Best Friends

Life, Identity

Erikur comforts Fenneck about his parents and Evelyn.

Fenneck looked to make sure there weren't any guards around and he removed his ring and hesitantly reached out and knocked on what he hoped was still Erikur's door. He waited nervously for what felt like ages until Erikur opened it and gasped at the sight of him, dropping the cup of tea he had in his hand and causing it to shatter on the ground. Fenneck couldn't help himself from smiling at his friend. Erikur looked a bit disheveled, but he was the most beautiful sight Fenneck could see at that moment. He was wearing a lavender robe with a brown rabbit-fur trim that Fenneck had made him years ago and his sandy brown hair was loose around his face and shoulders. Fenneck swallowed. "Hey," he said hesitantly. Erikur's big green eyes looked at him in bewilderment. "You... Where the hell have you been?!" he asked Fenneck in shock and bewilderment before grabbing him and pulling him into his arms. Fenneck squeezed him back, overwhelmed with happiness. He looked behind him and saw Alexei at the kitchen table with Catherine, Vyndius, and Gwynsickle. Fenneck pulled away and turned to look at Erikur. "In the mountains," he admitted sadly. "I wasn't sure what to do," he told him. "I'm so sorry, Erik!" he said, collapsing into Erikur's arms and sobbing. Erikur squeezed him and pulled him into the house and closed the door behind him. "It's okay, Fen. I'm sorry too," he said, kissing Fenneck affectionately on the cheek. Fenneck kissed his cheek back and Erikur pulled his lips against Fenneck's before recoiling a bit, unable to hide his disgust at Fenneck's breath. Fenneck giggled. "Sorry, I'm kinda gross," he said holding his arms out to show his tattered armor that was covered in dried blood stains and grime and had been repaired far too many times over the last two years. Fenneck suddenly looked back to Catherine and Vyndius, startled by the realization that they had died nearly a decade ago. "You... you're alive?" he asked them, confused as to whether or not his mind was playing tricks on him. Gwynsickle squawked happily and waddled up to Fenneck in greeting. Vyndius looked almost as bewildered as Fenneck and Catherine simply smiled. "I was gonna ask the same thing about you," she teased him. Alexei stood and slowly walked up to Fenneck in shock and gave him a happy, surprised smile. Fenneck pulled him into a tight hug. Alexei squeezed him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!" he said. Fenneck kissed Alexei on the cheek. "I'm sorry I ran off," he told them. "Jasna said it wasn't safe and that I needed to leave," he explained. Erikur nodded and looked Fenneck over. "You need some food in you," he observed. Fenneck chuckled. "I've been living off rabbit meat in the mountains for the last two years," he admitted. "You've been living in the mountains?!" Alexei asked him in shock. Fenneck nodded. "Yeah, I found a bumblebear cave I was able to live in well enough," he shrugged. "It was honestly kinda nice, to just be in nature for a while," he said thoughtfully. Catherine smiled. "Sounds more pleasant that where Vyndius and I were," she commented. "And where was that?" Fenneck asked her as he sat down at the full table. Vyndius sighed. "Hades for a while, and then we were in Arvandor with the god Pan for... well we aren't sure how long. For us it felt like we were only gone for a few days. Corellon found us and sent us home and we got here yesterday." Fenneck cocked his head as he tried to process such a crazy tale. "Corellon? Like the elvish god Corellon Larethian?" he asked the halfling in disbelief as he realized the names he was dropping. Vyndius nodded casually as if talking about a neighbor. "He's quite something. I've encountered him before, too. Years ago with Jasna." He looked up at Erikur who nodded understandingly as he fixed Fenneck a meal in the kitchen. "What is he like?" Fenneck asked him curiously. Vyndius shrugged. "He's pretty cool." Catherine rolled her eyes at Vyndius. "He was remarkable," she said excitedly, leaning toward Fenneck. "The most beautiful being I've ever seen," she said wistfully. Fenneck smiled. "I'm just glad you're both okay. We had assumed the worst," he told them. Erikur nodded. "I'm glad all of you are safe. Things are still pretty bad here." He plopped a plate down in front of Fenneck who smiled and happily dug into the food. "Thank you," he mumbled with his mouth full of bread. Alexei giggled. "You need a shower, too," he commented, waving his hand in front of his nose teasingly at Fenneck who playfully elbowed him, too excited to be putting fresh food in his mouth to answer him. "Well, here's one more for our roster," Vyndius commented excitedly to Erikur who glanced over at Fenneck and met his eyes intensely for a moment. Fenneck swallowed his bite. "What roster?" he asked Erikur. Erikur sighed. "Well, we were talking about the... plan. To essentially... well... rebel." He gave Fenneck a cautious look, considering their last