Building Blocks

Eddie's favorite toys when he was younger were always the building blocks. It always amazed him on how high you could build a tower, just to knock it down, and build it again. In a weird way relationships were a lot like building blocks. You could build them up, tear them down, and start all over again.

There were two building block relationships in Eddie's life at this point in time. The first was his relationship with Patricia. They started off shakey, and there were quite a few moments where the block tower of their relationship would take a hit and lose a level or two. Never the less they would keep on building. Then summer came and the tower took the huge hit of her dumping him.

All seemed lost on that tower. There didn't appear to be the the possibility of rebuilding. However somehow and someway they were rebuilding this tower. They now seemed to be to the point of calling each other friends again. It was a slow and steady rebuilding. And frankly Eddie was waiting for the new much smaller tower to take a hit. The tower of their relationship was no where near as large as it once was.

The other in his life was his relationship with his dad. At this point the blocks might as well have been lit on fire, and the ashes danced on. There was no point in rebuilding it. His dad hadn't wanted him then, and his dad clearly didn't want him now.

It had only been the past few days it seemed that their relationship had taken the biggest hits. The first major hit happened when his dad had abandoned him in the ambulance. It shouldn't have mattered if Eddie was faking sick or not. Eddie was, as far as he knew Eric's only son, his only kid. That apparently didn't matter. His dad left him. Alone. In an ambulance.

Eddie hadn't even gotten the chance to be upset about it. He had to bust himself out, and don't even ask him how he had, then go stop a great evil. A time for reaction finally came when he was back at the house with his friends, having just stopped the great evil. For the first time in a few days he was alone. He was sitting in his room, just thinking. It was anger at first. Furious that his own father could do such a thing. Leave him alone in an ambulance. So what if he had been faking? That shouldn't have mattered. Eddie was his son, he should've been there with him.

Then the anger turned to sadness. Eddie had grown up thinking his dad hadn't wanted him. That after all was the only reasonable explanation. Just packed up one day, first moving out of the house Eric had shared with Eddie's mom, and then just a year later packing up back to England. Eddie was six. He didn't understand why his mom had been the one to pick him up that Friday. Eric always picked him on Fridays. Eddie's weekends were spent with his dad, then they stopped. Just like that, his dad was out of his life. Eddie tried so hard to figure out what he could've done wrong. Leaving Eddie alone again, was all the more proof his dad hadn't wanted him. No matter what he had sad. It was obvious in Eric's actions that Eddie was never wanted.

After all Eddie wasn't a planned kid. Eddie's mom was only supposed to have been some summer fling. Eddie had been a mistake since day one. Eddie knew that his parents had tried to make it work until he was five. He remembers his dad moving out a week after his birthday. He'd spend weekends with his dad, and that was it. Until he was six. Then poof his dad was gone. He didn't need to be a anymore. He didn't need to look at his mistake of a son anymore. He was free.

That was until Eric decided he suddenly wanted to be a father again. Eddie was 16. The first phone call came on his birthday. He hung up. Two could play the abandonment game. Then his parents started talking. The following weeks were actually a blur. He had acted out. He was kicked out of school, and before he knew it he was on a plane to England, because "maybe your father can straighten you out." He remembers how much he cringed at the word father. Eric had never been his dad and he never would be.

No matter how much he tried to keep his distance from his dad now that they were in the same zip code. No matter how badly Eddie pushed Eric's buttons. No matter how many times Eddie questioned Eric's authority. Eddie could feel himself slipping more into this zone of wanting to be Eric's son. Wanting to call Eric dad.

Then the stupid incident surrounding Mara's almost expulsion happened. His dad threatening to send him home. The entire mess always so fresh in Eddie's mind. Certain things said constantly echoing through his mind.

"Why can't you just call me-"

"Dad? Why would I? You've never been a father to me and you never will."

He remembers how just a few hours later, he was staying. Just like that staying. He swore then he'd actually make an effort, after all his dad wasn't that bad of a guy. They went fishing in May, a weekend towards the end of the school year. It was not really a thing either of them enjoyed, but apparently its what fathers and sons did, so that's why the went.

Things had been fine between them, until this term had taken the term. Eric working with Victor and Denby. Eric leaving Eddie in the ambulance. Then the big one. Eric expelling his own son and how he was ready to ship him back to America.

So here he was saying goodbye to the friends he'd begun to call family. This was it. He was going home. He'd likely never see them again. The end of their adventures. They said their goodbyes. Trudy was pulling them into a group hug. The Anubis Five they were called, to them they'd always be Sibuna, not The Anubis Five. They pulled away from their hug.

Frankly Eddie was glad to have been next to Patricia during the hug. That was the closest he'd get to ever hugging her again. It was all over. He'd never see her. There wouldn't be the chance for things to be fixed. They turned when they heard the door. It was the Eddie realized his dad never showed.

"Dad didn't even come to say goodbye," he murmured, facing Patricia. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to.

Victor was the one to enter. He was immediately heading up the stairs. He turned to face the group of teens before speaking.

"Mr. Sweet has asked me to inform you that your expulsion has been lifted," he said slowly. Clearly on unhappy of this decision

After they had all hugged in excitement Eddie made a beeline for the door. He needed space just for a few minutes. He'd still have to see the man he had gotten used to calling dad. The man who could never be a father to him again. As he sat down on the front steps. Watching a leaf blowing across the gravel path, free. He couldn't help but wish he could've been releasing the destroyed remains of his failed relationship with his dad into the wind. Finally, he could maybe be free, but that wasn't the case. There was no way fate would let that happen. No matter what he'd still want his dad.

I actually still like Eric. I majorly question his life choices, but like I don't hate him. I know somewhere he could still be a good dad. I'm secretly hoping Eric betrays the adults and helps Sibuna, because I think that's the only way right now that Eddie could forgive him.

And then Eric tried to fix things tonight and sigh...

I kinda went in circles with this fic, but I started on Thursday and I just idk...