Notes: I'll try and update more often now, but no promises. That goes for all a'my stories. It's almost summer vacation, so hopefully I'll be uploading all the time then.

Warning: Swearing and blood.

Rated: T because Eridan's a lil bitch.

Uploaded: 5/17/13

Summary: In which Eridan hits on Tavros, and Gamzee is not okay with it.

Best Bros Chapter 15

Overprotective

Tavros sighed slowly, trying and failing to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. His back bumped the wall behind him softly, and his eyes clenched shut, before snapping open to glare upwards at the troll who towered over him.

Eridan Ampora had his right arm straight out in front of him, his hand resting on the wall next to Tavros' face, and was actually trying to court him into a quadrant; if courting him meant pinning him against the wall. The thought made Tavros roll his eyes.

Catching the movement, Eridan growled, "Come on Tavv, think about it!" Tavros pinched between his eyes harder, fighting back his remarks. Eridan eyed the hand disdainfully, before swatting it away, "Come on Tavv, least you could do is look at me."

Taking a deep breath, Tavros swallowed his anger at having his hand hit off of his face. He tilted his head back to glare properly at the sea dweller.

"What do you want?"

Eridan made a loud noise of irritation, before moving so his other arm was out and his left hand was on the other side of Tavros' face, "I'vve been tryin t'fuckin tell you, you fuckstick!" He leaned over the other troll. "I wwant t'be in'a quadrant wwith you."

Tavros fought against rolling his eyes again. At least Eridan was blunt. "Sorry. I'm not interested."

Eridan growled, "Fuckin wwhy? Evveryone knowws you don't have a moirail or a even a fuckin' kismeises! Hell if I knoww if you even have a auspicestice!"

Tavros' eyes narrowed, "I'm not going to leave Gamzee-"

Eridan interrupted him with a loud scoff, "You fuckin… I nevver said that I wwanted to be your Matesprite!" Eridan paused, "Come on Tavv. I need someone in one a' my quadrants! Why the evver lovin' fuck wwon't you quadrant with me!?"

Tavros' shoulders drooped as he sighed once again. His eyes shut as his hand reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose again. Eridan's eyes caught the movement, and they flickered dangerously. Before Tavros' hand reached his face, Eridan had grabbed it and slammed it down into the wall behind Tav, the momentum sending his other arm into Tav's chest, which slammed the smaller troll's head and back into the wall.

"I fuckin' told you t'stop that!"

Tavros hissed as the back of his head throbbed, before he growled loudly at Eridan.

Eridan's eyes flickered with amusement, "Getting' feisty, eh Tavv? What're you gonna do about-"

And Tavros slammed his forehead into Eridan's face.

The larger troll swore loudly, as he heard his nose crack, and immediately backed away from Tavros. Taking his chance, Tavros bolted.

His metal feet hit the ground loudly, and he realized he would have to stop somewhere if he didn't want Eridan to find him. He was about to turn a corner when he heard a familiar voice humming.

Gamzee.

A grin lit up Tavros' face, and Gamzee turned towards him when he heard him coming. Gamzee's look of contentment quickly turned to one of confusion and worry, before he spread his arms open; an invitation for Tavros to run into him.

He did so gladly.

They wrapped their arms around each other, and Tavros nuzzled his face on Gamzee's shirt as the older troll rocked back and forth slowly.

"What happened?" Tavros pulled his face from Gamzee's shirt, and saw light purple on it. His face morphed into one of disgust. Some of the blood from Eridan's nose must have gotten onto his face. That explained why Gamzee seemed so confused. He spotted some rust blood too, and he became confused as well. He hadn't thought he was bleeding…

Tavros opened his mouth to answer, before he was silenced by loud swearing coming closer. He winced, and Gamzee's expression hardened. He had figured it out.

Tavros was almost excited.

Eridan rounded the corner, his hand over his nose, blood staining his scarf. Gamzee released Tavros, and started walking towards him. When Eridan saw Gamzee, he started yelling, "Gamzee Makara! Control your fuckin' Matesprite for shits sake!" He then yelled at Tavros, who was watching with wide eyes, "An' you! Get into a fuckin' Kismei-" He let out a strangled yelp as Gamzee punched him in the face, breaking his cracked nose and sending the slightly smaller troll onto the floor.

Tavros' hands shot to cover his mouth as Gamzee started moving again. He bent down and sat on Eridan's chest, forcing the air out of them. Eridan shot him a fearful look, before hiding it and glaring up at him indignantly, his hands not leaving his nose.

"Get the fuck off a'me!"

"No."

Eridan paused, and stared hard at Gamzee.

