Chapter Text
At six sweeps, Sollux would have said he disliked Eridan.
There was little to think of the other, just another seadweller who thought his shit didn't stink. Worser yet, the other was an orphaner as well, willingly taking it as his duty when no one asked him too, as if Feferi wasn’t plenty capable of taking care of her own duties. Just an all around asshole who got off in thinking he was better than those with warmer blood. Sollux would have prefered to keep him a stranger to himself, yet somehow, someway, his small inner circle of friends had a few ties to the guy.
How Karkat could tolerate the prick was beyond him. Kanaya and Feferi at least made sense since they apparently had patience to spare in spades. Others among their group were a bit more well-humoring as well, but none so much as them. Luckily,around him they never really broached the subject of Eridan, no doubt sensing that any complaints or worries they had about the violetblood would be better off spent on anyone other than himself.
Deeper down, on a level he’d only really shared with a recently deceased Aradia, Sollux was properly repulsed by the other. Something about his overt desperation rubbed Sollux exactly the wrong way. It was like watching the most obviously pathetic troll in the universe do anything - you can’t help but cringe in second-hand embarrassment. It was one thing to be a killer, another to be that socially dense.
Still, at that point in their lives, they hadn’t ever really had a one-on-one interaction. That only happened at Feferi’s seventh hatchday party.
Party was probably putting it lightly. In reality, it was more akin to a planetary holiday. He, along with all the other members of their friend group, had been invited to her hive for a more intimate celebration. It marked the first time any of them had actually met up together at once, and the first time Sollux had met up with anyone besides Aradia.
The matter of transportation was a complicated one, ending with a small submarine that would transport him and his fellow landweller friends to a portion of Feferi’s hive that thankfully had air aplenty. The ride down was unnerving enough for Sollux, and the presence of Vriska worsened his mood.
Though he had never been a fan of parties, and even though Karkat couldn’t make it, Sollux still managed to have a good time. He spent almost the entire night at Feferi’s side, letting her drag him around. Her presence had soothed the hole Aradia left in his life, like a balm to his electric mind. Most everything passed in a blur, but he distinctly recalled when Eridan showed up.
He was drenched in water, cape waterlogged and dragging behind him as he rudely shoved his hatchday present into Feferi’s chest. His cheeks had been tinged with violet. Despite his gruff and holier-than-thou exterior, it was obvious to anyone with two brain cells that he was hopelessly and pathetically head over heels for a girl that was clearly only moirails with him to keep the dumbass in check.
Eridan’s face wasn't something new to Sollux. Even someone like himself who avoided gossipy tabloids and mainstream news had come across pictures of royalty in the forums he visited, or on TV. From what he’d seen, Eridan was clearly handsome, in the way most seadwellers were. Shallowly attractive in their conventional looks. Though, to Sollux, any perceived pixelated beauty was easily curbed by Sollux's insider knowledge of how annoying and dumb he knew other was.
He expected that opinion to hold in person as well. However, because the universe hated him in particular, that couldn't be further from the truth. In retrospect, pictures of beautiful people were cheap, a cagar a dozen. Beautiful trolls could be in anything from magazines to porn, their attractiveness mundane through its commodity. In person, however, beauty was anything but mundane. Wind tousled hair, angular eyebrows, sharp cheekbones, a cleft chin, and broad shoulders perfectly set on a lean body, Eridan wasn’t just pretty, he was distractingly beautiful.
Sollux didn't like to admit it since it probably made him sound incredibly shallow, but apparently all it took for him to change his mind about wanting nothing to with someone was to find out they were actually a ten out of ten on his personal attractiveness scale. Granted, a large part of that interest was driven by jealousy and the unfairness of it all, but it was interest nonetheless.
As Sollux and Feferi became closer over time, tentatively, yet all too soon entering a matespritship, he unfortunately began to hear more and more of Eridan.
First from Feferi herself, who was still stuck in her moirallegiance with the desperate idiot. Then, as it became apparent that Sollux was now somehow a confidant for seadweller related lamentations, Karkat also began to bring him up. He’d close one chat with Feferi complaining about Eridan’s recent violent escapade, only to find another popping open from Karkat about the latest worrying thing Eridan had mentioned to him off hand.
It was obnoxious.
Even more obnoxious was when chats started popping up from Eridan himself.
Usually it’d be about some hysterical tantrum the other would wind himself up into regarding his own and Feferi’s matespritship. Jealousy only thinly guised as moirail-y concern. Dumb shit. Sollux blocked after the second rant Eridan had sent his way.
It took about a sweep of Eridan’s increasingly annoying antics before Feferi finally, officially, terminated their moraillegiance.
