Work Text:
As the boat washed ashore they had finally found themselves back in Aedes Elysiae. Anaxa was not worried or nervous no matter what Phainon would say! Instead simply… curious on how his family would receive his presence. If they would accept him and give their blessings for his continued relationship with their son. Or if they would reject him and forbid their son from continuing their relationship together. Of course he wasn’t relaying this curiosity to Phainon (yet something in him had a feeling that he already knew this anyways).
“Look we’re finally here!” Phainon exclaimed, his smile rivaling the sun with it’s brightness. Anaxa couldn’t help but smile at that as well, quelling the pit forming in his stomach.
Looking at the docks they had just pulled up to there was a crowd of people already waiting. It seems like Phainon had underestimated just how excited the village would be to see him. As blue gave way to the vibrant gold the people waited eagerly for them to finally walk off.
“Indeed we are, you’ll have to show me around you know” Anaxa carefully speaks, hoping that Phainon can’t detect the worry in his voice.
“Of course, it’s been a dream of mine to show you around” He smiles and takes Anaxa’s hand in his, lightly pulling him in the direction of all the people. The crowd of people swarmed them the moment they stepped off the boat onto the ground. With all the chatter it was hard to pick one conversation out with shouts of Phainon’s name, how good it was for him to be back, who he was, if he was a friend, how everything was, and much much more. It was very much overwhelming but slightly soothed the anxieties he had. They were all happy to see him, to see that their Phainon had finally come home, with someone else none the less.
“Hello everyone it’s so great to be back home! It’s been a long journey though so please let my lover Anaxagoras and I rest first” As Phainon said that the crowd suddenly hushed. Wrong thing to have said to quell their excitement. As soon as they processed what had been said they erupted again, this time with a newfound energy. Shouts of how Phainon had finally all grown up, brought someone home and how pretty he was was all that Anaxa could hear.
“Please please everyone give them some space! They have traveled very far to come here and I’m sure we are all too much for them right now” A woman with pale white hair and light brown eyes speaks up, pushing her way in front of the crowd. Upon hearing her voice Phainon perked up.
“Ma!” He shouted imaginary tail wagging as two others, a man with dull brown hair and bright blue eyes with a girl with similar blue eyes appeared.
“Papa! Cyrene! You’re all here!” As the crowd slowly dispersed with varying promises to catch back up tomorrow. Phainon ran up to the trio and pulled them into a great embrace. With a smirk on his face Anaxa walked up to them.
“Phainon! You’ve finally come back, and with someone else I see. Who is this man you’ve brought home?” Phainon’s mom, Audata as Anaxa would later learn, removed herself from the hug yet still holding onto Phainon’s arms.
“Mama, Papa, Cyrene” As Phainon speaks he points to each person “I want you guys to meet my lover Anaxagoras. He is a professor from the Grove where we met.”
“Hello, It’s great to finally be meeting you all. I’ve heard nothing but good things about all of you” Anaxa responds while waving his hand at his family.
“Phainon! You’ve finally come home with someone!” The pink haired girl, Cyrene, shouts out.
“Our little boy has finally grown up into a man” Phainon’s dad, Hieronymus, says proudly.
———
“Here boy take this” Hieronymus shouts tossing a sickle towards Anaxa. “You’re gonna help me out today in the fields.”
“Of course sir but just warning you, I’ve never used one of these before.” Anaxa takes the sickle and investigates it in his hand.
“Well no worries then, there’s always time to learn. You scholars like learning right?”
“Well yes, yes we do” And with that they begin walking towards the wheat fields to work on a small harvest. The sea of endless gold quickly welcomed them with the sweet scent of wheat surrounding them all.
“Typically for harvesting at the end of season we would be using a scythe instead of these sickles. However because we only need a little to grind into flour we’re using the sickles.”
“I see, making a fresh flour probably helps everything taste a lot more delicious.”
“It does. Now here boy, take your blade and hold it out to the right in front of you. Holding some of the wheat, now swing it across to cut the wheat.” Anaxa does exactly that “Good! Now we are going to repeat that for quite a bit boy until we have enough for that basket over there.”
With a little sigh Anaxa gets to work with his sickle side by side with Phainon’s dad until slowly but surely, the amount of wheat filled the basket. Anaxa was sweating a little by the end of it, not used to that much physical labor which caused a chuckle from Hieronymus.
“Boy you must not be used to this! But you still managed to help out this old man with the chores. Thank you son. I see now why Phainon likes you so much”
“Of course, I’m glad to have been able to help out a little.”
———
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Anaxa asks. He and Audata are alone in the house, the others out working in the fields or doing who knows what.
