Can We Talk Niko And Edwin? Wonderful

can we talk niko and edwin? wonderful

we all know that edwin is "not very good with people", but neither is niko. she's a shut in. she outwardly panics when she interacts with crystal before her life is saved, and the moment she processes crystal is in her room she runs somewhere that she isn't. after that people aren't really in niko's room much, until edwin. after their shared trauma of watching people literally die, crystal almost dying, and charles' breakdown throughout the day she manages to get edwin to heavily dress down, give her a compliment, and sit in bed with her while they watch scooby doo together.

and conversely, she lets edwin onto her bed to hang out with her. she opens the letters from her mom beside him and trusts him to pry more than she's willing to give. yes, niko is a trusting person, she opens up to crystal earlier than edwin because of their shared experiences, but edwin doesn't talk about his family to her. he doesn't even ask, she just tells him. and i don't know, i like that trust.

and then, it's not just that edwin accepts affection from niko, he actively seeks it out from her. when interacting with crystal he tends to stand back a little, with niko he leans down a lot to get on her level. when he sees her crouching in lighthouse leapers, he crouches beside her. when niko comes in with crysal after he gets back from hell and she hugs him and he grins. he grins and he grabs her arm and pulls her a little closer. when they sit on the rooftop after he's the one who scoots closer so their shoulders are nearly touching. he's the one that bumps into her shoulder to make her laugh. and again he grins. he's the one who offers his hand to her to comfort her after she laments him leaving.

he's the one who grabs her and can't fucking let go after she dies. who has to be dragged away as he shakes his head in disbelief. who tries to shake her because it can't be real.

all that to say, they love each other so much, and i miss them.