Please note that the following document may contain potentially triggering content. This is not Ao3 and I will not be tagging everything but this content could range from sexual assault, sexual situations in general, lots and lots of kinks, talk of killing people or dead people such as family members, and more. If you are triggered by these things to a point that reading them would be detrimental to your physical and/or mental health I suggest you skip reading anything I have written in this document or others for your own safety. If you are the sort who reads something you disagree with/that offends you/whatever and you feel the need become the Purity Brigade please don't bother - I've been down that road enough to know not to engage, so you will get nothing out of me except a block and a report for harassment.
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Rhys knew there wasn't the luxury of time to figure out what the beast was and where it had come from, what they needed was to kill it as quickly as possible. They reached and pulled the scythe from their back, rushing towards the creature. Other members of the Radiant Host drew their weapons, and some adventurers that had been there as well all began the assault. A decent lot from what Rhys had seen of them so far, but they put that out of their mind and focused on the fight at hand.
Ahewann was there too, and it was just like him to try to help. Rhys wished he wouldn't put himself in danger like that, as the Satrap of Radz-at-Han he was too important...No, now was not the time to think of such things. Rhys needed to stay on task, needed to....
"Ahewann!" The name rang out before they could catch themselves, seeing the man go flying as the creature struck him. "Morrigan, to me!" Rhys called upon their voidsent, feeling the familiar embrace of the creature as they sprinted forward. Their scythe blocked the next swing, metal straining under the creature's weight as Rhys pushed back. They weren't sure if the roar that followed was the beast or their own voice, their scythe cracking as they stood between the Satrap and death with all their strength.
A shield joined them, and an axe went flying to strike the monster in the head. It reared back, and Rhys looked to the viera that stood with them for a moment before nodding. The fight wasn't over...until it was, with one final swing from one of the adventurers. The creature disappeared in a giant plume of smoke, and Rhys ran to Ahewann. He was still breathing, but badly hurt.
Others in the Radiant Host began to gather, helping usher away those that remained and gather up the wounded. Rhys helped Ahewann to his feet, worried for little else in that moment as a handful of others came to help. As he was led to safety, as the healers attended to him, Rhys would not leave. No one tried to stop them either, the two had been friends for a long time and even if Rhys wouldn't admit it most knew of their feelings for the Satrap.
Once they were alone so Ahewann could rest Rhys took their hand, squeezing gently.
"You are such a reckless asshole, you know that?" They teased, managing to smile a little.
"You're one to talk." Ahewann smiled back. "And as much as I know you would like to stay at my side as I recover you are needed elsewhere. I bid you go find the adventurers and help them investigate the cause of all this."
"Ahewann...." Rhys frowned, pulling their hand away. "I understand, Satrap. I will do as you ask."
They stood, sparing him one last look before leaving. He was right, after all, as the matter of what was causing the monsters needed to be investigated before more spawned and put the city in even greater danger. Rhys was one of the best in the Radiant Host, having risen to high rank through their strength and skill alone. No point in them sitting idly by when that selfsame skill could be put to good use.
******
The trip home hit everyone differently; Broil was injured but would be fine, Cordelia and Valour of course refused to leave their side. Tsubaki wouldn't leave Valour, V'mallo had gone to another part of the ship to call her girlfriend, and Rhys didn't know where Astraea and Lalaan had gone but they were probably off together somewhere. For their part Rhys reached into their pocket and pulled out the small linkpearl, carefully placing it in their ear and activating it.
"Rhys?" Ahewann's familiar voice echoed through, sending a wave of relief through Rhys as they just sat down on the floor against the wall.
"We made it..." Rhys tried not to cry. "We made it, we're on our way back." They repeated.
"Thank goodness." Ahewann sounded as relieved as Rhys felt in that moment.
"Satrap.....Ahewann....I love you." Everything that had happened up there rushed back, and Rhys knew they couldn't keep going on like they had been. Dancing around their feelings for him for so many years.
"Rhys I...." Ahewann fell silent, and after a few moments Rhys sighed.
"I understand. I'm sorry, I'll...I'll be back when I can." They took the linkpearl out, putting it back in their pocket and banging their head against the wall gently.
Of course he didn't feel the same. They had grown up together but ever since he was chosen as Satrap and Rhys had joined the Radiant Host they had not seen much of each other. Ahewann didn't have any romantic interests as far as anyone knew, but Rhys also felt stupid that they thought somehow they might be lucky enough to have their feelings reciprocated. Rhys didn't know how long they sat there like that, and they barely registered Tsubaki walking by until the woman stopped and tilted her head.
"Everything alright?" Tsubaki asked.
"Huh?" Rhys snapped back into the moment, looking up and shaking their head. "Y-Yeah...Just processing what happened, you know?"
