Keeping it Toget) (er
(A/N: yo, sorry for the wait, but here y'all are, chapter seven. enjoy, heh)
Something had changed between the two of them. Waking in the morning to find a freshly arisen Equius, but the two enemies missing from the living quarters(where they ought to have been), you had panicked. You knew that you shouldn't have left the two of them alone! But when you searched the house frantically, you let out a sigh, half-exasperated, half-amused. Sollux and Eridan, who you had found so entangled last night, were now dozing together on the carpeted flooring. They seemed to be getting along fairly well, from what you'd seen, the Ampora had a sort of obsession, though he probably didn't notice it himself.
Returning to your living room, you thought to yourself, a bit confused at the situation. Karkat had said that Sollux had ran away from the apartment because he couldn't take the stress of dealing with his other roommate. So why were they so intimate?
All this thinking was making your head hurt, so you just leave it be for the moment. Smiling, you remember your promise to the Captor that you would invite him over for tea. Striding past Equius, who was now fiddling around with the sheets, a bit dazed, you enter your small kitchen, which had a small rectangle cut out of the wall that gave you a pretty good view right into the living room, so that you could keep an eye on your pal and also see if any impending doom would be in order once the two woke up. Smirking as you turn on the stove, you think of Kanaya and Rose. You should check up on them later, to see if they made it home alright, seeing as both of them were hammered out of their minds. Though Kanaya may have appeared stable on the outside, you know her facade works, and strong though it may seem, her actions don't always follow suit.
A slight shuffling, and you turn to find your six-foot-three friend hunching in the entry way to the kitchen you so occupy. He's looking slightly abashed and still half-asleep, as he normally does when he first wakes.
"Well good morning, sleepyhead! Did you rest well?"
He rubs one of his eyes with a fist rather passively before answering in his deep rumbly voice that always manages to soothe you.
"Yes, thank you, I slept quite peacefully save for a disturbing dream that I encountered within the confines of my mind. And yourself?"
You giggle.
"Oh, just purrfectly, but what did you dream about?"
You listen rather intently, though while filling the pot with water, Equius doesn't really mind your multitasking.
The hush of running water punctuates his words.
"Well, it was very odd... I was resting quite calmly, but in the dream... I dreamt that I was sleeping, but was woken by figures intruding into your house. One of them was quite tall... and rather skinny, the other looked a bit shorter, he was loud and annoying... I didn't care for that dream figure, no... and you were there, too... but you went away, then the other two started making a fuss over... a paper? I think, and then they ran into the other room...? I couldn't make any sense of it... I'm still confused about it, to be honest..."
He finishes, glances up at you. You're silent, but then you turn swiftly, and a small laugh escapes; you can't help it.
"Oh myyy, well, what a purrplexing dream, I don't know what to make of that...!"
He looks a bit astonished.
"Y-yes, I as well, cannot decipher its mysteries! You find yourself under it's astounding spells, too?"
You grab his palm, spin into a sort of waltzing pose with him.
"Well, Mister Zahhak, if you'd purrmit me, I'm going to investigate this riddle of a dream, seeing as I have an idea about it, even if you do not! Watch my tea, won't you, and we'll talk more on this dream later, okay?"
He nods, eyes wide, and you giggle.
You're crossing over the futons and sheets littering your living room, making your way down the simple hallway when you hear an earsplitting screech.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, someone woke up in the other room, and judging by the pitch, it's your one and only always-scarved friend.
You peek your head into their room, but not enough for them to notice you.
It looks like Eridan(yup), has finally awoken to a scene he doesn't agree with. Sollux is dozing to his immediate right, arms wrapped in a death hold under and around Eridan's arms, Sollux's hands were resting on the latter's opposite shoulder blades. Miraculously, through the shout, he was still asleep, too. Eridan had pulled himself as far away from Sollux as he could, though his hands were lightly resting on the Captor's hips. He looked mortified, yet he was blushing to high heavens. Looking frantically around the room for a second, he returned his gaze to Sollux, and though breathing heavily, he seemed to force calm upon himself.
"S-Sol?!"
