Final Fantasy XIV

"I've returned from the Rising Stones! There's aught to do until Estinien and the others return so I thought I'd come home to…" G'raha trailed as he wandered into the parlor, finding it littered with Kirian's toys and tomes. Wandering through the hall he looked for his husband and son upstairs discovering the library was littered with stacks of books and open tomes resting about, the bathroom floor wet and littered with towels, Kirian's room a mess, his room a mess. Returning to the lower levels, he found Kirian and Keith eating lunch, neither yet dressed for the day yet despite it being midday. Oddly enough, the dining and kitchen area seemed to be exempt from whatever had apparently torn through the house.

"Raha! Welcome home home," Keith greeted, getting up to embrace his husband. "Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich."

"Perhaps in a moment, first I wish to know if there was an earthquake or something? The house is looking much like a sty," G'raha inquired, rubbing his cheek into Keith's bare chest briefly before pulling back, trying to muster a stern look. "If I am to be away on adventure you do realize you need to do the lion's share of the housework right? And perhaps have Kirian help with his own things."

"Ah, well. I guess we've been a bit lax with our chores. We've been away so long I guess we wanted to relax a bit and settle in before we got back into a routine. Don't worry, I have a system," Keith assured his husband, stroking over his ears before breaking away to go make Raha a sandwich while pointing out, "The kitchen is clean."

"Yes, well, you also fancy yourself a culinarian and are rather fussy when it comes to your cooking space. It isn't that much of surprise to find it clean in here," G'raha said while patting Kiran's shoulder, getting a sleepy grunt from his son as he bit into his sandwich. "What is this system?"

"Well, when I go to hang out in a room I pick up whatever is on the floor," Keith hummed happily as he folded thinly sliced ham onto a slice of bread. "And then put away things I see laying around. Do an almost clean and leave the finer details for the maid. Like I said, I've just been a bit lax while we settle in at home but I'll get back on it starting today," he assured his husband as he sliced into a wedge of swiss cheese.

G'raha stared at his husband in stunned silence. He understood Keith came from a well off family and that likely, before the Ala Mhigan occupation, the estate was staffed with a servant or two, but in their sporadic residency they'd not once had a maid he knew of. "My love, we do not have a maid."

Keith tilted his head as he placed some spinach leaves on top of a tomato then pressed it all together under his palm. "Of course we do!"

G'raha shook his head. "No…no we don't."

"Then who does all the sweeping?" Keith asked.

"Me."

"And the dusting?"

"Me"

"… The-"

"Yes, it's all been me," G'raha sighed before wandering to Keith, kissing his cheek.

Keith frowned. "Raha, I'm sorry. I guess I never really noticed. When we travel I'm a bit more conscious of the cramped living space but at home I guess I get a bit lazy about things."

"No frowning. We've had a good system that worked until now. You do usually keep things put away. I never saw need to complain about sweeping and mopping…the Twelve know Khenna and I contribute to most of the dust and hair," G'raha hummed. "I imagine if yo were gone and I was left here I would struggle to keep the kitchen clean and I am rather helpless when it comes to preparing something you can't put on a stick and hang over a fire."

Kirian let out an audible shudder from the mere suggestion of G'raha, making his father's ears fold back while Keith chuckled.

"Well, you are here for a little while, right? Why don't you and Kirian go out today and spend some time together and when you get back I'll have everything immaculate," Keith suggested.

Kirian sat up in his chair, turning around to hold the back of it. "Can we go to the apothecary? Every time dad takes me he won't buy me reagents that he doesn't know what they are and always says I have to wait for you."

G'raha smiled, "Sounds like a plan. Though, we can't have you running around in your small clothes. Go wash up now. And while you're up there put the towels on the rack and make sure you use your towel to dry the floor when you're done!"

"Okay!" Kirian said, scrambling off toward the stairs.

Keith hummed, wrapping his arms around G'raha while resting his chin right between his ears. "You sure you're not too cross with me?"

"Of course not. It's messy, but nothing is ruined. Just be a bit more mindful it's just the two of you for awhile," G'raha said before letting out a surprised yelp as he was scooped up. "K-Keith?!"

G'raha shut the door quietly as he entered his family's Solution 9 apartment, not wishing to wake them. Leaving his boots by the door, he wandered in to their living area finding G'khenna and Kirian slumped over on one another on the couch as whatever show they were watching flickered light throughout the room. Happy to see the two getting along, or at least the semblance of peace between them, he pulled a blanket from the edge of the couch to gently drape over them before slipping into the bedroom.

His ears lowered as he found his husband laid out on his back, looking rather stiff compared to his usual sprawled sleeping posture. Guilt twinged over him as he saw Keith in his prone state. Carefully he pulled off his clothing, draping it over a chair before crawling in beside his love, head resting in the crook of his arm. "I'm sorry I could not be there," he whimpered, fluttering his ears as he nosed into Keith's pit while tucking his tail between his legs.

"S'fine…I think I'd like to go home now though…," Keith mumbled, arm weakly draping over G'raha's back.

Ears perking, G'raha sat up, watching as Keith furrowed his brow, somewhere between sleep and awake. Reaching down, he cupped his cheek. "Are you with me my love? I was told you were overwhelmed by elementals in your final match at the Arcadian and had not roused for days."

Keith opened his eyes, putting his hand overtop of his husband's as he leaned into the touch. "I am always with you…," he said before shutting his eyes. "That sounds about right. I've been in and out most of the day though. Can we go home?"

"Yes, I think it's time we returned to Eorzea. Current events summon us to Mor Dohna-"

"No," Keith interrupted, shaking his head. "Ala Mhigo. I want to be in our house. I know adventure calls to you. I've never minded that; but, I kind of want to be more of a stay home kind of dad for a little while. Give Kirian a little stability and go to school for a little while. At least to see if he really is serious about becoming an alchemist then we'll see about Thavnair…but for now I want to be home."

G'raha blinked then hung his head. "I will remind you that you did not have to stay here after you found the girls…"

"Hey…," Keith cooed, sliding his hand up behind G'raha's head to pull him back down against him. "Did I say that I regretted our time here? We've made a lot of memories here together as a family. It's just time for me to pull back from adventuring for a little while. At least until Kirian gets a little older."

A whine escaped G'raha's throat as Keith's hand slipped over hears to give them a gentle rub. "My fear is that you will resent him for being away. Not just you, Kirian too. And while Khenna thinks herself grown she does need us time to time-'

"Shh…you're worrying too much," Keith cooed. "Kirian loves us both. So does Khenna."

"I-I am accustom to family-"

"I know Raha. But you have us now, and the Scions. We love you."

G'raha buried his face back in the crook of Keith's arm, inhaling deeply to stave off tears before blushing deeply as he reveled in the comforting scent of his husband. Once he felt his emotions settled, he remembered what brought Keith to be bed ridden. "When you are well, we will need to discuss you fighting in the Arcadian and nearly getting yourself killed in front of the children."