Time flies, and people leave
She fully regretted having opened the box. Laid open bare in front of her were the smiling faces of her fellow Eternals. Gingerly, she picked up the old, framed picture. The edges appeared to have yellowed with age. Her fingers traced over every familiar face.
She hadn’t been able to sleep and instead busied herself with cleaning the mess that was Sersi’s apartment. To be fair, it was only in this state because Dane had come over the last few weeks and had stayed frequently enough that he might as well be considered living here.
They were both out at some party that Sprite was way too tired to be a part of. She should’ve gone with them. At least then she wouldn’t be on the living room floor late at night, clutching a photo as if it was her lifeline.
She felt a pang of loss every time she looked at the faces.
They weren’t gone but she couldn’t exactly say when she was going to meet each of them again. Maybe never. Then it dawned on her that the chances of ever seeing all of them together again were slim.
She was missing them, missing the way things used to be. They weren't the most functional of families, but they were a family nonetheless. In every way. They fought, argued, with, and for one another. She's grateful for the time they did spend together, but... Her memories faded, and she no longer recalled those events as vividly. She had hoped the sense of loss would fade along with them.
It didn't.
Sersi arrived later in the evening, she found the place different than when she left
“Sprite?” She called out but got no response.
When she found the person she was looking for sitting cross-legged on the floor, she realized why. She was about to ask what the eternal was doing there but the words caught in her throat when she saw a tear-stained face.
“Sprite, what’s wrong?!” She panicked and surged forwards toward her fellow eternal. Her mind was racing with the urge to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. But she came to a halt as Sprite moved slightly out of her reach. Not quite flinching, but moving fast enough that Sersi didn’t manage to touch her.
Sersi calmed herself and sat closely behind her, with enough space between them. The millennia together taught her enough as to when Sprite’s snark of wanting to be left alone was half-hearted and when it was not. This time the smaller eternal was in no way faking. But Sersi didn’t have it in her to leave. So she stayed as close as she could. As close as she was allowed.
“What’s wrong, Sprite?” She asked again, softer this time.
The question was left unanswered for far too long, and Sersi moved forwards. She sat in front of Sprite and watched as the Ginger’s gaze wasn’t even on her. She looked down and saw the framed picture, a sad smile grew on her face.
“I remember that day.” Sersi moved to huddle closer to the other eternal, surprisingly Sprite didn’t move away. “It was a happy day.”
Sprite scoffed. “Obviously since it was your wedding.”
Sersi smiled a bittersweet smile at the mention of her wedding before she reached over and dropped the picture on the other eternal’s lap. “If it’s such a happy picture then why do you look so sad?”
“Because we’re not happy.” The ginger looked up at her and reconsidered her words “Or… maybe I’m not.”
Fresh tears started forming. Sprite couldn’t stop feeling angry and sad at the fact that all the Eternals couldn’t stay together. Angry that she was powerless to change anything because she knew she couldn’t control her fellow Eternals. No matter what she did or what she could’ve done differently, the Eternals staying together were just an impossible outcome. And even more infuriating was the fact that it was most probably the best outcome. This, whatever this was, was better than fighting happening between them. But it still wasn’t enough.
As a storyteller, it wasn’t often that Sprite found herself at a loss for words. She was supposed to be good with words. They came to her easily. But she was feeling too much and not many words could describe or explain it perfectly. So, she stayed silent, tears dripping down her face.
Sprite gasped sharply as her trembling hands were grasped by Sersi. The older woman shifted closer and Sprite fell easily into her embrace. They stayed leaned in into each other. With words unspoken between them.