Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zanza was dead, the world remade… Egil wasn’t sure if he was relieved or upset. Relieved his people could live in peace with the other races of their world… upset that so much had been left unsaid in the end.

But he supposed now was a better time than ever to try and move forward. As hard as that could be, his lost brethren were at peace… There was no vengeance to be had… Egil had to take steps forward.

The first thing, and the least he could do, was to help with the process of regrowing the fully functional Homs body of the one remaining Face. Fiora… The Homs girl was understanding, patient in regaining what had been lost to her.

Every time she smiled at him, he felt the sting of guilt he was becoming accustomed to.

He began to avoid Fiora, even as he worked on helping with the regrowing of her body. It was better for there to be distance between himself and the Homs in general, anyway. After what he had done to their populations, he doubted he would be much welcomed among them, anyway.

But there was an issue, a wrench thrown into his attempts at distancing. A blond little wrench, popping into his workplace often to compare research notes or just talk. Shulk always insisted talking to another mechanically-inclined mind helped him pull himself out of a slump.

Egil didn’t mind it as much as he should, really. Shulk had been the one to convince him peace was possible, so perhaps that’s why he let him sit and talk to him…

But with Shulk came his friends.

Fiora was the first to start coming to his workplace. She would ask him if he had taken a break, as if his work was not directly tied to her future. She would smile, and smush her cheek against his arm, try and force him out of his work space.

So far, he had held strong, and planned to stay strong. He’d rather not be out around the others, at least not now.

The next to start poking around was the loud one, Reyn. Walking in and letting his booming voice fill the room. Talking about how much Egil reminded him of Shulk, and how he should get out more…

Egil almost looked forward to when he inevitably broke something. At least then, he had an excuse to shoo him away.

The Nopon, Riki, was almost worse than Reyn. He always seemed to come with ways to pull Egil away from his work (usually his children needing to be babysat -- though Egil didn’t believe himself to be a good choice for that). Nagging him until he agreed to leaving…

He began to hide when Riki came by, hoping the Nopon would simply grow bored and leave.

Dunban seemed to only visit because Fiora did. It was always after she left, huffing that next time she would get him to take a break, when he would show up. It was always tense, he clearly still held anger over what he had done… And Egil could not blame him.

Their conversations were always short, and that was fine by Egil.

Of course, Dunban wasn’t the most tense visitor he had. When Sharla came, it was always strictly on business… The look in her eyes telling him all he needed to know. He was not forgiven for Colony 6 or Gadolt, and likely never would be.

Her departure was always marked with a sigh of relief for the both of them, he was sure.

Then there was Melia. Not as tense, but more reserved compared to the others. He was actually shocked the first time she walked into his lab, quietly asking on his knowledge of High Entian anatomy. Apparently a few had lost one or both of their headwings during the Telethia attack, and she wanted help designing prosthetics for the people.

He mumbled out a possibility of doing it, when he was done with his current work, and she’d left grateful.

And that wasn’t even mentioning when Vanea visited him, pleading him to get some air. There was always a tinge of fear to her voice, an underlying worry that if he closed himself off again history would repeat itself.

While Egil knew he knew better now, that it would not… He could not blame Vanea and her fear. He still needed to apologize for what he had made her go through for years… But he never had the words.

One day, he would have to find another way to apologize, but for now… For now, Vanea would have to endure, just for a while longer. At least until he fixed what he had done to Fiora. Until the first step towards making up for what he had done was made.

When Egil had done that, maybe he would rest. Maybe he would get more air (though still with some distance, he wasn’t blind to the looks given to him by some of the populace). Maybe he would start to truly live life again.

But for now, all he could do was buckle back down and focus on his work, even if Shulk and his friends made that difficult at times.

Chapter Text

“Your Homs body should be returned to you by the end of the week.” Egil spoke, looking at his screens while Fiora sat across from him. “From here, you’ll have to speak with Linada, she’ll take care of the rest.”

“Thanks, Egil!” Fiora gave him a cheeky grin. “I bet without you, it would’ve taken longer to get this set up and longer to actually get my body back.”

“Without me, you likely wouldn’t need your body regrown in the first place…”

“Ahem, I think you mean without Zanza attacking the Mechonis!” She raised up a finger, nodding sagely. “You did bad things, Egil, but you can’t ignore the origin of those bad things.”

“You seem quite certain of yourself.”

“It’s because I am… Meyneth, she told me, when we were together, that…” She looked at him, her expression soft. “You were a loving, kind man before. Curious, a bit awkward, but a good man. It was Zanza’s attack that poisoned your thoughts and your actions.”

He said nothing, turning to his screens once again and sitting in silence. He wasn’t sure there was much he could say right now. Hearing the way Lady Meyneth had spoken about him, despite all that he did and how they clashed…

It made his chest hurt.

“Egil…” Fiora was next to him now, squishing her cheek against his arm once again. “Talk to me, you’re more reclusive than even Shulk, you know!”

“...I prefer to be reclusive.”

“Egil…” She huffed, squishing her face even harder against his arm. “Leave the lab with me, come with me to see Linada!”

“No, thank you.”

“You’re no fun…” She sighed, pulling her cheek away from his arm and heading for the door. “Once my body is back, though, I won’t give up so easily!”

He groaned a bit as he opened a blank processor to begin his next project. “I wish you luck with that.”

“I’ll succeed, you know! I’ll even get Reyn to help me!”

“Please do not bring him here.”

“No promises!” And with that, she was out the door, leaving Egil in silence. 

Shaking what was said to him away for the time being, he began planning. Light-weight metal would be needed for a wing prosthetic, and it would have to be flexible enough to flutter like real wings. High Entians seemed to care about the look of them, so lighter colors to match the natural ones would also be for the best…

...Egil was wondering if perhaps he was thinking too hard on this. Perhaps he should ask Melia what she believed would be for the best. He did have to admit he didn’t understand the species, at least as it was now.

“I suppose I should find her…” She never was one to visit often, only stopping in once or twice before. He just hoped it wouldn’t take too much of a walk to get the information he needed.

With a sigh, he closed the processor and made for the door of his workshop. Well, then… Here goes nothing.

--

Curious young ones staring up at him as he passed, adults averting their gaze if they noticed him, older folk mumbling curses his way… This was normal for Egil as he walked through the mixed-race colony.

Even other Machina avoided him or whispered about him. After all, he was the man leading a campaign against the Bionis for a good one thousand years. Their discomfort was understandable.

And, to be quite honest, it was less than what he had expected. They had every reason to shun him fully and outright, but they did not… Maybe they felt a quiet shunning was a better way to go about it, then?

But now wasn’t the time to think on that, he simply needed to find Melia and ask her for input. It was just a question of where she was…

Finally, he found her, chatting with Reyn. Of course the loud one had to be with her… As if those stares didn’t already cause enough of a headache… But there was no turning back now.

“Melia, I would like your input for a design.”

“Oh, Egil.” She looked over at him, head tilted to the side. “What is it?”

He crossed his arms, glancing at Reyn, not really wanting to say it in front of him, but… “For the wing prosthetics, are there any things of note I should include in the design?”

“You’re making prosthetics?” And there was Reyn, getting curious. “Hey, you know Homs anatomy, right? Maybe you could make some for Homs, too!”

“I am only doing the wings because there are so few needed.” He looked away, though did save the idea of prosthetics for Homs in the back of his head. Maybe another day.

“Aw…” Reyn sighed, shaking his head. “Too bad…”

“Yes, too bad.” He turned back to looking at Melia. “Well?”

She placed a hand to her chin. “Hmmm… could you perhaps use silver and white colors for the wings? I want them to feel comfortable with how they look.”

“I was considering that, and I will see what I can do, yes.” He nodded. “I will likely have to make a few prototypes of varying weights and sizes to see what works the best.”

“I understand, if you need some High Entia to try them on, I can bring a few when you are ready.” She gave a small nod. “Thank you, Egil, this means… this means so much to me and my people.”

“I… know what it’s like, to lose so many of my people. Whatever little I can do to help, I will.” Two races, destroyed by Zanza’s fancies… The thought made Egil sick to his stomach.

Melia’s eyes showed a shine of pain for a moment, before she once again smiled. “Thank you, Egil.”

He gave a small, and with some goodbyes, he was headed back towards his work space. He still had plenty that he needed to do, after all--

“Oh, it Egil!” Riki’s voice made him freeze. Oh no, oh no no no-- “Egil can babysit Littlepon so Riki and Oka can go on date!”

Fuck.

Chapter Text

Egil was becoming used to babysitting Riki’s littlepon, and he was not sure how to feel about that. The fact he was trusted with them seemed odd to him, after all he had done to the life of the Bionis, but… Riki was strange, perhaps it was best to not question it.

The little ones climbed over him, treating him as a jungle gym. This was usual, they seemed to enjoy how tall he was and how they could climb him as if he was a tree… He supposed Nopon just liked heights in general.

He supposed it was fine, as long as the littlepon didn’t stab themselves on anything. He was quite… sharp, after all.

One of the littlepon had found her way into his hands, looking up at him with a little smile on her face.

“Unclepon Eggy! Mimiki wants to hear a story! Please tell Mimiki a story!”

He looked around at that point, making sure no one was around to hear his dirty little secret. No one outside of the littlepon had to know that he had learned a bit of Nopon dialect for babysitting, after all.

