Aftermath: 39

It was a strange notion really, the initial waking up and being encased in arms. Through the night both Erik and Valeryia had shifted about, and seemingly in the end had reversed roles. Erik, in his half asleep daze wasn't certain how it happened, he didn't remember it happening; but here he was, face almost buried against her neck, her shoulder being used as an extension of the pillows. Be fair, she felt comfier to lean against than the rubbish thin pillows which were provided. Even being half asleep, Erik made a mental note to try and update the living conditions here. They may as well stay here, no one knew they were, after all.

Diverting thoughts still didn't solve the fact that Erik found himself equally holding tightly onto her, as she was to him. Well, one of her arms was. Her other arm was positioned under the pillow trying to apparently support his head. The arm wrapped around him hung over his shoulder, hand gripping lightly onto his top. He could feel it, the small fist which wasn't letting up.

He slowly and hesitantly moved away and watched as she frowned lightly. Clearly him moving was disrupting her. She let out a short sigh, yet remained asleep. From what Erik could tell, it was still early. He couldn't hear anyone else up and moving about. Although, the place was so spacious, he doubted sound would be accurate, echoes and all that.

Reaching up, he pushed hair out of her face. Sleep was perhaps really the only lone time where Erik saw Valeryia look so peaceful. There was always a constant tension to her, even when she appeared to be at ease. He kept his hand against her cheek and rubbed his thumb gently against her skin, it was strange, her, this, them in general. He didn't quite know what any of this really was. He just knew, and only inwardly would he admit it, and never verbally, he did care for her.

She inhaled slowly and seemed to be coming around, he managed to get free and prop himself up on his elbow, head resting in his palm, as he watched her slowly come around. She yawned behind her hands and rubbed at her eyes before doing a double take and letting out a startled noise. She wasn't exactly expecting to wake up with him so close, let alone awake and looking down at her with a simple, content expression on his face.

Peeking out from underneath the cover, which Valeryia had thrown over herself in an effort to suddenly hide, she was just met with a short sigh. "Well, good morning to you too." Erik commented blandly. Not the good morning he expected. But, then again, he wasn't certain how he expected the morning to go. Waking up was one thing, the next thing was to try and rouse everyone up to getting Emma. Well, finding where she is, and then getting her.

Valeryia lowered her cover guard and smiled. "Sorry," she said hesitantly, Erik raised an eyebrow. That did sound somewhat sincere. "You just scared me! How would you feel if you woke up to someone just leaning over you, watching you sleep?"

"I highly doubt out of everything you've seen in your life so far, that I could scare you. And I wasn't watching you sleep," Erik stated, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Though by the look she sent his way, she seemingly knew it was a lie. Rolling his eyes, he muttered under his breath. "Anyway, I have only been awake for several minutes." He defended lamely.

"Several minutes spent weirdly watching me sleep."

"Stop it," Erik said sternly while pointing a finger at her, she just smirked. Eventually that smirk grew into a grin, and she ended up laughing. Joking at his expense, or warping something he said seemed to be an odd amusement to Valeryia. Erik just accepted it, honestly, if it was anyone else he wouldn't. And anyway, it wasn't like she ever really said anything hurtful. Erik doubted highly really that she could say anything to him which would generally hurt.

"No! N-no! Stop! Seriously, please, stop, Erik!" She laughed and squirmed about in an effort to get free. Suddenly having her ribs tickled was not what she expected in a form of revenge from him. She stuttered and tried to breath, only to cough out a laugh and curl up in an attempt to shield herself. If anything she just ended up curling more into him, which he took advantage of by pulling her close. It was still early, honestly, there wasn't too much of a rush to get up. Don't get him wrong, he was all for freeing Emma, but everyone had such a trying hard day yesterday, that a lay in, or a chance to just relax was seriously noted. Erik didn't get a lay in, and acting childishly isn't what he would class as relaxing. But it did cause him to smile in return, Valeryia wasn't much for laughing, honest laughter, the type which was actually genuine, not false in anyway shape or form. She was still chuckling quietly away to herself, sounding breathless as she laid motionless in his arms.

