Next act should be fun. I can't wait (also I posted the first chapter of that pre-Hivebent fic so you should go check it out and I might get the next chapter posted tonight but if not then probably tomorrow).

Many thanks to YaoiOverlord, obsessed01616, LinkinPark X, DarkBlueMahogany, Rand0mAn0nym0u2, crimsonkoteto, pendaly (THERE IS NO PLAN I S2G I BULLSHIT MOST OF THIS *weeps*), iDreamBig, and CatastrophicAquarius for your reviews to the last act!


The next morning, Eridan took one step outside before grumbling, "Dicks," and turning right back around. It was nearly November, so it shouldn't have surprised him that it was starting to get cold out, but it was still an unpleasant shock, considering he'd been splashing around in his pool two days before. He went back inside, grabbed a scarf and his pea coat, and exited again before Cronus could say anything to him. He refilled his Thermos on the way out, too, since he figured the coffee would help warm him up.

He ended up having to park out in the boonies when he arrived at school, and the long walk made him grateful he'd grabbed his scarf and coat—the wind was blowing right through him, and he couldn't suppress a shiver. He was a good half-hour later than he normally was, and by the time he walked into the cafeteria building, he just caught sight of Sollux leaving. He was a bit disappointed by that, although what he would have said to him in person that he couldn't have just texted him was beyond him. Still, Fef lingered at her table with a girl with long dark hair and round glasses that he didn't know, so he sat down with them, slipping the strap of his backpack from his shoulder.

"Hey, Eridan," Fef said cheerfully, with a mischievous smirk that hinted she knew something he didn't. "What's up?"

"Um. Nothin'. You?"

"Nothing at all, except glubbing with Jade here. By the way, Jade, this is my douchebag best friend Eridan Ampora, and Eridan, this is Jade Harley. She's on the swim team with me."

Jade waved. "Hi, Eridan!"

Fef propped her elbows up on the table. "So, Eridan, are you sure there's nothing going on? Nothing at all that you maybe want to tell your best friend about?"

"Like what?"

"Like, oh, I don't know, a life-changing event of some sort, like a haircut or a new job or, you know, maybe a date?" she said innocently.

Shit. He knew there was something he'd forgotten to tell her. "Well, I guess you know already."

"Oooh, a date with who?" Jade asked.

Eridan had to fight the urge to either wrap the scarf around his face and suffocate himself or wrap it tighter around his neck and hang himself. He was so paralyzed with indecision that he didn't do either.

"Sollux Captor," Fef said. "They were all over each other all weekend."

"We were not!" he protested. "We just... made out a little."

Fef just laughed. "I'm just messing around, doofish. I like teasing you. It's in my job description, remember?"

"I think we need to rework those terms," he grumbled.

"Shoosh."

"How did you find out about that, anyway?"

Fef made a tiny squeaking sound and covered her mouth, her eyes wide. Jade giggled.

"Fef."

"Sollux... may have... told me?"

Eridan heaved a dramatic sigh. "I can't even begin to imagine how that conversation went."

"Oh, I have to go," Jade said abruptly. She stood up, snatching her backpack from beside her seat. "Class break is just about over and my new partner needs a bit of extra help." She waved at them as she retreated.

"See you at swim practice!" Fef called after her. She turned back to Eridan. "Reelly, it wasn't that bad. No big deal at all."

"What I really wanna know is how the two a' you ended up talkin' in the first place."

"What, like I can't carry on a conversation with my best frond's future boyfrond?"

"He's not my 'future boyfro—friend'," he corrected himself.

"Reelly? Then he's your actual boyfrond?"

"No! Fuck—no, not..." He groaned. "I don't know, okay? It all depends on how it goes, I guess. I really don't know, okay?"

Fef made a sympathetic noise at the back of her throat and squeezed his shoulder, "Aw, I'm sorry. I didn't manta upset you. I'll clam up if you want."

"It's not that. I'm just nervous 'cause I know I like him, I just don't know how much."

"Everything will be alright, fish," Fef said soothingly, rubbing his back. "Gay, straight, bi, or whatever else, I love you just the way you are."

Eridan very nearly responded with a cutting remark, but instead, he found himself thinking about it, suddenly relieved that he had such an understanding best friend as Feferi. He didn't know many people who would put up with half of his crap half as well as she did. "Thanks."

"No problem." She kissed his cheek. "Now what the halibut is up with that scarf?"


Jade slid into her seat next to her new Psychology partner about five seconds before her teacher closed the door, signaling the end of the class intermission. She'd been partnered with Rose earlier, but she'd felt bad for the new girl and Rose was a Psychology whiz anyway, so she volunteered to be the new girl's partner. Vriska—that was her name, Vriska Serket—actually seemed surprised that someone volunteered and didn't have to be forced.

Rose didn't like Vriska, but whenever Jade asked, Rose refused to say why. She would say something about wanting Jade to form her own opinion of her, which Jade partially appreciated but she was mostly annoyed. Either way, though, there didn't seem to be anything immediately wrong with Vriska—she was a bit quiet and had the tendency to be waspish at times, but Jade's grandfather was moody and eccentric as well, so it didn't bother her.

"Do anything exciting on break?" Jade asked cheerfully.

Vriska shot her a look that tried to seem haughty but came off as more sad than anything. "No, not at all. What is there even to do?"

"Well, I went and talked to a few friends in K Building," Jade said, referring to the cafeteria building. "I just had a minute. It was nice to catch up, though!"

Vriska stared down at her desk, nibbling on her lip. "Fun," she finally muttered.

Jade waited for her to say something, anything, before asking, "What other classes do you have?"

"Spanish, Photography, Statistics, Government, and Film Production." Vriska never looked up.

"Film Production sounds exciting! Are you making any new friends?"

