Chapter Two: Letters

"You're gonna be late?" Eric chuckled as he and Alan walked through the hallway. "Everyone's scattered already!"

Alan increased his pace to the point where it was almost a speed walk. "It wasn't my fault, and not everyone's gone, there's still some late workers."

Eric slapped Alan on the back, making the latter lurch forward for a moment. "They're here 'cause they wanna be, not cause they stuffed up."

Alan glared at him. "It was one mistake, don't bag me out for it."

The rest of the walk was in somewhat of a comfortable silence. Work had just finished, everyone was leaving and they were both tired. But Eric knew that Alan would stay if he had work and would complete it to the fullest of his abilities, that's just the guy he was.

Alan walked into his office, waving a hand in a silent farewell as he expected Eric to leave. He stood in the middle of his office, taking in the aroma of the candle he had put in recently. Vanilla and cinnamon, he thought, relaxing. The office was indeed nicer at night. Wood scoured the floors and as he turned the lamp on, a warm light emitted from it, filling the entire room in a soft glow*. Alan thought this made the office seem more homelike, and everybody he talked to seemed to think the same.

Inhaling softly, Alan walked over to his desk and marvelled at the high stack of papers sitting on his desk. He then heavily exhaled, dreading the work ahead. But he was determined, and he would finish it.

It was only then when Alan realised that he hadn't closed the door. He turned and jumped out of his skin to see Eric standing in the doorway.

"Wha- What in the world are you doing?" Alan asked, clutching his chest. "Aren't you returning home?"

Eric shrugged. "Boring at home. Thought I'd stay with you."

Calmed down, Alan turned from him, the slightest of blushes painting his cheeks. "Why?"

"Just said, ya need to listen sometimes."

Alan reassessed the situation. Having Eric around may or may not distract him from his work, it really depends of how this scene plays out. But then again, he considered Eric had the decency to not mind him while he was working. So then he sat down and started filing a piece of paper. "Do as you please."

After a few moments with the uncomfortable silence filling the room, Eric looked up at the astounding pile of papers. "Whoa. Must've stuffed up a lot to get all these."

Alan didn't respond, silently burning holes into the paper in front of him with his eyes. He finished it, sat the paper upon a lonely pile on the other side of him and picked up another. Eric sighed, this was gonna be a long night.

Eric pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, but the latter didn't budge. Eric took this chance to examine Alan, carefully taking in his features. He was slightly paler than usual, and his cheeks were slightly more hollow than usual. The tiniest dark rings were around his eyes, along with concealer, which Eric assumed he had kept for times like these.

What an idiot. He leaned back in his chair. He's been overworking himself again.

"You're gonna drop dead if ya keep working yourself like this." Eric casually mentioned, checking out his own nails.

Alan paused for a moment, but didn't look up from the fifth paper. "What?"

"I'm not stupid, you know."

The reaper across from Eric sighed and continued to write, pulling out the sixth paper. "This is the price of work. If it just happens to affect my health, then so be it, I can keep going."

"Are you-" Eric stopped himself, exhaling through his nose. "Your illness isn't helpin' at all."

Alan flinched slightly. "Why are you mentioning that?" He pulled out another paper and inhaled deeply. "Eric, you're distracting me."

"Sorry princess." Eric scoffed. "I didn't realise this was so important to you so you could just shrug me off."

The ill reaper looked at him, and Eric looked back. "I'm sorry." Eric could see he didn't look apologetic to the naked eye, but if one looked deeper, his eyes held a small smile said 'sorry for bothering you'.

The next five minutes were in silence. Uncomfortable or comfortable, Eric didn't really care. He decided to keep his eyes off Alan, because he had common sense, and decided to look about the room. The two shared an office, and the nice one at that. You don't usually get wooden floorboards.

Alan decorated the office, surprising Eric. He'd placed candles about the room, making a very worldly yet homelike sense to it all. Both of them seemed to work better in this room, the atmosphere was soothing.

