Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #25: Spirit, T)
I have learned a valuable lesson today: if e-mail is being difficult, find another way before you try to send a large video file through YahooMessenger. -Glances at the clock- We have now been wating on this file for thirteen hours, and it's *almost* finished.
Never again, I tell you. Never again.
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #25: Spirit
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non - cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means
Author's Notes/: This took me *forever* to get out! Eric refused to cooperate. Much love for Starandrea, because making her birthday banner got me into a creative mood, and BlackCrimsonLight, who helped me decide the finer points of Mirinoi terminology. ^_~
Newtech City was cleaner than he'd remembered it, which was a bit of a surprise. Of course, he was paying more attention to the scenery this time, and spending less time arguing with himself of why he was even there. It made for a nicer drive, at least.
Taylor had warned him when he got to S.P.D. someone would be waiting to meet him. She'd neglected to mention who that person was.
"Eric!" Cole Evans called, grinning brilliantly at him.
"Cole," he managed, moments before the other man gave him a rough hug.
Thankfully Cole had learned to let go quickly when taking his own life into his hands, or at least had finally come to realize that Eric wasn't anywhere near as forgiving about touching as Wes was. He stepped back still grinning, and completely unconcerned that less than a second slower and he'd be missing an arm. "It's great to see you," he said cheerfully.
"Yeah. Likewise," Eric muttered, glowering at him.
"So, Taylor said you needed a place to crash while you're here, right?" Cole asked, completely ignoring the glare. He glanced down at the notepad he was carrying. "Looks like you're staying with ... the Carson family."
Eric frowned. "I was gonna get a motel. Who the hell are the Carsons?"
Cole smiled at him again. "Jason and Taylor decided it wasn't fair to expect everyone to pay for their own hotels, so a lot of the S.P.D. employees offered places for the wedding guests. You're staying with the Carsons: Rocky, Adam, Zack, Aisha, and Bridge." He checked his notebook again. "You'll be there with the incoming Mystic Rangers."
"The who?" he repeated blankly.
"Nick's team," Cole clarified.
"Oh." Eric frowned. He didn't know Nick all that well, and he sure didn't know anything about his team. And the Carsons? The only one of them he could recognize the name of was Bridge. And he was not staying somewhere because he knew their four-year-old. "Really, I'm fine with a - "
"Cole, have you seen Tommy?"
Eric stared at the tiny brunette who'd caught Cole's arm. She seemed alarmingly pale as she clutched Cole anxiously.
Cole blinked down at her. "Um, sorry Kim. Last I saw he was in the Command Center, talking to Hunter. I can call him for you."
"No!" she said quickly, catching his hand as he started to reach for his pocket. "It's ... it's not that important. I just wanted to know where he was. No big deal." She gave a smile that was obviously forced and turned to look at Eric. The smile warmed slightly, and she offered a hand. "Eric, right? I'm Kimberly Hart."
He nodded, shaking her hand more gently than he would have normally; she didn't look too healthy. "Nice to meet you," he said shortly.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call Tommy, Kim?" Cole persisted. "I don't think he and Hunter were talking about anything important. They said something about Cam and paint, but - "
"It's fine, Cole," she assured him, her smile turning slightly strained. "Just ... checking up on the wedding party. You know me; always need something to do. Well, gotta run!"
She was off before either man could say anything more.
Eric blinked, shaking his head after a moment and silently deciding this was why he didn't get out often. "Like I was saying Cole, I'd prefer a - "
"Addi and Neoma Chen-Corbett! You get back here, *right now*!"
Eric jerked back as two children streaked past him to duck behind Cole, clinging to the back of his clothes. "Hide us, Uncle Cole!" pleaded one.
"We didn't do it," added the boy, giving Cole a wide-eyed, innocent look.
Cole raised his eyebrows. "What didn't you do?"
The boy squirmed slightly, and the girl swiftly kicked him in the shin behind Cole's back. "Nothing!" she insisted.