interaction with each other. Fenneck gave him a small nod and smiled. "I hoped you'd say that," he told Erikur whose eyes widened in surprise. "I should have joined a long time ago," Fenneck told him. "I should have listened to you." Erikur sighed with relief and smiled. "We'd be more than happy to have you. It's not a very... well we don't exactly have a plan yet but with you guys back we may have hope at least," Erikur said as he leaned against the counter. "Hope is enough," Fenneck told him thoughtfully, causing a smile to form on Erikur's face. Alexei was smiling excitedly at Fenneck's reaction. "I think we should split up and coordinate a meeting tonight in the tree," Alexei started excitedly. "I can talk to some of the farmers in the Vallee and maybe take Vyndius so he won't be noticed as much and we can clear out the path to the tree on our way there," he suggested. Erikur nodded. "I'll talk to Baegla and the other halflings here. Catherine, why don't you sneak into the palace and find Jasna, let her know what's going on?" Catherine nodded. Erikur turned to Fenneck. "You should take a bath," he said, pointing at his friend before walking into his bathroom and drawing a bath for Fenneck. Alexei, Vyndius, Gwynsickle and Catherine took off on their new assignments and Fenneck followed Erikur into his bathroom and smiled at the sight of the hot clean water. "You look like hell," Erikur told him as he set down a clean towel and a clean set of clothes for Fenneck to put on. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," Fenneck teased him back. Erikur leaned up and kissed Fenneck on the forehead. "I'll be back soon, okay? I can take you to the tree tonight," he suggested, realizing Fenneck had never been there before. "Are you okay?" he asked Fenneck more candidly. Fenneck shrugged. "I'm... as well as I can be. It's good to see you all again. Is Naertho okay?" he asked Erikur. He nodded. "He's okay. He's been pretty torn up about what happened. You should probably go see him when you're cleaned up," he suggested. Fenneck nodded. "I'm sorry I left," he told him. Erikur waved him off. "It was the smart thing to do. I'm glad you're safe," he assured him, gently squeezing his arm. "Now get cleaned up. Seriously, your hair has to have like ten rats living in it!" Erikur playfully pulled up some of Fenneck's hair to mock it. Fenneck playfully shoved him out of the bathroom and closed the door. He took off his ratty clothes and studied himself in the looking glass. He was taken aback by how different he looked. He touched his jaw in shock as he realized the mountains had done a toll on him. He had finally outgrown his baby face and his eyes seemed tired. He could see his rib cage from how skinny he was but he also noticed how much stronger his shoulders and legs were from all the trekking and fighting he had done. He had some new scars and overall a more defensive, reserved demeanor about him. He released a heavy sigh and slipped into the warm bath and dunked his head under the water, happily washing out his long, ashen locks. When he was finally finished cleaning the grime, dried blood and sweat off of his body he put on the clean clothes Erikur had left him. He sighed with happiness at the soft, lavender tunic that smelled like his best friend and he got dressed. He brushed out his hair before pulling it into a couple braids and walking out into the living room to see Erikur was there with Jasna. He smiled and walked over to Fenneck and kissed his cheeks lovingly. "You look like an elf again!" Erikur teased him. Fenneck looked over at Jasna who gave him a sad look of understanding. Fenneck smiled at her, glad to know that she was okay. "Hey," he greeted her softly. "Hey," she said, unsuccessfully trying to sound cheery. "I'm glad you're okay," she told him. Fenneck walked over and gave her a hug. "Thank you," he told her. "Thank you for being so kind to me." She squeezed him back fiercely. "Of course, Fenneck. I'm so sorry about everything that happened," she told him softly before kissing him on the cheek. They shared an understanding look and then turned to Erikur. "You ready to see your uncle?" he asked Fenneck who nodded nervously. Jasna smiled at them. "I'll meet you in the tree tonight." She vanished and Erikur reached out and touched Fenneck, turning him invisible. "I'm not sure how much we can risk in case the guards recognize you," he explained. Fenneck giggled. "I have a ring that Jasna gave me when I escaped that I can use to turn invisible, you know." Erikur pursed his lips and shrugged. "I did not, but that's good to know," he said, chuckling at his silly waste of magic. Erikur opened the door and led an invisible Fenneck up into the first layer of the mountain. Fenneck saw the front to his old home, no doubt taken over by some other family at this point. Erikur walked to Naertho's shop and opened the door allowing Fenneck to walk in past him. The door closed behind them and Fenneck looked around lovingly at the familiar world of