He didn't like what he saw.

The cold rage that was always present when the troll had a breakdown was there, and Eridan had to wonder just what he had done to receive that rage.

"Wwhat the glub! Wwhy's it so bad I wwanna havve him in a quadrant! S'not like they're full!"

Gamzee positioned himself so he was laying on top of Eridan, his elbows propping his head up and his legs in the air, "Actually motherfucker, they are."

Eridan shot him a glare, "Bullshit."

Gamzee frowned at him, before hitting him in the nose again, sending Eridan into a fit of pained yelps, "They're full." He sat up, swung his legs to the side, and stood slowly. He glared down at Eridan, "Leave him alone."

Eridan sat up and returned the glare, before turning to face Tavros, his pride forcing him to abandon his plan "Wwho in their right mind wwould fuckin' fill up his quadrants anyways."

Gamzee placed his foot on Eridan's chest, and promptly pushed him back to the floor, before resting his full weight on Eridan's chest, "Me."

Eridan sputtered up at him, "The fuck does that mean? You can't a' filled all a'em!"

"Well I did," Gamzee growled at Eridan, "So deal with it." He released Eridan, and walked back over to Tavros, whose hands were still covering his mouth. Gamzee smiled at the astonishment on his face, before moving to gently remove Tav's hands from his mouth. Tavros couldn't help but flinch when Gamzee's hands made contact, and quickly realized his wrist was bruised from when Eridan had slammed it into the wall.

Gamzee realized it too, and moved to attack Eridan again, but Tavros engulfed him in a hug. "Don't worry about it." His voice was muffled by Gamzee's shirt, but it made the taller troll relax.

He sighed slowly, before looping his arms around Tavros, ignoring the cursing troll still on the floor behind them. Tavros smiled into Gamzee's shirt, and Gamzee tightened his arms, one of his hands moving to cup the back of Tavros' head.

Tavros' whole body flinched when contact was made, and the sudden jerk made Gamzee freeze. He felt Tavros' grimace through his shirt, and brought his hand away to see it lightly covered in rust colored blood.

He was going to fucking kill Eridan.

Not even looking at Eridan, Gamzee addressed him, "What did you do to his head." Not really paying attention, Eridan half assed a reply.

"I don't fuckin knoww! Idiot must'vve hit it when I pushed him."

Gamzee's tone didn't waver, "You pushed him?"

To preoccupied with his nose to realize he was digging his own grave, Eridan nodded the affirmative, "Yeah I pushed him! He wwouldn't cooperate an' pinnin' him against the wwall seemed the best way-"

"You pinned him against the wall?"

Eridan stopped talking long enough for him to process what he had just admitted to. The carefully controlled rage behind Gamzee's words froze him to the floor, and he realized that if Tavros hadn't still been hugging Gamzee, he would probably be dead.

He hated that he felt grateful.

Standing up quickly before he could say anything else he would regret, Eridan walked out of eyeshot, and then proceeded to sprint to his chambers.

Very grateful.

Gamzee sighed through his nose, before resting his chin on the top of Tavros' head and closing his eyes. He felt the rust blood in his arms relax, and he brought his hand up to the back of Tav's head again.

He touched the torn skin lightly, humming to Tavros when he heard him whimper quietly. Opening his eyes, Gamzee pulled away.

"We need to get you fixed up motherfucker."

Tavros looked up at him, his eyes large, "What are we fixing?"

Gamzee's eyes softened, and he lightly brushed his fingers over the back of Tav's head again, before moving his fingers onto the rust blood's forehead. Tavros was confused when he felt pain, and was surprised to discover he had ripped the skin on his forehead as well.

No wonder Gamzee looked so worried.

"How did you even manage to do this to yourself?" Gamzee's voice was gentle.

Tavros grinned up at him, "I head butted Eridan in the face."

Gamzee's face scrunched up as he tried to hold in his laughter, "No wonder his nose was all messed up." He grinned, "M' proud of ya Tav."

Tavros beamed up at Gamzee, before a throb from his head made him wince, and lower his head into Gamzee's shirt. "…Can you help please? It hurts."

Gamzee bent down and looped his arms under Tavros' knees and shoulders, before quickly picking the troll up before he could protest. He paused when Tavros didn't argue with him, and instead had his eyes clenched shut.

Gamzee couldn't help himself, "Was it worth head butting him in the face?"

Tavros' mouth quirked up into a grin, "Totally worth it."

Gamzee laughed as he carried his Matesprite, Moirail, Kismeisis, and Auspice away. Tavros was his everything, and he wouldn't have it any other way.