Tacos make an excellent peace offering. That doesn't apply to anything in the story, but it's relevant to my life. (I'm back in San Diego, and after sleeping in my truck last night—which was weird—I am now back in my friend's apartment with tacos.)
Many thanks to crimsonkoteto, Fabylou55, BlOo KiSsEs, obsessed01616, CatastrophicAquarius, Snookster (yes, you did review on the wrong chapter, but thanks anyway!), LinkinPark X, cherrylipbalm, scone, fangirl4you, Kerra-Chan, Heki564, and Wolfen Artist of Hetalia for your reviews to the last act and especially for reassuring me that I don't actually suck at characterizing Vriska! Yay!
Twice, Sollux stopped to wonder what the Hell he was doing. He felt bad for Eridan, he really did, but he wasn't quite convinced he was the right person to be providing emotional comfort for a situation like this. If anyone, it should really be Feferi here to console him—she was Eridan's best friend after all. But he looked around and realized Feferi was nowhere to be found, but Eridan had basically claimed him as his rival so Sollux felt strangely compelled to care about Eridan's emotional well-being. That didn't seem like a logical response for a sworn nemesis to have, but he figured that if anyone was going to make Ampora feel like shit, it should have been him.
He stood awkwardly by Eridan's table, trying to come up with something to say. The other boy didn't seem to notice him, though. He merely sat there, head in his hands, staring at the table.
"Um," Sollux said finally, "you okay?"
"Yeah," Eridan rasped, still not looking up.
It was obviously a lie, but what could he do? He wasn't equipped to handle this kind of thing. He briefly considered going back to his own table, but he knew he couldn't. He would hate himself if he just abandoned Eridan to wallow in self-pity.
"Look, you're clearly not. Talk to me."
"W-why the fuck do you care?"
Because she's a bitch and shouldn't treat anyone the way she does. "I don't know. But I do."
"It doesn't matter. She just enjoys fuckin' with people's lives."
Sollux chewed on his lip for a moment before sitting down, too. "She shouldn't get away with crap like that. Maybe you could talk to FF about it."
Eridan scoffed. "An' tell her what? 'Hey, Fef, funny story, but Vris is back an' she made me feel like a stupid grub in like thirty seconds by bringin' up that time I slept with her in high school. Oh, by the way, I slept with her in high school'? Yeah, that'll go over reel well."
Looks like he's not immune to the fish puns, either. "She... she didn't know? I thought you and her were best friends. Don't you tell each other everything?" Hell, Aradia was his best friend and he told her all the weird, embarrassing shit he couldn't tell anyone else. He thought that Eridan and Feferi were at least that close, too.
"Why the Hell would I tell her about that? It was a huge mistake—see Exhibit A, five minutes ago—an' Fef hates Vris anyway. That sounds like a really good way to make her hate her more."
"Okay, I'm pretty sure FF is incapable of hating anyone," Sollux said. "But if you want to, like, be with her or something, presenting this idealized version of yourself that's never done something stupid is a really good way to disappoint her later." He felt more and more awkward by the second, especially after Eridan finally looked up at him with something in his eyes that Sollux couldn't quite read.
"Why the fuck wouldn't I present a' idealized version a' myself? The real me sucks," Eridan said softly, but Sollux could hear the self-loathing in his voice. It was trippy—it was like talking to a version of him that looked nothing like him.
"If she really likes you, the real you will be fine for her."
Something behind Eridan's eyes hardened. "So, what you're sayin' is, she doesn't want to be with me an' she hates me."
Sollux groaned and thunked his forehead against the table. Eridan was deliberately twisting his words—at least he wasn't drowning in despair anymore; he was better suited to a little malice—and half of Sollux wanted to just give up and leave him alone (that would be the logical response, right?), but he stayed in the seat. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that there's nothing wrong with the real you. FF probably doesn't even know you like her."
"Everyone else seems to see it but her."
"People miss good things even if they're right in front of their faces. What would you lose by telling her?"
"Her. I'd rather be her friend than nothin' to her."
"Well, then, you've got more honor than a lot of other people."
For half a second, there was a twitch at the corner of Eridan's mouth that could almost have been a smile. "You think so?"
"Yeah. It's one of the few things in your favor."
This time, he actually did smile, even if it was only for a second. "Well, I guess I can handle that." He leaned back in his chair and a confused look crossed his face. "Aren't you supposed to hate me or somethin'?"
"Doesn't a rival have certain responsibilities? I'm the only one who's supposed to make you feel like shit," Sollux joked, standing up.
If Eridan answered, he didn't hear. He just walked back to Aradia's table and fished his Nintendo DS out of his backpack.
"Well?" she asked.
"Well, what?"
"How did it go?"
Sollux shrugged. "Okay, I think. Apparently FF doesn't know he slept with her."
"That's weird. I thought they were friends."
"He said something about wanting to present an idealized version of himself to her in the interest of gaining her romantic affections."
Aradia snorted with laughter. "Did he really say that?"
"Not in as many words, but I can read between the lines. He's got it bad for her." There was a tightness in his chest that he couldn't explain as he said it but he pretended he didn't notice it.
"Weird."
"Yeah."
The whole interaction confused the almighty fuck out of Eridan. He would have expected Sollux to either not care at all about how Vriska treated him or somehow try to make it worse. What he didn't expect was Sollux trying to make him feel better. It was weird and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.
For a few minutes, he was able to forget that he hadn't known Sollux for more than a week. They were able to talk without insulting each other, and the other boy somehow seemed to understand where he was coming from. It wasn't awkward. It felt normal, and besides Feferi and his family, he didn't find that often.
