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The transition back to the real world was harder than Darryl had imagined it would be. He thought once they all got back Earth-side, his world would slowly go back to normal. Carol would come back and let him be her husband again, he’d go back to hanging with the Chelsea Boys, and his son would be safe. He thought having the other dads around would make things easier.
Darryl thought a lot of things that turned out not to be true. Shortly after they got home, Carol served him divorce papers, and after a couple of months, Darryl was single for the first time since high school. He tries to keep meeting up with the Chelsea Boys, but all that does is remind him of all of the ways he has failed his son. His son who he was already losing before he managed to traumatize him. His son, who quit soccer, and has all but stopped speaking to him. A boy slowly imploding in on himself, and uninterested in his father helping him with anything. Understandably if you ask Darryl.
Having the other dads around has made some things easier. He can’t imagine getting through his divorce without them, but they all seem to have slotted back into their lives in a way Darryl can’t even imagine. Glenn has been putting in the work with Nick, and seemed to be doing really well. Ron, well, Ron was hard to get a read on, but as far as he could tell, he wasn’t having any issues with reintegration. And Henry, the twins have been struggling with coming back, but he and Mercedes, as always, were approaching that issue together. They were figuring things out.
Henry was also responsible for another issue Darryl was struggling with since coming home, and as he sat in the Oak-Garcia’s backyard filled with the people he holds most dear to him, he hopes no one notices the way his eyes keep drifting back to Henry. He makes conversation with Glenn for a while, listening to him tell stories about his life touring. Ensuring he always has a beer to nurse on, a little bit of courage to lean on because Patrick, Carol’s new fancy boyfriend, is at the family barbecue for the first time . And definitely not because of the way he feels when he’s around Henry. The guilt he can’t quite understand.
Darryl spends most of the night like that, cycling between different people. Even manages to talk to Patrick for a while. As much as he hates to admit it, Patrick seems like a good guy. He walks away from Patrick tasting bile, his stomach turning in knots.
The sun eventually begins to set, and Darryl vaguely registers as everyone begins to filter inside for the movie and board games part of the night. He stays seated, watching from the back porch as the sunset. He can’t help but miss the sky in Faerun. The vibrancy of the colors of dusk and dawn, the purple-tinted blue skies, and the millions of stars during the night. He misses more of Faerun than he ever could have imagined. Despite all of the fear and stress, there were moments where he had felt more free than he’d ever felt Earth-side.
The press of a hand on his shoulder serves to break his train of thought, as Darryl turns to see a slightly quizzical Henry. “Hey bud, was just checking if you were coming inside?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. Yes. Just working myself up to it.” Darryl takes a swig of his beer, thinks about moving towards the living room, but just can’t manage to find it in himself. Henry takes this as an invitation to sit down next to him. Darryl can feel the heat radiating off of Henry’s body. In the Forgotten Realms, Darryl remembers leaning into Henry warmth. He can’t find an excuse to do it here.
They sit in silence for a while, long enough that Darryl feels like he might have gotten away with something. Then Henry opens his mouth, “It still feels kind of weird being back.”
“Really?” Darryl asks, from where he was sitting, it seemed like Henry had no issues stepping back into his old life.
“Yeah, I mean, we changed so much over there.” Henry sighs, and sounds almost unsure of himself. “We came back and everything is the same.”
“For some of us,” Darryl says before he can even fully register it as a thought. He feels bad at how harsh the words come out of him.
Henry looks over at him, “Sorry, I know there’s been lots of changes for you since we got back. I can’t imagine it’s been easy on you.”
Darryl wants to be mad, wants to feel the same prickle of rage these kinds of interactions with Henry used to provoke, but all he can think of is how the warm light filtering out from the living room window is hitting Henry’s hair. “I get what you mean about missing it, though. It was terrifying, but I learned a lot about myself.”
Henry hums, and looks at Darryl. “What did you learn?”
There’s a pregnant pause, Darryl trying to find a way to answer this question without incriminating himself, but in this moment, he can’t find it in himself to lie to his friend. “I wish I could regret what we did over there. I really wish I could. I mean, I regret so much that happened but,” Darryl breathes in deep, trying to brace himself. “Something about us finding each other, that felt right.”
Henry’s eyes are on the Sunset, and Darryl is reminded of nights where he and Henry were the last ones up. The comfort that silence with Henry brought, even during the hardest of times, although the man was not often prone to quiet. He tries to make eye contact with Henry, and it’s the first time Darryl can remember him avoiding it. He immediately regrets opening his mouth, searching for a way to claw the words back into his mouth and pretend this never happened. He can’t and finds himself just watching his friend.
Eventually, Henry settles his eyes on his wife, laughing at their kids' antics. There’s so much softness in the way he looks at her that Darryl feels the air get sucked away from him. Henry’s voice is quiet when he finally speaks, “I know that feeling, Darryl.” He begins to fidget with his wedding band.
Darryl stares at his own hands, at the still fading tan line on his ring finger. The slowly vanishing proof of a promise he no longer holds. He looks over to Carol, smiling to herself as she watches her new boyfriend playing some card game with Grant and Nick. Darryl’s not sure if he’s ever felt further away from his family. He can feel himself spiraling into something and then he feels Henry’s weight lean into him. He lets himself relish in it.
“I do love you. You’re a pretty loveable guy, Darryl.” Henry says, his voice soft and warm. “In another world, another life, there are promises I would hold for you.”
They sit there for just a moment longer before they both get up and walk into the living room to join their family. Henry goes and sits next to Mercedes, just as another round of cards is begun and the two of them are dealt in, and Darryl plops himself onto the couch right next to Ron. He pretends to pay attention to the movie and to Ron, as he keeps a pretty constant stream of commentary, but Darryl can’t help but find his mind drifting to another world, and promises that he could make there.