Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5904280.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con,
      Underage
  Category:
      Multi
  Fandom:
      Homestuck
  Relationship:
      Eridan_Ampora/Sollux_Captor, Sollux_Captor/Aradia_Megido, Tavros_Nitram/
      Vriska_Serket, Aradia_Megido/Equius_Zahhak, Nepeta_Leijon_&_Equius
      Zahhak, Mituna_Captor/Latula_Pyrope, Meenah_Peixes/Aranea_Serket, Eridan
      Ampora/Karkat_Vantas, Eridan_Ampora/Sollux_Captor/Karkat_Vantas, Feferi
      Peixes/Terezi_Pyrope, Orphaner_Dualscar/Redglare
  Character:
      Eridan_Ampora, Sollux_Captor, Aradia_Megido, Tavros_Nitram, Karkat
      Vantas, Terezi_Pyrope, Kanaya_Maryam, Nepeta_Leijon, Vriska_Serket,
      Equius_Zahhak, Orphaner_Dualscar, Cronus_Ampora, Kankri_Vantas, Feferi
      Peixes, Meenah_Peixes, The_Condesce, Mituna_Captor, Latula_Pyrope, Gamzee
      Makara, Kurloz_Makara, Grand_Highblood, Aranea_Serket, Spinneret
      Mindfang, The_Signless_|_The_Sufferer, The_Psiioniic_|_The_Helmsman,
      Redglare
  Additional Tags:
      Humanstuck, Alternate_Universe_-_High_School, Alternate_Universe_-
      Gangsters, The_Amporas_are_in_a_gang, Scottish_Amporas, The_Serkets_and
      Makaras_are_the_villains_but_hey_what_else_is_new, Underage_Drinking,
      Underage_Smoking, Nonconsensual_Underage_Sex, Torture, Aftermath_of
      Torture, Panic_Attacks, Mental_Breakdown, there_will_be_happy/fluffy_shit
      i_swear, Forced_Incest, A_lot_of_fucked_up_deaths, Cannibalism, Forced
      Cannibalism
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-02-05 Updated: 2016-09-22 Chapters: 23/? Words: 82136
****** Bandits of Sorrow ******
by nyeh413peasants
Summary
     Growing up in a gang, one learns not to let too many people get close
     to them. However, when they do, they will protect those loved ones
     even at the cost of their own life. Eridan Ampora is no different,
     even if he is only 16.
     THIS WORK IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING COMPLETELY REWRITTEN AND
     REPOSTED SEPARATELY. THIS FIC WILL NOT BE UPDATED AGAIN. (A link will
     be posted for the new fic when posting begins.)
***** Prologue *****
A cool breeze wafted through the trees. The sky was overcast, which created a
darkness throughout Edinburgh, Scotland. The hustle and bustle of people
traveling and going to their various destinations filled what would have been a
quiet landscape. The sounds of car horns and yelling could be heard for miles.
While most people were out and trying to get to various places, a small family
were sat in their home, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for very important
and very grim news. The family’s last name was one that was quite known
throughout Edinburgh, though not for good reasons. The Ampora’s were feared and
hated, as they were the most notorious gang around. The family consisted of
Alastair, Darian, Cronus, and Eridan Ampora. They were a family that stuck to
what they were born into.
However, that day, the four Ampora’s became three, as Alastair passed away from
a horrid bout of pneumonia no one was sure how he contracted. The man had
always been quite healthy, never getting sick until that week.
Darian, the son of Alastair, bowed his head next to his father’s deceased body
trying to process the man’s last wish for the family. He wasn’t sure how he was
going to break it to his sons, but he knew it needed to be done quickly.
The black-haired man stood. Darian Ampora had thick hair that he usually kept
slicked back with a generous amount of gel, bright blue eyes that mirrored that
of the sky, and a strong jawline littered with trimmed facial hair. Most
thought the man was drop dead gorgeous until they learned what he did for a
living. Luckily, Darian didn’t introduce himself a newfound gang leader.
Instead, he passed himself off as a business man.
Darian exited the room, tossing one last look back at Alastair and moving
slowly to the living room, already coming up with easy ways to tell his sons
the news.
Cronus and Eridan were sat on the couch. The man’s son’s looks greatly mirrored
their fathers, with the black hair, blue eyes, and strong facial features.
Darian knew they’d be able to get anyone they wanted- only they couldn’t. The
life they lived was much too dangerous, and the Ampora's refused to put anyone
in that kind of danger.
Cronus, Darian’s eldest, looked up, his eyes wide and filled with concern.
“Well?” The young man’s voice used to be quite high, but he had definitely
grown into it throughout the years as it had deepened quite a bit.
Darian shook his head, a look of sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry boys, your
grandfather is gone,” he said in a soft voice, his accent thick on his tongue.
“So you’re takin’ over the gang then?” Eridan, his youngest, asked.
Eridan and Cronus were polar opposites. The latter simply wanted to chase love
and settle down, while Eridan wanted to take over the gang once Darian passed-
just as Darian had done with his father. The man wished his youngest didn’t
have that line of thinking, but he thought of him as admirable for it.
Darian nodded. “He also had a last dying wish that I intend on following
through with,” he began, watching as his sons tilted their heads to the side,
their eyes filling with curiosity. “We’re moving to America. New York, to be
specific. Your grandfather wants us to go there as we have business to attend
to… The Serket's.”
Cronus and Eridan’s eyes widened. The Serket's had been their enemy for years.
They were always at one another’s throats, though they’d never seen them in the
flesh. Due to the fact that they were countries apart, they sent lackeys to one
another, trying to bring the other down. Unfortunately, the Ampora's had been
unsuccessful and capturing and bringing down their biggest rival.
“Are you kidding me? We’re going all the way to America just to take care of a
few bitches only to come back?” Cronus asked, incredulous. “Why don’t we just
wait for them to come here?”
“Because, we aren’t just going to get rid of them and come back, we’re moving
there permanently,” Darian responded, ready for the explosion to burst forth
from his sons.
Instead he found himself surprised when they stayed quiet. The boys were wide-
eyed, as if they didn’t believe what their father had just said. How could they
believe it? Scotland was their home. It was where they had grown up. There was
no way they could just leave.
“What, is the gang goin’ to pack up and leave with us too?” Eridan finally
asked, his voice gruff with anger.
“That’s exactly what they’re going to do. And they didn’t complain once. Now go
pack your rooms, boys. Only take essentials and things that you can’t live
without. We’re giving the rest away,” Darian responded, not in the mood to
worry about his sons’ feelings at that moment. The man still needed to get
Alastair cremated before they left. The Ampora’s never wasted time with the
putting together of a funeral. There was absolutely no point.