About fuckiing tiime, he had thought. Only to find out that this somehow meant that Eridan would start to show up at Feferi’s hive, often interrupting Sollux’s visits, and on multiple occasions literally walking in on them making out in a pile. Barbs were exchanged. Feferi always succeeded in kicking him out. Life went on.
It hadn’t stopped Sollux from finally complaining about it to Karkat.
He went into the conversation with the intent of making fun of Karkat for having extremely poor taste in friends, as usual, but came out of the conversation feeling strangely dissuaded. His usually cranky hacker buddy had an unusual wisdom about Eridan that left Sollux somewhat grounded.
IF HE WAS AS AWFUL AS YOU SAY, YOU DO REALIZE HE WOULD HAVE ABSOLUTELY CULLED YOU BY NOW, RIGHT?
Karkat’s words were true enough. The only reason he suspected Vriska hadn’t killed him already was because she had future plans of abducting his body again to commit more horrors upon the world, and she had a mere fraction of the reason to resent Sollux’s existence as Eridan did. Part of him tried to reason that it was because Sollux was technically under Feferi’s protection, but then again, Eridan was already partially exiled from Feferi’s estate, so what did he have to lose? It wasn’t like Feferi had ever culled anyone, and he sincerely doubted she’d start for his mustardblooded self.
Sollux didn’t bother to question Karkat further on what he meant then, but every so often, after another one of Eridan’s ill-timed tantrums, or another article in the news about the orphaner’s latest accomplishments, his mind would go back to that revelation, the thought unbidden and unwanted.
It didn’t matter why Eridan did the things he did. Ultimately, he was only an annoying violetblood his friends had stupidly decided to keep around. A nuisance at the best of times, and a psychopathic thorn in everyone’s side at all other times.
He couldn’t help his opinion improving on Eridan as time went on.
Online streams of highbloods torturing lowbloods, endless 4chan threads about how rustbloods were only good for their meat, and Sollux’s own experiences walking about the city. He didn’t do it often, only as necessary. His psionics assured his own safety, but he preferred not to use them in public, or risk accidentally starting shit with some random mid or highblood, or worse yet, a drone. Still, there were a few times where he’d gotten in what would be a truly nightmarish situation for any other goldblood, felt the hollow stare of some troll who didn’t think lowbloods were alive in the same way they were.
Eridan had glared at him plenty of times. It had never once felt like that.
At some point, before either of them really realized, Sollux and Feferi had flipped pale.
To both of them, it was a surprise, especially considering that they had done plenty of concupiscent experimenting with eachother by that point. It felt like the natural culmination of their relationship, and though there were points where they both got on each other’s nerves, in the end they felt more fulfilled than not. Things were nice, and Eridan was laying off as well.
Sollux would never let on how he and the other ended up in a kismesitude, although he implied that Eridan’s unfairly good looks had something largely to do with it when pestered enough.
He played the part of the weary, out-of-his-league rival, letting his friends assume that this was some fling caused by Eridan’s incessant whining. In truth, Sollux was wholly at fault, indulging and instigating his baser, pitch desires. His attraction to Eridan was something that had been building over the past sweep. At first, he tried to dismiss this as some weird conflation his mind that he had conjured as a result of being caught with his bulge half-unsheathed one too many times during his and Feferi’s flushed stint. Sure Eridan was hot, but not ‘ ii actually want to put my bulge iin that ’ hot, more of a ‘ iit’2 unrea2onable that 2omeone 2o iiriitatiing 2hould be allowed to look 2o hand2ome ’ hot.
They had an uncanny chemistry, to Sollux’s surprise. Even being the one who had really been gunning for this type of pitch fling, it took a lot less effort to suspend his disbelief that Eridan was a total loser. The duels they had were never one-sided, and Eridan always made sure to give as good as he got. If Sollux had any complaints at all, it probably had to do with the other’s availability - or rather, lack thereof.
From what Sollux could discern, Eridan seemed to be more of a homebody than anything else. However, the duties of being an orphaner often took up the bulk of his waking hours. Sollux might’ve felt bad for him, if Eridan wasn’t the one who himself decided to take up the mantle. Technically, all things pertaining to the world-ending monster beneath the sea was The Heiress’ domain. Orphaners were a rarity, histortically, and Sollux couldn’t be bothered to remember the last one that existed before Eridan. Fuschia’s rarely needed help killing. Honestly, Feferi didn’t need help either, but Sollux suspected she was too occupied already to concern herself with the more problematic matters of her role on Alternia. Eridan was all too happy to pick up the slack for her anyway. Weirdo.
