TRYST // Philza X Reader

15

The sun was sinking below the horizon when Phil arrived back home. You had eventually settled back down from the shock of finding the Totem and curled up with a book after all (some old story about how the sun and the moon fell in love). The thought never truly left though, just stirring up the back of your mind as you waited for Phil to return. 

When he did, stepping inside the house to shrug off his coat and hang his hat on the hook by the door, you did your best not to pounce on him - every though you were dying to ask him every question under the sun about the Totem.

"Hi Phil." You greeted, closing your book and marking the page.

"Hi." He returned, throwing a small smile in your direction. "Get up to anything today?"

"You could say that." You said. "Did the dishes, made some baked potatoes for dinner, spent some time on the deck, just enjoying the sun." You paused. "I took a wander through your bookshelf." 

"Find anything interesting?" Phil asked, leaning down to unlace his boots. 

You pursed your lips. "You have a Totem."

Phil paused, fingers just hovering above his laces for a moment. Your words hung heavy in the room for a moment and you could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out just where exactly this conversation was going. "I do." He said, finally. "I've had it for a while."

You said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate or explain in some capacity. You didn't even know where to start with how many questions you had been poring over as you had went about your day.

Phil sighed, plopping down into one of the chairs around the table. "I s'pose you'll want to know the story."

"If you don't mind." You said, setting your book aside to give Phil your whole attention.

Phil settled into the chair more, his eyes flicking over to the fireplace as he began to reminisce. "I didn't really know what it was when I found it." He said. "I was younger then - not that I'm old now, but you know - and I had taken a break on an island. There was this cave, full of drawings, and a chest inside... I thought it was just some buried treasure. Brought it back to my house and had it on my bedside table for the longest time. I didn't even realize that it was stopping me from aging until seventy years went by."

So that was how he was still your age even though he was over a hundred years old. 

"I don't think Etienne knew about it, but he was always suspicious... I think that's why he sent you." Phil continued on, his eyes switching from the flames to you. "He's getting old, and he's getting scared and he wants a way out in case this war goes south."

The room fell silent again for a moment as you rolled that over in your head. After all the nonsense about the crown heir when Prince Malcolinus left for the mountains and the second born was named successor to the throne, you had assumed that King Etienne was resigned to his fate of death. Apparently, not so much. 

"Would you give it to him?" You asked. 

"No." Phil said, not a trance of hesitance in his voice. 

"Not even because he is your friend?" You asked. "Or to get him to leave you alone?"

Phil opened his mouth to speak again, but hesitated then. Probably not for the friend bit - he'd called Etienne a bastard enough in your presence for you to come to the realization that they might not be the best of friends anymore - but leaving him alone was an enticing offer. You couldn't see why Etienne wouldn't leave him alone if he'd gotten what he wanted. 

"I..." Phil tried, only to stop himself. "My head is telling me that I shouldn't, but if I never had to deal with him again I might."

You huffed out a bit of a laugh at that. "I didn't think he was that bad..."

Phil smiled wryly as well, shaking his head. "Now that I think about it, I wouldn't want him to outlive me."

"Surely he wouldn't." You said. "It's already stopped your aging so much that if you gave it to him now it would just be a game of catch up."

Phil shook his head. "Not if he holds onto it for long enough." He said. "There's no real way to know just what that thing can do."

You glanced over at the bookshelf, to where the Totem sat - little emerald eyes gleaming in the firelight cast from the flames in the fireplace. For something so powerful, it was so small. 

"You wouldn't even give it to him to stop the war?" You asked, still focused on the Totem.

Your eyes flicked back to Phil when you heard him lean forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees so that he could rub over the scruff on his chin with a hand. His eyes were locked on the fire, like the flames would give him the answer if he just stared deep enough. It was obvious that your question had struck a chord within him - the whole reason he was even known as a legend was because he hadn't been able to sit back and watch life around him get destroyed. Sure, the fame and fortune hadn't been for him, but once a hero, always a hero.

Phil didn't say anything, and you rose from your seat, muttering something about the dinner you had prepared during the day. The potatoes were still warm and wrapped tight when you retrieved them from where you had set them aside, and you made up a plate for Phil and yourself. Phil barely even noticed when you set it down in front of him and took a seat on the other side of the table. 

"Sorry." You said quietly.

That seemed to snap Phil out of his trance. "No, it's alright. Just thinking."

He tried for a smile, but you still couldn't help but feel as if you had done something wrong.