It's a frantic whisper, and Eridan's wide eyes hold fear, and embarrassment.
"W-w-wake up, already, argh!"
He pushes at the other's waist, and in doing so, he fiercely turns red, and Sollux stirs. If Ampora was panicking before, it's nothing compared to now. He completely flips out, trying to wriggle free of the other, emitting frightened squeaking noises for fear of being caught like this.
"Sol, l-let me go! E-e-e!"
Sollux opens a bleary eye, and his lips part slightly.
"Eridan, what the fuck are you doing?"
You can see Sollux's grip slacken in waking, but curiously Eridan doesn't move, and internally, you squeal.
The two of them are looking at each other, Sollux, one eye slightly lowered in irritation and exasperation, Eridan, his own eyes wide as they can go, mouth parted into a grimace, still visibly and completely terrified, though you have to wonder exactly why.
You wait it out by the door, wanting to see how it will all turn out.
"Why are you touching me, asshole?" Sollux pitches.
"You're touching me!" Eridan says in a deflated tone.
"You're still touching me, get off."
"You get off, first!"
You have to try your hardest not to scream in joy at this unexpected addition to your chart.
Unfortunately, the gig is up once Equius saunters down towards your little party.
"Nepeta...? Your water is boiling over... And what was that scream a moment ago?"
He peeks into the room. "Ah... Yes, I remember you, Mister Ampora, good morning."
He nods at Sollux. "Forgive me, what is your name? I don't recall meeting you before."
You step you from behind the door and while Sollux stays nonchalant, Eridan stares, petrified at the two of you.
"I'm Sollux," he says in a completely flat tone, and you frown.
"Well, nice to meet you, Sollux. Though I have to say that it's rather intriguing..." He fades off his sentence.
"What is."
"Well, it's just that I've never met anyone without a last name before, this, quite honestly, is a first for me, but seeing as Nepeta has some strange friends, I am not completely surprised."
He smiles kindly at the pair on the floor.
Eridan seems to come to himself, and he sits up instantly, moving away from the other, who remains on the floor, curled to his side.
Silence, then...
"Uh, I... made some tea! Anybody want some? I have Darjeeling, Pu'er, and Cinnamon!"
Eridan perks up, but Sollux just rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling.
"Um... if it's fine, I'll have some..." the Ampora says, and you ponder his apparent love for tea, which is somehow very like him.
You grin at them.
"Great!"
You pounce out of the room, followed by Eridan and Equius.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
For the rest of our stay at Nepeta's house, Sollux stays trapped up in the back room. Nepeta goes back a few times to try and coax him into eating bits of toast, tea, anything, but he just lays there, and according to the Leijon kitty, he falls asleep at some point. In fact, when you yourself(unthinkable) go to check on him three or four hours after he falls into the confines of his mind, he is still dozing off, in what seems to be an uncomfortable sleep.
Mainly, you just sort of hang out with the two of them, talking about little small things, catching up a bit, acquainting yourself more thoroughly with Zahhak. Then the conversation falls to where you personally know that Leijon's interest holds.
The mystery of Sollux(pffft).
You launch into an explanation once Nepeta pushes you enough.
"Well, honestly, I jus' got a little mad at him when he was breakin' thins in my kitchen, an' then he asked my opinion on somethin' and then we got in a little brawl, an' he just ran out on me, an' I didn't care none, seein' as he was the one triggerin' me. An' then I talk ta my friend, she don' wanna help neither a us, Kar flips out for some reason when I try ta talk ta him, an' then I decide ta take a walk, see, I don't really wanna be home after all this. So what I do is, I take my car, drive down ta one a my favorite parks, just stroll around for a bit. An' then, I see this absolute crazy standin' at the overpass, at a hole in the gate, which is a bad place for a hole, if any, I say. And so, I start to walk a little faster, the guy seems to be familiar, but I can't place it... And then, after he's done contemplatin', I see him step up onta the side, and realize, oh fuck, it's Sol, an' I shout for him to stop, ta wait, an', an' I only just make it in time ta miraculously grab his hand, he's all inebriated, seems confused, his glasses have fallen off, and I can see that I've got some people's attentions from down below, but it's a goddamn freeway, so it's not like you can just stop an' investigate, or anythin', but anyw-ways..."
