Erik has witnessed many things in his short life that shocked him, finding his dad sleep writing for the first time, meeting his Pokémon, seeing his mother perform for the first time, witnessing how fast he dad could run from a pack of Gible while carrying him and yet nothing could have prepared him for what was unfolding before him after he told his mother one sentence.
Himiko Toga was going to come over that day, Annabelle was running around and had Indeedee and Minccino running around like mad to ensure that the house looked presentable, she even had his Pokémon helping as Phantump was sent to pick the best flowers he could find, Gastly was sent to scare away anything that could bother the house, Golett was on standby to serve their guest, she even had Missy keep an eye on Shuppet justin case.
Erik wanted to say that at least Mimi was just with him but even she share his mother's passion as she was furiously trying to make sure that Erik looked presentable as she fiddled with his outfit, he felt embarrassed by the fuss they were making, it was just Himiko coming over like friends normally do, it was not a big deal. He made the mistake of voicing this earlier and both Mimi and his mother gave him an appalled look, a small part of him regretting letting the two hangout now as they worked together.
"Alright, that is it, everything is ready for Toga to come, what do you think, Mimi?" Annabelle asked as she looked at the spotless front room.
"Mimikyu!" Mimi replied in agreement as she made a thumbs up with one of her shadowy claws.
Before Erik could interject the sound of knocking came from the front door and faster than he could blink, his mother had rushed to the door, taking a moment to double check her appearance before she opened the door to see Himiko in a simple t-shirt and skirt who seemed nervous as she came face to face with Annabelle who wore a radiant smile.
"Hello, I'm Himiko Toga. Thank you for inviting me to your home." She said politely as she introduced herself, but Ananabelle waved it off.
"Oh, dear, no need to be formal and it's our pleasure, please come in, Erik's been bouncing off the walls waiting for you." Annabelle said as she welcomed Himiko in, shooting a cheeky grin at Erik who groaned at the teasing comment, Himiko smiled as she walked in, but as she was taken by surprise when the dutiful form of Golett appeared beside her with his small arms outstretched.
"Goolllett." He droned in what Erik would note as a haughty manner, Himiko looked at the small automaton Pokémon with confusion as she wondered what he wanted.
"Ah, sorry, my mother was drilling Golett on social protocol, he is trying to take your jacket." Erik explained, as Himiko's eyes widened with realisation and she looked down at Golett who still held his arms out, she smiled and patted him on the head.
"Thank you, but I didn't bring a jacket." She explained and Golett took a second before he lowered his arms and ran off to the kitchen.
Himiko entered as she looked around the house and noted at how nice it looked, yet it did not surprise when she thought about Erik, he always carried himself with an air of decorum higher than most people, so she supposed it made sense he would grow up in a wealthy place. When her eyes fell back to Erik, she was surprised to find something else sitting on his shoulder, it looked like it was wearing a crude disguise because she could clearly see the small eyes at the centre of the costume, yet despite the normally off putting disguise, Himiko could not help but giggle at the cute Pokémon.
"I'm glad you could make it, Himiko, this is my Pokémon partner, Mimi, she really wanted to meet you." Erik spoke as Mimi raised one of her claws and waved at Himiko who waved back.
"Mimikyu!" She said cheerfully.
"Nzzt! She said she was happy to meet you!" Said a new voice that made Himiko jump, she turned and came face to face with a floating phone that smiled at her.
Nzzt! Greetings, Himiko, I am Rotom, User Erik's Poképhone!" Rotom introduced himself, Himiko waved at him as well but she was starting to get a bit overwhelmed, Erik saw this and stepped forward.
"Okay, let's hold off on introductions for a bit and just sit for a bit." Erik said before he and Himiko sat on the sofa, his mother gave together another welcoming smile before vanishing.
"Golett"
The two friends looked to see Golett had returned, now carrying a tray filled with different snacks and fruit, Erik smiled and set them down on the table and thanked his Pokémon who enjoyed the praise before running off to do something else, leaving the two alone.
