"Hello Karkat, John."
"Hey." "Hi Kankri!"
"Come on in," Kankri opened the door wider to let the two boys inside. John handed the elder Vantas a bag which he accepted.
"Those are for Eridan, Karkat picked them out carefully just for him." John giggled. Kankri smiled.
"How sweet of you Kat." The younger Vantas rolled his eyes and grumbled a 'shut the fuck up'.
As John made casual conversation asking about the egg and such, Karkat looked around the hive that looked freshly cleaned. Typical Kankri. He turned back around to the two talking.
"Where's Cronus?" He interrupted.
"He went to the store to pick up a few things, he should be returning soon." Kankri informed.
"And where's Eridan."
"He's still in his room. He hasn't stepped foot out of there since Cronus brought him to our hive."
"Come on John," Karkat led the way up the hive stairs and down the small hallway to the room on the end with its door partially cracked open.
"Wait here," The troll told the human, and entered the room. Eridan laid on his stomach on the bed, face buried into the pillow, blankets half covering him. Karkat walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. The seadweller lifted his head and looked at the Cancer troll for a brief second before placing it back down and turning the opposite way.
"Wwould noww be a bad time to say I told you so Kar?" He said. Karkat sighed and sat next to him rubbing the back of his neck;attempting to ignore the guilty feeling that decided to punch him in the stomach.
"Yeah I know, sorry." He managed to say. The two sat in silence for a brief second.
"We bought you some of those shitty cherries you like. Kankri has them when you want em." Eridan nodded against his pillow.
"We saw Sollux and Aradia at the store." Karkat continued. He watched his sea dweller friend lay motionless on the bed.
"Did he say anythin," he said after a while.
Karkat leaned back against his hand and rubbed his eyes.
"He kept going on about he needs to talk to you and said how it was nothing bad, that he just fell on Feferi and shit like that." Eridan turned once again to face the candy blood.
"Fell on her," He repeated as if he was soaking in the new information. "Do you believve it Kar?"
"Not sure what I think, after all the shit that happened, I'm not sure what to believe." Karkat answered honestly.
"Uh, Karkat? Can I come sit down now?" Karkat looked to the boy who was standing in the doorway looking rather uncomfortable.
"Oh shit, yeah John. Sorry, I forgot about you." He moved over to let the boy in blue sit on the bed next to him.
"Hi Eridan,"
Eridan stared blankly at him for a minute then nodded.
"Hello John."
"Sorry about whatever happened with you and Sollux, I can't imagine how you feel right now." John continued.
"Like my think pan wants to beat the livin shit outta my blood pusher because of how much of an idiot I am." Eridan sighed into the pillow. John opened his mouth to say something but one look at his boyfriend made him rethink his words.
"Well, just remember there will always be other fish in the sea!"
"Really John," Karkat's palm of his hand met his face. "Now is not the fucking time for a cheesy joke."
"What? I'm trying to make him laugh!"
"That was not funny!"
"Doesn't evven matter anymore, I think I'm goin to stick wwith bein forevver alone. I should havve knowwn before, but bein the idiot I am I screww it up completely." John stared at Karkat, who stared at Eridan, who stared at the wall.
"D-Don't be like that Eridan, there's always someone for somebody! You just have to look-" Karkat clamped his hand over the human's mouth. He pointed towards Eridan who was slightly shaking on the bed.
"That's not true," He breathed out. "It just isn't, least not for me. Just...stop tryin wwith me, your wwastin time." Eridan turned over again and threw a pillow over his head. Karkat reached over and snatched it away from him, throwing it across the room.
"Listen to me Eridan, this pity party has got to stop. Ok so you've been hurt a bunch of times, so what. You can't keep pitying yourself like this cause you're making people worried shitless."
"Yeah! Karkat has been worried about you a lot Eridan!" John pitched in happily.
"I was talking about Cronus and Kankri you fucking moron." The Cancer troll growled. Eridan smiled sadly up at the two.
"Thanks for worryin but, you shouldn't be. Don't go wwastin your breath on m wwhen you don't havve to."
Karkat opened his mouth to protest but Cronus entered the room.
"Hey guys, Kan told me you wvere here." He smiled. Everyone in the room said their respective hellos. Cronus went over to his sulking brother and brushed some hair out of his face.
"Sqwig, you look a mess."
"I knoww," Eridan sighed.
"Butchu got company ovwer, shouldn't you at least try to look nice."
"Don't worry about it, we were just about to leave anyway." Karkat stood up and pulled John with him. "You better text me, cause I'm gonna get you out the fucking hive whether you like it or not."