Hi everyone! My name is Elize and this is my ridiculously long and involved erisol AU! Warning for language, possible triggers (attempted suicide, self-hate, homophobia, cromit), and yes, eventually, mature content. Once I grow some balls and actually write a fricking sex scene.
This humanstuck au started a long time ago as a roleplay with some friends, and grew into a beautiful story. However, since the Sollux and I had a falling out, I have been unable to share it with anyone. This October, I finally got up the courage to start writing it again, and found myself falling back in love with it, even adding new characters and subplots.
The main pairing here is, of course, erisol, but there is a very strong cromit subplot. as well as some background pairs. I expect to update about once or twice every two weeks, but please don't count on it, I'm a very busy and very lazy person! Also, the story will be written in three parts- Veni, Vidi, Vici- and each part will have around 10 chapters. I've never really been much of a writer, so wish me luck! Comments, questions, suggestions, and constructive criticism are always welcome.
Special thanks to my lovely girlfriend for beta reading and editing this. (also for dealing with my crap ok 3) She's here
Follow my blog for updates and shit. Thank you, and welcome, to Aere Perennius!
3 -E
Veni.
Chapter one- We Are Going to Be Friends
Your name is Eridan Ampora and, though you are only eleven years old, you tend to stand out in a crowd. You have very light blonde hair, porcelain white freckled skin, and thick glasses that take up nearly all of your face. Lucky they do, too, or else people might ask about your eyes, which are a deep, rich, violet. As if your unusual looks aren't enough, by now, you are old enough to know how important you are, being the heir to a large family fortune, and you carry yourself as such. Shoulders back, head high. You show people what you want in life with every step you take. You tend to get teased about this, however, because the other kids at your private Catholic primary school think you are- and you quote- a "pompous wanker." You don't mind all too much, though, because as long as you are with your best friend, Feferi Peixes, you know you will be ok.
Feferi Peixes is the dark and enchanting girl who lives down the street from you, and the only kid in your class who is richer than you are. You know, because whenever your father is on one of his extensive business trips, you stay at the Peixes estate, where you have your own room. It is painted your favorite shade of violet, the same as your eyes, and decorated nautically. Everything there is nautical, now that you think of it, which you think might be overkill, seeing as both the Ampora and Peixes corporations are on the water, respectively. There are giant tanks of fish on almost every corner of the villa, even outside, containing everything from cuttlefish to manta rays. Even Feferi herself reminds you of the sea, with her deep blue eyes and already forming swimmer's body. She is also quite tan, despite her freckles, from endless hours on the beach. Her blonde hair mirrors that of a mermaid, like the ones in that movie she's always making you watch with her. You don't really mind though; you don't mind any of her odd whims, because you absolutely adore her. Probably too much for your own good.
This fact is pronounced yet again as the two of you walk from the Peixes estate to the Ampora estate this afternoon. Feferi is holding your hand, the way she does, and you feel as though you are floating. You are just friends, best friends, but she is very affectionate it. This is another thing you don't mind. You are far too lenient with this girl. She is rambling on about one of her precious fishy friends, and you aren't really listening, just hearing. You learned that from your parents, who do it pretty much whenever you talk to them.
Your efforts prove mute, however, when you arrive at the pearly white gates to the Ampora estate. Your beautiful friend knits her eyebrows together in her classic expression of concern, and you cock your head at her.
"What's wrong, guppy?" You ask her, oblivious. She shakes her head, pinching her eyes closed, and presses you on into the house. She doesn't even follow you inside, which is odd, because she usually shares afternoon tea with you. You don't have time to be worried for her, however, because when you get through the door, your parents, as well as your favorite cousin, are waiting for you.
Your father is a large man in every direction and, like you, exudes power with everything he does. He is very aware of how important he is, and when he wants something, he gets it. He may have gray hair, but he is no old man. D. R Ampora, as he is affectionately referred to as by his friends, tends to intimidate people quite easily. With his booming voice, 'big and tall' stature, and simply the way he carries himself, he can break the opposition without even having to touch them. He doesn't pay much attention to you, but you understand. He's very busy with owning a major corporation and all, and doesn't have time for mundane familial things, like tossing a football or twisting a wrench.
Your mother, on the other hand, spoils you rotten. A retired model, she is the most beautiful woman you have ever met. (Besides Feferi, of course) You are proud to share a lot of her features, like her wavy blonde hair, long eyelashes, and high cheekbones. She tells you that you will have to beat the girls off with a stick because of her, but so far, they all steer clear of you. She provides a good listening ear, though, and you have cried on her shoulder many a time. She is not tough, like your father is, and encourages you to stay in touch from your feelings rather than hide them from the public. You hardly have anything in common, other than a pretty face, but you are rather close when she isn't on business trips with your father. You think she can be awfully silly and sometimes needs a reality check, but you love her just the same.
You usually don't see much of either of your parents, because they are almost always out of the country, or at least out of town, and you certainly don't see your cousin Cronus, who lives in the states with his family. Whatever this is must be something important.