Twelve hours passed with Cronus and Eridan packing while Darian went out to
contact someone about the burning of his father. Despite the fact that the man
was the newfound leader of a gang, he still let himself grieve his father’s
death.  Alastair was cruel and heartless, but he was still a father. He taught
Darian everything and raised him right; with an iron fist and many rules put
into place. There were many times the Ampora felt as if he had failed at
fathering Cronus and Eridan, and Alastair made sure Darian was aware of the
fact that he had, in fact, failed.
There were many times when Cronus and Eridan would get into long-lasting
arguments with their grandfather about the job Darian was doing in raising
them. However, the simple fact that the younger ones talked back was proof
enough.
Darian watched as a man pushed his father’s corpse into a large oven-looking
contraption, locking the door, and flipping a switch. Automatically the room
began to grow warm. There was no going back, the deed was being done.
“Will ya want the ashes?” the man asked, lifting his hat for a moment and
wiping sweat off his brow.
Darian nodded. “Yes, but my sons and I are leaving in a few hours. I will call
you with a forwarding address once we get to our destination and you can send
them that way,” he responded, holding out his large hand. “It was a pleasure
doing business with you.”
“Yeah of course, lad,” the man said, sounding solemn. It was obvious he hated
taking care of the deceased. “You have yourself a safe move.”
Darian nodded his head once before heading outside, taking in a few deep
breaths and looking around. While he wanted to follow through with his father’s
orders he knew he would miss Scotland and everything it held. The beauty was
clear and while there was plenty of sadness and hardships, there were also
happy times that he didn’t want to leave behind. After all, it was where his
sons were born and where he had met the love of his life.  Granted, she had
been taken away from him, which was why the rule of no lovers had been set in
place.
With one last look around, the man went back to his home to finish packing and
board the flight to America- their new home.
***** America *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The Ampora’s looked at their new home.  America had a different feel to it.
While Edinburgh was crazy at times, it was nothing compared to New York.
Everyone had somewhere to be and they didn’t care who they took out in order to
get there. Darian began regretting abiding his father’s wishes, but there was
nothing they could do; they were already there, in front of their home.
The place was large- three stories and brand new. The home stood proudly on the
end of a street next to smaller houses that simply couldn't compare. If Darian
Ampora had wanted to try to blend in, it wasn’t working at all. They stuck out
like sore thumbs and knew it. Still, they picked up their luggage and headed
inside, looking around and taking deep breaths. Larger furniture had already
been moved in, sitting spotless and proud in the clean rooms.
Eridan could tell their lives in New York wouldn’t be pleasant. He wasn’t sure
where the feelings came from, but they were there. He wondered how the rest of
the gang were holding up with their new homes- and the new country. He wanted
to talk to them about their feelings on the move and see if they felt the same
as Eridan and Cronus, but he knew it was no use. The gang would side with
Darian no matter what. If they hated being in America, they wouldn’t show it.
The youngest Ampora turned up his nose before grabbing one of his bags and
heading upstairs, going to one of the rooms on the left and making it his. He
shut the door behind him and leaned against it heavily. He’d had bad feelings
before, they weren’t a new occurrence, but there was something about being in
America that rubbed him the wrong way. It was as if something huge was looming
over him, and no matter what he did he couldn’t shake the feeling.
Instead of doing much else, Eridan unpacked his things and went to bed, not
bothering to say anything to his father or brother. He knew he was being
ridiculous about the entirety of the move, but he couldn’t help it. His father
simply should have checked with his sons to make sure moving was something that
was best for the family- of course, Darian couldn't just disobey his father's
dying wish, but the stubborn teenage thoughts were still looming.
                                      ^^^
Eridan’s alarm clock woke him up at 5:30 AM. The smell of breakfast foods
wafted into his room and caused his mouth to water. He hadn’t realized just how
hungry he was.
Running a hand through his hair, the youngest Ampora threw the covers off his
body and stood up, shivering when his bare feet hit the cool hardwood floor.
The feeling made him want to retreat right back into bed, but he held back,
knowing if he didn’t get up then, he’d get shit from the others.
Stifling a yawn, Eridan walked down the stairs to the glorious smell coming
from the kitchen. Darian stood at the stove, moving eggs around with a spatula.
He automatically noticed Eridan’s presence and turned to him with a light
smile. “Good morning, Eridan. There’s coffee in the pot.”
The teenager automatically perked up at the sound of coffee and went over to
the coffee pot, pouring himself a mug and adding creamer before going to the
island. He sat down and sipped at the hot beverage, feeling it go down into his
stomach as he tilted his head back, making a content sound.
“You and your coffee, I swear,” Darian said, grinning at the other as he
scraped a portion of the scrambled eggs onto a plate along with bacon and
pancakes before handing the plate to his youngest. The man usually wasn’t one
for making breakfast, but he knew he needed to make up the move somehow to
Eridan. “Look, Eridan, I know you probably resent me for the move, but you need
to understand that it was completely necessary. We had to come here and I know
you know that.”
Eridan had picked up his fork and began eating, however stopped when his father
began talking. “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t mean I’m suddenly goin’ to be all gung
ho about movin’ here though. I don’t like bein’ here, Dad. I don’t have a good
feelin' about it.”
“I know, I know. I’m just trying to explain things to you,” Darian responded,
getting to work on making more eggs for Cronus. “As for your ‘bad feelings’,
you know you’re simply having them due to the fact that you hate it here so
much. Give it a few weeks, let us run a few raids and see how you feel then.
You simply need to warm up to New York before hating it automatically.”
The youngest rolled his eyes, but nodded. There was a part of him that wanted
to call his father out, but knew it was no use. Darian Ampora was stubborn and
would never listen- especially not to his sixteen-year-old son. Instead of
saying anything back, the two fell into silence, with Eridan eating his
breakfast and Darian preparing more food.
After half an hour, Cronus came downstairs. His black hair was slicked back as
per usual. The seventeen-year-old had donned a white t-shirt, black jeans, and
a leather jacket, definitely sporting the 1950’s Greaser look that annoyed both
his younger brother and father.
“Morning, guys,” the eldest of the boys said with a bright smile, ruffling
Eridan’s bedhead as he sat next to him.
Eridan mumbled a few curses around a bite of pancake and glared at his older
brother before sipping at his coffee.
“Good morning, Cronus. I believe there’s still coffee in the pot, unless Eridan
got all of it before you,” Darian said, putting a plate together for Cronus
before setting it down in front of him.
“Thank God,” the male exclaimed, heading over to the pot and pouring the rest
of the black elixir into a mug. He kept his coffee black as he went back to the
island, sitting next to his brother and digging into his food.
“You seem to be in a good mood, unlike your brother,” Darian commented, fixing
himself a plate of food and tossing Eridan a sideways glance.
