IS THERE NOTHING TO FEAR?

===

Erebus was quiet as he helped Clara and Tom put away the uneaten dinner, lost in thought. The whole interaction with Gameknight - or Tommy, as he was called in this world - had happened so fast, too fast for him to handle, but right now he wasn't thinking about that. All that mattered to him was Angel.

It almost scared him, how quickly he had come to defend her from the person that had nearly killed him, but it scared him even more that he knew exactly why he had done it - or, at least, he had a theory. The conversation that he and Angel had had in the bathroom stirred up the feelings that he'd been harboring for quite some time, those confusing, unfamiliar feelings that made him feel so comfortable and so vulnerable at the same time.

Was this what love felt like?

Through no fault of his own, Erebus knew nothing about love. He had always believed that it was too late for him to learn what it was like. But when Angel was around...

"Clara? Tom?"

The two turned to face him. "Yes, magpie?" Clara asked, stepping over to him.

"Could I ask you something?" Erebus's voice was soft and unsure as he looked up at them. "It's not about anything that just happened, but... it's something that's been on my mind for a little bit of time now."

"Of course you can, son," Tom said, nodding. "What is it?"

Erebus looked down at his hands, trying to figure out how to put the thoughts swirling in his mind into words. "I just wanted to ask..." he mumbled, briefly glancing up at them as he motioned with his hand. "The two of you - you're in love, right?"

They nodded. "We've been married for almost twenty years now," Clara told him.

"Right..." Erebus exhaled slowly, trying to clear his head. "And- And how did you figure out that you were in love, exactly?"

Clara and Tom glanced over at each other, a realizing smile starting to grow on both of their faces, as if they knew exactly why he was asking this. Erebus could feel his face start to heat up as he looked down once more, hoping that they wouldn't take this question the wrong way.

"Everybody experiences love in their own unique way, sweetie," Clara said, moving over to the table and sitting down. "I'm sure that Tom feels love in a different way than I do, for example. Despite this, I feel like there are a few similarities between most people when it comes to what they believe love is."

Tom pulled up a chair and sat down beside his wife, gently taking her hand in his. "For example," she continued. "When I first met Tom, it didn't take me very long at all to realize that he was the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was drawn to his kindness, his intelligence, his willingness to help others, his dedication to his family... the list could go on. He always brings a smile to my face when I need it, and when we get into disputes or disagreements, he is always willing to fix the situation rather than letting it escalate." A warm smile spread across her face as she looked up at Tom. "He keeps me safe, and I try my best to do the same in return."

Erebus watched as Tom gently kissed Clara's cheek, his head settling onto her shoulder. "And she does a great job with it," he said, squeezing her hand. "For me, it was a sensation of trust that drew me to Clara - trust that we could build a home together, that we could strengthen each other's families and lives, free of judgment or defiance. She is the one that I am certain that I want to share both the happy and the sad moments of my life with, because I know that she will help me do what is right. Love has helped me to accept her for all that she is, and all that she is not, and there's nothing that I would rather do than to help her, since she has done so much for me."

Every word that Tom and Clara spoke only cemented further in Erebus's mind that he was truly feeling this, that he was feeling love, love for Angel. It was her that he had been drawn to ever since the beginning, her that he couldn't help but feel safe with. He trusted her more than anyone else, and after everything that she had done to help him in Minecraft and in the physical world, he wanted nothing more than to give back to her the kindness and care she had brought to him.

It didn't make sense. Wasn't it far too late for him to learn what love was?

In the back of his mind, he knew that this was no longer the case. Angel had shown him that the impossible truly was possible, that he was able to feel however he wanted without being judged for it, that he didn't have to depend on being a king to feel important or loved.

She was the one that made him feel loved.

"Right..." he muttered, turning his gaze to the floor. "And... And how exactly did the two of you, y'know... come together? How did you know that both of you felt the same way?"

Clara reached out, taking Erebus' hand in her own. "Trust me, dear, she feels the same way for you that you do for her."

Erebus immediately looked up, startled. "What- What do you mean?"

"Angel," Clara said. "I can tell by the way she looks at you that she feels the same way."

Tom nodded in agreement. "She talked about you so much for that month you weren't alive. It was like her whole world had been torn apart, Erebus... she hadn't been that upset since the whole situation with her parents happened. She truly cares about you, Erebus, more than anyone else we've seen her with."

Erebus could barely get the words out now from how flustered he was. "So... So what happens now? How do I tell her what I feel?"

"It will be difficult," Clara told him. "A confession of feelings like this is never easy, Erebus, no matter who you're doing it for. However, we know Angel, and we know that she would never do anything cruel to you, no matter if she admits to feeling the same way or not. If she rejects you, it'll likely be because of her own uncertainty of her feelings. It wouldn't be your fault at all."

"It's best to be honest," Tom chimed in. "Just tell her everything that you've been feeling for her. Like Clara said, I'm sure that she will reciprocate your feelings as well, but if she doesn't, it won't be because of anything you did. Just be patient with her, and the time will come when she feels ready enough to reciprocate."

Erebus looked back down as he processed all of this. Though he highly doubted that Angel would make fun of his feelings once he told them to her, he still felt quite nervous. He had never felt anywhere near this intensely for somebody before - even his hatred for Malacoda was nothing compared to the love that he felt for Angel. Everything that had happened in his life was leading up to this moment. There was no more time for him to run away from his feelings. He had to be brave now, for Angel.

"Thank you," he said quietly, letting go of Clara's hand and stepping back, exhaling sharply as he resigned himself to his fate. "Thank you both so much, for everything."

"Good luck, dear." Clara's gentle voice followed him as he turned away, starting to walk down the hallway toward Angel's room, toward love, for the first time in his life.