Still, the times they were able to meet up made up for the time inbetween. It was fun to mess around, throw around verbal jabs, and funner still to get handsy, more aggressive physicality than outright fighting. It felt good to be able to just let go. Forget the headaches and the inevitable doom his life was heading towards, and focus instead on how nice it felt to have his fingers digging into Eridan’s waist while the other worked bruises into his neck.
Life had never treated him well, and never would. It was a byproduct of being a particularly exceptional lowblood, even moreso as a psionic. There was no future for him that did not end in him slowly dying an agonizing death as a living engine. No future where he’d be able to happily live among the people he cared about. No future where he’d even be able to maintain his own quadrants. Many a time Sollux had pondered how he’d kill himself before conscription, end his life before the opportunity to do so would be taken away. Sometimes he’d imagine doing it the night before, and at other times the more near future. As it was now, he was leaning more towards the former. For now, he was content to spend most his nights trolling Karkat and having feeling jams with Feferi, with Eridan showing up every so often for a bit of pitch fun. Things were good.
Naturally, this couldn’ t have lasted long.
Things for Sollux could never just go well.
There was a certain rhythm to his and Eridan’s kismesistude. Like performing some highblood song and dance, there were a series of steps that were never to be deviated from. Sollux could understand why Eridan and Vriska never worked out, she no doubt hated the repetition of it all, always the arbiter of chaos. Bitch.
First, one of them would shoot the other a passive aggressive message. Then, there would be a bit of back and forth, and amping up of the stakes. Then one of them would suggest a duel, more often than not referencing the results of the last one. There was a beach a few hours fly from Sollux’s hive where they would meet. Eridan would always be prompt, and Sollux always late. Eridan would whine about it. Sollux would make fun of him for caring. They’d fight. And then, regardless of who won, they’d end up at least making out on the ground, or otherwise making it far enough to a cave to perform more salacious activities.
It was nice to have such a consistently pleasant interaction in a world that seemed dead set on making his life absolutely miserable.
He expected it to be ruined, but not at all like it ended up to be.
Accusations could’ve been thrown everywhere, mostly at himself, but there were a few external factors that Sollux should’ve been cautious of. Karkat. Feferi. Even Kanaya. The trio of people who held the most correspondence with Eridan. He doesn’t know who’s comment did it. Maybe it was one of the many times Feferi lamented her worries about Eridan. Or perhaps the unexpected complimentary words Kanaya had for him. Or one of Karkat’s many migraine inducing rants that sometimes digressed into bizarre shovel talk. Or some combination of all three. Or maybe it was the look in Eridan’s eyes, when he looked a little too haggard for what was supposed to be the most durable bloodline. Maybe it was a misremembered memory where Eridan looked a little too pathetic and sad to properly make fun of. Maybe. Maybe maybe maybe.
At some point, Sollux’s jeers became a little too practiced, and his hate a little too perfomative. Where hate was fading, in the place where scornful ambivalence should have been taking its place, was another emotion entirely. One he hadn’t really indulged properly in for sweeps. One that had no place existing in someone who’s narrative was already so doomed.
They say pity’s a bitch, and Sollux found himself agreeing.
At eight and a quarter sweeps, Sollux still would've said he hated Eridan Ampora.
Yet, by that point, it had become a complete and utter lie.
It was a humiliating, shameful realization. The type of discovery that made one want to evacuate their own skin and bang their head against the wall until they forgot the sordid truth. No one could know. Sollux thought that part at least wouldn’t be difficult. Keeping his emotions to himself wouldn’t be a difficult matter, and everyone in their friend group already took it for granted that Sollux having a pitch relationship with Eridan was already a stretch of the imagination.
Pragmatically speaking, breaking up with Eridan would be the wisest course of action. Everyone would see it coming, and it would give Sollux the chance to forget his feelings. On the other hand, this would also mean cutting off his one tangible connection to the pathetic seadweller, and Eridan wouldn’t make it easy either.
From what Sollux could recall of Eridan’s only previous kismesitude, Eridan had spent quite a while trying to rekindle his disastrous relationship with Vriska. The thought of Eridan frantically trying to get Sollux’s attention wasn’t something he thought he could bear, at least without inevitably saying something horrifically stupid.
Ideally, Sollux could keep up his charade for the rest of their terminable time on Alternia. It wasn’t altogether too hard, Sollux would just have to make sure not to slip up.
Every so often, like a sixth sense, Sollux would start to space out. The code in front of his eyes blurring, and the sound of his grubtop’s internal processors would drown out all other noise. An uncanny sensation of dread would fill him. And just as suddenly as the premonition of doom had washed over him, it would leave with the sound of a ping . A message from Eridan.
The words themselves didn’t matter much. Another bid for attention. The other must have been feeling lonely.
