Chapter Text
Ava had gotten rejected from another job interview.
The gentle buzz of the florescent lights overhead acted as the only thing grounding her to her seat. She'd lost count as to how many she'd been rejected from at this point, and the thought of having to bare another failure made her stomach churn. She had been so confident this time, a graphics design company, something that she should be perfectly suited for, given her experience. Ava had even begun to think of ways to celebrate the evening with her victory, which might've been her first mistake. Getting your hopes up a little too quickly, aren't you?
She isn't quite sure what she had expected, in all honesty. The sickly sweet voice from the uniformed lady in front of her made it difficult for the young woman to reel back in, "I'm afraid you just aren't what we're looking for in this company," she'd offer a pitying smile over. "Your portfolio, while.. certainly diverse, is just not what this company needs." A manicured hand slid back the folder towards Ava, pink eyes hollowed of any hurt to save face, following the motion. Ava swallowed, before her head glanced back up to meet her interviewer.
"It's, it's alright," She'd stammer, albeit her voice beginning to crack with that familiar tremble. Stop it. This is embarrassing. Are you a child? She'd chastise herself for the swelling tears, only held back by the stiffening of her jaw. "Can't say it didn't hurt to give it a shot, ha-ha!" It did hurt, actually. Who even says that? This is why they didn't hire you. Maybe the woman across from her could tell she was taking it especially hard, her face scrunching up ever so slightly in a way that made Ava's face flush a little with humiliation. You're an adult, act like it.
"Mmh." An uncomfortable hum of acknowledgement left the other woman, "We certainly wish you the best, then. It appears this interview is concluded."
An all too polite way of saving, 'get lost.' Ava nodded all too quickly, gathering the folder within shaking hands. "Yes, ah, concluded! Well - have, er, have a good day, then." The words came out uncoordinated as she pulled herself up from the sofa chair she'd been sitting in, the minimalist office now feeling all too tight around her. She didn't even catch what the woman who had interviewed her had said, having rushed out of the building far quicker than she thought her legs capable of carrying her. She didn't stop, even when she reached the parking lot, and especially not when she made it to the sidewalk in front of her apartment building. In a way, she'd been terrified that if she did stop, she might just collapse in a puddle of herself.
The last thing she needed right now was to run into someone she knew. Worn-out converse picked up traction as her brief walk became something more of a hurried jog, the sound of her beating heart in her eardrums working wonders to distract the emotions that felt like they were going to burst out at any second. It felt embarrassing to react to negatively to something that should just be a normal way of adulthood, which seemed to only upset her further. It was never just 'an emotion' to Ava. Whether it was upset, angry, lonely, or ashamed, she felt it as if it were amplified on every level possible, which in turn just tired her out until she couldn't feel anything left.
She hadn't even realized she made it to the front door of her flat until her hands could hardly pry out her set of keys, fingers having begun to go rigid as they tugged and pulled at the key ring, struggling to get it in the door. Her mind had been so wrapped up in a multitude of thoughts, that she couldn't even seem to hold out her front door's key still enough. A frustrated hiccup escaped her, eyebrows furrowing childishly. You can't even open a door right, are you stupid? Her mind spat out insults, causing the keys to go clanging to the floor with a pathetic thunk.
Her knees crumpled below herself, tears coming in hot as they swelled up in her eyes, an especially pathetic sniffle leaving her. She couldn't even make it into the confines of her apartment before the wave of humiliation and anger hit her all at once, shoulders trembling as her head hung low. If her fathers could see her now, she's certain they might be disappointed in her. As much as they tried to show their unwavering adoration to their daughter, the success of both of them made her feel as if she was doing just about everything wrong. She wasn't a politician, a scientist, a doctor, or even a grocery store cashier.
She was just herself.
Just Ava.
"-Ava?" A man's voice spoke out.
Her head whipped up quickly, startled by the sudden call of her name. Pink eyes met deep blue ones, the familiar elegant features her most studious 'roommate' showing off an expression of great worry.
