This was a bad idea but he was going to prove he wasn't a coward, despite how he felt in this matter. Eridan looked at himself in the mirror again, dressed up in a female's attire and being forced to go to his best friend/crush's ball like this was not good. It was even worse he couldn't even tell Feferi it was him, he had been dared to not only dress like a woman but pretend to be one so he wasn't going to embarrass himself by telling her rather he had told her that his 'cousin' was going to take his place. Giving a groan when Kanaya, one of the people who had dared him, came in to do his make up for the ball. "Do I really havve to do this Kan?" He asked her, scowling when she smiled but didn't answer his question.

Sollux had sighed as he finished his tie, picking up his jacket before putting it on. Once again his friend Feferi had invited him to a ball, this time though she had begged him saying someone's cousin needed an escort since some Ampora guy couldn't make it. Something about him having to leave town for a while, rolling his bicolored eyes before putting his red and blue glasses on. He needed to leave now or he'd be late getting this woman, last thing he wanted was a rich lady nagging at him for being late. Climbing into the carriage, Feferi had forced him to accept for his birthday a year ago, he had given the driver the instructions he had been left. Sitting back with a sigh once the carriage started moving, watching the scenery silently as he let himself get lost in thought.

Eridan had groaned when his 'escort' had arrived, swallowing the lump in his throat and accepting the purple fan Kanaya had handed him. Slowly he went downstairs and outside, having already had word sent to his escort that he wanted to leave a.s.a.p. rather than introduce themselves straight off. Frowning at the carriage he noticed it looked familiar, didn't Fef buy her 'crush' one a while ago? Forcing himself to relax before climbing in the carriage, sitting across from the distant look of the surprising attractive man who was to be his escort.

Sollux had snapped out of his daze when the door shut loudly, frowning at the driver a moment before looking at the woman across from him in surprise. She was very attractive and keeping that fan in front of the lower half of her face, but how could this woman have any problems getting an escort? He felt kind of bad for zoning out and missing a chance to introduce himself sooner, from the look he was getting it was obvious he was to blame. "Thup?"

Eridan stopped glaring a moment to raise an eyebrow at the lisp, watching the man's face turn blank and void of emotion. "Wwhat kind of thin' is that to say to a lady?" He asked a moment later, forcing his voice to go higher to sound more like a girl. Last thing he wanted was for a lisping attractive asshole to- wait…did he just think this man was attractive? No that couldn't be possible, it was…ah…just the slip of his….mind. Mentally nodding as he looked at the man sitting across from him, no there was no way he had even found that lisp cute either.

Sollux sighed mentally at the woman, figuring he may as well get this over with before he got killed by a raging high strung sexy bitch- wait…there was no way he found this woman sexy. Fuck, he had just met her and already he thought her attractive while she was probably laughing at his lisp. "What elthe am I thuppothed to thay?" He cursed himself mentally, he kept forgetting about his lisp.

Eridan shook his head at the man who was scowling now, no he didn't think the man's angry face was attractive either. A small voice in the back of his head kept calling him a liar and accusing him of being in denial, ignoring the voice as he focused more on the one with the adorable lisp…wait….fuck he did it again. "Wwhy not introduce yourself then?" He stated softly, finding it easier to use his girlish voice now.

Sollux huffed at the woman, leaning back in his seat. "Thollux Captor and you are?" He asked as he tried to keep his tone polite, while resisting the urge to add 'besides a huge pain in my ass' to that sentence out loud.

Eridan panicked a moment, forgetting all about making a girlish name for himself. "E-Eri." He stammered softly, glad that even in his mental panic attack he had kept his girlish high voice.

'This is going to be a long night.' They both thought at the same time, Sollux had simply looked back out the window while Eridan fanned himself lightly and kept his eyes anywhere but the man in front of him.

-End chap. 1-