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There was no way that Erik could feel comfortable, on his knees in the royal courtroom of Crocus. It was bad enough that they all had to wear formal attire - how was he supposed to look at Macbeth in a suit and not become distracted - but they had no idea what they were there for. Prison was the best that Erik could hope for; execution the worst. No matter what happened, they would accept it. After all the crimes that they had committed, there really was no room to argue.
Erik was kneeling, Macbeth in the same position on his right. Jellal was in front, the informal master of their guild, and the other members sat behind Erik and Macbeth. Their heads were all bowed, cast down like condemned men. And maybe that’s what they were. Erik’s heart was racing, desperate for the newly crowned Queen to speak and put them all out of their misery.
“I have decided to set you all free.”
Of all things that Erik was expecting to hear, that wasn’t one of them. He almost fell forward in shock, a plethora of emotions flooding his system and those around him until his mind was a whirlwind of feeling.
“Aren’t we enemies of the state?” Sawyer said in what Erik supposed should have been a whisper, but still Queen Hisui heard.
With a gracious smile, she rose to her feet. “Maybe once, but no longer. You have each found something, or someone, to live for, and it shows.”
Someone to live for.
Erik didn’t intend to glance at Macbeth, but his heart fluttered happily when he realised that Macbeth was looking at him right back.
Queen Hisui continued to speak, explaining her decision and how it would affect the country. Crime Sorciere was allowed to remain intact if they so wished, but she wouldn’t stop them from living normal lives if that was what any of them wanted.
“We cannot guarantee your safety, but we can promise you that you will not be bothered by any persons relating to the government or the crown. You will be permitted to live as you so wish, and you will be left in peace.”
“So we can join other guilds?” Sorano asked hopefully, and the Queen hummed in response.
“Naturally, this will be allowed.” For a moment, her gaze darkened. “But we will not take kindly to any trouble caused through wizarding work.”
They had to be careful then. That was fair enough. Hisui’s expression became warm and inviting once more, and she descended the stairs until she stood in front of Jellal, floor-length gown pooling by his feet.
“I want you to be happy within my kingdom. You may have had… questionable beginnings, but the crown will never be able to repay you for all you did to protect this country.” Queen Hisui offered Jellal her hand, and he took it, standing on shaky legs. “ I will never be able to repay you.”
Everything else she said fell on deaf ears to Erik, as a world he had not truly considered opened up before his very eyes. A home. A family. A future. These weren’t things that Erik had ever been sure he even wanted, but they were an option now, and that was a start.
Jellal turned to face the group, saying something that Erik still didn’t listen to, but when Macbeth got to his feet, so did Erik. They exchanged a glance, but somehow even that felt embarrassing in that moment, because the nature of their relationship was sure to change. Erik was ready for that, if Macbeth was.
The now former members of Crime Sorciere filed out of the Queen’s courtroom, a heavy silence falling when the door clicked shut behind them. Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at one another, the situation too surreal to comprehend.
Meredy moved first, bringing Jellal into a tight hug. There were tears in both of their eyes, and Erik didn’t need to listen to their thoughts to know that they were thinking about Ultear. Sorano slapped Sawyer on the shoulder, laughing loudly; freely, and Richard’s face was streaked with tears. Erik heard Macbeth approach, felt fingers intertwine with his own and then squeeze.
“You okay?” He asked, and after a moment Erik nodded.
“I think so. It’s just a lot to take in.”
“Yeah.” Macbeth hummed. “But we’ll get through this.”
An extra word buzzed around Macbeth’s mind, small and sweet and undeniably theirs.
Together .
Erik grinned at him, let his lips graze Macbeth’s knuckles before he released their hands and joined their group of friends, celebrating a freedom which Erik was still unsure that he deserved.
* * *
Even after three years, Erik felt strange being in large crowds of people. Macbeth didn’t like it much either, but a theatre company had come to town, and it was a play that Macbeth loved. Erik had surprised him with tickets, a fitting way to celebrate their ten-year anniversary. The play wasn’t especially to Erik’s tastes, but the light in Macbeth’s eyes was worth it. Erik could sit through anything if just to see Macbeth smile.