"I get it." Tsubaki did her best to give a reassuring smile. "We'll be landing soon."
"Oh..." Rhys paused, taking a deep breath. "Mom's worried about me, so will you tell everyone I'm heading home?"
There was nothing Rhys could do for Broil anyway. They were on their way to recovery and would be taken care of by their family and Cordelia, and even though it was a lie Rhys knew their mom would want to see them after everything that had happened. And they were thankful that Tsubaki said nothing else, just nodding and moving along with whatever she had been up to before stopping for the conversation.
Rhys continued to sit there until the ship lurched in a way that Rhys knew meant they had finally docked. They stood up on shaky legs, focusing on the aetherite near home. In an instant they found themselves standing in the plaza, and without realizing it they turned towards home and ran. Ran until they reached the front door, out of breath and in tears, not even needing to knock as Lorelei opened the door and swept Rhys up into a hug.
"Welcome home." Lorelei held tight and Rhys hugged her back, sobbing openly as all the emotions just came rushing out.
Eventually they stopped crying and Lorelei led them inside and up to their room. The exhaustion set in and Rhys just laid down and passed out, waking up later to the smell of spices and meat cooking that meant Eros was home and it was dinner time. Rhys slowly got up and changed before heading down, finding their father humming and cooking as he always did.
"Welcome back." Eros turned, giving Rhys a smile.
"Hi dad." Rhys tried to smile, aware of how badly they failed in that moment.
"Lorelei had some quick business, but she'll be back before dinner's served. There's a fresh pot of tea on the table." Eros wouldn't say it, but he'd heard everything from Erranea. Broil was still resting, but knowing about the sacrifices everyone had made...Eros understood why Rhys was being unusually somber. So he wasn't going to push it, he was just going to be there as best he could for his child in whatever way they needed.
Rhys sat down and poured a cup of tea, but just stared at it. They would drink eventually, and eat dinner in silence once Lorelei came back. They were happy to have the understanding and support in the days that followed as all they tried to process everything that happened.
Eventually word came back that Broil was up and about, and of course Rhys knew they were in good hands. They sent a letter saying that if they were needed the party would know where to find them, but otherwise they were going back to their life. Back to being part of the Radiant Host, and moving on with things. Getting to go home at night to Lorelei, seeing Eros when he could be around, and the normal routine now not being interrupted by the end of the world.
Unfortunately that was easier said than done. Not that getting back to the Radiant Host was hard, most of them treated it like Rhys had just taken a short hiatus and their old squadron welcomed them back with open arms. Most respected that Rhys didn't want to be treated like a hero; to most of the world they had just gone to the end of the universe and come back alive having done the impossible, and Rhys preferred it stay that way. They weren't anything special, just Rhys.
On some kind of orders Rhys was mostly assigned to the city now, and that was what made normalcy hard. Before they had ventured far and wide across the island on patrols, often spending weeks or months camped out in the smaller villages with their squadron. Being in Radz-at-Han all the time quickly began to wear on them, the city felt so...constricting. But no matter how many times they asked it seemed reassignment wasn't going to happen. Finally it was all too much, Rhys found themselves going home after their shifts and feeling so off, the nail in the coffin was when they had snapped at Lorelei for asking how their day at work was. The next day Rhys went straight up to the palace and found Ahewann, thankfully alone for the moment as he sat. They gave a polite bow and waited for him to look in their direction before speaking.
"Satrap." Title, not name. Rhys knew better. "Before I left my assignments were outside the city, and it seems that has changed since my return. I should like to know why, and why my requests to go back to the old patrols have been denied."
"Rhys..." Ahewann sighed, standing up and taking a step towards them. "What you said when you were returning. I-"
"I understand." Rhys cut him off, trying to remain professional. "You do not need to explain yourself."
"You do not understand, Rhys. I love you too but you never gave me the chance to say that. I wanted to give you time to see friends and family, and I knew if I called for you that would only further this rift between us. Looking back I can see that I always loved you, I just did not know how to express it. To hear you say those words after surviving horrors at the end of the universe I can scarce begin to imagine...Everything seemed so clear, but I faltered in that moment and you have been suffering since for it. All I can do now is apologize for the pain I caused you and hope for forgiveness."
Rhys didn't realize they were crying until Ahewann's hand reached up and gently ran across their cheek. That simple touch was all it took and they collasped into his arms, sobbing openly and not caring who heard or saw. And they knew he didn't either as his arms wrapped around them, holding them close and just being there for comfort. Only when Rhys had no more tears to cry, when the sobbing had faded into quiet hiccups, did Ahewann move. To sit back down and bring Rhys with him, cradling them close. Rhys passed out as the exhaustion hit, though for the first time since returning the sleep would be peaceful.