"So then what does your dad *think* you did?" Cole asked, giving them both a patient smile.
"We were just trying to upgrade him," the boy insisted.
The girl groaned. "Addi!"
"Addi! Neoma!"
Eric turned around just as the two kids turned their charms on Leo. "Yes, Mother?" they asked in unison.
He choked.
Leo didn't bat an eye at being called 'Mother', and Eric was startled to see that Cole didn't seem to think anything of it either. Instead Leo folded his arms, glaring down at them. "Would either of you care to explain why Dustin's robot dog meowed when he tried to show it to me?"
"It did?" the girl asked, pretending to look surprised.
Leo narrowed his eyes at her, then turned his stare to the boy. "Addi? Do you have anything to say?"
Addi froze, and Neoma went to kick him again. He whimpered slightly before trying to give Leo his wide-eyed look again. "No ... ?" he tried.
Leo's stare only lasted for another moment before he suddenly sighed, dropping his gaze for a moment. His expression was gentle when he looked back up, and he dropped down to one knee, holding his arms out to Addi. "Come 'ere."
The little boy was in his arms in an instant, sniffling against his shoulder.
Leo gave him a hug, rubbing his back soothingly. After a moment he pulled back to wipe the boy's eyes. "Did she break anything? Or just more bruises?"
Addi shrugged, sniffling again and leaning against Leo's shoulder. "I think I'm broken," he sighed, clearly enjoying being fussed over.
Leo nodded, pretending to look serious. "Broken forever? Or would it help if I kissed it better?"
Addi considered this. "Probably forever. But kisses might help. Maybe even a piggyback ride."
"Not fair!" Neoma protested instantly. "Why does Addi always get fussed over?"
"Because you keep beating him up," Leo returned calmly, leveling her with another stare. "And you know better than that. You're supposed to be the one protecting your brother, not hurting him."
Neoma lasted for several more moments before suddenly bursting into tears and launching herself at Leo. "We're sorry!" she wailed. "We just wanted to make him smart! Why should a dog only have to make dog noises? He should be able to chose! But then it didn't work right when we uploaded it, and we *knew* Father would be mad and we're really sorry!"
"Really, *really* sorry," Addi added helpfully, shooting Leo a hopeful look.
Eric stared at them all. Okay, so he hadn't seen Leo in a few years. But first of all, since when did he have kids? And letting them call him *mother*? Last he knew, Leo was heading back to Mirinoi with presents for the rest of the Galaxy Rangers - something about needing shoes. He vaguely remembered a giant bag of disposable razors and shaving cream ...
And there was no way Leo could seriously be buying this act.
"Maybe you should start by telling Uncle Dustin that you're really, *really* sorry you broke his robot dog, since he loves it so much," Leo told them.
"His name is R.I.C.," Addi said quietly.
"R.I.C.," Leo repeated, giving the pair an easy smile. "And then after that, we can tell your father what happened."
"But he'll yell at us!" Neoma protested.
Addi frowned. "Auntie Kendrix says his blood gets hot when he does that."
"His blood pressure goes up," Leo corrected. "It just means we need to make him smile more often, so he doesn't stress out so much."
"But telling him would be stressful," Neoma said quickly. "And that's bad."
Leo gave her an amused look. "No, what's bad is when your father finds out you didn't tell him before someone else does."
Addi fidgeted, biting his lip. "His heart hurts when that happens."
Leo nodded. "Because you weren't honest with him. And you two don't want his heart to hurt, do you?"
"No ... " they sighed, looking guilty.
Leo smiled again, kissing each of their temples and giving them both a squeeze. "So we go apologize to Uncle Dustin, and then talk to your father, right?"
"Yes, Mother," they murmured.
Leo caught their hands, finally noticing Eric as he stood. "Oh, hey Eric," he greeted. "Sorry; I didn't see you. How have you been?"
