001 ♋ Closed to ♒ & ♊

[papshooshing]

[ okay, so quite frankly they have been here for a few days and Karkat is no less irritated than what he had been before the start of this shit. the pile that he and Sollux had made in their room helps take the edge off of everything, but this is stupid. it's pretty apparent to Karkat that they are not stuck in the goddamn City anymore and that pisses him off as well. they are not some wigglers that can be -fied around by whatever fucking wants them next. they have things to do, missions to complete! Karkat has a responsibility back on the fucking meteor and goddamn it all if he's stuck trying to figure out some new place. this isn't fair. why do all of the universes have to shit on him? PICK SOMEONE ELSE.

another day of exploring and he has shit to offer. so Karkat comes back, still trying to figure out the biggest problem: fixing Eridan. he has been avoiding contact with any of the others in the castle until this problem can be resolved. Karkat doesn't want to run the risk of someone following him back and seeing Eridan. not like this. Eridan probably isn't doing too well either, being cooped up for long doses of time. but Karkat has an idea. he happens to have noticed something that would potentially make the sea dweller feel a little better. maybe. hopefully. ]

Hey, Captor. The shitty sea dweller needs a goddamn bath. He's starting to reek.

Comments

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan is already dividing his expected lifespan into three in his head. Wait, no, better make it four, and put this off until he finds a moirail. Man, it is sure good he's going to stay in relationships with the same people he was in them with at 13.]

Fine! I wwill!

[When they reach the shore, he lets go of Karkat's hand to take off his cape, and start gently squeezing water out of it.]

[papshooshing]

[ well... Karkat is just going to stand there.

and drip. because he's not stripping down or taking off his now wet shirt. nope. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux takes off his shoes, grimacing] Can't we head back to the rethpite block and change clotheth or thomething? I'm cold.

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan drapes his cape around his shoulders like an extra scarf.]

Wwe'd better go back before I ruin this completely. And if you twwo are cold, besides. I think I'vve got towwels in my sylladex.

[He takes out one to check. Apparently he does, and it's a big, royal, fluffy purple thing. He decides the best place for it is around Karkat's shoulders.]

[papshooshing]

[ welp. sure is a big fluffy towel around him. he is okay with this. ]

Do you even remember the way back, Ampora?

[ Karkat pauses, thinking of giving the towel to his moirail, but. but he can't, as much as he wants to. mostly because that might be a breech of the relationship between Eridan and Sollux. fuck, this is kind of hard to balance. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux scowls as Eridan gives the towel to Karkat even if he was the one who said he was cold, and turns away to start heading back towards the room]

Boy, I sure did mithh you, ed.

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan hurries over to Sollux, leans in, and nips the back of his neck.]

Wwhen did you evven havve a fuckin' chance to miss me, are you kiddin'?

[papshooshing]

[ welp. the butt hurt attitudes around here certainly don't change. Karkat is staying out of this one and just going to keep marching towards the respiteblock. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Twitch. Ugh. He leans back against Eridan and shoves a bony elbow into his stomach]

You were a weird co-dependent shadow monthter for the latht few dayth, remember?

[hopelessprince]

Wwhat the hell is that supposed to mean? [Oof. He moves, and grabs Sollux's head to bite the side of one of his outside horns.]

It's fuckin' trial-worthy that I didn't wwant to leavve my quadrants on account a' I wwasn't feelin' wwell?

[papshooshing]

[ oh god. Karkat is not seeing this. nope. not seeing this at all. just going to keep facing forward, holy shit. ]

You were a fucking shadow creature, Eridan. Like an oozing shadow that would moan and groan and whatnot whenever one of us left you for any length of time.

[ just... just ignore what they're doing back there with their hate flirting, Karkat. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux freezes at the bite and gives a little involuntary squeal, then tries to shove Eridan off - carefully, those are sharp teeth right on his sensitive horn]

You weren't yourthelf! We've been in a pile, all three of uth, for dayth without a break becauthe you couldn't deal with uth leaving you alone for ten thecondth.

[hopelessprince]

[He lets his teeth drag veeery slightly before he opens his mouth and lets himself be pushed away.]

