Rhys knew the traveling and everything else that Sebastian had gone through had to weigh heavy on him. So the only reason he would sneak out of bed was just to let Seb get more sleep while he went ahead and started his day. Sometimes he caved into the need to just lay there and snuggle closer to him, just savor the quiet moment together because it had been seven goddamn years since they last saw each other. And Rhys would be damned if anything took that moment of safety, of pure contentment, away from him again. He just got Sebastian back, and he was the happiest he had ever been in a long time.
“I know, I try to be,” he teased. Unless it came to his skills at video games, Rhys never was much of one to stroke his own ego. “Don’t mention it.” He was about to lift his head, but Sebastian leaned in and already placed a kiss to his cheek. The gesture alone made his heart race and the smile spread wider across his face. He loved the small affections that Sebastian gave him; he wasn’t much of one to let words express how he felt and usually kept to himself. But after all those years, Rhys had missed being able to take his hand or receiving those small kisses. Even the nights when Seb would slip into his bed– he missed all of it. Missed him. But he was back now, alive despite everything he had been through to get there.
He made his way back over to the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of coffee creamer and a half gallon of milk. He even snatched some sugar for the coffee before he made his way back to the table to set them all down. “Nothing this morning,” he replied, “working at the clinic’s got my internal clock all screwed up. It’s easier for me getting out of bed in the mornings now, even on my days off.”
Rhys glanced over at the pot of coffee, which had just finished brewing. Sebastian had already grabbed the mugs, so he left it to him to pour out the coffee for them. “Looks like you’re stuck with me today, Seb,” he teased again, smiling over at his friend while he took a seat at the table. He was glad to finally have a day where neither work nor Syndicate would pull him away from anything he wanted to do. Granted if The Syndicate needed him, the call wouldn’t go ignored. But since the attack on the Initiative facility, things had been rather quiet.
“What about you? Anything you want to do today?” That was about how Rhys was taking all this– one day at a time. But he knew the topic would have to come up eventually: plans for the future. What was Seb going to do? Was he going to stick around L.A.? Or was he going to travel again, try to find a way to fix what he had unintentionally sparked with his powers? Rhys was willing to help him with anything he needed, but he couldn’t leave L.A. Couldn’t leave The Syndicate. They had become family, played a role in picking himself back up after he had been on the run and after he thought he had lost everyone he cared about. Fortunately, he managed to get Orion and Sebastian back, but he still worried and wondered how long his luck would last on both counts.
“We can go out if you want. Maybe just go on a drive or something. Or we can just stay around home.” The word slipped out before he could correct himself. Here, he should have said. He didn’t know Seb’s plans, but still, the idea of his house being their home fit. Seb belonged there. But if that was against whatever his friend had planned, then Rhys had to respect that. First, though, he had to gain the courage to ask.
“Whatever you want to do,” he added instead.
There were a number of things the Irishman knew he should do. He didn’t have much to his name or on his person. There were some things he could still get his hands on. He hadn’t been entirely daft. He knew what he was, and what that meant. He was well-aware of the dangers of living in this world as a mutant, without destroying and killing. Not all mutants were hunted. Some managed to stay forever hidden amongst the general populace. Sebastian had given the Initiative plenty of reason to go after him though for that lab incident, even if he was trying to do something good, something he believed in. It still all went wrong and blew up in his face. It didn’t matter the intent, he was a wanted man.
While he couldn’t go back to where he’d been, lucky for him, the U.S. government couldn’t touch everything. If he was careful, Seb could possibly regain some of his funds to live off of. He could use more clothes and some other necessary items. He hadn’t quite figured out how he was going to go about retrieving any of his money or anything, but he had some ideas. He also had no idea what he was going to do for work anymore either. He had to lay low for the time being but he couldn’t stay in hiding indefinitely.
A small chuckle escaped him as Rhys teased. You are, he wanted to insist. And if he hadn’t been grappling with so many uncertain variables, he might have. But Rhys was a part of more than one of those uncertainties. Seb was just too much the coward to say or do or even ask anything. He just thought it best not to throw another wrench into the fold.
He poured out coffee for the both of them as it finished brewing, returning to the table to set down the mugs where each of them were sitting. “There ’re worse things I could be stuck wit’,” he replied as he sat down, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He stirred in some milk and sugar for his coffee, debating the older man’s question. What did he want to do? Plenty. But it wasn’t so much a matter of what he wanted versus what he could do at the moment - which was a lot of damage.
Home. The word didn’t actually jump out at Sebastian, as it just sounded and felt natural coming from Rhys and all their history. Their respective residences had always included each other - even when they lived separately. They were always visiting with one another. Always had a place with the other if need be. For Seb, home wasn’t a physical place for him to go to. It was wherever Rhys had been. So it just felt normal to him, which was what he ended up dwelling on instead. “A drive sounds nice actually,” he admitted. As much as he didn’t want to go out and potentially cause a catastrophe, he didn’t want the other man to feel cooped up. And he wanted to spend as much time with him as he possibly could, having years to make up for. Everything was just one day at a time for now.
“Look, I know we ‘ave a lot to talk about still. Ya must ‘ave plenty o’ questions yer not askin’, an’ I appreciate yer bein’ patient wit’ me - as ye always ‘ave been.” He began, his hands each resting on the table on either side of his plate. He was fidgeting with his fingers, staring down at a blank spot on the tabletop. This was not Seb’s forte, talking like this. And he quickly found himself at a loss for more words - or really - for the courage to say more of what was on his mind. He was biting his lip then.
“I don’t know where to begin.”
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