Chapter 1. The Girl With Vibrant Eyes
Eridan was wandering through the dream bubbles one afternoon, wanting to get away from his disgusting dancestor, whom he was stuck with since Dualscar was out doing Gog knows what. Passing through to another bubble, Eridan found himself on a beach from the Human's planet- Earth, they call it. The Earthly sun, which was nearing dusk, was pleasantly warm, much unlike Alternia's and Eridan couldn't help but enjoy the feeling that it left on his face as he closed his blank-white eyes contentedly. The breeze from the ocean gently flapped his scarf and cape, and the waves were a calming sound. Despite living on a shipwrecked beach in Alternia, Eridan had to admit that the Earthly coasts were better. Taking in the salty air and exhaling with a sigh, Eridan opened his eyes to scan the terrain for whoever hosted this lovely thought.
Finally, his view landed on a female human in a pretty (f/c) number that suited her well. She was sitting in what looked like a chute, anchored down by a bunch of bags, sorting through some carapaces that she had fished through the shell bed for. He eyes were covered by a pair of shades, similar to the ones that the Strider humans wore. But she was far more expressive than the two of them combined. She would smile as she picked through the collection for her favorites, her teeth void of fangs, instead, full of duller chewing utensils, that made for a prettier feature. Her skin... it was different from the other humans. It was actually pigmented, not just a blank white. And her hair as well, it wasn't just black or just white, it had color. And it was affected by the wind as it blew against her face. Not even the John human's hair was like that! And he's the fucking Heir of Breath! He's fucking famous for his "windy thing" and not even the smallest bang on his head is affected?! It makes no sense! Why is this girl different from the others?! Eridan was determined to find out.
Making his way towards the girl, Eridan started thinking of ways to charm her with conversation. Perhaps he could compliment her on what a lovely memory she had. Wait. No, what if it wasn't hers? What if it was someone else's memory and she was just here? No, no, no. It can't have been anyone else's they were the only ones there! Maybe he should just ask her if it was her memory first. But it'd be rude of him to not introduce himself. Ugh, how to start it off! That's the problem, here. How to get the ball rolling. "Oh! Hello there." Oh, well it looks like the girl was a step or two ahead of him. "Hello," Eridan said, standing a little ways away. "Er, I don't mean to intrude. I wwas shrimply wwandering about and I happened upon your bubble..." "You're fine. It's nice to have company." She said, sweetly. Eridan's fins flitted back and forth. He wasn't used to anyone being so nice right off the bat. Even the John and Jade humans were wary of him. Either this girl didn't know anyone who knew him, or she was just a cinnamon roll, too pure and good for this world. He honestly didn't know if he should hope for one or both of those things. "Thanks." He said, eyeing her set up. "Do you... perhaps mind if I... er, join you?" "Not at all! Just make sure that you don't get too much sand in the sheet, please." She smiled up at him, before scooting over to the side. The sheet was big enough to hold both of them.
Eridan sat down, kicked off his shoes, shoved his sock inside them, and then shifted his entire body onto the towels inside the fitted sheet. In order to keep his cape from kicking up behind them, he sat on it. For a few minutes, they both sat in silence, enjoying the sound of the waves. Then, Eridan spoke up. "So... uhh, is this your memory or... wwhat?" "It is. Though I did alter it a little... You know, to make the experience better the second time around." She said with a shrug. "Oh? Howw so?" "Well, for one thing, I incorporated some tricks I learned online, like the fitted sheet anchored down by my bags to make a sort of nest-ish setup." She replied, gesturing to what they were sitting in. "Interesting." He said. "It's a pretty cool idea." "It is, perhaps you might be able to use it yourself when you go to the beach next time." She said, with a smile. "Maybe, but I think I like this beach better than my owwn." Eridan shrugged. "The sand's more powwdery. Not as muddy. And there isn't as much litter on the shore." "Well, that's because I altered it a little. If I'm the only one here, nobody else can leave trash and stuff all over. The beauty of private beaches, ya know?"
