to begin again | deva

[rhys alexander greyback]

to begin again

to live and love and breath again

March 28, 2026
@deva

Rhys arrived a few minutes early, which wasn’t uncommon with him. Despite the late nights he pulled with work, preparing for work or drinking, he was seldom late for anything. Deva had written to him earlier in the week, and Rhys still almost couldn’t believe that she had. After that fight they had the previous winter, he thought he would never see her again on purpose. But, he supposed it was a good thing that their relationship, as it were, had finally run its course. A lot had changed since December—Vasilia popped into Rhys’ mind, and he couldn’t help but smile when he thought of her. And really, it was better all around, even being so close to the full moon. He’d suggested this day because of the approaching lunar event and also his work schedule. Nobody, not even Deva, deserved to deal with Rhys in those tumultuous days where he felt his worst.

Plus, she was one of the few who knew that he would be a father soon. The way he’d just told her still haunted him, and he realized in hindsight (and while sober) that it hadn’t been all that tactful. But, he typically noticed this in hindsight or when it was pointed out to him rather than during the event. Even on that front, there were updates, but he hadn’t really told anyone yet, and he wasn’t sure if he would tell Deva either. A waitress walked by and asked if Rhys wanted anything, and he suppressed the urge to immediately order a whiskey. He wouldn’t order just yet. Even though it was only the end of March, Rhys almost felt as though six months had passed rather than three. From floating on the island to now being part of a reunified Order of the Phoenix. Working and finding new love and having his world turned sideways only to be turned completely upside down after he and Maria went to her first appointment. It was a lot, but he was taking it one day at a time.

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[Deleted]

Deva had spent most of her day packing. Packing her bags, although she'd been starting to keep an eye out for a different apartment. This place had started to feel small and cramped and she longed for a small house, maybe something that had a little more light. Still, being off to Hogwarts she was painfully aware that whatever home she had would risk gathering dust, unless she purchased a lot in Hogsmeade and went back and forth every night. It was an option she was considering, if anything good was available in the area. Yet she'd ceased her activities early to head out to meet Rhys. She still felt a little insecure, mostly because the last time they'd met had been such a mess. She cared a lot about him, but he'd hurt her one too many times that day. It had been one thing that he'd needed support but to find out he was going to be a father in almost the same breath as he'd asked her to break up with her boyfriend because he needed her more? It had shaken her. Since then she'd had a lot of time to think about that situation and how to think of it. Too much time perhaps, as she'd come to the conclusion she'd definitively handled all of it wrong. She knew Rhys well enough that she should have considered just how much of a shock it had been. Leaving him just because she'd been upset felt wrong.

Though by now there was nothing to do there and from what she'd heard on the grapevine he'd been doing a lot better. She wasn't sure if it was true or merely gossip but she'd heard he had a new person in his life. Not the girl he'd gotten pregnant either, which meant she was bound to be civil. With Rhys determined to be there for his child there was no way he'd hide that from a prospective partner, right? Still, she wanted to check in with him and in her purse she'd put a little present for him. Or well, technically for the child. She enjoyed sowing in her free time so she'd made a little outfit that could work for a boy or a girl and had packed it, bow and all. In a way it was her acknowledging that his actions had never been done with the goal of hurting her in mind. It might have been the end result, but everybody made stupid choices from time to time. She just wanted to make sure Rhys would be okay in the end, as she would never stop caring about him, no matter what. It was just so much better when they were just friends, no blurred lines or jagged expectations on either side. Maybe things could finally be simple between them.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

to begin again

to live and love and breath again

March 28, 2026
@deva

Four months since she’d shoved that bottle of whiskey in his hands and walked out with such confidence and anger that Rhys was sure he would never see her again. And even though he was with someone else, had found someone else and someone he loved, there was still something that tugged in his heart for his first love. She had been one of the first people to love him in that way—sure he’d had his best friends but this had been entirely different. So far the knowledge that Rhys was dating was definitely more prevalent than the information regarding Maria. Though by this point he was sure that staff at the Violet Hound had been talking about it, and they hadn’t exactly been hiding it when Rhys would visit as he normally did to grab a meal or a drink.

