One Plus One Equals Three (Erisol fanfic)

Chapter 16

            "Did Kanaya thay anything about coming over?" Sollux asked apprehensively.

"No," Eridan shook his head, "she's waitin' until you can keep your shit together before she comes back by." Sollux shot him a glare and the knocking came again. The two shared a look before venturing out of the meal block to find out exactly who was at their door. They knew it couldn't be Karkat or Terezi because they were too busy preparing to go into hiding. It also wouldn't be Aradia because she had told Sollux that she would wait for whenever he was ready to open up to her again and had been content with chats over Trollian.

This was where Eridan and Sollux's natural instincts differed slightly. When the two entered the living room Eridan held back near the opening of the hallway that led to the rest of the blocks in the hive, but, most importantly, it led to the nursery. His thoughts were just to stay close to the eggs and protect them at all costs. Sollux cautiously approached the door. His instincts told him to protect both Eridan and the eggs. He was the first line of defense, so to speak, against any attackers. If they managed to get through him it would mean that he would be dead and it would then be up to Eridan alone to protect the eggs.

The knocking rang out a third time sounding more impatient when Sollux finally reached the door. He took a deep breath, already on his guard, and swung the door open.

"Hey loser," Vriska greeted Sollux in that irritating way where she would draw out the vowels in her words.

"What do you want?" the Gemini asked as he tried not to sound too entirely surprised. He certainly wasn't expecting to see her on his doorstep and she wasn't as much of a problem as the drones would've been but he still saw her as a threat regardless.

"Is the Prince of Suck around? I need to speak with him," the cerulean blood said in a bored tone. Sollux glanced back to where Eridan was standing guard near the hallway then turned back to his visitor.

"Couldn't you have jutht pethtered him on Trollian or thomething?" he questioned. Vriska shrugged.

"I could have but a house visit is much more annoying and inconvenient isn't it?" she grinned. Sollux rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Make it quick," he relented before turning to Eridan in the hallway. "It'th for you." Eridan looked surprised as he wandered over to the doorway. Sollux stepped away but still lingered close in the background.

"Hey Eri-dork. Jeez, you've put on a few pounds haven't you?" Vriska cackled at her own jab. The violet blood scowled and fought against the slight flush of embarrassment. He'd been trying to lose the weight he'd gained during his pregnancy but it was hard, especially when Sollux kept so much junk food around the hive.

"What are you doin' here, Vris?" Eridan spat irritably.

"Easy there, Tubs, you might start breaking a sweat," Vriska laughed.

"I haven't even gained that much!" Eridan shouted defensively. "If you're just goin' to stand there an' call me fat then I'm goin' to slam this door right in your face." This made Vriska grin with a glint in her eyes.

"I see you're still easy to get worked up. I was thinking, in light of recent events, how about you and I start up our old rivalry," she moved her eyes down to Eridan's slight pudge then back up again. "It looks like you could use a good rivalry."

Eridan was shocked by Vriska's true motives for visiting and opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything Sollux did the talking for him.

"Did you theriouthly come all the way over here to offer him your black tholithitationth?" the psionic asked angrily. He already felt on edge for having another troll at the hive near his quadrant mate and eggs, but seeing said quadrant mate get hit on right in front of him was too much for him to handle at once.

"Might as well come in person and do it properly," Vriska said.

"Tho you do it right in front of hith kithmethith."

"Um, no?" Vriska seemed slightly confused. By this point Eridan had just been watching the back and forth between the two. "You made it abundantly clear at Terezi's wriggling day party that the two of you are now red."

"I'm flattered by your offer, Vris, but I'm goin' to have to decline," Eridan finally spoke up. "Sol is my kismesis and my matesprit." Vriska looked between the two males and noticed Sollux's bruised neck and cracked lip as well as the scabbed over claw marks on Eridan's forearms.

"I see," she smirked. "At least I'm not the only one that's going to be screwed once the drones come. Who knows? Maybe I can find someone else to fill that quadrant."

"Have you heard anything?" Eridan asked worriedly.

"Oh they're out there," the Scorpio said in a serious tone. "A couple of people in my guild said they've seen them. People have been culled. Who knows when they'll come for any of us." Eridan looked back and exchanged a concerned look with Sollux. "I wish the two of you luck," Vriska said in one of her rare moments of compassion.

"Thankth. You too," Sollux nodded.

"See you around, Vris. Hopefully," Eridan told her.

"Bye losers," she smiled even though it looked a little forced and waved as she turned to leave. Eridan closed the door and turned back to Sollux.

"You don't think this means that Fef..." he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

"I don't know," Sollux answered hollowly. For the fist time since he found out she had gone, his faith in Feferi had been shaken. He was always so sure she would succeed. He sat on the couch and ran his hands through his hair anxiously. Eridan watched his partner as he worried his lip. "Maybe you should take her up on her offer, ED," Sollux finally said quietly.

"What are you talkin' about, Sol?" Eridan breathed in shock.

"Be in her black quadrant. That way you'll at leatht be able to fill both pailth when the droneth come," the Gemini explained in defeat.

"No!" Eridan protested. "You are my kismesis, besides that would be cheatin' on you."

"It wouldn't be cheating if I'm telling you to do it dumbath," Sollux laughed despite himself. "I would jutht fill the red pail with you."

"Why are you doin' this?" the violet blood asked in confusion. "What about you?"

"I'm doing thith becauthe we both know we can't fill both pailth and get away with it. Thith way at leatht one of uth will make it out of the collection alive to protect our grubth," Sollux's voice wavered as he tried to hold himself together for Eridan's sake. The sea troll pursed his lips as the reality of their situation crashed over him like a tidal wave.

"I won't do it," Eridan said stubbornly and balled his hands into fists at his sides. "We have to find some other way. I don't want to be with anyone but you."

"It'th not really about what we want right now, ED," Sollux sighed.

"We'llfind another way," Eridan repeated then stormed off down the hall. Sollux knew exactly which room his doublequadrant mate was headed for and figured he should probably pay that room avisit as well. It had been a few hourssince he had last checked up on their eggs.陡<