There was a loud thump that made Sollux's eyes shoot open and made him jolt straight up. It took a moment for him to realize where he was, sitting up on a bed in a cabin at the top of a mountain. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness as he forced his messy hair back and out of his face, looking around for the cause of the sound. He then realized that Eridan wasn't next to him, and, judging by the strange groaning sound coming from the floor, Sollux guessed that his graceful boyfriend had just fallen out of bed.
"Bloody shittin' hell. W-what the ev-ver lov-vin' fuck..."
Sollux couldn't resist his laughter.
"Wow! You win the gold for The Smoothest Criminal Around competition. Like, shit, you knocked everyone else out of the stadium for that medal. Michael Jackson must be rolling in his grave right now, so jealous that you've taken the gold for that award," Sollux managed through his laughter.
"Bite me, fuck-clow-wn."
"Any time, sw-weet cheeks."
"You know-w w-what, Sol? You can go fall off a' a ski lift for all I care."
"The fall from a ski lift to the ground is a little further than the fall from a bed to the floor, ED. Do you really wish that upon me?" Sollux continued to tease. Eridan continued to mumble frustrated profanity under his breath as he lifted himself off of the floor, giving Sollux a look of pure evil.
"I w-will rip ev-very w-wire from ev-very laptop that youv-ve ev-ver ow-wned, Sollux Captor, and I w-will make you w-watch."
"Calm down there, Satan. Don't make me "accidentally" drop your freckle makeup in the toilet."
"Fuck you, Sol."
"Merry Christmas to you too, Eri," Sollux cooed, leaning over and pressing a nearly blind kiss to Eridan's lips.
Half an hour later, Sollux was whistling over a stove as five fat strips of bacon sizzled in a pan that he was holding. Monroe was next to him, flipping pancakes, cooking eggs, and keeping an eye on the toasting toast all at the same time. The smell of a large breakfast wafted through the cabin, drawing people one by one from their rooms. It wasn't long at all before Carter stood behind Monroe, arms around his husband as he looked down at the cooking food.
"That smells lovely," he commented with a yawn, accent seeming thicker in his weary state. He pressed a light kiss to Monroe's dark hair, causing Monroe to smile, yet gently shrug the tired Englishman away.
"No thanks to you, sleeping beauty. Sollux and I are slaving over this while you mosey your way out of bed," he replied, moving over and grabbing the toast from the toaster, dropping the golden-brown slices on a plate and placing more bread into the toaster before moving back over to his eggs. Carter chuckled.
"You know I need my beauty rest."
"So does Eridan, apparently," Sollux snickered, sliding his bacon onto a large plate before opening a box of sausage links, dumping those into a pan.
"You know it, babe," Eridan confirmed, walking into the kitchen as he stretched. He ruffled his own messy hair and crinkled his nose as he winced from the bright light coming through the windows, and the smell of cooking meat. Sollux barely glanced back at him before smiling.
"Cute sweater. Walmart brand, Eridan?" He teased. He couldn't help it; the Christmas sweater that Eridan wore was ridiculous.
"As if. Suck mine, Captor."
"Only if you suck mine first, Ampora."
"The only thing that you two will be sucking is a bar of soap if you don't tone it down right now," Carter commanded in his stern, fatherly voice. Sollux rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Sorry. Either of you want to help out, by the way? Or should dad and I just continue to struggle with this?" Sollux suggested. Eridan just sat down at the table and Carter shrugged, making his way over to the coffee maker.
"I'll make coffee," he offered in his half-assed attempt to help. Sollux rolled his eyes.
"You soldier," he replied sarcastically.
Carter laughed and Monroe chuckled, sliding another pancake on a plate. Sollux looked over at his dads, then back over to Eridan with a smile.
"Well, you can honestly say that you've done more than Eridan," he teased, talking to Carter, but looking over at his boyfriend. Eridan just shrugged away his comment.
"I'm a prince, Sol. I don't bother with meager chores such as cookin'."
"Prince of my ass, Eridan."
"Sollux, what did I just say?"
"Sorry," Sollux apologized to Carter.