The only people that knew he had a baby on the way was Vasilia, his sisters, Ilija and Deva so far. Maria had been less eager to tell anyone about the situation and Rhys hadn’t mentioned it to anyone that it was her. It was a complex situation and despite all the good things that had happened over the past couple of months the stress still weighed on him heavily. Finally, Rhys spotted her and he stood up from his seat to greet her. It wasn’t somewhere they’d usually meet, typically he would frequent her little cottage for tea when they were friends and otherwise. But it felt like some neutral ground. Rhys didn’t know what the goal was here, were they supposed to be friends? Could they even be just friends? And how was he supposed to tell her about Vasilia after years of not wanting something serious between them? Maybe she’d throw the whiskey in his face this time instead of handing it to him in a bottle. But, hopefully it stayed peaceful. ”Hey.” He gave her a little grin. Despite all that, it was good to see her.

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[Deleted]

He greeted her with a small grin and while it no longer caused the rush of butterflies in her stomach, it did instantly send a smile to her face. She couldn't help but care about him, even if nobody seemed to approve. She definitively didn't think Severus ever would, Bjorn most certainly didn't really like it and she had her reservations when it came to the approval of Fee. All in all, very few people seemed to understand just how much the past relationship between the two of them had affected them both. Still, that had all changed and she hoped to just be able to form a friendship. All her interest in dating him had faded, as had any romantic feelings. That time was finally behind them, and she believed they were both better off for it.

"Hey." She said, her smile growing a bit more. "How have you been lately? It's been a while since we last spoke..." She considered saying more, but she didn't really believe adding anything to that statement would be particularly useful. They both knew how that had ended and it hadn't been particularly pretty. She pursed her lips and looked around a moment before letting out a deep breath. "So, I got a new job. I start in april." She said, taking a seat and ordering herself a drink. This was just going to have to be awkward for a while so they could find their new version of normal. If either of them wanted to go back to the way things had been before it certainly wasn't going to work out after all. This was their shot, if they were willing to take it.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

to begin again

to live and love and breath again

March 28, 2026
@deva

How quickly things changed, and yet they didn’t. Looking at Deva, he felt a sense of familiarity, but it was only just now he realized how turbulent it felt. When he was with Vasilia, he felt a sense of calm he’d never quite felt with Deva. Not in a bad way, but he realized it now and perhaps why it never worked. This journey had been a decade in the making with his own friends such as Renfri and Ilija rolling their eyes and her friends like Severus and Ophelia glaring daggers at him when they could. But, at least Rhys could confidently say he felt good—at least relative to how he usually felt. Sleep still required whiskey on most nights, and nightmares would wake him up regardless, and he’d just learned he’d be going back to that Island again.

Rhys paused. The last time they spoke had not been a good conversation. He’d been drinking and scared, and she’d been hurt and fed up. Months later, he had the unfortunate gift of hindsight, and thinking through that conversation in his mind, he’d realized that perhaps his approach was not the best one. Rhys was sensitive to situations involving what someone had, but he could not have. Like his anger and slight jealousy of Idris and his longtime friendship with his girlfriend. It just didn’t seem fair. ”I’m ok.” Rhys began. ”I’m better than I was then.” That was the truth. Aside from finding Vasilia, he’d just found out he would be a father to a daughter the previous week, and it had made it all much more real.

The waitress came by and took their drink orders. Whiskey for Rhys, of course. ”Oh, what will you be doing?.” He remembered her struggles the previous year. Perhaps this was a good thing for her though Rhys wondered if that sailor had anything to do with it. They were both holding back. Rhys knew he was because, unlike all those other times where they’d meet for tea, and he’d catch her up on his life, he didn’t know how to handle it now. Looking back, whenever he had been in some sort of relationship or long-term fling, he and Deva hadn’t really spoken. ”So…I—um—assume you’re still with…your sailor.” Rhys asked hesitantly. It was curiosity mainly, and really he wanted to see if this was like before. They’d fight, not speak for some time or end up single and find their way back. It wouldn’t have been a random assumption, but Rhys knew he didn’t want that.

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