“Mimiki want Egil to tell her story?” He pat her head and she giggled a bit. “What story Mimiki want to hear?”

“Mimiki want to hear the story about the hero boy again! Mimiki like the story, it reminds Mimiki of her big brotherpon!”

“Egil tell Mimiki that story always. Is Mimiki sure?”

“Yes, yes! Mimiki want to hear again!”

“Alright, alright…” He pulled a few of the littlepon off his back before sitting down. “Egil will tell littlepon about the hero boy again.”

And he began speaking, telling the same story he told them every time. The story of Shulk, though they didn’t know it was about him. He spoke of what he did, how he was a light in the darkness Egil had buried himself in…

And, as always, the littlepon began to squeal in delight. And the same question they asked each time was asked.

“Unclepon Eggy! What happen to sad man hero save?”

“The sad man and the hero boy… became good friends, for years to come. Living in the peace they had dreamed of.”

“I guess they did, didn’t they, Egil?”

Egil tensed a bit as Shulk walked into view, a small smile on his face as he moved to sit next to him. “And how long have you been there?”

“Since the start of your story, I’d say…” Shulk placed a hand on his chin and Egil’s embarrassment grew. “I assumed it was about us, seeing as how you described things…”

“I… suppose that may be the case.” He looked away as Mimiki settled into his arms once again.

“I’m glad to know you see me as a friend.” His voice was soft as another littlepon settled into his lap. “I was a bit afraid you didn’t like me anymore.”

Egil frowned at that, looking at Shulk. “And why is that?”

“You’re always avoiding, well, everyone.” Shulk looked at him, eyes as soft as his voice. “It makes me worry about what you’re thinking…”

“Shulk…”

“Just… talk to me more, Egil. I worry about you.”

“I…” He looked away, patting Mimiki’s head. “I will try.”

Shulk leaned against him and Egil nearly jumped out of his skin. “Good, that’s all I wanted to hear…”

“Egil! Riki back! How are Riki’s littlepon?!”

Egil pushed Shulk off his shoulder as Riki walked in, not wanting to be caught in that position by the Nopon. “Just fine, Riki. They were well-behaved as usual…”

--

Egil awoke as he often did. In the middle of the night, the screams of his brethren filling his head. Nightmares that had haunted him for years now, nightmares he was never sure would cease…

“I should get some fresh air…” He pulled himself up and made his way outside. “I need some fresh air.”

It was quiet at night, empty. No one to stare at him, or avoid him… In a way, it was worse than the mornings. At least the mornings reminded him he wasn’t as alone as he used to be.

As he was thinking, he noticed someone else out, sitting alone. Sharla…

Without thinking, he made his way towards her, sitting next to her and speaking. “I see I am not the only one unable to sleep.”

Sharla frowned at him before looking away. “What? Too much on your mind to sleep, then?”

“No, it’s not that.” He shook his head, though his head was often full of thoughts. “It’s…”

“Well? Out with it.”

“I’ve been dealing with… nightmares.”

“So even you can have nightmares, huh?” Sharla looked up at the night sky. “...You know, I have a lot of nightmares now, too. Nightmares about what happened to Colony 6, about how I lost Gadolt, about so many things…”

“I… see.” Guilt simmered in his chest. “I suppose I am in no position to speak of nightmares when I am the cause of so many.”

Sharla stood with a sigh, shaking her head. “You caused nightmares for a lot of people, myself included… And I won’t, no, I can’t forgive you for that, but…” She looked back at him. “That doesn’t mean Zanza didn’t cause you your fair share of nightmares. Follow me.”

He stood, confused, following after her. “And where are we going, hm?”

She continued walking along, not looking back at him. “You can start making up for everything a bit, by being my guinea pig.”

“Oh?” He frowned. “And what do you mean by that?”

“Machina can drink tea, right? It won’t upset your systems, so…” She glanced back. “Let’s see if an old Homs remedy for nightmares helps a Machina at all, hm?”

His eyes widened for a moment, before looking away, still following after Sharla. “...That would be nice, thank you.”

“I’m not doing it to help just you… I want to see if it works, so if it can I can tell Linada about it.” She huffed a bit, moving some hair behind her ear. “You’re just a good test subject.”

“Ah, of course.” He nodded a bit. “I understand.”

Chapter Text

Work on the prototype prosthetics for the High Entian head wings was slow going. Egil had studied feather weights for the past week and still he was unable to make one that felt light enough to even attempt placing it on a High Entian head.

He supposed it was back to the drawing board again, then. Perhaps he could cut down on the amount of metal in exchange for less movability, but would that make the prosthetic useless…? How much movement did they need to use their wings, was it just for expression or did they fly with them?

Oh, the headaches of creating something for a race he had little to no interaction with. Homs he could do, he knew Homs bodies better than most Homs! But High Entia were a mystery to him…

“Egil.” Vanea’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts for a moment. “Perhaps you should take a break.”

“Vanea… I’m fine, I still have much work to do.” He didn’t turn to face her, staring down at his design plans. “There’s still much for me to do.”

“...How long do you plan on doing this?”

“Vanea?”

He turned and the look in her eyes was that of great upset. “How long do you plan on closing yourself away from everyone, Egil? When I see you like this… it’s no different than from before.”

“Vanea…” He couldn’t bear to keep eye contact. “This… it’s not like before. This time, I am--”

“I know you are helping the people of Bionis now, that you are no longer their enemy, but…” Her voice sounded strained, as if holding back tears. “You still hide yourself away, in a prison of your own making.”

“It is for the best--”

“It’s not for the best!” Her voice cracked and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “I miss my brother, the brother who locked himself away all those years ago! Why can’t you see that?!”

Her tears were what finally urged him to put down his work for a moment, closing his processor and moving across the room to Vanea. He hadn’t realized how much this had hurt her. All this time, his own feelings had consumed him, and he’d left her to watch.

“I stayed by your side, through it all, but the gap between us just grew! I began to understand you less and less, and you even branded me a traitor.” She covered her face, shoulders shaking as she began to sob. “I don’t know what to do… that gap, it's still there! It’s as if you still view me as a traitor!”

“Vanea…” He pulled her into a hug, something they had not shared in years. “I’m sorry, I’ve been a horrible brother.”

She continued to sob. “I just want you to talk to me again…”

They stood there, Egil rubbing soothing circles into Vanea’s back, for a while. “I promise to do better from now on, Vanea. I promise you… You will have your brother back.”

--

Egil was learning that mending broken bridges couldn’t be done by just hiding himself away and creating items for others to use. When he did that… he was simply hurting others, in a way different than he used to.

And that was why he listened to Vaneas pleas and decided to take the rest of the day off, spend it in the colony. Though, of course… that was just as lonely as the lab was, seeing as most avoided him.

But that was fine, if it made Vanea happy… it would be worth it.

“Egil, strange to see you out at this time of day.” Dunban approached, his good hand on his hip. “Were you on your way to check on Fiora’s progress?”

“Actually I was… taking the day off, but I might, now that you mention it…” He paused for a moment. “Has it been going well…?”

“I don’t know much about the medical talk involved, but Linada believes it’s going extremely well.” He nodded a bit. “...She said Fiora will soon have the body taken from her back.”

“Good, good.” He couldn’t stand to look Dunban in the eye. “I’m… happy to hear that. It’s the least I can do to help her regain it as soon as possible.”

“It truly is the least you can do.” Dunban paused before speaking again. “...I have heard, however, you’re doing more. It’s good to see you taking your life into your own hands, and using it for good now.”

“It still isn’t much…” He shook his head. “I will be working to atone until the day I die.”

“You seem to have accepted that… and if anything, that means you’re on the right track.” Dunban hummed. “Perhaps even enough of a right track you’ll have your last few thousand years living as an atoned man.”

He grimaced a bit. “I would not feel right if I spent any of my days resting… besides a few here and there, to make Vanea happy.”

“Be careful about that, sisters are good at pushing for what they want.” He chuckled a bit, hand now on his chin. “Before long, Vanea may be pushing you to take a month-long vacation.”

“Ugh…” He made a face. “Please do not say that to her. She doesn’t need more ideas of how to drag me out of my work.”

“Hm, maybe I will tell her, then…” He stroked his chin. “Apologies, but after what you’ve made me go through, I think it could be a bit fun to run you through some circles.”

He let out a sigh. “I understand, I suppose I deserve worse than enduring Vanea insisting on a vacation…”

“I’m glad you can understand, then. Besides, you may find yourself enjoying a vacation.”

“I doubt it. I don’t feel right when not working.” Working was the only thing that kept the memories that threatened to strangle him at bay, after all…

Dunban nodded. “I see, I’ll be sure to tell Shulk that before he invites you to the beach.”

“Thank you-- Wait. What do you mean?” He tilted his head to the side. “Was Shulk planning to invite me somewhere?”

“Oh, I think I’ve said too much.” Dunban covered his mouth with an amused chuckle. “I suppose you’ll have to wait and see what Shulk says to you later, hm?”

“Dunban, I am entirely too old to be messed with. Explain what you said or I will make you.”

“To make me… you’d have to catch me first.” And with that, he took off, leaving a very annoyed Egil to watch him go. Why were Homs so… strange?

Chapter Text

If there was one place Egil avoided at all costs, it was Junks. There were a number of reasons why that was number one on his list of places not to go, but the main reason? Well… he supposed the main reason was Miqol.

