Chapter Text
“Didn’t you guys find it just a little bit suspicious?
“He’s an adult, Crow, he can do what he wants.”
“But Rome?! On his own? He gets confused taking the bus and he was willing to fly across the world and deal with TSA and baggage claims and-”
“Crow, he’ll be home any minute, just ask him when he gets here.”
“I’m just suspicious! He didn’t tell us a damn thing about why the hell he was going there! And why so close to Christmas?”
“He said it was personal, Crow. He’s been checking in since day one, we made sure he had everything he needed, he hasn’t had any issues, he-”
“He stole my fake ID kit!”
“Now Crow, that’s a bit harsh, why on earth would Gabriel-”
“It had to be him! I know exactly where I keep it and it’s gone! It vanished the day he left!”
“Crow, come on…”
“He’s up to something, I know it!”
“Crow, this is Gabriel we’re talking about, it’s a bit low to accuse-”
Aaron was sitting at the kitchen table writing, but then looked up from his notebook as he heard the front door unlocking. Scarecrow was standing with his hands on the table as he angrily leaned over towards Aaron, but his gaze turned towards the door as well.
“He’s home!” Enty’s voice called as he ran down the stairs excitedly.
Gabriel had been on a week-long trip to Rome for “personal religious reasons” as he called it and was due to arrive today. Scarecrow found the whole thing suspicious. It was days before Christmas, and Gabriel had never had any desire to go to such a far-away place before; let alone on his own. Aaron had tried to convince Gabriel to let someone go with him, but Gabriel was persistent to go alone. Aaron had to admit, the circumstances were odd, but Gabriel was capable and could handle his own.
Aaron and Scarecrow slid away from the table as Enty waited by the door which swung open slowly. They could hear Gabriel’s voice.
“…ou need to see this thing called the “toaster”. You put bread in it, and it in SECONDS it-uhh…”
Gabriel froze as the door opened and he saw his friends in the foyer. Scarecrow was staring ahead with wide and fearful eyes as Enty stood with a smile on his face. Aaron was just looking on with a jaded expression. Gabriel just stared back.
“What?”
“GABRIEL WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!” Scarecrow screamed, taking a step back in terror. Gabriel looked at his hands.
“…Starbucks.” He said quietly, holding the tray of drinks. “I thought you guys would like…”
“He means the elf standing next to you, Gabe.” Aarons said, eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Gabriel turned his head to look at the figure standing awkwardly next to him on the snowy porch.
“Oh, this is my friend!” Gabriel said as the man waved. Scarecrow’s heart was pounding out of his chest.
“GABRIEL, HE’S NOT-”
“Hi Elderane...” Aaron said tiredly with a smile, walking past a stunned Scarecrow towards the door. Scarecrow watched in speechless shock as Aaron greeted the elf and Elderane and Gabriel entered the warm house, closing the door behind them.
“Right, Crow, this is Elderane!” Gabriel said proudly as he removed his jacket.
“Hello all! Aaron, nice to see you again!” The elf said, shaking Aaron’s hand.
“Same to you, Elderane.” Aaron said, stepping back.
“Hi!” Enty said with a bright smile as he ran up to Elderane who smiled back.
“Hello, Enty!” Elderane said happily as Enty greeted him, joyfully shaking his hand. Elderane’s eyes landed on the still frozen Scarecrow. “Scarecrow, I don’t believe we have formally m-”
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Scarecrow screamed, backing away as his heart raced, his eyes wide in terror.
“Crow! What on earth has gotten into you?!” Aaron said, shocked by his friend’s odd behavior.
“Scarecrow, this isn’t who you think it is…” Gabriel said, edging towards Scarecrow.
“Like hell it is! I know that lowlife egotistical maniac when I see him!” Scarecrow yelled, taking another step away from the now hurt looking Elderane. “Why the hell is he here? Gabe, what did he do to you?!” He said in furious concern, looking Gabriel over.
