Erik loved all three of his cousins equally, Charlie was great to play video games with, he was more like a younger brother than a cousin, and Stefani, despite not being all that great at keeping in contact, was still a close friend, despite being a little strung up from lack of sleep.

You, however, you’re something special. You’d always loved darker things than your siblings, like horror movies and moody, loud music. Whenever he saw you, he saw a tiny version of himself. He never grew out of his “emo phase”, of course, and he was secretly hoping you wouldn’t either.

You shove the door open to the cousins’ house, making sure to get in front of both Charlie and Stefani after being forced to sit in the back of the car for the whole drive. Your gaze immediately flits around, and for a moment, you feel a hint of disappointment as you begin to wonder if Erik’s off at work, but your spirits are soon lifted when your gaze settles on him splayed across the couch, engaged in a fierce game of Mortal Kombat.

“Erik!” You all but shout, rushing towards him and pushing past Bobby who’s desperately searching for his tortoise, Paco. “Erik, look how much I’ve stretched at my gauges.” You insist, nestling into a seat beside him.

Erik glances up, clearly focused on his match, but not focused enough that he’s willing to dismiss you. He was the one who’d put those gauges in for you in the first place, after all. He wants to know how they’re progressing. Despite himself, he throws his controller to the side and shifts all his attention to you, inspecting your ears. “Wooooooooow,” He drawls. “They look really, really great.” He comments, nodding approvingly.