#heric

"You- You weren't at lunch. o-or dinner. so I brought you some stuff! I got that orange blossom tea you said you liked, but i couldn't find the kettle so i had to use the microwave...and I- um, I made you a grilled cheese and tomato soup. it's probably not the best but I made it anyway 'cause the only other meal in the fridge was some leftover pasta from a few days ago but the sauce on it had olives and I know you don't like olives so-"

Host's fond smile grew as Eric continued to speak, but eventually he stood up and placed a hand on top of his head to ruffle his hair and stop his anxious rambling before he started to panic. he made sure to keep his expression soft as he spoke.

"well, that was very sweet of Eric to do, and The Host is sure it'll be delicious. if he misses a meal, he usually gets a small snack from upstairs since he's too tired to cook, so this is nice."

As Host spoke, Eric's eyes scanned the room as he picked at a bit of skin by one of his fingernails. He did this whenever he didn't have his handkerchief, but sometimes he could mess with his skin too much and cause it to bleed, so Host held out his own hand for him to take.

Eric's eyes focused on Host's larger hand and he grasped it with both of his, drumming his fingers on it and squeezing gently every once in a while.

"Okay. well, i'll leave you alone now 'cause i'm tired and you probably still have work to do and stuff...b-but- don't forget to go to bed soon, okay?"

"Of course. The Host will see Eric at breakfast tomorrow morning. sleep well, alright?"

"Okay! g'night Host!" Eric chirped. He squeezed his hand one last time before letting go and heading up to his room.

Host didn't care if the soup wasn't as hot as usual, or if his tea was prepared differently than he was used to. as far as he was concerned, it was the greatest dinner he'd ever had. he began to think that there was some truth to the saying that love was the secret ingredient to a good meal.

...---...

"Hey, Host! everyone's in the living room and the snacks are all ready, come on so we can get a good spot!"

Host tilted his head as an amused smile started to appear on his face. "The Host isn't the biggest fan of movie nights. he can't narrate his way through whole films without getting tired, so he usually skips out."

"Well yeah, I know, but it's my turn to pick tonight! I asked and everyone said we could listen to a podcast instead. it'll be like your radio show! plus, since no one has to look at a screen to know what's going on we can all have a cuddle puddle!"

that...that was so sweet it made Host want to squeal and hold Eric forever. instead he settled for taking his hand and nodding happily.

"alright then, dear. Lead the way."

Eric made sure to warn host that the furniture in the living room had been moved in favor of making a big blanket and pillow nest in the middle of the room. since all the egos needed for the night was a phone and a Bluetooth speaker, the room's atmosphere was peaceful. it was dark because of the absence of a big bright screen, and warm too. Eric led Host to a big beanbag chair and they sat down in their usual position, with host seating himself first, followed by Eric who sat right in front of him. he leaned back against his chest as host wrapped his arms around his middle and rested his chin on Eric's head. then they leaned back and the podcast started to play.

the podcast was actually a pretty good one. not scary so that the more anxious of the egos would be able to enjoy it too, but it still had a good storyline and it wasn't too loud, so that people could go to sleep if they wanted.

That was exactly what ended up happening. By the time the podcast was over, more than half of the egos were peacefully snoozing, including host and Eric. and they stayed like that until morning, when they were woken up by the sound of google making breakfast.

...---...

It was early morning in the library, and The Host had just woken up. He was dressed for the day and had finished drinking a smoothie for his breakfast. He was about to sit down, but...

"Hooost!" exclaimed a familiar and excited voice.

The 'clonk' of boot clad feet on a hardwood floor accompanied the calling of his name, and the footsteps got closer and faster until Eric stumbled a bit and skidded to a stop a little ways away from Host's desk. with mild amusement, he realized that this was the first time Eric had entered his library without knocking. Something very exciting must have happened.

Eric took a moment to compose himself before focusing his eyes where the host's own would be, if he had them.

"so- when I woke up this morning it felt like- well, something seemed different, y'know? but I couldn't tell what it was so I went around the house to check and then I looked out the window and there was snow so I guess it fell while we were asleep a-"

"Breathing break, love."

"Oh. Right-" a long inhale.

"- so! I opened the door, right? And it turns out we got like, a whole bunch! And I was confused 'cause it doesn't usually snow here so I asked Dark and he said we had winter coats for just in case purposes in the closet and when I looked in there i found sleds too so i grabbed one and went out, but then I was like 'hey I should go get Host!'- so anyways-" Eric paused to take a few deep breaths.

"Everyone's outside already but king showed me this really big hill in the forest so I was wondering if you wanted to go sledding with me!? I've never gone sledding before but it seems really fun!"

How could he say no?