He tossed a wink back at Eridan, who rolled his eyes and looked away, only smiling when he thought that Sollux wasn't looking. Sollux's smile grew. He look down at the pancake that he had taken over from his dad, then back to Eridan.
"Hey, Eri, c'mere," Sollux demanded, causing Eridan to look up questioningly.
"Hm?"
"Just come here."
Eridan looked suspicious as he slowly rose, making his way over to Sollux with a cocked eyebrow. His arms were wrapped around his body, hands hidden beneath the long sleeves of his terrible Christmas sweater. He wore his only pair of loose jeans and a pair of big fuzzy socks, which slid along the smooth wood floor. When he approached Sollux, Sollux took a step back from the stove.
"Take the pan and the spatula, Eridan."
Eridan's eyes widened. "Um, excuse me?!"
"It's not a hard concept, Eri. You curl your fingers over this handle here, then with your other hand, you-"
"Sol, I'm not cookin' anythin'!"
"Would you just stop whining for three seconds and take the pan, Eridan?" Sollux demanded.
Eridan bit his bottom lip, pausing a moment before reluctantly stepping forward. He grabbed the pan and the spatula, standing in front of Sollux and in front of the stove. Sollux smiled, joining him from behind as he slid his arms around Eridan so that he could grasp onto Eridan's hands.
"Okay, firstly, you can't take your time when flipping it, Eridan..."
"Sol, I really, really, really don't want to do this," he begged, terrified of the flap of batter in the pan in front of him. Sollux had to resist his laughter.
"I'm sure you've done a lot harder things than flipping a pancake," Sollux assured. Eridan seemed to think about this a few seconds before nodding.
"Touche."
"Right. So, it's easy. Just push the spatula quickly under the entire pancake, then lift and flip. Don't toss, just lift and flip the spatula in one motion," he directed. His hands helped Eridan's as he shoved the spatula under the pancake, flipping it quickly, nearly laughing as Eridan practically jumped.
"Frick! Okay, I did it!" Eridan said, smile forming. Sollux smiled and nodded, sliding away and stepping back from Eridan.
"Merry Christmas, Eri. You just flipped your first pancake. Take over for me, will you?" Sollux chuckled, making his way out of the room. Eridan was quick to look at him in panic.
"Wait, Sollux, don't-!"
"Don't worry, Eridan, I'll take care of ya'," Monroe assured with a chuckle, remaining close to Eridan as the Aquarius looked down at the pan with discomfort.
Sollux walked down the hall and to the back door to get some air, sliding the door open and nearly freezing in place when smacked with the cold mountain wind. He inhaled the icy air deeply before sliding the back door shut, slipping his arms around himself as he made his way across the deck. The snow was coming down softly, the gray skies ridiculously bright for a winter day.
Sollux walked slowly, bare feet quickly growing cold from the icy deck beneath him. He was glad that he had half of a mind to put on some jeans and a jacket before leaving his room this morning. He would be frozen solid out here if he hadn't done so.
He paused in front of the wooden railing, looking out to take in the view of the cotton balled tree tops and the snow covered ground. The snow flakes were big; like petals of fresh daisy's falling from the grey sky and to the crisp ground. He blinked his mismatched eyes as he stared out at the view, inhaling and exhaling slowly as he allowed himself to relax and actually enjoy the cold for once.
He was usually a very relaxed person. He didn't give a shit about much, only concentrating on what he wanted to. Lately, though, his mind seemed to be in overdrive. It was like meeting Eridan woke him up. He was on his toes and his mind seemed overactive. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it's not like he could be an immature kid forever, though, that sounded pretty damn nice...
He wasn't given the chance to think long, a pair of hands surprising him by slipping under the back of his jacket and t-shirt. His immediate thought was to step forward and away, not being fond of being touched by people, though he couldn't deny the sweet shock of the cold against his skin that gave him chills. He smiled, relaxing further as his own hands moved down and slipped over Eridan's, pushing them further along his skin.
"Done cooking already?" He asked, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the thrill of the cold zipping up and down his body. He turned his head to the side, not at all surprised when Eridan leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. That was more like it; willing boyfriend, not prissy bitch.
