Rylan looks at River, wondering what he needs to speak with his parents about, and why that would have anything to do with why he was back now… 

“Yeah, or I’ll never hear the end of it”
“H-Hayden and Vy, Rylan briefly told me they were attacked. How are they? How long ago was it?

Rylan looks at Hayle, who nods at him, he knows this is something Rylan would rather not speak off, so he figures he and River can talk 

“You just go up with the cake, me and River will bring the rest.”

He motions for River to follow him as he walks towards the kitchen, Lobo dancing around his legs clearly hoping there is something for him as well 

“Nono, chocolate is not for you silly!”

Rylan nods, watching his dad go, about to just walk up to Hayden’s room, but he stops, and walks over to River, kissing him quickly, then he smiles and walks up the stairs to find his brother. Hayle looking at River as he joins him in the kitchen stretching to get the plates.

“To answer your question, it has been about two years now. Vy is completely fine, the poison only affected him for a week.. I mean, as fine as he can be for someone who blames himself for Hayden’s current condition.”

He turns around and his eyes meet Rivers. 

“He is alive, barely, and what was once a bad day, is now a very good one.”

River listens to Hayle attentively, standing behind Hayle somewhat stiff, arms crossed behind his back. Two years ago, about the time he started the daydreams, before he had tried but had never reached him. No wonder his mind was so pliable. Guilt once more wrapping around his mind, as he realizes he took advantage of Rylan’s most vulnerable time. And he had seen how hard Hayden’s bad days where to Rylan if they were worse now, he couldn’t even imagine the toll that might have had on everyone.

“Barely… Shit…”

River sighs.

“And during all that I was highjacking Rylan to a dream fantasy… Shit. I’m sorry, because of me you could have lost Rylan too!”
“You didn’t know you were doing it, and when it was brought to attention, you stopped it.”

Hayle smiles and puts a hand on River’s shoulder. 

“You have nothing to say sorry for, if anything, you helped him survive something I am not sure he would have otherwise, you gave him something to hope for in a time when he had very little.”

He hands River some spoons, as he gets some glasses to put on top off the plates. 

“He seems more stable now but we’re all on the one day at the time deal, it can change quickly and unexpectedly. Oh and mind taking this?”

He holds out a bottle of soda”

River holds the spoons, looking at them then at Hayle, wondering how they can be so calm with him there after all this time away, after not being there for Rylan. He listens carefully what he says and holds the soda, trying his best to hold his calm he mumbles

“The hunters are back.”
“We have wards around the house, we figured as one got away, there would be more… “

he stops and looks at River. 

“Your wondering why I’m not angry with you right?”

Hayle smiles, the way River stands and the way he holds himself so different from the River that left.

“There’s more coming, this is the something I needed to discuss with you both. I was able to catch a couple and send them on their way, this is why I am here. I am tasked with keeping you safe.”

River watches him, opting not to answer to that last question, afraid of what the answer might be.

“I see.”

Hayle is quiet for a while, then he looks back at River.

“Neither me and Chris are angry with you for the simple reason that Rylan loves you, with all his being. And you chose to stand for something you did in your past, and you went to fix your magic just so you could be with him. We know you would have come earlier if you could, this was not your choice, the time spent away, and you kept your promise, you are back. Now until my husband comes home, how about we have cake and you say hello to the other two?”

Each word Hayle says hits him hard and he presses his lips to a thin line, controlling his emotions, trying to stop himself from breaking apart. He was ready for anger, but this? This understanding, this was forgiveness that he wouldn’t give himself, yet this man was giving him, that’s something different, and something he doesn’t even know how to answer. His body trembles and he nods, lips pressed as he simply nods, afraid that if he speaks he’ll cry, yet he swallows and takes control. 

“I’d love cake.”
“Come on then.”

Hayle smiles and heads towards the stair and Hayden’s room.

Rylan knocks on the door to his brother’s room

“Hey, you two.”
“Lost the cake? Really.”
“Yeah… sorry… unexpected events, or well… long-awaited.”

Hayden looks at Vy, then back at his brother 

“River?”
“How… how did you jump to that conclusion?”
“Vy said he saw him when he came home, we were waiting until you came home to tell you…”
“I saw him, by the Portal! He appeared to be looking for something, he didn’t notice me, or if he did, he acted like he did… Where did you find him? Is he here?”

Vy is sitting close to Hayden, putting his book aside, just watching Rylan and the cake he has brought with him. 

“Eh, by the shelter, decided to walk past it on my way back here…he isn’t the same as when he left, but then again, neither are we.”
“True enough, is he here?”
“Yeah, he is talking a bit with Hayle…”
“Ahh about me then.”

he knew how much Rylan avoided it if he could so that he was here when River was down there told him all he needed to know. Vy looks at Hayden, then at Rylan, then down at his knees fiddling with the page of the book on his lap.

“Maybe he’s telling mister Hayle why he was away?”
“Probably… “

Rylan looked towards the door. 

“Well, we’ll know soon enough, I just hope this means we might get our shelter back.”
“You still want that?”
“Yes, I need something to do, even if for an hour… These walls are shrinking every day I tell you!”

Vy looks around the room.

“They’re not shrinking Hay hay.”

He pouts a little, hating that Hayden is homebound so often since the shelter closed, they didn’t have much else to go, sometimes they could sit outside, and on a very good day they’d go with Rylan to his work, but that was rare.

“It most certainly feels that way.”

Hayden smiles, leaning his head on Vy’ shoulder 

“I can hope right?”
“I’d like it too, so yes, we can hope”

He hears steps in the stairs, the sound of a dog following, oddly he feels slightly nervous as if he expects River to have left for some odd reason. Hayle entering the room first, with a River following close behind him, nervous to see everyone again and how they will react or what he will see. If Rylan is not in good shape, he can only imagine how Hayden and  Vy might be. He had seen Vy a couple of time, from afar, he couldn’t tell much difference, he looked tired most of the time, and skinny, but what about Hayden? They had been his friends, or he liked to imagine.

“Sorry, but here we are, it is time for cake!”
“Well… why don’t you start doing schoolwork again, it could help keep you occupied, or… “

Vy shrugs and goes quiet once he sees Hayle. The fact that Hayden lost all interest for school still worried him, he felt like Hayden had lost the will to live, or will for the future, he just existed, and it was all Vy’s fault.

“Hi, mister Hayle.”

Hayden just looks at Vy, this being a discussion they had many times already, his answer stooped by Hayle coming inside and River walking in behind him.

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