“Oh definitely! It’s America- a new place. I’m excited to go to school and
maybe meet ‘The One’,” Cronus responded, a bright smile gracing his features.
Eridan rolled his eyes at his brother as he finished his food off, standing and
putting his plate in the sink.
“You know the rules, Cronus. This is a gang and you know letting yourself fall
for someone will only cause trouble,” Darian said, his voice harsh as he looked
at his eldest son.
“Yeah, yeah. Doesn’t mean I can’t look or maybe even touch.” Cronus continued
eating, not catching the look between Eridan and their father. Cronus had
always been the type to go after people, despite the fact that he was still a
virgin. He enjoyed talking himself up, much to the annoyance of his family.
“We all know you’re a ragin’ virgin, Cro,” Eridan muttered, earning an elbow to
the side from his brother. “Ow! What the fuck?” He growled, rubbing his wounded
side with a pout.
“You totally deserved it, Eri. Besides, you haven’t even had your first kiss!”
Cronus laughed, pointing a finger at his younger brother.
“Yeah, because unlike you, I actually listen to what Dad says,” Eridan growled,
glaring at the other.
“Boys!” Darian suddenly boomed, causing Eridan and Cronus to jump. “Cut it out.
Eridan, go get ready for school. Cronus, finish your breakfast.”
The two nodded and Eridan went upstairs to shower and get ready for his first
day of school- a public school, no less. He’d heard a lot about public schools.
They were wild and no one had control over the children, plus the food tasted
horrid. Eridan couldn’t fathom why his father would put his sons into the
torture that was public school.
The youngest Ampora put on a violet button down, black skinny jeans, and a grey
jacket. He placed his glasses on his face before moving on to the bathroom to
do his hair. Once his black locks were slicked back and the small splash of
purple was vivid enough, Eridan deemed himself fit to go downstairs.
He grabbed his messenger bag and wallet before heading down, noticing his
father holding two travel mugs of coffee for the boys.
“You truly are a God-send, Dad,” Eridan muttered with a small smile.
“Yes, I know,” Darian smirked before looking upstairs. “Cronus went to go
change his shirt.”
The youngest’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”
“He spilled coffee on it shortly after you left,” Darian responded.
Eridan snorted, knowing it was bound to happen at some point. Cronus was
usually messy when it came to food, so it came as no surprise. Though, while
Cronus was upstairs, Eridan knew it was a good time to question his father
about why he had picked out the particular school he did.
“So out of all the schools, why public?” He asked.
Darian sighed, running a rough hand over his face before looking at Eridan.
“I’ve heard word that Melissa Serket’s girls go to a public school. I’m just
hoping it’s this one, if not, we’ll try a few more and if those don’t work
either, I’ll get you and Cronus enrolled in a private school.”
“Thank God,” Eridan muttered, sending up a quick prayer that the Serket’s
wouldn’t attend a public school.  They seemed much too pretentious to actually
attend anything other than something private anyway.
“Just give it a chance, Eridan; you’re so quick to hate new things,” Darian
responded, his thick eyebrows furrowing and his blue eyes growing hard.
“Yeah, yeah. Are we goin’ or not?” Eridan asked, grabbing the travel mug out of
his father’s hand and taking a sip. He was ready to get the day over with, with
no signs of the Serket's.
“I’m going to stay in here and wait for your brother. Go ahead and get in the
car,” Darian said, absentmindedly. “Also, you’re to come straight home after
school. I have a run you and a few others are to go on.”
“Fine.” Eridan walked out the door and into the cool morning. A breeze softly
graced his face, making him close his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t help but
be reminded of Scotland- except he wasn’t there any longer.  The smells were
too vastly different, as were the early morning noises.
With the effect ruined, Eridan opened his eyes and went to his father’s
customized violet Mercedes-Benz, climbing into the passenger seat and sitting
with his arms crossed over his chest. Yeah, his father definitely wasn’t going
to draw attention to himself or anything- what with a large house and a
Mercedes.
The Ampora's were used to being a rich family and didn’t know the first thing
about blending in with ‘normal’ society, not that Eridan wanted to. He was
perfectly content being filthy rich, though he did enjoy helping others out.
The teenager wasn’t completely heartless.
Eventually Darian and Cronus came out as well, the latter fuming in anger at
the fact that he had to change his brand new shirt. Not only that, but due to
his being late, he also had to sit in the back. Things definitely weren’t going
his way, much to Eridan's enjoyment.
“Alright, do both of you have everything?” Darian asked, starting the car and
looking his sons up and down.
The boys nodded wordlessly, both staring out the window. Cronus was in a
horrible mood, while Eridan simply hated it where he was. He knew his father
had told him not to judge the new place so harshly, but Eridan couldn’t help
it. There was a bad feeling he never got in Scotland. Something was going to
happen and he needed to know what it was.
It took twenty minutes for Darian to get to Cronus and Eridan’s new school.
Students were pouring in like bugs heading toward a crumb. The latter made a
disgusted face at the sight and turned away, facing his father.
“I don’t want to go in there, Dad. Look at how crazy these fuckers look!”
Eridan exclaimed, his blue eyes hard.
“You’re going to go in there or I’ll make you train the new members yourself,”
Darian responded, his accent shining through thickly in his voice.
“You’re so unfair. God!” the teenager growled before throwing the car door open
and getting out of the car. He didn’t bother saying goodbye to his father or
waiting for his brother. He simply wanted to be away from them for as long as
possible.
Chapter End Notes
     I know I described one of those boring morning chapters, but I think
     this gave a good look at how the Ampora's work. Don't worry, more
     characters will be introduced in the next chapter!
***** New Kid *****
The school was beginning to empty, students finding their way to class and not
giving Eridan a passing glance.
The teenager stood at the entrance of the school with his nose buried in his
schedule and a confusing school map. Was he actually supposed to simply know
how the map worked? It was much too confusing to understand. He felt the need
to ask someone, but no one was around by the time he actually looked up. The
light hallways were deserted, save for pieces of paper and trash that needed to
be picked up. Eridan knew he probably needed to go to the office, but he was
much too prideful to actually ask for help.
Instead, he stuck his nose back into the paper and prepared to miss half of his
first class- English. However, a blob suddenly bumped into his shoulder, nearly
knocking him off his feet as a female began apologizing quickly.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I’m running so late and I-“ the female paused, her
eyebrows furrowing as her head tilted slightly to the side. “I don’t recognize
you. Are you new here?”
“Uh, yeah,” Eridan responded, wondering just how small the school had to have
been if this girl didn’t recognize him.
“Ah! I figured as much!” the female exclaimed, a smile breaking out over her
face. She had vivid brown eyes and beautiful dark skin, with long, flowing hair
that framed her round face perfectly. “My name’s Feferi Peixes!” she gushed,
holding out a hand.
