write pretty songs too,” Orpheus responded, tilting his head into the curve of her palm. “About a very pretty girl.”
It was Eurydice’s turn to blush. Normally she was able to brush off Orpheus’ compliments as just Orpheus being his lovestruck, romantic self, but when she allowed his words to sink in, butterflies made a home in her stomach and fluttered their wings.
“Sing for me?” The girl asked softly, pressing her body into his as she wrapped her arms around Orpheus’ neck.
As his hands found their way to rest on her waist, Orpheus smiled lovingly down at his wife before beginning to sing. “La, la, la, la, la-“
His last note was cut off as Eurydice stood on her tiptoes so she could press her lips against his. “I guess I have a little bit of a crush on you too,” she admitted, grinning up at her husband before pulling him down into another kiss. The remaining inventory could wait, the count couldn’t change that much in 20 minutes.
#waitformereprise#oli.writes#this is pure fluff!!!!#also i wanted to have Eurydice fucking DECK orpheus with a pitch of an apple but this is fluff so like none of that#hadestown#orpheus#eurydice#orphydice#also do I imply they have a quickie in the cellar? maybe.
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ice and honey - secret songbird 2019
happy holidays !! for my secret songbird i got the wonderful, amazing @dwarnian !! i love hanging out with you on the hadestown discord. you are always infinitely sweet and you always comment on my writing which makes my heart soar. to quote oli, “nothing but respect for my grandpa piss.” love you lots you wonderful human and enjoy a lil modern fluff thing of the kiddos (feat. an oc i hope you don’t mind adhjfhdbfjka)
-Kiz
—⛸—
gods he was so warm. how in hell was that even possible? it was practically thirty degrees out there. yet, here was her poet, warm as the sunlight of spring.
she pressed her face to his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his. the life of the city park was evident in all that was around them. a bike sped by them, undoubtedly almost running over a poor squirrel; a child laughed in the arms of her mother; and her orpheus was smiling at his visible breath in the cold. eurydice reveled in the presence of her lover and the modern magic of the place she called home. how did she ever manage to get so lucky?
“oh my gods, look, love!” orpheus said in a childlike tone, and pointed towards something.
she turned her head to spot a few lamp posts, decked with garlands and red bows for the holidays, all surrounding an ice rink with a few dozen people skating on it. some were unsteady on their feet, slipping and falling to the ground, but most were gliding carefully, chatting while they skated.
“i didn’t know they were setting up earlier this year.” the young man grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the rink. “c’mon we have to go.”
the girl was left baffled for a moment. orpheus had almost tripped over his own feet trying to say hello to her, could he really skate without collapsing? and if he could, she couldn’t. after years of moving from place to place, when would she have found the time— or money— to learn to skate? gods, trying that would be so embarrassing. eurydice watched a small child of about three with a helmet stumble and fall to the ice. great, she had the skating capacity of a three year old. that was a wonderful boost to her confidence.
she stumbled out an excuse, “honey, there’s no way we can afford that right now. skates are like ten dollars, and it’s eight bucks for every hour.”
please, please, please get me out of this.
orpheus turned around and smiled. how could she ever say no to him when he was like that? “i have a solution for that love.”
his grin widened, and he squeezed her hand tighter. then, he ran towards the counter dragging his girlfriend along with him. a small giggle escaped eurydice’s lips. she couldn’t possibly believe what she was about to do for him.
when the reached the counter, a girl roughly eurydice’s age with dyed white hair and a bored expression on her face went on with a speech she had probably been saying all morning, “welcome to boreas’s ice rink, the best place for skating in all the city. do you need skates?”
“well it’s nice to see you too, khione,” the singer said.
seemingly snapped out of her uninterested daze at the sound of her name, the white-haired girl, khione, eurydice assumed, stared at orpheus for a second and let out a small laugh. “look who’s back for his yearly trip?” she laid her gaze on eurydice. “and you’ve brought yourself a girl. about damn time, music man.”
his face reddened, and he scratched the back of his neck. a bubbling of envy found its way into eurydice’s gut. she knew that she didn’t have to feel threatened by what was probably an old friend of orpheus, but that didn’t stop eurydice from reacting her tiptoes and planting a quick kiss on his cheek.
“man, a mighty good one too. mind introducing me, lover boy?”
he let out a nervous laugh and gestured towards his lover. “khione, this is eurydice, my girlfriend. eurydice, this is khione, a childhood friend of mine.”
they reached out to shake each other’s hands and exchanged small greetings.
“hermes used to take him here once a week when we opened for the winter. where is the old geezer anyway?”
“he insisted on keeping the bar open today while we went out.”
“pfft, sounds like him.”
“HEY CAN YOU TWO HURRY UP WE’RE WAITIN’ OVER HERE!”
khione simply rolled her eyes and yelled out at someone else to take over for a bit. she then gestured for the two to come around the little booth and follow her. “dad is teaching a class right now until noon, but i’m sure he will be thrilled to see you when he’s finished.” she handed asked them both for their sizes and handed them the according skates. “you two are on the house. family-friend discount for this idiot.”
“thank you so much, khione. it was awesome to see you again. we should really catch up some other time!” orpheus said, his gleaming white smile an apparent contrast against his frozen red face.
more jealousy at their friendliness infected eurydice. that was her poet, damnit. but she quickly distracted herself by examining the skates in her hand. they were a bright white with a shining silver blade on the bottom. the grayish laces crept up it until they came together in a neat, tidy knot. c’mon she could do this. it’s just walking on ice. it couldn’t be too hard...right?
“speaking of lunch, eurydice,” the sound of her name threw her out of her daze. khione continued to address her, “you are so pretty. i don’t even know how this bumbling idiot-” orpheus’s eyes met the floor “-managed to score someone like you. anyway, this is all to say...do you possibly have a friend of yours you could set me up with...like...a girl friend?”
oh. well, that made things a lot easier.
“oh, uh, yeah! probably. i can give you her number after we finish up. you are absolutely gorgeous also. if it weren’t for my favorite bumbling idiot-” orpheus eyes grew even wider as he continued his staring contest with the floor. “-i would probably end up sweeping you off your feet.”
orpheus piped up, “she-she could definitely do that. she’s done that to me before.”
eurydice let out a small laugh and continued talking, “we will definitely take you up on that lunch thing.”
the white-haired girl smiled at both of them, said a quick goodbye and went back to the ticket booth.
orpheus gripped her hand and started running towards the little seating area where people were putting on their skates. despite the existential dread, seeing her lover so excited for something he used to do in his youth put a smile on eurydice’s face.
“come on ‘rydice. we gotta get on the ice before it’s too crowded.”
they shoved on their skates and wobbled their way to the entrance of the rink. the young girl made sure to never let go of her lover’s hand the entire way there. she wasn’t even on the ice, and she already hated this.
without a trace of thought, orpheus jumped on the ice, letting go of eurydice’s hand in the process, and seemed to glide around like he was flying. for a man who could barely walk without tripping, he was really good at skating. orpheus spun around to look at eurydice, who had the first half of her foot on the ice and her hand gripping the railing so hard, it was turning white. she couldn’t possibly believe she did this with minimal objection.
“isn’t it just a perfect day to skate? the sun- oh, uh, i-i probably should’ve asked if you knew how to skate first, huh?” the young man said with a hand scratching the back of his neck.
“you think?” she retorted, sarcasm blazing. she attempted to put her whole foot on the ice before quickly retracting it again.
nope nope nope nope nope nope nope
“here-” he outstretched his hands “-you can hold onto me until you get the hang of it.”
the young girl ignored his hands and went straight to his upper arms and held on like her life depended on it. which, in fairness, it felt like it did.
after a generous amount of coaxing from orpheus, eurydice managed to put both of her feet on the ice. she stood there, unmoving. orpheus started to skate backwards and, in turn, dragged eurydice along with him. this seemed simple, if he could do it, so could she. it was just walking on ice. she lifted her right foot and started to place it down again. however, the front of the blade got wedged into the ice, and she stumbled, her grip of orpheus getting tighter as she attempted to steady herself again.
orpheus simply smiled apologetically and continued to skate backwards as she kept her feet firmly planted on the floor.
show-off.
they continued like that for another ten minutes or so, eurydice occasionally trying to lift her foot and stumbling again, until the young man’s face seemed to light up. the girl knew that look. she had seen it multiple times whenever he was scribbling songs into his notebook: he had some sort of ingenious idea.