It was very sudden that he felt something was off. His eyebrows furrowed, the taste of cigarettes filling his mouth before his eyes shot open. Dread and disgust filled him as he realized that it wasn't Eridan's hands sliding along his skin, and it wasn't Eridan whose lips were moving against his;
It was Cronus's.
He broke the kiss and jerked away, shoving Cronus's hand's off of him. He quickly stumbled back, hands gripping hard to the wooden railing for support as he leaned away from the horrible Ampora. His heart was racing, eyes wide and lips parted in shock and strict disgust.
"You disgusting, repulsive prick!" Sollux insulted, quick to drag the top of his arm over his lips, as if that would do away with the taste of cigarettes that now tainted his mouth. Cronus only laughed, clearly amused as he crossed his arms.
"Isn't that a bit dramatic, kid? I thought that it was pretty romantic. And since when does Eridan cook? Unless burnt toast constitutes as cooking, Eridan sure as hell can't make anything."
Sollux furrowed his eyebrows, anger taking the place of disgust within him. He yanked his hands off of the railing, flexing his fingers just to keep from nailing the other in the nose. He then crossed his arms tightly, looking around quickly before stepping closer to Cronus.
"You need to go. Now, before anyone sees you," he demanded, though his tone sounded almost desperate. Cronus smiled, amusement growing.
"Are you begging me, cutie? I kinda like that. It's almost as if this was some forbidden meeting and you felt guilty about meeting me in secret," he teased, leaning down so that his face was level with Sollux's. Sollux's eyebrows furrowed further, disgust returning.
"Listen, dick-shit, I don't know how the hell you knew that we were here-"
"You go on vacation every Christmas, sweetie. It was in the file."
Sollux cringed at the nickname. "We don't always come here."
"True, but that cutie-pie Mituna has been begging to come to the mountains," he informed, obviously knowing a lot more than Sollux would have assumed. Sollux just shook his head.
"You're really something else, you fucking know that?"
"I like you too, doll."
"No, there's no "too", Cronus. I hate you. Scratch that; I loathe your entire being. You are such a creepy shit, you're a pathetic waste of space-"
"Hey, hey, hey! I have feelings too, you know. Have a little compassion," Cronus informed, a hand moving up and covering his leather jacket just above his heart as though he were in pain. Sollux nearly snarled.
"I don't know why you can't just leave me alone. Me and Eridan both. You need to stop caring so much about our lives and pay more attention to your own, if you fucking have one, because you're literally no more than a stain on mine."
Cronus's smile had faded, eyebrow raised as he seemed to study Sollux to see if he was being completely serious. If Sollux didn't completely hate him, he'd almost find him attractive without that cocky smile and with the deep, thoughtful look in his eyes. He really did look a lot like Eridan. Sollux nearly felt a bit bad, before Cronus rolled his eyes and his bitchiness returned.
"Is this about the alleyway? Fine, kid, I apologize for flipping my shit," he admitted. Sollux just looked at him like he was a clueless dip-fuck, which he was.
"No, you don't. You're not sorry at all. You don't give half of a shit, and, honestly, neither do I. I made a mistake, letting my guard down around you, but it won't happen again. In fact, you're not going to come around me again, you got me?" Sollux informed, sounding ridiculously confident.
He certainly didn't feel confident. Just angry, really. That anger only grew when Cronus's eyebrows rose, his horrible smile slowly returning.
"Oh really? And what are you going to do if I visit you and Eridan even more, kid? Do you even know how to throw a punch?" He asked with a laugh, holding his hand up, flexing his fingers and forming a fist. "Seriously, Captor, I'd love to know how you hit. Show me how you would form a-"
Before he could continue, Sollux's mood took a sharp right turn. He ripped his fist back through the air and swung, nailing Cronus hard in the face before they both even knew what was happening. Cronus stumbled back, surprise shining in his eyes as a look of shock overcame his features.
Sollux had surprised himself just as much as Cronus. Damn his mood swings! He knew that he had nailed Cronus pretty hard, his knuckles throbbing, fingers aching slightly. He shook his hand out as Cronus slowly looked up, blood trickling down his chin from the corner of his mouth. He gave Sollux a look that filled Sollux with a slight fear. Whoops. Did he make a mistake? Either way, he didn't regret it. That felt fantastic.