His father and he… well, he wasn’t sure there was any relationship left to even try and salvage. After all that had happened, what they had done to each other… He supposed it made sense there was so much tension.

He doubted the old man would want to speak with him, even if there was something left to salvage. And maybe… maybe that was for the best.

But Riki, the ever-nosy Nopon, seemed to have other plans in mind.

“Egil staring at Junks… Does Egil want to speak to his dadapon?” His question felt like a drill in his head.

“No, Riki, that’s not it.” He shook his head. “I… do not feel speaking to him is possible for me now.”

He looked up at him, curious. “Why not? Is Egil afraid?”

“Afraid? No, I just…” He can’t look Riki in the eyes. “Feel the time for speaking has passed, for the two of us.”

“Riki no think so.” Riki shook his head. “Riki sure there still chance for Egil to talk with dadapon!”

“...He wanted me dead, I doubt a father-son talk will change that.”

“Egil can’t be sure unless he tries!” Riki began to bounce at that point. “Egil need to ask dadapon why he felt that way! And dadapon can ask Egil why he did what he did for so long! Then Egil and dadapon can understand each other!”

“You seem certain that will be the outcome.” He couldn’t help but feel differently. “But what if no understanding can be met?”

“Then Egil move on, know he did his best!” Riki sounded certain. “Better than never try!”

“I suppose you’re correct, but…” He closed his eyes for a moment. “It’s been so long since we’ve spoken, I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Egil just need to say hi!” Riki paused for a moment before holding out one of his wing-hands. “Riki even hold Egil’s hand if he need it!”

The thought was appreciated, but Egil would never accept such an offer. “...I believe I’ll speak to him on my own.”

“Riki understand, but Egil no worry!” Riki puffed out his chest. “Heropon Riki hold Egil’s hand in his heart!”

Egil frowned, hand on his hip. “Is that a threat of some sort?”

“No, no! Riki never threaten Egil now that Egil is friend!” Riki shook his head furiously. “Riki beg Egil to spare Riki, Riki swears it’s misunderstanding!”

“...I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

“Oh, sorry, Riki a bit of a scaredy-cat sometimes…” And now he looked embarrassed. “Riki just mean he will support Egil from distance! Riki very good emotional support!”

“I… I see.” He looked down at Riki, and let a small smile grace his lips. “Thank you, Riki.”

He let out a gasp, hopping up and down. “Egil smile! Riki see Egil smile!”

“Don’t tell anyone about that, Riki.” He placed a finger against his lips. “If you do, I will never speak with my father.”

Riki covered his mouth. “Riki promise to stay quiet! Egil go talk to dadapon!”

“Well, as long as you promise…”

--

Vanea had worked quickly when Egil asked her to clear out Junks, Egil noted as he walked into the nearly empty ship. Now the only two within its walls were himself and Miqol, someone he hadn’t spoken to in years.

A fact that was about to change, should Egil keep moving forward. And, seeing as Riki was waiting outside to hear how things went… He didn’t have a real choice to step back.

Another moment to prepare himself, and he walked into the center of Junks, where Miqol sat. “Hello, father.”

“Egil.” Miqol hummed as he scanned a look over him. “You’ve certainly changed since I last saw you.”

“As have you. The last time I saw you, I would have never dreamt of you wanting me dead…” He looked away. “But I suppose the attack on Mechonis changed many things for both of us.”

“Egil…” Miqol sighed, and Egil refused to look at him. “I suppose I cannot blame you, should you be angry for that.”

“And I cannot blame you for wanting me dead. I was poisoned by my own thoughts, my own fears and paranoia.” He shook his head. “And I never did explain myself.”

“You’ve always been hard to understand, Egil. I suppose it was no surprise we could not come to an understanding…” Miqol chuckled. “Of course, that doesn’t mean I forgive you for the Machina you’ve killed.”

“I never expected that of you.” Egil frowned. “I am… used to not being understood.”

“Lucky for you, it seems you’ll have to get used to that Shulk understanding. After all, Vanea tells me he’s the one to reach out to you and actually get through that thick skull of yours.”

He looked at him, not appreciating that comment. “I could say I gained that skull from you, old man.”

A full-fledged laugh this time. “Now those are the kinds of comments I want to hear from you. Living among others is doing you good, boy.”

“I haven’t been spending that much time around others--”

“Even a few minutes a day with people that aren’t your sister is better than what you were doing for so long.” Miqol clicked his tongue. “You’re just too stubborn to admit that.”

“I have no reason to admit something like that, especially when you’re imagining things. It’s not as if you spoke to me during my self-isolation.” He rolled his eyes, annoyance stirring in his gut.

“I spoke to Vanea, you know. She’s noted it, too. She says when you’re with Shulk, it reminds her of you with Arglas.” Egil tensed as Miqol spoke. “That you seem more and more like your old self, every time you’re with him.”

“She’s imagining it.” He turned and headed for the door. “Goodbye, father. We’ll speak another time, when you’ve stopped with this nonsense.”

Chapter Text

Even when alone, Egil did not truly experience silence. Not for extended periods of time, at least.

The screams of his fallen brethren were sure to keep him company when he was left with his own thoughts. Each painful gasp and yell like a knife in his brain now that he didn’t strive to bring them peace through bloodshed. Unable to be blocked out, as hard as he may try, they stayed with him.

“Egil.” Shulk’s voice broke through the screams, making them putter out, at least for the moment. “There you are.”

He looked over his shoulder for a moment. “Hm? Is there something you need?”

“I wanted to invite you out, actually.” He leaned next to Egil, looking curiously at his current work. “I know you’re helping Melia right now, but if you have some free time tomorrow, I thought we could go to the beach together.”

“I see…” He thought for a moment, seeing as this was one of the few times he felt he could think on an offer. Shulk… the only person he felt he could say no to, the only one he had the right to say it to. “Give me a while to think it over.”

“Of course.” Shulk paused, looking around the workshop. “Would it be… alright, though? For me to stay with you.”

He was quiet for a moment before nodding. “If you wish to.”

And it seemed he did, falling into a comfortable silence as Egil continued his work. Shulk seemed just fine watching, occasionally feeling and moving the prototypes. If it was anyone else (besides Vanea or perhaps Melia), he likely would have told him to put it down.

“This is amazing…” Shulk mumbled out the words, and Egil once again glanced at him. “It almost functions like real wings.”

“Almost is the key word.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I can’t present it to Melia until it can function as well as a real High Entia wing.”

“Striving for perfection, even with a prototype…” Shulk hummed. “It may be easier to perfect if you show it to a High Entian, though.”

“I suppose, but…” He didn’t truly know how to put this into words… “I would not wish to take anymore of her time than needed.”

“Egil…” Shulk nodded. “I understand. If I can help at all, let me know. You know how much I like creating things.”

“Of course…” A small ghost of a smile played at his lips. “Though I am sure you have plenty to work on on your own.”

“Well, I do, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to work with you!” Shulk’s eyes sparkled a bit. “Your mastery over the mechanical is amazing, I’d love to learn from you and Vanea both!”

Egil, now feeling a bit embarrassed, looked away. “Your own skills shouldn’t be undersold, Shulk. You’re quite the inventive Homs.”

“Even more reason for us to work together. Maybe we could make something even better with our heads put together…”

And he began to ramble, about this and that and possible schematics. Egil usually didn’t enjoy the ramblings of anyone, but he enjoyed machinery as much as Shulk (and he helped keep the voices at bay), so…

The ghost of a smile became a real one as he spoke again. “Say, Shulk, your invitation… I think I’ll go along.”

--

 “I’m sorry, Egil.” The first words out of Shulk that next day was one of apology. “Everyone else heard about our plans and decided to tag along.”

The only thing that kept Egil from making a face of distaste at that news was the stares of a couple of Riki’s littlepon (Nene and Kino, if he remembered their names correctly). “I see, that’s… fine.”

“Glad to hear it! We can all have a great beach day together.” Fiora grinned at him. “Come on!”

And off the group went, Egil finding himself going a bit slower than the rest. He wasn’t exactly a fan of the beach… Water in Machina joints was a pain and could even be dangerous, and sand was just annoying…

So he found himself a nice chair to sit in, watching the rest splash about. The only time he talked was to the littlepon, who brought him various shells and bugs and the like. Of course, those littlepon included Shulk, running up with a machine part and holding a good conversation about it with Egil.

But then, the adults started talking to him. Urging him to walk along the beach or play volleyball with them. Dip his toes into the sea and talk to them, do more. Interact, be one of the group…

And it was starting to bubble over. He had listened to them, humored everything they wanted since things ended. He had felt there was no other thing for him to do. He had hurt them all, listening to them was the least to make up for it.

But the constant pulling out of the bubble he had made himself. The constant pushing to interact, even when he didn’t wish to… It was becoming too much.

And, unfortunately for Reyn, he was the one to get the brunt of it as Egil pushed him away, anger bubbling out. Anger to force any other negative feelings, any tears, down.

“You should have left me to die, but instead I am here to be tormented by meaningless idiocies!” The words came out more a hiss than anything and the entire group stopped to look at him. “Do you enjoy doing this? Trying to pretend I can fit into your little group after all I have done?”

“Egil…” Sharla spoke up first, and he supposed she was the only person with a place to say what she said. “We aren’t trying to just welcome you into the group. But locking yourself away isn’t good for your mental health.”

