Eridan opened his eyes to find himself leaning against a sleeping Sollux, who was pulling him close on his lap and nuzzling his face into his neck. Eridan thought that Sollux seemed rather sweet and innocent like this, contrary to the façade he generally put on. Eridan smiled to himself and wiggled out of Sollux's grasp. He stretched out, reaching up to the ceiling and standing on his tiptoes, making a small noise before letting his arms drop back down to his sides. Leaning over Sollux, Eridan brought his fingers to gently brush his cheek and then removed his bi-colored glasses, folding them up and setting them on the glass coffee table in front of the couch carefully.
Then he padded upstairs to his bedroom; sometimes even he couldn't get over how large this particular area was. There was an ornate double bed against the middle of the far wall, the black metal frame twisted into flower and vine shapes and the satin sheets shiny and purple. The plush carpet covering the floor was also purple— albeit a slightly deeper shade than the sheets on his bed— and a showy vanity was nestled against the cream-colored wall to his right. On each side of it were two doors, both some distance away from the vanity. The one on its left led to a well-stocked walk-in closet, and the one to the right led to an immense bathroom. The wall to Eridan's left was mostly a glass door leading out to a balcony with a perfect view of the ocean. Indeed, Eridan had chosen his home well. A little large for just one person, but it was pretty. And anyway, Eridan had—
"My fish!" He sprinted to the large tank in his room, where a number of tropical fish were poking around in the gravel at the bottom. "Oh, I'm sorry, babies, I forgot to feed you before I went away!" He got some fish food from a drawer beneath the tank and sprinkled a precise amount into the water. The fish immediately swam up and began snapping up the food. Eridan glubbed at them happily before he could stop himself.
"You still make that noise?"
Eridan jumped up, nearly knocking the tank over. "S-Sol!"
"Eridan," Sollux replied with a smirk.
"Don't fuckin' scare me like that!"
Sollux strolled up to Eridan and playfully rubbed their noses together. "Mmm, why'd you get up, baby? I was surprisingly comfortable."
"Sorry. My fish needed to eat. An' I need a shower."
"Er… yeah, I do too."
"You wanna," Eridan began, "take one here?"
Sollux made a conscious effort not to let his enthusiasm show through. He shoved his hands into his pockets nonchalantly, but secretly, they were shaking beside him. "Yeah, thanks. Could I maybe borrow a change of clothes, too? I wasn't really… planning on spending the night."
"No problem. You gonna wait out here, or…?"
Sollux swallowed hard. Was Eridan actually offering to let him shower with him?
"Uh, well… y'know… save water, shower t—"
Eridan dragged Sollux into the bathroom before he could finish his joke, then clicked the door shut behind them. Sollux let out a low whistle as he took in the room— it was actually pretty nice, with oceanic wall tiles and sandy-colored floor tiles. There was a huge tub and a large shower opposite a rather beautiful beige porcelain sink, complete with a seashell shape and similar decorative soaps. Sollux had to resist rolling his eyes. On the far side of the room, opposite the enormous tub, there was an alcove with a door, which Sollux guessed was the toilet. He noticed half-melted candles set around one side of the tub next to a small waterproof radio.
Wait.
He walked closer to the tub.
That's a fucking jacuzzi.
He fought down an evil chuckle and instead turned back to Eridan, his expression stoic.
Not for long, though, as his eyes came to rest on Eridan's bare back. He marveled at the beautiful curve his spine formed, his strong arms and muscular shoulder-blades. He watched Eridan work his pants off of his body at an excruciatingly slow pace, his face growing warm and his dick becoming slightly hard as they dropped to the floor. Did Eridan even remember he was standing there?
Sollux took in the sight of Eridan's amazingly smooth skin, save for a few faint scars. Except the one that went completely around his midsection, but even that was faded after all this time.
Oh. That healed up nicely.
Sollux realized that Eridan was wearing black briefs that just barely covered his ass. He couldn't imagine a more perfect man. His scars and muscles made him seem rugged and battle-worn— hell, he probably had done his share of fighting— but his soft, smooth skin and the way he smiled, the way he pouted, showed his softer, more vulnerable side.
Damn.
The briefs slid off of Eridan's body and Sollux swallowed hard. He realized he hadn't undressed at all yet and tugged his shirt wildly over his head.
Relax, Sollux. It's just a shower. A quick, innocent shower.
He calmed himself down as much as he could and stripped down completely.
Eridan glanced at Sollux from behind the blurry glass door of the shower. He saw his figure quickly rid itself of the clothing enveloping it and smiled devilishly.
