Dias doesn't understand why they always wait for him. He leaves Arlia, sometimes for months, and he always expects to come back and find that finally gone on that adventure that they've talked about, forgotten about him. Or maybe that they've finally taken that spare room where he sleeps and decorated it and made it into a study or something, maybe a place where they can keep a few more of Noel's many pets.
He keeps expecting them to stop, to move on. But there is always a place for him there, in their home and in their hearts. Whenever he comes back - and they always know when he's coming back, thanks to their many friends in Cross and Salva - they're always waiting up for him, no longer how long he dawdles, to welcome him home. There are always chicken skewers waiting over the fire, and hot chocolate and wine to drink. And there are always two smiling faces to meet his usual scowl, two pairs of arms to hug him, two voices to tell him how happy they are to see him back again and how much they missed him, and won't he please stay for a few days?
He's not sure what he wants anymore. Part of him wants it to end, wants them to let him disappear and be forgotten... but that part of him is hard to remember as he sits in front of the fire, with good food and strong drink, warm and comfortable and wanted. And part of him wants to ask them to leave with him, but he knows that Rena has a place in Arlia, that she's needed there.
Sometimes, as he rests in that guest room that he keeps expecting to disappear, he thinks that he could have a place there too, that the three of them could have a life together, that he doesn't have to leave again. But he's never sure, and he never manages to keep the feeling for long after he wakes up. He's never managed to stay longer than a few days.
At first, he would try to slip away unnoticed, only to find the two of them waiting for him, in Cross or Salva, when he comes back to civilization - sometimes he wonders if they have some way of finding him outside of their friends and his reputation. But they never try to demand that he stay - they always seem to understand that he needs to leave, that there's something driving him. They always come with a parting gift - food that Noel has packaged for the journey, warm clothing that Rena has knitted or stitched in the wintertime. And their goodbyes are very warm and sweet, as gentle as they both are, and he always leaves knowing that if he ever decides to come back, he'll still be welcome in their home.
Not that it always sticks - sometimes Dias still expects them to move on at any time. It's difficult for him to shake that feeling. But it becomes easier and easier each time he visits, and there's a part of him that expects them to always have a place for him now.
Maybe someday, he thinks some days when he's alone and missing them both, he'll be able to let go of that expectation, that dark fear in his mind. Maybe someday he'll finally be able to come home for good.
A/N: Written for ficondemand a long time ago. If you like it, look for Patience by Stealth Noodle (on this site,) which is a lovely remix!