Say You'll Share With Me | Phantom Oneshots

POTOber Day 9: Did You Think That I Had Gone For Good?

day 9 prompts: presumed dead/disappeared/relief 

~ 

Erik stepped up to the home on the Rue de Rivoli and only hesitated for a moment before he knocked on the door, then took a small step back, fiddling with his cloak and pulling his hat down a bit further to keep himself concealed from any passersby. He hadn't made a house call to anyone in a very long time—usually, he tried to avoid it if he could—but this one was different in many ways.

A reunion with Nadir. He had never imagined it would ever happen. To be honest, he hadn't thought he would ever even hear from the ex-Daroga again, never mind end up sharing a carriage with him a few nights ago and then be invited to his home for a longer conversation. Well, a second longer conversation. The first one, admittedly, hadn't gone very well, given that Nadir had found out about his position as the Opera Ghost and chastised him rather passionately for his actions. Erik had stewed over that conversation for days, wanting to hate him, but finding his relief that his friend, his conscience, was alive after all their time apart to really dwell on the anger that had stirred up in him after being scolded like a child.

And so, there he was, standing on the front steps on that cool night to wait, still surprised that he had even been invited back. Nadir had always been a gracious, forgiving man, though, and that much, Erik was very grateful for. It kept him from being completely alone in the world.

The door opened a moment later and Erik looked up at Darius, the faithful servant of Nadir's that had stuck with him ever since their time in Persia. He was a loyal man and Erik had to give him credit for that.

"Good evening, sir," Darius said with a curt nod. "Do come in."

"Thank you, Darius," Erik replied, returning the nod as he stepped into the front foyer and slipped his coat. "Where would I find the Daroga?"

"In the parlour, sir. I'll have tea for you both in a moment."

With another nod, Erik walked into the nearby room, finding his friend sitting in his armchair by the fireplace, his back to the doorway. "Daroga."

"Hello, Erik," Nadir replied, gesturing to the chair beside him as a silent invitation - or rather, expectation - for him to sit down.

Erik moved automatically to sit beside him, neither of the men making eye contact as he removed his hat and gloves and set them off to the side. "I appreciate the invitation," he said. "I didn't think you would want to talk again after the last time."

"I figured we shouldn't end it like that, what with all we've been through," Nadir replied. "That isn't to say I'm not upset about what you've been up to, but...I was glad to see you alive."

"As was I," Erik nodded, smirking a bit. "I still would have taken the carriage for myself if I had realized it was you from the get go, you know."

The tension in his shoulders faded slightly when he heard his friend chuckle. "Good to know you haven't gotten any more sentimental in our time apart."

"Goodness, no," Erik said with a quiet laugh, turning his head as Darius walked over and handed them each a cup of tea. "Truthfully, though...I was glad to see you, Daroga. I did wonder what had happened to you after I left Persia, and now I learn you were imprisoned for five years. I can't imagine it was easy."

"No, it wasn't—the shah was about as gracious as he ever is—but it's over now and that's what matters," Nadir replied as he stirred the two sugar cubes Darius had left behind into his tea. "I was more worried about you, to be honest. You were still young, off on your own, running from the crown. I thought you had to have been dead, even with all your skills in running away from those wishing to harm you."

"Well, I got away. You shouldn't have been worrying about me, Nadir, really. I'm sure you had other things to fret about. Your own freedom, for instance. You could have left with me."

"That only would have put us both in danger, and my priority was making sure that you were safe."

Erik sighed and looked down at his tea, stirring it aimlessly. "Why?" he asked softly.

He saw his friend shrug out of the corner of my eye. "I considered you my best friend—I still do—and you were all I had left," Nadir replied. "My wife was long gone, I had lost my son as well. My job and estates didn't really matter to me when my entire family was gone, so I worried about the one person that I thought of as the only family I had left."

Erik set his jaw, not expecting his emotions to build as quickly as they had. So they had gone beyond being just friends...they were family. A foreign idea to him, given that he had never had such a thing at any point in his life, but he realized that he did often think of Nadir as an older brother. Then everything he had done to that same brother figure hit him.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "For everything. For the stress, the exhaustion...for what happened to Reza."

"Erik, please," Nadir said with a sigh. "There's no need for apologies, especially not for Reza's death. It isn't your fault."

"I thought you dead and never thought I would have the chance to apologize," Erik said quietly. "Now I know you're alive and well, even after the jail time that I forced you into because you set me free, and I want to apologize in case I never get the chance again."

Looking over at his friend, he frowned ever so slightly when he saw Nadir smile slightly before reaching over to set a hand on his arm. "And while I appreciate it, there is no need to apologize. I hold none of it against you," he replied. "You're here and alive. I have my best friend back. That is all that matters to me."