Proximity Alone

Eris slowly woke; the room was dark and she could hardly see a thing. She figured she must've passed out during her bath earlier. The light from the moon poured in gently, making her feel more at ease. She hadn't dreamt any this time, which she sighed at.

She raised up and laid against the headboard. She then noticed her clothing—a thin shirt that was way too big on her. Having one of his favorite bands of the front, she concluded it must have been Vanitas'. She flustered at the thought that he must've dressed her after passing out. It was comfortable though, so maybe she'd just keep it.

A sudden light knock reverberated through the room. Looking to the source, Eris noticed a familiar silver haired boy at the window. "Oh my god," she breathed out in exasperation. Hurrying out of bed and to the window, she unlocked it and let him in. Ephemera crawled in and laughed sheepishly. "What are you doing here? It's already night," she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry," Ephemera chuckled, "I wanted to see you. I heard you got sick so I came over as soon as Skuld let me."

Eris raised a brow.  "What would Skuld be keeping you for?"

"She didn't think it would be a good idea for me to come over since it was already so late, but I snuck out anyways," he told her, laughing quietly as he ran a hand through his curly mop.

"So she really didn't let you, you just creeped out when she wasn't looking?" Eris repeated with a light snicker. "That's so like you. I hope she doesn't get too worried when she finds out you're gone."

Ephemera's eyes softened; she was still sick from what he could tell, but she was happy to see him nonetheless. "She probably won't be," he affirmed. "It's not like I haven't done this before."

Eris nodded and laughed. He was right, she remembered the last couple times he snuck over and Skuld would usually run over and scold him for disappearing all of the sudden. Though, it usually wasn't as late when he came over.

"Anyway, what did you want to see me for?" Eris asked, brushing back strands of hair behind her ears.

"I just wanted to see you," he stated bluntly as he removed his slightly oversized red letterman jacket. "I wanted to check if you were alright. Are you stressed out or something?"

Ephemera gently placed his jacket over Eris' shoulders. "I'm fine, really. Probably just a fever or something," she lied. "It'll go away eventually." She gripped the jacket closer to her. It smelled like vanilla and cinnamon.

"I understand how you feel, but if it's physically affecting you, it's probably not good," Ephemera whispered, not breaking eye contact for even a second. "Please, trust me. Chirithy has been telling me about your nightmares."

"Chirithy told you about those?" She repeated in disbelief. "I don't understand. I told him to not tell anyone else."

"I told him to tell me in case you started having those nightmares again," he reluctantly told her. His eyes flicked away momentarily. He didn't want to lose her trust. Him, Skuld, and Chirithy were the only ones who actually knew about Eris' real past. She deserved a break from everybody that had happened before. It wasn't fair she had to suffer from the nightmares, even though she didn't remember what happened back then.

Her form stiffened. "I'll tell you, Ephemera," she said suddenly. "But first, would you like to stay over for the night? It's already so late."

Ephemera smiled as the heat rose to his cheeks. "That sounds nice," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you have to promise to tell me about the nightmares in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered back, giving him a warm smile. "I promise."