“so, poet, you going to tell me why you got that look on your face or am i gonna have to give you a penny for your thoughts?”
“you know how we dance in the living room sometimes when i sing?” he asked, continuing to round the corner backwards.
“of course.”
“it’s just like that. i’m gonna sing and you just move your feet to the beat.”
she let out a soundless laugh. leave it to her lover to figure out a problem with music and a loving smile. “okay.”
a melody the young girl knew very well escaped orpheus’s lips. his voice was like honey: sweet, smooth, and leaving you wanting more. it ebbed and flowed and overcame her. despite the bitter temperature, eurydice felt a warmth move through her body. the feeling alone was intoxicating, but being there, with orpheus, she felt spring in the ice. la la la la la la la.
picked up her feet and placed them down again to the rhythm of his song in dance-like movements. one foot in front of the other gliding across the floor. what magic her lover could create. it all seemed easy with orpheus. so natural. like all she had been doing throughout her life was this. la la la la la la la.
they continued like this for a while, her grip becoming lax and their movements like children dancing under the glittering of the sun. he continued to sing. slowly, orpheus turned around to face forward, and eurydice’s hand moved from his forearm to a careful grasp of his hand. la la la la la la la.
“see, that wasn’t too hard was it.”
the sudden switch from singing to speaking caught her off-guard, and she quickly felt herself stumbling and reaching for orpheus. this time, however, he was not in front of her, but beside her. the young man, seemingly refusing to let go of their intertwined hands, faltered as well. and together, they fell towards the floor, orpheus the first to make contact with the ice. eurydice followed soon after, although, she had her lover to break some of the fall. carefully pushing herself onto her hands, she examined his tomato of a face. she had him pinned.
“i don’t know, might need a bit more practice,” she said, the breath from her voice visible in the cold.
eurydice reached down and met his mouth with a fiery kiss. his singing wasn’t the only thing about orpheus’s lips that was sickeningly sweet.
#emu is the best and you should all follow him#love u emu !!!#i had so much fun doing this#!!!!!!#secret songbird 2019#secret songbird#hadestown fanfic#hadestown#hadestown au#hadestown musical#hadestown broadway#hadestown bway#eva noblezada#reeve carney#eurydice#orpheus#orphydice#kid writes
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@songbird-not-found: ’ Sorry, boys. I don’t sing. ’
THE CROWD CHEERS , IN CLEAR DISAGREEMENT . orpheus strums a little , encouragingly , the smile he gives her is warm and kind . he doesn’t mean to put any pressure on her shoulders , but she’s been hauled on stage and he wouldn’t mind hearing her sing a pretty tune . “ -- you can do it , ‘rydice . “ the microphone is thrust infront of her, the crowd gives a rousing applause , as they wait , “ sing for us , won’t you ? “
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They May Not Have My Smile, But They Have All My Heart
Previously posted on my main blog. I’m now just moving everything over here, but they will still be available on my main blog as well.
This is the first story of the AU. Only a few small edits have been made.
...
“When it's time to say goodbye
And a tear wells in my eye
I can hold my head up high
When I think of You
My flesh is weak, but Your Spirit wills
That my heart and mind ooh, will think of You”
Orpheus trailed off, strumming softly at his guitar that was placed down in his lap. With his eyes shut, he let his thoughts and daydreams drift him away, far away, to the corners of his mind where inspiration would fill his head and soon, the many crumbled pages of his worn notebook.
It was a dreary fall afternoon; the grey sky was beginning to peer out from behind puffy, dirty clouds. The air smelled of freshly poured rain, the browning grass wet from the morning dew. The once colorful leaves that hung bountiful from the trees now littered the muddy ground, stomped and tattered.
Eurydice had left for a midday walk earlier that afternoon. Orpheus could sense something was off with his wife; the poor woman had grown antsier and antsier in the last few weeks. Orpheus had chalked the shifting mood up to the changing weather. The warm and sweet summer had morphed into breezy, frigid fall. And with that change came all the worries and pressures the season provided.
Orpheus had been the one to suggest the walk. It was their first day off in weeks. And due to the weather, the two had been cramped in their tiny cabin. Cabin fever was harshly setting in. Eurydice sat silently perched in their ratty recliner, a near busted thing they found in a junk pile. Bundled under a sheet, she watched the clouds drift away from out the window.
“Love, why don’t you go for a walk?” Orpheus suggested, in a warm, enthused tone.
“Trying to kick me out of the house, Lover?” she shot back with no real bite.
“Oh no, not at all!” Orpheus scrambled, cheeks and ears red and hot like the sun. “I just thought maybe some fresh air would cheer you up a bit and-”
Eurydice let out a single snort and smiled at her stuttering husband- a tiny one where only the corners of her mouth curled the slightest bit up, purely genuine. Orpheus felt the air get caught in his throat. Married for two years and the sight of Eurydice’s smile never failed to send giddy sensations throughout his body, stalling his body into a trance. “Maybe you’re right. A walk could do me some good.”
With a wide toothy grin, Orpheus grabbed her hand. With a slight tug, he pulled his wife from her spot on the chair, the sheet falling slowly to the ground. Eurydice wrapped her arms around Orpheus’ neck, perched herself on the top of her toes, and brought Orpheus down to place a slow, chaste kiss on his lips. It was moments like this that the two loves the most, huddled close together in a warm embrace, completely enamored with one another. They knew each other's strengths and weak spots, and in response, how to soothe and to inspire. Their love knew no bounds, and it showed in times like this.
Eurydice left shortly afterward. In the few hours since Eurydice’s departure, Orpheus spent his free time with not only his lyre but now his guitar he received as a present from the town when he and Eurydice returned. Since coming back from Hadestown, he tried to devote more time to work and Eurydice, never wanting her to feel neglected or lonely again. But in return, it meant fewer hours with his music. Sure, he still performed at Hermes bar quite frequently, but whenever free time was available, he could be found sprawled out on the floor, at the bar counter, music sheets spread to the wind, strumming away.
The sun was beginning to set over the trees; Eurydice would usually be home by now. Just then, Orpheus heard the sound of their creaky door being swung open. A familiar pattern of footsteps: Eurydice’s.
“Oh ‘Rydice, welcome back,” Orpheus called out gleefully, gently placing down his lyre and lifting himself from his spot on the old worn rug. “I think I’ve finally worked out the final verse for that new song and was just about to start dinner. How was your wa-” as Orpheus turned towards the direction of the front door, he couldn’t help but stop mid-sentence. Tucked behind his wife’s small stature was the even smaller frame of a very young boy, no older than five, in a dark, oversized sweatshirt.
The first thing Orpheus noticed was his eyes, a striking teal-ish green that perfectly contrasted with his brown skin. They looked so tired, hard yet sad, hungry; they reminded Orpheus of Eurydice’s when he first met her. Eyes of someone who’s had to deal with more than one person ever should. Leaves and debris protruded from the mop of greasy, ultra-dark hair that curled at the ends to reach the tip of his eyes. The boy’s hoodie was an old thing. Dirt-stained and navy blue. Tattered with rips and holes and the thing completely drowned out his figure. A few cuts and swelling purple-blue bruises covered his arms, cheeks, and neck, instantly making Orpheus’ skin crawl and blood run cold.