"Hello father. Hi mum." You greet them, standing idly at the door. You try not to show your worry in your face, instead producing something between a smile and a grimace. Cronus clears his throat, an unlit cigarette caught victim in his mischievous smirk, and you add, sheepishly, "Hey, Cro."
"Good afternoon, my boy." Your father replies formally, and you wonder if he even remembers your name. "Why don't you have a seat?" He gestures to the nearest chair, but you don't want to sit. That would be far too comfortable, and you already feel tense. Plus, it's just what he wants you to do, and you don't want to give him that. You share his stutter (his only flaw, oh how embarrassing, to be so rich, so important, and anything less than perfect) like you share his eyes, which are piercing through your skull, trying to read you- to control you. You sit down.
"Much better. Now, your mother and I have something very important to discuss with you, young man." He begins, and you are suddenly stricken with fear. What did you do? Did he find out about you and Feferi taking out his kayaks last weekend? Or did he hear about how you tried to take underwater photographs with your digital camera?
"You are old enough now to understand how important the family business is, son. The Ampora corporation should be the main priority in all of our lives, but having most of the family living in America, it proves quite difficult to stay active and engaged." Your father speaks to you the way he would his works, no emotion, all business. He gestures to Cronus, who sits beside you. He is only a few years older than you, but he certainly knows his place. He abuses it too, by the looks of it. He seems bored, playing absentmindedly with his greased-back locks, until his cell phone buzzes in his lap. He excuses himself with a grin, and answers it as he walks out of the room with a 'Heya, Mit, ' the hell do ya want? I'm in fuckin' London, chief!' You can't help but want to catch up with him. Isn't that what family members do when they see each other after a long time apart? It has been over a year now.
"So we decided to move the family business to Boston." Your father continues. You try to remember where Boston is. You aren't very good at geography, unless there's an ocean or a lake involved. "Near where your cousins live."
You understand. Your father is moving your family to America. He smiles warmly at you, but it is soon blurred out by tears. It doesn't matter, anyways, you know his smile is fake. Everything he does is fake, from his love for his employees to his love for his customers to his love for you. You scream at them. He is a cruel man who thinks only of himself and his money. You are slapped across the face for your blatant disrespect. He is a con man, a liar, and a cheat. You dodge your mother's open arms as you run up to your bedroom. He is a horrible man, a horrible husband, and a horrible father.
You are going to be just like him.
Less than a month later, and all your boxes and bags are in a plane over the Atlantic, on their way to a grand estate that you haven't even seen yet. You stopped crying almost as soon as you started, at least in front of people, because you know your father would be very disappointed in you. You suppose you have to man up and embrace your role as heir. You are too old to cry, anyways.
Your mother thinks otherwise, of course, and has been badgering you to talk about your damn feelings ever since. It's all, "please, Eridan, you must feel a little sad!" and and "don't you feel anything?" and "aren't you going to miss Feferi?" Little does she know, you haven't even spoken to Feferi since you found out, save for once in class when she passed you a note. It asked if you were ok, and you were suddenly very angry that she knew before you did. You crumpled up the note and glared at her, and that was the end of that. The bewildered look on her face hasn't left your mind since, but it's a little too late to regret anything now.
You use the hand that isn't holding your one, small, carry-on bag to open the front door and step outside, for the last time. You are cold and unfeeling, just as you are meant to be. Your parents are waiting for you on the porch, your father wearing another fake smile and your mother in her complimentary look of pity. You wish you didn't have to look at either of them. You push past them, greeting your chauffeur with a disinterested grunt as he holds the door to the limousine open for you. You step inside, not bothering to look back. The door is closed. You feel numb.
All of a sudden, you hear a tap on the window. You turn your head, and in that moment, all of your feelings come flooding back to you. All the happy, all the sad, all the angry, and all else. Feferi is standing there,waving at you and smiling a wide, warm, genuine smile. Her hair is up and tied with a pink bow, and she is clad in a matching sundress. She is holding a gift bag and gesturing excitedly for you to open the door. You oblige, flabbergasted. She doesn't wait for you to move, she merely flops down on your lap. You wrap your arms around your best friend and bury your face in the crook between her neck and her shoulder. An apology. She giggles and pets your hair. You are forgiven.
You let yourself cry on her shoulder, and she holds you. She is crying only a little bit. She is stronger than you are.
"Eridan..." She murmurs after what seems like only a few moments. You look up at her, and she offers you the gift bag. It is, of course, royal purple, and filled to the brim with matching tissue paper. You smile up at her and pull the tissue paper out carefully. On your lap, she bounces up and down in excitement. In the bag is a striped light and dark blue scarf. Upon taking it out, you see that it is quite a long one at that. You give Feferi a questioning look.
"It's a going away present." she explains as you pull out the soft, knit scarf, attempting to count the sheer feet of it. "Something to remember me by." You are, again, taken aback by this girl. You tie the scarf around your neck, and it smells brand new, and a little like her. You wrap your arms back around her, tightly.
"I could never forget you."