“Scarecrow, it’s not Acedia! This is Elderane! I’ve known him a long time now, he’s a good friend!” Gabriel said urgently, trying to calm his frantic roommate.
“He’s right, Crow. I’ve met him before.” Aaron added, moving closer to Elderane.
“When the hell have you met him?!”
“Turns out it’s possible to become so exhausted you transcend realities.” Aaron said with a shrug as Enty giggled behind him. Scarecrow just looked at the group with confusion.
“What…?”
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Crow, for crying out loud, you know how I meditate?” Gabriel said, exasperated. “Well, Elderane is from the place I go to!”
“Avantasia.” Aaron interjected.
Scarecrow paused. He had heard Gabriel say that name before…but still…
“…What?” Scarecrow said in annoyed defeat, still not fully understanding. Gabriel let out a frustrated groan.
“Look, ok, I have the ability to go to this “spirit world” of sorts when I meditate, Elderane is from there, and it is possible for people to enter or leave Avantasia physically through a doorway in Rome, hence why he is here now.” Gabriel said tiredly. Scarecrow just stared.
“So…you trust him…?”
“With my life.” Gabriel said with a nod as Elderane smiled. “I don’t know why he looks like Acedia, but I promise, it’s not him!” Gabriel said as he backed up and held on to Elderane’s arm.
Scarecrow just stared ahead. Gabriel had mentioned this spirit world before, hadn’t he…
“Wait, Aaron, you’ve never been to Rome! How did you…”
“Like I said. Got so tired I just…ended up ‘meditating’ like Gabriel.”
Scarecrow paused then just nodded. Yeah, that was believable.
“Wait…he knew Enty!”
“Gabriel helped me meditate like him a few times!” He said happily. Scarecrow just blinked.
“HAS EVERYONE MET THIS THING BUT ME?!”
“He’s not a thing, Crow, and yes, sorry about that…” Gabriel said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
“And Gabe, you brought him here…why?” Scarecrow asked, his heart still racing. He didn’t trust this. This wasn’t right. Something had to be wrong.
“To spend Christmas with us! Besides you guys, he’s my only other friend and I thought it would be nice for him to be here…”
Scarecrow just stared at the…elf before him. Elderane just met his gaze with a warm smile as Gabriel clung to his arm. Scarecrow looked up at the thing’s inhuman pointed ears. He…did look like an elf. And Gabriel really trusted this creature, but…
“Wait, wait, wait…” Scarecrow said, his mind reeling in all directions. “Is he wearing my clothes?!” He yelled, noticing the familiar shirt and pants the elf was wearing. Scarecrow blinked and looked back at Gabriel. “And did you take my fake ID kit?” He asked accusingly. Gabriel shuffled awkwardly on his feet as Aaron gave him the side eye.
“He…” Gabriel started, eying Elderane. “He’s not exactly a citizen, guys, and…he didn’t have human clothes…” Gabriel muttered with a shrug. For a moment all was quiet, but then Scarecrow gave a hearty laugh.
“You did take it! You committed crime intentionally!” Scarecrow said as he laughed, pointing at the nervous Gabriel.
“He couldn’t get here without one! It was necessary!” Gabriel tried, but Scarecrow was in tears from laughing. Gabriel just stared annoyed at the hysterical man.
“I loved the plane ride! What fascinating machines you have here!” Elderane said, oblivious as to why Scarecrow was now on the floor in tears.
“Well, I’m glad you had a good trip. Now…” Aaron said, facing Gabriel. “Why didn’t you tell us about you wanting to bring him here?”
“Well…” Gabriel eyed Scarecrow who was still on the floor in hysterical laughter. “…he wouldn’t have believed me, and you might have said no…” Gabriel said sadly. Aaron felt a pang of hurt at the thought that Gabriel would assume that.
“Gabe, I like Elderane, I wouldn’t have said no. He’s welcome here any time.” Aaron said with a smile. Gabriel’s expression brightened.
“Thank you, Aaron…it was just…it’s Christmas and well…he…” Gabriel started, struggling to find the words.