It had been a few days since they had last hooked up. Usually they’d go a bit longer between visits, allow time to heal whatever injuries had been incurred, but Eridan’s growing tension had been palpable. Sollux didn’t know exactly why, but it seemed to have something to do with it being their final sweep on Alternia. Conscription, though still far off, was on the horizon, although why that would be stressful news for someone like Eridan was beyond him.
Too much time around Eridan was something Sollux considered just as bad as breaking up with him. More opportunities for him fuck up. Luckily, brushing Eridan off for a few more days was well within his power. A couple distant responses here and there, words that suggested Eridan was far less important to Sollux’s life than he really was.
A few hours later, Sollux heard the telltale thumping of his lusus through the thick ceiling, causing the bees to begin fussing about the air, disturbed from their relatively quiet reverie.
It was perhaps a miracle that his lusus still lived. Both being enormously clumsy, hard to miss, and literally chained down, it should be thankful that the buzzards that flew about the cities hadn’t pecked it off yet. But the biclops knew little of gratitude, and far be it for Sollux to go about explaining to the beast its hazardous relationship with survival.
A jar of mind-honey in hand, Sollux exited his block, entering the dimly lit hallway that led around to the other five hives that made up this uppermost layer of the hivestem, green walls extended high about his head. Sollux did his best not to have any interaction with his neighbors, preferring to ignore any disgruntled wall thumps, or hastily written notes on his door. Psionics made up the bulk of the building's population, and yellowbloods weren’t exactly known for being confrontational. If any of his neighbors were an exception, he’d have found out sometime in the past seven sweeps.
While there was no official roof access, small hexagonal panels were dotted occasionally throughout the hallway ceiling, just wide enough for Sollux to push aside the glass and slide himself through using his ridiculously overpowered psionics to lift himself upward.
There on the roof he found not only his lusus, but the source of his lusus’ dismay.
For some god-forsaken reason, Eridan had taken to visit Sollux’s hive. For the first time. Ever. Sollux hadn’t even known the other knew where he lived.
On one side of the roof stood his lusus, stomping and grasping towards the seadweller and his own aquatic lusus, frantically pulling at his chain. On the other side stood Eridan, a ring cladden hand patting his lusus on the muzzle, apparently calming him down.
It was absurdly unfair how beautiful he looked, even when unwelcome.
Both moons were out that night, casting a glowing hue on everything below. Eridan looked regal as ever. He had long foregone his cape of six sweeps, now favoring the more militaristic style. More pragmatic for flying through the skies and occasionally getting tossed into the ocean. Though the cape had been more than pretentious, Sollux thought that maybe he missed it a bit. In his memory, it became a symbol of simpler times.
“What the fuck?”
From the short distance, Sollux saw Eridan shoot him a petutlant glare, before going back to appeasing his lusus, as if nonplussed by Sollux’s arrival.
“Calm your lusus.”
His words, wavery and proper as ever, were delivered icily. It was not the heated anger that Eridan had when he was actually pissed off, but instead the cold performance Eridan did before their duels. In other words, Eridan had freaked out Sollux’s lusus to play around.
“I told you I’m busy. Now do me a favor and fuck off the edge of this building.”
That earned a slightly more indignant look. “Lowbloods should be more keen on respectin’ the orders of their betters.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ve found one,” he deadpanned back.
Eridan huffed, mouth twisting into a cute pout. Before he could say anything more, however, biclops dad took the opportunity to roar once more, throwing itself into a tantrum that threatened the structural integrity of the roof. Annoyed, Sollux tossed the mind-honey at his lusus, psionics aiding his aim so that the jar fell perfectly into one of its mouths, glass and all. It took a few moments of awkward spitting and chewing before the effects started to show, but eventually his lusus slumped down, eyes on either head still regarding Eridan’s lusus warily.
“There. That wasn’t so hard now, wasn’t it?”
Sollux ignored the jab. “This is a new type of stupidity, ever for you. Why are you here?”
There was a short moment where Eridan just looked at him, as if seeing something suspicious, but then the moment passed, and Eridan went back to calming his own lusus. A few pets later and the thing let out a scornful whinny, apparently giving up its silent fight with Eridan in a way that Sollux could not fully comprehend.
“Usually I don’t mind when you pretend to be too busy to put up with me, but even I’ll admit it gets grating after a while.”
He knew II wa2 deliiberately pushiing hiim off, a voice in his head said, surprised. He knew, the same voice said, his pusher clenching with pity. Well, that certainly explained the breach in pitch propriety. Dumbass probably thought he was drifting away like Vriska. It was always a tightrope with Eridan. Didn’t want to give too much, but there are always the dangers of giving too little. Even he can pick up on social cues after a time.