“Sharla’s right.” Dunban nodded. “You can’t just throw yourself into your work.”

The feelings continued to bubble over, until tears did finally eek out of his eyes. Angry tears, upset tears. Tears that screamed out the fact he, after all these years, still wasn’t understood. Not truly.

“I have no reason to open up to any of you.” His voice shook with the feelings bubbling over. “We’re done here.”

And off he went, not looking back even as Fiora and Riki called after him. They would call, but they wouldn’t chase after, he was sure. He was as alone as he had been for all of those years, no one to rely on but himself.

No matter how they tried to fool him into thinking otherwise.

He was ready to accept this as how his life was to be when a voice pulled him back into the new reality. Shulk’s voice.

“Egil!”

Chapter Text

“Shulk…” He looked away from the Homs, doing his best to choke back any tears that still threatened to spill. “You should go back to the others.”

“I can’t leave you, not like that.” He shook his head. “I’ll leave you alone… when I know you’re alright.”

“I’m just fine.” Egil shook his head. “I suppose I just felt I finally had to… speak my mind.”

“I don’t believe that, you always keep things to yourself. This had to be a case of things being too much…” He approached, his footsteps quiet as he outstretched his arms. “So I’m gonna make sure you feel better before I leave.”

“Shulk… I…” Egil looked at his hands, unable to refute what was said.

Shulk was soon enough holding Egil in a hug and, for a moment, he tensed. Being touched so suddenly, after years of so little interaction, could still set him on edge… But he melted into it, after a moment. 

He had missed it, missed such a caring touch initiated by someone else… He wrapped his arms around Shulk, his head resting on his arm.

“It’s alright, Egil… we’ll talk about this, the others and I…” His voice was soft. “We’ll do better by you.”

“Shulk…” He buried his face into his shoulder then. “I have no right to ask that of any of you.”

“And we’ve got no right to force you out of your comfort zone so quickly…” Shulk chuckled awkwardly. “Talking about it and toning it down a bit is the least we can do.”

Egil said nothing, instead he simply tightened his grip a bit, Shulk’s body being the only thing keeping him grounded. Keeping the voices that had come back full force as he ran away a little more at bay.

“Egil…” Shulk’s voice was a bit choked as he spoke up. “I sorta can’t breathe.”

“Ah… I apologize.” He pulled away, clearing his throat. “Thank you, though…”

Shulk seemed to be shaking some sort of feeling off and Egil reminded himself that hugs should not be something he returned so strongly. After what they had been through, Shulk would likely only remember bad things he did… And Egil, as usual, couldn’t blame him one bit.

“It’s not a problem.” Finally Shulk spoke up, a smile back on his face now. “I’ll come check up on you later… if that’s alright?”

“Ah, yes.” He nodded. “I wouldn’t mind speaking with you again, after I have some time to clear my head.”

“Great.” Shulk gave a small wave. “I’ll see you later, then.”

--

Egil was getting caught up in his work when Shulk once again came to see him. The Homs glanced over his shoulder, a small smile on his face. Egil decided to act as if he hadn’t noticed him.

“Right back to work, huh? I guess that means you’re feeling better.” Shulk moved to sit next to him as he finally spoke up.

“When I work, I can… get my mind off of things.” Egil shrugged, still staring at his schematics. He was so close to the perfect prosthetic, so he may as well throw himself fully into it.

“I see…” He hummed a bit, reaching out a hand. “Have you tried using a lighter metal here?”

“Hm?” He frowned for a moment. “I… hadn’t thought of that. That could help the weight, as well as the movement of the faux wings.”

“Ah, but make sure the base of the prosthetic is a stronger one.” Shulk continued to point. “It has to be able to support flight.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I just have to find the perfect balance.” Egil found himself once again being pulled into his work… though he also found himself more excited than he had been for it in a while. “Perhaps if I…”

He and Shulk devolved into a conversation around the prosthetic, and just how to make it work. Egil found himself making quite a few changes he wouldn’t have made on his own without many more trials and much more error… Shulk had a bright mind, and that mind was helpful.

It was late into the night when they finally drew themselves away from Egil’s workbench. Egil with a new building plan in mind for the next day. 

“Thank you, Shulk. You were… a big help.” He gave him the smallest of smiles and Shulk grew excited.

“Ah! You smiled!” Shulk led the way to the door. “Good, I was afraid you wouldn’t show that to me after today.”

“Ah, well, I…” Egil looked away, clearing his throat. “Don’t get too used to my smile. I simply… enjoyed discussing this with you.”

Shulk chuckled as they stepped into the night. “Of course, I understand. That just means I’ll have to talk to you about your work more often…”

“I, ah…” Egil rubbed the side of his neck. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Good.” Shulk leaned a bit against his shoulder. “But I’ll give you a day or two, I’m sure you need some time to yourself now.”

“I do, thank you…” Egil paused for a moment. “Have you and your friends come to a decision? About me, I mean…”

“Ah, yeah. We… we’ll make sure you don’t feel you have to come along and that it’s okay to cancel.” Shulk placed his hand around Egil’s arm as they continued to walk, Egil trying to ignore just how much he once again wanted to melt into the touch. “We’ll also ask less often, encourage you to come to us, first.”

Egil frowned. “I’m not sure I’ll have much to come to any of you about…”

“You can start small, like inviting me to help you with your work.” He looked up at Egil, eyes sparkling. “...Only if you want to, of course!”

“Mmm, I suppose I could attempt to do that.” He chuckled, enjoying the look on his face. “Working with you is… interesting.”

“I hope it's interesting in a good way!”

Egil chuckled. “You’re interesting in a good way in general, Shulk.”

“I could say the same about you.”

Chapter Text

Egil walked into Shulk’s lab and looked about. A bit makeshift, apparently because Shulk no longer wanted to step into the Weapon’s Research Lab he already had. Shulk claimed it was simply because there was no need for so many weapons now that there was peace, but Egil had his own thoughts on why.

Of course, he kept those to himself. If Shulk wished to speak about it, he would let him bring it up. It was… only right.

“Egil!” Shulk smiled, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Ah, yes, well…” Egil pulled out the newest prosthetic prototype. “I’d like your opinion on how it turned out, since your advice was… of great help.”

Shulk nodded, taking the prototype, moving it over in his hands and twisting and turning it every which way. “This seems like it can work just like real wings! I think you should show Melia, she’ll be impressed!”

“You believe so?” Egil took it back as Shulk handed it to him. “Perhaps you should be there to present it to her, as well… Since you did help with the design.”

Shulk blinked a few times. “...Do you not want to talk to her alone?”

“...I would rather not after the beach incident, you’re correct.”

“I see…” Shulk gave him a warm, reassuring smile. “Let me know when you plan to show it to her, then. I can be there with you.”

“Thank you, Shulk…” He returned the smile to the best of his ability. “I’ll leave you to your work, then.”

“Ah, wait!” Shulk reached out a hand, grabbing Egil’s sleeve. “I wanted to ask your advice on this weapon, actually…”

“...I see.” He moved to stand next to him. “Let’s see what you have so far, hm?”

“Well, I have the basic design down, but I’m not sure if the metal I’m planning on will be sturdy enough…”

“Hmm….” He tapped his fingers against the table. “An interesting choice for a weapon, I’m unsure of how it would work, but I suppose you won’t be sure until you try…”

“See, that was what I was thinking!”

And with that, they once again got talking. Egil had planned to simply stop by quickly, but… It seemed Shulk had a way of keeping him around. A rare talent, to be sure (not that Egil would ever admit that).

He supposed that would be something to think on more later, though. For now, he should focus on what Shulk was saying to him.

--

It was quite late when Egil made it back to his own lab. Shulk had been able to keep him there for quite a while, so he supposed it was time for an all-nighter. He still had plenty he needed to do, after all.

But when he made it to his workbench, he saw Fiora, leaning against it, looking nervous. Just what was she doing here…?

“Oh, Egil!” She jumped a bit at the sound of his heels against the ground. “Good, you’re back. I wanted to talk to you…”

“Oh?” He made his way to start working. “What is it?”

“I wanted to say sorry.” Fiora wrung her hands together, a frown on her face. “I pushed you out of your comfort zone a lot, right?”

“Ah.” He glanced at her. “...Do not worry about it. It wasn’t just you.”

“It was all of us, right? Except maybe Shulk and Melia.” Fiora let out a forced laugh. “We really just didn’t think about it, I guess. Shulk usually doesn’t say much when we push him to get out there, so…”

“You assumed I wouldn’t, correct?” Egil sighed, placing the prototype on the workbench. “Well, if it means anything, I didn’t plan to say anything, not until everything...bubbled over.”

“I guess it’s for the best you bubbled over, then, or we never would’ve realized…” Fiora’s shoulders slouched a bit. “I just… wish you’d been able to tell us without it coming to that.”

“I didn’t feel I had the place to say anything.” He shook his head. “After I put you through, all of you through, it… didn’t feel like my place to do so.”

“Egil!” Fiora huffed a bit, hands on her hips. “Your feelings matter, too! Sure, you did a lot of bad things, but you can’t make up for it if you’re constantly straining yourself to say yes to everything!”

