A/N: This one's for you foxydame! I wrote this little piece for angst week and didn't upload this fic on here originally because it's more Erik (Cobra) centric but I will definitely share it in here at your request :)

I hope you guys don't mind. In fact, I hope the rest of you like it too. Sorry it's not very Jerza (more like implied Jerza) but by now, I feel like Crime Sorciere have wormed their way into this collection too xD

Title: Cursed
Rating: T
Summary: He wasn't sure whether his hearing was a gift or a curse. [Erik-centric] [prompt: silence]

'"What was it like to lose him?" asked Sorrow.
There was a long pause before I responded:
"It was like hearing every goodbye ever said to me - said all at once."' - Lang Leav

Cursed

If anyone had ever asked him what it was like to have such impeccable hearing, he would have smirked and told them it was the best damn thing this world had to offer.

Erik had plenty of fun with his gift, alright. There was a certain amusement that came along with listening to other people's private thoughts, especially when that person happened to be Jellal Fernandes.

"Oi! Blue balls!"

Jellal sighed defeatedly, shooting his friend a sceptical look. "Are we still fond of that ridiculous name, Erik?"

The dragon slayer chuckled darkly, throwing a lazy arm around the Jellal's shoulders to sneer, "That name's gonna stick around 'til the day you confess your undying love to Scarlet."

"So…forever," Sorano said, propping her chin up on her hands and smiling amusedly at the pair.

From the snack bar, an objecting Meredy scolded them, her voice stern as she stared them all down with piercing eyes. "Give him a break, guys! He's just taking it slow and there's nothing wrong with that. These things take time."

"Would you listen to her? Goes out on a date with that Lamia Scale ice mage once and suddenly, she's the expert." Sorano rolled her eyes as Meredy proceeded to stick her tongue out at her.

Erik grinned. "Takin' it slow, is he? At the rate he's goin', he's gonna take the name 'blue balls' to the grave with him."

"As someone who knows what he's talkin' about when it comes to speed, I second that opinion," Sawyer replied, snickering tauntingly.

Jellal glared at them both before rising to his feet. "I don't need to hear this for what is probably the fiftieth time—"

But Erik laughed once more, snatching Jellal's collar and pulling him back down beside him. He arched a brow, a fang peeking out of his mouth as he smiled wolfishly at him. "Wanna know what I hear all the time?"

"Not really, no."

"Too bad. It goes a little like this…" He cleared his throat before placing a dramatic hand on his forehead, calling upon his awful acting skills to aid him, "Oh Erza! No...I mustn't give in to this desire…I am not worthy! I must atone for my sins!"

As the rest of the guild erupted in laughter, aside from Richard who bellowed about the strength of love overcoming all past troubles, Jellal exhaled a deep sigh for all his troubles before shoving Erik heatedly, his cheeks flaming like wildfire. "Having you people as guildmates serves as a punishment in itself."

The other man shoved him back, a playful gleam in his eye as he regarded Jellal knowingly. "Nah, you know that ain't true. You need us by your side so you don't end up forever alone."

"Although, telling Erza Scarlet the truth would provide a simple solution to that problem too," Macbeth said matter-of-factly as Jellal groaned in exasperation.

But Erik could hear him.

He could hear his thoughts. Thoughts tinged with fondness, friendship, even affection. As much as the dragon slayer loved to tease Jellal, there were some thoughts he listened to that he wouldn't share with the rest of his guildmates.

They served as little reminders to himself that there was such a thing as a path of light to walk upon, that it was possible to strive for good even after the horrors of the past.

Blue balls was a good man, alright. He wasn't as bad as his name suggested at all.

If anyone had ever asked him what it was like to have such impeccable hearing, he would have told them it was nothing but a curse.

He watched as the armour mage threw herself on top of Jellal, sobs ripping out of her chest as she scrunched her hands tightly into the torn remains of his clothes, screaming his name repeatedly in muffled cries.

The sound played in his mind over and over like a stuck record, ringing in his ears.

He couldn't make it stop.

He knew he'd never be able to make it stop.

He'd heard a lot of pain stricken cries lately, but this one made dread seep through his bones like no other sound had.

For the first time in years, Erik whispered the man's real name. He didn't whisper 'blue balls', but whispered 'Jellal' quietly. So quietly, it could only have been picked up by ears as sensitive as his own.

Because the fact was that he couldn't hear Jellal's thoughts anymore.

It was strange. Erik's body was numb, his feet like anchors weighing him down to the spot, yet he found himself walking over to Jellal and the woman he had loved so wholeheartedly.

For the first time in his life, he was doubting himself. He didn't trust his hearing. He refused to trust his hearing. There had been another occasion in the past where he couldn't hear Jellal's thoughts, so why was this any different? His hearing was wrong.

It had to be.

Erik approached them slowly, quietly. His ears were lying to him but he knew his eyes wouldn't.

The blue hair that had earned him the title 'blue balls' for so many years framed his face messily, unkempt.

Meredy would have scolded him for the untidiness of his hair before fixing it with precise fingers.

Blood seeped out of the remains of his charred clothes.

Sorano would never have let him hear the end of his choices in fashion.

Erza was beside him.

Erik himself would have teased him endlessly for that alone…but this time he couldn't.

He couldn't because there was no one to get annoyed at him, no one to shove him indignantly whilst muttering about how he never should have gotten them to join his guild.

Erik continued to watch him.

The worst were his eyes. The spark in his eyes was extinguished, gone. There was no kindness in them, no playfulness, no sign of living. They were just empty orbs staring lifelessly at the smoke ridden sky.

It was over. The man who had turned his life back around was no longer beside him. There would be no more thoughts laced with friendship and kindness—no more little reminders of the good in this world.

Collapsing beside the armour mage, he placed a trembling hand on her shoulder. "He's gone, Erza."

He couldn't hear Jellal's thoughts anymore. There was nothing but silence.