Sollux rolled his eyes, trying to mask his guilt.
“That desperate for me? Fine. Whatever, but not here.” Sollux didn’t wait to see if Eridan would follow, simply slipping back down through the hatch and landing lightly on the floor below. As he approached the door to his hive, he heard a distinctly weightier thump behind him as Eridan landed without the help of psionics.
It felt more than a little weird to have Eridan at his hive. As he made his way back to his desk and made a show of slumping laboriously into the chair there, he watched as Eridan entered, closing the door delicately behind him and looking at his surroundings as if they held a world of mystery to his royal self.
Kismesis were of a more public nature, as opposed to their conciliatory counterparts. Duels, postering, performances, all that lended to the inherent spectacle of pitch relationships. And though those relationships could hold more intimate aspects, it wasn’t in everyday kismesitudes that hive visitations were a thing. Things like that left too much room for more grievous exchanges, or even vacillation. Vaguely, Sollux could recall hearing something about how, off planet and into the world of adult trolls, they even had centers that gave stages for kismesis to duel, and then a private room afterwards to pail it out. No such thing existed on Alternia, at least not publicly, so outside and exposed to the elements was the route people usually went. Sollux could easily imagine Karkat getting wind of this, and screaming about misconduct and implications. Implications like the potentiality for hidden abuse, not implications like vascillation. Anyone well accustomed to either Sollux or Eridan would know better than to conceive of vascillation between them.
Sollux, perhaps most of all, was aware of that. Even with as cordial of a kismesis as Eridan was, he knew not to read too much into this social faux pas. Eridan held no pitiable sentiment towards himself. He was only acting out because he needed stress relief and was far beyond waiting for Sollux to acquiesce to his provocations.
The urge to ask Eridan what was wrong was easy to brush aside. Not because his concern ran low, but merely out of habit.
“This is about as much as I expected.” Eridan noted, as he looked about Sollux’s block, appearing as if hesitant to take more than a few steps in.
“Not nearly as luxurious as your own, I assume.” He had heard from only Feferi of Eridan’s hive. A large shipwreck upon an island many, many miles off the western coast, out where the electrical storms went on for months at a time. She had described it as a cold, dreary place where hope went to die. At the time, Sollux had thought about how suitable it was. Now, Sollux often recalled that she had also mentioned that it was totally above water, meaning the opportunity to visit was not an impossible one. Unlikely, but not impossible. Sollux wondered what tiny secrets he’d find out about the violetblood, if he were one day allowed to walk through its halls.
“No shit, it ain’t.” Eridan looked around a few more seconds, before jabbing his finger at a pile of stuffed aquatic animals on the floor. “Fef?”
“Obviously.”
“And you… write on the walls?”
“Better than writing it on paper and forgetting about it.” Eridan looked liked he was about to awkwardly start making note of yet another trivial details in Sollux’s block, but Sollux interrupted him before he could start. “Look, let’s just skip to the point. You’re not here to make small talk, and I can’t imagine you want to stay here longer than strictly necessary.”
Eridan’s mouth clicked shut, lips pinching into a dissatisfied line. Then he looked down, pensive. “I suppose not.”
Sollux clapped his hands together conclusively, leaning forward. “Cool. Well, get to dropping them.” He nodded towards Eridan’s temptatiously tight pants.
Frowning, Eridan petulantly crossed his arms. “Wow. So romantic, Sol. I know you like to cut corners, but you’re really outdoin’ yourself here.”
“Not exactly like we’re doing things according to schedule today anyway.” Feeling helpful, Sollux used his psionics to sharply unzip Eridan’s pants with a quick flick of his finger, making the other jump. It wasn’t even the first time Sollux had done so, not by a long shot, but Eridan always was jumpy in the beginning, never truly comfortable until they got a few blows in. Sollux hadn’t paid much attention to it until recently. He had come to the conclusion that Eridan was just so wound up with stress that it took him time to relax.
In Sollux’s fantasies, he’d take his time with Eridan, make him feel comfortable and safe and horny enough that he was all but begging for Sollux to undress him. However this was not the time for such thoughts, and Sollux mentally brushed it off.
Eridan went to grab for his pants a millisecond too late, Sollux’s psionics successfully pulling them down to bunch around his ankles, revealing the long, muscled legs beneath. Smiling at his work, he leaned back, waiting for the rest of this song and dance to play out.
Grumbling, Eridan pulled his pants the rest of the way off, taking his shoes off with them, before using all three items as ammo to hurl at Sollux’s face. Sometimes, Eridan’s throws could land, if he was clever about it enough, or Sollux distracted enough, but this was no such time. By the time Sollux had caught and tossed them to the side, Eridan had already pounced the short distance over, toppling over the desk chair and throwing them to the ground with enough force to leave Sollux breathless with Eridan caging him from above. Disgruntled, Sollux realized his chair might actually have broken from that. Getting a new one would be a pain in the ass.