"Yeah," Eridan nodded, before looking at the horizon, which was slowly turning from crimson to dark blue- almost black. The girl also seemed to notice this and took off her shades. Before Eridan could get a glimpse at her uncovered face, She was rummaging around in her bags, pulling out some candle jars and a lighter. She lit them and placed them around the corners and edges of the sheet. Once she was done she sat back down with a chuckle. "Ahem, sorry if the candles make the mood a little too... intimate, I guess? I just have a very high taste for aesthetics." "Not at all," Eridan replied. "I like them, it's a vvery... carefree feel, don't you think?" "Agreed." The girl said, looking at him. "... Wwoah." Eridan couldn't help but awe. "What?" The girl asked, tilting her head in a way that he found to be absolutely adorable with how she was maintaining eye contact with those... "Your eyes... They're brilliant." The girl's eyebrows went up. She didn't even know this new alien's name and here he was... staring into her eyes like they held the secrets of the universe itself.
"T-thank you..." She said, her cheeks blooming with a glowing red. She wanted to look away, but there was something about this guy that just held her attention like the flame of a candle in an otherwise pitch black room. Eridan would be lying if he said that the girl's eyes didn't have the same effect on him. Her scleras were white but she retained her colored irises and pupils. And they were big. Very big. "I'vve nevver seen anyone wwith eyes like yours..." Eridan mused, subconsciously reaching to hold her chin. "They're so big..." The girl couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly at the blatant praise he was showering her with. "Well then, you haven't met any other humans, I don't think. My eye color is pretty common." "Actually, I havve. There are other humans in the bubbles, but you aren't like them. Their eyes are blank, like mine." Eridan said, causing her to tilt her head. "Really? Why?" "Wwell, that's wwhat happens wwhen you'vve been dead a wwhile." Eridan shrugged. "Dead?!" The girl suddenly shrieked. It hurt Eridan's fins, making them tremble a little. "Ouch..." He winced. "Oh, sorry." She said, much quieter, before reaching up to his fins. "Are you fins like ears, only more sensitive?" She asked, lightly stroking at a fin to get it to stop trembling. Eridan's face grew royal violet. "Erm, y-yes... in m-more one wway..." He stammered, trying not make any noises that might freak her out. She clearly didn't know just how sensitive ear fins were touch as well as sound. However, she seemed to catch on quickly and retracted her hand. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said, avoiding his gaze. "N-no! No, you're fine, you-you didn't know..." Eridan was quick to reply, saddened that she had stopped looking at him. He was quite quickly becoming enamored with this exotic human girl. And yet... they didn't even know each other's names...
"Er... I'm... I'm Eridan." He said, extending his hand. "...(Y-... (Y/n)." She said taking his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Eridan." "It's nice to meet you, as wwell, (Y/n)." He said, staring into her eyes once more. She stared right back, blinked every so often when the wind made her eyes a little too dry for her liking. It made her look all the more entrancing. "Do most humans havve eyes as big as yours?" The question slipped out of Eridan's mouth before he could stop it. (Y/n) blinked, before replying with, "Well, I suppose. Doe eyes are considered to be very attractive among women, so you could find many of them using makeup, color contacts, even certain types of glasses to make their eyes look more innocent and trusting." "Doe eyes," Eridan repeated. "Wwhy do they call them that?" "Do you not have deer or meese on your planet?" She asked. "Oh, I'm shore wwe do, it's just that many of our creatures are named differently than yours," Eridan said. "Hmm, well, do you have any animals that are four-legged and have hooves, and have giant antlers on their head?" She said, placing her hands above her head like horns with five points each. "Oh, Antler-beasts! Yeah, wwe havve those."
"Well, we humans call them deer and a female is called a doe." (Y/n) explained. "Wwhy wwould you consider their eyes to be 'innocent and trusting', though? They're quite vvicious animals, knowwn to impale any troll that has the misfortune of stumbling across one unarmed." Eridan commented. "What?" She laughed. "Are we sure that we're talking about the same animal? Mine are some of the most docile and timid animals on Earth!" Eridan was puzzled. "No, I don't think wwe are," He said, watching as she pulled out her phone and looked up a picture of an earthly 'deer'. What she showed him looked hardly anything like the Alternian Antler-beasts. "Wwhere are its antlers that you described it havving earlier?" Eridan asked. "The females don't have antlers in this specific species." (Y/n) replied. It made sense. The males would use their antlers in the mating ritual of one-on-one combat. Eridan nodded in understanding. "Noww I can see wwhy they call them doe eyes." He said, looking back into hers. She looked back at his eyes too, before something her irises shifted. It was... sadness... maybe even a touch of fear. Why was she upset? It made Eridan unhappy to see her like that. He had to fix it! "Wwhat is it, (Y/n)?" He asked.
