So, here's that erisol oneshot I mentioned before...

Sollux's POV

Neither of us ever bothered to put a label on our relationship. Trying to say that we were red or black in particular had never been important to either of us. We just... were. And that was good enough. Neither of us ever really had a clue what the fuck was going on in our relationship. We just continued our destructive habits and licked each others' wounds later on.

AA would always tell me to stop being a baby and talk to him about it, but I felt no need to listen to her on this particular subject. She might be my moirail, but that doesn't mean she's always right... right? Right. Besides, how would I even begin to talk to him about any of this after so long just ignoring it? What could I possibly say to him?

No, it's out of the question. I can't do that to him, to myself.

I would always push that sort of thing to the back of my mind and just roll with the punches. What did it even matter anyways? It didn't. Not really. There's nothing wrong with our masochistic/sadistic relationship-ish-thing we have. Nothing wrong at all.

And I continued with this state of mind until Eridan and I had a particularly bad fight.

"Wwho do you think you are to evven breathe the same air as me? I am fuckin' royalty and you're just some pathetic little lowwblood nobody."

"2o 2ay2 the dumba22 who can't even manage two maiintaiin a moiiralegiiance. iif you're 2o much better than me, than why can't you get 2omeone two giive a 2hiit about you? iif beiing a hiighblood ii2 beiing like you, then ii'm glad to be a "low-wblood"

"Are you mockin' me?!"

"And what iif ii am?"

He jumped at me, slamming me against the wall. "You're such a little bitch, sol. Besides, it's not like you're doin' that much better than me wwith quadrants anywways. I'm sure wwe all knoww that Ara just pretends to be your moirail because she doesn't wwant to hurt your insignificant feelin's"

I flipped us over so that Eridan was the one with his back to the wall. "Plea2e, fii2hdiick. You clearly don't know 2hiit. My moiiraiil care2 about me way more than anyone'2 ever cared about you. There'2 a lot of thiing2 you don't know. Another thiing you miight not have known: ii've been fiilliing bucket2 wiith your ex-moiraiil." I smirked triumphantly, despite the fact that I know that it's a huge lie. I've never been interested in FF. "2o what do you have two 2ay two that?"

He growled animalisticly and pushed me off him onto the ground. He pinned me to the ground by sitting on me. He slammed his fists into my face, giving me a bloody nose.

He smirked, pride in his eyes. Yeah, that had to stop. I took his moment of overconfidence to push him off of me. I quickly got up and kicked him in the side, thoroughly knocking the air out of him. He grabbed my ankle, digging his nails into my skin. A sharp yank on my leg sent me tumbling to the floor.

He attempted to gain the upper hand yet again, but I didn't allow him that much. We grappled for dominance over the other, biting, clawing, and punching as we went. His purple blood mingled with my yellow blood as we snarled out insults and taunted each other breathlessly.

I momentarily gained dominance which was enough for me to straddle his hips and crash my lips against his, savoring the coppery / salty taste of his blood, knowing it was ME who made him bleed. He tangled his hands in my hair, scratching at my horns. I moan into the rough kiss.

I pull up from the kiss for a breath of air, muttering. "A22hole."

I hear him say something, but I ignore his words because his voice alone is enough to make me-

"I fuckin' hate you, sol."

"ii hate you more."

Later on, even a couple of people as good at avoiding the elephant in the room as us knew this was something we had to talk about like mature trolls. This clearly wasn't something that could be brushed off like nothing. Before this, we had never said we hated or pitied the other, but now here we were, finally discussing what quadrant we were in.

Eridan's POV

We awkwardly sat across from each other, not really knowing how to begin this conversation.

"So..." I said without any clear words to say beyond that.

After a few moments of increasingly awkward silence, Sollux spoke. "Did you mean what you said?"

In all honesty, I wasn't entirely sure of the answer to that question, but I wasn't going to be the one who'd back down first. "Yeah," I looked at him somewhat nervously. "WWhat about you?"

"Yeah," he said, never really looking me in the eye.

I couldn't think of anything even slightly mature to say to that. "WWelll fine then!"

"Fiine!"

I stormed out of the room with a huff, wondering if I had done the right thing. I went to my room and slid into my recuperacoon, allowing the green slime to soothe me. I didn't want to think about this right now, not ever, really.

Our spout of kismesisitude lasted one week before either of us openly questioned any of it or acted too red. There were a few slip ups here and there, but nothing so big that it couldn't be patched up and ignored. Despite us managing to stay mostly on the straight and narrow, we both knew that this couldn't last. It was only a matter of who'd give in first.

I was walking down one of the many halls of the meteor when I heard a small whimper coming from inside one of the rooms I had just passed. I paused and hesitantly turned around to peek through the slightly cracked door.

Sollux was in the corner of the bare room, knees drawn as close to him as physically possible. He had his fingers tangled in his hair, pulling somewhat. Small sparks of his psionics were coming from his eyes uncontrollably. Another small whimper of pain escaped him as I looked at his pitiful frame.

This is wrong.