The crowd was thinning, much to Erik’s relief, giving way to a park lit almost exclusively with fairy lights. They had dinner reservations after the show, but that was three hours away. And the crepe stand which Erik spotted a few yards away was looking more and more tempting.
“Do you wanna grab food before the show?” Erik thrust his thumb in the direction of the stall, and Macbeth hummed his agreement, nodding slightly. He always did have a sweet tooth, enjoying the privilege of sugar that they were denied as children. Macbeth leant against a tree, and Erik took that as the indication that he would be buying the food. It was unsurprising; they both had a low tolerance for strangers, but Macbeth was far worse. Erik got in line, with only one little girl and an obnoxiously in-love couple in front of him. They could only have been in their early twenties, with the girls arm looped through her boyfriends, pressing kisses to his cheek as though it were a form of punctuation.
The small girl grabbed her crepe and ran over to people who Erik assumed were her parents. He still listened, just in case she was in danger - Erik didn’t like the idea of a girl around the age of seven wandering off with money on her own - but he could hear memories of her growing up in the minds of the adults she was with. Deeming her safe, Erik moved forward in the queue.
The couple ordered, one crepe between them, and Erik rolled his eyes when the girl once again nuzzled into her boyfriend’s side. He loved Macbeth, of course he did, but Erik was grateful that neither of them were a fan of displaying their affection publicly.
“We might miss the show.” The boyfriend, and the girl laughed; a tinny sound that made Erik wince.
“Any time I spend with you is magical, no matter how simple it is.”
They kissed again, parting only to retrieve their crepe from an uncomfortable looking clerk. The couple paid, not taking their eyes off of each other, and when they passed Erik the boyfriend was feeding his lover a chocolate covered strawberry. Once again, Erik was exceptionally grateful that Macbeth was as reserved as he was.
“What can I get you?” The false cheer of the clerk was obvious; one scan of her mind and Erik could see that she had a young child at home, as well as an elderly relative to care for. She was struggling for money, too.
“One chocolate and one banana.” Erik hadn’t asked Macbeth what he had wanted, but Erik knew that the other man always ordered one of the two; he was content to eat whichever one that Macbeth didn’t want.
“That’ll be ten-thousand Jewel.”
Erik gave her twenty-thousand and told her to keep the change. He felt a wave of gratitude from the woman’s mind, followed by a determination to double his portion size. That wasn’t why he did it of course, but it was a nice gesture from her all the same.
The crepes didn’t take long to prepare, and when Erik took them from the clerk they were bulging from the cardboard covering. He thanked her again and moved around the new customers who had begun to gather behind him, back towards where Macbeth was waiting.
Macbeth’s back was still against the tree, his eyes closed and body still. Most people would have assumed him to be asleep, but of course Erik knew better.
“Chocolate or banana?”
“Chocolate.” Macbeth opened one eye and smiled, purple-painted lips thin and shiny and completely kissable. Erik checked their surroundings quickly before doing just that. When their lips parted, Macbeth took a bite of his crepe and Erik checked his watch.
“Shit, we’d better get going if we want to get there before the show starts.”
Macbeth shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if we miss it. Just spending time together is enough.”
His words were less poetic, but the sentiment rivalled that of the couple who had been buying crepes before Erik. That made his cheeks heat up, knowing that Macbeth felt that way towards him, and Erik was glad that the darkness masked his embarrassment. He realised then that, no matter how you express your love, it was powerful enough just to simply feel it.
No matter how unlikely it had seemed, they had managed to build a life together. They had a home that Erik always wanted to return to, and they were content. Blissfully so. The future seemed brighter than Erik could ever imagine, And even if they still weren’t sure if they wanted a family or not, it didn’t matter at that moment. Not when they had each other.
Erik took Macbeth’s hand, not caring who saw, and walked happily through the park with the man he loved.
* * *
They didn’t need to decide whether or not they wanted to start a family, because a family had found them.
“Dad, have you seen my satchel?”
Erik sighed. “You left it outside the door again, Nyss.”
She paused, frowned, and then ran towards the front of the house, purple pigtails flying comically behind her. Erik continued to fold the washing, checking the time and trying to determine when Macbeth would waken.
