Work Text:
Egil is staying up late these days, though not for the usual reasons. Usually it’s to finish something a project in time or an attempt to avoid something going wrong between him and one of his spouses… But this time, it’s to create something for his newest spouse. Alvis, sometimes called A by those from the other world -- Alrest. He hadn’t been fond of Alvis at first, hadn’t as quickly jumped onto the idea as Fiora had…
But now, he’s come to love Alvis in his own little way. Not that he’ll admit it, at least not until he finishes a gift for Alvis. As was Machina tradition -- first a gift that would become a family heirloom, made either together or made to fit the person you’re interested in.
Then, changes to the armour. He goes over the small changes he’s already made -- stripes like that of Shulk’s favorite set of sweaters and a diamond on his chest resembling Fiora’s own necklace. He had ideas already for shapes and motifs to borrow from Alvis’s own clothing…
But he is not at that step yet. He still has to decide what to make Alvis. Alvis, someone so close and yet so unknowable. Even the closest of them -- Shulk -- doesn’t seem to know Alvis fully. A side effect of Alvis’s very being coming from a world long before their own. One they would never fully understand.
And yet, Alvis was key to understanding so much. About these worlds, about Zanza and Meyneth, about why he lost Arglas. About why he was even still here and why Shulk was able to fell a god and seize a destiny so set in stone for others.
The key to understanding…
For Shulk he’d made a miniature version of their first joint Mechon creation -- M66/ROUND. A chirpy little thing that always reminded Shulk of when he needed to do various things (since Meyneth knows he would forget) and a chirpy little thing that brought them closer than ever before. For Fiora, a replica of the Monado that once sat at her chest. A reminder of the woman who drew them together, who they both still mourned quietly when alone together, holding hands and simply thinking.
Would a mere key fit with things like that? Alvis seemed the type to enjoy simple things if it came down to it. At least, Egil likes to think that’s the case. He taps the workbench in front of him and thinks. Well, better a starting point than nothing, right?
He gets to work molding the best key he’s ever made… What a strange sentence.
“This is for me?” Alvis asks, fingers skimming against the box. “A Machina tradition when you take an interest in marrying someone, yes?”
“Yes,” Egil says. “I have… grown fond of you.”
Alvis smiles at him. “I have grown fond of you as well. And your traditions will be less… harrowing than that jump from Frontier Village.”
Egil makes a face. “Do not remind me. After the second one Fiora had to drag me out, I could barely move my body. And the rust…”
He begins mumbling about how annoying it had been to remove all the rust from his body. Linada and Sharla had made a fortune off all the visits he had to make when a spot he missed started to act up.
Alvis laughs, more melodic than Shulk’s laugh and more stilted than Fiora’s. Sitting somewhere in between, Egil thinks. Something Alvis apparently does often.
“Well,” he says. “Open it, don’t leave me waiting.”
Alvis nods and does as asked. A small gasp escapes Alvis’s lips and they hold it up. A simple, golden key. One that could be worn like a piece of jewelry like that Core of Alvis’s. Probably safer for when Valdi was bored and wanted to play with something, too.
“It is… lovely,” Alvis’s voice cracks a bit. “I… Thank you, Egil. I will treasure it.”
“I… am glad it went over well,” Efil admits. “I wasn’t sure what to make for you for days, if I am being honest. You are a strange one.”
Alvis smiles. “I think you did a lovely job. Now, for you to take part in what Fiora and Shulk did for me.”
“Ah yes, the other parts of that… Trinity Processor was it called?” He asks. “You consider them the closest thing you have to biological family and so you want me to ask their permission to marry you.”
“Yes, I would tell you not to worry, but…” Alvis pauses. “Shulk and Fiora, as they married me faster, were able to ask my sisters of sorts. My… brother may be a bit more stubborn, just for the fun of it.”
“Then I will not ask,” Egil replies. “I’ll simply tell him we are going to be wed, whether he likes it or not.”
“Oh my, smart,” Alvis nods. “I believe he will either be too upset to respond or will like your… guts and approve.”
“It sounds as if he talks… very differently than you,” Egil says.
“Very. He is informal,” Alvis says. “More than even Mythra. I do not mind it, though.”
“Good, I would be concerned if it did and you still wanted me to talk to him,” Egil says. Was he… teasing? Perhaps a bit.
Alvis laughs again, that same nice in-between laugh. “Come then, let us get to it.”
Usually, Alvis is the first up in the morning, but that’s not the case today.
Egil sits at the table, Shulk tinkering with his prosthetic arm in an attempt to keep his hair from catching in it. Fiora is finishing making breakfast, Crys at her side bringing Egil the ether-infused water he would be drinking and placing Alvis’s tea next to it. Nikol sits in his seat, chewing through a pancake and Valdi? Valdi as usual has too much energy to just sit down and eat right away.
He’s in the middle of pacing across the floor, Fiora trying to chide him into sitting down and eating ( then he can pace and talk about machiens all he wants, she promises) when Alvis walks out. Alvis, who looks almost the same. The only real difference was both Alvis’s ears now had earrings.
One had the core, the other the key Egil had given Alvis the day before. Alvis almost looks a bit shy when everyone in the family stares for a moment. Egil decides to be nice to Alvis and not snort at that.
“Daddy made that!” Valdi said, always a pro at picking up on when Egil’s handiwork was around. He rushes at Alvis, who lifts him off the ground with ease and allows him to start pulling at it and looking it over. “Wow! This is so pretty!”
“Egil has a hidden talent for jewelry,” Fiora runs her hand across the Monado replica that sits on a pretty golden chain. “Doesn’t he, Alvis?”
Alvis pauses, then gives a small smile. “Yes, he does.”
Alvis sets Valdi in his chair and slides into Alvis’s own next to Egil. Then, Alvis slides a hand into Egil’s. Egil gives a small smile in return when Alvis looks at him. This was going nicely, he likes to think.
He just dreads when Riki catches wind and makes the both of them jump again. He really hates the water.