Eric took a glance at the latter again. Alan had now gotten the twentieth piece and started filing it. His forehead was creased and his back started to get even more hunched with each paper he signed. Eric sighed, reaching up to his own head and massaging his creases out.

Then, at that moment, it was if a lightbulb went off in his head. A wide smirk formed on his lips, expectin' smiles Alan.

Eric opened the drawer and grinned at the stack of notepads Alan had stored there. Careful not to distract the obediently working Reaper, he took a pen and a note and began to write. It was a single 'hey' in his messy writing, starting a chain, or at least Eric hoped so.

Eric then carefully placed the note next to Alan and leaned back on his chair again, trying to look casual at he examined the latter closely to expect a reaction.

Soon enough, Alan spotted it and turned it around. Eric was disappointed at the lack of reaction from him, who simply turned it back over without a word. The older Reaper then proceeded to write another note, saying 'are you not talking to me?' and passed it. Same reaction.

After another ten minutes Eric was getting bored, and Alan was up to his fiftieth paper, looking more stressed than ever. Eric had written many notes since then, and Alan, being as stubborn as usual, emitted little to no reaction over each note.

Eric was fed up and decided to write another, passing it to Alan as smoothly as possible. After around thirty seconds Alan turned it around.

'You're gonna burst a vein if ya keep workin' like this.'

Alan frowned and put the note down. Pleased with the reaction, Eric decided to write another one.

This time Alan tried to avoid it. For an least two minutes he glanced at it occasionally, trying to avoid it. But Eric smirked when Alan finally picked it up.

'Ya know, if you talk to me, maybe you won't look so damn stressed.'

The creases in Alan's forehead smoothed out slightly, earning a smile from Eric. He locked eyes with Eric for what seemed like forever (but was really only a moment) before scrunching up the note and putting it in the bin.

But Eric didn't give up. The next note surprised Alan slightly as he picked it up.

'You're really cute when you're pissed.'

To Eric's surprise, Alan turned it over, wrote something on the back and passed it back to the latter. Eric picked it up immediately.

'That wasn't my intention, but think of it as you will.'

Eric grinned. Finally.

On his sixtieth paper, Alan was nearly finished. Well kind of. But now he seemed less stressed, to Eric at least. Alan smiled at the next note.

'Favourite type of alcohol?'

'Red wine. Yours?'

'Beer.'

Alan chuckled at that. Eventually as his work load started to lessen, the atmosphere became less thicker by each paper and each note they sent, and Eric could tell he was having more fun.

'Maybe next time, I'll work with ya. That 'kay?'

'You haven't worked with me in a while though.'

Eric smiled forgivingly. 'I'm worried about you.'

Alan blushed slightly at the note, he then wrote something quickly and passed it back.

'Thank you.'

Eric stared at Alan. It was early in the morning and still dark outside, he was working until he dropped, but he looked… peaceful. The warm lamp shone from the right, outlining Alan in the light, all while taking on the features of his face in a faint glow. Alan must have noticed Eric starting, because he looked at him with the most innocent face possible, as if asking 'are you okay?'

Eric looked away from Alan and wrote on the last note. Sliding it to Alan, he watched with a warm smile as Alan finished his last paper and took the note, watching his eyes light up ever so slightly.

'I'm not gonna let you leave without saying goodbye.'

A smile graced Alan's face. Clutching the note to his chest, he looked up at Eric. They looked at each other for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. They took in each other's features, the warm light illuminating them as the sun started to rise. Eric placed a hand on Alan's knee.

"Alan," Eric said, his voice softer than usual as he gazed into the latter's eyes. As if realising something, Eric's eyes widened and he glanced away for a moment. "I…"

Alan's smile only got warmer. "Thanks for being here."

After a moment of surprise on Eric's face, he smiled softly. "My pleasure."

*Sorry, I'm not all familiar with the surroundings of the Reapers, if someone would inform me, that'd be great :)