"I don't have friends," Vriska said bitterly.

"Sure, you do! You've got me, after all," Jade said.

Vriska finally looked up, giving Jade a look so searching that she nearly squirmed. She stared resolutely back, though, until Vriska said, "You're my friend?"

"Well, sure. If you want to be."

Vriska was silent for several long moments. "I don't do too well with friends," she said. "I have a lot of irons in the fire."

"So what's one more iron?"

"You're serious."

"Of course I am."

"Why would you want to be my friend?"

"Because everyone needs a friend. You can't just live your life cut off from people, you know?"

"What if I told you my sister was the only friend I needed?"

"Needed or had?"

"Is there a difference?"

"A big one."

Vriska looked back down at her desk, rubbing the tattoos on her left arm. "I'm not sure I remember how to be a friend, anyway. It's been..." She sighed. "Years. It's been years since I had one."

"How many years?"

Vriska muttered something unintelligible.

"Hmm?"

"Eight," she said, louder. "It's been eight years since I had anyone outside of my family to call a friend."

"That's too long," Jade declared. "Here." She tore a scrap of paper from the bottom of her notebook and scribbled her name and phone number across it in a script so cramped as to be nearly illegible. "Can you read that? Sorry, my handwriting is really sloppy. Call me after your next class gets out and we'll go to lunch if you want, okay?"

For a moment, Vriska looked at the paper as if it were going to bite her. Then she took it and slid it into her back pocket. "Okay," she said quietly, and Jade was pretty sure she saw the ghost of a smile on her face.


"Sorry I missed your text!" Aradia gushed apologetically. "What happened?"

Sollux glanced over his shoulder and adjusted the strap of his backpack. "I just wanted your advice on this prank I'm about to play on Eridan."

"What's the prank?"

"It..." He looked around again to verify that Ampora was not within earshot. "I can't go into detail, but it involves copious amounts of toothpaste." He unzipped his backpack about a quarter of the way to show her all the tubes of toothpaste.

"Oh, my God." Aradia covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "You have to get video of this!"

"I may not get a chance." he said, zipping his backpack back up. "He might not discover the prank until after I've left."

"Oh, you're assuming you're going home tonight—that's cute."

"I—why wouldn't I be going home tonight? Where would I be?"

"Oh, you really are clueless—oh, my God. Okay, honey, since the date is going to be at his place, you might be sleeping over there."

Sollux let out a startled squeak. "I, um, I really don't see that happening."

"It might! Even if nothing else happens, Eridan might be too tired to drive you back to your apartment, so he could just suggest that you spend the night at his place... sleeping in his bed... next to him... and then you go to school together in the morning. And you could possibly be wearing his clothes, unless you decide to wear the exact same clothes as today, because I'm guessing you did not foresee any of this and don't have a change of clothes. That toothpaste looks like it takes up a lot of room."

Sollux opened and closed his mouth several times. "He didn't say anything about sleeping over."

"Yeah, stuff like that isn't usually planned. Like last night—oops." Aradia covered her mouth again, her eyes widening.

"What? What happened last night?"

"Um..." She bit her lip, trying to hold back a grin and failing miserably. "Well, I spent the night at Equius's house."

Sollux blinked before a frankly evil grin spread across his face and he asked, "Truth or dare?"

She groaned. "I wanted to tell you later, but I guess now will do."

"Why did you want to wait?"

"Because—I don't know, it's still kind of new, and I'm still getting used to it myself. But, um, yeah, Equius is now officially my boyfriend."

"This is good news."

"It's very good news!" Aradia agreed. "I just haven't had a boyfriend in awhile."

"Join the club."

She nudged him excitedly. "But that could change!"

"I guess so. But maybe not for awhile." He shouldered his backpack. "So I'm guessing you slept with him."

"Shoosh! Not yet!" She blushed but grinned.

"Okay, and now the real question is, does NP know?"

"Um..." She glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting Nepeta to come bounding over to them out of nowhere. "I don't think she does. When we picked her up this morning, Equius just told her he was giving me a lift to school, too."

"Smooth."

"Can you imagine the cat-niption she'll have when she finds out?" Aradia joked.

Sollux was stunned into a disbelieving silence for a few moments. "You didn't."

She grinned. "It was too perfect. I saw the chance and I took it."

"You're not gonna start using cat puns all the time, are you?"

"No, just the one. I couldn't resist."

"I swear to God, I will start using some of FF's fish puns if you don't cuttlefish it—okay, never mind, I can't do this."

Aradia hid her face in her hands and made a choking noise. "Oh, my God. That was so bad, Sollux. Please never do that again."

"I'm sure I could come up with a betta one under the right circumstances," he joked.

She covered his mouth. "No. Shoosh." She glanced over his shoulder and took a step back. "Actually, it appears to be time for me to bow out. Your boyfriend's coming this way—maybe fish-boy will appreciate your shitty puns more than I do." She waved and quickly absconded as Sollux turned around to see that Aradia was right—Eridan was approaching, fidgeting with the strap of his messenger bag and wearing a ridiculous scarf (seriously? It wasn't that cold).

"Uh, so, you ready to go?" he asked.

Sollux nodded nervously and readjusted his backpack.

"Um, okay. My car is like elev-ven miles aw-way so w-we got a bit a' a w-walk ahead a' us."

"That's fine." Sollux wanted to ask right now if he'd be sleeping at Eridan's place or heading back home to sleep but the words stuck in his throat. He simply followed Eridan out of the building and to his car, hoping that the night at the very least wouldn't suck.


CAT-NIPTION. I SAW THE CHANCE AND I TOOK IT.

(Also in case you didn't notice Eridan only stutters when he's nervous and he's usually nervous around Sol HOW CUTE).