Wherein my only commentary is as follows: if you leave me a review as a guest, I cannot respond to them. Keep that in mind if you're going to ask questions (and my author's notes are boring and ungainly as they currently stand, so I won't answer questions in them unless it's something several people have asked me). One alternative: go to my main author's page and follow the link to my Tumblr. I have anon enabled, so if you have a question, you can ask me there!

Many thanks to Pesky, thepeopleofthecrysis, BlOo KiSsEs, LinkinPark X, and YaoiOverlord for your reviews to the last act!


Eridan was able to fall asleep almost immediately when he got home. Feferi had convinced him to swim finally and, just like her, he'd always felt at home in the water. It was nearly six before they finally splashed out, gathered up their belongings, and went to the public showers to rinse the sand off themselves. They stopped for veggie burgers at one of the funky niche cafés near the boardwalk and lingered so long the sun set by the time they left. They were both yawning when Eridan dropped her off, but he came inside to say good night to her and Ms. Peixes before heading home himself. Just like the night before, his parents were asleep when he finally got home, but he left another note for them, requesting to be woken up at eight-thirty. He and Fef would probably start the trip back to school around eleven or twelve, but that left them plenty of time—it was only a three-hour trip depending on traffic.

His dad knocked on the door at exactly eight-thirty, and he took a glorious half an hour for his shower. When he got out, there was a text message on his phone from Feferi. )(-EY -ERIDAN! Look, I'm taking my own car back to sc)(ool so it'll be easier for me to get around, so you don't need to worry about driving me back today! I'll see you at sc)(ool tomorrow!

And all of a sudden, his cheerful mood vanished. It felt like he'd taken a baseball bat to the ribs. He sat down hard on the edge of his bed, his towel still wrapped around his waist, and wondered what to say in reply. It seemed like such a casual dismissal, but she'd never mentioned being bothered by always relying on him for a ride, and he'd never complained about it, either. They were friends. That's what friends were for.

Maybe she hadn't quite forgiven him for the petty war he was waging with Sollux. Sure, she'd seemed not to mind yesterday or the day before, but that didn't mean all was forgotten. Or maybe she just really wants to have her own car with her, since she's paying insurance on it still. Might as well drive it, after all, the logical part of him said coolly. She had that right, of course—it was her car, and if she wanted to drive it, he wasn't going to stop her. Still, he couldn't stop the question Did I do something wrong? from running around in his head.

He forced himself to type out OK drivve safe and set his phone aside. He still had to get dressed and fix his hair and eat and... Well, after he packed, he'd be ready to go. He didn't need to wait for Fef or anything. He would be back at Cronus's apartment by one. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Eridan was quiet during breakfast, answering questions when his parents asked him anything but not volunteering any information. He was only able to choke down half a pancake (not because of the taste, because they were delicious—his dad was an amazing cook) but because his stomach was in knots and he struggled to get any food past the lump that had somehow formed in his throat. His father gave him a quizzical look but didn't ask, for which he was grateful. He was being childish, he knew—it probably had nothing to do with him, after all; Feferi just wanted her freedom—but he couldn't help feeling like he was being slowly but surely cast aside. But for who? Generally, if someone was planning on getting rid of something (a car, a phone, a best friend), they had a replacement in mind. The idea that she was planning on exchanging him for someone else made him feel like a fish being gutted. She was his only friend. If she left him, he wouldn't have anyone left.

He said a hasty goodbye to his parents, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder already, and went to his car. He hesitated a moment before setting his bag on the seat next to him. It was strange to remember that Feferi wouldn't be riding with him. She always had before, and again, he found himself wondering what the true cause was. Did she really just want her own car, or was it something else?

He would have agonized over it on the ride back but he chose to ignore it instead, turning up Skrillex as loud as his speakers would allow. Skrillex was one of his guilty pleasures, mindless music to just forget everything, but he would privately admit that the man was a genius. He just wouldn't say it to anyone else.


"Hey, daddy-o!" Cronus said the moment Eridan opened the door. He waved from the couch, a stoned smile on his face and the scent of weed distinctly in the air. Eridan would have to douse his clothes in Febreeze so he didn't arrive at school tomorrow reeking like a drug dealer.

"Hey," he mumbled back.

"You're back early," his brother observed.

"Yeah, well, Fef took her own car back," he explained. "I didn't have to drop her off."

"Hey, if it works."

Eridan closed his eyes and silently cursed his brother to the depths of greaser Hell. He pretended Cronus hadn't said anything (he was probably so high he'd forget about it in a few minutes, anyway) and went to his room, taking care to slam the door behind him.

He dropped his bag on his floor and flopped onto his bed. He stared at the spot near the window where his fish tank would go, wondering if it would be a wise idea to bring other living beings into this sorry excuse of a household. For a moment, he considered asking Cronus if he could be trusted around pets as low-maintenance as fish but decided against it. If Cronus never knew the fish were here, he could never go out of his way to kill them.

Not that he expected he would, but he'd been known to inadvertently do stupid things.

Maybe he could go later this week and get some fish. Fish would be soothing. They wouldn't be able to take Fef's place—nothing and no one could possibly hope to do that—but they would distract him, and staring at fish swimming around seemed like a good way to calm him down.

His stomach gave a loud growl and he gave it a glare before he dug his phone out of his pocket. He had Alberto's Pizza on speed dial and he had his order memorized by now—a medium veggie pizza with extra cheese. He was only a vegan around Feferi—when she wasn't around, he was just a vegetarian, and right now, he felt like indulging in some cheese.