Eridan cocked a brow and reached out his own pale, ring clad hand, shaking
hers. He definitely thought Feferi was cute, but he didn’t want to say that,
nor did he want to talk with her any longer; she already seemed much too peppy
for him. “Eridan Ampora.”
Once again, Feferi’s head cocked to the side. “You have an accent? What is it?
I can’t quite put my finger on it,” she said, curiosity filling her voice as
her deep brown eyes searched him.
“Scottish. That’s where I came from, actually,” Eridan responded, sounding
quite disinterested in the conversation, though Feferi didn’t quite pick up on
that.
“That sounds amazing! W-“ she was suddenly cut off by the bell ringing,
signaling that the two students were late to class. “Ah, shit!” Feferi turned
to look at the other. “You don’t know where you’re going, do you?”
“Nope,” Eridan said, popping the ‘p’ as he looked down at his schedule and map
once more. He wondered if Cronus had managed just fine or if he also had to
have someone help him out.
“Let me see your schedule,” Feferi said quickly, snatching the paper out of his
hands and taking a look at it through her large glasses. “Ah! You have English
with me! Come on, I’ll show you where it is,” she said with a smile, handing
the paper back to him and grabbing his wrist, leading him up the stairs and to
a classroom down a brightly lit hallway. They stopped in front of a door on the
left labeled ‘English- Tanner’.
“Don’t worry about us being late. As long as you’re with me, Mr. Tanner won’t
care. I’m his best student,” she said proudly.
Eridan simply nodded, letting her walk into the classroom first with the other
following close behind.
The teacher, Mr. Tanner, along with all the students in the room, looked up
when Eridan and Feferi stepped in. Mr. Tanner was a balding man with trimmed
facial hair and a slim figure. He looked tired and absolutely done with his
students, however his face brightened slightly when he saw Feferi enter.
“Hey, Mr. Tanner! I’m sorry I’m late, I was just showing Eridan here around.
He’s new,” Feferi said, the bright smile returning to her face as she walked in
further.
Eridan managed a smile and small wave before heading over to Mr. Tanner’s desk.
Feferi went to her seat, though the teenager could still feel her eyes boring
into his back. What was her deal?
“Welcome, Mr. Ampora. Why don’t you grab a textbook from the back cabinets and
I’ll get you the syllabus and this month’s book. If you don’t know what we’re
talking about, please don’t feel bad. Be sure to take notes, though. We are
having a test on Lord of the Flies; have you read that one?” Mr. Tanner asked.
The teenager nodded. He’d most definitely read that book, five times to be
precise.
“Good. You should do well on this course then. We just started the book and
today we’re reading chapter one together and doing a questionnaire,” Mr. Tanner
smiled. “Go ahead and grab the textbook, and…” He looked around the room,
eyebrows knitting together. “And take a seat by Ms. Peixes. That will be your
assigned seat for the rest of the semester.”
Eridan nodded once more, though groaned internally at the fact that he’d be
stuck sitting next to the peppy girl for the rest of the year. However, he kept
his face passive and walked to the back of the class, ignoring the curious
gazes from the rest of the students. He grabbed his new textbook and went over
to his seat, plopping down and keeping his eyes forward.
Mr. Tanner went over to him, handing him a brand new copy of Lord of the Flies
and the class syllabus before going back to the front and diving into his
lecture. The students quickly became bored, the majority either falling asleep
or writing notes to one another. Eridan and Feferi were the only ones paying
attention. Eridan had always put a lot of time and effort into his studies, and
took great pride in all of his passing grades. He wasn’t about to let
everything drop because of the move.
As they read through the first chapter and Mr. Tanner began asking questions,
Eridan found himself raising his hand, knowing the answers to every single
question. Feferi was the same. By the end of the class their teacher had a
large grin on his face, knowing Eridan’s arrival would most definitely be a
good thing.
“Alright class, the bell’s about to ring. Remember to take note of how Mr.
Ampora and Ms. Peixes answered questions,” Mr. Tanner said to the class after
assigning homework. He then turned to Eridan and Feferi, “Ten bonus points to
you both for not making my life a living Hell.” The bell then rang and the
class packed up their things.
Eridan stuffed his books into his messenger bag, placing it over his shoulder
and standing. He moved swiftly out of the classroom and almost ran into Feferi
for the second time that morning.
“You’re really smart!” she exclaimed, a look of wonder in her brown eyes.
The two moved to the side as students began shuffling past, trying to reach
their next class quickly.
“Thanks,” Eridan responded simply, his face back in his schedule.
Once again, Feferi grabbed the paper from Eridan’s hands, looking to see what
his next class was. She scrunched up her face when she saw just what was next,
‘PE- Jameson’.
“Ew. I’d skip PE today.” Feferi shrugged, handing the paper back to him.
“Why?” Eridan asked, suspiciously, thanking his lucky stars that he’d brought
his knife and kept it to his thigh, just in case anyone tried anything. Being
in a gang left one on their toes at all times. He didn’t trust this girl.
“Well first, because you don’t have your proper uniform for it. It’s a white t-
shirt and white shorts, you need to go to the office and, even then, they’ll
have to order you the clothes. Second, you seem really stressed out and Coach
Jameson doesn’t seem like the type of guy you need to be around. Third… well, I
really want to get to know you,” Feferi said, a light blush tinting her face.
“There’s a building at the back of the school that we can hang out behind.
Maybe we could talk as well?”
Eridan squinted at the female, but agreed anyway. He knew if she tried
anything, he could take her. “Yeah, of course. We should probably go to the
office first, though.”
Feferi squealed softly and jumped up and down lightly, before flinging her hand
toward her slightly. “Come on!”
The male followed her to the office, getting everything sorted out before going
to the back of the school, away from the gymnasium, and out the doors. The day
had definitely warmed up, with the sun shining, and birds tweeting shrill
songs. Eridan automatically felt relaxed.
The two walked to the back building, stepping behind it. Eridan leaned against
the side of the building and tilted his head back, absorbing as much sunlight
as he could. With a soft sigh, he reached into his bag and pulled out a pack of
cigarettes that one of the gang members had bought him. He knew he wasn’t
allowed to smoke, but it was one of the lovely perks of being in a gang.
However, he knew he’d be in deep shit if he got caught by someone that was
unaware.
Feferi raised her thin brows at the teenager as he lit the cigarette, taking a
deep drag and letting the smoke fill his lungs. He held it for a moment before
letting it fall out of his mouth. Eventually he looked over at the other, a
small smirk finding its way to his features.
Feferi smiled. “Could I have a few hits of that?”
Eridan was taken aback, to say the least. Feferi definitely didn’t seem like
the type to smoke cigarettes. “Sure.” He took one more drag before handing the
cancer stick over to her, watching as she took a drag of her own in a similar
fashion before handing it back.