He was a bit surprised when Cronus smiled, running the back of his hand over his mouth and chin, smearing the blood over his skin. He looked at his hand, nodding, mildly impressed. He then looked back up at Sollux.
"Alright, kid, I stand corrected. Good form, Captor."
"I've been throwing punches all my life, Cronus. You're not the first, you should know that."
"Oh, right. You and Eridan use to enjoy beating the shit out of each other."
Sollux winced. "That was before."
"Before, yeah yeah, whatever. Speaking of Eridan, I'm actually here for a reason-"
Sollux shook his head, interrupting Cronus before he could continue. "You're here to fuck with me, Cronus. You've been here the entire time, stalking my family and I, tailing me, filling me with a paranoia that I knew wasn't for nothing."
"Well, yes, there's that, but there's another thing. It's actually pretty important, so I'd listen to me..."
"I don't care, Cronus! I really couldn't care less about whatever it is that you want to relay to me. Everything that spews from your mouth is complete and utter shit, wrapped around lies and pathetic threats. Hey, guess what, Cronus? I, don't, fucking, care!" Sollux informed, frustration filling him as he glared daggers at the other.
Cronus just stood there, blood still escaping his mouth and sliding down his chin. He blinked a few times before crossing his arms, looking at Sollux with interest. He studied him a moment before speaking.
"I see why Eridan likes you," he said softly, completely throwing Sollux off.
The hell was with this guy? Every time Sollux was sure that he figured Cronus out, he was thrown a curve ball. Sollux wasn't even completely sure that he hated Cronus. Honestly, Eridan was right the first time that he described Cronus; he was fake. But not necessarily in a terrible way. He seemed to have this convincing facade about him, with the whole unfeeling, asshole greaser thing going on. But was that really him? He seemed so much more than that, and Sollux was beginning to think that he just wanted Sollux to believe that he was such a dick.
No, Sollux didn't hate him. He didn't exactly like him, but he did pity him and he saw right through Cronus's mask. What Cronus felt and what his motives were, Sollux didn't know, but he was much more complicated than this. Sollux was a bit curious, but he wasn't interested enough in finding out.
"Just leave me alone, Cronus, okay? My life is hard enough without you around," he sighed, stepping around Cronus and making his way back inside. Cronus turned and looked at him, not stopping him, though his words nearly did.
"Is that what you think, Sollux? Well, it's about to get a lot worse," he threatened. Sollux slowed, but he didn't stop as he walked inside.
When he slid the door closed, he locked it quickly and leaned against it, running his hand through his hair and down his face. Jesus, he was cold. He ran his tongue over his freezing lips, wincing afterwards. God dammit, he could still taste Cronus's cigarette on his lips...
He knew that Cronus had been there all along. He fucking knew it. He had been paranoid, yes, but for good reason. Also, he could have given himself a bloody lip at his stupidity. He needed to get it through his head that he couldn't rid himself of Cronus; the asshole would always be around, no matter what. That kind of sucked...
But what did he mean by "it's about to get a lot worse"? Was he just trying to scare Sollux? Or were things really about to start getting a lot more complicated? Sollux didn't know if he could handle anymore of this. When he learned that Eridan was involved in the mob, he expected a lot more than just Cronus. He was prepared to handle it, but now he wasn't sure. Cronus was enough to deal with.
Whatever, fuck it. He needed to suck it up, move on, and stop worrying about this. Shit was always going to try and get him down, and he just needed to deal with it.
He straightened, inhaling and exhaling heavily before making his way back out into the kitchen. Monroe and Eridan were already setting the table, getting everything ready for their large breakfast. Eridan smiled widely up at Sollux, obviously proud that he could help out.
"Hey, Sol! You're back just in time, we just finished," he informed.
Guilt struck Sollux, nearly ruining his mood. What the hell did he feel guilty about? He didn't do anything wrong. First of all, Cronus kissed him. He had no part in that. Also, it wasn't his fault that Cronus was a persistent bastard that just wouldn't stop. He didn't need to feel guilty about anything.
