Short drabble for my dumbass poly ship of Emily, Naib and Eli LMOA.
tw/ mentions of death, though not really specified
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Emily Dyer and Naib Subedar, the doctor and the mercenary. Nobody had expected them to become so close, seeing as there nearly is never a time when Naib isn't angry and Emily just doesn't seem to be someone that would befriend a troublemaker like Naib.
Well, everyone except Eli.
The seer sees many things, especially with his gift. And well, people tend to lower their guard when they see that it's just his owl, Brooke Rose, around, not knowing Eli can see them if his owl can. He's seen it, the way Naib would relax and seem less angry at the world when Emily is with him, sees the way the doctor would gently, gently care for Naib's wounds, a soft reprimand on her lips as she slowly wraps the worst ones up.
Their interactions remind him of the days before he was trapped in this manor, when he would take care of his fiancé, because Gertrude had always been such a head strong woman and she never backed down from a challenge.
Just thinking of her, and seeing the doctor and mercenary, it makes his chest ache with despair and loneliness. Was his Gertrude okay? Does she know that, even after all this time, Eli still thinks of her? Did she... Marry someone else?
When those thoughts circulate in his head, he wishes that, perhaps, he could partake in the interactions of Emily and Naib, just so that he won't feel as hopeless as he usually does. It's one of the reasons why he continues to watch them, so he can pretend that he's there with them instead of Brooke, can pretend that it's his hair that Emily gently pets when she notices the owl, or even the one who Naib carefully holds against his chest when he falls asleep on Emily's bed.
Eli wants many things, and he knows that most of them can't come true.
Which is why he's confused when Emily calls for him one night, when his chest was full to bursting with frustration and grief as he and his team lost to the hunters once more, that he sent his warnings too late, that he couldn't move faster, that he was the only one who managed to get away–
And just this morning, as if taunting him, the manor owner sent him a letter that Gertrude has passed on, having never married because she was waiting for him, that she truly believed Eli would come back to her. And so she died alone, wondering why he never came back.
"Eli." The doctor's soft voice pulls him out of his reverie, and he's surprised to feel his blindfold soaked through with tears.
"Oh, Eli." Emily pulls him close, tucking him into the crook of her neck, and she smells like antiseptics and clean linen and something distinctly her that Eli just couldn't stop the tears from flowing once more, sobs wracking his frame as he brings his arms up and crushes Emily against his chest, wailing his despair into her shoulder.
"Just let it out, Eli." He hears her murmur, and he belatedly realises that she's petting his hair. "I'm sorry."
And somehow, that makes him cry even harder. He's glad she didn't tell him that everything was going to be fine, because they both know that nothing will be ever be fine again unless they find a way out of this manor.
"She was waiting for me." Eli tells the doctor, voice shaking as he holds onto her. "She was waiting and I, I never came back and she was alone and–"
Emily holds him tight, before she starts to pull him up the stairs, never once letting him go. It's a little awkward going up the stairs wrapped in each other like that, because Eli is significantly taller than Emily, but they get up there just fine. She leads him back to her room, which surprisingly smells like vanilla, and carefully pushes him onto the bed.
He falls, bouncing a little on the plush mattress, before he feels a hand brush against his cheek, fingers tracing his blindfold, as if asking for permission.
Shakily, he nods, and the hand pulls it off, and he's greeted with Naib's grim expression. Brooke is hooting lowly as she alights on the bedside table, and Eli swears that even she looks apologetic and sad. His owl had known Gertrude as well, so perhaps she was mourning his late fiancé as well.
"Come on, let's get you into more comfortable clothes." Naib says, handing him what looks to be an oversized nightgown. "Sorry, it's Emily's. It's the only thing that would fit you."
Eli doesn't really care about what clothes he's wearing, so he merely shrugs and slowly changes his dirty clothes with the soft, blue nightgown. Emily is nowhere to be seen, which makes Eli a little confused, but he decides not to think too deeply about it, because his fiancé's death is still forefront in his mind.
Naib doesn't try to make him talk, but the smaller man does sit close to him; a quiet show of support. Eli is too tired for tears and is slowly nodding off when Emily comes back, carrying a tray with three bowls of piping hot stew.
"I asked Andrew to make some for us," the doctor explains. "Let's eat before we sleep."
"Don't think too much about it," Naib whispers. "If Emily wants something, she'll find a way."
Andrew rarely cooks for anyone except his lovers, and said lovers usually gobble it all up so nobody could have a chance to taste the man's ("Godlike," Edgar had sworn) cooking, so Eli is a little surprised that Emily managed to snag some of it.
And, well, Eli can't exactly refute that. He's seen Emily on the grounds after all. The doctor sets the bowls on a low table, waving the two men forward when she's done. For the first half, they're silent, carefully eating the stew. By the time they're finished, Eli feels less like death and more like himself again, albeit still heartbroken.
"Um, thank you." He mumbles. "For, uh, everything."
"We care for you, Eli." Emily says, reaching out to pat him in the head. "I can't leave you alone when you looked as if your entire world had just shattered right in front of you."
"You don't need to talk about it." Naib adds, throwing his head back as he drinks his stew straight out the bowl. "We just want you to know that we're here for you, if you need support."
Eli manages a few tears before Emily is softly shushing him, wiping his tears away as she leads him back to her bed. She slides in after him, and Naib occupies his other side, the two sandwiching him between them.
"Finally." The mercenary says, hugging as he sidles up close. "I was wondering when I can cuddle with you for real and not just your owl."
Eli blushes. So they knew he'd been watching.
"Naib, hush." Emily says, swatting the mercenary. "Eli, are you okay with us cuddling you? We can always make room if you don't want to."
"Please." Eli practically whimpers. He wants to be comforted, and knowing that Emily and Naib are willing to give it to him makes him feel just the slightest bit better. Naib immediately hugs him, head dropping against Eli's chest, while Emily pulls them both close, a hand brushing against Eli's hair and face, before dropping down onto Naib's.
"Sleep." The doctor says. "I'll watch over you two."
Not everything is okay, but cuddled close and warm, Eli thinks that maybe he'll be just fine.