“Well see now that you’re offering, how good are you with cooking by chance?” Audata smiles back in response.
“I’m not the best on my own, but I am very good at following instructions”
“That’s as good for anything.” She smiles “Can you then please grab some pomegranates and honey from the outside. Help me out with a pomegranate cake for everyone hm?”
“That sounds lovely, of course” Then Anaxa walks out to the storage to grab what was requested. Fumbling around the baskets to find the right items.
“Here they are, what else do you need me to do?”
“Can you cut up the pomegranate for me?” It goes without saying that Anaxa works on doing such. Working with patience to not create a mess.
“You have nice fingers, do you do a lot of writing?”
“Yes part of my role at the Grove does require a lot of paperwork, with grading papers and submitting approvals for various experiments.”
“I see. You use the knife with precision. Like you’ve done this thousands of times. Phainon was that way too when he was young. If you had seen him with a sickle when he was younger. The way he had swung that, it was as if he had done it for years. Hah everyone was so proud of him.”
“He’s grown greatly. You’ve raised a great man.”
“Yes, he really has. But at the same time he is still that young boy who would run through the fields with the other kids. He always made sure to include all the kids in the village. Our little Phainon always so inclusive and kind.”
“He really is, he’s always been one to never let someone go astray. Always taking everyone in and never leaving anyone out.”
“That sounds just like him.” She then prepares the fire to put the cake over to bake it. “Now we wait, would you be a dear and help me clean up too?”
“Of course” Together Audata and Anaxa work to clean up the mess they had created when the sweat aroma of cake wafts through the house.
“Ah! It must be done. Here grab the mits and pull it off” With a thump it drops onto the counter. Audata smiles wide as she opens the pot and the golden cake peaks out.
“It smells delicious ma’am.”
“Oh please! You make me feel far to old with that. Please call me mom instead, you are Phainon’s beloved after all.”
“Alright then… mom this looks great” Anaxa manages with a smile, relieved from his worries.
———
“Here over here!” Cyrene had pulled him away into a small little courtyard tucked away in Aedes Elysiae. It was serene, with various blankets and pillows tucked around it was perfect for meditation or whatever other activities the girl got up to with her oracle abilities.
“Yes over here sit down” The pink haired girl had patted a pillow next to her near the edge of the courtyard. Tucked away in the shade it was the perfect spot for resting. Cyrene had pulled him away to test him in her own way, through having his fortune told.
“Now here, hold onto my cards with me for a moment.” He did as was asked, then she proceeded to shuffle the cards.
“What did you need me to touch it for?”
“Technically its for the cards to know who’s going to be receiving their fortune. But for me at this point it’s just simple routine!” She says with a wink then stops shuffling to start pulling cards.
“The past” a card faces down on the table
“The present” another card “the future” the final card.
“Now! Time to see what the cards are trying to say~” She then moves to flip over ‘the past’ card, revealing an upside down Hierophant. Then to ‘the present’, an upside down Devil. And finally ‘the future’, an upright 4 of swords.
“What do these all mean?”
“I was just getting to that! But for the past the Hierophant is interesting for a past, specifically it being upright symbolizes conformity yet having it be upside down shows a rebellion or a change in past ways.”
“That is accurate, I started my own school of thought at the Grove, challenging the views everyone else had just merely accepted as the truth.”
“See hehe the cards don’t lie~ Next the present being viewed as the upside down Devil. Now I know it seems unnerving! The other kids never liked this card either but I promise it’s good upside down. This shows freedom, you’ve finally found a point where you can manage everything.”
“I see, I never thought of it like that way. Of viewing it as a freedom instead of just security.
“It’s meant to present new ways of looking at things! Now lets see here last but not least the future! The upright 4 of swords, rest and relaxation. You will find peace in the roads ahead.”
“That sounds perfect for how my life is going right now.”
“You’re a good person Anaxa. Thank you for letting me tell you’re fortune but most importantly thank you for taking care of my brother. I know he seems tough” She looks towards the mills seemingly lost in thought- “But he’s always been more caring of others than of himself, you are exactly what he needs. Please keep taking care of him.”
“Of course, we balance eachother out perfectly”
———
At the end of the day it always ends the same. With Phainon and Anaxa in their pajamas simply holding each other in their bed as night falls.
“See, I can’t believe that you thought they would hate you. They love you so much.” Phainon says, tracing over Anaxa’s face.
“I never thought that they would hate me! I just…” Anaxa tries to rebute only to be interrupted by Phainon.
“You worrywart. You’re precious to me; they would never hate anything or anybody I love.“ A kiss gets pressed against Anaxa’s face, along with another and another and another.
“Alright alright! I get it enough enough you affectionate puppy!”