#elijah lestrade

Doodle page ::^) thank u to Felix @kiyoclouds for like all of these requests mwah I love you /p

Gonna put closeups under the cut

The child sat in a small, bare room, wringing their hands. They knew that they were being watched through the wall--two way glass, they believed it was called.

Absently, they swung their legs back and forth. It wasn't exactly cold, in the room, but they were only wearing a hospital gown, so it wasn't exactly warm, either.

They stared at their reflection, contemplative. Their reflection stared back.

Their reflection had dark hair, growing out from being shaved; sunken black eyes, dark from lack of sleep; a crooked nose, one that had been broken and reset before; a scar across their neck (still healing); brown skin turned sickly and ashen from years of stress and fear; a mole above their lip which they had always been proud of, for it made them look unique--

The glass wall slid open, and the child's reflection was pushed through, though not quite.

The reflection was identical, aside from one crucial detail:

A bloodied bandage over their left eye.

“Subject B,” came a voice that made both children freeze in their tracks. “It's your turn for the procedure. Come on, you don't want to be disciplined again, do you?”

“Yes, m-m… m-mother,” stuttered the child, standing up. They looked their reflection--no, their sibling--in the eye. Their twin looked back with tragic sympathy.

And the glass slid shut behind them.

Elijah LeStrade woke up in a cold sweat. He pushed himself up in bed, looking around, panic coursing through his veins.

Hands still trembling, he turned on his phone to check the date, needing the extra confirmation. 

The year was 3098.

He was in his apartment in Silver City. He was on the planet Viridia.

He was safe.

He was okay.

Eli pushed his blankets away and grabbed his glasses. After situating himself with his crutches, he went to the bathroom.

The light hurt his eyes, but it certainly helped him wake up. With a grimace, he splashed cold water on his face.

Everything was okay.

A few minutes later, Elijah had situated himself at the kitchen table with his phone and a mug of coffee. He didn't have work for another two hours, so, for now, he was just… stuck. He couldn't go back to sleep, but he didn't feel inclined to do much of anything, yet. And, of course, Francis was still asleep. They never woke up before noon.

A news alert popped up on his phone. 

“Notorious assassin, commonly known as Roxanne, escapes from Silver City's top prison! Mayor advises citizens to be wary!”

Spectacular.

Great, they thought. Everyone at work will be on edge. Exactly what I need. More stress.

They downed the rest of their coffee and groaned. 

“Are you, like, okay?”

Eli yelped. Their roommate had wandered into the kitchen.

“Frank, it's, like, five am. Um, w-why are you… y'know…” Eli frowned, looking at their roommate for answers.

“Oh!” Francis grinned. “I was playing Minecraft, and I heard you get up.” They sat down, returning the quizzical look. “What happened, E?”

Eli slouched down in his seat. “H-How d'you, um, know something happened? Maybe I-I, uh… couldn't sssleep.” They stared into their empty mug.

“If you don't want to talk, that's fine,” Francis returned, gently patting their friend's hair. “But! If you do want to talk, remember that I'm always here for you, okay, E?” They smiled.

Eli looked back up at their roommate, their expression unreadable. After a moment of silence, they let out a small laugh.

“Thanks, Frank,” they replied, barely audible. “Shouldn't you, um, be asleep, though?”

“Dude, I only finished work, like, three hours ago!” They grinned and ruffled his hair. “You and my Minecraft cats are way more important than sleep.”

Eli pushed their hand away, smiling slightly. “You can't... c-can't care for them if you're, uh, exhausted! I can see th-th-the bags under your eyes!”

Francis pushed some of their dark curls out of their face and pouted. “Aw, E!! I'm not tired! I have energy drinks, I'm fine. You, however, are clearly emotionally exhausted. Go watch a movie, or something, man.”

Eli pushed himself up in his chair, face adorned with a look of mock frustration. “Excuse you, I am in p-p-perfect health!” As though fate was laughing, he immediately started coughing.

“Okay, that's it!” Francis stood and stepped over to their friend.

“Wait no- w-what're you-”

Francis hoisted Eli out of his chair. “Up we go!” Despite their roommate's very loud protests, they carried him to the couch in a bridal carry, grinning the whole way there.

“Was that a-ab-absolutely necessary?” Eli replied, crossing his arms.

“Yes!” Francis replied cheerfully. “I'll grab your crutches. Sorry about that, little man.”

“Ex-CUSE me?” Eli pushed himself up. “I am 5'10!”

“And you weigh, like, ten pounds!” Francis called as they came back from the kitchen with his crutches. “'S not my fault I'm cool and strong!”

Eli smiled as Francis set their crutches down beside them. “W-What now? You must be, um, exhausted…”

“Nonsense!” Francis set down on the couch and wrapped an arm around Eli's shoulder. “We've discussed this, already! You're the most important thing, remember?”

“Hey!” Eli crossed his arms. “You're, um, way more important, and your h-health 's, too!”

Francis patted him on the head. “I'm not gonna go to sleep unless you're okay, E.” They leaned down to look at his face. “If you say you'll be okay on your own, then I'll leave.”

Eli sighed and leaned into their  friend's embrace. “Um, if you could… maybe stay a, uh, a little bit l-longer…?”

Updated Eli :^) Mr. Criminal....

Bonus updated scar chart under cut (tw for implied experimentation, injury, and self harm)

They're gossiping about their coworkers who are all perfectly fine and they are not trapped on a library teleported into the middle of nowhere in space. They are happy and eating ice cream!