Any thoughts of retribution were pushed out of mind, however, as Eridan shoved a cold hand down his pants, fingers deftly pressing against his bulge slit, urging it to relax. “You’re a goddamn cheat.”
“If I’m a cheat, what does it say about you that you fall for the same trick everytime?” He grabbed at Eridan’s wrist, dragging the other’s handout of his pants, while his other hand roughly grabbed at his jaw, maneuvering his face away enough that he could lean in and threaten the nape of Eridan's neck with his fangs.
Since he was physically much weaker, Sollux was only able to accomplish any of that with his psionics aiding him in, so it only took one shove to the chest to land Sollux squarely back on the hard floor, his bones poking painfully outward, pinching his skin between them and the ground. Still, Sollux couldn’t complain, looking up at Eridan’s shockingly pretty form. From this close, he could make out the details of his handsome face. Even among seadweller’s, he was unusually blessed. His long lashes perfectly accented the perfect curve of his eyes, framed beautifully by his cheekbones and the elegant slope of his nose. His lips as well were beautiful, thinner than Feferi’s, but he had the cupid’s bow that she didn’t, and Sollux knew when he frowned, they made the cutest shape. Deep down, he wanted to gently brush his finger across the soft, dark skin there, just to commit their feel to memory.
But kismesis don’t do that kind of shit.
The fact that they were doing this in the privacy of his hive must have been affecting Sollux's brain a little too much. Though being around Eridan could be overwhelming, Sollux didn’t usually have this much of an issue swallowing his feelings.
They wrestled for control a bit longer, pushing and pulling and shoving and sniping at eachother to display dominance. Sollux liked to bite, but Eridan liked to scratch. It was one of the few advantages to being a psionic. Sollux didn’t really have to mind much about infection, his body simply ran too hot. Blood loss, however, was a very real concern. Luckily again for Sollux, his kismesis was always aware enough about his violence to keep his scratches shallow, only a few ever actually bled. That was another thing Sollux only ever bothered to notice after his feelings had flipped red.
After a long moment of violent deliberation, Sollux emerged victorious, having pinned Eridan beneath himself, the other’s back to his chest. Psionics sparked, then fizzled as Eridan gave up his struggle, letting Sollux ease up his own grip on the other’s wrists. Letting one go, Sollux experimentally groped at Eridan’s underwear below, feeling the slick begin to wet the fabric as he rubbed a finger around the entrance to Eridan’s nook through the fabric, circling it.
“Well well well.”
“Just shut up and get your bulge out.”
Sollux clucked his tongue. “You’re going to have to ask me more nicely than that.”
“You’re such a goddamn fuckin’-” Before Eridan could finish his frustrated insult, Sollux strategically forced his fingers as far into Eridan’s nook as the fabric shielding it would allow, drawing a long, low growl out of the other. Where Sollux’s palm rested against the flesh above, he could feel the telltale signs of Eridan’s bulge trying to slide out, the slit flexing. Sollux could feel his chest swell a bit as Eridan proceeded to let out an arousing string of “ oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, ” writhing against him like an unruly meowbeast.
Wasting little time, Sollux brought the now wet hand away, roughly grabbing the offending underwear and tearing them off, throwing them somewhere out of sight. It’d be nice to pull off Eridan’s shirt as well, take off all of his own clothes too so he could feel the other’s skin on his, but that, again, was something that leaned a little too flushed. So Sollux settled for biting at Eridan’s nape, clawing at one of the clasps on the complicated shirt and tearing it open.
“D’ya have to ruin all a’ my goddamn clothes?” He was too breathless for his complaint to have any teeth to it. Sollux tore through some more delicate threading before Eridan grumbled, tearing his shirt the rest of the way off proper. “Asshole.”
“Your nook, actually, per usual, but thank you for the offer.” Sollux could practically hear him roll his eyes.
Leaning back, Sollux admired his handiwork, taking in Eridan’s muscled back, the violet bite marks around his neck and the scratch marks on the inside of his thighs. Popping open the button on his own pants finally, Sollux carefully drew his bulges free, only pulling down his pants and underwear enough to keep himself from getting rugburn.
His bulges twisted lazily, not nearly as interested as they ought to be. It would’ve been better to wait another few days before having a go at Eridan in the exact opposite way he wanted to have him, but he knew he was at least aroused enough to get through the finish line. Eridan himself was dripping, staining his underwear below, Sollux could see he was unsheathed as well, the base of his bright violet bulge curling upward, probably twisting against his bare abdomen in search of friction. Satisfied that Eridan was wet enough, Sollux sank himself into the other, both his bulges stretching the other out just quickly enough to not be gentle.