Though, he really should tell Eridan. Tell him about Cronus in the alleyway, Cronus's presence now, and Cronus's threat. But damn, did Eridan just look so happy and relaxed! Nope, no, not today. He didn't need to know, it wasn't that big of a deal. He'd tell him later, but it just wasn't happening today.
He smiled in return, forcing his mood back up as he sat down to eat Christmas breakfast with his family. Mituna could barely sit still next to Sollux. He was really super excited all morning, his mood almost contagious. Sollux couldn't be down when he was around an excited Mituna.
Eridan barely ate anything, as usual. Although Sollux wasn't very hungry, he ate quite a lot. Eridan made fun of him for it, like he normally did, and Sollux couldn't help but to compare himself to Karkat. Anyone who knew Karkat pretty well knew that kid could eat like fucking crazy. It was kind of funny, considering his size, but it was true. Carter always made comments about needing to go grocery shopping before Sollux and Karkat hung out together, because they'd completely clear out the pantry.
They talked for a while after breakfast before Mituna couldn't remain patient any longer, far too excited to give Latula whatever it was that he got for her. They made their way into the living room of the cabin, all sitting around the fireplace. They never really were Christmas tree people, because Monroe didn't like the work. Also, Carter didn't do fake trees, and he didn't like the mess of a real one, so they simply sat around the fireplace on Christmas.
The gifts began with Mituna giving Latula hers from him. She couldn't help but to laugh at his excitement, ripping the wrapping paper away on her box. She practically squealed when she saw that he got her a new skateboard. It was so white it was nearly blinding, with no color aside from the red wheels. It was obviously something that she had wanted, making that quite apparent as she threw herself onto her boyfriend and pressed loving kisses to his face. He just giggled and held her close.
They continued exchanging gifts, shocking Eridan when he was at the receiving end of many of them. His discomfort returned, not very comfortable with accepting things that others bought for him. Carter had gotten him a few designer scarves, much to Eridan's pleasure, though he still had trouble accepting them. Monroe had bought him an array of paints and brushes, remembering very well that he was an art student. Even Mituna had gotten Eridan something, giving him new purple gloves.
Sollux was last to give Eridan his gift, tossing him a box, which Eridan barely caught. He looked at Sollux curiously with a bashful smile, then down to the wrapped box. He was one of those people that, very carefully, unwrapped the wrapping paper gently without causing any damage.
"Holy Lord, Eridan, I'm aging over here!"
"Whatever, Sol, calm down," he laughed.
He opened the box, a large smile forming on his lips as he pulled out the sweater. It was black, long-sleeved, and made out of an extremely thick and rich material. It had a large sign in the middle, containing both the Aquarius zodiac sign and the Gemini mixed. The top and bottom of the symbol was the Aquarius's purple horizontal zigzag lines, linked together by the two yellow vertical lines of the Gemini sign.
"Sol, it's perfect. Where did you get it?" He asked. Sollux shook his head.
"You think I'm going to find that shit anywhere? No, I had to pay an old friend to make it for me. Do you remember Kanaya?" He asked with a smile, ignoring Carter's glare due to Sollux's swearing. Eridan nodded.
"Yeah, I remember Kan. I don't think she liked me very much," he admitted. Sollux shrugged.
"It's in the past. But, wow, can she make clothes."
"No kiddin'! This material is gorgeous, and the idea was lovely. I love it," he admitted, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Sollux's lips. Sollux smiled, though it faded as Eridan stood up and held out his hand.
"Come with me, your gift is in our room," he said, yanking Sollux to his feet. Sollux groaned.
"I have to move? What kind of gift is that?" He complained, making Eridan laugh.
They exited the room and left the chattering family, making their way upstairs. Sollux was curious, wondering why Eridan had to make this thing so mysterious. He couldn't just bring it downstairs? Dramatic priss.
They made their way into the room, and Sollux was forced to sit down on the bed and close his eyes. Sollux rolled his eyes before shutting them, covering his eyes with his hands afterwards. He listened as Eridan yanked out one of his many suitcases from under the bed, unzipping it and pulling something out. He then heard Eridan's footsteps as they made their way over to him, then stopped directly in front of him.
