The annoying beep of his phone made Dave's closed eyes wrinkle. Another beep and he scrunched up his face even more. When the third annoying beep sounded he stifled a yawn and rolled over. His bed was warm and soft and he couldn't remember the last time he had slept so peacefully and damn Egbert for waking him up. A soft wisp of warm food assaulted his nose, rousing him a bit, followed by a soft salty smell. Memory flooded back to Dave as a particularly large wave crashed on the shore outside. Rubbing his eyes groggily, the blond pushed off the heavy purple blanket that had kept him cozy and fished for his shades. Activating their internet function, Dave saw that John was indeed the one pestering him.

EB: dave where are you?

EB: you and Eridan never came back last night

EB: feferi wants to know if we need to send out a rescue mission

EB: like in case you two have been captured or something

EB: dave?

EB: come on man i'm worried

TG: hey im fine really

TG: big storm so the troll brought me back to his place

TG: fell asleep on his comfy ass couch

EB: ass couch? ewwwwwwww

TG: shut up

TG: well head back soon im sure

EB: alright well be waiting

Dave scratched his face and blinked when his hand pulled back gray and flakey. He quickly felt his head and his horns were so askew and one was barely still hanging on. Fuck. Well no use crying over it. Carefully, Dave removed the fake spines from his hair and captchalogued them. Another hint of delicious food wafted through the air and Dave followed his nose to find a curious sight.

The kitchen was bathed in a soft light and Eridan had on a fine purple apron, decked out in gold buttons and purple gems. The troll hummed a jaunty tune as he whisked around the kitchen frying some sort of meat, whipping up a batter and plopping biscuits into the oven. Dave couldn't stifle a laugh which caused Eridan to whip around, startled.

"Don't worry," Dave chuckled at the incredulous look Eridan gave him, "I won't tell anyone you dance and sing while cooking."

"Good evvenin'," Eridan smiled at last, "You look like hell."

"Yeah," Dave chuckled, "Got a shower or something I can use quick?"

"Just dowwn the haul," Eridan pointed with a wooden spoon, "Food should be ready wwhen you get back."

Dave smirked and stepped into the hallway before turning back, "Did…did you just use a sea pun?"

"Sorry," Eridan shrugged, a slight purple coloring in his fins, "Old halibuts die hard."

Dave snorted as Eridan let out a wry chuckled. The blonde found his way to the bathroom easy enough, though he fidgeted at the doorway. The room was huge with an opulent glass enclosure that resembled an empty aquarium with sliding doors, lavish rugs and a couch, fine linens, and a mirror that spanned an entire wall. The entire bathroom was almost bigger than the apartment he had shared with his Bro. Dave finally wandered into the opulence and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He had completely righteous bed head and the gray paint was almost utterly gone from his skin. Fiddling with the controls, Dave finally got the hang of the aquarium-shower and sighed as steam filled the enclosure and washed away the grime, dirt, and paint. Fortunately he had learned enough Alternian to decipher the different products that sat on the elegant shelves, and he gladly squirted a palm full of greenish goo into his hair.

After rinsing off and making sure he was meticulously cleaned; Dave reluctantly turned off the shower and reached for one of the royal purple towels. He let out a groan of envy as he was wrapped in the softest terrycloth his skin had even been privy to. After drying and redressing, Dave found a gold seashell comb and ran it through his hair. Then he ran his hand through his hair and nearly cursed at how soft it was. Eridan really knew how to live it up! Dave sighed again and quickly exited the bathroom before he felt the urge to explore it entirely and maybe kidnap a few things.

Dave followed the smells of warm food till he came across a large dining area where Eridan was sitting down a plate of steaming goodness. The table was huge, likely to fit all their friends if they all came to visit. Eridan had set up places for two at one end of the table, candles burning in gold candelabrums.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me," Dave slid into one of the oversized wooden chairs.

"Please," Eridan smiled none the less, his sharp teeth flashing, "If that wwere the case, I'd havve dug out the good tablewware."

Dave contemplated the ornate silver in his hands and wondered what good actually meant to this troll. Loading up his plate, Dave's mouth watered as he tentatively tried a bit of everything Eridan had laid out for them, the troll himself digging into the meat particularly ravenously.

"John woke me up, wondering where I was," Dave spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah," Eridan snorted, "Kar practically gavve me a migraine ovver not tellin him wwere wwe wwhere."

"Yeah well he can suck on it," Dave smirked as Eridan chuckled.

"He's just wworied," the troll sighed a little disappointedly, "wwe should be gettin' back though."

"Yeah," Dave couldn't exactly pinpoint why he felt suddenly a little sad, "Thanks. For everything."

"You knoww," Eridan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "If you wwanna hang out again…"

"That'd be cool," Dave smirked from behind his shades, "I liked sightseeing and that Dualscar dude."

Eridan's fins flared a bit as a broad smile brushed across his face. The two finished up eating and headed outside. Eridan let out a whistle and the shimmering white Seahorse burst from the water almost excitedly. The two mounted the creature and took off into the night. Dave kept him hood up until they were well into the desert and away from prying eyes. When they landed, the others were already gathered by the fire ring waiting for them.

"Took you fucking long enough," Karkat snorted, though the reluctance in his voice was obvious.

The humans' leaving was never easy on him, or any of the others who had filled their quadrants with them. Dave, who had never cared much one way or the other, felt a twinge of regret himself. Rose squeezed Kanaya's hand, Nepeta tackled Jade one last time, and Karkat surprised everyone by landing a very possessive and passionate kiss on John who turned crimson from cheek to ear. Dave stuck out his fist and Eridan, after some prompting, returned the gesture, pressing their knuckles together.

"I'll message you sometime," Dave nodded as he joined the other three.

"Cool," A smirk graced Dave's lips at Eridan's use of his own word before, in a flash of green, the four figures shrunk to fit on their golden ship.

Once they were through the portal and back on Earth, the four friends departed. Jade and John were openly weeping and Rose even had a few tears streaking down her face. Dave hugged them all before piling into his car. Dave headed out of town, opting to take the scenic route back to Texas from John's house. John would have flown him back but Dave liked the drive, it gave him time to think. He had a lot to think about, most particularly why he was suddenly sobbing uncontrollably.