#eric love

eric gets out early on good behavior because i said so and we all want happy endings here!

i feel like as part of his early release he’s forced to see a therapist who would encourage him to try different ways of exercising to help get all his pent up emotions out as opposed to getting into fights all the time

and while eric thinks that most of what the therapist says is a crock of shit, this is something he can actually get behind

you two originally notice each other because you go on runs in the same park and pass each other on the path occasionally. he’s not the overly polite type that does the “hello/good morning” thing to each passerby, but he’s not completely rude so if you do it to him he’ll give a brief nod in return

even before he gets to know you, he likes when he sees you on runs because it’s something familiar, a safe part of his routine to have

it’s not until he sees you at the same gym that you two finally get to talking, it takes a lot of courage on his part as he has the whole ‘damaged goods’ mindset about himself

one of the first things that makes him realize he likes you is the way you’re able to make him laugh (although it doesn’t really look like he’s laughing, it’s more of a small smile as he looks away or a brief chuckle followed by a lighthearted ‘fuck off’) since he’s got out of prison, you’re the first person who’s been able to get past his hard exterior

once you two are together i feel like he would learn a lot from you. you both are stubborn and he has a quick temper, there can be some tense moments between you. he’s used to everyone around him being on a short fuse ready to blow, so when you argue he’s prepared for it to turn into a screaming match, but instead you shut down and it completely catches him off guard

the first time it happens he’s still very heated so he probably tries to poke at you a bit. “what, you giving me the cold shoulder now? oh, come off it! you had something to say just a second ago, come on then!” but you don’t, he’s met with nothing and it gives him this weird sick feeling in his gut, so he storms off for a bit

i’m not sure if you’d outright get an apology, but you can definitely tell he feels guilty for what happened by the way he acts when he comes back

since then he’s learned to reel himself in when tensions rise as opposed to losing his cool, you both take some time away calm down before coming back and talking it out

^^^also along the lines of him learning from you, he would think your ‘unapologetically me’ mindset is very inspirational and admirable

i can see him being a lil clingy in a relationship, but nothing too crazy. as cringy as it may sound, you are his safe space and have helped him feel like a normal person again, so he loves being around you as much as possible, even if it is just so he can have an arm around you while you watch a movie together

that being said, if you’re social battery is low and you wanna be left alone for a bit, he’d completely understand and wouldn’t argue. he appreciates you being honest and upfront, and he can also get that way a bit sometimes as well. he likes the stability of knowing you both can take time to recharge and come back when ready

i think he would claim to be more of a dog person than a cat person, but your cats (especially the clingy one) would loveee him and would get him to change his mind. eric would just be minding his business sprawled out on the couch when all of a sudden one of the kitties will hop up and settle on his chest. he’d tense up and look to you for help, but will quickly understand the universal law that he is not allowed up until the cat moves

he’s not as extroverted as you, so he prefers staying in as opposed to going out, but he would still try for you as to not seem selfish. it would take awhile to save up for it (i assume he would have a hard time finding a well paying job for a bit), but for your birthday he wants to surprise you with concert tickets to your favorite metal band. he would be on edge the whole time, but the smile on your face and knowing he helped put it there would make it all worthwhile

i think his love language (both giving and receiving) would be quality time, but i also think acts of service would apply too. he constantly wants to do things for you to show you how grateful he is to have you (or if he’s having a rough week, to apologize for having to put up with him). i think on the receiving end he would also love words of affirmation, hearing that you love him would make him putty in your hands