“Thank you,” she smiled. “So tell me about yourself.”
The male raised his brows. “What do you want to know?”
“Any and everything. Hmm, first I guess I’m curious to know why you moved
here,” Feferi responded.
Eridan shrugged as he took another drag from his cigarette. “Needed a change of
scenery, I guess. Or rather, my Dad did,” he said as he exhaled, watching the
smoke fade into the air in various twists and turns.
Feferi nodded. “I’m assuming you don’t like it here.”
Was it that obvious? Of course, Eridan never really hid things he despised.
Instead of lying, he nodded. “Yeah, I really do. Most of the people are shit,
the school is pretty much shit… I just miss Scotland, I guess.”
“I can tell. That’s how I feel about Hawaii, honestly,” Feferi responded sadly.
Eridan tilted his head slightly. He hadn’t pegged her as Hawaiian. “When did
you move?”
“Six years ago, but even now I still miss it,” she said sadly, her eyes
becoming soft as she sighed, holding out her hand for the cigarette.
The male handed it over, almost feeling sorry for the other as he watched her
black lips move over the filter and sucked in.
“Why did you have to move?” he asked.
“My Mom killed my Dad,” she said with a slight shrug, causing Eridan to
sputter.
“What?” he asked, not expecting such an answer, especially one that was so
straightforward.
“Yup. He was really abusive toward her and she finally fought back, but when
she did, well, she kind of snapped his neck.” She took another drag of the
cigarette before handing it back to Eridan.
The male took it back and took a drag of his own. How could he not after
hearing that news? He wondered if that was the actual story or if it was
something else.
“I’m sorry?” he said, eyebrows furrowing.
“Oh, it’s okay! He was a piece of shit and, honestly, I’m glad he’s dead.”
Feferi paused, looking at the grass for a moment before jumping back into her
questioning. “What’s your family like?”
“My Dad is a hard ass and my brother is a hopeless flirt,” Eridan responded,
wondering how Feferi remained so happy and peppy despite the fact that she’d
had such a rough time with an abusive father.
“Oh, you have a brother? What about your mother?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s a year older than me- a senior here, actually. You’ll probably see
him around when he tries to hit on you,” Eridan muttered, paling slightly when
his mother was brought up. Unlike Feferi’s father, Eridan’s mother had been
kind and loving. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met and he missed her dearly.
“My Mom’s not in the picture,” he added on, not looking at her. Instead he took
another drag of his cigarette, flicking the ashes off the end.
“I’m sorry…” Feferi whispered, catching on that his mother was most definitely
a touchy subject.
“It’s okay. Trust me; I’ve dealt with a lot of loss in my life, so I guess my
Mom was nothin’ new,” Eridan said, handing the cigarette back to the other and
deciding to let her have it.
The two fell in an awkward silence, with Eridan staring at the ground and
Feferi finishing off the cigarette. He wasn’t quite sure what to say, though he
knew that he didn’t want to continue talking about deceased parents. Luckily,
Feferi had more questions in her arsenal.
“So you said your brother will try to hit on me? Does he do that to everyone?”
Feferi asked, a light smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Pretty much. If he thinks anyone’s attractive, he’ll try to get into their
pants. It never fails,” Eridan muttered with a roll of his eyes.
“I’m assuming there’s been bad experiences with that?” she asked.
“Yeah. He once tried to hit on someone I liked, so I nearly beat him to death
with a fishing pole when my family went fishing. The hook caught his back and
left a pretty decent gash,” Eridan said, a dark smirk gracing his features as
he recalled the experience.
“Oh my God! I’m sorry that happened! I bet he knows not to mess with people you
like now, though,” Feferi commented, her brown eyes wide.
“Ha, yeah right. He backed off for a month and then he was back at it. The guy
just doesn’t give up.” Eridan sank to the ground, making himself comfortable.
“I wouldn’t get too comfy; class is going to be ending soon,” Feferi said with
a small giggle as Eridan groaned.
He was definitely beginning to warm up to the female. It was obvious she wasn’t
involved in a gang. She was just overexcited and quite bubbly. Eridan knew
there was nothing wrong with that, he had simply needed something to complain
about.
“What’s your next class?” she asked as Eridan stood back up.
“Biology with Mrs. Price,” he answered, having memorized his classes.
“Ah, I’ll have Geometry by then, so we won’t be together. Let me think,
though…” The female went quiet for a moment, thinking hard about which of her
friends the same class as Eridan. “Ah! You’ll have that class with Equius and
Nepeta! They’re both really sweet, though you’ll have to watch out for Nepeta.
Think about how excitable I get and multiply that by fifty.”
“Oh God,” Eridan moaned, rolling his eyes but managing a smirk at the other.
Despite that, he was still cringing on the inside. The teenager wasn’t sure how
many overexcited females he would be able to deal with.
The bell then rang as Feferi laughed. “Come on, Eri-fin! I’ll show you where
your next class is!”
“Eri-fin?” Eridan questioned.
“Yeah! I give all of my friends’ fish-based nicknames,” Feferi grinned,
grabbing Eridan’s wrist and leading him back inside quickly.
While Eridan knew he had orders against becoming associated with friendships,
he simply couldn’t hold back the warmth that filled him at being called a
friend so early on.  It was the first of many future instances where his father
would be disobeyed.
***** Friendly Competition *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Eridan Ampora wasn’t used to people coming up to him in excitement. When he
lived in Scotland, he didn’t have any friends- the gang was a family, and even
then, they weren’t too close. Eridan had always distanced himself from people,
never letting himself get close to anyone.
New York was different. He wanted to get close to the people he met in the
public school that he desperately wanted to hate. He wanted to befriend Feferi
and get close to her, learn everything about her, and have the friendship he’d
never experienced. The teenager knew it wouldn’t be wise to do so, but it was
growing to the point where he couldn’t help it.
Eridan was close to asking Feferi if she wanted to come over, however he
remembered his prior engagements, plus the fact that everyone and their mother
was completely intimidated by Darian; with Darian on his mind, he knew the man
would be completely closed down to potential friends coming over, and would
result in endless lectures and harsh punishments. Eridan knew he couldn’t do
it. If anything, they would’ve had to have met somewhere else. Eridan began
formulating different ideas based on movies he’d seen. Friends or lovers in a
dangerous situation would have to meet in secret and one character was usually
hiding a large secret. It described Eridan to a tee as he could never tell
anyone about his life in a gang.
The Aquarius was completely lost in thought, trying to come up with different
methods when a dark hand suddenly appeared in front of his face. Eridan shook
his head slightly and focused in on Feferi, who had a concerned but humored
look on her face.
