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miss-tc-nova · 3 years

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Tonight - Eraqus x Reader

SCREW IT! I’M DONE! HAVE IT! I’ve been working on this for too long and it’s starting to eat at me. It’s not perfect, but it’s time to move on!

NO BETA WE DIE LIKE THE SCALA UPPERCLASSMEN!

Music inpsiration: Let’s Get Out of This Town - Carrie Underwood

~~~~~

Leaves rustle above, dappling the ground in a perfect mix of cool shade and warm sun. My pen scraws across the book I’m holding up in a rather awkward manner. The reason for such awkward writings shifts again, turning the page of a book I told him to put away at least ten times now.

“Eraqus, would you please focus.”

Splayed across my lap, the young man responds, “I am focused.”

“Then what did I just say?”

“Uh…That the founding of Scala Ad Caelum was the start of a new era for keyblade wielders.” I stare at him, a mix of annoyance and disappointment painted across my face. “What?”

“That was the first thing I said TWO HOURS AGO!” I drop the notebook on his face. “Era, the Founding Festival is in three days and you haven’t even written one word of your speech! Your mom is going to be so pissed if you mess this up!”

The notebook gets pushed aside as he rubs his nose. “I forgot about it, okay. Besides, if she’s so afraid of me ruining the family name, she shouldn’t have put this on me.”

It’s in these truths that I can’t fault him. His parents are trying to exhibit Eraqus as the perfect heir to blue-blooded family—except, everyone knows Eraqus doesn’t couldn’t care less about his heritage.

My fingers slide through his soft, wavy hair. “I know you hate it, and I agree that it’s not really fair, but being Tardy Fleetfoot isn’t gonna get you out of this one, sweetheart.”

His eyes open, staring off into the distant sky; I can practically see the gears turning in his head.

“What if it could?”

“Huh?”

Finally, Eraqus sits up. “What if…we ran away?”

“Seriously? I know it sucks, but you wanna run away because your mom asked you to make a speech on behalf of your family?”

“Yes! I mean, no. I just…” Shoulders slump, his eyes cast down. Suddenly, the ever-present light he radiates dims. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and…I think we could be happier outside of Scala.”

I feel a knot in my stomach. “When you say ‘we’…”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you said no, but travelling across the all the worlds would be a lot more fun if you were there with me.”

Eraqus could easily be the heir his parents keep nagging him to be if he would just take their requests more seriously, but I know he has his reasons for rebelling. As for me, I’ve been struggling with a lot of things ever since I met a man in a black coat. I began questioning our purpose and history, which has admittedly affected some of my work. There’s no reward, no guarantees—no certainty that what we’re doing will mean anything; what he showed me has shaken my resolve in this career. Doing something so selfish for once has an incredible allure.

My voice in careful contemplation, I ask, “Do you really think we’d be fine out there on our own?”

That adorable grin that scrunches his nose returns. “With you looking after me, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Of course he could bring a smile to my face so easily. “Just you and me, travelling the worlds, no responsibilities, doing whatever we want, being together! It’ll be perfect!”

He takes my hands and I can feel the excitement tingling in his fingers like an infection. Still, I can’t quite lose myself to irrationality the same way he can.

“What about your family?”

He sighs, his gaze dropping. “All I have left are my parents and I’m not sure they even see me as their son anymore—just someone to follow the family tradition. And honestly, I don’t care. So I’ve got nothing holding me back.” His gaze turns on me. “Do you?”

My mind frantically sifts through excuses and obligations. Even in my shattered determination, I’d always convinced myself that the path of the keyblade wielder was the right thing to do and that this was my place in this existence. But right now, my heart washes out those thoughts more and more with each beat.

“No.”

I’ve never, in all my years of knowing him, seen Eraqus smile so brightly. And suddenly, my entire future feels like an abyss of the unknown, but it’s bright.

“Then let’s go.”

“Now?!”

He scrambles to his feet, arms thrown out. “Why not?!”

My brain rattles, trying to get a grip on the suddenness of it all. “Wh-But…What about the others?”

For the first time, his confidence falters. “I’m not sure they would understand. They’ve wanted to be masters for as long as I can remember.”