"Fine," Eric returned shortly, trying to hide how uncomfortable he suddenly was at the display of Leo's parenting skills. "You?"
"Busy," Leo said ruefully, grinning down at his children. "Well, we'd better get going. We'll have to catch up more later. See you."
"See you," Eric echoed dully. He glanced at Cole once the trio was out of earshot. "Mother?" he asked skeptically.
"Hmm?" Cole glanced up from studying his notebook again, blinking. "Oh! You didn't know about that?"
"No," Eric snapped back, feeling more irritated because he hadn't.
Cole shrugged. "Apparently on Mirinoi, fathers are the ones that enforce the rules, and mothers are the ones that nurture. So Leo is a 'Mother' and Kendrix's son calls her 'Father'." He shrugged. "It's not that hard to get used to."
Speak for yourself, Eric thought silently, frowning at the other man. "Look Cole, I'd really rather get - "
"Uncle Eric!"
Eric oofed as he found himself abruptly cut in half.
"Mama an' Dad an' Dad an' Dad said that you're staying with us! That's so awesome! You're gonna have t' stay in one o' the guest rooms with Mr. Daggeron, but there's a bed all ready for you an' everything. Mr. Daggeron's very shiny and pretty, an' he seems really nice. But I don' know him enough to call him Uncle Daggeron yet. But I think I should, 'cause he's a Power Ranger an' that makes him family, an' I really don't think he'd mind that much. But since I don't really know him real well, he might mind. But he might mind that I think he minds, if he really doesn't." Bridge looked up at Eric, scrunching up his nose. "What do you think Uncle Eric?"
" ... Whatever you feel more comfortable with, Bridge," he managed.
What the heck did he just say?
"So can we take you home yet?" Bridge asked anxiously, bouncing in place. He blinked, putting a finger against his chin in thought. "We should probably see Sky first, though. He *really* wanted to see you."
Eric blinked, more than slightly surprised. "He did?"
Bridge nodded solemnly. "Well, he didn't *say* he wanted to see you," he explained, "But I c'n tell." He grabbed Eric's hand, glancing over at Cole. "Can I have Uncle Eric now, Uncle Cole?"
Cole grinned at him. "He's all yours, Bridge."
Silently Eric wondered if he got a say in this as Bridge eagerly dragged him off, chattering away.
****
Eric reclined on his guest bed with a quiet groan. After hours of being dragged around by Bridge, greeted by children, meeting other Rangers, and seeing the old Reds he used to know, he was exhausted.
Which was strange, considering he really hadn't done much. It wasn't as if anyone had really had much to say to him, and things tended to be awkward when they tried. He just wasn't a very social person. The only reason he even knew these people was because they'd all been Rangers at some point or another, and the only reason they'd ever been considered his friends was because of -
Wes. It always came back to him.
Wes was the socialite, whether he admitted it or not. He remembered birthdays, helped organize get-togethers, sent holiday cards, wrote letters, and made monthly phone calls. He kept pictures of other people's families, neatly displayed in a special photo album that was left out where anyone could find it. He remembered details like what someone's favorite colors were, or what sort of things they were allergic to.
He was the light of any group, and if he wasn't the center of everything he was part of it. And he loved it whole-heartedly. He chatted people up easily, while Eric lurked in the background and nodded along. He reminded Eric to sign his name to cards and letters as though he'd actually been involved in writing them, and always gave well-wishes from them both.
He didn't know these people, and they didn't know him. He had no idea that Carter had gotten *married* let alone divorced. T.J., Andros, Leo, Hunter, and Mack all had kids now? When had that happened? Conner was settling down? Tommy was the Deputy Commander of S.P.D.? Hunter had been promoted? What idiot put Hunter in charge of *anything*, when the last time he'd seen him, the kid was still brooding over some argument with his boyfriend and whining about how being a teacher was stressful?
