hey @nedryn-laughs :3 (there be spoilers under here, but this one has VERY enthusiastic consent!)
āShe didnāt cause you too much trouble, did she?ā Erik mumbles, so softly that Eleven almost doesnāt catch it. āMia, I mean. She can be a handfulā¦ā
Eleven shakes his head. Miaās certainly high-spirited, and it can be hard to keep her sticky fingers off of any valuables they donāt want to steal, but her presence has always been welcome, and the two of them in particular had become pretty close once El had found her and Jade. Heād spilled his guts to her one night, about how he thought it was his fault that Jade had been separated from him and from her father, and sheād seemed to understand. Even in her memoryless state over the past few weeks, she seemed to get it, somehow, when he vented about his perceived role in Yggdrasilās fall.
And, well, now he knows why; she blamed herself for Erikās condition, too.
āGlad to hear itā¦ā Erik trails off; when Eleven glances at him, his face is a twist of so many emotions that Eleven doesnāt really know what to make of it. āLook, Iāmā¦Iām sorry about what happened in the Gyldenhal. Thatā¦wasnāt cool.ā
Eleven shrugs. āYou werenāt yourself. I know what thatās like, believe me.ā
āNo, Iā¦itās not like Mordegon made me do that! I wasnāt not like Grandpa over there, asleep in his own head while Mordegon pulled the strings. He didnāt make me turn Sniflheim to gold, or Mia, for that matter. That was me. Iāā
Eleven cuts him off. āLet me guess. He took some little part of you and twisted it, so it clouded your head and made you do some stupid stuff.ā
Back in Octagonia, Eleven saw how things could have gone if he wasnāt in the picture, if he had seen through Mordegonās puppet show, if he had spotted Dave before Yggdrasilās fall was set in stoneā¦heād wanted to forget, and forget he did. He understood all too well what Mordegon and his minions are capable of doing to the human mind.
Erik pauses a moment, but nods, almost imperceptibly. āYeah. That.ā
āNo one blames you,ā Eleven tells him, scooting his chair closer to Erikās bed. āWe get it. You were a statue for five years, no one expects you to be completely free of bitterness.ā
Erik sighs, apparently having been defeated by Elevenās nigh-flawless logic. When he finally opens his mouth again, he just mutters, āYeah, itās real weird to look at her now. My little sisterās not so little anymore!ā
Eleven laughs for the first time since Yggdrasil came crashing down. Something in Erikās face softens at that, and he murmurs, āYou know, I wasnāt lying back there. I saw your face when you first looked at me. And, uh, Iād be lying now if I said I didnāt look at you the same way.ā
Oh, goddess, Eleven isnāt prepared for this, either. (Spending eighteen years in constant training with Carnelianāwell, Mordegon, technicallyādidnāt leave much room for romantic exploration of any variety.) His face feels warm, and judging by Erikās smirk, itās probably a vibrant red now.
āSo, uh,ā Erik begins, pushing himself into a seated position on the bed, ācan I get a do-over? You know, now that Iām not trying to sway you to the side of darkness orāā
Eleven silences him with a kiss, and even though he has no idea what heās doing, he knows that this is a far nicer experience for both of them than their kiss inside the Gyldenhal. Erik pulls Eleven into his arms, almost falling backwards from Elevenās great enthusiasm towards this idea.
The door creaks open, Mia peering through the crack and then immediately slamming it shut once more. Eleven can hear her faintly through the door, grumbling, āCanāt leave them alone for five minutes, can I?ā