It had been three years since Nyssa had moved in with them; she had been nine at the time, a victim of war who had nobody else. Erik and Macbeth had taken temporary custody, relating to her situation, knowing how painful it could be for a child to be alone on the streets, but temporary had soon enough become permanent, and none of the three of them had ever looked back.
“Dad, dad! Look what I found?!” Nyssa came racing back through the house, offering an excited gap-toothed smile… and a large, hairy caterpillar.
“Wow.” Erik couldn’t help but recoil, even when Nyssa pouted.
“It’s a super rare species, only found during the rainy season on the southern continent.” She rubbed her thumb along it’s wriggling green back, and Erik flinched. “We’re so lucky to have one in our front garden.”
“I definitely feel lucky.” Erik gathered up the stack of washing and balanced it on his hip.
Nyssa whined. “Dad!”
But then the door clicked open and her attention was diverted.
“Morning, pa.” She ran to Macbeth, offering him a one-armed hug. He was still bleary from sleep, hair loose and knotted, stubble grazing his pale skin. Macbeth squeezed her back before sliding the caterpillar from her hand.
“These are super rare, Nyss.” He examined the wriggly creature closely. “Are you planning on using the venom?”
Nyssa puffed out her cheeks proudly. “I sure am!”
“Venom?” Erik asked sharply. If this creature was dangerous, he wasn’t thrilled with their twelve-year-old daughter handling it.
“It lets out a venom which is toxic to animals, but only stuns a human.” Macbeth explained, and Erik wondered idly how the hell his husband knew about these insects. He wasn’t leaving Nyssa and Macbeth alone in the library again. “Nyss can use this on enemies.”
Erik knew that was coming. She loved bugs, always had, which had led her to learn Insect Soul, a magic which allowed her to absorb and use properties of different creepy crawlies. It freaked Erik out a little - he would always prefer reptiles - but he would never admit that. He would always encourage anything that made Nyssa happy, within reason, especially after everything she had been through. Erik and Macbeth had grown up with little positive encouragement, with nobody in the world except each other and their small circle of friends. They wanted more than that for Nyssa, would provide it as best as they could.
“My venom is gonna be stronger than your poison one day, dad.” Nyssa grinned, and Erik ruffled her hair.
“We’ll see about that.” He smiled at her, feeling a love that he hadn’t known he was capable of. Macbeth brought out the best in him, but this was something different. Something deeper. They were parents now; Nyssa didn’t see them as criminals, queers, or any other label that had been thrown at them over the years. She saw them as they were, two men who loved each other, and loved her just as much. To be accepted by someone so innocent, that was the freedom that Erik had craved.
He bent down low, easing the caterpillar from Macbeth’s hand and laying his palm flat, so that Nyssa could easily take it from him.
“Go grab your satchel and put this guy back.”
Nyssa kissed him on the cheek, scooping the caterpillar up and running out the house. “Yes dad.”
Standing up straight again, Macbeth leant his head on Erik’s shoulder, sighing happily.
“I’ve been thinking…”
“That’s never good.” Erik teased, earning himself a backhanded slap to his chest.
“I’ve been thinking,” Macbeth started again. “That being an only child might be lonely for Nyss.”
Erik’s eyes widened. What had been left unsaid was obvious enough; he had been thinking a similar thing himself. But it was a big decision to make, especially since they were nearing fifty. They weren’t as young as they used to be, and one child could be challenging enough.
“You sure?” Erik ran his fingers through Macbeth’s hair, more grey than black now. The other man nodded.
“It’s something to think about, anyway.”
Erik hummed his agreement, pulling away from Macbeth when Nyssa came barrelling back into their home.
“Found it!” She held up her satchel proudly, and the morning continued as it did most days. The thought of another child was a complicated one; they were happy as they were now. Would that change with an addition to their family? Erik didn’t know. But they had the freedom to choose now, a novelty that he would no doubt never be used to.
In their youth, they had crumbled societies and brought the most powerful men to their knees; Erik thought that those days of adventures were behind him, but when Macbeth settled on their settee, and Nyssa curled up on his lap, Erik thought that growing old with the man he loved, in the home they had built together, was truly the greatest adventure of all.