Since we’re going to be a little light on chapters this week (just one tonight and one tomorrow), I’m filling the space with some Modern AU stuff.
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Edwin didn’t look up when he heard the door click open and swing shut, just putting another chip in his mouth as Simba and Scar fought over Pride Rock.
There was some shuffling, the sound of shoes being taken off, footsteps. “Hey,” Erik said, pausing in the doorway.
Edwin glanced up at him, smiling briefly. “Hey. How was class?”
“Not bad, I did better on my psych midterm than I thought. How was school?” Erik asked, coming over and dropping onto the other side of the sofa.
“Fine,” Edwin said, eyes going back to the end of the movie. “The usual.”
“Really?” Erik asked, in that way that Erik asked things when he knew the answer. “You were supposed to get your history paper back today, yeah?”
“Sykes didn’t finish grading them so we’re not getting them back until Friday.”
“Hm.” Erik glanced at the TV. “You came here instead of going home, you’re wearing one of my shirts and watching the Lion King.”
“You’re very observant, you know that?” Edwin asked, rolling his eyes. Erik’s shirts were more comfortable than his. “You’ll make a super good cop.”
“You’re in a bad mood, and since the text I got from mom to tell me you didn’t come home didn’t mention a fight, I’m guessing if I look in your bag, I’ll find a history paper in it.”
Edwin sighed. “Why are you such an asshole?”
“Beats being petulant. You want to talk about it?”
“No,” Edwin huffed. “If I wanted to talk about it, I’d go home. I want to sit here and watch this movie.”
“You’ve seen this movie a thousand times.”
Whatever, it was his favourite movie. “You’ve seen Die Hard a thousand times, that doesn’t stop you from liking it.” Edwin shouldn’t be taking his frustration out on Erik. Erik was the only person who really understood him. But he was making it so easy at the moment.
Erik fell silent and let Edwin watch the rest of the film. Once it was done, he scooted over and pulled Edwin into a cuddle, one arm around his middle. “You know when you wear my clothes it makes me want to do indecent things to you.”
“Maybe that was the idea,” Edwin muttered. It hadn’t really been, but he wasn’t opposed to it. “All my clothes were your clothes at some point anyway.”
“Correlates with the fact that I want to do indecent things to you all the time,” Erik mused. “Maybe you just shouldn’t wear clothes ever.”
“You think that would fix the problem?” Edwin asked, teasing a little. “I feel like it would make it worse.”
“Yeah, but it’d make it easier for me to do those things.”
“I’m down for that. You going to take this off of me?” Erik did have a bit of a thing for Edwin using his things without permission.
“In a bit, once you tell me why you’re so upset.”
“Erik.” Edwin rolled his eyes. Erik was very adept at killing the mood.
“Edwin,” Erik mocked, though Edwin didn’t sound that whiny.
They were quiet for a long minute while Edwin leaned on Erik, feeling stupid. “I got a B.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a B.”
“I know that,” Edwin grumbled. He was a straight B student. “I don’t care about the grade. When he gave me the paper back, Sykes made sure to tell me that you got an A in his class.”
Did people really not realize that Edwin was completely aware of how much he was in Erik’s shadow? Did they really think he didn’t know that he didn’t measure up?
“Ah,” Erik pulled Edwin closer. “For the record, I got an A-.”
“Whatever,” Edwin grumbled. Erik smelled really nice. “I just…don’t need to be reminded all the time that you’re better than me, like I don’t already know.”
“I’m not.”
“The grades say otherwise.”
“Grades are bullshit,” Erik told Edwin firmly. “They don’t measure anything but your ability to do things the way your teacher asks. And don’t listen to Mr. Sykes, he’s an asshole.”
Edwin knew that. He knew all of that. He also didn’t want to hear any of it. “Do you love me?”
Erik pulled Edwin into his lap, kissed him on the forehead. “Yes. I love you more than anything, Ed. You know that.”
“I know.” Edwin did know that. That was what he’d wanted to hear. He buried his face in Erik’s shoulder. “I love you too,” he said softly. “So much.”
“Yeah.” Erik held him, and they sat like that on the sofa for a long while.
Sitting like that with Erik never failed to make Edwin feel less useless, like less of a failure. Erik never failed to make Edwin feel that way. After a while Erik sighed, looked down at him. “You going to stay the night?”
Edwin shrugged. He wanted to. “Do you want me to go?”
“Obviously not. But you’re going to call mom and tell her so she doesn’t worry.”
“Yeah, okay. Sorry.” Edwin fished around in the couch cushions for his phone. “I should have told her I was coming here so she didn’t bother you.”
“Or you could have told me.”
“That too,” Edwin said with a nod as he found his phone, went into his contacts. “Wish I could just live here with you.”
“Couple more years.”
“Too long.” As much as he appreciated that they had a space away from their parents where they could be themselves, Edwin also wished that Erik hadn’t moved out.
“You’re such a baby.”
“Makes you want to spoil me, doesn’t it?” Edwin asked, flashing Erik a smile.
Erik smirked. “Makes me want to spank you.”
Oh, so it was going to be like that. “Well, I’m on the phone, and that’d be hard to explain, yeah?”
“I’ll come up with something else, I’m sure.” Erik played with the bottom of Edwin’s stolen shirt, watching him. “You going to dial?”
Edwin chuckled, and pressed the call button. Erik never failed to make Edwin feel special, and Edwin was sure today would be no exception.
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How Best to Use a Sword 