Wait, Ampora. You only just began seeing him yesterday. Keep yourself in check.
He didn't have to tell himself twice, even though Sollux was surprisingly good-looking, not to mention more muscular than a typical yellowblood. Especially one that didn't do much else but sit at computers; it led him to wonder if he preferred using his psionic powers only for things he couldn't normally lift. Either that, or whenever he felt lazy, Eridan guessed.
Sollux stepped into the shower with him and clicked the door shut as Eridan turned on the jet of water. It was unexpectedly hot, and made Sollux gasp a little bit.
"Does it hurt, Sol?" Eridan asked, now concerned that his preferred water temperature was too hot for Sollux.
"No, no, it's nice," he sighed contentedly, inching closer to Eridan's naked body in order to let the water run over his back.
Eridan grabbed Sollux's face suddenly, tilting it downward slightly and crashing their mouths together, forcing his yellow-blooded boyfriend's lips and teeth to part and thrusting his own delicately pointed, purple tongue in. Sollux made a small noise in surprise, then returned his passion with equal enthusiasm, swirling his own golden, forked tongue around Eridan's. Sollux pulled him close, ever-so-slightly digging his nails into his soft skin, making Eridan sigh into his mouth. Sollux felt Eridan's heart pounding in his chest as he drew him even closer, letting the water rush over them both. Eridan wrapped his arms around Sollux's neck and pulled away to pant heavily; he had forgotten how to breathe during the kiss.
"Holy shit, Eridan—"
"Shut up," he growled between pants, "an' kiss me again."
Sollux obliged, yanking Eridan's face to his own and running his tongue over Eridan's lips before pressing them together again. Eridan hummed contentedly when he felt the pressure return to his mouth.
Sollux whispered against his lips, "Do you like that?"
"If heaven exists, I've fuckin' found it," Eridan murmured softly, his hair getting weighed down by the water and falling into his eyes. Sollux brushed his bangs from his face before pressing a kiss to his forehead.
—-
Eridan pulled a fresh change of clothes on after their shower, running his tongue over his lips and still feeling the presence of Sollux's there.
"Babe, c'mere and help me go through all these damn clothes so I can find something to wear."
Eridan ambled into his closet to see Sollux holding a towel around his waist and intentionally brushed against his bare skin as he reached up to find some clothes that were slightly long on him. He felt goose bumps form on Sollux's arm and smiled to himself; then, he handed the clothes to him.
"I'll be waitin' outside if you need me," Eridan stated, placing a soft kiss on Sollux's cheek. He nodded in response, but Eridan had already turned and left.
Sollux thought a bit as he pulled on Eridan's clothes— surprisingly not a hipster outfit that made him look like a complete tool. He had to wonder how long this would last, how long they could go without having a falling-out. Eridan seemed to have a completely different attitude around Sollux: happy, giddy, and lacking the general vanity-slash-douchebaggery that he was notorious for; however, he couldn't help but think that Eridan was hiding things from him. Dark secrets he wouldn't tell him until he was ready to, if at all, and Sollux felt, in the back of his mind, that Eridan wouldn't go out of his way to tell him anything if he could help it.
Which could be a problem.
He knew enough about relationships to know that lack of communication was deadly to them, and mused over how to casually start a conversation like that as he zipped up the borrowed jeans. He ran out of the closet to see Eridan leaning casually over the balcony's rail, glancing at Novi Orbis' crystal-blue ocean and diamond sand.
"E-Ed?" Sollux called nervously as he slid the glass door that separated them open.
Eridan turned around at the sound of Sollux's voice. "Hm? You alright, Sol?"
"Yeah. Just," he started. "Listen, if you ever have to tell me something, just tell me, alright?"
Augh, that was a little more blunt than intended.
"Don't hide things from me," he continued. "I swear things will be much smoother between us if we don't keep any secrets."
Eridan's eyes dimmed noticeably and Sollux felt an unpleasant chill run down his spine. Was he hiding something? Sollux took both of Eridan's hands in his own, but Eridan just looked down in response, causing Sollux to follow his gaze and gasp at what met his eyes.
"Eridan, baby, no," he choked out softly before he could stop himself. Instead of seeing unmarked wrists and forearms, Sollux saw that they were covered in scars left from many instances where it seemed like Eridan bit or cut into his own skin. On his left arm, words like "failure," "filth," and "loser" were just barely visible. Sollux brought Eridan's scarred arms to his lips and kissed them tenderly all over, transparent yellow tears dripping from his eyes for the first time in ages.
