Sollux walked into the living room looking down at his phone screen as he scrolled through messages. "Hey ED I jutht wanted to let you know that-," he stopped when he looked up from his phone to see his matesprit on his hands and knees on the floor peering behind the entertainment center. "What are you doing?" he questioned. Eridan glanced over to Sollux before looking back behind the TV.

"Psi likes hidin' that doll that Kan made for her and then havin' me go find it apparently," the sea troll said then stood up from the floor. Sollux looked over at the couch to see Psiion perched there watching Eridan intently. "What was it that you were sayin' Sol?"

"Oh, I wath jutht letting you know that AA ith going to be coming over to help uth in a little bit," Sollux said.

"Oh," Eridan responded uncomfortably. "Are we sure we gave 'em enough time?"

"It'th been almotht two weekth thinth Thiion hatched. I'm pretty sure they've had enough time," Sollux responded going over to sit on the couch with the little grub. Psiion crawled over to him and got in his lap chirping happily.

"Are you making your dad crawl all over the floor to find your doll?" Sollux asked the young violet blood. Psiion smiled and squeaked in response. "I'm imprethed, ED," he said to Eridan as the Aquarius checked a bookshelf for the hidden toy. "She'th only two weekth old and already hath you crawling on the floor in your good pants," he laughed.

Eridan turned away from the bookshelf to scowl at the Gemini. "I'm just playin' with our grub Sol. It's called bondin'," he rolled his eyes then reached for the top of the bookshelf and felt around. His fingertips made contact with a soft material and he strained to grab onto it then pulled it down. "Psi you can't hide this with your psionics. I can't reach as high as you can," Eridan said as he brought the white seahorse plush over to the couch to give to Psiion. Kanaya had made it special for the infant violet blood and added bee wings to the sea horse's back. Psiion sat up on her back legs in Sollux's lap and reached out her small black front legs to take the doll from Eridan.

"I bond with her too," Sollux retorted. He picked Psiion up off his lap and set her on the couch to get up to turn the TV on as well as one of his game consoles. He picked up a controller and brought it back with him to the couch. Eridan watched with his arms crossed and a hip cocked to the side. Once the game booted up Sollux set Psiion back in his lap and took the seahorse doll out of her grasp.

"Let'th put Mr. Theahorthe down for a little bit," he told her gently so that she wouldn't be upset about having her doll taken away. He put the controller in front of her and pointed to a button. "Can you preth thith?" he asked. Psiion tilted her head back to look at him and blinked her large mismatched eyes.

"In-fuckin-credible," Eridan scoffed. Sollux shot the high blood his middle finger without looking away from his task at hand.

"You can do it Thiion, jutht preth the green button like thith," he said then reached a finger out and pressed the button. The video game character on the TV screen fired his weapon. Psiion looked down at her parent's finger and crawled a little closer. She reached out a little black leg and placed it over the button then pressed down. The character on the screen fired his weapon again. Eridan raised an eyebrow as he watched the interaction between his matesprit and their grub.

"Hell yeth," Sollux said delightedly. "Jutht keep hitting that button alright?" Sollux instructed. He began moving the character forward and Psiion pressed the button again which blasted an enemy that had begun approaching. Eridan rolled his eyes.

"Well since you are grub sittin' I'm goin' to do some cleanin' up," Eridan said then turned to go into the meal block to put the dishes away. He had just put the last dish away and started wiping the counter when there was a knock on the door. He automatically tensed up and fought the urge to panic at not knowing for sure who would be on the other side of the door. He took a deep breath and steeled himself as he went to answer it.

"Hello Eridan," the sea troll was greeted by the shorter female rust blood.

"Hello Ara," he replied a bit awkwardly. He relaxed knowing that he wasn't in immediate danger at the moment. The Aries still made him slightly uncomfortable. He had always found her fascination with death as well as her low blood status unnerving.

"Sollux was expecting me," Aradia said with a slight grin when Eridan had made no move to invite her in.

"Oh, right," he stepped aside for her to enter. "He did mention that," he said closing the door. Eridan led the way to where his matesprit was still playing a video game with their grub. Aradia let out a giggle with she saw her moirail.

"I really shouldn't be surprised by this," she said gaining Sollux's attention.

"Hey AA. Give uth a few more minuteth and I'll be ready," Sollux said distractedly.

"No problem," she gave a thumbs up and turned back to Eridan who was hovering awkwardly nearby. "Your grub is adorable," she smiled.

"Thanks," he offered a small smile in return.

"Alright Thiion, you can have Mr. Theahorthe back now," Sollux said as he turned off the game and set the grub on the couch next to her doll. "We have to go do adult thtuff tho you thtay in here for a little bit." Sollux switched the channel to something for her to watch. "Thtay out of trouble. If you're good I'll give you a cookie."

"Sol, I don't think she's supposed to be eatin' cookies," Eridan interjected. "Kan specifically said we are not to hand feed her."

"Why though? Because that'th not how Mothergrub hatched grubth eat? ED, she'th never going to be anywhere clothe to a Mothergrub hatched grub. She wathn't hatched in a real cave with clutch mateth, she hath no trialth to go through, and she will not be chothen and raithed by a luthuth. One cookie won't kill her," Sollux stated. Eridan pursed his lips and Aradia watched the exchange between the two with interest.