"Rhys." She'd croak out in a voice that sounded far weaker than she'd hoped. Slowly, her gaze trailed downwards to his appearance, of which the man before her wore a bright pink apron above his usual regal Daemos attire. The sight might've been funny, if she were capable of finding anything amusing in her current state. "What're you, ah.." She began again, sniffling loudly, "-doing wearing an apron?"
Ava's question went unanswered for the time being, as Rhys wasted little time to kneel down to her level. His hands outstretched to scoop themselves up underneath her armpits, pulling her into a carry as his left arm quickly moved to support her lower half after getting her up from the ground. "Rhys?" She'd ask again, a little alarmed by the sudden initiation for contact.
"Let's talk inside, okay?" He responded back, in that usual careful way that she'd seen him use before with others. He might've not been as bulky as Pierce, or as forward as Leif, but Rhys' hold made something deep within her chest soften, like a tight coil that had been loosened around her body. Ava didn't really want to talk, but she had found herself losing the words of protest the longer he held onto her.
Closing the door with his hip, something that made a half-smile crack on Ava's face, Rhys began to carefully escort Ava off into her apartment's kitchen, where she could begin to smell something sweet within the air. If this were any other day, Ava might have dropped a comment about him using her kitchen when she wasn't home, and how dangerous it would have been, but she instead allowed herself to indulge in the physical contact.
Dipping her head closer to the crook of his neck, she felt the steady pulse of his heartbeat against her forehead. For being a completely different species, it fascinated her how they all managed to have flesh and blood just like her. Rhys smelt comforting, like vanilla extract and an old library, something she'd taken note of on the very first day they had met. Another hiccup escaped out of her, and she could feel Rhys' arms begin to shift so they could set her down atop of something cold and harder- her kitchen counter.
Having set her down, the contact that she'd been cradling herself into slowly separated as Rhys pulled away, something she would have protested on if she were a bolder woman. A hand had outstretched, cradling against her chin as he carefully tilted her head up so that she'd properly meet his gaze. He'd always been especially tender with her, something she caught onto fairly quick into his and the others extended stay in her apartment. For a man who wielded ice magic, his touch was warm.
"What's gotten you so upset, Princess?" He asked her, and the smooth tone he'd taken with her just made her emotions swell back up again. It was a stupid thing to be upset about. He probably wouldn't understand, even if she explained it to him. Now, she's made a fool of herself in front of him by looking so pathetic.
Ava's head tilted away quickly, a sniffle emitting from her as she refused to make eye contact. "Nothing." She lied, trying to ignore the way she felt his eyes study her face.
"Princess," He insisted, pulling her head back to force her gaze back onto him. "It is just us two. The other's are off for the afternoon- you do not have to hide anything."
Heat flushed to her cheeks, and she must have begun to cry again sometime during her silence, as his freehand began to delicately wipe away at the tears that had begun to stream back down her face again. She hoped he'd give up, that he'd stop showing her such softness, as amongst her crippling thoughts of self-doubt and misery, she certainly didn't need to think about him any more than he already plagued her mind. A weak attempt to resist began from her, hands moving to sit their palms flat against the broadness of his chest and pushing her body further away. The close proximity just made everything harder to bare alone.
Rhys didn't budge, however. His hands remained as grounding anchors to her body, his eyes soft as they kept their attention onto Ava. It wasn't an aggressive, overwhelming sensation, no. It was stable and present. It was just Rhys.
"Would you like to hear how my day went?" He'd suggest, the hand that had been supporting her lower half moving up to find placement against the small of her back, something that made her skin feel all too warm. Her head nodded slowly in return, gaze still kept off of him in an attempt to keep her resolve.
"I'd been reading that cookbook that elderly sorceress had left. Originally, I hadn't found it much interest, but she'd let me know that it includes the instructions on how to make such fine delicacies as the ice cream you'd shown me, which had changed my mind." Rhys began, his voice calm as it recited his morning. "So, I got to work. I sent the others off as to not distract my practice, and used one of the robes within your closet needed for these steps- ah, if that's alright. I hadn't asked you for permission before going through your armory, I do apologize."