Did someone hurt this poor boy? He’s so small…
Orpheus locked eyes with the child who quickly averted his gaze in fear. He violently trembled where he stood, still hiding close behind Eurydice’s legs, little pudgy fingers grasping tight to the woman's ripped black tights. Using all the willpower he could muster, Orpheus held himself back from rushing over and scooping the wee boy up into his arms, wanting nothing more than to sing his pain away. Instead, he chose to address his much calmer wife whose hand was softly brushing through the boy's tangled hair.
“I was just about to start dinner,” Orpheus continued as composed as he could be, not wanting to distress the boy any further. “I was just thinking about making some soup from those beans and other vegetables Lady Persephone gave us.”
Eurydice blew out a relieved sigh, something she nor Orpheus even realized she was holding. The tension in her muscles relaxed, shoulders dropping back down to size, no more bravado needed, “that sounds wonderful, I’m starving. I brought back a few more ingredients from the market that we can use.”
That’s not the only thing you brought back… Orpheus thought humorously, still stunned by the unknown child in his home.
“Orpheus, hun, would you begin prepping the vegetables? I need to run a quick bath, and then I’ll be out to join you.” Orpheus nodded his head at his wife’s request. Eurydice directed her attention back to the boy, crouching down to his level. She circled her hand back and forth over his head and the side of his face. She looked so...maternal. It was so different from the usually hardened exterior she put on display for others, but not unwelcome. She was quite entrancing when she acted like this.
“Miko, this is my husband Orpheus, remember I told you about him back at the market?”
Miko meekly nodded his head and with a bit more courage, peeked further out from his spot to stare up at Orpheus, hesitance evident. Miko, huh? Orpheus took note of the teeny birthmarks near the corners of his eyes. “Hello, Miko. I’m Orpheus,” he smiled, “but I think my wife told you that already.”
The boy didn’t say anything, just continuing to stare. Orpheus frowned, he couldn’t help but wonder if the child didn’t like him. He knew that it was irrational, he just met the child for Gods sake, who was most likely just nervous about being in a new place, but still, Orpheus couldn’t help but be fraught with worry.
“Alright then,” Eurydice chimed in, snapping the two boys out of their reverie, “I’ll go draw a bath for Miko while you, Orpheus, start prepping the vegetables for me. Come, Miko, I’ll get the tub ready for you.” She grabbed the child’s hand and guided him in the direction of the couple's compact bathroom.
Orpheus rushed to the kitchen to start with dinner. He chopped, peeled, and quartered various ingredients- peppers, potatoes, carrots, squash, an onion, some fresh herbs. Most had been a gift from Persephone. He tried to ignore out the sounds of running water and faint chatter of Eurydice. He hoped that by busying himself with his assigned tasks, he could keep his mind from wandering to who and what was happening in his washroom. Soon minutes passed, and Orpheus was so engrossed in his actions, he failed to notice his wife walk out of the bathroom, holding a filthy sweatshirt and pants. She dropped them to the floor and stepped into their kitchen, right next to her husband, who was humming a song she didn’t recognize.
“Looks yummy,” she whispered as she placed her hand on his forearm, causing Orpheus to jump.
“You scared me,” he breathed, turning away from the counter and pulling Eurydice in close.
“‘Rydice-” Orpheus started but was quickly cut off by his wife.
“Oh, before you get too far with cooking, I bought some special ingredients for tonight.” She pulled away from Orpheus and quickly marched back towards the front door to retrieve her satchel. She yanked out a small parcel wrapped in thin, brown paper and tied tightly with white string. She pushed it into Orpheus’ hands. “Open it,” she lightly commanded.
Orpheus undid the string and pulled back the layers of paper: a chain of sausages. Orpheus felt his eyes go wide; actual ground sausages, six of them to be exact. Eurydice smiled, “I also went ahead and bought a loaf of bread. Nothing big or fancy, but it’s freshly baked from this morning instead of days old.”
Orpheus was stunned, the two rarely ever purchased meat or fancy bread during their routine trips to the market in the center of town. It was much cheaper to buy freshly grown produce and canned goods or bargain for near stale bread than to buy things like meat and baked goods. And with Eurydice’s anxieties over their expenses, the two figured they would be okay without. They only splurged on such delicacies on the most special of occasions. Tonight must have been bigger than he thought.
“‘Rydice, I’m...what-”
“Do you think you can handle cooking the rest of dinner? I need to get washing Miko’s clothes.” She picked up the pile of laundry from off of the floor, “they’re absolutely disgusting. They probably need to be resown as well…”
“Eurydice.”
Eurydice stopped her rambling and faced her husband. She sees the look in Orpheus’ eyes, he was confused and concerned, and that it was driving him mad. But absent was any sign of resentment or anger. “Eurydice, please, what’s going on with Miko? Who exactly is he?”
Eurydice was silent for a few moments, peering down at the clothes in her hands. “I was finishing up my trip to the market, and on my way back I heard screaming. I ran over to an alleyway, and I saw this older man beating on this little boy. According to the man, the boy stole some food from his stall and started to run away. Which meant, in the man’s words, that he was in the right to beat and berate this poor small child,” Eurydice huffed, her eyes hard and glassy. “I paid for the food he stole, and I asked him where his family was...he said, he said…” Hot, angry tears started to fall from her eyes as she gripped the crumpled clothes still in her hands. “He had no one. Nowhere else to go and he, he reminded me of myself...I just couldn’t-”
Orpheus didn’t need to hear anymore. He pulled Eurydice in his arms as she softly sobbed, memories of her past flooded her mind. “Shh, shh, it’s alright, Eurydice, my love. You’re home. Everything is gonna be okay.” He copied what she did with Miko, running his fingers through her hair as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear, kissing along her forehead and temples.
After a few minutes, Eurydice’s sobs subsided. She roughly wiped at her eyes, “I’m sorry.”
“Never apologize for crying ‘Rydice,” Orpheus cooed, using the pad of his thumb to brush away a stray tear. “We all have to sometimes. It doesn’t make you any less strong.”
She sniffed, giving a quick rub at her nose, “please don’t be mad. I know money and food are tight sometimes, but I couldn’t leave him there! I just couldn’t.” She sounded so desperate.
“Hey, why would I ever be mad?” Orpheus asked. Sure he was beyond surprised when his wife, miss lone survivor, brought back a young child home with her from her walk, but he could never be mad at her.
Eurydice gazed at Orpheus, hesitance wavering in her voice, “so Miko, can stay…?”
“Of course, he can!”
A wide grin broke out over Eurydice’s face as she laughed in Orpheus’ neck. Orpheus smiled again at Eurydice’s excitement; he never thought she was the type who wanted to be a mother. He had always wanted to be a dad. To raise a child and teach them many things like how to play the lyre, to sing them lullabies to sleep, watch them grow, be a better father than his own. The happiness in the air turned sour. What if he was a worse parent than his own? Orpheus’ concerns began to manifest on his face, his soft and almost boyish features furrowing at the thought.
“Orpheus? What’s wrong?”
“What if I’m a terrible father? Miko didn’t exactly enjoy my presence earlier when we met.”
Eurydice chuckled, “oh poor, great Orpheus, fretting over how a child sees him.”
“I’m being serious Eurydice,” Orpheus replied somberly.
“And I am too,” she said, bringing her hands up to cup his face. “Orpheus, I need you to listen to me: you are the kindest, sweetest soul I’ve ever had the chance to meet. Your heart is so full of love, and I know you will be a great dad. You’re nothing like your parents; you’re loyal and brave and so, so caring. And yes, you’re not perfect, but no one is, and I wouldn’t want you any other way. I love you, and I’m sure Miko will learn to love you too.”
Orpheus pressed a passionate kiss to her lips, and Eurydice quickly reciprocated it. “I love you,” he said once he pulled back.
“I love you too. Now, let’s make dinner. I wasn’t joking when I said I was starving.”
The two got to work: Orpheus cooking, Eurydice washing, and hanging Miko’s clothes. Just as they were wrapping up, they heard the bathroom door quietly open.