“Are you okay, Eri-fin?” she asked, curiosity in her voice.
“Yeah, of course. I was just thinking about some things and completely zoned
out,” Eridan responded, trying to stop a blush from creeping onto his features.
He’d always been the type to zone out at the most inopportune times- much to
his father’s chagrin.
Feferi giggled. “Well, I was trying to let you know that this is your
classroom. I’m going to be directly down the hall in Geometry. You have fun
with Equius and Nepeta,” she said as the warning bell rang. “I have to go now.
Bye!”
Eridan simply waved at her and turned to face the door to his Biology
classroom. He wasn’t sure how he would react to Nepeta, but he was sure it’d be
nothing short of annoyance. The teenager definitely wasn’t looking forward to
the class.
Still, he walked in, taking a seat toward the front and setting his messenger
bag down next to him. Though he always passed his classes, Biology was usually
a difficult class for him. Normally he enjoyed dabbling in English or History,
not the sciences. However, he was determined to pass the class with flying
colors- gang or not, he was a damn good student.
The teacher, Mrs. Price, came into the classroom looking haggard. She was a
light-skinned woman with black hair and hard grey eyes. The woman looked like
she had seen her fair share of crazy things in her life, which made Eridan’s
respect for her rise automatically.
“Alright class, before I have all of you go back to your projects- that are due
next week, mind you- I want to introduce a new student,” Mrs. Price said,
keeping her eyes on a sheet of paper, which Eridan assumed had his information
on it. “Eridan Ampora? Stand, please.” Her grey eyes left the paper as she
searched the room of faces, her eyes falling on the black-haired male.
Eridan did as he was asked, standing with his back straight and chin raised
slightly.
“Go ahead and say hello, dear,” the teacher said, giving the male a soft smile.
“Hello,” Eridan muttered, his eyebrows furrowing. He hadn’t had to stand and
say hello to anyone in English. The once rising opinion he had for Mrs. Price
diminished quickly. If there was one thing he hated, it was drawing unnecessary
attention to himself.
“Why don’t you tell us something about yourself, Mr. Ampora,” Mrs. Price said,
sitting at her own desk and lacing her fingers together.
The teenager very nearly rolled his eyes, however when he looked around the
class he caught a small girl staring at him with large green eyes. She had dark
skin and a curious smile on her face. It was almost as if she wantedto hear
what Eridan had to say. At that moment, he knew the girl was Nepeta. She was
much too excited looking.
Eridan opened his mouth to speak and tell the class something about himself,
but found he was drawing a blank. What was there to say? There was absolutely
nothing of value that he could talk about. He thought about bringing up the
fact that he was in a gang as a joke, but he was sure public school students
wouldn’t understand the humor of it.
Instead, the teenager scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. “I’m smart.”
His comment earned a few groans and eye rolls from the other students, but a
shrug from Mrs. Price. She gestured for him to sit down, and he happily did so.
He wanted to shiver at the adolescent eyes on him. Eridan briefly wondered how
Cronus was milking being a new kid… or how many people had punched him in the
face.
“Thank you for speaking, Mr. Ampora. You can have a free period to read over
the textbook on the section we’re going over. Once you’re done, I’ll give you a
quiz, and if you pass you can begin working on the project along with your
classmates,” the teacher said before turning to a large stack of papers.
“And where can I find the textbook?” Eridan asked, but before the woman in
front could answer, the green-eyed girl he had noticed prior bounded up to him,
a beat up Biology textbook in her hands.
“Here! I went ahead and got one for you!” she exclaimed, her voice high with a
slight squeak to it.
“Uhm, thanks,” Eridan responded, taking the book from the female.
“I’m Nepeta. Obviously I know you’re new, but not from Mrs. Price. Fefurri
texted me!” Nepeta said, a bright smile on her face.
“I see. Well, Feferi told me you’d be in this class- she said you’d be
excited,” the teenager said, forcing a smile to his face. Once again, he wasn’t
sure about Nepeta, however there was a nagging in the back of his mind that
told him to get over himself. Not everyone in the school- or world- was out to
get him.
“Really! Oh, I love Fefurri so much! Isn’t she great?” Nepeta asked, but
continued speaking before the other could get an answer in. “You have a really
nice voice- oh!” She leaned in further, so close their noses were almost
touching. Eridan was simply too surprised to lean back. “Your eyes are so blue
and beautiful!”
“Nepeta,” a low voice suddenly rang out. A male had appeared behind Nepeta- a
Native man with long black hair and a chiseled jaw. “It seems you are
frightening him. Besides, we need to work on our project. I do not wish to fail
again.”
Nepeta rolled her eyes. “Oh hush, Equi-hiss.” She turned her attention back to
Eridan. “This is my best furr-end, Equius! He seems mean, but he’s really nice
once you get to know him.”
Eridan nodded at the large male beside Nepeta and wondered if he used puns of
any kind, as it seemed it was a trend- Feferi with fish puns and Nepeta with
cat puns.
“It’s a pleasure,” Equius said distractedly to Eridan before turning back to
his friend. “Nepeta, we really need to work on our project.”
“Ugh, fine! I’ll see you later, Eridan!” She grinned at the new student and
sauntered away, almost like a big cat on the prowl.
Eridan shook his head at the exchange, hoping no one else would act in such a
manner. He then turned his attention to the textbook laying on his desk,
getting into his work quickly.
                                      ^^^
Before Eridan knew it, the bell had rang, signaling the passing period. He
packed up his things and walked out before Nepeta could catch up with him,
however he- once again- nearly ran head long into Feferi.
The female laughed. “We need to stop doing that!” She wore a bright smile,
though her eyes were beginning to look tired. Eridan wondered what classes she
was taking to make her so tired so early on in the day. He was close to asking
when she beat him to the questioning, “So what class do you have next?”
“History with Mrs. Asbell,” Eridan responded, stepping away from the entrance
of the Biology classroom so the students could exit with ease.
Feferi grimaced. “Oh dear. Your next class is with Sollux.”
“Sollux?” Eridan asked, wanting to scrunch up his nose at the name itself.
“Yeah.  He’s um, interesting,” she said distractedly. “Your class is going to
be down the hall and to the right, okay? I have to go to the office and help
out with a few things. I’ll see you!” And without another word, she was gone.
Eridan tilted his head to the side slightly, wondering why Feferi had suddenly
begun acting strange. Did she and Sollux have a bad past? Had he hurt her? Was
he just not a likable kid? The teenager found himself asking tons of questions
in his head as he made his way to Mrs. Asbell’s class.
He walked into the room with two minutes to spare. It was empty save for a few
skater guys in the back, their hair long with cheesy smiles on their faces; in
the front sat a scrawny blond kid, his face glued to a computer screen as he
typed furiously. Eridan got rather strong vibes that he was looking at Sollux.