“And Xehanort?”

His voice lowers to something more sober. “This is the life he’s dreamed of. Gods, he would probably be angry that I want to give this up.” His drooping shoulders square up and he turns to me, determination in his eyes. “We can’t say anything to them.”

“Are you sure?”

Hesitation flickers briefly. “Yes. Not a word. Okay?”

I nod. “Okay.”

“Good.” Eraqus throws his arms around me, squeezing so tight he lifts me off the ground for a moment and the uncertainty of my life feels long gone by now.

We agree on a plan—opting to sneak out after curfew—and even talk about some of the things we’ll bring with us, but the conversation quickly dissolves into Eraqus telling me about all the adventures he wants us to have. I hang on every word, the nerves still fluttering in my chest but having the utmost faith in him. Before long, I can’t help thinking that curfew can’t come soon enough.

Checking up and down the halls, I sneak my way from the kitchen with a bag in hand. I hadn’t managed to snitch much since it had all been locked away for the night, but anything would work until we get out of here. Realistically, food is the most important thing we need to worry about, but Eraqus promised me he would grab the other things on the list we made. I just hope it’s going as smoothly for him as it is for me.

A finger jams into my cheek. “What’s got you all smiley?”

Correction: I hope it’s going smoother for him than it is for me.

In spite of the flush boiling into my cheeks, I attempt to give the offending red-head my best glare. “Am I not allowed to smile just because I’m happy?”

His brow arches. “It’s more the reason why you’re happy that’s suspicious.” Those amber orbs eye up my bag. “And what’s in the bag?”

The heat is climbing into my ears as I hold the bag tighter against me. “It’s none of your business Bragi; can’t I just be happy to be happy?”

“Me thinks thou doth protest too much,” he hums before leaning in. “What are you hiding?”

Hand against his chest, I push the young man back a step. My heart is racing in my chest while I struggle to remain calm. “What does it matter to you?”

His shoulders bounce. “I get curious when people start acting weird.” Once again, those eyes narrow, gleaming with serious intent. “So, are you gonna tell me or do I have to pry it out of you?”

I force an eye roll, pushing past his so-called ultimatum. “If you don’t quit pestering me, I’ll tell Urd it was you who ruined the ice sculpture she made for the magic project last week.”

That puts a damper on his investigation. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh I would.” I poke at his shirt. “You let poor Baldr take the blame but I watched you botch the aero spell that knocked it over.”

“You have no proof.”

“I have proof that Baldr was helping Eraqus with homework and the others were working on their projects together on the training ground. You’re the only one without an alibi and your project was the only other one in the class, yet you were overlooked because everyone thought your wonky, incomplete project was broken too.” Finally with some confidence, I smile. “Besides, who’s Urd more likely to believe? Me? Or Smarmy Fluffcoat?”

Bragi scowls. “Fine. But I’m on to you. I will figure out what you’re up to.”

“Run along, Fluffcoat,” I say, shooing him away from me.

As he walks away, I feel a tug in my heart. Bragi, Urd, Vor, Baldr, Hermod, and Xehanort are my classmates—no, more like family. We spent years together, working together, taking care of each other, laughing together. They were the only reason I never chickened out of becoming a keyblade wielder. Of course, I’m giving up that path now for different reasons, but I didn’t think I would miss anything about this life—I was wrong.

I have to remind myself that I have preparations to make or I risk giving myself reasons to reconsider.

Stowed away in my room, I collect the things I’ll be taking with me. Hard choices are made for I can’t reasonably take everything. Mementos, niceties, and even gifts from the people I’m closest to must be left behind. I’m not going to lie, I cried a little.

With some time to kill before curfew, I jot down the things I can’t say in person. I can’t tell my friends where we’re going—not that I even know where we’re going—but I do everything I can to express how much I love them and that I’m going to miss them. For the life of me, I want them to understand our choices and not to worry about us. Even as I tuck the letter away in the photo album on my desk, I find myself praying they’ll be okay.

A soft knock comes from the door. Creeping closer, I crack it open to find my boyfriend.

“Are you ready to go?” he whispers.