“Euri?” a quiet voice called out. The two turn around and see Miko all clean and wearing an old white button-up of Eurydice’s. It was too big for him, the fabric reaching past his knees, but it would work for the night.
“Euri?” Orpheus asked with a raised eyebrow.
Eurydice rolled her eyes, “oh, Miko! You’re just in time,” she smiled, pouring the hot broth into three different bowls. “Dinner’s just about ready.”
Miko gingerly padded over to the kitchen. He stands close Eurydice, rising on his toes, poking his head up to look over the counter. “You wanna hold your bowl, or do you want me to carry it?”
“I can do it, Euri,” Miko said, his demure voice now a bit more determined.
Eurydice handed him the smallest bowl they had, “careful, the bowl’s very hot.”
Miko nodded once more before taking the bowl. With small, cautious steps and a stern face, Miko made his way out the kitchen, past the couples measly make-shift dinner table, then abruptly stopped and sat on an empty spot on the floor.
“Uh, um Miko?” Orpheus said puzzled, “why are you sitting on the floor?”
“I ‘posed to sit here,” he said as if by muscle memory.
“Who said that?” Eurydice pressed.
Miko didn’t speak at first, stirring his spoon in his bowl. The couples waited with bated breath, not wanting the boy to continue if he was uncomfortable. “...the mean man and his wife.”
“Mean man and his wife?” Eurydice repeated.
Miko lowered his head, “dirty boys don’t get to eat at the table.”
Orpheus swore he could feel hot, burning steam radiating off Eurydice. She was angry, no, furious, pissed off even. She took a deep, shaky breath. Eyes glued to the boy alone on the floor, “Miko, for as long as you stay with us, which will hopefully be a for a long while, we will never, and I mean NEVER, make you eat on the floor.”
Miko raised his head, “you want me to stay?”
Eurydice bopped her up and down, “we’d love for you stay with us.”
“A-and no floor?”
“No floor.”
“...never ever?”
Eurydice smiled, “never ever never.”
Miko grinned, letting out an airy giggle at Eurydice’s words. Both adults felt their chest grow warm, filled to the brim with pure, tender joy. As he grinned, Orpheus noticed a few of Miko’s baby teeth were missing. Eurydice spoke again, “so Miko, do you want to eat up here with us?”
Miko’s smile dropped once again. Maybe it was too soon to expect him to be ready for such a major change. Suddenly, Orpheus thought of a brilliant idea, “Miko, how about instead of you sitting up here, we come and eat with you on the floor? We can sit on the rug near the fireplace. It can be like a picnic!”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Eurydice agreed, blown away at how sweet and quickly her husband had come up with the suggestion. “What do ya say, Miko? Can we join you?”
Miko’s eyes widened, tiny tears popping up in his eyes. In a quiet voice, no louder than a whisper, he said, “yes, please.”
…
After their lively meal on the living room floor: jammed packed with giggles, soup slurping contests, and funny stories, the three now lay spread out, bellies full from bowls of hearty soup. The soft sounds of the crackling fire echoed the home. Miko was cuddled up in Eurydice’s side, his arms wrapped around her middle and one of hers going down his back.
Orpheus had just finished washing the dishes and returned to join his wife and the young boy. He reached out to grab his guitar, giving the old instrument a few good strums. Miko’s attention promptly fell on Orpheus, curiosity evident on his face.
“Want to hear Orpheus play?” Eurydice asked Miko, fingers back to playing with his hair. “He’s the best musician in the world.”
Without even looking in a mirror, Orpheus could tell his cheeks were aflame. Beaming from his wife’s praise, he stopped his strumming, “any request you two?”
“How about the new one you’ve been working one?” Eurydice suggested. “You mentioned when we came home that you figured out that part you were stuck on.”
“It’s not finished yet.”
“Don’t matter. I still want to hear it. And I’m sure Miko wouldn’t mind. Right, Miko?” Miko, whose eyes were still locked on the guitar in Orpheus’ lap, gave a quick nod.
Orpheus grinned, “okay, if you insist.”
Then he began. Fingers skillfully plucking strings, a beautiful melody floated through the air. After a short instrumental, he opened his mouth and started to sing:
“When I'm lost, you bring me back
When I cry, you make me glad
When I think I have it bad
I think of You
“When I don't know where to go
And I feel like I'm alone
When I hang my head down low
I think of You
“Each night You wait outside my door
Cause You want to know ohh, I think of You…”
Miko was completely enthralled- eyes open and locked, his body leaning forward as if to be closer to the sound. Eurydice had to check that he was still breathing. She had suspected the young boy would enjoy her husband's music, but to see him, this enthused filled her heart with pride. She wiggled her fingers on Miko’s stomach, causing the boy to giggle loudly. Orpheus smiled at the exchange and continued his song until the end, or well until he got to where he last let off. “So, how was that?”
“As lovely as ever lover boy,” Eurydice swooned. “What did you think, Miko?” Miko nodded his head so fast Eurydice was scared it would come flying right off.
“Thanks,” Orpheus said. He watched Miko stare down the guitar, balancing on his legs. “You wanna touch it?”
“Can I?”
Orpheus pushed the guitar away and patted his lap, “come sit here.” Miko crawled over to Orpheus, who scooped him up and placed the boy in his lap. He put the guitar over their laps, then guided Miko’s fingers over the strings and fretboard. “Okay, put your fingers here, and one right there, and...strum!”
Miko did as instructed, and a slightly off note rang out. Miko was all smiles regardless, “You hear Euri?”
“I did, Miko, good job hun,” Eurydice cheered.
“Orphe, did I do a good job?”
Orphe? Well, I guess that’s my new name.
“That was very good. You wanna try the next one?”
“Yes!”
So they continued, learning one chord to the next. Soon the lesson was forgotten altogether as Orpheus began to play some simple song that he was most definitely making up as he went:
“Miko, oh Miko,
A young boy dressed in blue
Look out here comes a pack of…uhh...”
“Puppies!” Miko giggled loudly. Orpheus glanced at his wife, eyebrows high. Was this cheery boy in their room even the same child from earlier in the evening?
“Puppies! Oh, Gods please let that be true!”
Eurydice watched the two in awe: Miko all smiles and laughs and Orpheus singing aloud, playing music without a care. She could get used to this; early mornings laughs as the sun blared through the windows, midday walks through the forest, cold fingers entwined as the wind blew, late evening songs bundled up near the fire. She and her now, two boys, yeah, she could get used to this.