At first glance he didn’t look too bad, so he couldn’t fathom why Feferi would
have reacted the way she did.
The teenager walked further into the room, deciding to sit a few desks away
from the pale male. Eridan watched him from the corner of his eye, trying to
sneak glances at what he was doing from his laptop. Unfortunately for Eridan,
he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was.
“Can I help you?” the male asked, his voice slightly deeper than Eridan had
expected.
“Uh, no, sorry,” the blackette responded, facing forward.
He saw the other shake his head out of the corner of his eye and Eridan felt
the urge to lean over and slap the hell out of him, but refrained, knowing
fighting on the first day wouldn’t go over well with anyone- especially not his
father.
The male turned to face him. “Really, can I help you, or do you just have a
staring problem?” The teenager noticed a strong lisp escaping the student’s
mouth, though didn’t say anything about it.
“No, you can’t help me. Not like I’d want your help anyway,” Eridan shot back.
Sollux raised his brows, slightly taken aback but looking quite impressed. He
shrugged and went back to his laptop as the bell rang.
A small looking woman entered the room, said a quick hello to Eridan before
grabbing a book and the class syllabus for him. He felt gratitude that she
hadn’t made him stand and say hello or introduce himself and only hoped the
rest of his classes would be the same.
“Now Eridan, I know this is your first day, so if you don’t know an answer,
please don’t feel pressured to answer anything, and- Sollux, could you please
put your laptop away? I swear we do this every day,” the woman began, though
stopped when she noticed the lanky male still fiddling around with his
computer.
Sollux sighed, rolling his eyes but putting his computer away anyway. He looked
more than a little annoyed, however he didn’t cause a commotion. It surprised
Eridan when he didn’t, as Sollux looked like the type of student that would
whine and cry if he didn’t get his way.
“Now, as I was saying; don’t feel pressured to answer anything, no one else
does. In fact, Sollux is the only one in the class that actually answers any of
my questions.” The woman looked slightly saddened by what she had said, however
Eridan knew he could brighten her day. History was, after all, his best
subject.
The teenager nodded and sat back, preparing himself to answer as many questions
as possible. He knew he could do it, it was simply a matter of beating Sollux
to it. If the kid was as good as Mrs. Asbell stated, it would be slightly
difficult, but Eridan was always up for a good challenge.
“Alright, who remembers where we left off yesterday?” she asked and in response
Sollux’s hand shot up.
“The Roman Empire and how it has affected the world today,” he answered, lisp
shining through.
“Very good. Now, let’s start with a slightly vile, but humorous question. What
were the Romans favorite method of execution?” Mrs. Asbell asked.
“They were stung to death,” Sollux said quickly, a bored expression resting on
his face.
“Good, good. Alright, at what age did wealthy children start school?” she
asked.
Eridan’s hand shot up, but before the woman could call on him, he spoke, “Age
seven.”
The woman looked surprised, but pleased all at once. Sollux seemed to be more
than a little annoyed that someone was challenging him on his turf.
“What river flowed through Rome?” the woman asked, crossing her arms over her
chest.
“Tiber!” Sollux all but shouted, raising a brow at Eridan who grew even more
determined to outdo the other.
“Great! How many people were in the Rome senate?”
“Six-hundred!” the males yelled at the same time, startling most of the
students in class, as well as one another.
The two looked at one another incredulously for a moment before breaking out
into smiles. Eridan had respect for anyone that was able to answer questions so
quickly when it came to History. He wanted to get to know the other more,
perhaps even become friends with him.
“Well done, you two!” Mrs. Asbell exclaimed before going into her lecture. She
didn’t hold back in assigning Eridan homework, which he didn’t feel anything
but excitement about. The rest of his classes had given him a free pass and he
hated that. He knewwhat he was doing.
The rest of the class passed with Eridan and Sollux passing glances at one
another, curiosity in both their eyes. They finished their work in record time,
fifteen minutes before the bell rang. Eridan silently hoped Sollux would try
talking to him, however his hopes were dashed when the blond simply pulled out
his laptop, typing away furiously- just as he was before the class had started.
When the bell finally rang, the students packed their things quickly before
hustling out of the room, going to talk to their friends before heading to
their next class. Eridan, on the other hand, moved slower than everyone else.
He didn’t want to deal with the traffic of students at the door, plus he needed
to formulate an idea on how to get to his next class on his own, unless Feferi
was waiting for him as she had for the rest of his classes.
He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and taking a few steps before
Sollux appeared in front of him, an almost annoyed look resting on his face.
Eridan cocked a brow toward the shorter male, but didn’t say anything.
“What’s your next class? FF texted me and said she couldn’t help you get to
your next one because she has to do more work in the office or whatever. So
yeah, I’ve been assigned to new kid duty,” he said, voice monotone.
At first Eridan was confused at ‘FF’, but he quickly put together that the male
in front of him was referring to Feferi. Did she really not like being around
Sollux? If that were the case, why would she text him? Was it Eridan? He tried
to block out the thought that Feferi had completely changed her mind about him
and now wanted nothing to do with him. He knew it wasn’t a good thought process
to have, despite the fact that he knew someone like her didn’t need to be in
his life anyway.
“My next class is Algebra 2 with Mr. Clayton,” Eridan answered, his voice
sounding distant.
Sollux rolled his eyes, moving his circular glasses out of the way as he
squeezed the bridge of his nose lightly. “Great, you have that one with me.
Come on, Ampora,” the male said, however Eridan could detect something else
within the other’s voice. It almost sounded like the student was slightly
pleased at the fact that the two would be sharing another class.
Chapter End Notes
     I know I'm drawing out the first day of school, however if it was all
     one chapter the word count would've been 6,000-8,000 words long.
     Ain't nobody got time for that.
     I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on this, though!
***** Vriska Serket *****
Chapter Notes
     Warning: There are homophobic slurs in this chapter.
Algebra 2 passed by quickly for Eridan due to Sollux’s presence. The two kept
up the small competition they had going on, though instead of growing angry if
one beat the other to it, they would simply laugh it off and try harder. Both
of them could feel something growing between them, however Eridan wasn’t sure
if it was the feeling of friendship or not. It was similar to what he was
feeling toward Feferi.
The class ended with Mr. Clayton assigning ten problems for homework- including
Eridan in the mix. The teenager knew he’d be able to breeze through the work
with ease, however he found that he didn’t have time to work on the homework in
class. Just as he was about to the bell rang. Eridan rolled his eyes before
packing up while Sollux moved to the side of his desk, holding his own bag over
his shoulder.
“You know Ampora, you aren’t too bad,” Sollux said with a slight shrug.
Eridan found himself surprised, but gave the other a small smile anyhow.
“Thanks. You too.”