Eridan’s back arched wonderously, his grip on the floor beneath them clenching, nails scratching jagged lines into the floor.
Sollux leaned forward, placing his weight back on the violetblood. “Happy now?”
“Fuck off and die,” was the muted response he got.
Sollux shrugged, and went away to making Eridan’s night. He tried to focus on the phsycial sensation, to keep his mind zoned in on keeping it fast and hard, but as it had the rest of the evening, it kept straying.
Just once, he’d like to take Eridan softly. Then he could finally die happy and rave about what an experience it was to Aradia in the afterlife. If there was one.
He felt like he was so tantalizingly close to having what he wanted. Eridan, despite the improbability, was in his quadrants. They were having sex, here, in his own hive, of which Eridan came to willingly. Even the bees had been docile, content to keep about their own miniature hive and let their master have his way with his pitch flush-crush. So close to having what he wanted, and yet so far off too.
Eridan twisted and jerked beneath him, probably fully lost to the sensation of being split too wide. His pace had already slowed somewhat, so he pretended to readjust himself, before going back to it as quick as before. His bulges curled and twined within Eridan leisurely, and part of Sollux wished they had half the mind of their own as they seemed to, so eager for stimulation they were, and yet so prone to following the whims of his own emotions. They resisted being satisfied with this.
Sollux could already tell he’d probably have to beat himself off later, with the smell of sex and Eridan so fresh in his block. Then he could fully allow himself to think about all the things he really wanted to do to Eridan, like pressing his lips to the tender skin at the nape of Eridan's neck, or to slide his lips over to the two gills at the side, and mouth at them until they flexed and the previously thin slits revealed the brilliant violet filaments for him to lick at. He wanted to take Eridan softly, but deeply, have his bulges draw moans and trills out of the other instead of cries and growls. He wanted to flip Eridan over, press them together chest to chest, and hold him so tightly that nothing but heat and sweat could get between them. He wanted to hold him afterwards, gasping and teary eyed, keep him precious in his arms until even Eridan's cold skin warmed to the temperature of his own. He wanted to purr sweet nothings into his ear. He wanted to pet his hair. He wanted to hold his hand. He wanted to see his smile. He wanted to-
He wanted-
Sollux raked his claws down Eridan's shoulder as he came deep inside, painting the inside of his nook a dirty yellow, his other hand digging into the other's hip, drawing fresh beads of violet. Eridan cried out, close, but not quite there.
Caught off guard, he kept going, even though it was slightly painful, the friction too much. His post-climax mind was threatening to go into a full blown panic, as if Eridan could divine that Sollux has basically jacked off with his body while imagining a totally different kind of pailing. It was confusing on the senses, and overwhelming on his mind. So he just kept thrusting, watching Eridan’s back bow more and more until his chest was basically flat with the rough flooring, his ass presented up for Sollux to ravage even as his grossly yellow slick streamed out of his nook, leaking and bubbling with Sollux’s movements.
After what seemed an eternity, or perhaps no time at all, Eridan was contracting. His sleek, grey skin, tainted with his lavender sweat, twitched over his muscles as Sollux heard a gush of fluid hit the floor, and then watched a violet puddle grow beneath the both of them. That was another reason to do it outside. Didn’t have to worry about clean up. As Eridan petered out, his muscles relaxed with it, leaving only their heavy breaths to fill the room.
Sollux kept drawing his eyes over the scene, endlessly admiring what he couldn’t have.
And there was that beautiful nape of his again, framed by his dark, windswept curls that fell just above. The smell of his hive and Eridan’s genmat filled his lungs, and before Sollux knew what he was doing, his thin lips were pressed to the thin skin there, tender and delicate for that brief moment. Beneath him, he felt Eridan stiffen.
The realization of what exactly Sollux just did hit him like a train. Even between all the scratching and growling and other displays of amorous violence, there was no mistaking what that was. Red. Bright red.
Flushed.
Sollux might as well have stopped himself mid thrust and asked the other if he wanted to cuddle instead.
Stupid. Unbelievably stupid. How could he slip up like this?
As if to make up for the bizarre kiss, Sollux hastily pulled out, haphazardly shoving Eridan’s hips to the side, making him splatter against their collective mess. He stood up and turned around quickly, tucking himself away and buttoning his pants, thankful he had his clothes on still. Somehow, they felt like a much needed layer of protection now, though he had only been lamenting their presence not moments ago.