At this point the both of them look properly horrified, staring at you with twin, slightly repulsed expressions, and when Zahhak leans slightly forwards in suspense you have to shove a indignant laugh down your throat.
"He starts cryin', grovelin', and he's also laughin', I'm like Sol, what the fuck, and he starts mumblin', I don't really remember what he said, exactly..."
You trail off uncomfortably, but by the look on Nepeta's face, she knows you remember, but if she tries to push it with you, you're going to get pretty goddamn pissy with her.
Fortunately, she doesn't say anything, so you just clear your throat and continue.
"An' his skin was really cold, freezin', I mean he's already severely underweight, an' his skin was pretty much this light gray/blue color an' I don't think he was feelin' too well at that point. So... I just kinda... kept him warm for a moment I guess... I tried my best, in the open freezin' cold winter air, and then Leijon kitty here comes at me like a bullet, an'... I guess, from there, you should know the rest."
Equius makes to say something, but Nepeta shooshes him.
"Thank you, Eridan, it was wonderful of you to describe so thoroughly in what really happened, with, uh, limited hesitation..."
You offer her a weak smile, though the pit in your stomach melts it almost instantly.
Then, after a moment's awkward silence, you get up, brushing off your pants and make your way to the other room where Sollux is, but you stop, and rest one hand at the door frame, turn to the duo behind you, still sitting on the floor. There's something in their gazes that you can't exactly read.
"Um... I'm gonna make my way home now. There's people I gotta notify, an'... I think Sol s' had enough for a day, in my opinion."
Neither of them makes a comment, so you just turn and trudge down the soft hall. Before you can figure out how to gather Sollux without waking him or making him mad if he were to wake, and there is really no guarantee that he has been napping the entirety of your stay at the Leijon household, you hear a soft noise behind you, and you spin 'round to find Zahhak.
"Hello," you say a bit nervously.
He doesn't say anything.
"Uh, so, did Nep send you over ta' say somethin'?"
Again, he makes no comment, though you cannot blame him for staying mute at your weak attempt at conversation, though after a moment you realize he is pondering something, as his features are a bit screwed up in concentration; you think privately that he should have thought about what exactly he wanted to say instead of leaving you here to stare at him uncomfortably,
After a moment, he simply looks up at you, with a frustratingly knowing look on his face and says:
"Make sure to care well for him. He's not in a very stable condition currently and even a common cold could have devastating effects on him. I can't determine this for sure, but judging on his closed-up nature, he has suffered some sort of a trauma; I'm not entirely sure what specifically though."
You stare at him.
"Okay."
He waits.
"O...kay...?"
You clear your throat.
"Yeah... I'll make sure he's well taken care of... I won't let no diseases wreck havoc on his defenseless an' frankly goddamn sickly as shittaintin' fuck bod', skinny an unattractive as it may be."
This make the two of you smirk, then, before you register it, you and Equius are fighting not to make a noise, and you have to shoo him out smiling at him, a hand over your mouth. And turning, spirits replenished, you muster your will and gather up the Captor bridal-style and heft him up. You wonder how much, really, he weighs. You wouldn't be surprised if he weighed as much as a twelve year old girl, and you trip on your own feet thinking about this and have to try hard not to bash his head on the frame of the door.
Stumbling down to the door, you press a finger to your lips, wave at them both, then kick your shoes on and head out into the blinding sun and the uncomfortable press of frost upon your skin, thankful you didn't have to dress Sollux into his winter things, seeing as he never took them off.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
carcinoGeneticist [AG] began trolling caligulasAquarium [CA]
CG: ERIDAN, YOU UP YET.
CA: yeah i wwoke up not but elevven in the mornin today, wwhat do ya think of that, kar?
