The Libra (Eric Derekson + S̀e̡̛͠p͡ţ͠į͜͡c̸̢ Egos G/T) (One-Shots)

Codependency (Part One)

Eric was bored in the hole. While he understood Marvin's cautionary approach to deciding whether he truly was a threat or not to the giants' safety, he missed sleeping in Chase's hat. He could still hear the giant every now and then snapping about how it wasn't "right to keep him there like an animal." Eric wished he could reassure Chase. He didn't mind staying here, waiting until they decided if he could stay or not, but what he did mind was not getting to go home. He had to see if Derek was okay. Eric missed his dad... Or at least, he thought he did. It was his dad, so he wasn't really to blame for putting up with all of those hard times: the drinking, the cursing, the yelling, the hitting... Wishing one of his other brothers had made it instead...

He just shrugged it off as part of the grieving process. All of the pushing to get in front of a camera and do his family name proud... He was happier before everyone died. Before the bus crashed. Before his mom died. Before they moved into that big manor. Eric shook his head and rubbed his eyes, feeling them start to sting with tears. He missed Chase. The giant came to see him every chance he got, despite Marvin's irked warnings. He made Eric happy. He made him feel cared about. He made him feel worth it.

He sniffled and took his glasses off, using the moonlight to scan the lenses for smudges to clean off. It was currently nighttime, two days since Marvin's sentencing. Chase had lent him the bit of cloth he had been using as a blanket, which he gratefully had wrapped around his shoulders for warmth. He didn't mind it. He had enough room to stretch his legs, even with the cheap prosthetics on. But he still missed Chase. He missed the others, too. Heck, he even missed Henrik's snappy attitude... How long could a magician possibly need to take for a decision to be made?

As he was readjusting his spectacles, Eric heard a soft crunching and froze. It sounded like... footsteps. But he couldn't tell if they were human or not. He was so used to the giants' now. He held still with baited breath as the steps quietly echoed closer, louder and louder until a light suddenly shined directly into the hole. Eric winced and shielded his eyes, and then he heard a voice he almost thought he wouldn't hear again.

"Eric?" His heart leaped.

"Dad!" Derek Derekson stared down at his son, shock written all over his face.

"Y-you're still alive?" He exclaimed. Eric nodded, tears welling in his eyes.

"S-so-so are you! I-I knew you'd b-be okay." Derek recovered himself and looked on rather sternly.

"Boy, do you have any idea how long you've been gone? I thought you'd been killed or somethin'!" Eric felt a lump of guilt clog his throat.

"I-I'm-I'm sorry, dad," he mewled, "B-but I'm-I-I'm okay!" Derek set the flashlight down and kneeled, holding out his hand.

"Well let's get out of here then. I'll punish you later." Eric winced concedingly and took his father's hand. He managed to haul out of the hole and dusted his blanket, which was still wrapped snugly around him like a warm hug. Derek narrowed his eyes at the foreign cloth. "Where did you get that?" He demanded suspiciously.

"O-oh-oh, don't-don't w-worry, d-d-dad, I-I-I got it from a-a f-friend--" Derek tugged the blanket off of him and threw it back in the hole. "D-dad--!"Eric yelped. He'd almost fallen back in when Derek tugged him away from the edge by the collar of his shirt.

"Stealing is not okay," Derek snapped. "Who's ever that is will find it there themself, now let's go." Eric felt his heart start hammering.

"B-but-but dad--"

SLAP!

His head was whipped on the cheek by the incoming hand. He flinched, holding his stinging jaw as all of his insecurities came flooding back over him.