“I… suppose that’s true.” He stared down at the prototype, the thought of working escaping him. “But I…”

“Well, try and say no sometimes from now on, okay?” Fiora leaned her head against his arm. “I mean… we’ll make it clearer you can say no, so it’ll hopefully be easier for you!”

“Ah, Shulk mentioned that to me…” Egil hummed a bit. “...Thank you.”

“It’s the least we can do!” Fiora paused, looking up at him. “Though that reminds me of something else I wanted to ask you about while I was here…”

“Hm?” He looked at her. “What is it, Fiora?”

“Reyn and I are going out in a couple of days, just to get some exercise and look at the scenery. If you’re free… would you like to come along?” Fiora’s voice was quiet, hesitant. “That big dummy wants to apologize, but he doesn’t know when or where. He’s too afraid to come in here and break something, says he thinks that’ll just upset you more!”

“Him breaking something likely would upset me, to be fair…” Egil hummed, tapping his finger against his cheek. “I suppose I’ll see if I can make it. What time will you be heading out?”

“About… 10 in the morning!” Fiora giggled. “Just meet us at the front gate if you decide to come, okay? No worries if you don’t!”

He nodded. “Alright, I’ll… keep your offer in mind.”

“Good, that’s all I wanted.” She finally pulled herself away from his arm and waved a bit. “I’ll be going now! Take it easy, okay? Maybe… work on something you wanna do for a bit. Melia would feel bad if you pour yourself into the prosthetic all night.”

“I…” Egil was almost shocked the suggestion was just working on something else. Maybe Shulk had said something to keep them from insisting he get away from work entirely? “I’ll keep that in mind, as well, Fiora.”

“Good.” She made her way to the door, turning back one more time. “Good night, Egil.”

“Good night.”

Chapter Text

Egil didn’t know why he had shown up at 10 in the morning, in front of the colony, but he had. And there was Fiora and Reyn, both looking quite excited at the fact he had indeed decided to come.

“Egil!” Fiora elbowed Reyn as she spoke. “I think Reyn here wants to say something.”

“Yeah, uh… see…” He rubbed his neck. “Sorry about the beach thing the other day. Guess we laid it on too thick for you.”

“Laid it on too thick?” He frowned, confused. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Oh Reyn, so close to a short and sweet apology…” Fiora sighed, shaking her head. “You should know by now that Machina slang and Homs slang is totally different!”

“I forget stuff like that easily!” He scratched his cheek. “What’s a good Machina slang equivalent, hm…”

“I ask you to simply not use slang.” Egil sighed. “I… am not up to date with even Machina slang.”

“Oh, someone’s behind the times.” Reyn snickered and Egil scowled at him. “I was just trying to say sorry since I guess we pushed you out of your comfort zone too fast.”

“I see… You did.” He shook his head with a sigh.

“Well, with the apology done, how about we head out?” Fiora giggled, looking between both of them. “Plenty of land to cover today!”

“Ah… yes.” Egil nodded, ready to move on from the apology. He wasn’t sure how to feel about others apologizing to him for anything, but… He guessed it was better to not think about it too much, at least not now.

If he did, he was sure the two of them would start bothering him over what he was thinking about, and that was not something he wanted to deal with.

He followed them out, helping them deal with any creatures that got a bit too angry about them being around. It seemed they planned on staying out for quite some time, and it made Egil consider turning back… When Fiora stopped, flopping to the ground with heavy breaths.

“Are you alright?” He held out a hand to her when she tried to get up with quite a bit of struggle. “Your body may be in good shape, but it’s been a while since you’ve had to work it so hard.”

“I’m fine…” She took the hand, giving him a smile. “Thanks, Egil. I guess I just pushed myself a bit too hard there.”

“Indeed.” Fiora was on her feet again when he pulled his hand away. “Perhaps we should head back.”

“Yeah, probably for the best!” Reyn looked at Egil. “Say, think you can cover for both of us if anything attacks?”

“Hm?” He tilted his head to the side. “Why would I need to cover for the both of you?”

“Simple.” Without another word, Reyn scooped Fiora up, the woman now getting a piggyback ride, it seemed. “Don’t want Fiora to pass out or something before we get back, so I figure I’ll give her a lift!”

“Reyn! I can walk!” Fiora huffed, but she placed her arms around his neck. “I’m not that fragile.”

“I know, I know! But after everything…” Reyn wouldn’t look Egil in the eye now. “I worry about you.”

“Reyn…” Fiora glanced at Egil, her mouth opening and closing as if she couldn’t find words.

And that was fine by Egil. He held up a hand to make sure she stayed silent and turned on his heel. “Let’s get the two of you back in one piece, then.”

--

Egil was happy to be back in his lab. Today’s outing had by no means been the worst he’d had, but… Time alone was still something he welcomed, when he could afford it. And, thankfully, ever since the beach he had been afforded more of it.

But then, he heard the tell-tale hum of Riki walking through the lab. With a sigh, he put down his tools and turned to face the Nopon. “Did you need something, Riki?”

“Oh! Egil know Riki coming!” Riki jumped a bit. “Good, then Egil probably know what Riki want!”

“Let me guess… babysitting the littlepon for you?”

“Yes, yes! But also…” Riki looked at the ground. “Riki very sorry for pushing Egil too much, so if Egil no want to babysit, Riki understand. Especially because Riki need babysitter for whole night.”

“Whole… Are you and Oka going somewhere, then?”

“Riki want to give Oka night away from littlepon, because Oka always work hard to care for them!” Riki nodded. “Littlepon like Egil most, so Riki come ask Egil first!”

“Well, your littlepon are… growing on me, I suppose.” He tapped his fingers against his cheek while he thought. “I can watch them tonight, Riki.”

“Riki knew he could count on Egil! Egil is great friend!” Riki’s words made Egil pause.

“A great friend…?”

“Mmhmm! Egil is Riki’s friend!” Riki danced about a bit, before flipping to face the door. “Now follow Riki! So he can give you notes about littlepon bedtimes!”

“Ah, yes, of course.” He followed after closing his processor, feeling a bit down about having to leave the work he had just started. “Your littlepon vary in age, do they not? I suppose their bedtimes may vary, then.”

“Yes, yes! Many bedtime story and many bedtime needed for littlepon, but Egil will be able to do it!” Riki continued along, happy as could be. “Big brotherpon Shulk said he will help, too!”

“Shulk will be there?” He hummed. “Is there a reason he could not babysit on his own.”

“Shulk babysitting was original plan, but Kino ask about Egil!” He glanced back. “Kino veeeery much shy, and want someone he trust.”

“I truly don’t see why he’s warmed up to me, but…” That shy little thing did tug on his heartstrings some. “Alright, I’ll be there so he can rest easy.”

“Egil once again great friend!” Riki hopped up and down. “Riki as proud of him as he is of littlepon…”

“Please, Riki, do not lump me in with your children.”

“Huh?” He tilted his head to the side. “Why Egil no like comparison?”

“For one, I’m much older than you, for two…”

“Oh boy…” Riki shook his head. “Riki about to be lectured.”

Egil frowned. “I never said that, don’t put words in my mouth, Riki.”

“Riki can tell! Egil only get that look on face when he about to talk for very very long time…”

Egil huffed in anger, mostly because deep down he knew it was true. “Riki… Let’s just… get to the notes you have for me, no reason to keep your children and wife waiting, hm?”

“Oh? Egil stop lecture early!” Riki gasped. “Riki discover new power!”

“Do not test your luck…”

Chapter Text

“Kino is not tired!” The littlepon was adamant as Egil once again plopped him onto his bed with a sigh. “Kino is big boy, wants to stay up with Uncle Eggypon!”

“Kino should rest.” Nene peeked from her bed, the slightly older Nopon yawning. “Even Nene is tired, Kino should be, too.”

“Listen to Nene, Kino.” Egil was entirely too tired to try and use the bits of Nopon dialect he’d learned right now. “It’s much too late for someone as young as you to be awake.”

“Unclepon Eggy and Nene team up on Kino! No fair!” Kino sniffled, clinging to Egil’s arm. “Please let Kino stay up with Unclepon Eggy!”

“Kino.” He gave him a look as he once again tucked him into bed. “Go to sleep, young man.”

“Kino should listen to Unclepon Eggy.” Nene chided Kino before letting out a big yawn. “So… Kino can grow to be big and strong, like Dadapon…”

Egil placed a hand on her head. “You go to sleep now, Nene. I can handle this on my own.”

She seemed ready to argue, until she dozed off, Egil’s hand covering her eyes. Now, it was just time to deal with Kino and get the little boy to go to sleep.

“Unclepon Eggy… please let Kino stay up.”

“No, Kino.” He placed his hand over his eyes. “Go to sleep, and Unclepon Eggy will make you a special toy instead, okay?”

Kino mumbled an okay and, soon enough, he was asleep too. Thank Lady Meyneth, he thought they would never go to sleep…

Sure they were sleeping in the beds provided for them (seeing as Egil could never fit in a Nopon abode), he made his way to his own room… Only to find that Shulk had already made himself nice and comfy.

“If you’re a littlepon, shouldn’t you sleep with the other littlepon?” He put a hand on his hip with a frown. “My room is not yours to use, Shulk.”

“I felt you could use more adult company after being surrounded by tired children for an hour or two, Egil!” Shulk smiled at him, not budging an inch. “Is that a problem?”