CG: GREAT, JUST GREAT, I'M REALLY FUCKING PROUD, GOOD JOB, YOU'RE FINALLY LIVING UP TO WHAT A TWENTY YEAR OLD MAN SHOULD BE DOING, WOW, IF I WERE BY YOUR SIDE RIGHT NOW, I'D CLAP YOU ON THE FUCKING BACK IN COMPLETE AND UTTER FEELINGS OF PRIDE AND ADORATION. NEVER WOULD'VE FUCKING THOUGHT IT OF YOU.
CA: uhhh
CA: are you bein serious here
CA: i cant nevver tell wwith you
CG: BULGE-MUNCHING FUCK I'M NOT BEING SERIOUS, GODDAMN IT. I DON'T GIVE ONE FLIPPING MOTHERFUCKING FUCK WHETHER YOU FINALLY GOT THE STAMINA TO AWAKEN YOURSELF EARLIER IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THE EVERYYDAY GODAWFUL SHIT AROUND YOU.
CG: AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHY I REALLY BEGAN THIS AWFUL CONVERSATION, THEN I'M GOING TO DESTROY SOMETHING WITH MY BARE, ACHING HANDS.
CG: THEY'RE READY. THESE EXTENTIONS ON THE MEATY HUNKS DONNING THE ENDS OF MY ARMS ARE WIGGLING IN TAINTCHAFING, ABSOLUTE MOTHERFUCKING GLEE. CG: THEY'RE TWITCHING IN WAIT OF THE OBJECT NEAREST ME, WHICH HAPPILY IS THIS SHITTY PHONE, CONTAINING THE LOGS OF THE WORST MINUTES OF MY LIFE, OCCUPIED AND RESERVED ONLY FOR THE GRACIOUS PLEASURE OF SPEAKING TO YOU.
CA: oh, hahahaha
CA: yeah youre screechin to me about sol, aint ya
CA: yeah, he's doin go
CA: better
CA: his phones probably off isnt it
CG: GOOD THINKING, GENIUS, YOU'VE SOLVED THE RIDDLE OF LIFE, YOU WIN THREE BILLION BOONS, CONGRATULATIONS
CA: huh, wwait, no, its not off, its right here in his vvery pocket
CA: hahaha wwoww you sent a lot of texts
CA: you got a thin for him, kar?
CA: by the wway wwhat the fuck are boons
CG: DON'T YOU DARE READ THOSE, FUCKASS OR SO HELP ME I WILL COME OVER THERE AND FIND YOU, CHOP OFF YOUR MIGHTY BULGE WITH ONE SWING OF ONE OF MY ASSORTMENT OF KNIVES USED FOR SAID BULGE-CHOPPING AND THEN I'LL GIVE IT TO THE HOMELESS LIVING ON THE STREETS WHO WILL THEN CHOKE AND DIE ON THE SHEER, PUTRID, AWFUL ROT.
CA: "please answwer im really fucking wworried about you"
CA: "please respond, im sorry that i turned you down, you can fuckin livve at my house if you want"
CA: "just promise me you wwont dont do anythin stupid, please sollux, dont do this to me"
CG: ERIDAN AMPORA
CG: YOU'D BETTER PUT DOWN THAT METRO
CG: RIGHT
CG: FUCKING
CG: NOW
CA: alright alright
CA: but seriously, you got a crush on this kid, kar?
CA: hehehehe
CG: SHUT THE FUCK UP, I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT HIM OKAY? HE'S MY BEST FRIEND, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT.
CA: dont wworry i aint tellin nobody
CA: your secret is safe wwith me
CG: UGHHHHHHHHHHHH
CG: JUST TELL HIM THAT
CG: THAT I'M GLAD THAT HE'S OKAY
CA: um
CG: AND THA
CG: WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "UM"
CA: uhhh, hah, nothing sorry
CA: i just think that he needs a bit more time recovverin before you could really call him "okay"
CG: WHY, WHAT?
CA: nofin, just...
CA: look, wwhy dont ya come ovver tomorroww and see for yourself
CA: hopefully he can explain to the both of us wwhat his deal is
CG: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "HIS DEAL"
CA: im not talkin about this right noww
CA: an im kinda done wwith this wwhole goddamn mess
CA: just... ill see you tomorroww, kar
caligulasAquarium [CA] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]