"I'm sorry if they overwhelmed you a bit, my mother really wanted to make a good impression." Erik explained, scratching his cheek.
"Oh no, I was just surprised to see your Pokémon, Zubat was one thing but seeing others still blows me away." Himiko assured, helping to ease the hidden embarrassment as he feared his family overwhelmed his new friend.
Speaking of Zubat, Himiko and he would often spend their breaks going to check on the bat Pokémon and it was very clear he enjoyed the company, they had done so for a week before Erik snuck Rotom into school so he could translate for Zubat. The tale that the small bat wove moved him so much and gained some more insight on his friend, Zubat had been watching Himiko since she was a child, he saw she was upset and would try to keep her company and had done so for years. Erik relayed this to Himiko but did not push on the subject of her home, he could see it was a painful subject and it would not help to force her to speak of it now, instead he took solace in Himiko's bond with Zubat as they played together.
Erik was pulled from his thoughts by a door opening, he knew which as he and Himiko turned to see the bleary-eyed, scruffy and exhausted form of his father walking into the front room, clearly having spent most of the day inside his study and given Litwick and Polteageist more than their fair share of energy as he yawned as he shuffled.
"Annabelle, what time is it?I lost track of time writing again,when is Erik's girl friend supposed to be arriving?" Vincent called out as he rubbed his eyes before he turned to the sofa and saw the two staring back at them.
"Oh nevermind, she is here already." He said again, clearly not reading the room as Erik groaned and Himiko was trying not to giggle at his antics.
"I'm so sorry, give me and my husband one moment." Annabelle said as she suddenly appeared before grabbing Vincent by his shirt and dragging him to another room.
The second he was gone, Himiko let out a laugh which grew when she saw Erik's face or rather saw it buried in his hands, he cursed himself for forgetting that today was his father's writing day, whenever he needed to write a lot, he would lock himself away for hours and everyone would go about their day until it came time to eat which was the last thing on their minds today.
"You weren't joking when you said that your dad can get caught up in his writing." Himiko commented with a smile that did nothing to help Erik's embarrassment, but he was grateful that she chose to focus on that.
"Oh, and don't think I didn't notice that other thing." She quickly added her face going red as she gave Erik a playful smirk that made him curse his luck, he quickly grew red and sputtered as his mind tried to give any response.
"Ah, but did you hear the pause? My father said "girl, friend" as in my friend who is a girl, that was what he meant." Erik responded, though it was clear his response did nothing to wipe the amused grin growing on Himiko's face.
"Phantump!"
The door to the garden was suddenly opened as Phantump came bursting into the living room with the largest bouquet of rose any one had ever seen, the stump Pokémon was focused on Erik as he presented the impossibly large bunch of flowers that he somehow managed to carry in his arms, Erik's eyes briefly flickered to Himiko who was already sending him an amused smile.
"T-these are lovely, Phantump, I'm sure Himiko loves them." Erik praised his little Pokémon who flew around in joy at being praised. Before he flew up to Himiko with a happy and curious look, he held up the flowers for her.
"Phantump!" He said cheerfully, Himiko could easily guess what the Pokémon had said and grabbed the flowers and inhaled their scent, they smelled so wonderful, she smiled at Phantump who looked up at her with wide eyes.
"They are so lovely, thank you, Phantump!" She said praised and Phantump once again floated and flew in such joy before Erik eventually grabbed him, it was always heartwarming to see Phantump this happy and he knew how to make him happier, he tossed him gently into the air before catching him, Phantump squealed and cried out in joy at this, Erik could not help but let a wide smile grow on his face, this always was Phantump's favourite was to play, ever since the day they met and it never ceased to bring them both joy. A gasp of pain broke Erik from his playing as he looked to Himiko who placed the roses on the table and held up her hand where she had a small cut that was bleeding.
"Himiko, what happened?" Erik asked as he quickly moved closer to examine the wound.