“I suppose not.” He sighed, too tired to try and argue with the Homs. “Just be quiet, I’m ready to sleep.”

Shulk snickered a bit, nodding. “Of course, I’ll save any thoughts for the morning.”

He shot him a look before moving across the room. “Goodnight, Shulk.”

“Goodnight.”

--

The screams in his dreams were broken by a different scream, the one of a Homs. Not any Homs, either, it was… Shulk. He turned to where the Homs had laid and made his way to him, kneeling down.

“Shulk…” His voice was soft as he spoke. “Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?”

He was screaming, shaking, tears rolling down his eyes. “Egil… I… I dreamt that Zanza was…”

His words broke off into more sobs as he reached forward, touching Egil as if to make sure he was really there. Egil tensed as the Homs fell into him, hugging onto him as if he would vanish if he didn’t.

But he softened a bit, running a hand through his hair with a frown. He knew what it was like, having nightmares caused by Zanza. Nightmares that held you by the throat and made you wake up screaming and afraid…

Only he was past the point of screaming and crying. The nightmares were nothing new to him at this point, almost a welcome constant. But for Shulk, so soon after all that had happened…

“It’s alright.” He began to rub his back, trying to soothe him. “Zanza can’t hurt you anymore, Shulk.”

He clung to Egil and Egil rubbed slow circles into his back. “Zanza can’t hurt me anymore…”

“That’s right.” He let his cheek rest against the top of Shulk’s head as he continued to try and calm him. “The world is rebuilding, bit by bit. You’ve saved us all, you’ve… saved me.”

“Saved…” He sniffled, and continued to hold tight, calming down just a bit. “Yeah, the others and I… we saved everyone we could…”

“And you allow those like Lady Meyneth to rest in peace.” He leaned back a bit, unsure of what else to say…

So instead, he continued to rub circles into Shulk’s back, trying to calm him. Without much of a thought, a lullaby he hadn’t heard or sang in years began to escape his lips, the one Miqol would often sing to calm him and Vanea when they were young.

His voice was a bit hoarse, thanks to years of disuse, but Shulk seemed to relax a bit more as he sang. His voice was low, soft as Shulk clung to him quietly. He continued to rub his back, massaging the tense muscles into relaxation with his hands and his voice.

It wasn’t until he was well into the second verse than he realized Shulk had fallen asleep. Snoring softly, and a hint of a smile on his face. He looked… so peaceful, for having just had a nightmare-induced panic a moment before. 

Well, he supposed the lullaby did its job, then. Good, it… hurt to see Shulk like that, after all, he had learned of what he went through. If anyone needed a break from it all, it was Shulk.

But dreams were cruel, they didn’t always allow an escape, no matter how much one may wish for it. Egil knew that better than anyone else, his own aversion to nightmares leaving him sleep-deprived for many a year now.

Shulk was sleeping peacefully now, though. And that was fine by Egil, even if the Homs laying on him was a bit uncomfortable. His own comfort… it meant little if it meant the people leading towards peace were a bit better off.

He let his hand rest in Shulk’s hair, letting his eyes flutter closed after a moment. Drifting into a slightly more peaceful sleep than he had had in quite a while.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, brother.” Vanea walked into his lab with a smile on his face. “You seem to be hard at work.”

“I always am, Vanea.” He chuckled quietly. “Just putting the final touches on this prototype, before Melia stops by.”

“I see. What do you plan on doing after that?” She tilted her head to the side as she stopped next to him. “Any other projects lined up?”

He snorted. “I’m shocked you’re not trying to make me get out of the lab.”

“Well, you will be speaking to Melia today, and I have it on good authority you were babysitting all night…” Vanea chuckled. “I won’t drag you away from your work after you’ve already had plenty of interaction as it is.”

“I… see.” He nodded. “Thank you, Vanea.”

“Of course, brother.” She leaned against him for a moment, a small smile on her face. “Would you like some help?”

“Perhaps, I’m planning on giving into Reyn’s suggestion and making some prosthetic prototypes while I’m still in the mood.” He placed the wing prosthetic down. “You know Homs anatomy better than most, so perhaps you could help or…”

“Or…?” She tilted her head to the side.

“Be a go-between of sorts, between the Homs who need them and myself. Get the measurements needed and all that.” He wouldn’t look her in the eyes as he spoke. “I doubt they would want me doing that.”

“Brother…” She pat his shoulder. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Vanea…” He gave her the smallest smile. “I… appreciate it.”

“I’m here for you, Egil.”
“As you always have been.” He pat her head, the way he used to when they were younger. It was almost nice, almost like being back in a time before all of this came to a head twice-over.

“Well, I will go speak with Sharla. Seeing as she is a medic, she may know who to point me to in order to ask for measurements.” Vanea forced herself to move again after a moment, and Egil pulled himself from the past. “I’ll talk to you more later, Egil, okay?”

He nodded. “Yes, that… that sounds nice.”

She gave him one more smile. “It does, doesn’t it?” And with that, she was making for the door.

Once again alone, Egil sighed, looking down at the prototype. It seemed he still had a long way to go, trying to recover from everything that happened… But he had thousands of years for that, for now…

For now, he would focus on helping with the rebuilding efforts. After all, rebuilding broken towns was easier than mending a broken mind.

--

“This is amazing, Egil.” Melia turned the prototype in her hands. “It functions as a real headwing would.”

“Ah, yes… Shulk assisted me in finding the right balance to make that possible.” He nodded a bit, awkwardly standing to the side. “You should be sure to thank him.”

“Of course. But I should thank you as well.” She smiled at him, and Egil wasn’t sure he deserved that response. “You worked quickly and made something so wondrous, after all.”
He looked away, no longer able to keep her gaze. “I am simply doing what I can to atone and help make peace possible again.”

“I see… I suppose we are all striving for peace, are we not?” She placed the prototype gently upon the workbench again. “Remember, Egil, this is a group effort.”

“Oh, Riki will not let me forget that, don’t you worry.” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I may know more Nopon dialect than some Nopon by the end of all my babysitting duties.”

Melia giggled at that, shaking her head. “That will surely be an interesting skill to say you have!”

“I’m not sure I would call it a skill as much as I would call it a curse, actually.” The thought of being walked in on talking like a Nopon was always an unwelcomed one, especially seeing as he was quite sure Shulk had done it many a time already.

“Riki’s little ones probably find it amazing you can switch between both dialects so easily.” Melia gave him a look. “Isn’t that enough?”

“I… suppose you have a point. It does entertain the littlepon.” He sighed, leaning against the workbench. “Now if Shulk would stop acting like he needs babysitting, too…”

“Now, no need for that.” Melia shook her head. “Shulk… he cares for you, and wants nothing more to be your friend. Besides, I’m sure he’s more an assistant than another child to watch.”

“You’re… not incorrect, but…” Egil sighed. It was odd, having Shulk worm his way into his activities. Anxiety-inducing… Though that could apply to any of them.

After so many years of being alone, having a social circle again was stressful as it could be. Though he supposed he was managing better than he would have ever expected to in the past.

“Egil?” Melia tapped his arm. “Are you alright?”

“Hm?” He straightened a bit. “Yes, I’m just… lost in thought. Apologies.”

“No, I understand.” She shook her head. “Even with peace, there’s much to think on… I still often find myself thinking, as well.”

He hummed, staring down at the workbench. “Is that so?”

“Indeed… And I just want to say…” Melia let out a sigh. “Thinking alone can hurt, so… please, feel free to speak with me if the thoughts become too much to bear on your own.”

Eyes widening, he looked at her for a moment. “I… thank you, Melia.”

“It’s not a problem.” A wide smile back at him. “You are our friend now, we would all offer you a hand should you need it.”

He chuckled a bit. “Though not as literally as Shulk did, I hope.”

“No, I believe that is something that will remain special between the two of you.” She laughed in return. “I would hate to make him jealous by taking that.”

“I doubt Shulk would be jealous over that, but I understand.” His face settled into a smile before he began to move back to work. “Well, if the prototype is to your liking, I will begin the next phase in building them.”

“Thank you, Egil.”

Chapter Text

“Ah, Egil!” Vanea was back later that night, as expected, a small smile on her face. “I was able to speak with Sharla and set something up.”

“You have? Wonderful.” He turned away from his work. “Well, what measurements were you able to get.”

“Actually, Sharla wishes to discuss this with you and me over tea tomorrow.”  Vanea tapped her cheek. “Would that be alright with you?”

“Discuss is an odd way to say she’s going to interrogate me and my reasoning.” Egil rubbed the bridge of his nose. “But alright, I suppose denying her would just make things harder for me in the long run.”

“I’m glad you understand that much… But do not worry, I will be there with you.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “If Sharla gets a bit too heated, I’ll be sure to calm her down to the best of my ability.”

“Thank you, Vanea.”

“I’m here for you, aren’t I?” She hummed. “It’s just part of that.”

“I know, but… It’s nice, to know you’re with me.”

“I always will be, now that there is peace.” She squeezed his shoulder, a firm and comforting grip. “The space between us… We’ll close it, bit by bit.”

“You’re right…” He placed his hand over hers, forgetting about his work entirely. “I promise to close the gap I forced between us, Vanea.”

“Egil…”

“I…” He pulled his arm away, clearing his throat. “I should get back to work now, thank you for setting this up, Vanea.”

“Ah…” She frowned as he turned away from her. “Of course, Egil. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

“Of course.”