fabric and clothing. Naertho was working in the corner on a dress. He looked tired and worn down and Fenneck realized the shop was in more of a disarray than normal. Naertho looked up as Erikur approached his desk and smiled. "Erikur, darling. How are you?" he asked, his usual flamboyant attitude seemed to have disappeared since the last time Fenneck saw him. "I'm wonderful, actually. Can we speak privately?" he asked him in Halfling. Naertho gave him an odd look and nodded as he stood up and led Erikur into the dressing rooms. When they were completely alone, Erikur lightly tapped Fenneck's shoulder, making him visible again and Naertho gasped and ran and clutched Fenneck into his chest. "Fenneck?! Fenny, is it really you?!" he asked him, kissing his face excitedly. Fenneck started sobbing and he collapsed into his uncle's arms. "I'm so glad you're okay! Oh, Fenneck!" Naertho squeezed him tightly, showering his face with kisses. Erikur politely headed back out into the shop to give them a moment together. "I've been so worried about you!" Naertho told him. Fenneck couldn't stop crying and Naertho held him for a long time, gently caressing his hair and letting Fenneck express the emotions he was feeling. "Where have you been?" he finally asked his nephew desperately while cradling his face and looking into his eyes. Fenneck sniffed and wiped his tears away. "I was in the mountains. I... I had to run," he said guiltily. "It was all my fault! I... I had an affair," he admitted. Naertho sighed and shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Fenneck. Evelyn's death had nothing to do with your parents," Naertho tried to assure him. Fenneck looked up at him in surprise. "How did you... how did you know it was Evelyn?" Fenneck asked him. Naertho gave him a playfully stern look. "Do you think me a fool, boy? I knew from the very beginning. You weren't that good of a tailor to convince the young princess to put me out of business!" Naertho teased him. Fenneck blushed guiltily before sighing sadly as he thought about the day he met Evelyn. "Her death was my fault," he said sadly. Naertho gave him a quizzical look. Fenneck swallowed. "She was pregnant. She tried to... to kill the baby so that her father wouldn't find out but... it killed her as well," he told his uncle who sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry, Fenneck," he said, shaking his head. "I should have tried to help. Jasna and I talked about it many times but we were worried. It seemed risky to involve Evelyn but now I fear we grossly misjudged her... and you." He sat down in one the chairs and rubbed his forehead with regret. "I was a fool," Fenneck said, putting his head in his hands. "I know that now." Naertho shook his head. "You were in love, Fenny. You did nothing wrong. I know she loved you very dearly and it was nice to see her so happy when you were together, playfully trying to pretend she actually cared about the dresses she was putting on her body just so she could find an excuse to come talk to you!" he teased him. "You did nothing wrong, love," Naertho assured him. Fenneck sighed and sat down on the step stool in the center of the room. "I should have told you. And my parents," Fenneck said. Naertho shook his head. "We knew the entire time, Fenny. We were rather glad you didn't, honestly. It made us feel better about all the secrets we were keeping from you." Fenneck smiled. "I want to fight. I want to make this place safer. I don't want anyone else to have to suffer because of our leaders. I learned a lot about myself these last two years and I... I see things a little more clearly now," he told his uncle thoughtfully. Naertho smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. I assume Erikur has let you in on all our little secrets now?" he asked him. Fenneck smiled. "I only just got in this morning so I'm not exactly sure what I know," he chuckled. Naertho stood and poked his head out into the shop. "Erikur!" he called out before retreating back into the dressing room. Erikur came in, holding a bolt of purple fabric he had been looking at and smiled at them. "Is this new?" he asked Naertho who rolled his eyes at Erikur's shopping habits. "Yes. It just came in from Thymryu, actually," Naertho told him. "It's from the desert fiefdom of Sivania. They specialize in beautiful silks there." Erikur smiled. "Sorry, I got distracted. We are going to try and have a meeting tonight, in the tree," he told Naertho, drastically changing the subject. Naertho nodded. "Sounds good. I want to be there," Naertho said, standing up and walking over to help Fenneck to his feet. "You should probably get somewhere safer," he told them. "But first, I have a few things for you, Fenneck. Give me a moment," he said as he walked out of the dressing rooms and into his office. He returned with a large box that he handed to Fenneck. "Just a few things I was able to save for you, darling. You can look over them when you get back to Erikur's house. I assume that's where you're staying?" he