Summary: Alex shot and killed Eric. His best friend and the love of his life. Now Alex is on death row, doomed to lethal injection. Eric is brought to him late at night. What will he say to Alex?
A/N: I've watched the movie Elephant multiple times and I must say... I'm still not bored of it. It's wonderful. The characters are both very fascinating to me. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except... no, nothing at all.
Eric fell onto the cafeteria floor, dead. Blood spilled out of his chest. He never felt any pain. He was just suddenly dead. A flash of light appeared. Eric got up and began to walk into it. As he stepped into the bright light, not stopping until he was on the other side.
"Alex?" Eric found himself asking as he saw what appeared to be his best friend. In a single jail cell lying in bed.
"I wondered when you were going to show up. I'm surprised it took you so long." Alex laughed as he sat up in bed. He took this time to look at Eric. Who was wearing the same clothes he had died in. Alex, on the other hand was in an orange jumpsuit.
"I got a little lost. Being dead is a lot harder than it looks." Eric scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Alex apologized with a sad look on his face. Eric walked over to the bed and sat down beside the same boy who had killed him just two months before.
"Bullshit, you enjoyed killing me!" Eric was angry. Angry because the only person he had ever loved killed him. Alex betrayed him in the darkest and cruelest way possible. Alex looked up at him with shame on his face.
"I loved you, Eric. I couldn't just let you go to jail for something that was my idea." Alex whispered then softly sighed. He had felt incredibly bad about killing his best friend and lover. Yes, his lover.
"You loved me so you had to kill me? What kind of fucked up shit is that? Did I mean anything to you?" Eric was pissed off. And why wouldn't he be? His own best friend had murdered him! Alex the one who had fucked him in the shower just hours before killing him.
"You meant absolutely everything to me, Eric." Alex replied as he sniffled a bit and started to cry. Eric frowned as he did this but couldn't bring himself to comfort his killer.
"You're really fucked up. Aren't you?" Eric knew he wouldn't be there dead if he was just fine. Alex looked like he hadn't slept well in weeks. Then again, he was in prison. Probably on death row. Which is the only reason Eric was there now.
"I didn't want you to be like me." Alex said through a light sob. After that, Eric couldn't take being a bastard anymore and he hugged Alex. Alex grabbed onto Eric tightly and buried his face into Eric's chest.
"That was what you wanted... Wasn't it? Me to help you?" Eric asked while he placed a hand on Alex's back and rubbed it carefully.
"Well, yes. But I didn't want you to be a monster like I am. I really loved you Eric. I still do. I fucked up majorly. There's no possible way you'll ever forgive me. You can't, you're dead. Soon I will be too." Alex whispered and sobbed more. He pulled back only to look at Eric's face. Eric simply smiled at him.
"You really loved me?" Eric didn't care that Alex had killed him. He didn't care at all. As long as what Alex was saying was true. That's all he needed to move on.
"With all my heart. I just couldn't stand to see you destroy your life for me. I didn't want to be responsible for ruining you. So I got the idea, if you weren't here then nobody could arrest you." Alex had a very intelligent explanation. It even actually made Eric relieved he had died.
"Thanks, Alex." Eric smiled a bit at his once best friend. Alex wiped his nose and looked up at Eric with fascination.
"You mean you aren't mad at me?" Alex whispered in a conflicted voice. Alex may have been the smarter one of the two boys. But Eric never ceased to amaze him with little things he'd do or say. It was as though they had been clearly designed for one another. Alex, the more talented and analytical of the two. Eric, strong and only a little bit arrogant.
"Now that I think about it... If you hadn't killed me... I'd be locked up in here. Like you. I don't want that for me. I don't want that for you either. But I suppose in a little while none of that will matter. Will it, Alex?" Eric placed his hand under Alex's chin and gently caressed him. Alex merely smiled up at Eric happily. He was so glad that Eric didn't hate him. Even if this was only a hallucination due to mental health problems or sleep deprivation. Alex didn't care. It was soothing. This was something Alex missed the most about Eric being dead, he was no longer there to comfort Alex. In life he was the only person to be able to.
"I'm so sorry, Eric." Alex whispered softly before swallowing saliva. Eric continued to hold onto Alex's chin. Eric didn't want to let go.
"Don't be. I probably deserved it anyway. Do you know how many people I've robbed?" Eric scoffed and laughed. Alex did too.
"Yeah, you've stolen from me plenty of times." Alex grabbed ahold of the hand that was under his chin and brought it down to his lap. Eric's fingers intertwined with Alex's and his did the same simultaneously.
"I have never once stolen anything from you, Alex." Eric shook his head. Giving him a serious face. The thing about death for Eric was, he couldn't lie. Eric had tried plenty of times. He just couldn't anymore. It was like something prevented him to.
"I can name one thing easily." Alex snickered with a wide grin. Eric was curious now. He couldn't remember ever taking anything from Alex.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Eric wondered in a sigh.
"You stole any chance I ever had at being straight." Alex answered with a sinister smile. Eric managed to smirk at this reply. Alex was the type of guy who denied that there was such thing as homosexuality. He continued to deny it even if he was kissing another guy. Nevertheless while he was having sex with him. It simply didn't exist to Alex. Or he ignored it.