He listened to her footsteps, getting harder and harder to hear as she walked across the floor and then the click of the door. Once again, Egil was alone and back to work. He had measurements to go off of now for all the High Entia headwings that needed to be made, after all.

So much work to complete… He supposed there was no rest for the wicked.

He continued on, reading documents and building up each wing with the machinery available to him. Slowly but surely, they were being completed. Each one picked up by Egil and moved around, to assure they were perfect.

After all, thinking beings were more likely to notice a minute flaw that passed the machine.

They were all perfect, though. Egil supposed he should expect that he had this down to a science, after all.

He yawned, shaking his head. Just a bit longer and he could go to sleep. The more he got done tonight, the more he could start on the new prosthetics tomorrow. He just had to stay awake a little longer…

His head started to dip as he placed the most recent creation down. Meyneth dammit, why was he so tired…? He just needed another few minutes before he became too tired to work…

As he thought that, his eyes drifted shut and his head hit the workbench.

--

Egil opened his eyes and he wasn’t in his lab anymore. He was standing in the space where they had fought Zanza, or at least, something that looked similar to it. How had he gotten here…?

“How interesting, it’s usually Shulk who visits me here…” A Homs stood in front of him, another of Zanza’s loyal (or perhaps, not-so-loyal, based off things Shulk had said to him). “You appearing makes enough sense, though, I suppose.”

“Does it now?”

“You, Shulk, the girl Fiora… You’ve all had such close brushes with death. A place like Memory Space, where the dead wander and dreams happen…” He turned to look at him, a cryptic smile on his face. “It only makes sense you’d be one of the ones to accidentally trip into it.”

“Where the dead wander…” He gripped his hand in front of him. “Such as…”

“Such as Arglas and Meyneth, yes.” He sighed. “Though, I would not expect to find them. Wandering souls are hard to find, unless they want to be found.”

“I… see.” He nodded, looking down. “It would be better if I don’t see them, all the same. After all that happened.”

“It is best for you to take steps forward, correct?” The man began to walk around Egil. “A man, once stuck in the past, is afraid to become that way again, should he meet those he lost face-to-face.”

“I see you know annoyingly much.” Egil frowned.

“As do you, don’t you think?” He shrugged. “Perhaps not as much as I do, but plenty of knowledge, more than most Machina your age.”

“It is a burden I bear.”

“As it is for I…” He looked at Egil, eyes serious. “But you have a gift, of others being with you. Do not waste the chances given to you.”

Egil sighed. “You sound like the lot of them…”

“What can I say? Shulk has an… effect on people, even on machines such as myself.” He waved his hand in the air as if brushing Egil’s entire claim off. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the effect yourself.”

“...I have, yes.” He put a hand to his head as if a headache had hit him. “Shulk is a unique person.”

“Indeed.” He nodded. “And, if I had to guess, I would say you enjoy that about him.”

“Perhaps you don’t know as much as I originally thought.” He said this, but he was silently cursing him for picking up on that so quickly. “...Say, machine.”

“Yes?”

“What should I call you?” He paused for a moment, ignoring the look he was being given. “Should I end up having to see your face here again.”

“I see…” He chuckled, moving to stand in front of him. “You may call me Alvis. And I suppose I can call you Egil?”

He held out his hand an Egil took it, tentatively. “Yes, that… that would be fine, Alvis.”

Alvis shook his hand with a firm grip, a smile on his face. “In that case, I look forward to our next meeting, Egil.”

Chapter Text

“Egil, hello, Egil…” He groaned at the sound of another voice, pulling him from that Memory Space thing. “Good morning, sleep well?”

“Shulk…” He groaned, looking over to him. “How long did I sleep?”

“Not sure, I found you snoozing just now.” Shulk sat next to him. “Figured it was for a while, though.”

“What time is it?” Egil looked around, squinting a bit. Was the sun even up…?

“Uh, it’s…” Shulk whistled awkwardly, scratching his cheek. “About 4 in the morning.”

He reached out his hand, touching the top of Shulk’s head. “Could you not sleep?”

“No, but don’t worry about it!” Shulk forced out a laugh, and Egil wasn’t buying it. “I think I just need…”

“What do you need, Shulk?” Egil rested his free hand against his cheek as he stroked Shulk’s hair, just a bit. “Is it something you believe I can provide you with?”

“Will you… sing to me again?” He looked down, clearly a bit flustered. “It was so calming the other night and I…”

“I understand.” He sighed. “I’m not a fan of singing to others anymore, Shulk.”

“I-I know, so just forget it--”

“But… this one time, I’ll sing you a lullaby… but not in my lab.” He stood and offered his hand to Shulk, pulling it from his head.

“Egil… Thanks.”

Shulk took his hand and Egil noted how warm it was. If he was even a bit more foolish, he wouldn’t want to let go… But for now, he just enjoyed it, as Shulk walked him to his home. Just a moment of the nice feeling was enough for Egil.

Soon enough, Shulk was nicely tucked into bed, Egil sitting next to him. When he was sure the Homs was nice and settled in, he began to sing, his voice soft. It shook more this time than the last time. He was well aware of why he was doing it, and that made it all the more nerve-wracking.

But Shulk seemed to enjoy it all the same, eyes drifting shut as he reached out and clung to Egil’s arms, slowly drifting into sleep. It brought a small smile to his face, his voice becoming a bit more steady.

Egil did not enjoy sharing his voice with others, but for Shulk… It was the least he could do, after everything that had happened and what he’d done for him. And so he sang the entire lullaby, finishing well after Shulk was already asleep.

With that done, he pulled his hand free from Shulk’s grasp, pausing only to move the bangs out of his face, and moved for the door. “Pleasant dreams, Shulk.”

--

Egil could not fall asleep again, no matter how hard he seemed to try. And maybe that was why he found himself sitting outside, staring up at the stars. It was better than staring at a ceiling when he couldn’t sleep, at least.

He had thought about heading back to his lab, doing some more work… But he was honestly a bit afraid to pass out in there again and see that Alvis. Their conversation together had already left quite the imprint... 

Maybe that was why he couldn’t find sleep, he thought. Alvis’s words were simply weighing heavily on his mind and keeping him awake. That damned (apparent) machine…

He would just have to hope it wouldn’t illy affect the meeting with Sharla the next--

“Look who we have here, can’t sleep again, huh?” He turned and was met by a frowning Sharla, her hand on her hip. “I’m starting to think we need to look into your insomnia more, maybe talk to Linada.”

“Lady Meyneth, no.” He shook his head. “I don’t need to speak with a doctor, I simply… slept already.”

Sharla tapped her foot against the ground. “And how long did you sleep for?”

“...I’m not quite sure. I just know Shulk woke me up at around 4 because he could not sleep.” He decided to not mention that he had helped the Homs get to sleep, though. That was on a need-to-know basis.

“Knowing you, you got at most an hour of sleep, then…” Sharla sighed. “Come on, time to try some more Homs remedies on you.”

“You are dedicated to learning how to help other Machina, if you’re willing to try and help me again.” Egil said that, but stood and followed after her either way. “Or perhaps you enjoy making me try things I’m sure to dislike.”

“Maybe it’s a little bit of both.” Sharla chuckled a bit, shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter, as long as I find out if this stuff works or not, though.”

“I suppose you are correct.” He nodded a bit. “...Thank you, by the way. I feel more sleep will… do me good, before the meeting tomorrow.”

“That’s right, you want to make prosthetics for Homs, was it?” She glanced back at him. “I would ask you about it now, but that wouldn’t be fair to Vanea.”

“Ah, yes. I would prefer she be there to… mediate, in case anything gets a bit too heated.” He wouldn’t look directly at her as he said that.

“I’m not going to yell at you if that’s what you’re worried about.” Sharla snorted before continuing. “But you’re right, her being there might be better for the both of us.”

“Agreed. So, let’s drop that for now.” Sharla waved a hand in the air. “Be quiet coming in, alright? Juju is asleep in the other room.”

“I understand.” He nodded and wondered for a moment if he should remove his shoes. He was more used to walking in heels than without, but he would hate to earn Sharla’s scorn for waking up her younger brother…

“What are you standing around for?” Sharla pulled him out of his thoughts. “We can’t get started with testing if you don’t get your arse inside.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong, but…” He hummed, a bit unsure. “What if the sound of my heels wake him? I could take them off, but that increases my chances of falling. I’m less agile without them…”

“...Oh for goodness sake.”

Chapter Text

Egil sipped at his tea, looking between Vanea and Sharla quietly. He supposed he needed to say something and get this conversation started, but… He was at a bit of a loss for words.

Sharla, thankfully, spoke up before he could think of anything, though. “So you want to make prosthetics for Homs, right? Why’s that?”

“I still have much to make up for, and when I’m surely the reason for at least some of the lost limbs, it only seems right.” He wouldn’t look her in the eye as he spoke. “I hope that is not a problem for you…?”

“I suppose not, but…” Sharla sighed, shaking her head. “I’m not sure people would be open to you making them, let alone asking for their measurements.”

“That is why I plan to assist him.” Vanea spoke up then, hand to her chest. “I can get the measurements, and hopefully soothe any worries they may have about Egil making them.”

“I understand I will have to work for their trust, even with Vanea helping me.” Egil was quick to add on. “I would expect nothing less, after all that happened.”