"We should probably get moving soon." He said after a few moments of silence had passed. Valeryia remained in his arms, and he had taken to leaning his chin on her shoulder. He watched as she blinked with a small frown, eventually her face turned and they became almost nose to nose.

"Emma."

"Don't tell me you forgot?" Erik questioned, completely sarcastic on the matter. Of course she hadn't forgotten. He could see by the way her face scrunched up disdainfully that she remembered, and her displeasure of the moment was still present and accounted for.

"What makes you think she'll come with us anyway? You don't know for certain that she would want anything to do with us." Valeryia said with a sigh, she patted the arms which were around her middle. Erik loosened his hold, but only enough to let her to roll and turn onto her back and eventually face him. She reached up to hold onto him, and couldn't help but bite her lip to stop her laughing, bed ruffled hair and Erik was something she never thought would be seen. Always so organised looking, perhaps this was the lone time he wasn't. "After all, you did kill her supposed friend." Erik's face went blank over that, with the way Emma and Shaw acted, he wasn't too certain friend was the right term. "I'm not just going for the decapitation angle, it's just-"

"She's stuck within CIA holdings, why on earth would anyone decline following others if it meant freedom? Can I be honest here? You did the same thing when Charles and I appeared." Erik said and looked at her pointedly. "Don't be a hypocrite, it isn't a good trait." He said, perhaps sounding a little harsher than he meant to because she gave a small flinch.

"Apart from I freed myself..."

"But had nowhere to go."

"She's a telepath, why can't she just brainwash whoever is holding her prisoner?"

Erik frowned and with a quiet groan he fell backwards. He ran a hand down his face, "I don't know, Val. Maybe ask her that when we free her?"

"Honestly? I'd rather not spend too much time talking to her. Not that I'm going to." She said while sitting up and shrugging loosely.

Erik looked at her with a frown, a serious look on his face and something niggling away at the back of his head. "You're leaving once we get her, aren't you?" By the way Valeryia tensed, Erik didn't even need her to verbally answer. He sat up and continued to look at her seriously, "You're going to find out all you need to from her, then just go?" She looked ashamedly down at the cover. "Were you even going to say bye? What about Raven? That would've destroyed her, Val."

"I know, I know! Don't you think I know that, Erik?!" She frowned and looked at him. "Don't you go into hypocrite mode, only because you don't want me to go."

"I never said-"

"You don't have to! Sometimes, just sometimes, Erik, you don't need to say anything. Sometimes, it is what you don't say. You can convey so much in a moment just by being silent, and depending on what expression you have. Right now, you have the sort of, secretly pleading thing going on." Erik rolled his eyes at the latter part, secretly pleading, as if. "I wouldn't leave you, you know?" He looked slowly back over to her. Valeryia smiled, "But you've got to let me go, Erik. I'll come back to you," she inhaled and exhaled and nodded.

"Is loyalty a new thing? Don't think I've seen this before." Erik thought out loud.

"Hm," she hummed. He glanced over at her as she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "That might be it."

"Might be what?" He didn't get it. He honestly didn't understand what she was suddenly on about.

"If Emma sees members of her old team, with this new one, maybe that'll be an incentive."

"I'm getting worried, you're spending way too much time thinking about her."

"Jealous?" Valeryia leaned away from her knees with a grin, Erik tilted his head with narrowed eyes before pulling her suddenly against himself. She laughed and went careering backwards, "Seriously?" She managed to tilt her head up and look to him. "If I am to go to Prague, I would rather go knowing that when I return, you're not going to be at each other's throats." She admitted while shutting her eyes again and reaching up to hold onto the arms around her shoulders.

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(A/N: Sorry for delay! As I said in Hank's author's note, if anyone reads either sorry for the repeat. I have been proper ill, flu, cough, chest and eye infections, like proper...ugh, gross times. I know this chapter is a bit, meh. But honestly I am still a bit iffy that full on going into serious Emma rescue mode kinda makes my head hurt a little. But that'll be next time...just a shameless excuse to sniffle all cold like and write whatever this even was...)


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