All she can see is red. No matter how hard she scrubs her hands, the colour still lingers. Is it just innocent red paint or is it Eugene's blood? Persephone can't tell... She just wants to get that damn red stain out of her hands.
She hadn't noticed how frantic she'd become. All she could focus on was the scalding water running down the drain, carrying a never-ending waterfall of red. The sink was a whirlpool, swirling dangerously and uncontrollably like an illusion meant to hypnotise you. She wished it would hypnotise her. She just wanted to forget. She could no longer tell if her hands were burning from the heat of the water or from the long angry scratches that had been left by her fingernails.
Time was slipping through her fingers as easily as the water was. She had no idea how long she'd been standing at the sink scrubbing her hands. But it had to have been a concerning amount of time because a knock at the door interrupted her racing thoughts.
"Sephy?" Enid's voice called out in a concerned tone. "Are you alright?"
Persephone's throat was raw and sore, like she had swallowed gravel. "I'm fine." She managed to reply but her speech was croaky and hoarse.
Stepping away from the door, Enid glanced worriedly at Wednesday. "She's not fine." The goth girl shook her head in agreement. Anyone with ears could hear that Persephone was far from fine. "She needs Hades." Wednesday didn't need to be told twice. She was out of the door before Enid could even stop to blink.
And Hades didn't take much convincing to abandon his roommate. As soon as the words 'Persephone needs you' left Wednesday's lips, he was sprinting out of his room like his life depended on it.
"What's wrong?" He asked Enid in distress, eyes wild with fear as he skidded into their dorm.
"I don't know. She's just been in there a while and I'm worried." Enid explains, wringing her hands together anxiously.
Hades nods and approaches the door. "Seph?" He doesn't receive any response. "Can you open the door for me, love?" All he can hear on the other side of the door is Persephone's sobs and uneven breathing. It is pure torture for him to not be able to hold her, or even see her, while she is suffering all this pain. This door separating him from his girl has become his worst enemy. "Sephy, if you don't open the door for me, I'll have to do it myself."
"No!" Persephone's strangled voice cried out. The last thing she wanted was for Hades to see her in such a messy state. "Please."
Hades feels his heart clench in pain at her desperate plea. "I have to, love. I need to know that you're alright." He kneels down in front of the door and starts working on picking the lock. He valued Persephone too much to ever attempt this without her permission in ordinary circumstances. But in this situation, he was concerned for her wellbeing. He would rather be hated by her and she remains unharmed, than still be in her good graces but have her possibly hurt herself.
As soon as he hears the lock click, Hades wastes no time shoving the door open. Inside, he finds his Persephone huddled against the wall with her legs pulled into her chest. She cradles her hands to her body as a steady stream of tears trickles down her cheeks. She hadn't even changed out of her Rave'N outfit, dress and heels still adorning her figure. Persephone looked broken... and that broke Hades
"Oh, Sephy." Hades whispers under his breath, taking slow and careful steps closer to her trembling form. Her breath escapes her lungs in an erratic pattern as her chest heaves painfully. Hades knows that his first step is to calm her down. He kneels in front of her and takes her hands in his own. He immediately notices the stained redness but knows not to bring it up just yet. He places their conjoined hands over his heart and chest so that Persephone can feel the gentle rise and fall. "Breathe with me, Sephy."
Persephone shakes her head, pulling her hands away from his grip. "I can't."
"Yes, you can." Hades states, determination blazing in his eyes as he grabs her hands again. "Look at me, and follow my breathing." He instructs, her glassy eyes hesitantly raising to meet his gaze. As they begin to breathe in sync with each other, Hades' lips curve into a proud smile. "There you go." Persephone sends him a weak, teary smile as her breathing returns to normal. Hades leans forward to place a long kiss on her forehead. "There's my girl. What happened, love?"
"I- I couldn't get the red out." She tells him in shuddering gasps, displaying her red hands to him.
Hades' eyes soften at how defeated she appears to be and lovingly tucks her stray pieces of hair behind her ear. "Well, that's an easy fix." He lifts Persephone onto her feet and pulls her over to the sink, which he now notices is spattered in red. Filling up the basin with warm water, he grabbed a wash cloth and some soap and began gradually washing her hands. He had never dealt with a task so sensitively before. Persephone brought out a softer side in him.
"I'm sorry." Persephone mumbles as she leans into Hades' shoulder. "I didn't mean to freak out so much."
"Sephy, you had a panic attack." Hades reasons with her, speaking in a quiet voice. "You've had a traumatic night. It's understandable that you reacted this way." Hades dried off her hands with a fluffy towel and held their joined hands up to Persephone's eye level. "No more red."
"I feel like it's still there." She mutters sadly, making Hades pull her in for a comforting hug. Persephone could feel her eyelids grow heavy as numerous yawns slipped past her lips. Crying always tires her out and she finds herself emotionally and physically exhausted from the rollercoaster of a day.
"Let's get you up to bed." Hades decides, collecting Persephone's fatigued body into his arms and carrying her out of the bathroom. He sends reassuring nods to the two girls who were sitting alert in their beds. Persephone flopped onto her bed after Hades had returned her to her feet. He unbuckled her heels and discarded them on the floor, before insisting that Persephone needed to change out of her dress. Once he had ensured that she was in something comfy, he found a wipe to remove the makeup from her face. Her eyes remained shut, becoming more relaxed at Hades' gentle touch.
The Addams boy concluded that his job was done and Persephone would be able to rest easier. But as he headed for the stairs, a small timid voice called out to him, "Please don't leave me."
Her distressed cry halted him in his stride. How could he walk away from her after the day they'd had? He didn't admit it, but it would also bring him comfort to know that she was safe with him. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you, Cara Mía." Returning to her side, he sat behind her and encased her in his arms. She had her back to his chest, being lulled to sleep by the sound of his heartbeat.
"Thank you, my love." Her whisper was almost inaudible in her drowsy state, but Hades clung to every word.
"Anything for you, my Persephone."