“Hmm…” She tapped the table, looking down into her cup of tea. “I see… well, it seems you have good enough intentions, and you understand it won’t be all sunshine and rainbows.”

“Of course I do.” Egil nodded. “Struggle has become a normal part of my life.”

“Like the struggle of Shulk waking you up at 4 in the morning?” Sharla raised an eyebrow and Egil looked away as Vanea gave him a curious look.

“Brother, did something happen last night?”

“Nothing to worry yourself over, Vanea.” He cleared his throat. “Sharla is simply talking about things that don’t matter to this current conversation.”

“See that, Vanea?” Sharla pointed at him. “That’s what us Homs call embarrassment.”

“Us Machina call it that as well…” She chuckled and leaned closer to Sharla, the two not chattering about this and that.

“I see you two are now turning this meeting into a way to poke fun at me.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Is there anything else you need to hear from me, Sharla?”

Sharla turned back to him, shaking her head with an amused smile on her face. “I think it’s fine. I’ll... trust you, Egil. And see what I can do to help Vanea get measurements and calm minds, too.”

His eyes widened a bit. He sure wasn’t expecting her to actually agree so easily, but he wasn’t complaining, either. “Sharla… thank you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s so Vanea isn’t stressed beyond belief.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I wouldn’t want her having to calm every upset Homs when she tells them what you’re up to.”

“Ah, yes, of course.” He nodded, sipping at his tea once again. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Sharla, thank you very much.” Vanea smiled at her as she patted Egil’s shoulder. “We appreciate your cooperation.”

--

After being harassed by his sister and Sharla for a while longer, Egil found himself making his way back towards his lab. There was still plenty for him to do right now, and he wished he had found a way out of that little conversation a bit earlier…

He would admit it was nice to just talk, see Vanea so happy, but… He wasn’t sure now was the best time for him to be doing that. Maybe some years in the future, but right now… No, not right now.

“Ah, Egil!” He was pulled from his thoughts by Dunban’s voice. “Hold this for me, will you?”

He held out his hands and a few boxes were plopped into his arms. These were quite heavy, he noted. Impressive that Dunban had been able to carry these with only one arm, if you asked him.

“What is this for, hm?” He looked at Dunban, feeling he had the right to ask if he was being told to hold things.

“Ah, just an event tomorrow night. I would say more, but I believe Fiora and Shulk will speak to you about it.” He chuckled, rubbing his chin. “Just keep your door open to them tomorrow, alright?”

“Another event they want to pull me to, then?” He sighed and resisted the urge to look into the top box. You know, just to know what was coming. “Alright, I suppose I can at least hear them out.”

“Good, they would both be sad if they couldn’t just ask you about it.” Dunban chuckled and held his arm out. “Well, you can give me back those boxes. Thanks for holding them for me, I should be able to take them again.”

“Ah, yes.” He placed them back in his hand with a sigh. “I’m worried you’re planning some sort of attack on someone with how heavy those boxes are, however.”

“I can promise you it’s nothing of the sort.” Dunban chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s simply a bit of a cheer everyone up event. To mark how far we’ve come since the defeat of Zanza.”

“I see…” Egil nodded. “I suppose I’ve seen a lull in excitement at rebuilding recently.” Not that he, well, was around people much. A small sample group, but enough of one to make a guess, he supposed.

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Well, I should be off. There’s still much to do to prepare before tomorrow comes.”

“Ah, of course.” He gave a small wave. “Have a nice rest of your day, Dunban. Don’t work yourself to death.”

“I could say the same to you.” Dunban began to walk off. “Try not to stay up too late, tomorrow is going to be a long day for all of us!”

Egil sighed as the man vanished from view. So Fiora and Shulk would be coming to bother him tomorrow about some event, then? Perhaps it was a fireworks show? That could explain those heavy boxes, he supposed…

Well, that didn’t matter for now. He would just wait until tomorrow to worry about all of this.

Chapter Text

“Egil!” Fiora waved as she entered his lab. “Shulk and I were looking for you!”

“Well, you’ve found me.” Egil placed his work down on the workbench, turning to look at her. “Is there something you need?”

It seemed she and Shulk were there, so this was probably what Dunban had mentioned. Well, he might as well fight out what exactly this event was, even if he had his own ideas of what it could be.

“Well…” Fiora nudged Shulk with her elbow. “Go on, tell him!”

“There’s going to be a fireworks show, and there’s a great clearing to watch it from.” Shulk rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. “We thought we would ask if you want to come? Y-you don’t have to sit with us or anything like that. We just--”

“Shulk…” Fiora’s voice was between a whisper and a hiss. “You’re rambling again!”

“Ah, am I…?” He blinked a few times. “I didn’t mean to! I should just start over!”

“Shulk, it’s way too late to do that!”

Egil cleared his throat and both the Homs looked back to him, clearly embarrassed to have been caught like that. “Thank you two for the invitation. I will… see if I am free to come.”

“Great!” Shulk smiled at him. “Feel free to say hi, even if you don’t want to sit with us.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Egil nodded and glanced at Fiora. “As long as a certain someone won’t force me to stay if I say hello.”

Fiora gasped. “I would never !”

“Mmm, yes, I’m sure you wouldn’t.” He chuckled when she huffed and pounded her fists against his chest, declaring she definitely wouldn’t. “If that’s all, can you two leave me be? I have things I need to do if I want to be able to make it.”

“Oh! Of course!” Shulk grabbed Fiora’s arm gingerly and led her back, away from Egil. “We’ll hope to see you there!”

“Yes, well, in case we do not run into each other again, I hope the two of you enjoy the event.” He waved them off and then turned back to his work. Maybe he would go check out the fireworks.

--

Egil had made it to the event, with a good half-hour to spare from when it was actually to start, apparently. It hadn’t been hard to find Shulk and Fiora, they were surrounded by others. Vanea and Linada, Riki and his family, Reyn, Sharla, Juju… Even Dunban and Melia had made it.

But that large of a group made him pause. He wasn’t sure he felt quite comfortable even stopping by to say hello, not with so many people around… So instead, after watching them for a moment, noting the wide space next to where Shulk lay, he made for a remote part of the clearing.

He settled in, getting used to the silence of being alone… Only to realize he was very much not alone.

He did not turn to look at Alvis as he sighed and spoke. “Did Shulk and Fiora invite you as well, then?”

“No, I chose to come on my own. I found it curious someone who was invited by them wouldn’t at least say hello, after all.” Alvis sounded amused as they laid shoulder to shoulder. “Could you not at least do that?”

“I would feel...uncomfortable. Besides…” Egil glanced towards their direction. “That space by Shulk seems to hint he would like me to stay there, and it would just make me feel… rude to walk away after he left that for me.”

“I see, he would not hold it against you.” Alvis spoke and Egil tensed when he felt Alvis force his hand into Egil’s. “And if you stayed, he would hold your hand, just like this, to try and calm you.”

Egil finally looked at him, a scowl on his face. “Could you not just say that, instead of taking my hand in yours?”

Alvis shrugged a bit, not budging his hand an inch. “I’m standing in for Shulk, I doubt he would want you to watch this alone.”

“You could still release my hand.” Egil sighed and felt a headache coming on. “...But I suppose you plan to hold it until I relent and go to Shulk and the others?”

“Will that work?”

“No, with time I can ignore you.” He was already starting to sorta phase out the whole hand holding thing. “I don’t plan on going over there.”

Alvis released his hand for all of a moment before retaking it, a new position as he rested his other elbow on Egil’s chest, chin on hand. “I’ll simply have to be harder to ignore, then. Until you at least agree to say hello to Shulk.”

“You are insufferable.” He groaned, rolling his eyes. “Fine, I will go say hello to Shulk and Fiora before coming back here, just be gone before I am back.”

“Of course, of course.” Alvis sat up, finally letting go of Egil’s hand for good. “That is, if you do come back.”

Egil rolled his eyes as he stood up, saying nothing in return. He would be back, he swore to it… He would just walk over to Shulk and say hello before making his way back to his little hiding spot.

Fiora was the first one to see him, having been sitting up and looking around. Had she been trying to see if he had come, then…? If so, he did feel a bit bad for not saying hello earlier, but… oh well, what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

“Egil!” She waved him over, a grin on her face. “You made it!”

“Yes, I thought I would stop by and say hello.” He nodded a bit and found his eyes drifting to Shulk, who was (not-so) casually patting the spot next to him. He let out a sigh and moved to sit next to him. “And I suppose I’ll stay.”

Shulk was grinning ear to ear as Egil laid next to him and Egil looked up at the sky. It was starting soon, maybe he could focus on that instead of the feeling of being around so many people. He could make it through this…

And that’s when he felt a hand holding his again. He jumped a bit, but realized quickly it was Shulk’s hand, rubbing circles into the back of his hand. Egil stared down at it for a moment, before looking back to the sky, relaxing a bit more into the grasp.

“Glad you could make it.” Shulk’s voice was quiet as the fireworks began to shoot off in the sky.

“As am I… Thank you, Shulk, for inviting me.” He smiled, watching the lights in the sky as Shulk curled a bit closer to him. “It’s… good to get out of my lab sometimes, I suppose.”

Shulk chuckled a bit. “Sure is, though… nothing wrong with staying in a lab.”

“I felt you would be the one to understand that, if anyone.”