Why? It didn't make any sense. Sollux was his nemesis, and Eridan didn't believe the bullshit excuse Sollux had given him about "no one besides me is allowed to make you feel like crap." No, Sollux cared in his own twisted way. As little as it made sense, it was almost a relief to realize maybe Fef wasn't his only friend.
He contemplated skipping his World History class, but he had nearly an hour until it started and he didn't to make a plan like that with so much time between now and then. Instead, he pulled out his phone and texted Feferi again.
vvris showwed up this mornin
He set his phone down and drummed his fingers on the table. He absently twisted one of his rings around his finger. He looked around without really seeing anything. His eyes fell on the back of Sollux's head and he quickly looked away.
U)( o)( t)(at doesn't sound good
no it wwasnt an before you hear it from someone else i slept wwith her in high school
He didn't know what compelled him to tell her. Maybe deep down, he knew Sollux was right—if he was eventually going to tell her how he felt about her, he had to be completely honest with her. She had to find out at some point.
But the wait between telling her and her response was agonizing. He suddenly wondered if he'd made a huge mistake.
W)(ale, t)(at came out of now)(ere
like i said you might hear it from someone else. like vvris herself or someone idk. so yeah idk i dont wwant you to think im deliberately wwithholdin information
W)(at am I supposed to say, Eridan?
idk i wwas just bein honest i guess. are you mad at me or somethin noww
He felt like an idiot. After three years, it really didn't matter anymore, so what possessed him to bring it up? He wanted to bang his head on the table in hopes of lapsing into a coma. Fuckin' Sol, that's what happened. He groaned. If he hadn't listened to Sol's stupid advice, he wouldn't be in this situation where Fef presumably hated him now.
Of course not! Let me guess, s)(e said somet)(ing really rude about it w)(en you saw )(er, rig)(t?
basically yeah
You wouldn't be t)(e first. S)(e's )(urt a lot of people, remember?
yeah
Is s)(e still t)(ere?
no she left like fifteen minutes ago
Alrig)(t, no worries. Just avoid )(er, and you s)(ould be okay.
Attempting to avoid Vriska seemed to be useless advice, but if he stayed out of sight, it would end better for him. She was right about that. The problem was, he didn't know what classes she had. He crossed his fingers and hoped she wouldn't drop in unexpectedly.
– –apocalypseArisen began pestering grimAuxiliatrix– –
AA: watch y0ur back. vriska has arrived and is 0n the warpath
GA: Is This Information You Have Gleaned From Hearsay Or From An Actual Witnessing Of Events?
AA: i saw her. me and s0llux b0th. she laid a verbal smackd0wn 0n eridan amp0ra
AA: he was nearly in tears. s0llux had t0 g0 0ver and d0 damage c0ntr0l
GA: Shoutpole
GA: I Was Ignorant To Vriska And Eridan's Acquaintance. They Are Acquainted, Correct?
AA: theyre acquainted
AA: intimately
GA: …
GA: Your Meaning Being?
AA: they b0th said they slept together. she added that it was three years ag0
GA: I Am Both Surprised And Unsurprised Upon Learning This Information.
AA: she menti0ned wanting t0 see y0u. i didnt kn0w where y0u are but even if i did i w0uldnt have t0ld her
GA: Understood. I Will Attempt To Maintain A Low Profile.
AA: g00d luck
– –apocalypseArisen ceased pestering grimAuxiliatrix– –
Kanaya was biting her lip as she put away her phone. Rose was immediately curious. "What happened?"
She weighed her words before speaking. "Do you recall when I explained the situation regarding Vriska?"
"The huge spiderbitch? Of course I do."
"And do you recall when I told you that I surmised she would arrive in a fortnight, or possibly a month?"
"Yes."
"She arrived this morning."
Rose sat back in her chair at the table she and Kanaya were sharing in the library. She'd skipped her Psychology class this morning since it would only be a lecture on material she'd reviewed and comprehended last week. She could afford to skip one class. Besides, Snowman (as her professor was nicknamed, not because she was round and white—in fact, she was quite the opposite—but because of her chilly demeanor) was pretty cool, but she could be long-winded sometimes.
Of course, now that she'd heard Kanaya's news, she was glad she'd decided to skive off her class. She wasn't sure how Kanaya was taking the revelation.
"I see. What now?"
Kanaya ran the knuckle of her thumb over her lip. "I don't know. I guess I follow Aradia's recommendation and avoid an encounter with Vriska for as long as possible."
"And what about when the inevitable encounter happens?"
"I don't believe it's inevitable."
"Okay, you may be right. But for argument's sake, let's assume that you will run into her at some point. What then?"
Kanaya remained silent for a few more moments. "I punch her in the face."
Rose laughed. "I was hoping for a response less along the lines of 'expel me.'"
The shorter girl smiled. "I don't know. I haven't seen her in a month or so."
"She may not even try to get into your head this time."
"I struggle to accept that."
"Why?"
"According to Aradia, Vriska 'laid a verbal smackdown' on another former paramour of hers."
"Sounds juicy."
"I don't know many details."
"Well, if she shows up and you need me for moral support, let me know."
Kanaya smiled again. "Thank you, Rose. But I'll be fine. Any battle I have with her, I want to win in my own right. No one needs to fight for me."
"And that's a perfectly healthy response." Rose ran her fingers through her hair, grinning. "I think you'll be just fine." Her face fell. "John might not be, though. I suppose I'll have to make sure he's not a gibbering idiot during lunch. He may not even know she's here right now."
Kanaya nodded. "True. But perhaps you could call him in a few minutes. I have my Sociology class to go to."
"Want me to walk with you?"
She smiled and stood up. "I would like that very much."
More spider8itch in either act 25 or 26.