"Fine, but we need to make sure that she at least is able to defend herself and fight if necessary when she's older," Eridan said.

"Yeah that shouldn't be a problem, ED," Sollux laughed. "She hath thionicth remember."

"Well teach her how to use 'em properly then so she doesn't blow herself up," Eridan argued.

"Hey guys, while this is entertaining I believe we have something that needs to be done," Aradia interjected.

"Yeah, you're right AA. Thorry," said Sollux. The mood between the two males suddenly took a turn for the somber. Eridan remained quiet as they made their way down the hallway toward the nursery. Sollux pushed the door open and they approached the shallow pool where the two inert eggs still rested.

"I knew what was going on with you two when I saw them among the other dead. I was just waiting for you to be ready to tell me yourself," Aradia said quietly.

"So you knew these two weren't goin' to hatch this whole time?" Eridan asked. "Why didn't you say anythin'?"

"You had to come to terms with it for yourself," she explained. "If I had told you you wouldn't have believed me."

"Tho they were lowbloodth? The oneth we had to… terminate to thave ED?" Sollux asked feeling his conflicting feelings of guilt well up inside him.

"This one," Aradia said touching one of the shells, "was a bronze blood." She moved her hand over to the other egg. "This was a yellow blood." Sollux felt a sharp pang of an emotion at the revelation. "Do you have an idea of where you would like to bury them?" she asked gently. Eridan glanced over to Sollux and could tell how distraught he was.

"That little hill right beside the hive," the sea troll answered. He reached for his matesprit's hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Are you guys ready now?" Aradia asked. She patted Sollux's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, let'th jutht do thith," Sollux managed to say. He reached out to take one of the eggs while Eridan took the other one. They left the room and ventured back out to the living room toward the front door. Psiion watched them exit through the front door from where she lay curled up on the couch with her seahorse doll watching the TV.

Aradia stopped to pick up the digging tools she had brought along with her and left on the side of the hive. The trio ascended the hill in silence. "Here?" Aradia asked once they had reached the top.

"This is fine," Eridan said and watched as she set to work digging. He shared a glance with Sollux and noticed that the Gemini looked as though he was holding the egg like it would break at any moment. He looked down at the egg he held in his own hands. The egg had grown and been carried inside him. He had put it into this world and it would never become a fully functional troll like it was meant to. He stroked his fingers over the shell in fondness until Aradia finished digging the hole.

"Alright, it's ready," the rust blood announced softly. Eridan stepped forward with the egg in his hands. He felt tears sting his eyes as he stroked the shell one last time before kneeling down to place it in the ground. He stepped away as Sollux followed suit. Sollux's face remained stoic but it was clear a war was being waged in his mind.

"Should I cover them now?" Aradia asked.

"Go ahead," Sollux answered. A heavy silence fell again among the trolls as Aradia filled the hole in with dirt. Eridan reached for Sollux's hand and held onto it tightly. Aradia patted the ground with the back of the shovel when she had finished filling it in. With a solemn look exchanged among them all they began walking back toward the hive. Aradia dropped her tools off on the side of the hive again and gave the two males a grin.

"Time to find out if someone deserves a cookie now," she laughed to lighten the mood. Sollux managed a small smile.

"I gueth tho," the yellow blood said. "ED, then you can find out how ruined she will be if she eath a cookie." Eridan lifted the corners of his lips at that. They all entered the hive and stepped into the living room to find Psiion still curled up on the couch with her doll.

"Oh! It's cookie time!" Aradia cheered. "Can I give it to her?" Sollux looked at Eridan to give his permission on the matter.

"I suppose that'll be alright," Eridan gave in. "Let me get one for you," he said then disappeared into the meal block.

"How are you holding up Sollux?" she asked. Sollux shrugged.

"I thtill feel like it'th my fault. Like I could have done thomething different," he admitted.

"You couldn't have, Sollux. You did the best you could and saved Eridan's life. No matter what you were going to have a negative outcome," the Aries assured. "They are not suffering you know. They are okay." Sollux looked at the sincerity on his moirail's face and felt a little better.

"Here, Ara," Eridan said emerging from the meal block and handed a cookie to her. She smiled excitedly and went to take a seat beside the little grub on the couch.

"Hey Psiion," she said to get the grub's attention. Aradia looked back over to the male trolls. "What are you guys to her?"

"We're her dads," Eridan answered. Aradia nodded in understanding and turned back to Psiion.

"You were really good while your dads were out so now you get a cookie as a reward," Aradia explained. Psiion perked up and sniffed at the cookie the rust blood held out towards her. The tiny violet blood opened her mouth and grabbed the treat out of Aradia's hand then sat up to use her front legs to hold onto the cookie while she devoured it. Aradia looked back over at Sollux and Eridan and mouthed 'so cute'. Sollux chuckled and went over to the couch to speak to the grub.

"AA'th my moirail, Thiion. You'll probably thee her a lot. I get the feeling she might thpoil you," Sollux said.

"Considerin' she's already spoiled here I'm not sure that's a good thing," Eridan added.

"No way!" Aradia giggled. "This little cutie deserves it."