Closed Like a stone

Erik Drage

Potioneer | Healing | Unprepared
 
Messages
668
OOC First Name
Amanda
Blood Status
Pure Blood
Relationship Status
Seeing Somebody
Sexual Orientation
Lou
Wand
Yew 12'' Core of Jackalope Antler
Age
April 27, 2018 (37)
Erik’s default these days was wallowing in misery. He was simultaneously lonely and wanting to be alone. Life had been lovely, and then it was not. The wonderful weekend with Lou almost a month ago now seemed like a dream. He’d been at the point of asking Lou out, well, officially, but what had happened that day after Lou had left had put a screeching halt to everything. He needed Lou, wanted Lou, although the thought of seeing him again filled him with both excitement and dread. Out of all people, he owed Lou an explanation for why he’d pulled away, and he didn’t think he was ready to let those words move past his lips.

Feeling restless, sad, and hungry, he wandered out of his apartment and walked down to the nearby bar. Instead of much-needed food, however, he ordered a firewhiskey sour and sank into one of the booths.

@Asher Beckett
 
Asher was having a long week, so he decided at the last minute to go out and get a drink. He made his way to a bar he liked to frequent sometimes, they had a good selection. He dressed up a little bit, in the mood to maybe play around a little but not sure if he was willing to actively seek it out. Deciding to just see where the night took him, he walked into the bar. A good whiskey mixer sounded good. He ordered his drink and turned, scanning the crowd to see if there was anywhere good to sit. His eyes lit up and a sly smiled curled his lips as he spotted a familiar face. He hadn't seen Erik Drage in a good while, but that was alright. Deciding to test the water a bit, Asher sauntered over and leaned lightly against the edge of the booth. "Hey there, Adonis. Got room for one more?" He asked, giving Erik a flirty smile. It looked like something was on the other mans mind, and Ash thought maybe he could help distract Erik from it.
 
Erik wasn’t expecting to be spoken to. “Hmm?” he said, looking up. The mixture of firewhiskey and citrus burned his throat. It took a moment to register the man who’d approached him. “Oh, hey Asher. Uhm, sure.” Erik hadn’t seen Asher in months, since he’d decided to be more exclusive with Lou. He should have told him to go away, but he didn’t. Asher wouldn’t pressure him to talk. And he was lonely.
 
Asher smiled, sliding in easily next to Erik and laying his arm around the other man. "You look sad, baby. What's wrong?" He asked, rubbing a thumb over Eriks shoulder lightly. "Do you wanna talk? Or do you wanna drink and forget about it?" He asked, game for either option. He could listen, or he could take Erik's mind off his troubles. Asher was okay with whichever. He hated seeing one of his lovers looking so down.
 
Erik knew in his gut that it was wrong to let Asher be so familiar with him. Before, it had been different, when he wasn’t so attached to a certain someone. But he pushed down that thought, drowning it in stomach acid. Besides, the closeness was nice. He shook his head, leaning into Asher just a little. “Don’t wanna talk,” he said quietly, “drinking and forgetting sounds nice.”
 
Asher smiled a bit. That was easy enough. He took a good shot of his drink, setting it down before shifting in his seat and turning Erik's face to his with a few fingers beneath his jaw. "Would you like me to distract you, Adonis?" he asked, looking for a sign of consent before leaning in and kissing the other man.
 
Erik gave in. He shouldn’t have. The weight of his emotions was too much, the lack of appropriate coping skills turning him inside out. When Asher reached for him, he felt like he was going to dissolve and wash away, like cotton candy in a downpour. Erik didn’t reply, kissing Asher back instead. Without thinking, he climbed into Asher’s lap, pressing him into the backrest.
 
Asher was surprised by Eriks reaction, but not discouraged. He smiled, gripping one of his hips and running his hand into the mans hair, kissing him back easily. Ash was alright being used as a distraction; he and Erik had always had a very open, casual thing going. He started pondering how far this might go, if he might need to find a room, mentally preparing for a night away from home.
 
Lou would be lying if he tried to say he didn’t miss Erik. Things seemed to have been a bit rough for the other man lately, and it had been a good bit since Lou had seen him. Lou missed Erik much more than he cared to admit, but he knew that today he would have the chance to see him. Even if only for a minute. Lou had been working hard on a present for Erik for a while now, meant for Eriks birthday in a few months. He’d really lucked out stumbling onto it, it was such a rare flower, and Lou had been slaving over it for months. He had decided to give it to Erik early; he seemed distant, and upset, and Lou hoped it was enough to cheer Erik up a bit.

Lou very carefully took the potted plant and apparated near Erik’s apartment. He wasn’t going to force Erik to let him stay, he was going to drop off the plant and... just let him know that he wasn’t alone. Lou’s brow furrowed, though, when the other wizard wasn’t at his apartment. After a bit of thinking, Lou realized that maybe Erik was down at that bar he’d spoken about, the one Erik liked to frequent.