That's what I tried to tell myself as I silently crept into the room. I sat down next to him and gently pulled him into my lap. I massaged his temples and around his horns in an attempt to alleviate some of his pain. I grimace at my own actions as I whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

Slowly, he fell asleep curled up into my side with a peaceful look on his face. I openly watched him as he slept. I sighed and pecked him on the lips before drifting off to sleep, holding Sollux close to me.

When I awoke, he was already awake, looking up at me through partially lidded eyes. He looked away as soon as he realized I was aware of his staring.

He sighed. "ED, what the fuck are we doiing?"

I shook my head. "I don't evven know anymore."

"That make2 two of u2."

We sat together in silence, enjoying each other's presence.

After a while, I realized that I had missed this, these moments of tenderness and warmth between us. Why had I ever given this up in the first place?

"Wwhy did wwe evver decide to be black in the first place?"

"I don't remember." He nuzzled into my neck. "All ii know ii2 that ii've had more than enough of iit."

"Sol... Wwould you be my matesprit?"

"2ure. iit ha2 to bee better than nothiing but kii2me2iis."

I hum my agreeance and pull him a bit closer to me. I could get used to this.

Sollux's POV

For four days we had a matespritship without any major issues. We had an occasional spat here and there, but we both held our tongue when necessary. We were okay. I honestly thought that maybe we could make this a lasting relationship. This could work... Couldn't it? AA made sure to tell me otherwise.

"Sollux," she started, absentmindedly messing with my hair as I scribbled down a piece of code that had come to mind. "This matespritship with Eridan... Are y0u sure that's what y0u want?"

I frowned and looked away from my computer. "Well obviiou2ly kii2me2iitude diidn't work."

"That's n0t what I asked, and y0u know it."

She retrieved a pile of fuzzy blankets and pillows from her syladex. She sat down in the pile and patted the area next to her, making it clear I was to come.

"2eriiou2ly, AA? Everythiing'2 fiine." Nonetheless, I complacently sat in the pile. I knew that refusing her would just make her more determined to get me in the pile with her. I knew that was a fight I would lose no matter what. She could have two broken legs and two broken arms and still get me in the pile. The powers of moiraleigance can be pretty ridiculous sometimes.

"Y0u say everything is fine, but, s0meh0w, I really d0ubt it. Maybe y0u haven't n0ticed, but y0u've been unusually irritable and I think we b0th kn0w why that is." She pulled my head into her lap and played with my hair the way she insists on doing every time we're in the pile together.

"ii'm not iiriitable." I said stubbornly.

"Yes, y0u are. Y0u're being irritable right n0w." She says in a calm way that only she could manage.

"2o what?" I say. "Can't ii have a bad day wiithout you claiimiing iit'2 my mate2priit'2 fault?"

"S0 y0u just s0 happened t0 have "bad days" every day f0r the past f0ur days? I'm not an idi0t, S0llux. I see what's g0ing on here."

"Then you 2hould 2ee why there'2 nothiing ii can do about iit."

"Yes, there is."

"Plea2e enliighten me."

"Well," she shifted uncomfortably. "I was wr0ng bef0re."

I perked my ear at this.

"I had th0ught y0ur bip0lar- d0n't l00k at me like that, y0u kn0w I'm right- relati0nship with him was unhealthy. But the tw0 0f y0u have th0r0ughly pr0ved that neither of y0u is entirely functi0nal with0ut having each 0ther in multiple quadrants. I guess what I'm saying is that y0u sh0uld st0p trying t0 cram y0ur relati0nship with him int0 the b0undaries 0f a single quadrant."

"Yeah, but how the fuck am ii 2uppo2ed two go about that? Thiing2 are actually workiing out pretty good wiith u2 now."

She gives me a look. "Talk t0 him."

I sigh. "Do ii have two?

"Yes," she playfully pushed me out of her lap. "N0w. G0."

I groaned. "Fiine, fiine. ii'm goiing."

Eridan's POV

I was busy ironing my scarf when there was a knock at my door.

"WWho is it?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.

"iit'2 me. Can ii come iin?"

"Of course." he steps in. "So wwhat havve you been up to, sol?"

I looked up from ironing to see him hesitantly biting his lip.

I frowned. "Is somethin' wwrong?"

"Not wrong exactly..."

"Then wwhat is it?"

"ii know thii2 whole mate2priit2hiip thiing 2eem2 to bee goiing good."

I don't like where this is going. "Are you breakin' up wwith me?" I asked, disbelief coloring my voice. How the fuck could he do this to me when things were going so well?

"No, no! Not breakiing up, ju2t- fuck. ii mii22 the way we were before any of thii2 quadrant 2hit. ii want to bee able to kii22 you and call you 2weet, then yell in your face the next miinute. ii know that probably 2ound2 2tupiid and 2elfii2h - and maybe iit ii2- but ii want to bee done wiith thii2. We don't need to bee black or red. Choo2iing ii2 2tupiid."

A smirk worked its way onto my face. "You just can't get enough of me, huh?"

He slapped the back of my head. "Shut up, fii2hdiick.

After that, we fell back into our previous habits. No more holding back.

It's confusing and stupid and a complete disgraceful abomination to the quadrants, but it's perfect for us, and that's what's important.