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

Rapport

When Eric opened his eyes, he was almost confused by his oddly familiar whereabouts before it all came rushing back to him again. He blinked at the soft ruby bowl surrounding him, and the cool gray walls beyond, and then he sat up and reached for his prosthetics. Once they clicked on, he got up and peeked over the top of the hat, getting a look at his surroundings. He was still in Chase's room, and the stony chamber hadn't changed; there was no telling what time it was though. The cavern was lit by a golden glow, but where it originated from Eric couldn't tell. As far as he could remember, it had been a few days since he'd been brought in by Chase. Two days since he'd found out he was a permanent guest.

It wasn't terrible, really. They were nice and everything, but they kept him away from the main entrance as much as possible. He still hadn't met this Marvin person, but the others were still nice to him-- except for the doctor guy. He was scary. But Chase made him feel a lot better. Jackie felt really bad about breaking the bad news to him like that, but he made up for it by being optimistic and contagiously energetic. He hadn't seen the zombie guy again but one glimpse between meals, and JJ still seemed pretty nice. After he'd gotten over the initial shock that he couldn't ever leave the cave, he'd started talking back to the mute in sign language, which made him ecstatic. He was a little rusty, and he always apologized when he made the slightest mistake, but the dapper giant seemed glad just to have someone to talk to without listening so much for once.

But the one he stayed with the most was Chase. After having his mental breakdown, Eric hardly ever left Chase's watch; he had been so embarrassed and flustered about it that he turned red sputtering apologies, but the giant had reassured him that he had no reason to be sorry. If anything, Chase had claimed, he was suppose to be the sorry one, but Eric refused to believe Chase was at fault. He understood that Marvin had decided the cave arrest, but also that he was fortunate enough to have been spared from a worse fate. He didn't blame any of them, really, but he wished he knew if his dad was okay.

He rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes and tried to lean forward for a better look at the room, but then the whole world suddenly tilted, and he squeaked as he and the hat went tumbling off the giant's bed. It was a very short fall, fortunately, and the hat landed on top of him. Eric struggled to push his way out of the cloth he had used as covers, and it took a whole minute before he finally managed to step out through the back of the hat. He sighed, quite relieved to be out of there, but his small victory quickly dissipated as the cold air around him dug into his skin. He shivered and rubbed his arms, looking back at the blankets. Before he could take a step toward them, however, he realized that he could hear something: voices, echoing just out of reach against the cavernous walls.

Eric hesitated, wondering if he should leave. Chase would be back soon, so would it be rude to just walk out himself? Was it soon? Was it too soon? Too late? What was the protocol for being a guest at someone's house anyway? What would Derek do?

"D-dad would... s-seek out the-the attention..." He murmured to himself. "But-but he w-would be the center of th-of the at-ttention..." While he hesitated, he heard a momentary rise in voice, and his fear finally caved in to curiosity. He stepped over scattered teabags and tousled papers, picking his way to the exit. He found himself in the long, winding tunnel that served as a main hallway, dimly lit by faded sunlight. He squinted into the darkness, identifying that the voices came from deeper within the earth. Eric felt his hands shaking, but he gripped the handkerchief and bravely marched on.

The deeper in he went, the harder it was to see, and the chillier it got. He eyed the stalagmites nervously as he walked past, the formations glistening menacingly like bared teeth. He shuddered and quickened his pace, regretting his decision. Was he being too hasty? Inconsiderate? Rude? Maybe this was a private conversation that he shouldn't be barging in to, maybe this was a personal moment that wasn't a good idea to--!