The words make Hythlodaeus's breath catch in his throat, heart beating maddeningly fast. This... This is real. A part of him wishes that they could have done this more... right, with flowers and poetry and entwining of souls and certainty in their future. But this world is cruel in so many more ways than one.

Hythlodaeus gently entwines his fingers with his friend's, lowering the box with the earring to his lap so he can raise the other hand to cup Hades's face and draw him into a kiss, soft and tender.

"And I love you full in kind, Agesandros," he murmurs after pulling away, a happy smile on his face - almost shy in a way, and all the more genuine for that. "Of course I accept. You are indeed the stars of my life - such meaning and comfort you give to my own existence. How could I be without you?"

He rests his forehead against Hades's, his smile growing a little sadder, his voice more desperate.

"So... please, Hades. No more sacrifice. Let us not trade our lives away - for one another we must live and grow, create and love. That is what I would charge you with."