Without Wes to make the effort for him, these people barely realized Eric existed. He was just ... there. More substantial than a ghost, but less than a friend.
And he didn't have the slightest idea how to change that.
Never again, I tell you. Never again.
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #25: Spirit
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non - cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means
Author's Notes/: This took me *forever* to get out! Eric refused to cooperate. Much love for Starandrea, because making her birthday banner got me into a creative mood, and BlackCrimsonLight, who helped me decide the finer points of Mirinoi terminology. ^_~
Newtech City was cleaner than he'd remembered it, which was a bit of a surprise. Of course, he was paying more attention to the scenery this time, and spending less time arguing with himself of why he was even there. It made for a nicer drive, at least.
Taylor had warned him when he got to S.P.D. someone would be waiting to meet him. She'd neglected to mention who that person was.
"Eric!" Cole Evans called, grinning brilliantly at him.
"Cole," he managed, moments before the other man gave him a rough hug.
Thankfully Cole had learned to let go quickly when taking his own life into his hands, or at least had finally come to realize that Eric wasn't anywhere near as forgiving about touching as Wes was. He stepped back still grinning, and completely unconcerned that less than a second slower and he'd be missing an arm. "It's great to see you," he said cheerfully.
"Yeah. Likewise," Eric muttered, glowering at him.
"So, Taylor said you needed a place to crash while you're here, right?" Cole asked, completely ignoring the glare. He glanced down at the notepad he was carrying. "Looks like you're staying with ... the Carson family."
Eric frowned. "I was gonna get a motel. Who the hell are the Carsons?"
Cole smiled at him again. "Jason and Taylor decided it wasn't fair to expect everyone to pay for their own hotels, so a lot of the S.P.D. employees offered places for the wedding guests. You're staying with the Carsons: Rocky, Adam, Zack, Aisha, and Bridge." He checked his notebook again. "You'll be there with the incoming Mystic Rangers."
"The who?" he repeated blankly.
"Nick's team," Cole clarified.
"Oh." Eric frowned. He didn't know Nick all that well, and he sure didn't know anything about his team. And the Carsons? The only one of them he could recognize the name of was Bridge. And he was not staying somewhere because he knew their four-year-old. "Really, I'm fine with a - "
"Cole, have you seen Tommy?"
Eric stared at the tiny brunette who'd caught Cole's arm. She seemed alarmingly pale as she clutched Cole anxiously.
Cole blinked down at her. "Um, sorry Kim. Last I saw he was in the Command Center, talking to Hunter. I can call him for you."
"No!" she said quickly, catching his hand as he started to reach for his pocket. "It's ... it's not that important. I just wanted to know where he was. No big deal." She gave a smile that was obviously forced and turned to look at Eric. The smile warmed slightly, and she offered a hand. "Eric, right? I'm Kimberly Hart."
He nodded, shaking her hand more gently than he would have normally; she didn't look too healthy. "Nice to meet you," he said shortly.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call Tommy, Kim?" Cole persisted. "I don't think he and Hunter were talking about anything important. They said something about Cam and paint, but - "
"It's fine, Cole," she assured him, her smile turning slightly strained. "Just ... checking up on the wedding party. You know me; always need something to do. Well, gotta run!"
She was off before either man could say anything more.
Eric blinked, shaking his head after a moment and silently deciding this was why he didn't get out often. "Like I was saying Cole, I'd prefer a - "
"Addi and Neoma Chen-Corbett! You get back here, *right now*!"
Eric jerked back as two children streaked past him to duck behind Cole, clinging to the back of his clothes. "Hide us, Uncle Cole!" pleaded one.
"We didn't do it," added the boy, giving Cole a wide-eyed, innocent look.
Cole raised his eyebrows. "What didn't you do?"
The boy squirmed slightly, and the girl swiftly kicked him in the shin behind Cole's back. "Nothing!" she insisted.
"So then what does your dad *think* you did?" Cole asked, giving them both a patient smile.