Come on, you're just--

[No, wait. Waaait.



Oh god, now he's embarrassed. He totally did do that stuff.]

Wwell I didn't do that on PURPOSE. Anywway, it-- I mean, it didn't bother you that much, did it? It couldn't a' really... If you twwo don't wwant me hangin' around you just SAY so.

[papshooshing]

Not as much as you two being unable to keep it in your fucking pants at the moment!

[ jealous? maybe just a little. but mostly mortified. ]

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux can't keep in a little chirp at the drag of teeth, but he's blushing yellow as Eridan finally moves away. He trots forward and slings his arm around Karkat's shoulder, giving him an apologetic nuzzle]

No one'th thaying that we don't want you around, ed. Thtop being fucking ridiculouth for a thecond. I'm jutht thaying it'th good to have you back to normal, ekthept thuddenly you don't thound that different after all.

[hopelessprince]

[Was the towel not enough? HE THOUGHT THE TOWEL WAS ENOUGH. HOW YOU DO QUADRANTS?! As soon as Sollux moves up, so does he, to nudge himself in to Karkat's other side, and kiss the side of his head. DO YOU FEEL LEFT OUT NOW? He has this all totally worked out, he is so fucking clever.]

Excuse me if I'm not too fuckin' certain wwhere wwe stand after you two started callin' me a disgustin' shadow thing.

[papshooshing]

[ actually, yeah. yeah that is better. not that Karkat would have ever verbally said anything anyway. he gives Sollux a nuzzle and a quick, pretty doggone shy peck to Eridan's cheek in return. yeap. this is much better than the shadow junk. ]

Pfft. If anything, I was wondering if my quadrants were in fucking question with how helpful Sollux has been.

[thekidsare0kay]

[Oh that actually stings just a tiny bit. Sollux stiffens a little. Karkat's always thought he and Eridan were too red, and he hopes Karkat doesn't really believe that Eridan and Sollux would go flushed and leave him out in the cold]

I'd never thteal him from you!

[hopelessprince]

[And simultaneously, Eridan looks at Karkat in horror.]

Wwell it wwasn't my fault I wwasn't helpful if I was impaired! They're not in question, are they?

[papshooshing]

[ sighs and ends up giving both of them paps on the cheek. ]

Guys. It's a motherfucking joke.

[thekidsare0kay]

[Sollux huffs and breaks away as they reach the door]

I knew it wath a joke!

[He opens it and immediately pulls a spare pair of pants, socks and shoes out of his sylladex. He eyes Karkat, then turns to face a corner of the room before starting to strip. Eridan's seen it before, but Karkat hasn't]

[hopelessprince]

[Eridan pointedly closes the door, while glancing in a way he's trying to not make look nervous at Karkat. Maybe it was a joke but HOW MUCH OF IT WAS ONE? He takes another two towels out of his sylladex anyway, rolls one up, and flings it across the room at Sollux. He rests the other one on a bedframe and removes his cape and scarf, hanging them carefully around on other frames to dry out.]

So are wwe gonna keep sleepin' in the pile or...wwhat?

[papshooshing]

[ Karkat is still standing there, pointedly not looking at Sollux. he'll just have to figure out how to change clothes later. so he'll be staying in those wet clothes for a bit. ]

If no one objects to it, I don't see why the fuck not.

[thekidsare0kay]

I have no objectionth. It'th more comfortable all together.

[Sollux grunts as the towel hits him in the back of the head, and grabs it up, then rubs his legs down to dry them off before pulling on a new pair of pants]

[hopelessprince]

A' course, wwell, I wwas just makin' certain.

[If Sollux is going to act like a blushing flower, Eridan doesn't care, obviously, he just doesn't care at all what either of them think of him, OBVIOUSLY. So once he's taken out another set of clothes, and put his shoes and socks out to dry, he just removes his shirt altogether without bothering about turning around, or moving somewhere more appropriate, and the others will just have to deal with it. Yeah.

He's forgotten he has the scar of his body being completely bisected, as well as Sollux's sign carved into him from that one time with the stuff and the thing...... But he's committed to not caring, so on he goes. At least he has a towel.]