Reaching back, I grab my bag, sparing my room of several years one last glance. “Yeah.”

As I scurry after Eraqus, I give him a cheeky smirk. “I was beginning to think you’d gotten cold feet.”

The young man stops in his tracks, turns on me, and jerks me into a hasty kiss. With his eyes sparking with excitement, he says, “Cold feet? Me? Never.”

His surprise attack has my stomach writhing, forcing him to take the initiative, taking my hand and leading the way. We creep through the silent halls, holding our breaths as we check around every corner. Years spent in this citadel has taught us the patrol route of the staff watching out for kids like us, so we find little trouble on our way to one of the lesser used exits of the student dorms.

Both of us heave a sigh of relief once the cool night air washes across our skin. There are still patrols scattered about the school grounds but—without restrictive, empty, hallways—they’re easier to avoid.

We’re so close; once we make it to the back corner of the school grounds, we can hop the fence and we’ll be long gone by the time anyone realizes we’re missing.

Eraqus glances off to the left, pulling us around the corner towards the right. Immediately, he skids to a halt and I slam into his back. My question dies on my tongue as I peer around him to find the reason for our delay. My heart freezes as we come face to face with all six of our friends, headed by a scowling Xehanort.

“What are you troublemakers up to?” Urd hisses, looking just as angry as Xehanort.

“Eheh, what are you guys doin’ out past curfew?” Eraqus asks with a nervous laugh.

Hermod folds his arms. “We could ask you the same thing.”

“Uh…” Era’s grip on my hand tightens nervously. “We were just out for a walk. Fresh air under the moonlight’s super romantic, you know.”

Baldr points out the obvious flaw. “Then what’s with the bags?”

Stone eyes glance to me for an excuse, but I have none. “Homework?”

I feel our dreams shriveling in my heart. Xehanort squares up, stepping in to nearly bump chests with Eraqus, his silver eyes practically glowing with his displeasure.

“Fight me.”

No one was expecting his challenge. However, without backing down, Eraqus questions him.

“What?”

“Fight me,” Xe repeats. “If you win, you can go.”

Cautiously, Eraqus asks, “And if I lose?”

“You tell us what’s going on.”

I reach out to rest a hand on Eraqus’s arm. “Maybe we should-”

I don’t know if it’s the competitive streak he has going on with Xehanort or a reckless thought that convinced him he has a higher win rate than one out of three, but Eraqus ignores my second guessing.

“You’re on.”

Without another word, Xehanort turns and begins leading the way towards the training grounds. The leader glares straight ahead with his opponent right behind him, but the others are free to throw me a mix of glares and questioning glances.

The competitors take the field while the rest of us wait at the sidelines. I assume in order to keep the secrecy we’d tried to escape in, the two speak in hushed voices I can’t hear. Meanwhile, pressure continues building as the others surround me like I’m some sort of inmate needing guarding—perhaps I am in this situation.

Finally, Urd breaks the silence. “You know Eraqus is going to lose.” My lips purse, reluctant to respond. That’s not what she wanted. “Seriously?! There’s no point hiding it; just tell us what you guys were doing!”

I simply hold my silence, but Vor at least seems to have some mercy. “Shh, you’ll attract attention. There’s no use trying to pry out secrets, especially if Eraqus really is going to lose.”

An arm bumps against me and I peer up at Hermod. His expression seems like a mix of pain and anger; all I’m really sure is that he wants to say something, but he holds his tongue and returns his gaze to the fight.

The boys clash in silence, only the clang of metal ringing out when keyblades occasionally collide. Eraqus is renowned as a slacker and a clown among the class; nevertheless, he’s got power and skill. And this is the first time I’ve ever seen him take on his best friend without a cheeky grin. For the sake of our ambitions, he’s serious.

That’s not to say Xehanort doesn’t have a chance—he does have win rate to back him up after all. Right from the beginning, he had us all on the run with his raw talent. So while I haven’t lost all hope in Eraqus, I’m not exactly an optimist either.

And then comes the slip up.

