Anton Shudder was in his hotel room looking at the framed picture in his hands. It was of a ginger haired man laughing. It was Larrikin.
Today it was 100 years since Larrikin died in the war against Mevolent, sacrificing himself to save Dexter.
100 years since Anton had smiled a real smile.
100 years alone.
Anton was brought from his thoughts by a knock on the door. He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it to find Erskine Ravel holding flowers in his hands.
"I thought you might need these to cheer you up." Ravel murmured, stepping into Shudder's neat room. Anton's only response was a nod of his head as he closed the door and sat back down on his bed.
Erskine placed the flowers on the bedside table before sitting next to him.
"We all know how much you miss him, but I think I understand more than the others."
"Why might you think that?" Shudder questioned, his eyes not leaving the photograph in his trembling hands.
"Because Hopeless is gone too. And I loved him, but never got the chance to tell him just how much I cared for him."
His words made Anton look up. "You and Hopeless? You must have been blinder that I. He was head over heels in love with you." Anton chuckled lightly, cracking a sad smile.
"Larrikin loved you too." Ravel said, placing a hand on Shudder's shoulder. The two men fell into a comfortable silence, both deep in thought.
Tears rolled down Anton's cheeks and landed on the picture of Larrikin. He wiped them off, avoiding Ravel's curious gaze.
"Who would have thought I'd see the day when Anton Shudder cried." Shudder elbowed him, still avoiding eye contact.
"Shut up." He grumbled.
Ravel stood up. "I'm not letting you stay here and mope all day, we're going out." Erskine pulled Anton to his feet and started dragging him out the door.
"Ravel! I can't leave my hotel!" Shudder said indignantly.
"Don't care!" Ravel pulled him all the way out of the hotel and into his car, forcing a very grumpy Anton into his passenger seat.
Erskine ended up dragging Anton to some bar, getting himself drunk and making a fool of himself. After He'd managed to get into a fight with someone, Anton deemed it time to return home. He dragged Ravel out of the bar and drove him to the sanctuary, leaving him in a rather grumpy Ghastly's hands, before he returned to his beloved hotel.