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fhjasd i cant read sheet music either so big mood on that one. also autistic orpheus is so good!! all ur headcanons are galaxy brain
aah im5M,6glad its a Big Mood! Appearently Frank Sinatra couldn’t read sheet music? i read that somewhere and thought that was kinda cool, remembering that gave me the idea. also i like thinking of ways to show “orpheus just kinda has this natural connection to music” without using savant tropesif i may share a few more headcanons:1. orpheus has loved music since he was a literal infant, if you sing lullabies or play music for this baby he will calm down and start laughing and cooing, it works every time2. ok so this is more of a rant than a headcanon but: ORPHEUS WAS NOT DELIBERATELY IGNORING EURYDICE, HE WAS JUST SO FOCUSED ON ONE THING HE LOST THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON ANYTHING ELSE (this is a Mental Crap thing) ORPHEUS LITERALLY COULD NOT DELIBERATELY IGNORE HER IF HE TRIED THATS LIKE, A PLOT POINT 3. ok sorry i just really hate the undercurrent of ableism in the way the fandom talks about orpheus. anyways headcanon orpheus actually kinda feels like music is the only thing hes good at? like he does actually know hes bad at paying attention and not really quickest at putting things together and he gets dismissed as childish a lot and like he does have some level of awareness that the world can suck a lot like hes not a complete moron (even if its really easy to feel like he is one)
4. orpheus cant like. sew clothes but he is good at mending things and patching up holes and stuff. hermes taught him how to do that because orpheus needs something to do with his hands at all times or he will die
5. ‘rydice is actually pretty bad at like. indoor domestic chores. like shes good at gathering things and like outside-y survival game stuff. so like in the domestic bliss she and orpheus TOTALLY GET TO HAVE she’ll be like. chopping firewood and orpheus will be inside, humming as he like idk darns a sock or something.6. extension of the above: Eurydice turns out to be really good at gardening. 7. when the mental illness/the fates are being really loud and bothersome when it comes to reminding Eurydice of awful things shes been through and insecurities and upsetting thoughts and she cant ignore them on her own, Orpheus will get out his guitar and play happy songs to see if he can drown them out. it usually works pretty well
#words to people#orphydice is like. my IDEAL ship#mysterious orb friend#i missed posting big headcanon dumps#butyeah do yall see why i feel kinda unwelcomed in this fandom#ok to reblog#sorry if this is gibberish ive been up since 3 keeping a kitten under control
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A Small Orphydice Fic I wrote
Evenings when neither of them are working are usually quiet, a relaxed state both of them enjoy wholeheartedly. Sometimes, they take a walk in the forest. But in these chilly fall nights that usually leave a layer of frost on the grass, they cover themselves in a quilt, start a fire, and sit together. Letting the shared warmth of their two bodies fill the house, until one of them starts yawning and they move to their bed. But for now, Eurydice is content to lean against her lovers shoulder, watching his fingers lively dance against his guitar, a few quiet notes plucking out here and there, ringing in her ears. A long pause where the scribbe of a pencil replaces the music, and then he's back to methodically plucking out some new melody.
"What's this new song about?" she murmurs into his shirt, eyes closed but she knows his hands still. "What was your- what's the word- muse, for this one?"
"You, of course." he answers it like it's obvious. Like she should've known already. "How peaceful you look. How your bangs fall over your eyes a little bit. Pink lips that I kind of want to kiss... and now you're smiling, and that makes it even better. And your long eyelashes. The-"
"Okay," she interrupts, though smiling just as he said. "I get it, you love me."
He hums out a deep note, letting it rattle through his chest and vibrate into her body. Warming her through and through. She hums it back.
A few more minutes pass by, until, "are you tired, love? It is getting late."
"No," she assures him. "I love this. I like listening to you play and write, and I'm so warm, don't make me move."
She nearly hears the smile in his voice, she can physically see it in her mind. "Alright. Let me know when you'd like to go to sleep."
"I will."
She doesn't.
***
Orpheus glances over at his wife almost half an hour later, to find her eyes closed and mouth drooping. Her breathing easy and steady, eyelashes fluttering with each movement of her eyes behind her eyelids. She's dreaming. Of what, he isn't sure, she probably won't remember in the morning, but he's happy to know that she is in a deep enough slumber that dreams will come to her. He prays they do not turn to nightmares as they often do these days. He just wants all good things for her. Is it too much to ask to want everything for one person? Well, yes, but it isn't selfish either. He wants to give her sunshine and lime green grass and pale red leaves and light snowfall glistening and carnations and sonnets written in the dead of night. He wants to sing her songs that she will sing for years to come. He just wants to give her everything after he failed to give her the necessities.
He gently sets his guitar on the floor along with his notebook, winding an arm under her knees and another under her shoulders, he lifts her into his arms. So light for someone so strong. So little. Dainty, almost. Her head lolls against his chest, she makes a small noise, deep in her throat, and he stops. The last thing he wants now is to wake her. They're both so tired these days, especially her, who works constantly. At least a lot of Orpheus' night work is something he loves, playing music and singing. She tends the garden all day, works the bar, takes twice as many shifts as he gathers extra tips for playing music. She takes such a burden. She needs this slumber.
Setting her gently down on their worn, hard, mostly uncomfortable mattress, he pulls the quilt up over her shoulders, just below her chin. Climbing into bed beside her, he pulls the blanket over his body as well. Sharing their body heat gives the space a warm feel. He presses a gentle kiss to the back of her head before shifting and getting comfortable to go to sleep himself. He watches her breath, a tempo he can count in his head every time her chest rises and falls.
1...in...2...out...3...in...4...out
The rhythm of her aliveness lulls him to sleep.
***
Eurydice wakes up in a position and place she did not fall asleep in. But she isn't complaining, she's warm, and it smells like honeysuckle and Orpheus' mouthwash. Her eyes remain closed, moving would just ruin the moment and sleep is hard to gather these days so she keeps the darkness behind her eyelids. Hoping to fall back into a slumber, but no, her body has decided that it's quite time to wake up. She still doesn't move afraid of disturbing Orpheus. He needs this sleep, she can see these days that the bags under his eyes get darker and darker. That the luster in his eyes gets just a little dimmer. She hates watching it happen.
However, he's the first to move. She can tell he's waking from the way he shifts and the change in his breathing.
"Hmm..." even his sleepy sounds are almost musical.
She hums the note right back at him, sort of a game they play sometimes. He plucks a string on his guitar and she sings it back from wherever she is, washing dishes, in the garden, or he'll sing one out from the sink and she'll repeat it back from the bed.
He's more awake now, the note this time is clearer and warmer in tone.
She repeats it back, an octave up.
It goes on like this, back and forth, until they are awake and waiting to see the sun. Before she can pull herself out of bed, though, she feels the brush of his nose on the back of her neck and she smiles, rolling to her side planning to brush a small kiss on the tip of his nose but completely missing and landing it on his eyelid, which makes him smile, so she kisses the other one too. A kiss to both his cheeks, one to his nose, and finally a peck on the lips before rolling away and out of the tangle of blankets and sheets.
"'rydice," he groans, still lying limp, buried in the blankets. "It's too early to be so wakeful. Come back to bed."
She laughs as she pulls clothes out of her drawers, planning for a day at the bar with Orpheus and dressing accordingly. Her black slip dress, black pants underneath, brown vest, and long overcoat. On days that she plans to spend gardening, she switches out her dress for an old white shirt of Orpheus' tied up and an old pair of jeans stained from years of use.
By the time Orpheus is getting up, she's slipping on her vest and going to the mirror to brush out her hair.
He comes to stand behind her, leaning down to rest his chin her head.
"Stop being so damn tall." she jokes, nudging his jaw with her fist. He peppers kisses on the top of her head, the side of her head, her neck. He's so sappy and affectionate in the morning. She doesn't mind one bit.
"Get dressed." she finally reminds him. "Or we'll be late."
"Fine, fine." she watches him backwards through the mirror, admires the way he moves as he slips on old hand-me-down pants from Mr. Hermes, a button shirt, and his suspenders. As he starts to tie his red bandana, she turns back to the mirror to mess with her hair again.
"Ugh," she remarks. "My bangs want to fly away from my face."
He barks out a laugh, "gods, I love you."
It was moments like these that she cherished: where she went over to him while he played and distracted him by wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheeks to his back; standing in the mirror together, half naked, and laughing at the way they described their own features; Orpheus tapping a rhythm out on her leg as they lay together; a kiss shared between shifts at the bar; dirt smeared on her nose that he tried to wipe off but only managed to make it worse. These moments were more common than she thought, the more she made a list of these moments. And it made her happy, knowing that every day had at least one of these things that brought some brightness to a cold, winter's day.
She sat at the table, waiting for her water to boil to make tea. She used to drink solely coffee, but after living with Orpheus (a faithful tea drinker) she decided to try and get rid of coffee addiction.