“I do not have many close friends back home, at least, none like Gabriel. I would have spent the holiday as any other day.” Elderane said with a shrug. As soon as he said this, a tearful Enty ran forward and hugged him.
“You won’t have to be alone here!” Enty cried, reassuring the obviously not upset man. Elderane gave Gabriel a pleading look but Gabriel just shrugged back with a smile. Elderane slowly pushed Enty off him.
“Thank you, Enty…I appreciate it.” He said warmly as Enty smiled back.
“Although now we have to find a place for you to sleep…” Aaron said, lost in thought. He had trashed the basement a few days ago and he had machine parts all over the place. Not the saftest place to sleep at the moment.
“I was told it would be alright I sleep in Gabriel’s room with him, as that would be the least amount of hassle.” Elderane stated. Scarecrow’s head shot up as he heard this. Aaron just nodded.
“Yes, that would work fine.” Aaron said, thanking the Lord he didn’t have to clean the basement.
“Aww how come he gets to sleep over with Gabriel…” Enty said sadly, eying the elf. “I want him to sleep over with me…”
“Enty, no-” Gabriel started, but was cut off by Elderane.
“Aww I don’t mind! He can-hey!” Elderane yelled as Gabriel pulled him back and clung to his arm.
“No, he’s my elf guys, back off.”
“Aww…” Enty said, defeatedly.
“But what about me.” Scarecrow said with a sly grin as he faked a smile. Gabriel starred daggers at the smug Scarecrow sitting on the floor. “What if I wanna sleep with the elf, huh?” He said, causing Gabriel’s face to turn red.
“N-no! Shut up!” Gabriel said as he backed the two of them towards the stairs.
“What? Won’t I get a turn? Why can’t he be our elf?” Scarecrow said mockingly, his voice wavering slightly. Gabriel had fire in his eyes.
“No! Ok, upstairs, now!” Gabriel said, pushing Elderane up the stairs.
“But what about-”
“We’ll be down after we unpack!” Gabriel yelled from out of view. As soon as they heard his door close, Scarecrow snickered to himself, though his smile immediately faded as he turned away.
“Crow, what on earth was that about?” Aaron said, watching in annoyance as Scarecrow pulled himself to his feet. “Elderane is-”
“He’s messing with you all…” Scarecrow muttered, looking away. Aaron just stared in disbelief.
“Crow, he’s nice! He’s a good friend of Gabriel’s, and-”
“It’s a trick, Aaron!” Scarecrow said with a fake laugh. “He looks just like Acedia would! Like…exactly! That can’t be a coincidence!”
“Crow! Gabriel has said he’s known him for years, even back in his old world, and he is nothing like Acedia!”
“I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!”
“Crow!”
“It’s some trick, alright?” Scarecrow sneered, eying the door. “I know that demon, and that’s him!” He screamed, pointing to the stairs.
“Crow, this is going too far, both Enty and I have personally met him in his own world, he’s no threat, and he is nothing but kind!”
“Then he has you fooled! He won’t fool me…” Scarecrow said, crossing his arms. He had gotten Gabriel hurt by Acedia before, and he was not going to let the demon hurt him again. Aaron just sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.
“Crow, he’s staying here whether you like it or not, so I expect you to be nice to him! You just need to get to know him…”
“I’ll act how I want to act!”
“Crow, he’s nice!” Enty cried, stepping forward with tears in his eyes. Scarecrow just scoffed and looked away. “He made me feel better, and he makes Gabriel happy!” Enty said, aware of how fondly Gabriel had talked about the elf.
“Crow, you need to trust us…”
“You need to trust me!”
“Please…” Enty said sadly, his eyes teary. Scarecrow let out a frustrated grumble as he turned away, catching the disappointed look in Aaron’s eyes.
“Fine. I won’t hassle him or anything, but I will be watching him…” Scarecrow said, rubbing his arms as repressed memories threatened to claw their way to the forefront of his mind. Aaron just let out a breath.