"Sol, don't cry…"
Sollux didn't respond with anything other than more kisses to his arms and wrists.
"Sol, I—"
"Don't ever," he started, pausing to kiss Eridan's left wrist, "do this—" he moved up his arm— "to yourself—" another gentle kiss— "again."
Eridan fell silent, cheeks flushed in shame. He really had made some stupid choices in his life, hadn't he?
"Nothing is worth causing yourself this pain, Eridan. Absolutely nothing."
Eridan jerked his arms away abruptly and violently, suddenly enraged. "Nothin? Says you! Were you fuckin' rejected by everyone you met when all you wanted was a fuckin' friend? Huh? No, you had Ara an' Kar an' Kan an' Ter an' Fef an' you know who I had? Fuckin' no one! An' the part that hurts the most is that I'm the only one to fuckin' blame! It was my own fault everyone hated bein' around me! Just… just fuckin' go home, Sollux." Eridan shoved him away and stormed inside, exiting his room and eventually slamming a door shut deep in his house, somewhere on the first floor.
Sollux ran down the stairs and out the front door, then around the side of Eridan's house until he found a window leading to the room Eridan was sulking in. He opened it and climbed in quietly before coming up to Eridan and holding him close, raising a violent reaction from him— specifically, he began flailing wildly and smacking Sollux in the chest.
"Let me go, you fuckin'—"
"Eridan, listen to me, baby," Sollux began, holding him tightly despite his protests, "I know you've been hurt and abandoned a lot, but I want you to know that things are different now. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, and I don't want it to happen with us, either." At that, Eridan stilled, leaning into Sollux's embrace. "There you go," he muttered softly, rubbing Eridan's back gently in order to calm him. "You've come a long way, huh?"
A cold, mirthless chuckle spilled from Eridan's chest. "I like to think that sometimes, but in the end, I'm just the same selfish, haughty asshole I've always been."
"I really think you're wrong."
Eridan peered into Sollux's golden eyes, confused. "What makes you say that? Gimme one reason I'm better than how I used to be."
"For one thing, the Eridan I knew wouldn't have admitted that he was the problem, not everyone else. I don't mean to hurt you by saying this, but your attitude and beliefs made you really unlikable. But… you're different now. You really seem to know that you were wrong in many ways, you seem to regret your mistakes, and you seem to want to fix the things you've broken. These things in themselves make you a hell of a lot better than how you used to be. So don't ever forget that, alright?
"I'm here for you now, and I'm sorry for being one of the number that drove you to this, to hate yourself so much that you would feel the need to show it on your skin. I was just as terrible as you, only for different reasons. But, those days are over now, and I'll try my best to help you through this, honey. I fucking swear on my life that I'll never let you reach this low point again.
"And you don't have to worry about me being 'just like the others,' either," Sollux added. "I won't leave you like them. You deserve so much better than that."
Eridan let tiny, strangled noises escape from his throat, sounds that fell somewhere between sobs and words.
"Shhh," Sollux ordered, pressing his lips to Eridan's for what seemed to be the millionth time that morning. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of how soft his lips were, how sweet his breath tasted, how beautiful his facial features were— hell, everything about him was stunning— and he especially wouldn't grow tired of his breathtaking, hypnotic, violet eyes.
Sollux pulled away gently to allow them to breathe; he has lost track of the moments his lips were on top of Eridan's while deep in his own thoughts. All he knew was, at some point and without his realizing it, one of Eridan's hands had tangled itself in his damp hair, and the other was gripping his shirt tightly, directly between his shoulder-blades. Sollux smelled something else mixed in with Eridan's pleasant— and admittedly, slightly feminine— scent: salt. He used his thumb to gently wipe the area below Eridan's eyes.
"Baby, it's okay. You'll be okay. God, you're a fucking wreck, but I swear you'll be alright now."
"I know, I know I am," Eridan blubbered in response, "I know I'm a wreck."
"The important part is that you'll be okay though," Sollux reiterated. "I'll make sure you're alright. No one will ever hurt my princess again, and that includes me."
Eridan leaned his head against Sollux's shoulder, and Sollux swayed gently back and forth, trying to soothe not only his boyfriend, but himself as well. Eridan's shaky breaths slowed to a relatively normal tempo after a short time, and he smiled softly and apologetically at Sollux.
"Sorry for the scare, Sol. Can I make it up to you somehow?"
"Well," Sollux drawled, "you could make breakfast."