It had started out as a normal movie night. Aradia had won a free theater for one movie and had the entire room to herself, and she had invited everyone in the entire sophomore and junior classes, which was a rather small handful, but some of the couples (i.e. Aradia and Sollux, Dirk and Jake, and Eridan and Cronus) had to share a chair in order for everyone to have a seat that they could tolerate.
Eridan couldn't take it any longer. He had to let go of Cronus' hand and turn his gaze upward and behind to meet his matesprit's eyes. "Cro..."
Cronus was smiling slyly, that stupid unlit cigarette still stuck in his stupid mouth. "Hmm~?"
Eridan gave him his deadliest glare and hissed. "Not. Here."
Cronus' smile slowly vanished into a surprised and concerned look. Neither of them spoke as they stared at each other, Eridan resting on Cronus' knee in the overcrowded theater full of teenage humans and trolls. None of the others had noticed Cronus' traveling hands sliding over Eridan's groin and under his waistband for the past minute. Thank gog.
Finally Eridan stood up from Cronus' lap and stalked down the aisle of trolls (Mituna threw popcorn at him, Latula laughed) and headed for the exit as the rest of the theater was enveloped with the sounds of dinosaurs and laser guns.
Halfway through Eridan's retreat, Cronus shot up and stumbled after him, mumbling a few apologies as he bumped knees and stepped on shoes. Once again Mituna cursed and threw a handful of popcorn. He rushed down the long, short steps and out the door after Eridan. He spotted his matesprit walking towards the bathroom.
"Eri!" Cronus called after him.
Eridan stopped and looked back, a jumble of emotions expressed in one beautifully crafted face. Then he looked away and marched into the bathroom, leaving Cronus with his heart aching and his legs dashing after his lover.
When Cronus rounded the corner and entered the theater bathroom, he found Eridan standing with his back to him, head tilted down and his arms folded over his chest. In the quiet moments before the storm, Cronus noticed the mirror, out of the corner of his eye, reflecting the distress manifest in Eri's wide eyes and curved lip.
"…Eri..?"
The younger troll spun around, instantly regaining his default facial expression, one of irritation and disappointment. "Wwhat wwas that?"
Cronus found himself tiptoeing over his words as his voice became quieter and quieter. "I…I'm sorry, I thought you wvould…like it…" His shoulders slumped and he watched as Eridan's anger grew more evident. "Like it!? Evveryone wwas in there! You wwere fondlin' me in public, an' you didn't evven ask me if that sort of thing wwas alright!" His voice was a higher pitch than normal, betraying his mask of composure. Cronus silently took the blows to his ego, his heart slowly sinking.
Eridan inhaled and exhaled, one fluid, sharp motion. "Do you havve any idea howw embarrassin' that wwas? You had your hand all ovver my pants an' I couldn't do a thing about it because I didn't wwanna draww any attention to your little dilemma. Howw do you think I feel bein' handled like a tool wwhen all our friends are sittin' right next to us? Do you really think that…" He trailed off, eyes closing as he sighed. A familiar frown had dirtied his countenance by the time he spat. "Next time, think about wwhat I feel before wwhat your dick wwants."
Cronus visibly flinched, like he'd been struck hard in the gut, or somewhere in that area, at least. He had done his absolute best not to cross any lines with Eridan, keeping his mind and body at bay in regards to the first and only loved one he had or had ever had. One little slip, and it felt like the world was threatening to crash down around him…
It was only when Eridan looked up when he realized how deeply he had cut. He bit his lip and looked away. "…I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't be." Cronus' voice was low. He started taking long, slow steps toward his matesprit, and soon he had his arms around the smaller individual, holding him gently with one hand on his back and the other on his head. "I'm sorry. I shoulda asked if you wvere okay wvith it before I did anythin'. That wvas completely outta line.
"I'm tryin', I really am. I guess at this point I'm just used to the desperation that comes wvith bein' rejected all the time. It's almost like an instinct for me nowv. Desperation's all I really knowv. I mean, I wvasn't evwen thinkin', it just sorta…happened. I mean, no, shit, that's a terrible wvay of puttin' it, wvhat I mean is I thought you wvould like it, but I wvasn't really thinkin' about it, and I'm sorry I didn't, I knewv you wvouldn't, I…"
Eridan, after a momentary pause, returned the embrace with a bit more intensity, hugging his matesprit with all the jumbled emotions slowly calming. He noticed how Cronus' shirt still had the scent of aftershave and hair spray in the fabric. He didn't dislike it. "It's alright. I guess I kinda ovverreacted. I wwas just really fuckin' surprised, I mean, wwe havven't evven really talked about pailin' yet. It's alright if you wwanna start…doin' things like that…just, talk to me about it instead of thrustin' it in my hands. Literally."
Cronus tightened the hug a little. "I'm sorry, Eri."
"It's alright, Cro…"
Cronus pulled away only to take the other's hands, holding them in his own and desperately searching his eyes. "Can ya forgivwe me? I swvear I wvon't do it again, if you don't wvant me to."
Eridan barely gave a moment's hesitation. "Of course I'll forgivve you, Cronus. I knoww you're tryin' your best. I really do." A small smile appeared on the corners of his lips, and Cronus almost sighed in relief.
"I'll alwvays keep tryin', Eri, as long as it's for you."