"You finally admit that you're gay when I'm dead?" Eric snorted at him. This was perhaps the last thing he wanted to hear. He'd waited for Alex to confirm that his whole life. He waits until Eric is dead? Awesome.
"Shouldn't you just be happy to be the reason for it?" Alex had a point. Eric paused while he thought of this. Finally, Eric nodded his head.
"Okay, yeah. I'm happy about that." Eric admitted in a bitter tone. Suddenly Eric felt Alex kiss him on the lips. Eric stayed still. It felt like he was alive in that small moment. Eric pulled away from Alex. "Why am I here, Alex?"
"What?" Alex looked hurt because Eric was pushing him away. Eric placed both hands on Alex's shoulders and kept him at a distance. Eric knew he would become completely enthralled with him if he didn't. But Alex didn't need that. Not so much as he was trying to avoid something else. Eric knew Alex far too well even in death.
"Why am I here in your jail cell with you in the middle of the goddamn night? I'll give you a hint, it isn't just to have a one night stand with the dead guy you already hooked up with either." Eric had always been one to know when Alex was bullshitting him. Though Alex was very good at lying, he always seemed to know just what to say to make anyone believe him and he even fooled himself a few times but he couldn't bullshit Eric.
"I'm supposed to die tomorrow morning. Lethal injection." Alex informed with a frown on his face. He was clearly worried by this because he sucked in his cheeks. Alex reached up and held onto Eric's elbows tightly. So, that's why he could touch Eric? Because he was close to death as well. It seemed like their bond got stronger each second.
"So, what? I'm supposed to wait for you and we're supposed to live... Die happily ever after?" Eric let go of Alex. Alex looked hurt again. Tears fell from his eyes.
"That's not what you want?" Alex asked in a child-like voice filled with disappointment. As though he'd been expecting Eric to be happy about this.
"I don't want you to die! As for me, I deserved it. You don't deserve this, Alex. You don't deserve any of it!" Eric shouted at him angrily. Alex looked down.
"I killed you, Eric. I deserve to die for that." Alex whimpered sadly into his hands. Eric felt like shit now but he was still pissed off.
"You really want to be with me after you die?" Eric asked while holding in his anger. He didn't like this situation. But it was obviously something he'd have to endure.
"Yes, of course I do!" Alex screamed at him through crying. As though he couldn't believe Eric would think otherwise. At this point, there was no way in hell Eric could say no to him. He never could.
"Okay, okay..." Eric spat. Alex stopped crying when Eric grabbed his hand again and held it in his. Alex intertwined their fingers once more. "I'll wait for you."
Morning came. When Alex woke up in his cell Eric was gone. Nowhere to be found. But he could hear Eric's voice in his head guiding him. Alex was strapped to a chair. People stared at him. Prison guards next to him, doctors across from him. It was scary. Eric talked Alex through the hard parts. Even if it was only in his head, it comforted Alex a lot. Enough to die without being afraid.
"It's okay, you'll be fine."
"Close your eyes and count backwards from one hundred."
"It's almost over now."
"I forgive you, Alex. I forgive you."
"Remember for your last birthday you got that new computer? I said that I couldn't figure out how to work it. I lied, I just wanted you to help me. I wanted you to be near me."
"You remember how I always used to say you sucked at playing the piano? You don't suck. You're fantastic, magnificent even."
"My favorite part about getting you drunk was when you'd pass out. You'd always fall asleep on me."
"Five, four, three, two, one."
"Good job, Alex!" Eric clapped his hands as Alex walked into a bright light. When he stepped onto the other side there was nothing but white all around him. And suddenly, Eric appeared.
"Eric!" Alex quickly ran over to him. It took seconds. When he reached Eric, he shoved him down. They fell together. Eric smiled at him lovingly.
"Hey there, how's it going?" Eric laughed and put his hand under Alex's chin. Alex merely smiled at him.
"Is it weird that I actually feel happy being dead?" Alex whispered before forcefully kissing Eric. Eric didn't object to it, he simply went along with it. Not to mention the fact he really enjoyed it.
"Nah, it's cool. I'm kinda happy too. Now that that you're here." Eric ran his hand through Alex's mess of black hair. Alex looked around. It was nothing but white, as though it were snowing so much you couldn't see anything else. Nobody else was around either.
"Are we in hell?" Alex pondered the thought while he sat on top of Eric's stomach. Eric laid down and looked up at his friend.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a purgatory." Eric stated even though he wasn't at all religious. Alex was the one who went to church every Sunday morning. Which explained why he never admitted there was such thing as homosexuality before. Not that it mattered anymore.
"Oh, I like it here. I wanna stay. It's just you and me." Alex leaned forward and put his bright pink lips onto Eric's red lips.
"You want to stay? We'll stay here. It's always been just you and me, Alex. Always. I love you." Eric laughed in reply. He would be happy there in purgatory. As long as he was with Alex. The only person to ever take Eric seriously. The only person to ever think of Eric as something more than just some stupid kid. Alex, his best friend.