She twists her wedding band around on her finger, admiring the way the metal glinted in the faint, early morning sunlight wafting in from the window directly behind her. She liked the way it looked on her, liked the way it felt, the natural way the silver coloring looked against her olive skin tone. How her and Orpheus could hold hands while they were dancing and know that the other was wearing their ring. And see the glint of metal; and smile, because they belong to each other. That these rings signify a life together, one where she won't leave, one where he won't abandon her. Not that she's afraid that he will, but deep down inside of her, the part of her that fled every town and home she had, is afraid that the people around her will leave. The rest of her knows Orpheus loves her, for he tells her every day, and she is content here. She loves it here. She loves Orpheus. She loves Persephone. She loves Hermes. She loves the smell of the bar, old wood and whisky. She loves their home, with its thatched roof and periwinkle blue walls. She loves the garden by their home. She loves all of it. Even the train, she has learned to love. She's learned not to dread the sound of the whistle coming in, not to hate the smell of coal smoke. She loves the way the train itself glints in the sun. She loves how the smoke comes out in perfect puffs. She loves how the train brings Persephone home to them; brings spring back to winter.
"Hey," Orpheus interrupts her zone out by gently tapping the table in front of her, effectively snapping her out of day dream. "Stay with me, okay? Mornings are boring without you present."
She smiles, nods, "got lost in thought. That's all."
He purses his lips before pressing a kiss to her head, and going to fill two mugs with hot water. She knows he worries about her, but so does she for him. But he always seems to worry when she lets her mind wander to darker places, when she stares blankly unnervingly like a worker from Hadestown. She hates to think that when she looks like that, Orpheus can only see her as what she once was.
"Thanks, love." he always smiles when she calls him that, though she often does, and for that specific reason.
And he always replies; "my pleasure, love."
Which usually makes her crack up, or smile, or blush. One of the three. This time, it leaves a faint pink glow on her cheeks which she attempts to chalk up to the steam drifting up to her face from her hot drink.
They drink their tea in a comfortable silence, with the occasional clink of a spoon on a mug and a mug being placed on the table. They don't mind the silence, especially so early in the morning when neither of them are quite ready to face the day.
She places her mug in the sink, leaning against it to watch Orpheus drink the last dregs of his tea before wandering over to the sink as well. She blocks the sink with her body, stretching her arms out to keep him from placing his cup next to hers.
"Move!" he laughs, swerving around to place his mug in the old steel sink. In the moment of closeness, she leaves forward, colliding her lips to his for a sweet moment of closeness in the morning. She leans back against the counter, pulling him closer in that moment, deepening the kiss to something more passionate, but still just as sweet.
"We have to get to work." he reminds her quietly with a smile that she can feel against her own lips.
"I know." she murmurs back, tilting her head to the side and hooking her fingers onto his bandana, gently tugging on it. "We have a few spare minutes though."
Can't every moment of the day be like this? Like warmth and the taste of green tea mixed with her lipgloss and his mouthwash. The young couple learned to live for moments like these, mornings like these mornings, kisses as sweet as these kisses.
Can't it always be like this?
A knock at their door says that it cannot.
She pulls away, disgruntled, "who the hell-?"
"I'll get it." Orpheus sighs, stepping away from her and untangling his hands from her waist.
"Orpheus, wait! Come back!" she calls as he starts towards the door. He turns back to her, as she reaches up to wipe away her lip gloss off of his mouth and chin and cupids bow. He laughs as she does so, before she sends him to the door. She strides across the room, to the mirror to fix her now mangled hair and smudged makeup. Her bangs were indeed flying away from her forehead, and her lipgloss was spread far from her lips. She wiped it away, hearing a faint familiar female voice in the doorway, frowning. And then an exclamation of joy from Orpheus and she looks over in curiosity.
Before she, too, nearly cries in the relief and joy of spring arriving again.
Persephone's dress is just as bright green as she remembers and emanates warmth as Eurydice throws her arms around the women, burying her face in the giant sleeves until she can feel her shoulder beneath the fabric.
"You're back." she sighs. "It's spring."
Persephone pulls back, holding her out by her shoulders to examine Eurydice thoroughly. Her eyes roam her face, over her body, like a mother checking on their child.
she taps the young girl's nose. "I'm back, hon."
"how was your winter?" she continues, turning to add Orpheus to the conversation again. "Not too difficult, I hope?"
"Better. Much better than it has been." he says, looking to Eurydice as if for approval. She nods, smiling.
"Good, good." Persephone says, her grin spreading even wider than before.
Spring has come, finally.
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Fight (1/?)
You said angst? Here’s part 1/? of pre-baby Orphydice angst for you!
This will probably get a title change too at some point....
-Danielle
--------------
Eurydice jiggles her key in the lock of her apartment door, clouded vision and faulty craftsmanship making the process twice as arduous. The lock seems to scream back at her in response; a refusal to enter, a why are you here? A frustrated groan escapes her lips. Eurydice jams the key back into the lock with force, jerking it side to side and pulling on the doorknob until it flies open under her strength. She slams it behind her, throwing her bag on the floor with a huff and setting up the long, pole-like master lock with a second-natured sort of unease.
Turning to face the shoebox studio apartment, Eurydice feebly attempts to shake off the tears that now spill over, run down her cheeks and her chin without so much as a warning. It’s been so long since she’s been in this place for a night, so long since she’s had to settle herself on the lumpy mattress on the floor. She can’t bring herself to it, to the place she’d spent so much time wondering how her life would turn out-if she’d ever get out of the place she’d worked so hard to afford for herself.
Being back is a slap in the face-a failure in more aspects than just a simple move.
She treats the night as a permanent settlement not to add on to her pain, but to cut down any sort of possibility or optimism she might have. It’s easier this way, she thinks, to find finality in it all. Abandoning hope before it settles in her heart is easier than losing it unwillingly. She’d started this mess, tangled him in her web of doubts and insecurities, in the inner workings of her mind. She hadn’t been able to shut herself up, had been too loud-to sharp-too unforgiving. She’d been everything that her father had said to her all those years ago, everything her mother had tried so hard not to be. In an instant, Eurydice finds herself wishing that she weren’t so similar to the woman who taught her to ride a bike-who listened to her sing and brushed her once long, cascading waves of dark hair while whispering words of love. She wishes she weren’t like the woman who couldn’t be saved from herself.
She holds on to her rounded stomach. She wishes.
Shuffling around, Eurydice has to reach back into the not-so-distant depths of her muscle memory to recall where everything is. There are several smaller things in her bag, things she’d reached for with the vision of boxes outside of his door, of it’s over, of seeing him only while passing their child back and forth. The possible instability is the last thing Eurydice had wanted for the child she’s just gotten used to longing for, and now that shifting vision her anxiety had created is quickly becoming a reality.
He’d be the better parent. She knows this from the softness of his voice, the natural instinct to hold, to love, to nurture without so much as a thought. Orpheus is the one who’d helped her learn to love-not only him, or their child, but herself. Without him, Eurydice feels a shakiness she hadn’t felt since childhood-since her father had willingly let her go time and time again.
It’s better to run before being thrown out.
Eurydice sinks down onto her bed; the tiny mattress in the corner of her studio apartment can’t be classified as much else, but she’d been proud of it. Now, it feels inadequate. Tucking herself in , feeling the empty space beside her, the weight of her changing body feels much heavier than it had been. Thoughts of a baby lying beside her-tiny, fragile, helpless-in this space barely even suited for herself has her cringing. Being a mother isn’t something she’d planned for; it’s a thought that had grown comfortably on her as time wore on, as she’d become attached to the idea of a little family. Every vision in her head had included she and Orpheus as a team and then slowly, as two people that would grow together for as long as they’d live. She’d let herself succumb to those thoughts of undeniable comfort. She’d let herself feel too deeply.
She’d ruined things once again.
She can’t handle the idea of taking off her ring-the thin band with its tiny stone fit on her finger as if it were meant to be there. The thought of giving it back hurts more than anything, and it makes the bed cold, the apartment darker and more frightening. She coughs, a sputter through her choked back tears. Her body shakes as she lets her feelings consume her.