Though, even if he wanted to make his amends; where would he go? He had seen that siren on a whim, and he had been in a dazed state when he saw him. Sirens as huge that one usually lived in the deep sea. They don’t come out from the depths, unless they’re hunting. A shiver ran down his spine as he hugged his tail to his chest; a quiet whimper falling from his lips. He really did meet that siren while he had been hungry. However, he was perfectly fine. He remembered something:

Hadn’t there humans on that boat?

He had seen the scraps of metal, and usually those weird nets were used by the humans, but there were none in sight when he explored around afterwards. It wasn’t bad to assume that that siren had made quick work of those people. So why spare him? Maybe this monster siren didn’t like eating other sirens. That reasoning could be enough to quiet down his worries. Anything that gets him off this lonely rock.

The first course of action would be to get a gift as an apology. He splashed into the water and explored around for something pretty. He couldn’t rely on just talking if he met the other again. He talked more to the ocean than he did with other living beings. So, a gift would do him well. Hopefully he could find a gift nice enough, that it wouldn’t seem like a piece of dirt to the other.

After scanning along the seafloor, and even going near the coastline once he saw there weren’t any humans- Eric found the perfect gift. It was the biggest, shiniest seashell he had ever seen- one of those that he had seen humans put against their ears to hear the ocean. That never made much sense to him; putting it against his ears only made him hear the underwater currents he always heard. Humans were always so strange with their rituals. If someone wanted to hear the ocean, they should just go to one. It was that easy for everyone, right? Right. However, the shell was quite pretty, as well as decently large, so it’d be perfect for a monster like his saviour.

He took the shell and clutched it close to his chest. A soft chirp came from him as he revelled in this small victory. Now onto the most important step: finding that monster siren. It sounded easy on the surface. Surely, someone like that would be spotted soon enough. However, Eric doesn’t recall ever seeing him before. Would he need to go to the deep sea? He wouldn’t be able to survive there for even a short while, but how else was he going to find him?

Well, that other siren was swimming around the surface when he saved him. So, if Eric just played the waiting game, then everything should be fine. He needed to keep his gift safe and keep an eye out for his saviour. Shouldn’t be too bad. In the meantime, he could swim around and search for him in the general area. It was harder to hunt while clutching the shell close, he didn’t want it to get stolen, but he managed to get some scraps here and there. No fishing nets involved, thankfully. 

The days kept passing, but Eric saw no sight of the big siren. His tattered fins were growing tired of the constant searching. He swam unsteadily and slowly by the week’s end; moving near the seafloor and taking breaks often. Sleep hadn’t been easy to come by either. He travelled far enough from his usual, comfortable den near the coast’s surface. It was hard to feel safe in the unknown. 

Maybe he should’ve turned back, but he’d hate to go back empty handed. At this rate, it would be unsafe to start travelling all that way in his condition anyway. A soft, distraught chirp rumbled through him. This adventure could’ve been pointless. That big siren may want nothing to do with him even if he does find him. He needed to go back, and that idea made his heart break. 

Through, right now he needed some rest. He hugged the shell to himself and looked around for a place to sleep. The water was a deep blue and unclear. Not much around here except mud, the stray schools of fish that passed by, and a large den in the near distance. There weren’t many choices here, but he hoped this den didn’t belong to a hungry shark. Even swimming the short distance weared down on him, but he made it to the den and flopped against the floor. 

He quickly looked around and chirped quietly. No response, thankfully. He curled in on himself, revelling in his defeat. He should’ve shown his appreciation for his saviour when he had the chance. Hopefully that siren was doing good nowadays. Probably doing better than him. 

The moment he closed his eyes, he promptly passed out. He wasn’t sure for how long, but once he woke up, he found that nothing had changed. Or, he thought nothing had changed. A shocked squeak left him as he realized his prized shell was gone. It must’ve floated away from his arms, but he didn’t see it anywhere. He swam around the den, letting out distressed chirps, and searched high and low. He couldn’t lose his gift on this adventure. Even if he didn’t find the other siren, it would’ve been nice to keep that shell for himself.

It was nowhere to be found. Eventually, Eric slowed down and sat against a rock. He let out a high-pitched whine in sorrow, then another, and another. Until he was weeping the best a creature like him could, with full body shudders making him freeze in his curled up position. He had failed. He wanted to do something right for once. To not be so lonely on his rock by the shore. But in here? He had never felt more alone than ever. 

His cries echoed throughout the den; only him and his pathetic song. All for an audience of no one. That was, until, another cry responded to him. It rippled through the den and shook Eric to his core, low and curious. He looked in fear at the darker part of the den. He wasn’t sure how deep this place went, now that he thought about it. He couldn’t see the den’s end. Another cry echoed in his ears, much louder than the first.

It was a no brainer. He needed to get out of here. With quick reflexes, he began swimming outside to, hopefully, safer waters. He looked back into the dark den, only to see something small shine faintly. His shoulders slumped as his heart dropped. The shell. 