Eraqus lunges, but when Xehanort side steps the attack, his wrist turns and he pulls back, hooking his opponent’s foot and pulling him to the ground. And then, when Eraqus goes in for the finishing move, Xehanort shoves his keyblade forward—right where Eraqus’s foot lands. The boy in black stands, pulling his weapon with him and unbalancing Eraqus enough that Xehanort easily topples the enemy and claims checkmate.

Standing above his opponent, keyblade to Eraqus’s chin, Xehanort heaves. Eraqus, equally exhausted, glowers in his defeat. I can feel the weight of failure sinking in my chest.

“Out with it,” the victor says. The line of Era’s jaw tightens. Unfazed, Xehanort jabs at his chest. “You agreed to the terms, now talk. And no lies.”

His chin drops, ebony hair hiding his frustration. “We’re running away.”

For a moment, Xehanort scrutinizes him. I can feel the others staring between me and Era until, finally, Xehanort’s aim lowers as he lets out a huff.

“I figured that’s what was going on.”

Just like Eraqus, my eyes snap back to Xehanort. “Huh?”

Xehanort, for the first time tonight, smiles as he pulls Era from the dirt. “Did you really think you could hide it from me? You can’t act to save your life.”

“Uh…”

“I just wanted you to tell me yourself instead of leaving some stupid note.”

From his jacket, Bragi produces the note I had left behind. Eraqus shoots me a confused glance. “Must’ve just missed ya sneakin’ out when we stopped by to check on you.”

The silver-haired man picks up the dropped bag and pushes it against his best friend. “You two better get going. You have a lot of ground to cover and Eraqus’s parents will have all the worlds looking for you.”

The words slip from my mouth, “You’re…letting us go?”

Bragi snorts. “S’no secret you two aren’t happy here. Kinda sucks but you gotta do what’s best for you.”

“Do you guys have enough supplies?” Hermod asks.

“You better make sure to stay stocked up on food and water,” warns Vor, pulling a bag from her haori to give to me.

“And be careful not to get sick,” adds Baldr, placing a folded blanket on top of Vor’s gift.

“Also, you left your map in the library, you dingus,” accuses Xehanort. From his pocket, he pulls the map Eraqus promised me he would get. The ‘dingus’ gives a sheepish smile.

“Speaking of which, where do you guys plan on going first?” asks Vor.

Xehanort holds a hand up. “Don’t answer that. The less we know, the better. Just…send us a card from all the worlds you visit, ‘kay?”

Tears well in my eyes when he pulls the two of us into an embrace. The others pile on, sharing the last group hug we’ll have for a long time. It breaks my heart, but at the same time, we have their blessing and nothing could make me happier.

Breaking apart, Urd takes my face, wiping away the tears she won’t succeed in erasing. To be fair, there’s not a dry eye among us.

“Take care of yourselves,” she says through sniffles.

“I love you guys,” I murmur.

Eraqus takes my hand, wearing soft smile. I can’t force myself to move and it takes him pulling me away for me to finally turn away from them.

Once we jump the stone wall, we leave behind our responsibilities, our old lives, and our family—at least our real family understands.

As we race through the empty streets, my tears start to dry. I’m still sad and I’ll miss them, but I have a bright future ahead of me—besides, it’s not like we said goodbye. No, right now, I’m focused on Eraqus and all the adventures we’re going to have. He’s the light pulling me through the darkness and I wouldn’t have been able to break free without him.

Coming up on the docks, we slow to a stop, looking over the water the reflects the shining night sky.

“So, where to first?” Eraqus asks, waving to all the endless possibilities.

Giggling a bit, I point to the brightest star I see first. “That one.”

“Alright. That one, here we come.”

Before I can summon my keyblade, Eraqus pulls me into another surprise kiss. His excitement is palpable, seeping in and instigating my own. When he breaks it, he keeps me close, eyes shimmering like the sky above.

“I promise you won’t regret this,” he says.

“Regret? Me? Never.”

He sticks his tongue out at me for mocking him and we summon the armor that will protect us in the Lanes Between. Without any more delays, we leave Scala Ad Caelum.

And we’ve never been happier.

#young eraqus x reader #eraqus x reader #gender neutral reader

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