“Well, that’s a start…” Aaron said, stepping past Scarecrow towards the living room. “Just behave? I promise, it’s ok Crow…”
“Yeah, yeah…” Scarecrow said, pushing down tears. No one believed him, as usual.
“Crow? You wanna do something to make you feel better?” Enty said softly. Scarecrow just waved him off.
“Not right now…I’ll…be in my room.” He said, vanishing up the stairs. Enty flinched when he heard the door slam.
“He doesn’t like him…”
“He’ll come around, Enty…” Aaron said from the kitchen. “He just…needs to get to know him better. Hopefully, him spending the holidays here will help…”
“I hope so…” Enty said sadly, following Aaron into the kitchen. It was only a few days before Christmas, and now they had an extra guest to worry about. Enty prayed it all went smoothly…
~
“Did I say something wrong to him?”
“No, Eld…I was…kinda worried this would happen…”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember the demon that was bothering us?”
“…oh.”
“Yeah…Crow had to deal with him for a long time, and…I don’t know what the demon did to him, but…it scared Crow badly…”
“Maybe me coming was a bad idea…”
“No, no! He just…needs to see you two aren’t the same…”
“How can I do that?”
“Just be you!” Gabriel said lightly, placing a reassuring hand on the distressed elf’s shoulder. Elderane just looked at him warmly as he placed his own hand on Gabriel’s.
“Ah, thank you my friend…” He said, stepping back. “I just do not want to make him uncomfortable…”
“He was gonna have to meet you anyway!”
“I know, I just…feel bad…”
“Don’t be, don’t be!” Gabriel said, setting his suitcase on the bed. “He’ll come around, but…we just have to be patient with him. He’s had a hard past, and he just needs time to figure things out.”
“I see…well, I shall do my best to be friendly!”
“That’s the spirit, Eld.” Gabriel said warmly, amused by the eagerness of his friend. “Right, why don’t we unpack before we go back down…”
“Ah yes, I do wish to get the warmer clothes out, I am…not used to such cold.” Elderane said, eying the snow lining the window.
“Yeah, it’s a cold winter this year, but it’s a pretty one.” Gabriel said, recalling the stunning snow-covered mornings they’ve had the past few days.
“Ah, indeed.” Elderane replied quietly, going through the clothes in his suitcase. He…really wanted to be friends with Scarecrow. The man was odd, and Elderane was annoyed with how often he got the others hurt or into trouble, but Scarecrow made sure to fix each mistake each time and he genuinely cared about his friends. Elderane just…had to work a bit harder to get through to him…if he could at all…
~
“So I take it you were excited for the plane ride, huh?” Aaron asked, pulling his chair out at the kitchen table. Elderane nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, yes indeed! Such refined machines! Much more, er…safer than what we have in my world.” He replied, a smile on his face. His flying machine was his pride and joy but compared to these modern-day aircrafts…the safety procedures were not necessarily…intact on his craft.
Aaron smiled back and nodded, eying the table. Gabriel and Elderane were talking with Enty, though Scarecrow was quietly sulking at his spot, not looking up from his plate.
“Right, so it’s late now, but how about tomorrow we go out?” Aaron said, earning a bright look from Elderane.
“Oh, I would so love to see more of your world!” He said happily.
“Where are we going?” Enty asked, excitement in his voice as well. Aaron just shrugged.
“Anywhere you guys want, I suppose. I do think some Christmas shopping needs to be done, so maybe we can go downtown…I would like to pick up some groceries from the store as well, as we have Elderane here and I want to make sure we have enough of everything.”
“Oh, there is a nice antique store that way…” Gabriel said with a smile. Aaron eyed Scarecrow.
“Crow? Anywhere you wanna go?” Aaron asked, finally getting Scarecrow’s attention. The man just glared at him.
“Don’t care.” He muttered, looking away again. Aaron let out a breath. This wasn’t working.
“Oh, Crow, isn’t your music store down there? Why don’t we stop there!” Gabriel said, recalling the store Scarecrow shops at most. The man just rolled his eyes.