Of course, he could’ve gotten another one somewhere, but his brain told him to save this one from whatever monster was in here. He wanted to not fail at something. Anything. And getting that shell would be it. He quickly went over to the boulder it was wedged under. The waves must’ve pushed it in there; it laid stuck between the wall and the rock. So, he reached in, barely managing to grasp its edges, and pulled as hard as he could. It wouldn’t budge. He shivered as the monster rumbled again and he desperately tried to pull harder. A sudden wave of sand washed over him, making him spiral backwards at the force. He shook off the dust and saw the monster approach from the depths with a powerful swim towards him. While he braced for the worst, his eyes widened as he saw who it was. His saviour.

It was like someone was putting his heart in an unsteady current; going up and down, up and down. He still kept his guard up and prepared to swim away at any moment, but he looked at the other with an odd relief. His saviour grumbled again, tilting his head and staring unfocused at him. Those dull, golden eyes were as big as Eric himself, but seemed hard of sight. 

Eric let out a cautious purr from his chest, a greeting of sorts, and was relieved to hear the other try to reciprocate the tone. Did this siren recognize him? They had a stare off for a moment, before the other moved forward in a slow motion. Eric immediately swam away. Though, he hesitated and continued to watch the other. Not dead yet; he wanted so badly to do what he set out to do. His fear may be there, but he didn’t spend a week travelling to run away again.

The siren introduced himself as The Host. A name given by the humans, but a lot of sirens took the names passerbys gave them. Host kept a distance away from Eric as he explained that this cave was a home to him; one of the only places big enough to house him, actually. Apparently, it was nice to emerge from the deep sea to explore the surface. Eric was surprised this cave was considered “the surface,” but he understood. 

It must be lonely in here, so secluded in a cave or hiding in the deep sea. Though, Eric supposed he was lonely up on his little rock on the surface as well. He couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to a fellow siren, so he better get this right. A sudden trilling noise rumbled through him as he wiggled his tail. His present! A -surprisingly- friendly siren, like Host, deserved a present. It couldn’t have been a lost cause, not with how it taunted him by being so close. 

Eric attempted to fish out the seashell from the boulder again. He squeezed in as far as he could between it, wiggling his tail to pull the wedged thing out. Though, he didn’t want to break the precious shell. Not with how hard it had been to get it here. He hissed in frustration; however, he found that it was soon easy to get it. There suddenly was a lot more room to swim through.

Host had lifted up the boulder effortlessly. The heavy rock fit nicely in the palm of his hand, looking like a mere skipping stone. He stared curiously as to what Eric was doing, head tilted and a confused rumble leaving his throat. He set the rock down beside Eric with a quiet thud. 

Such amazing strength left Eric fascinated. Well, maybe he could’ve asked Host to help with this. Surprises were more fun, though. And no wonder he saw those metal scraps after Host saved him. The ship must’ve been torn apart. He was glad he wasn’t meeting the business end of Host’s claws. 

Now with his gift, Eric presented it to Host with a happy purr. Host had to lean closer to squint at it. It was shiny enough for someone with bad eyesight to tell it was special, at least. If Host’s reaction of purring in surprise was anything to go by. Host’s face became tinted a light red as he blushed. 

Eric tilted his head. He made Host blush? Poor siren must not get a lot of gifts. He placed the shell in Host’s hand. It was barely the size of the gigantic siren’s fingertip, but it was still lovely. So fragile looking, and now housing a few scuff marks from the boulder. Not that Host could see them. Probably. Though, such a small gift was getting a big reaction. It was nice that it was a positive thing, but it looked like Host was shell shocked. Eric thought about it, before something clicked. Host was worried that he didn’t have a gift to give back! Eric did think he was a kind soul now, it only seemed right.

He explained that it was okay that Host didn’t give a gift back, but that seemed to be more confusing. Host tilted his head at him and tried to explain himself. It seemed only right to give a gift back, Host believed, but Eric reassured him it was fine. Host apologized for not reciprocating the “feeling,” he kept reassuring him it was okay. Maybe deep sea sirens take gifts much more seriously. 

After a much needed talk, Eric swam forward and patted Host’s hand. All he wanted was to get to know his saviour, not gifts. Material ones, at least- it was a gift to be friendly to Host. Though, perhaps something would be nice.

A shy, soft purr left Eric’s lips. Host listened with a tense posture, only to blink in confusion at the question. Eric really would like to stay a little longer here. His fins were killing him from such a long trip. He joked lightly about the ordeal, while Host looked like he was shot by a harpoon. Still, the big siren gently scooped Eric up in his hands and took him deep into his cave for some well deserved rest. All while staring at Eric with the most intrigued look.