---
Orpheus is a wreck; he walks into the bar ten minutes late for his shift, Hermes staring at the clock wondering where he could possibly be. His boy-responsible, hard-working, self-critical-had never been late to work before. Eyes red and puffy, lips forced into a shaky smile, he slips his apron from its hanger and ties it clumsily around his waist. He is a fumbling mess, cocktail shakers and ice scoops falling from typically skilled hands. Hermes watches him carefully-the way his long limbs trip over themselves, the way his voice is low and quivering as he talks.
Persephone slides onto a stool near her pseudo-brother with one eyebrow raised, her eyes trained where his is. Their son slides her a glass of red wine with a quick greeting before focusing back in on his work. She whips her head around to Hermes.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He was late today. On top of that he’s nearly broken three or four glasses and it’s only been half an hour. He’s not right.”
“He hasn’t said anything to you?”
“I haven’t asked.” He shrugs, effortless, without excuse. Persephone straightens her posture, clears her throat. Hermes sighs. “Sister, he’s old enough for you not to go meddling. If he wants help, he’ll,”
“-Orpheus, you look like shit.”
Her blunt nature has her son turn around, caught with wide eyes like a deer in the headlights. It’s then that both Persephone and Hermes are able to see the line of puffy red skin beneath his eyes, the expression both vacant and overrun with thoughts.
“’Rydice’s upset.”
“She’s upset?”
“We got into a fight.”
“Is she upstairs?” Persephone stands up from her stool, stretching her shoulders and grabbing her purse. Orpheus moves quickly to the front of the bar, one hand out to stop her.
“She went home-not home, not our home. She went back to her old apartment.”
Hermes is hit with the passing sight from earlier in the day-Eurydice clamoring up the stairs, unlocking the door only to return a moment later with a bigger backpack, half-opened, her feet moving slowly back down the wooden stairs. She hadn’t even said hello to him as she’d passed, wiping fervently at her eyes and keeping her head low. He hadn’t thought much of the sight then-Eurydice had been coming and going from here to school to her multiple jobs since Thanksgiving weekend. He hadn’t let himself see the minor details the way he does so easily on his son. Where Persephone would have stopped her, he’d let her go.
“Persephone,” his tone is gentle, but still warning. He puts a hand on her shoulder and she shakes it off. Younger, stubborn as long as he’d known her, Persephone stays true to form as she puts a hand on Orpheus’s shoulder.
“What did she do to you?”
“Persephone,”
“She has your child, Orpheus. She has your child and she has your ring, she can’t just run off like this.”
“She’s not running.” His words are laced with doubt but he stands his ground, as unsettled in his own truth as he is. Flying to her defense is as easy as loving her had become; her dark eyes filled with admiration, the way she laid lazy in bed with her head on his chest. She craved more than holding his hands, her body pressed close to his. She spoke softly to him and harshly in defense of herself. She kept her guard for everyone but him, it had seemed. She’d been so short with him then that he hadn’t known exactly what he’d done wrong. He’d been hurt by her quick, lashing words, the way her gentle demeanor had turned dark and cold, how she’d left him standing in the store by himself. The moment felt like one long, hellish nightmare. He thought he’d been doing things right for once. He’d been blindsided.
“I can’t do it, Orpheus. I can’t.”
“You can’t do what?”
“I can’t accept her pity. I thought-I thought she was different, and now she’s throwing her money at us? I just,”
“’Rydice,” He’s a soothing presence, his hand running up and down her arm.
“We can do it on our own. It might be hard, and it might suck for a while, but we can do it. We don’t need handouts or pity.”
“She just wants to get something for the baby.”
“You see things through your own lens, Orpheus. She doesn’t think we can do it. She doesn’t think I can do it, and she’s probably right. People use their money to make their own futures and to manipulate everyone else’s.”
“She’s not doing that.”
“I didn’t grow up knowing what it was like to have money. I didn’t grow up getting new things every time I asked. I barely grew up with enough to eat. You need to understand that we can’t afford these things-we’re not going to be able to give this baby the life you had.”
“The-the life I had?”
“Orpheus,” She huffs, taking a frilly dress from his hands and holding it up to eye-level. It’s a beautifully crafted dress, a muted pink made from fabric that feels more like butter in her hands. There’s a matching diaper cover, all ruffles and frills, and the ensemble brings a pin-prick of mist to her eyes. “We can’t afford all of this.”
“I understand.”
“You don’t.”
“I do.” He stops then, eyeing the dress Eurydice had put back on the rack. The basket full of tiny dresses and bows and shoes is everything he’d been hoping for, everything he’d dreamed about since holding Junie for the first time. Eurydice has a far-away look in her eyes, a glassy cloud rolling over the adoration they’d had when she’d first held a newborn onesie.
“We can’t keep pretending that this is normal-we’re not some thirty year olds settled perfectly into their little white picket fence marriage. I’m broke. We met a few months ago. We’re getting married and we’re getting to know each other because of this baby and I’m sorry that this is what you’ve got, but it is.”
He stops short, unsure of how to respond. The information has barely registered, thrown at him all at once through a voice grown suddenly cold. He’s taken aback by her-the way she steps further from him, refuses to look in his direction. The air is thick between them, Orpheus slowly opening and closing his mouth as he attempts to craft a response that’ll bring her back to him.
“That’s not why I asked you to marry me.”
“Orpheus,”
“-is that why you said yes? Because of the baby?” His voice squeaks at the last syllable, disbelief in his shortened breaths. Eurydice is not able to answer him quick enough-the hesitation in her thoughts is unbearable, a crushing blow to his heart. He’d been told time and time again that he moved too fast-fell too hard, loved too openly. A sweet boy-a kind soul- but a too much personality. Orpheus looks at the stack of clothes in their basket. A onesie boasting about the best dad ever stacked right on top, picked out by a grinning Eurydice.
He pulls a handful of hangers from the basket and thumbs through them, swallowing back the lump in his throat.
“I’m going to put these away.”
“Orpheus,”
“-It’s okay.”
“I didn’t,”
“-I have to go to work. I,” he hesitates upon the three words he’d said too soon, nervous about driving her further away. He can’t see the way she leans in subconsciously, the way her eyes close and her lips part slightly. When she opens them again he’s kissing her cheek, his hand on her hand. “Think about it.”
He’s not even sure what he means by the phrase, only that for the first time since meeting her, he wants to step away from Eurydice for a moment. Before he can get out of the store Eurydice’s sent him a text, and he stops short to read it over in hopes that the words might change.
“Staying at my place tonight. I’m sorry.”
#hadestown#hadestownmodern#orphydice#young parents orphydice#orpheus#eurydice#danielle writes#and posts to the wrong blog for the thousandth time
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Sad prompt: Orpheus refusing to let Eurydice use herself as a bargaining tool anymore. Him not expecting anything from her and just loving her for being her!
SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT HERE IT IS. It accompanies my HC that she used herself as a ‘good’ to trade for food and shelter.
“Why are you just so nice?” Eurydice asks one night, her head on his chest, the sound of his heart drumming in his chest some of her favorite music of all. “How are you so..kind? Giving?”
The hand he has strumming on her lower back stops, as he lifts his head to look at her. “What are you talking about ‘Rydice..” Orpheus starts, bright eyes flicking over her in a near panic- what brought that on?
“You just..you give. And you give. And you give. You give until you have nothing left and even then some. And you don’t expect anything? I have nothing to give you but-” Eurydice’s head stays firmly planted on his chest, nothing particular catching her eye as she speaks until he grabs her chin to make her look at him, brown eyes catching green.
“I love you, isn’t that enough reason? You’re another person..isn’t that reason enough? If I can help someone I should-” His thumb runs over her jawline, a pure smile on his face. “That’s what people are supposed to do.”