"Okay, Sol, so, I was really actually very nervous to give this to you. I talked to Carter, and he assured me that you'd like it. It's totally okay if you don't, though, I understand, you won't hurt my feelin's if you hate it and want nothin' to do with it and want to just like get rid of it or throw it away or burn it," he started stammering nervously, only stopping when Sollux made him.
"Fucking hell, Eridan, just shut up and let me see it," Sollux laughed.
When Eridan didn't say anything, Sollux took this as a sign to drop his hands and open his eyes. His playful smile immediately faded, shock consuming him. His breath caught and his lips parted, taking in the sight in front of him.
Eridan was holding a canvas, a pretty decent sized one, holding a painting filled with rich colors and amazing texture. The shadowing, the angles, the lines, the lighting, the brush strokes; literally everything about the painting was perfect. It looked completely professionally done, the only thing disproving this being Eridan's signature at the bottom. Sollux had practically forgotten that Eridan was an art student, never seeing him paint or draw or even showing an interested in art. He had no fucking idea that he was this good.
He also had no idea that his mother could be captured so beautifully in a picture.
All Sollux could do was stare, taking in the beautiful picture of his mom and the light in her eyes. Those blue orbs held so much life, and for a moment, Sollux forgot that she was even dead. He was suddenly splashed with so much emotion, able to tear his gaze away from the painting and look up at Eridan, who looked scared to death.
"Sol, like I said, if this was totally too far and just a really stupid thing for me to do-"
"Eridan," Sollux interrupted, slowly rising to his feet.
"Eridan, it's amazing. Just really, really amazing. You captured her perfectly. Her life and energy and her glow; all of it is there," he assured, reaching out and gently taking the picture from his boyfriend.
Eridan blinked, looking at him. He was obviously surprised to get that response, seemingly not thinking that his picture was that good. He looked at the painting, then to Sol, then the painting again, then back to Sol. He continued this a moment before literally, right before Sollux, breaking down into tears.
"Oh, Sol, I'm so sorry," he choked, causing Sollux to immediately set the painting down on the bed and wrap his arms quickly around Eridan.
Sollux didn't do tears. Shit, Sollux couldn't even remember the last time that he cried. Aradia wasn't a someone who cried either, and Karkat never dared to shed a tear in front of anyone, so he never had to deal with it. People who cried around him made him extremely uncomfortable. Mostly because he was never any good at the whole comforting gig, but also because he simply hated when anyone cried. So, he tried not to panic while holding Eridan, who was practically squeezing the life out of Sollux.
"Hey! Eridan, what is it, what are you sorry about?" Sollux asked, concentrating on breathing as Eridan held him tight and buried his face into Sollux's shoulder.
"I-I'm just so s-sorry. So sorry that your mom is g-gone and that you hav-ve to liv-ve w-without her," he sobbed.
Sollux had to immediately clench his jaw. No one else dared to speak about his mother around Sollux, knowing very well that Sollux didn't take pity and wouldn't listen to anyone talk about her. It filled him with so much anger, though, now, his own throat felt tight, along with his chest. No way was Eridan going to make Sollux cry too.
"Eri," he started, though he had to stop, feeling as though his voice were about to disappear. He cleared his throat before trying again.
"Eridan, it's alright. It's been a while, and I've gotten use to it," he assured. Eridan only sniffled, pulling away and looking at Sollux with heartbreaking sad eyes.
"But you shouldn't hav-ve to. You shouldn't hav-ve to liv-ve w-without her, not yet, it's not fair," he informed. Sollux nodded, swallowing the golf ball in his throat before speaking up.
"I know. That goes for you too, you know. You shouldn't have to live without your mother either," Sollux replied, immediately making Eridan break right back down into more sobs. Sollux pulled him close once again, allowing Eridan to cry into his shoulder.