He was told his pizza would arrive in thirty minutes, so he sat back to wait.


A high-pitched beep sounded from the intercom next to Sollux's door, but for a second, he wasn't sure he'd actually heard the thing. No one had ever used it before (except Aradia the one time she'd left her key at his place), so he had no idea who could be using it now. Unsure, he set his laptop on the couch next to him, got up, and stared at the intercom until it beeped again. He sprinted over to hit the talk button. "Hello?" he panted.

"Sollux?" That voice sounded familiar but he couldn't place it.

"Who's that?" he asked cautiously.

"Equius. Zahhak," he added, as if Sollux might know another Equius.

"Yeah. Okay. Naturally." He let go of the talk button for a minute until the obvious question came to mind. "How did you know where I live?"

The line was silent for a moment until Equius sheepishly admitted, "Aradia told me."

"You sleep with her yet?" He smirked and waited for the answer. He could very easily imagine the other boy spluttering as he tried to think of a response. Whether yes or no, Equius was probably flustered.

"No," he said finally, the embarrassment evident in his voice. "We have not had car—"

"Okay, yeah, that's good, whatever," Sollux said, cutting him off quickly. The last thing he wanted to hear was Equius finishing that sentence. "Thanks for the honesty. And if you're lying, AA's pretty bad at keeping secrets like that."

There was another terse silence before Sollux decided he'd let Equius suffer long enough. He didn't always fuck with people, but when he did, he was as deadpan as possible. "What do you need?"

"I brought your glasses."

He blinked. "Oh. Alright, I'll buzz you in." He held down the unlock button for a solid five seconds, which he assumed would be ample time for Equius to get to the door. For a few minutes, he stood there awkwardly, wondering what he should do and if it would be worth it to go back to his computer in the interim, but before he could decide, there was a knock on his door. He peered through the hole in his door even though it could only be Equius and ended up with an eyeful of the other boy's pectorals for his troubles. Until Sollux had met him, he hadn't known anyone taller than him. The only ones who came close were Gamzee and Aradia, both of whom were an even six feet tall. Equius towered over them all though. It was refreshing for Sollux, though.

He opened the door and looked up to meet the lenses of Equius's sunglasses. They were pretty badly scratched, but Sollux didn't think he'd ever seen him not wearing them. He wondered if he, like Dave, was hiding something. Then again, considering the glasses Equius was wordlessly handing over to him, he didn't have much room to talk.

He'd left the brown contact lens out today since it was Sunday and he planned on staying in all day, and now he was glad he had. He hooked his glasses on his shirt and slid the new ones over his eyes. A blue tint on the left lens and red on the right mixed his field of vision into a strangely purple hue. The prescription strength seemed about right, if a tiny bit strong—Equius had asked him on Friday for the specifics—and they fit well, considering they'd been made by amateurs. He turned around to stare at the far wall and nodded. He could clearly make out the lone picture on the wall. He'd get used to the strength and the color. He turned back to Equius. "So. Can you tell my eyes are two different colors?"

Equius leaned in for a moment before he seemed to go pale. "I... one moment." His fingers shook slightly as he slid his glasses down the bridge of his nose, just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough for Sollux to see why he hid his own eyes.

The whites of his eyes were slightly yellow, a symptom of jaundice that he'd seen in other people, but more than that, probably the real reason for the sunglasses, was that despite having skin almost as dark as his hair, his irises were almost iridescently blue. Equius probably didn't like people staring, although there was plenty for them to stare at even without factoring in his eyes. It was something Sollux completely understood.

"No," Equius said finally, pushing his glasses back up to hide his eyes again. "The colors make it impossible to see the difference."

"Which is the point." Sollux smiled. "You and your brother did a great job on these."

Equius straightened up to his full height, and there may have even been a momentary flicker of pride across his face. "Thank you. It was an enjoyable project." He paused for a moment. "They suit you well."

"Yeah?" He wished he had a mirror so he could check, but the closest one was in his bathroom.

"Yes." Equius subtly turned his head toward the elevator. He seemed to be deciding whether or not to ask a question, so Sollux shoved him into it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I... I merely wondered... If I were to pursue a relationship with Aradia... that is, if she would be receptive to the suggestion... would..." He seemed to be fighting for words, and Sollux considered letting him flounder, but he knew where Equius was going and it didn't seem fair to watch him flail.

"Would I be okay with it?" he asked.

"Y-yes."

Sollux shrugged. "It's her life, EQ. As long as she's happy, that's what matters. She doesn't need my permission to date someone if she wants to. And for what it's worth, you seem like a halfway decent guy."

Equius appeared visibly relieved. "Thank you. I... I will see you at school tomorrow, I'm certain."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

The other boy strode down the hallway, his footsteps pounding even with the thick carpet and his long legs taking him to the elevator in record time. Sollux closed the door and readjusted his glasses before curiosity got the better of him and he nearly sprinted to the bathroom mirror to check them out.

Everything was awash in a sea of purple, but he found that he liked it. Even though he was looking at his eyes through what was essentially two layers of lenses, he found that Equius hadn't been lying—the two different-colored tints disguised his mismatched eyes well.

He grinned. Tomorrow might be more interesting than he thought.


Okay, Vriska for sure in the next chapter!

Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect an update tomorrow. My classmates are planning on doing this class dinner at a brewhouse and that'll take up all of my evening tomorrow, but hopefully I'll be able to get something up on Thursday night (no promises, since I'll be packing to leave on Friday), and my flight arrives in San Diego very very late on Friday night, so the next update could be Saturday. Until then, thanks for reading and for your support!