The room was painfully silent as Sollux waited for Eridan to collect himself and leave.
Though the shirt was definitely worse for wear, and missing patches of fabric, Eridan still managed to put it on. At least his pants were in fair condition, relatively unscathed from their copulation, as well as his shiny shoes. Honestly, Sollux had sent Eridan off in worse condition, but that was on the coast, where the only thing between their current location and Eridan’s hive was the empty ocean. Sollux wondered if Eridan would be able to fly high enough to make it out of the city unseen. If he was willing, Sollux could have offered one of his shirts as a gesture of goodwill, but after his little stunt, he was hard pressed to even try making eye contact with his kismesis.
When Eridan finally left, it was with an awkward nod that Sollux barely acknowledged.
He gave it ten minutes, more than enough time for Eridan to make his escape, anxiously standing in a middle of his block, before he felt safe enough to facepalm.
Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid stupid!
This was it, he’d actually have to throw himself off the roof of this hivestem and let nature take its course. Sollux should have never let Eridan in his hive, he should have told him to fuck off the moment he saw him. He should have known better. It was only a matter of time before Eridan blabbed to Karkat about his ludicrous behaviour. Forget fucking your kismesis in their hive, that was grubsauce compared to giving them a lovingly tender smooth on the back of their neck. Karkat would clock him so fast too. There’d be no more hiding, no more pretense of pitch to keep in contact with Eridan. And all his friends would know how bad his taste was. Oh god, if Vriska found out, he’d actually die of shame. He could already imagine the messages she’d throw his way from a burner account.
Having some red fun with my ssssssssloppy seconds? :::;)
Sollux needed the apocalypse to happen right now.
It had already been bad enough when she had found out about their kismesitude last sweep.
After pondering his complete idiocy for another ten minutes, Sollux remembered there was still a huge mess right next to his desk. Most of the genetic material there was Eridan’s. Usually the thought that Eridan had been stuffed well with Sollux’s genmat would fill him with pride, but now it only reminded him of how it gaves Eridan another reason to think about how odd his behaviour was. Sollux never came first. And yet, this time, he did. And then he laid a fat, red kiss on him. What the fuck.
Sollux didn’t keep much cleaning compunds around, so he had to settle with stupidly scooping the genmat into a stray bucket he kept hidden around, and then painstakingly scrubbing the floor with water until the slight violet tinge to it seemed only a misperception of the eyes. When he drained the bucket into the ablution trap, he finally felt a bit more at peace with his doom. Perhaps he had been too full of himself to think he could actually keep up his charade. All truths eventually come to light, for better or for worse. It was maybe too much to hope that this one could at least wait until after his death.
As the royal slurry drained, whirlpooling into the drain and attempting to stain the walls of the tub too on its way out, Sollux pondered if this was perhaps the last time he would be allowed to see its deep hue. Genetic material was nearly the exact color of blood, the only differences between the two being a stark difference in its texture and the way it shined. Genmat was stickier, more prone to staining, and glistened brightly under a light. In contrast, blood was far less viscuous, and it seemed to absorb light as opposed to shine under it. All of that was pretty standard, sans for caste coloration. Smell was also an interesting factor. Sollux hadn’t really noticed much odor from his own spunk, but he noticed that Eridan’s carried a distinctly briny scent to it. It grossed him out at first, another reminder of his partner’s contemptuous status as a seadweller, but after so many times pailing, it grew to be synonymous with arousal in his mind, in the same way as the smell of fresh sweat was.
Half heartedly spraying down the ablution trap to get the last stubborn remnants down the drain, Sollux took his turn to undress, spraying himself down as well, water cold and blissful on his heated skin.
He’d have to talk to Feferi about this.
If she found out from a source other than himself that her own moirail tried flipping quads without her even knowing about Sollux’s flush crush in the first place… It was already a sore spot for Feferi that Sollux wasn’t always forthcoming about his inner woes. She had been working on that with him, and they had made some good progress, however this matter was something Sollux had intuited she’d be a bit too biased in. He could imagine any number of poor reactions from her, ranging from betrayal to disgust.
In an odd way, Sollux almost found a certain type of relief in having no choice but to tell her now. Soon enough it’d be done and he could stop grimly contemplating all the ways it could possibly go wrong.
Putting his dirty clothes back on, Sollux went to check in on his bees, making sure no part of the hive had been damaged by a stray projectile and perhaps also procrastinating still. Once it was clear there was only one thing he had left to deal with, he finally made his way back to his desk, righting his chair and flopping down upon it.
A crack resounded from beneath him, and gradually, the world began to shift, until he was lying flat on his back, staring blankly at his ceiling.
Sollux resigned himself to having to buy a new chair as well that night.