“Sure, whatever.” He grumbled, looking away again. Aaron kept his gaze locked on him; his heart heavy. Scarecrow was upset about this. Elderane’s presence really shook him. Aaron let out a breath and turned away. He’d have to think of something to fix things…
~
“I am quite fond of your indoor tree!” Elderane said, eying the decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. “You have dressed it up so nice!”
“Yeah, we really had to compromise on ornaments…” Aaron said, sitting on the couch. They hadn’t much holiday experience between the four of them, as this year would be their third year celebrating it together, but only Enty’s second.
The holiday was celebrated in Gabriel’s time, if differently, Enty doesn’t remember his past, Aaron…stopped celebrating it once he lived alone, and Scarecrow just said he didn’t celebrate it growing up. None of them besides Gabriel had any personal connections to it but seeing as Gabriel insisted on celebrating it for religious reasons, and Enty wanted to celebrate it as it was a holiday to celebrate family, the group just obliged. Aaron was happy to take part in a lost factor of his childhood, and while Scarecrow didn’t admit it, Aaron could tell he felt the same.
But, seeing as none of them were even from this world, they had to start from the ground up on holiday decorations. The last two years they just spent some time buying ornaments for the tree, or anything else for the house. Aaron had to admit, it was…chaotic.
Gabriel insisted on all the religious décor and ornaments, Aaron himself preferred the fancier or intricate ornaments, Enty chose anything he deemed “cute” or “cool”, so his choices were usually animal themed ornaments, cool colored ones, or ornaments that were just small instruments because they “reminded him of Scarecrow”.
Scarecrow always bought the…odd ones, and Aaron knew it was just to spite him. He grabbed a bunch that were just fruit shaped, he got some creepier more Halloween-designed ones with skulls on them, and he bought an excess number of ornaments that just seemed to be shirtless sparkly mermen…for some reason.
Enty thought their tree looked great, Scarecrow was impressed, Aaron…didn’t care, though Gabriel thought it blasphemous. It grew on him though, even if he didn’t admit it. They just compromised by letting him pick the star, and Aaron had to admit, it was a pretty one, as it was silver and was quite nice looking. It lit up as well, which surprised Aaron that Gabriel would pick an electric one, but it did look pretty.
It was plastic too, so they didn’t have to worry about breaking anything. They all made sure to buy plastic ornaments. They knew since day one that small glass objects wouldn’t last long in this house. They didn’t do much with other decorations, though they did have four stockings on the fireplace, some garland thrown over the windows, and some Christmas lights hung both inside and outside the house.
Aaron eyed the lights hanging over the fireplace and smiled. It was the one thing they all really agreed on.
“Aaron wouldn’t let me put candles on the tree…” Gabriel said, walking into the living room.
“Yeah, he’s no fun.” Scarecrow said, following.
“Putting live fire all around a very flammable object and leaving it that way for almost a month is a disaster waiting to happen guys.” Aaron said lightly.
“These strand lights are nice, though…” Gabriel said, pointing to the lights on the tree for Elderane to look at.
Aaron found it amusing how Gabriel liked Christmas lights. The man hated all other electric lighting, but for some reason he grew attached to the gentle calmness that were Christmas lights. He even had one strand in his room over his window. Aaron couldn’t say exactly why Gabriel liked them, but it was probably related to how they looked like stars, which was something Gabriel quite liked.
“I do quite like these!” Elderane said, closely eying the colored strand of lights on the tree. “How pretty…”
Aaron looked over and saw Scarecrow just sitting in the chair, glaring at Elderane, trying to read him. Scarecrow watched the elf for any sign of malice, but…the elf was just soft and gentle. He was laughing alongside Gabriel as they pointed out the odd ornaments on the tree. He wasn’t acting like Acedia at all. But…something was still wrong. Scarecrow knew it. He’d prove it if it was the last thing he did.
Aaron sighed as he turned away from Scarecrow, the man still quite tense. What could he do to help…