asked them. Erikur nodded. "Yeah, I don't suppose you heard but Catherine is back too. She and Vyndius showed up yesterday and told us that they were sent into Hades and some weird crazy stuff happened to them. They said it seemed like they were gone only a few days," he explained. Naertho shook his head in surprise. "Well today's just full of wonderful news! Are they okay?" he asked. Erikur nodded. "Yeah, she said Corellon Larethian sent them home from Arvandor," he said in disbelief. "Your sister met Corellon Larethian?!" Naertho asked, clearly envious of such an experience. Erikur chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure she and Vyndius will tell you all about it tonight," he said. "But we should get out of here in case someone shows up," he decided. Naertho nodded and kissed Fenneck's forehead. "I'm so glad you're back," he told his nephew sweetly. Fenneck gave him a small smile. "Me too," he said. Erikur put his hand around Fenneck's back and Fenneck slipped his ring on as they walked back through the store. They made it back to Erikur's house and Fenneck set the box down on the kitchen table. "I'll look through it later," he decided, worried the contents might upset him. Erikur nodded and hugged Fenneck sweetly from behind, now that they were completely alone. "I'm so glad you're here," he said passionately. Fenneck turned in his arms and hugged him fiercely, enjoying the touch and presence of another person again. Fenneck felt the pangs of grief start to stab at his chest and he collapsed into Erikur's arms as he started to cry. Erikur pulled him over to the couch where they sat down together and Erikur held Fenneck as they both cried, overwhelmed by their reunion. Erikur reached out a hand and gently wiped some of Fenneck's tears from his face before softly cupping Fenneck's head in his hand. "I'm so sorry, Fen," he said, his eyes full of pain and empathy. Fenneck sighed and Erikur leaned in and kissed Fenneck on the lips. Fenneck kissed him back lovingly. Erikur pushed forward and his hands started to caress Fenneck's thigh in a very sensual way. Fenneck jolted back from his touch, startled by Erikur's advances. "I... I'm sorry," Erikur said, starting to blush from embarrassment. "I... I... sorry," Fenneck said back to him, not really knowing how to respond. "I... I just..." He felt himself start to blush and felt tears rising up again at the idea of pushing Erikur away. He looked up into Erikur's hurt eyes. "I'm sorry, Erik. I... don't..." He took a deep breath. "I decided to be alone for a while," he finally said. "After what happened with Evelyn," Fenneck told him. Erikur took a deep breath and nodded, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. "I see," he muttered. Fenneck could tell he was hurt. "I just feel awful," Fenneck tried to explain. "About everything, and I... don't want to open myself up to that right now. Maybe that will change in time but... I feel guilty, Erik, for what I did to Evelyn," he said. Erikur nodded. "Well, I'm sorry for... that. I should have asked. I just... I've missed you, Fen," he said guiltily. Fenneck knew Erikur had thought his infatuation with Evelyn would be a passing thing. Fenneck did like Erikur and it broke his heart to refuse his affection but he couldn't risk hurting another person again. Or himself. He was trying to process too much already and it was all more than he could handle. "It's too soon, Erik," he said sadly. Erikur nodded. "I know. I'm sorry," he said guiltily. Fenneck could see his friend starting to blush from embarrassment and he scooted closed to Erikur affectionately. "Did Jasna tell you what happened?" he asked him. Erikur nodded. "She said Evelyn was pregnant and that she killed herself trying to get rid of the pregnancy," he said sadly. Fenneck nodded. "She came to my house a few hours before and told me. I tried to stop her. I told her to wait and that we could figure it out and that you and my parents could help her. You were right. She... was possessed and it was scary," he croaked through his tears. Erikur caressed his face affectionately. "I should have told you sooner. I should have told you about Nikolai and Jasna," he said, shaking his head at himself. Fenneck sighed. "It was my fault. It's my fault that she's dead, Erik," he said sorrowfully. Erikur shook his head. "No, Fenneck. It's so much more complicated than that. You both should have been able to love each other despite the difference in your class. You shouldn't have had to hide that. Her parents are dangerous, Fenneck, not to mention her uncle," he said, shivering at the thought of their powerful emperor. Fenneck sighed and leaned his head against Erikur's chest. "It was a boy," he said sadly, thinking about what could have been. "She let me feel him kick," he whispered as he stared into space. Erikur squeezed Fenneck tightly and kissed his head. "You would have been a great father," he commented sweetly. Fenneck smiled at the thought. "Everything was so perfect," he said