The serious tone he held whilst describing putting on a baker's apron earned a weak chuckle from her, a smile barely cracking onto her face in amusement. Unbeknownst to her, that had been partially the intent of his recollection, as a small smile mirrored the one she wore in return. "I'd discovered that this was a practice of great patience, though.." His voice trailed off, before he cleared his throat to continue, "I'd found I had.. Failed my first attempt. The sweet 'coo-kees' as the book described came out black and hard, much like coal."
In the corner of Ava's eye, she caught the way his cheeks flushed ever so slightly at the admission. He was embarrassed, she'd repeat to herself as her head fully turned to face him now, savoring the sight of the gentle red hue that decorated his typically reserved face. Rhys' gaze quickly met her own, and his smile grew in a way that made her chest tighten up. "It appears I am no good at this 'bay-king' thing, but with failures come resilience."
Resilient. Her face crumpled once more, and her head tilted downwards in shame. Whether it was intentional or not, Rhys' recollection of his afternoon felt just enough similar to how her day had gone. They'd both failed at something today, and he even seemed perfectly fine with the fact he couldn't do something despite his efforts. "My Princess," He'd murmur down to her, perhaps aware of the tears that had begun to bud within her eyes once more, "I'm not sure what's gotten you so upset, but I am going nowhere. Comfort isn't a common thing within our world, but I'm quite knowledgeable on the subject."
Her face burned, and she struggled to hold back the flooding of emotions that swelled within her body.
"Whatever it is you need from me," Rhys leaned down, gently guiding her back into his chest, "I will heed to it."
This time, Ava didn't reject or push away from his grasp. Her arms pulled around his torso, finding security on his back. In return, Rhys tightened his grip into the hug.
She wept into his clothes, what had first began as delicate sniffles turned into full body sobbing, broken words of finding everything so difficult where it should be simple and struggling to succeed in the way others do slipping through the wails that left her. She couldn't recall the last time she'd been comforted while crying, and it dawned onto her that she doesn't think she ever experienced such a thing. It wasn't like people hadn't tried, but rather the vulnerability scared Ava into rejecting such a thing all up into her adulthood. Her body leaned into his touch, the two chest-to-chest as she wept.
For a while, they remained like that. Ava hadn't taken notice of how much time had passed, and a part of her didn't really care. Gradually, the sobs that left her slowly relaxed into tiny hiccups, and then finally an occasional sniffle. Rhys didn't seem to mind staying with her throughout it all, his hands occasionally moving to rub against her body comfortingly as she absorbed the intimacy like a sponge. How nice it was to hold onto another person, to feel the warmth of their skin and the pressure of their hands onto your own body.
It was Ava who spoke up first, breaking their prolonged silence.
"I didn't get the job." She'd murmur, her voice hoarse from crying. Her forehead pressed further into his skin, legs having found themselves wrapped around his waist.
"That's alright," he'd return, his voice gentle, "Success comes at your own pace." His hand slid up her back, resting against her shoulders as he slowly pried her off of him. Finally, Ava found herself turning her head up first to meet his eyes, and the look of adoration across his face made her heart thump louder than it had all day. "There is always tomorrow, and the next. Time here- it moves slower, than what we're used to, but, I do not think that is necessarily a bad thing." He mused, deep blue eyes meeting hers.
She didn't respond verbally, though she was sure she didn't need to. It was still difficult to bare, and the weight hadn't fully pulled off of her, but she'd be lying if she said that the way he spoke to her didn't ease the overwhelming emotions deep within her body. While her heart might've been pounding against her chest, she was most definitely the calmest she'd ever been in her life.
"Can- can we stay like this? For a bit longer?" She'd ask, and Rhys' face seemed to soften as a soft chuckle emitted out of him.
"Of course, my Princess."