"I was just watching you two play and I squeezed the roses too hard, it's only a small cut so-"
Himiko immediately stopped as her words died when Erik suddenly held her hand and closely stared at the blood, it was an intense stare and time seem to slow to a snail's pace for Himiko, she could hear her heart eating in her ears as she tried to figure out how to react to what Erik was doing. Her imagination suddenly came to life as she thought of Erik taking her hand and licking her wound clean like she had done his wound those weeks ago, this made her heart beat even faster, she could not understand why she was thinking and feeling like this, it was just her friend Erik.
"Okay, there's no thorn and it's a clean cut, Phantump can get the first aid kit and we can clean it up." Erik surmised after he finished checking the wound, he was worried something might have been left in the wound and was glad to be wrong.
As he looked up at Himiko, he was met by a very distracted and red faced Himiko who struggled to meet his gaze, like a switch had been flipped in his head, his instinctual concern became conscious embarrassment as he realised what he was doing. The sudden flash of a camera going off made the two turn pale as they looked back to see, a now very clean and well dressed, Vincent and Annabelle standing there watching them, grinning like cats who caught the canaries, Rotom floating between them, clearing having taken a picture.
"Let me fix that cut and we can all have some tea." Annabelle said as Indeedee came to use the move heal pulse on Himiko and helped start tea with the two amused parents and the blushing teens.
After tea, Erik decided to show Himiko to his room which he made sure to tidy well before her arrival and Himiko was amazed by Erik's posters and asked him questions regarding the various musicals he had up and listened eagerly as he spoke about each with vigorous passion. She then noticed the row of masks hanging on the wall behind his door, her eyes recognised the first as the mask he had been wearing to school these days, something that she had insisted was not necessary, but Erik insisted more that the mask was his true self. As she looked at the second she started to understand, it was a replica of the Phantom's mask, Erik explained he did not wear it beyond one occasion but it was important to him, Himiko wondered what that meant and asked further, prompting Erik to beg her to keep a secret which she agreed before he told his story.
Himiko was so excited, her best friend was basically a hero, she knew he planned to become a hero already, but to hear what he was another thing entirely, she understood why he wanted it to be a secret but still, she could not help but praise Erik who blushed and modestly moved onto the next mask. Himiko noticed that this mask was smaller than the others, the simple large eye holes and small mouth, Himiko could tell Erik must have worn this when he was really young, she realised how long Erik had worn these masks and then her eyes fell on the last hook, where a murky yellow rag hung.
"Erik, is that a mask?" Himiko asked, very curious about the last mask, as she looked at him, she saw a small nostalgic smile grow on his face as he picked it up and held it in his hands.
"Mimi" said Mimi who was sitting beside Himiko, she seemed to be wiping a tear from her eye, her curiosity grew as she watched Erik unfurl the rag to reveal it was a plain cloth hood.
"This was my first…I want to say mask, but it's so much more, it was the first time I felt safe without my parents, it was the first time I met someone like me, It was the first sign that I didn't have to be afraid anymore." Erik paused to brush away a tear as he looked at Mimi who was shaking.
"This was the mask my first friend gave me and I'm always grateful to them."
Himiko gasped as Erik showed the hood properly, the jagged smile, the scribbled eyes, it clicked in her mind as she watched Mimi cry in joy before Erik brought her in for a hug, Himiko was moved by the thought, she knew that Mimi was Erik's partner Pokémon and his first, but to think the pair bonded in such a way, it was really sweet, she felt wetness on her cheeks and she raised her hand to find that she had been crying, she wiped the tears away as Erik turned his attention to her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, still holding Mimi who looked equally concerned.
"I'm okay, that was really cute." Himiko replied, she stopped wiping the tears, but one of Mimi's shadow claws moved to wipe the last one away, she appreciated the kindness from Mimi, it made her feel warmth that she could not describe.
