Chapter Text
He’s not sure why, but when the group finally reaches the grate at the top of the sewers, and they re-integrate with the fresh air of Dol-Makjar, that’s when Hal starts to feel sick. He didn’t feel it when they were ankle deep in shit, almost a mile underground, nor did he feel it when that mold monster thing erupted those body-melting sludge pools near him… For some reason, he only starts to feel that familiar feeling of nausea creep up his throat when they make it out into the clean, crisp air.
It almost feels like a punishment. Everything he’s witnessed in the last 3 hours has been punishing enough, but only now that he’s free and far enough away does he feel his tolerance slip.
The city is blurry, the lights surrounding them are crossing into figure eights, and he can’t make heads or tails of what the others are saying. He just walks forward and pretends to hold onto whatever reserves he has left, even though he knows he ran out already. More than once, he finds that he can’t remember which way to turn to make it home before the feeling is gone, and muscle memory remembers for him.
He wants and feels too much. His father had said that to him at one point. Or was it his brother?
Oh dead gods, Thjazi… He still hadn’t buried his brother…
Suddenly, Hal feels a wave of too much all at once again. He wants to melt into the ground, but he can’t. There’s a pull in his chest that, right now, he hates to call responsibility. It won’t let him drown; in fact, it drives him past the point of his limit and desperately wants to make sure everyone is okay.
He wants Thaisha to tell him that she found Alogar safe and sound.
He wants to know what exactly the paints are so that he can know for sure that Shadia and the rest of his troupe are safe on the stage he spent ages getting.
He wants to melt into Elodie’s arms and stay there for eternity.
“Hal? What about Elodie? Do you wish to see her?” That was Azune’s voice, but as far as Hal knew, he’d gone home as the others did. Was he spending the night at his house again? When had they established that? How were they even talking? Another message…? “No, I am not sending you a message, we’re speaking out loud.”
“Oh.” Hal feels himself pull back a little, like a wave managing to right him back into his own body for a moment as he registers Azune in front of him. They’ve stopped, and Hal’s mouth feels dry as he tries to speak. “Elodie… It’s late. She’s asleep. The kids are asleep.”
“Somehow I don’t think she’ll mind. If it puts your mind at ease enough for you to sleep.” Azune’s hand is warm on his elbow as they begin walking once more.
Hal isn’t sure how they manage to skip there so quickly, and assumes it must be some of Azune’s arcane magic, even when Azune himself insists it’s not, as he knocks on the familiar door.
He almost has half a mind to hope Elodie isn’t home, not wanting to bother her before the door is opened and the light from inside halos the woman he loves like an ethereal creature. “Hal? Is everything alright? Azune, what happened?”
“A lot, Elodie. Some I can’t discuss but Hal wanted to make sure you and the kids were okay.”
The speaking happens above him somehow as he feels the arm on his elbow trade off for another.
“Of course we are. Come here darling, you’re soaked but you smell like you need another soak.” “Azune? Get in here you also need a bath. Did you two fall into a sewer?”
Hal keeps his eyes on his feet and tries not to throw up. He loves his woman. He loves how she smells, and he feels sick that she is touching him.
“Something like that… And oh no I’m not staying, I was just escorting Hal.”
“Nonsense, come inside, it’s late. Shut the door and take off your shoes. And you, sit before the floor meets you first.” Hal feels himself pushed into a chair. He recognizes it because he’s the one who had to help carry it into the foyer, where it stayed. There’s some quieter back and forth that he can’t quite make out before the hand is back and lifting him once more. “Aren’t you lucky I just finished running a bath for myself. Up we go darling.”
In his peripheral vision, he can see Azune reach out to assist when he sways a little too hard into Elodie’s soft body. “I can help–”
“Thank you dear but this one I’ll take on myself and then you can go after, sound good?” Elodie is so sweet and kind, he thinks.
“Yes ma’am. I can uhh..”
“Shadia? Hero? Come down, girls, family’s visiting.”
A chorus of hello’s echoed through the home as the two girls tumbled down the stairs and each started getting Azune settled with a thousand questions on their lips. It was the last thing Hal heard before the door shut, and it was just him and Elodie.
Thankfully, she didn’t ask questions as she helped him take off his jacket and shirt, although it was very probable she had, and he just didn’t register it. He could feel the burn of the water as he settled down with his head on her chest. She was perched over the edge and cupping the water in her hand to pour over his hair.
Her hands were methodical but gentle as they swayed over his dirty body, just like she would over a piece of fabric. He had half a mind to tell her not to bother before his thoughts sank into the bathwater.
The next time he opens them, it’s to an empty bathtub, a shivering body, and a rough towel raking over his head.
“There we are, dear. Feeling better?”
His lips smack as he answers, “Kind of, I- oh El…”
“I know, Hal, I know. What happened was hard on us all, but I can’t imagine how it must be for you right now.” She doesn’t know, and Hal can’t stomach telling her. “The girls miss you terribly, let’s go to bed so they can say goodnight.”
Time skips again, and Hal distantly wonders if this is part of getting old. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to dwell on it long before he’s covered head to toe in blankets and a cold, wet compress on his head, and his family is all coming in and bee-lining towards him.
Shadia is the first to reach him, energetic even at the late hour. “Hi dad! Not feeling well?”
“Hi, and no… sorry.” He sips the water from the cup she holds to his mouth and breathes slowly when she presses her forehead to his.
“Don’t be, just glad you’re here.” She whispers, just as Hero comes over and plops a hot pillow on his stomach. It smelled like lavender.
“This’ll make you feel better.” She says as she makes herself comfortable beside him. Should I recite the giant baby’s ballad to you?”
Hal chuckles and feels ten pounds lighter for it. “Yes, please.”
Shadia nudged her littler sister, “Careful Hero, we don’t want to spoil him.”
“What’s the giant baby’s ballad?” All eyes in the room whipped in Azune’s direction as he settled on the floor by the door, and Hero, his beloved daughter, immediately smirked like the cat who got the cream.
“Oh you’re in for a Fang family treat Azune, lay down and listen to this tale from a time long before us…”
Hero tells the story, Shadia acts out the important parts, Azune watches like he’s going to be quizzed on this later, and Elodie giggles for the better part of the night. All while he lies there listening, feeling, and coming back to his body. He’ll figure out his relationship with Bolaire, figure out the paints, figure out why the king is in town, all of it… Tomorrow. For now, at this moment though…. He loves his family to bits and closes his eyes to sleep soundly.