By the time Sollux had finally come to terms with Bumble's untimely death, the warm summer days of August that he had once lavished were long gone, and a season of reddening leaves and cooler nights was left in its place. Eridan had spent a huge amount of time with Sollux, as they took turns in staying round each other's houses. And now that the holidays were over, a busy term of college courses were due to begin.
"So, tell me again what you're doin' at college?" Eridan asked once again, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Sollux looked up to the scarf-donned boy who was seated on his bed, as he dug through his dusty crate of old exercise books from the past year.
"Information Technology, Biology and Maths. Those are the subjects I want to get qualifications in." Sollux replied, rummaging through his trusty red-and-blue rucksack, to make sure he'd packed everything he was going to need for when he returned to college.
"I think I've enrolled for Art, History an' Drama. At least, that's what I did at my last college, so I've simply moved my options here. I'm hopin' the standards a this place match up to my last one."
"Hah, I had a feeling you'd be taking Drama, you little temperamental princess. And prepare to be disappointed, then." Sollux chuckled, zipping up the bag and pushing it aside. "Having the privilege of living in such a shitty area, Alternia College is full to the brim with chavs and idiots with the intelligence of a cell. And don't even get me started on the teachers."
"Seems like I'll be havin' fun, then." Eridan remarked, pulling Sollux up onto the bed and into an embrace. "So I suppose I'll be meetin' your so-called 'friends' then?"
"Well, you've already met KK and GZ, they're my main friends. I'm sure you'll come into contact with all the other asswits that unfortunately come to call me an acquaintance." Sollux grinned, rolling Eridan over so that they were side-by-side on the small single bed.
"I'll look forward to that." the darker-haired boy pressed a kiss to Sollux's lips as the lay facing each other on the bed. "Hey, just wonderin', does that Nep girl go to this college?"
"Does she look like she's old enough to go to college?" Sollux's voice turned sour at the girl's mention. "She's 14. Still in high school. So I definitely won't be running into her while I'm on campus."
"Oh..." Eridan buried his head into Sollux's shirt; mentioning Nepeta had sparked an unpleasant memory. "Sorry for bringin' it up."
"It's okay." Sollux's tone softened, as he let out an exhausted sigh. "All in the past now..."
They settled there for a moment, with only the lenient sound of breathing breaking what would have been complete silence in Sollux's room. The brunette interweaved his fingers into the other's fashionable lacy scarf, hesitant to break the soft symphony of snuffles which emanated from the both of them.
"Have you told your dad about us yet?"
Sollux shuffled uncomfortably on the bed, crumpling the duvet underneath him. "I'm still worried about what he'll say. I've never really talked to him about things like this, so I'm not sure what the outcome will be. I'm guessing you haven't told your dad either?"
"Fuck no. That's the last thing I want to do."
"Then we're both in the same boat."
Silence. It looked as if their relationship status was going to stay hidden for the time being. But with every day spent together, the secret was getting harder and harder to keep.
"I'd love to see you with blonde hair." Sollux suddenly blurted out, running a hand through Eridan's jet-black locks.
"No you fuckin' wouldn't. Damn, I can't even remember my natural hair colour." Eridan batted Sollux's hand away playfully. "I've been dyin' my hair for as long as I can remember."
"You'd look adorable." Sollux sighed dreamily. "So, are you all packed for college tomorrow?"
"You bet. I treated myself to a brand-new Ralph Lauren backpack, along with some art supplies an' textbooks."
"Watch they don't get stolen." Sollux warned him, "Most of the idiots at college think that if they see something they fancy, they can just take it. Whatever you do, don't leave anything unattended. I found that out the hard way when I first started, some asshole nicked my calculator when I wasn't looking. Who the fuck steals a calculator?"
"Guess I'm in for an interestin' term."
.-.-.-.
Sollux awoke the very next morning groggy-eyed and in no way ready to face the day ahead of him. Luckily for him, he didn't have to; well, not until 11:30, when his first class was scheduled to start. The half-asleep boy swatted his hand aimlessly around his bed, until he managed to find his mobile phone that been hidden underneath the duvet. Muttering something about having to get ready for college, Sollux drew the phone up to his face; having to squint as the sudden glare from the screen temporarily blinded him. Blinking a couple of times to regain his vision, he checked the time. 7:13am. Sollux was surprised at how early he'd woken up; normally it took him at least a week to adapt to the change of waking hours. He glanced over to where Eridan slept; on top of the camper bed that he'd had insisted on putting up whenever he stayed round, because apparently inflatable mattresses 'would fuckin' ruin my perfect posture if I was to sleep on one'. The slumbering boy was nestled cosily underneath the crisp white lump of a blanket, and Sollux thought that he'd give Eridan thirty more minutes of sleep before jumping onto his bed, stripping him of his duvets and pinning him down to the mattress for a morning snuggle. Instead, he silently made his own bed, before creeping out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to shower.
7:49. Sollux had been in the shower and had gotten dressed for college. He reckoned he'd stick with something casual and not obnoxiously flashy. He figured a plain black tee would suffice, along with the only clean pair of jeans he had available, his white zip-up hoodie and his old scuffed-up trainers. Eridan was still dozing away by the time Sollux had put his glass studs in.
Turning to the sleeping boy with the stealth of an assassin, he pounced, ripping the blankets away and capturing Eridan; who was now wide awake, in an inescapable hug.
"Jesus, Sol! Do you have to do this every fuckin' mornin'?" Eridan exclaimed, in a dramatic tone of voice. "How I haven't died of a heart attack is astonishin'."
"How else was I going to wake you up?" Sollux nuzzled his face into Eridan's warm chest.
"Um, by lettin' me wake up naturally?" Eridan retorted, his feigned act of grumpiness quickly being engulfed by Sollux's snuggle. "You've been actin' incredibly affectionate lately. Is this some kind a secret Sol code for wantin' sex?"
"Hah! You wish." Sollux chuckled. "I guess I'm just in one of those moods."
"Well, you've got a while to wait until Valentine's Day." Eridan pressed a kiss to Sollux's freckled cheek before throwing his legs over the edge of the camper bed. "I'm gonna have a shower. What time does your first lesson start? I have Art at 11:30."
"That's pretty convenient. My first class starts at 11:30 too."
"Cool." Eridan hopped off the bed, and turned to leave.
"Oh! One last thing, ED." Sollux suddenly remembered something. "Just warning you, best keep all the romantic shit under wraps from now on. The guys at college aren't as accepting of 'our kind of relationship' as we'd like. It's bad enough having KK know, but I've told him that if he breathes a word to anyone, he's dead. And nobody is stupid enough to listen to what NE says."
"Got it." smiled Eridan, as he stood in the doorframe. "It'll be our little secret."