"We were just trying to upgrade him," the boy insisted.
The girl groaned. "Addi!"
"Addi! Neoma!"
Eric turned around just as the two kids turned their charms on Leo. "Yes, Mother?" they asked in unison.
He choked.
Leo didn't bat an eye at being called 'Mother', and Eric was startled to see that Cole didn't seem to think anything of it either. Instead Leo folded his arms, glaring down at them. "Would either of you care to explain why Dustin's robot dog meowed when he tried to show it to me?"
"It did?" the girl asked, pretending to look surprised.
Leo narrowed his eyes at her, then turned his stare to the boy. "Addi? Do you have anything to say?"
Addi froze, and Neoma went to kick him again. He whimpered slightly before trying to give Leo his wide-eyed look again. "No ... ?" he tried.
Leo's stare only lasted for another moment before he suddenly sighed, dropping his gaze for a moment. His expression was gentle when he looked back up, and he dropped down to one knee, holding his arms out to Addi. "Come 'ere."
The little boy was in his arms in an instant, sniffling against his shoulder.
Leo gave him a hug, rubbing his back soothingly. After a moment he pulled back to wipe the boy's eyes. "Did she break anything? Or just more bruises?"
Addi shrugged, sniffling again and leaning against Leo's shoulder. "I think I'm broken," he sighed, clearly enjoying being fussed over.
Leo nodded, pretending to look serious. "Broken forever? Or would it help if I kissed it better?"
Addi considered this. "Probably forever. But kisses might help. Maybe even a piggyback ride."
"Not fair!" Neoma protested instantly. "Why does Addi always get fussed over?"
"Because you keep beating him up," Leo returned calmly, leveling her with another stare. "And you know better than that. You're supposed to be the one protecting your brother, not hurting him."
Neoma lasted for several more moments before suddenly bursting into tears and launching herself at Leo. "We're sorry!" she wailed. "We just wanted to make him smart! Why should a dog only have to make dog noises? He should be able to chose! But then it didn't work right when we uploaded it, and we *knew* Father would be mad and we're really sorry!"
"Really, *really* sorry," Addi added helpfully, shooting Leo a hopeful look.
Eric stared at them all. Okay, so he hadn't seen Leo in a few years. But first of all, since when did he have kids? And letting them call him *mother*? Last he knew, Leo was heading back to Mirinoi with presents for the rest of the Galaxy Rangers - something about needing shoes. He vaguely remembered a giant bag of disposable razors and shaving cream ...
And there was no way Leo could seriously be buying this act.
"Maybe you should start by telling Uncle Dustin that you're really, *really* sorry you broke his robot dog, since he loves it so much," Leo told them.
"His name is R.I.C.," Addi said quietly.
"R.I.C.," Leo repeated, giving the pair an easy smile. "And then after that, we can tell your father what happened."
"But he'll yell at us!" Neoma protested.
Addi frowned. "Auntie Kendrix says his blood gets hot when he does that."
"His blood pressure goes up," Leo corrected. "It just means we need to make him smile more often, so he doesn't stress out so much."
"But telling him would be stressful," Neoma said quickly. "And that's bad."
Leo gave her an amused look. "No, what's bad is when your father finds out you didn't tell him before someone else does."
Addi fidgeted, biting his lip. "His heart hurts when that happens."
Leo nodded. "Because you weren't honest with him. And you two don't want his heart to hurt, do you?"
"No ... " they sighed, looking guilty.
Leo smiled again, kissing each of their temples and giving them both a squeeze. "So we go apologize to Uncle Dustin, and then talk to your father, right?"
"Yes, Mother," they murmured.
Leo caught their hands, finally noticing Eric as he stood. "Oh, hey Eric," he greeted. "Sorry; I didn't see you. How have you been?"
"Fine," Eric returned shortly, trying to hide how uncomfortable he suddenly was at the display of Leo's parenting skills. "You?"