Who would have fucking known any of this would have happened. If you had told Sollux Captor back in his junior year that he would be standing in a log cabin in the mountains on Christmas day, holding Eridan Ampora-his boyfriend and son of a notorious mobster-while he cried and apologized to him that he had to live without his mother, all after giving Sollux the best gift that he had ever received, Sollux would have flipped you the bird and laughed while he walked away. He would have walked home laughing, eaten dinner that night laughing, laid in bed that night laughing, then proceeded to laugh into the following day.
But, hell, that's where he stood, in this cabin, holding his boyfriend while he broke down in Sollux's arms and blubbered like a fucking baby. All Sollux could do was hold him close and close his eyes, practically willing Eridan to stop crying with his mind.
"It's just really hard, Sol," he admitted. Sollux sighed.
"What is, Eri?"
"Ev-verythin'. Liv-vin' this life, gettin' up ev-very day, bein' scared for myself and you, w-worryin' about ev-verythin' all the time, feelin' this hurt that nev-ver goes aw-way" he admitted through small sniffles. Sollux furrowed his eyebrows.
"Eri, you don't have to be scared. And you don't have to hurt anymore," he assured him. Eridan didn't seem to believe him, not answering as he sniffled once again.
Sollux bit his bottom lip, unsure what to do or say. His only idea was to lean close and press a small kiss to Eridan's ear.
"Hey," he whispered, causing Eridan to sniffle and pull back, finally looking at Sollux with his broken blue eyes. Sollux managed an assuring smile, leaning his forehead against Eridan's as he continued to look into his eyes.
"You don't have to hurt anymore. And you don't have to worry. You've told me time and time again that you won't let anything happen to me. That goes for me too. I won't let anything happen to you either. I love you, Eridan. More and more every day, and I won't let anything happen to you," he confessed.
Eridan's eyes widened further than Sollux had ever seen them. Wider than when he saw Cronus next to Sollux for the first time. Wider than when Sollux fell into the pool. Wider than when Sollux suggested that Eridan go to the Goodwill. Wider than the scary movie. He just stared back at the Gemini with wide blue eyes that nearly made Sollux laugh before he began to cry again, making Sollux frown.
"Hey, Eri, what is it? You're not supposed to cry when I admit that! Look, I suck at this whole comforting thing, and that was the best card I had to play, so if you're gonna'-"
"No, Sol," Eridan interrupted, chocking back a sob. "No, I'm not upset anymore. I'm just happy. Really, really happy. You made me really happy."
Sollux couldn't help but to smile. He leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to Eridan's lips, causing the crying to cease and the tears to stop flowing. He waited until he was sure that Eridan wasn't going to cry anymore before pulling back, giving him a teasing smile.
"What a man," he teased, causing Eridan to give him a weak smile as he wiped his eyes, punching Sollux in the shoulder at the same time.
"Shut your fuckin' mouth, Sol. You're the one spillin' all that hallmark crap," he retorted.
"To stop you from blubbering like a little girl, Eridan!" Sollux laughed right back.
Eridan shook his head, not snapping anything back to Sollux out of how grateful he was to Sol for being so sweet. He then began to wipe his tears again, looking at his hand with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Sol. I didn't mean to cry like that," he admitted. Sollux shook his head.
"It's fine, Eridan, we all cry sometimes."
"Really? Do you?"
"Nope, I'm the exception. My weird eyes aren't capable of forming tears, my cold heart isn't capable of feeling deep emotions, and my impressively large brain is too advanced to allow such actions to occur," he replied, gaining him a laugh from Eridan and another punch in the shoulder.
"Oh, please, Sol! There's gotta' be somethin' you cry about."
Sollux thought a moment, than slowly nodded. "Conficker."
Eridan looked at him curiously, eyebrow slowly rising. "Conficker?"
Sollux nodded again. "Yup. Sophisticated little worms. Difficult to counter due to their complexity. They can propagate quickly over LANs through -"
"Oh my holy fuckin' shit, don't even, Sol," Eridan laughed. He then leaned down and pressed a loving kiss to Sollux's lips before pulling back, looking into his eyes with so much emotion that Sollux immediately had to smile.
"I love you too, Sol," he replied.
Sollux nodded. "Understandable."
Eridan laughed, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the room and back to join the family.