Lou straightened his coat, his heart fluttering a little in his chest as he walked towards the bar. It had been a very long time since Lou had let anyone into his life, and even longer since he had really cared for anyone else. Lou knew he cared about Erik, deeply, and that he dreamed of maybe building more with the other wizard. It was a silly dream, perhaps, but Lou found that he often felt silly in the best ways when he was with Erik.

But as Lou walked into the bar, eagerly looking around for his favorite person, he realized immediately just how terribly silly, in the worst ways, that he had been. He stood frozen for several long moments, the color draining from his face as he watched Erik practically on top of someone else.

Lou didn’t realize that he was shaking, didn’t realize that tears had formed in his eyes, didn’t realize that slowly every inch of him had started to go numb from the pain. It wasn’t until the potted flower slipped from his grasp, until it shattered on the floor, that Lou was brought back to himself. For one brief second, Lou thought that his heart had made that awful noise as pain ripped through his chest. But as he cast his eyes downward to the broken mess on the floor, the rich brown soil and the wilted and battered flower, as his eyes fell to the yellow and black butterfly he’d so painstakingly, slowly painted onto the ceramic pot, split perfectly in two, Lou crumbled.

His shoulders dropped and a trembling hand came up to cover his lips, his eyes shut tightly as tears began to fall, and with a soft, choked cry, Lou turned on his heel and bolted out the door. He flew down the street again, barreling into an alley and apparating blindly, slamming into the familiar wall of his room as he came together again.

Lou crumbled to the ground, curled in tightly on himself, heartbroken sobs wracking his frame as he pressed himself into the cool wood. How could he have been so stupid? The soft words, the sweet kisses, it had all been nothing, he had meant nothing, and he had been an utter fool to ever believe otherwise.
 
Shattered glass wasn’t an uncommon occurrence at this bar. Erik wouldn’t have been fazed, except for the sudden hush that followed. He peeled himself away from Asher as he took in the scene. A large man was standing between the tables and looking straight at him. Lou. Erik pushed past Asher, swearing under his breath, his brain still trying to catch up with the situation. Why was Lou here? Before Erik could get anywhere near him, he was out the door.

Erik meant to chase him, but he noticed the heap of dirt and cracked ceramic on the floor. His eyes widened when he realized what the pot had been holding. He pulled out his wand, repairing the jar quickly and scooping the soil and flower back in. Erik didn’t notice the painting on the side- not now. He needed to get the thing some water before it died.
 
Asher was pulled from his thoughts by a loud shattering. He opened his eyes, a little slow to realize what was happening. But as Asher felt Erik push past and saw the man fleeing the bar, Ashers stomach twisted violently. He felt like he was going to be sick. Swallowing hard, fighting the deja vu, Asher set a large sum of money on the table. It was more than enough for the two drinks. He stood, jaw clenched, and didn't look at Erik as he walked out.
 
Erik saw Asher leave out of the corner of his eye. He was glad that Asher didn’t stop to ask him what this was all about- it was obvious, wasn’t it?

Erik stepped out of the bar, looking left and right for Lou. Instinctively, he knew Lou was already long gone. That the connection between them had been irreversibly shattered.

Apparating back to his apartment, he ran the tap and gave the plant a short burst of tepid water. Hopefully, that would save it. He left the plant on his counter, near the window, and he reached for his jacket. Except, he was already wearing it. But he didn’t have time to stand there and chastise himself.

His mind racing, Erik apparated to the Prindeou’s farm, something he’d done dozens of times by now. First, he checked the cove that Lou had shown him. Nope. He then popped up to the farmhouse, inviting himself inside. He walked straight up the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, he meant to knock on Lou’s bedroom door, but it opened with a touch of his hand. “Lou?” Erik said cautiously.
 
Lou was still an absolute mess on the floor when he heard a too familiar voice say his name. Biting his lip, knowing he looked like hell, he pushed himself up shakily and strode over to the door, still gasping for breath through the pain in his chest. Without a word he shoved Erik back out the door and slammed it in the mans face before buckling against it and sliding to the floor, biting his lip to try and quiet his broken sobbing.
 
Erik’s heart dropped to his feet when he saw the condition Lou was in. He didn’t have the opportunity to get in another word when Lou got up and shoved him bodily out of the room. Wide-eyed, he stood there for a moment.

Erik wanted to talk to Lou, hold him, apologize, explain himself, say those few moments with Asher hadn’t meant anything. But that was pathetic and Lou wouldn’t buy it, and he knew it. Still reeling, Erik backed away with his stomach spinning. He needed to respect Lou’s space. He apparated back home with a pop.

What in the fresh hell had he done? He was so stupid, and he'd never deserved a man like Lou. Erik didn’t have the will to even pour himself a glass of wine. He crawled into bed and fell into an uneasy sleep. Nightmares were waiting for him tonight.
 

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