better left unsaid

sterik: better left unsaid

they said that love at first sight was a myth, unproven, that it could never happen.

erik could comfortably say that whoever said that had never fallen head-over-heels in love at first sight. the day he had met her, asked her out for coffee ( to which she never showed up but he didn't blame her ) but he felt something pulling him to her. it was something that he didn't normally feel when he hit on other girls, when he even hit on the occasional guy or two.

no. star leger was a different breed entirely.

she kept him in line. she told him to jump, he said how high. he couldn't honestly say the last time a girl took control of his relationship. erik didn't usually chase, instead he was more used to the one who was being chased after. but then she came around, actually made him beg just to know her name, and then when he asked her out for coffee she turned tail and ran.

and while he didn't run after her immediately, he did run eventually.

and boy did he run.

when they met again, it might have been after a bit of research on his behalf. with a few friends helping him ("Who is she, Erik?" "Is little Alejandro in love?" "He'll be over her by the end of the week." ) he found out who she was. art major, with some very beautiful art if he could say so himself. went to the university in nova, which was very fortunate considering he wasn't too keen on leaving nova.

so he had to seek her out.

while it was weird - and believe him, erik knew - he had managed to pull her aside after her class. she narrowed her eyes when she saw him, and erik had lowered his gaze slightly with a sheepish grin.

"you found me."

and he promised after that, he would never lose her.


years later, erik and star are far from strangers. they live together, and while they have an "open relationship", it's no secret from erik's behalf that he stopped sleeping around entirely. when either was sick, the other would be there to nurse them back. when either was in a rough spot, it was the other they would turn to for help.

until the other was gone.

star had said on more than one occasion that she didn't want to die normally. she wanted to have her death be her last stand, but erik was the romantic sap who wanted to grow old together.

it was obvious who won that fight.

he didn't take on another woman after star was long gone. he didn't take his own life like everyone assumed he would have - it anything because he wanted to make sure that their one, single son had the one thing that he knew he didn't. a loving, caring father and consistent urging that his mother loved him too.

it was hard, but erik managed it.

and at that time, one could almost say it was too late. he had things to live for, a company to look after, a cat by the name of anastasia.

though no one moved the vase of flowers by the leger grave, or the chair that was usually perched right next to it. no one dared move it, because he always kept returning. one way or another, he came back with more to say ( "He's picking things up perfectly, Star, you'd be proud." "He's stronger than me already, I'm not sure what else I can do at this point." and the one that was always unspoken until it felt like it was too late. "I love you." ).

and then the day came when the flowers were wilted, and it had been a while since they were replaced. the chair was moved and a new one not put back.

it was found out the next day that he had died as well, of the same cause as the woman he loved. a smile on his face.

"i missed you."