"Busy," Leo said ruefully, grinning down at his children. "Well, we'd better get going. We'll have to catch up more later. See you."
"See you," Eric echoed dully. He glanced at Cole once the trio was out of earshot. "Mother?" he asked skeptically.
"Hmm?" Cole glanced up from studying his notebook again, blinking. "Oh! You didn't know about that?"
"No," Eric snapped back, feeling more irritated because he hadn't.
Cole shrugged. "Apparently on Mirinoi, fathers are the ones that enforce the rules, and mothers are the ones that nurture. So Leo is a 'Mother' and Kendrix's son calls her 'Father'." He shrugged. "It's not that hard to get used to."
Speak for yourself, Eric thought silently, frowning at the other man. "Look Cole, I'd really rather get - "
"Uncle Eric!"
Eric oofed as he found himself abruptly cut in half.
"Mama an' Dad an' Dad an' Dad said that you're staying with us! That's so awesome! You're gonna have t' stay in one o' the guest rooms with Mr. Daggeron, but there's a bed all ready for you an' everything. Mr. Daggeron's very shiny and pretty, an' he seems really nice. But I don' know him enough to call him Uncle Daggeron yet. But I think I should, 'cause he's a Power Ranger an' that makes him family, an' I really don't think he'd mind that much. But since I don't really know him real well, he might mind. But he might mind that I think he minds, if he really doesn't." Bridge looked up at Eric, scrunching up his nose. "What do you think Uncle Eric?"
" ... Whatever you feel more comfortable with, Bridge," he managed.
What the heck did he just say?
"So can we take you home yet?" Bridge asked anxiously, bouncing in place. He blinked, putting a finger against his chin in thought. "We should probably see Sky first, though. He *really* wanted to see you."
Eric blinked, more than slightly surprised. "He did?"
Bridge nodded solemnly. "Well, he didn't *say* he wanted to see you," he explained, "But I c'n tell." He grabbed Eric's hand, glancing over at Cole. "Can I have Uncle Eric now, Uncle Cole?"
Cole grinned at him. "He's all yours, Bridge."
Silently Eric wondered if he got a say in this as Bridge eagerly dragged him off, chattering away.
****
Eric reclined on his guest bed with a quiet groan. After hours of being dragged around by Bridge, greeted by children, meeting other Rangers, and seeing the old Reds he used to know, he was exhausted.
Which was strange, considering he really hadn't done much. It wasn't as if anyone had really had much to say to him, and things tended to be awkward when they tried. He just wasn't a very social person. The only reason he even knew these people was because they'd all been Rangers at some point or another, and the only reason they'd ever been considered his friends was because of -
Wes. It always came back to him.
Wes was the socialite, whether he admitted it or not. He remembered birthdays, helped organize get-togethers, sent holiday cards, wrote letters, and made monthly phone calls. He kept pictures of other people's families, neatly displayed in a special photo album that was left out where anyone could find it. He remembered details like what someone's favorite colors were, or what sort of things they were allergic to.
He was the light of any group, and if he wasn't the center of everything he was part of it. And he loved it whole-heartedly. He chatted people up easily, while Eric lurked in the background and nodded along. He reminded Eric to sign his name to cards and letters as though he'd actually been involved in writing them, and always gave well-wishes from them both.
He didn't know these people, and they didn't know him. He had no idea that Carter had gotten *married* let alone divorced. T.J., Andros, Leo, Hunter, and Mack all had kids now? When had that happened? Conner was settling down? Tommy was the Deputy Commander of S.P.D.? Hunter had been promoted? What idiot put Hunter in charge of *anything*, when the last time he'd seen him, the kid was still brooding over some argument with his boyfriend and whining about how being a teacher was stressful?
Without Wes to make the effort for him, these people barely realized Eric existed. He was just ... there. More substantial than a ghost, but less than a friend.
And he didn't have the slightest idea how to change that.