#falling hard

"I'm not mental. I just want her to come home to a clean and comfy place!" Luce's voice shouted from upstairs.

He was going mental, yes, but he was just excited. Feyre had been gone for almost a month due to international work commitments. That was her life now after leaving the company and starting freelance work. It had been a big decision, supported by both of them, that had entailed leaving her rented apartment and occupying their guest bedroom. Not that they'd complained.

"How long will she be home?" asked Az.

"All the holidays, for sure. But we don't know the full schedule yet. I know that the villa she's working on in Chamonix isn't finished so I guess she's have to go back at a certain point."

"Wow! Chamonix? You should join her sometimes, maybe visit. It's a nice place."

They'd thought about that, but hadn't found a moment to, but they were planning. "She isn't home all that much, so maybe we should really try to organise that."

"I'm sure Lucien would love that," commented Az, fixing an earbud that had slipped out. He was travelling, waiting for his flight at the airport, but wouldn't say to where in typical Az fashion. He hadn't changed a bit.

His life, on the other hand, had changed a lot in way he didn't think could be possible. Feyre was thriving with her new career, working in abroad so much and making a name for herself in the design scene. Lucien had been promoted, he was now preparing for a second big project that would probably land him a massive bonus. Yes, work was great, but all the other aspects of life were even better.

"I guess you guys are going to celebrate when she gets back," asked Az with a smirk.

"Don't make that face, I'm not telling you anything," answered Rhys and then made the motion to zip his lips.

"Luce is going to tell me everything anyway - shrugged Az - but I won't tell you."

The fact that Lucien was so proud of their bedroom life to talk about it with his adoptive brothers bothered him a bit, but Lucien had a big mouth and love bragging a bit. Especially since things had started going a bit more smoothly. "I'm never going to live the threesome allegations down, am I? When will you convince yourself that we're not sleeping together all the time? Polyamory people are not sex-fiends!"

"Tell it to Lucien" the other chuckled.

"You know full well he says that just to joke."

"So you deny having slept with both of them at the same time" asked knowingly Az.

"I was just two times. And I don't understand what all the fuss is about: we are three consenting adults."

"Watching counts," pointed out his brother which made him blush so much he had to cover his face. It was torture.

"I'm not going to answer anymore questions."

"I'm joking, mate. I'm just happy you're enjoying yourself more, that's it."

Az was the only one who had the semblance of a right to know something about it, after all the times the chats with his had helped Rhys over the years with understanding his own preferences. He was glad he'd helped, even though in the end they'd found their own balance. It was mostly Feyre and Lucien going at it, honestly, or him and Lucien, but his relationship with Feyre had grown into its own shape. Platonic, mostly, with a sort of intimate understanding of each other that really didn't leave space for any lack. It had takes them months, almost a years, to pinpoint where they were most comfortable at and Feyre had stepped in without judgment every time. It was their way of loving and there was nothing wrong with it. He was okay with touching her, maybe being touched but, that was it and was okay.

Lucien, on the other hand, had laughed himself to tears after the tales of the first time they had tried having sex. He still quoted the little debacle from time to time, because he was a tease and because it was good finally being able to look at it with irony.

All the barriers he'd erected around his own body and mind over the years had fallen one by one, together with Lucien's and Feyre's. Feyre had finally tried mending the relationship with her sisters, Lucien had finally cut off his step-father completely. He still wasn't ready to meet his real father in person, but that was his decision to make.

Growing had been painful in the past, a process made of steep paths and midnight crying, so much that he didn't think it could be possible to grow without it. Now he realised how stupid that was: to grow people needed love and he now had so much he was finally liking the process.

"Where are you flying anyway?"

"... Michigan."

"Why are you going to Michigan, exactly?"

"Just visiting." The answer was curt and Rhys knew not to pry, but he didn't believe for a second that he was just visiting. "Bring us something, a souvenir maybe."

"You know I don't do that, but sure... I'll see if I find something for you guys."

The crackly voice of airport announcements stole Az's attention for 10 seconds after a quick "a nice flight, let me know when you land" the call finished.

Rhys stretched and stood of from the sofa. The living room was a bit of a mess, decoration boxes strewn around, but they wanted to wait for Feyre to decorate. Apart from that, though, the house had changed too in the last two years. More pictures decorated the space and Rhys cherished each and everyone of the. For every picture of him and Lucien, now there was one of him and Feyre, or Luce and Feyre, some of them the three of them together.

"Why are you smiling like that? What did Az say?" asked Lucien, almost starting him when he hugged him from behind.

"Nothing, they announced the plane and he'll tell us when he lands."

"That doesn't explain the smile," asked again and Rhys turned in his arms to come face to face with him. He was giving a try at having a beard, and Rhys was discovering he liked Lucien with facial hair very much. "I was just thinking about the fact that it's been two years with Feyre in our lives, and that we've all grown so much happier since then."

"That's very sweet to think... I like the people we've become with her. To think that we were worried about her presence in our relationship at first, sounds like a joke right now."

"I'm glad we got her," smiled Rhys and kissed Lucien on the cheek. Then he took his face. It was prickly. "I'm glad we find a way to make it work."

"You are awfully sentimental tonight," commented Lucien but he put his hands on Rhys's.

"Talking with Az made me realise how much things have changed for the better, I think that's why."

Lucien gave him a peck on the lips. "IF you want we can talk about it... just don't tell me you have a crush on a beautiful colleague. I don't think I'm ready to do this again," he joked and Rhys laughed softly.

"I do have a crush on a colleague. He's tall, red hair, just how I like my men, with a foxy smile and warm hands. Kind, creative, loyal... you know, the best man one could imagine. And there's also this other colleague, we go antique-ing and to the film club once a month, and book club down the road. She's a stunner of a woman, you know?"

"I think I know her - picked up the ball Lucien - blonde, stormy eyes? With a gigantic collection of sparkly things, worthy of a magpie, pantsuits and killer heels? I think I like her boyfriend."

Rhys chuckled. "I hope you do. Because I like her boyfriend, too."

---

I would like to thank all the people who read this fanfiction, my first in English, since going back to writing. Thanks to this little piece of fan content, I met some amazing creators and sparked conversations on some interesting topics related to fan spaces.

"Falling Hard" was born out of some conversations with real life people around me and from the sensation that there is a lot of spicy representations of non-mongamous lifestyle, but not all the rest. What about the self-discovery? What about the quiet understanding that the love you want is okay?

It was very difficult at first, because I'm not polyamorous and so I was in constant fear of misrepresenting either the throuple or the queer side of the relationship. I hope I did it justice and I'm glad I got to discover so much about a world I didn't know so much about. I am also very thankful for all the real-life friends from the community who helped me with understand better.

The characters are almost all OOC, and I'm sorry for that, but I wanted to have a story where conflict was resolves through communication. Not really spectacular or steamy, I know, but the point of fan spaces is that they can be whatever we want them to.

So Rhys gets to life out the aftermath of his healing journey and learning more about his identity. Feyre gets to write her own destiny and career for the first time, loving and being loved. Lucien asks the people he loves what he wants and realises he doesn't have to sacrifice to get happiness. It's a very basic story where, in the end, everyone is happy.