wistfully. Erikur leaned his head against Fenneck's and they sat together in silence for a while as Erikur caressed Fenneck comfortingly. "Do you think it's possible? This... revolution?" Fenneck asked him thoughtfully. Erikur thought for a long moment before turning to look at Fenneck. "I do. I hope so. If it doesn't... Well..." He sighed and Fenneck reached up and kissed his neck to comfort him. "I hope so too," he said, nuzzling his face against Erikur's. "So... do you want to establish boundaries, then?" Erikur teased him for his affections. Fenneck sighed. "I don't know. I don't want to have sex. I think that's what I feel the most guilty about." Erikur affectionately brushed Fenneck's hair from his face. "You didn't do anything wrong, Fen." Fenneck shrugged. "Did you really hate her?" he asked him somewhat playfully. Erikur rolled his eyes. "She was a total bitch, Fen," he teased. Fenneck glared at him defensively, and sat up away from Erikur's warm arms. "Oh come on, Fen! She was! At least Jasna is nice. Gods, Evelyn complained about everything. All the time," he said dramatically. Fenneck punched him playfully and Erikur playfully pushed him into the couch as they wrestled with each other. Erikur's long golden-brown hair tickled Fenneck's neck as he pinned him down and Fenneck giggled and smiled gleefully for the first time in months. Erikur smiled down at him. "Finally got you to smile," he teased. Fenneck pushed Erikur over and got on top of his friend, easily pinning him on the other end of the couch instead. "Damn, you've gotten stronger," Erikur said, genuinely surprised and clearly turned on by Fenneck's sudden show of strength. "Well living in the mountains for two years fighting Yetis and Frost Giants is a very effective workout," Fenneck teased him. Erikur laughed and Fenneck couldn't help himself from leaning down and kissing Erikur who gladly kissed him back. Erikur's hands moved to Fenneck's shoulders to admire his new muscles. Fenneck finally pulled away feeling ashamed of himself. "I... I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so confused right now," he admitted. Erikur shrugged. "Who isn't?" he said playfully. Fenneck smiled at him. "I still don't want to have sex," he said sheepishly. "Okay," Erikur said as if it weren't a big deal. "Why do you think I keep Alexei around?" Erikur said jokingly. Fenneck rolled his eyes and let Erikur up. "Do you hate me?" Fenneck asked him. "No, dumbass." Erikur scoffed. "You're a mess but... I am too. No matter what, though, whether we make-out sometimes or not -" he said, pulling Fenneck into a loving embrace. "- you're still, and always will be, my best friend," Erikur told him before pulling him into a gentle kiss. Fenneck smiled up at him. "So... what's this hidden tree?" he asked Erikur who smiled mischievously, clearly excited to let Fenneck in on all their little secrets. "It's in the forest," he said, excitedly interlacing his fingers with Fenneck's. Fenneck knew the tree he was talking about but he enjoyed Erikur's excitement and decided against telling him about seeing him the night before. "So your mom actually created it," Erikur explained. "It's a large oak tree with a magically sealed doorway that you can only open with frost magic," he explained. His eyes suddenly lit up excitedly. "I can show you some cool magic stuff now!" he said excitedly, bouncing the couch. Fenneck giggled. "Now that I'm a criminal?" he asked him teasingly. Erikur scoffed at him. "You were not the epitome of perfection before, you know. You were having an affair with a princess, you scoundrel!" he teased him. Fenneck smiled proudly. "Yes I was!" Erikur smiled and giggled at Fenneck. "I did actually figure some things out while I was living in the mountains," Fenneck told him, sending a warm burst of magic through Erikur who smiled proudly at Fenneck. "Isn't it wonderful?!" Erikur said in awe of the magical energy swirling around them. Fenneck nodded as he looked into Erikur's green eyes. They leaned in and kissed each other again and Fenneck let himself enjoy the feeling of Erikur's tongue in his mouth and the taste of his sweet breath. He felt himself getting excited and he pulled away and gave Erikur a nervous look. "It's okay, Fenneck," he assured him. "I like our relationship," he said. "I'm not trying to force you into anything and I know you're still dealing with the loss of Evelyn and I don't expect that to go away any time soon." He gently caressed Fenneck's arm. "I like being affectionate with you, though. I know what our relationship is," he said confidently. Fenneck gave him a grateful smile. "We should head to the tree," Erikur decided, standing up and pulling Fenneck off the couch. He walked over and grabbed a couple cloaks for them both and he reached out and Fenneck took his hands, giving him a confused look. "Did Evelyn ever teleport you?" Erikur asked him. Fenneck nodded. "Only a couple times, though," he said. Erikur nodded, closed his eyes and they popped out of Erikur's living room.