And so, the next few weeks were spent pretty miserably. Which was completely understandable. After Sollux had passed out on that fateful day, an emergency ambulance was called out, courtesy of the nervous young man who unfortunately brought Bumble's existence to an adverse close; who revealed himself as Tavros Nitram once aid had arrived. Even throughout the whole ordeal, Eridan had protectively guarded Sollux's unconscious body; even when the ambulance arrived and strongly assured that they would take good care of him, and that he needn't worry. Eridan ended up sitting in the back of the ambulance with Sollux; who was still out cold, as the medical staff on board did various tests and checks. He waited at Sollux's beside at the hospital, whispering words of assurance and begging him to wake up. Even when nurses came into the ward and told Eridan he probably should go home, and that they had everything under control, the boy just replied, "I'm not leavin' without him."
And with that, he would rest his head upon Sollux's duvet-covered knees and close his eyes.
The doctors predicted that he wouldn't be in there for much longer; for he hadn't sustained any physical damage, just mental shocks that had temporarily shut his body down. And they were right. At exactly 4:06 pm, Eridan felt the bedsheets shift underneath him, as Sollux regained consciousness. After being quizzed about what had happened earlier, as fainting clearly wasn't too normal, Sollux and Eridan left the hospital. Sollux's father had been in the waiting room for about an hour before Sollux finally came round, as he first had to decide what he was going to do about Bumble's remains. He was relieved when Sollux finally emerged from the ward, with Eridan guiding him along.
The very next day, Bumble's funeral was held. If you could even call it that. Sollux's father had wanted to deal with the task of burying the family pet sooner rather than later, and had already prepared a large cardboard box and had dug a 3-foot hole in the more secluded part of the back garden, next to the shrubbery that Bumble loved to laze by on warm summer days. Naturally, Eridan had came to support Sollux, and stood beside him; an arm looped around his waist comfortingly. Karkat had also shown up, and stared into the deep pit that had been bored into the ground. The cardboard coffin containing Bumble's body had already been placed into the cavity.
"You were a good dog. A great dog, even." Sollux's father began, crouching beside the hole. "And it is saddening to see a great dog go so soon."
Karkat wandered over to the pit and looked into it. "Uh, we never really got off on the right foot, but I can appreciate that you were always happy to see me, and in a way, I was too, although I didn't really show it. I'm going to miss walking through the front door and being greeted by you."
Next, it was Eridan's turn to pay his respects, and the blue-eyed teen stepped over and knelt beside the grave.
"I never really got much time to get to know you, but from what I could see, you were a wonderful, enthusiastic pup, an' we're all gonna miss you."
With that, Eridan prised one of his expensive golden rings from his finger, and dropped it into the pit with a small plop. "A goodbye gift from me. I'm hopin' you like gold as much as I do."
Sollux's father tried to persuade Eridan to take his ring back, but the pale-skinned boy declined. "It's the least I can do to pay my respect."
Finally, Sollux shuffled over uneasily, peering into that empty-looking grave. He gulped, his honey-brown eyes glazing over. No. He wasn't going to break down. He had the people who were closest to him by his side; he had to be strong.
"Hey, Bumble." he stuttered, settling down beside the large pit. "I remember our very first day together. When I rescued you from the adoption centre. I chose you out of all the other dogs there, because I knew you were special. And you were. You were always willing to listen to me whenever I'd had a crappy day at school, or if the other kids at school had bullied me. You just listened. And that was all I really needed back then, the thought that at least someone gave a shit about me. Even if you couldn't respond; or whether you even knew what I was talking about, it was assuring to know that at least someone cared. You kept me going when times were rough. And now you're gone…"
Sollux felt the salty tears prick at the corners of his eyes. But he kept going, although his voice was shaky. "… And now that you're gone, I have to stay strong. You were a huge help to me back then, and now you've been taken away so suddenly… I have to move on now…"
Sollux squeezed his eyes shut to try and restrain the tears. He felt a comforting hand slip into his own, and looked up to see Eridan smiling beside him, which gave him the strength to finish off his speech.
"But I will never forget you, boy."
Sollux felt Eridan's grasp on his hand tighten, as the stereoscopic-spectacled boy choked back his whimpers. Karkat crouched down beside him, rubbing his shoulder soothingly, and that was when Sollux could no longer retain his emotions, gagging up his final lamenting cries as he pounded his fist into the soft earth. Deciding that the ceremony was over, Sollux's father picked himself up from beside the grave and hoisted up the shovel that was lying on the grass. He started to fill in the hole, throwing soil over the pit. Sollux watched; watery-eyed, as his faithful companion was finally being put to rest. With every haul of dirt that was piled up on top of the makeshift coffin, Sollux felt a pulsating pain wrench at his chest. Until the grave had been completely sealed.
Specks of rain spattered down onto Sollux's face, merging with the rolling tears that stained his cheeks. The surroundings had curdled to grey, echoing thunderclaps serving as grisly mourns. As they were ushered inside as the storm began, Sollux took one last glance at the unmarked grave. Goodbye, boy.