“I have nothing to give in return, Orpheus. I never had. Do you know what I did to survive..do you know what a difference it would have made to run into people like you?” There is a blazing fire in her dark eyes as she props one elbow on his chest and supports her head with the accompanying hand. “The only thing I had was me. And sometimes that was enough for them-”
There is confusion then concern going over his face as the depth of what she says registers. “Eurydice what do you mean it was enough..of course you’re enough.”
“You know what I mean. And sometimes sharing a bed with someone else was better than no bed at all. And when you’re young and you’re hungry.. Theres nothing, really, that sounds like too much for someone to ask of you in exchange for a warm meal, you know?” And maybe he didn’t know what that was like, she prayed to whatever god still cared that he never knew exactly it was like for her. “If I hadn’t met you that day, i’d probably still be doing it. That, or dead, I guess.”
She’s too ashamed to admit she assumed he was the same when they first met.
Come home with me.
I’ve met too many men like you.
“Eurydice I..I wouldn’t..I never-”
“Shh, I know. I know you never would have. I know that. I know that.” And she does. She knew within minutes of meeting him, with his childlike wonder and endless optimism and his gorgeous song. No, he was not like other men, and she knew this. “Still. Doesn’t explain what I did to deserve you. To deserve this.”
To deserve someone who walked to hell to find her, albeit if he doubted himself. But it didn’t matter. Eventually, at least, they found their way to each other again.
“Why wouldn’t you? You’re...you’re wonderful Eurydice. You’re all I ever wanted. You’re ore than that. You give me you. And not...not in the way you felt like you had to..you let me love you, and thats more than I could ever have asked for! You give me you and our family and- you’re you Eurydice. And thats more than enough. Thats more than I ever dared to ask for! I have you!” He’s so genuine in the way he sings her praises, as he kisses her without ever pulling his hand from her cheek. There is nothing more clear about Orpheus than the way he loves his wife. Everyone who meets him knows one thing- he is nothing but infatuated with Eurydice.
When she smiles at him it reaches her eyes and her heart flutters a funny kind of way. She’s about to respond when he keeps speaking.
“And you know you never have to do..that.. Again. You’re not going to. We’ll find other ways to survive, other ways to get by.. You’re more than a bargaining chip, Eurydice.”
He may be the only person to ever treat her this way. To treat her like a person with inherent worth, worthy of love just for existing.
She doesn’t tell him that, though. She doesn’t press or argue the point. She wouldn’t go back to that, not now. She has too much to live for to go back to that, to go back to seeing her body as a means to an end.
“I love you, Orpheus.” Eurydice nearly whispers, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
He pulls her closer, wrapping their legs together and wrapping her so tightly in his arms that she couldn’t escape their embrace even if she wanted to. There is nothing between them save for thin summer-time pajamas, and even that felt like too much in this moment. Still, he rested his head ontop of hers and wrapped gangly limbs around her.
“Theres nothing in the world worth more to me than you, Eurydice.”
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1. bro that HURT 2. For fluff ask thing can we get more just cute kissing and no plot fluff stuff?
(i said in the tags that you guys might get a later sequel to the fic where orpheus sees eurydice in erato’s dress for the first time, but i’m impatient, so later is now)
(also this is. hotter than i meant it to be. sorry not sorry)
even after all this time, orpheus marveled at eurydice’s strength. she pulled him into the dust bowl and hopped up onto the bar, his collar still in her grip.
“told you we might leave early,” she whispered, and brought him in for a kiss. their height difference was enough for her head to be level with his when she sat on top of the bar, and eurydice used her newfound leverage to her advantage. she playfully bit into his lower lip and orpheus made a strained noise. “yeah,” she pulled him closer until their bodies were pressed together. “sing, baby.” orpheus held her waist with as much force as he could without worrying that he would hurt her, and as usual, she wanted it harder.
without breaking the kiss, eurydice took his hands and moved them where she wanted them. orpheus obeyed her silent command and held her closer, just as she had showed him. “better?” he asked.
“uh-huh.” eurydice moaned. “but loosen up, will you?” she cradled his jaw in her hands. “you’re not gonna crush me.” orpheus felt her smile into him and nodded. he let his shoulders relax and held her tighter.
“perfect, baby.” orpheus felt his cheeks heat up as she praised him. all he ever wanted to do was make her feel good. he wanted to make her feel amazing. eurydice ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up the way she liked it. “that’s perfect.”
orpheus grinned, lowering his hands down eurydice’s back.
“this is better than the party, huh?” eurydice teased. she undid his bandana and let it drop onto the barstool next to them. slowly, she left his lips and trailed little marks down his jaw and neck, making orpheus yelp with surprise.
“‘rydice!” he gasped. she smiled against his skin in response.
“do me a favor,” eurydice came up for air and to gaze at orpheus. her lipstick was smudged, and orpheus knew that he was probably wearing more of it than she was. her eyes were half lidded and glittered with an expression that made orpheus want to kneel and bend to her will.
“anything.” he breathed.
she placed a hand on his cheek. “pull my hair.”
his need for validation won out over his concern that he would hurt his lover, and he ran his hand through her hair only to grip a handful and tug. to his surprise (and delight), eurydice closed her eyes and gasped. “harder,” she moaned. “c’mon, poet.”
orpheus obeyed, and felt her fingernails make little crescents on his cheek.
“harder.” she leaned her head back, letting orpheus’s hand guide her, and arched her back.
orpheus took his other hand and pulled eurydice’s hips closer to his so that the little room they had between them vanished. she inhaled sharply, but orpheus saw that she was grinning.
when she was ready, she tore her head free of his grasp and kissed him hard, pressing him even closer by his sports coat. “that’s it,” she murmured. “good job, orpheus.”
“come upstairs with me?” orpheus asked, the words tumbling out of him quickly and breathlessly.
he felt eurydice nod, and lifted her off the bar to carry her upstairs.
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Family birthday picnic with the hadestown characters
I’m gonna chose Eurydice for this because the girl deserves to be celebrated! Also it’s loosely a picnic...sorry if it’s not what you wanted
Eurydice’s birthday falls right before the start of fall and she hates it. She never celebrated her birthday previously growing up and doesn’t see the point of celebrating it now.
Orpheus on the other hand, will not let that stand.
On the day of Eurydice’s birthday, Eurydice thinks it’s gonna be just another normal day. The craziest she thinks its gonna get is Orpheus treating her to breakfast in bed.
The two spends the morning in their home until mid afternoon rolls around and Orpheus starts acting...weird
Important: Orpheus can not keep a secret for the life of him. The boy is like a bull in a china shop when it comes to secret keeping- terribly obvious. So Eurydice catches on to something going on fairly quickly
When it’s time for their shift at the bar, Orpheus all but pulls her the whole way. Now Eurydice definitely knows something’s up- no one is ever this excited to go to work.
But before she can ask what’s up, they arrive at the bar and Orpheus excitedly, but gently, nudges her inside.
The inside is completely devoid of people except for Hermes and Persephone. The bar top is covered with Eurydices favorite foods and and drinks. There’s a sloppy banner that says “Happy Birthday Eurydice!” that hangs from the shelf behind the counter.
Hermes and Persephone walk over to hug the girl and Seph offers her a bouquet of bright flowers in various reds, oranges and purples. When Eurydiceasks what’s going on, Orpheus tells her that since she didn’t want to do anything major for her birthday, he wanted to throw her something small just between family and still celebrate her being born. Hermes closed the bar for the afternoon for this reason.
Eurydice doesn’t cry (she definitely tears up though!) and the four all eat and drink the afternoon way
Once they finish eating Hermes pulls out a homemade cake in a baking pan, the words “Happy Bday Rydice ❤️” written in red icing on top. They don’t have birthday candles, so they light a candle in a jar for Eurydice to blow out and make a wish on.
Orpheus: “what did you wish for?”
Eurydice: *kisses Orpheus* “oh would you look at that, my wish came true!”
Soon the bar reopens and the regular townsfolk show up. Once they learn it’s Eurydice birthday, they all sing and Orpheus and the band play music to celebrate.
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