"So... we're dead...?" She asked, softly, the sadness growing, and confusion also emerging. "It's... it's weird because... I don't even remember my passing." Ahh, so that's it... Eridan reached out and grabbed her hand. "It's alright. The bubbles do take some getting used to, but you'll find that your existence here is not as different as it was in li-" Eridan paused. There was a pulse in her wrist. Without a word, he checked for a pulse in his and found none. "What?" She asked as he pressed two fingers to her neck, finding a pulse there, but no pulse on his. "You havve a pulse..." He marveled. "Your... your blood pumper is still beating! You're alivve!" "What?" She said, checking for a pulse and then checking for a pulse on him. She found no pulse on him, nor a heartbeat. "I'm alive..." She said quietly, letting her hands drop. "So... what? What am I doing here if I'm not dead?" "It's a dream..." Eridan muttered. "You must be dreaming." "Dreaming? But I've been manipulating the setting of this bubble for at least a few days now!" She said. "Time wworks differently here, but if you're at least a little bit accurate, then you must be in a coma." "A coma." (Y/n) echoed, slumping forward with her head in her hands and her elbows on the ground. "Good God, what happened to me?!" "I'd tell you if I kneww, but I'vve been dead for at least a feww swweeps noww."
"Eh, it's fine. I wasn't really asking anyone in particular, anyway." She said, staring at one of the candle flames. The silence settled again. On a whim, Eridan checked his phone and saw a shitload of pesters from both Cronus and Dualscar. "Vwhere the fuck are ya, chief?! Dual's been krillin' my ass since he got home to an empty hivwe!" "Lad, if ye aren't back here in fivve minutes, Aye'm comin' ta find ye! And wvhen Aye find ye, yer gonna havve hell ta pay!" Said Dualscar, ten minutes ago. "Fuck." He said, staring down at the last two messages. "What is it?" "I'm in some deep sea shit wwith my ancestor, noww." "Ancestor? What, are they like your parent or something?" (Y/n) asked. "Yep, and he says I wwas supposed to be back fivve minutes ago." "Oof. Well, if you need a place to hide out tonight, my couch pulls out into a queen-size bed." She said, before standing up and shifting the bubble into a scene of a living room. "Thanks, but I really should go before they deem me a cowward," Eridan said, getting on his sock and shows which were now beside the door out. "Hmm. Well, it was nice meeting you, Eridan." "And you, (Y/n)." He smiled, his fins flapping a little. She giggled, before getting a piece of paper and writing down her chum handle. "Here, in case you want to talk again." "Thanks. I'll do so as soon as possible." Eridan said. "Aww, but not too soon." (Y/n) teased. "Don't want to think that you've got nothing better to do than flirt with little ol' me." Eridan laughed. "Awwww, but that's the most fun I'vve had in wwhile." He said, before going to the door. "Sea you around, Beauty." He said, before disappearing out the door. "Beauty...?" (Y/n) whispered, a smile coming across her face.
Eridan quickly memorized the fastest route to (Y/n)'s bubble, and high tailed his caped ass back to his own hive. As he had expected, Dualscar was not home, having gone out looking for him. But Cronus was right there on the couch, waiting for him. "There you are! Do you knowv howv pissed Dual is that you vweren't back half an hour ago?!" He said, scrambling up from the couch to go chew his dancestor out. "I havve a rough idea, yeah, but I didn't get your pesters until ten minutes after Dual sent the last one!" "VWHERE THE FUCK VWERE YA?!" Cronus yelled. "NONE OF YOUR FUCKIN' BUSINESS!" Eridan yelled right back, before pushing Cro out of the way and going upstairs. After hearing Eridan slam the door to his respiteblock shut, Cronus 'hmphed' and pulled out his phone. "Found him." Came Cro's voice through the line when Dualscar answered. He was standing outside the bubble that belonged specifically to the Peixes girls, having just came from the Captor's bubble. "Fuckin' FINALLY! Wvhere the hell wvas he?!" Dualscar asked. "He's not talkin'," Cronus answered. This caused Dualscar to pause before letting out a deep chuckle. "So it's a lass then." "Not shore, but I don't knowv vwhat else it could possibly be." Dualscar, now placated, shrugged off Cronus's prying thoughts. "Eh, wve'll interrogate him in the mornin'. Let the lad be fer ta'night." With that, Dualscar hung up, let Cronus know that he'd be back shortly. So, of course, Cronus did the only thing you could expect him to do, and go eavesdrop on Eridan though the crack under his door.