Seeing Erik in this house with this family, Himiko had felt the envy that she often felt when she saw people expressing their love for each other, she just wanted to do the same and she never could, her parents, the counsellors, everyone treated her like a demon, it hurt and it hurt more to watch every being allowed except her. But, that was not the case here, all the Pokémon knew about her and were very friendly to her, Erik's parents found her cute and did not mind her Quirk and then there was Erik, ever since the day they found Zubat, he never treated her any differently, when they spoke, when she wanted blood, she felt normal when they hung out together and that beat away the envy she felt and made her so happy that she found a friend like him.
Himiko then looked behind Erik and saw something that made her blink in surprise as she tilted her head to get a better look.
"What is that?" She asked, Erik turned and followed her line of sight, sitting against the wall was his small organ.
"Oh, that's my organ, I like to play it sometimes." Erik answered.
Himiko's eyes widened as he got up to Erik with a amazed look in her eyes, this was news to her, Erik had spoken about his passions for theatre, heroes and performances, but he never mentioned the fact that he could play, she could see the sheet music and a small box beside the instrument with more sheet music.
"Can you play me something?" Himiko asked hopefully, her question causing a brief look of fear to flash across Erik's face before he composed himself and gave her a warm smile.
"I suppose I can." He said, his throat becoming dry as his stomach began to knot itself, he was becoming extremely nervous, he never played for anyone beyond his parents, not even Ojiro or Itsuka had heard him and he felt a fear that Himiko would hate it.
Yet when he looked at her, he saw no judgement, she just wanted to hear her friend play and was excited he swallowed as he began to shift through his sheet music, hoping to find something that Himiko might enjoy, but none of these songs seemed to fit as he searched. He began to fear he had nothing until a stray thought entered his mind, he closed his sheet music box and moved to his desk, letting his hand drift to a familiar groove beneath the desk, he pushed and a secret compartment opened before his eyes, sitting within was a collection of sheet music, different from the others and he took great care as he picked it up and placed it on his organ.
Erik flexed his fingers and took a deep breath before he placed his fingers on the keys an his feet on the pedals, then he let his hands dance, it began soft at first, the notes flowing along a gentle river as his fingers gently graced the keys, as the speed increased, the river gained a current as he began to strike the notes with fervour, the current stronger with each strike, the river roared as it became a thundering ocean. Erik poured his soul as his hands crashed against his keys, a melodic storm brewing as he played, wave after wave of notes rose and crashed without end in sight, until the storm lifted and the gentle sea breeze flowed once more as the rapids of the ocean calmed and peace returned, the keys singing in rejoice before they fell silent.
The only sound that filled the room was the sound of Erik's laboured breathing, he was surprised at how much it took out of him to play, he normally was quote passionate, but he had gone beyond that today and he knew it had to do with his new audience, speaking of, he turned to see Himiko's reaction and was surprised. Himiko stared at him with awe, her golden feline eyes wide and lined with tears, her mouth agape as it was clear her mind was still processing what she witnessed, she blinked before she wiped her tears away again, letting out a cute giggle.
"I just keep crying, sorry." She said as she wiped her eyes.
"That was…amazing, Erik, I don't know how to put it into words."
Erik's face burned at these words, he had hoped that Himiko would like it, but to hear how stunned she was made his spirit tingle, with what few words, he felt his artist soul roar at her reaction and it took all his effort to keep this from showing on his face.
"Thank you, Himiko, it means a lot that my music moved you." Erik said bashfully as he grabbed his sheet music, carefully, and began to put them away.
"What, you wrote that!?" Himiko exclaimed in shock and awe, leaning forward with a wide grin, surprising Erik who had not expected this reaction.
"I'm so lucky! I got to hear an original Konrei!" She cheered, her sudden energy was infectious as Erik let out a chuckle.
"My, I have to say this cute energy suits you really well, Himiko and it was my honour to play for you." Erik complimented, eliciting a squawk from Himiko as she realised he had called her cute.
It was not long after this that their hanging out came to an end, Himiko would be sorry to leave Erik's home, but it was not lost on the pair that Himiko walked away with a new form of energy and a joyful smile, both looked forward to the next time they would meet as Erik went to work on his music with vigour, he did not want to disappoint his newest fan.