“So, do you want to sit with FF and me at lunch? We have other friends that sit
there too, but they’re all cool,” Sollux asked, shuffling his feet slightly.
Eridan grew under the impression that Feferi had forced the blonde to ask, but
he was thankful for it as the last thing the new student wanted to do was sit
alone at lunch.
“Yeah, of course,” Eridan responded, earning a nod from Sollux.
The males made their way to the lunch room. They were slightly late in arriving
as the lines for food were pouring into the hallway. Sollux groaned at the
sight and turned to the other.
“Do you want to sit and then get food when the line dies down? I’d rather not
deal with this bullshit.” He gestured to the students talking animatedly among
themselves as they waited to get their food.
Eridan nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Sollux. He couldn’t fathom why a
public school would only have one line for lunch. Even he knew there should’ve
been at least two to help the traffic of hungry students. However the last
thing he wanted to do was voice that; he knew Sollux would think he was crazy
for even thinking up such things.
“Come on. We usually sit in the back- it’s quieter there,” the blond said,
moving through a few people to get inside the room before making a beeline to
the back of the cafeteria where a group of eight students sat, chatting and
eating.
Sollux approached the table with ease, plopping down next to an Asian female
with long brown hair and beautiful eyes. He kissed her cheek before turning to
Feferi.
“Hey, FF, your new-found BFF is here,” he said before turning his attention
back to the female that appeared to be his girlfriend.
Feferi looked up at Eridan, a bright smile appearing on her features. “Sit,
sit!” she exclaimed to the male before getting the rest of the table’s
attention. Eridan recognized Nepeta and Equius, but no one else. They all
turned to look at him with slight judgment in their eyes. Still, Eridan did as
he was asked, seating himself on the other side of Sollux and intertwining his
fingers together. “Guys, this is Eridan! He’s new- from Scotland.”
A female with red and black hair squinted at Eridan, leaning forward and
sniffing him before moving back. “You smell good. And you’re really attractive
from what I can tell. Hell, you’re in!” she exclaimed, a goofy smile appearing
on her face.
The new student looked at Feferi, confusion lacing his features. The female
simply giggled.
“Her name is Terezi. She has pretty bad eyesight so she goes around sniffing
people. I don’t understand it, but it’s her method of getting to know people-
honestly, she’s kind of like a dog in that sense,” Feferi shrugged, answering
Eridan’s unasked question.
The teenager nodded, though still found himself rather confused. He’d never met
anyone like Terezi- or really any of the people that he’d come across in his
first day of public school.
“And then the girl Sollux is currently making out with is Aradia Megido. She’s
obsessed with bones and just overall death,” Feferi said, pointing to the
brunette Asian that Sollux had locked lips with. Eridan looked quickly before
averting his gaze just as fast. He’d never felt too comfortable when watching
people’s public displays of affection, nor did he understand why they would do
it in the first place. Eridan was a firm believer of things of that magnitude
to be kept in private.
“Yeah, they do that a lot,” the female said, glancing at the others before
turning her attention back to Eridan. “The kid sitting next to me is Karkat
Vantas. He’s well- grumpy and really shouty.” Feferi nudged a boy with messy
black hair in the side, though his brown eyes were trained on a trashy $5.00
romance novel.
Karkat grunted and nudged the female back, muttering a few curse words under
his breath.
“Karkat, say hi to the new kid,” Feferi growled softly.
Karkat looked up, glaring at Eridan. “Hi.”
Eridan raised a brow at the other, crossing his arms over his chest as he
returned Karkat’s glare. He definitely wasn’t sure how to feel about the small
kid that was obviously better than everyone else- at least, that’s how it came
across to Eridan.
“Oh my God, Karkat, will you put down that piece of shit and actually start up
a conversation?” Terezi growled, her mouth full of food.
Karkat scoffed at her, “I’ll put down my book if you start chewing with your
mouth closed. Besides, it’s not a piece of shit, it’s an amazing work by an
amazing author. She knows so much about love- almost more than me.”
“If you know so much about love, why are you still single?” Terezi asked, a
light smirk on her lips.
Karkat’s face brightened considerably as he began sputtering, “I-I don’t know
what you’re talking about. Fu-fuck you, Terezi!” He brought the romance novel
up to cover his tomato red face.
Eridan’s eyes widened as he looked at the cover. He knew the book. “Hey, I’ve
read that.”
Karkat’s gaze suddenly went from Terezi to the new kid, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Oh, ha ha, fuck you!”
“No really. That’s the one with the vampire and the ditsy girl, right?” Eridan
said quickly.
“Y-yeah. Holy fuck, you do know it,” Karkat muttered before leaning forward.
“Okay, so the guy is a fucking asshole, right? Like, abuse much? How stupid can
this girl get?”
“I know! And the fact that she keeps goin’ back to him is fuckin’ ridiculous!”
Eridan responded, gesturing with his hands to prove his point.
“Exactly!” Karkat growled, opening his mouth to continue speaking on the plot
of the novel, however Terezi spoke up first.
“Oh my God, you two should just go get a room now!” she practically shouted
before shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth.
The males’ faces went red as they looked away from one another. Of course
Eridan wasn’t crushing on Karkat, how could he crush on someone he just met?
No, instead he found himself embarrassed at the situation. If there was one
thing Eridan hated it was being called out- loudly- by someone. Instead of
responding to Terezi, he turned his attention to Feferi.
The female smiled widely at him as she took out a container, opening it and
revealing the contents to be fish. Eridan’s mouth instantly started watering at
the sight. He’d always loved fish- in fact, it was all he used to eat as a
child.
Feferi caught Eridan staring and practically salivating. She giggled before
pushing the container toward him. “Do you want a piece? My mom always packs
more than I can eat.”
Eridan looked up at her, a smile crawling to his face and he nodded gratefully.
“God yes. Anythin’ but school lunch.”
She pulled out a fork, grabbing a mouthful for herself before handing it over
to Eridan, who graciously forked his half in his mouth. Karkat made a disgusted
face, shaking his head before going back to his novel.
“How can you guys eat that shit?” Sollux asked, covering his nose.
“You’re such a drama queen, Sollux. Last night you were going on about how much
you loved my mom’s cooking,” Aradia laughed, an incredulous look on her face.
“Yeah, so?” Sollux asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Do you not know what you were eating?” the brunette asked.
“Chicken?”
“No! It was fish, Sollux,” Aradia laughed as she took in Sollux’s disgusted
expression.
“Oh God. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the bathroom puking.” The blond made
way to get up, but was stopped by Aradia grabbing his arm and pulling him back
down whilst laughing.
Eridan smiled at the two before handing the fork back to Feferi. As he did so,
he heard a long, drawing voice to his left.
“Come oooooooon, Tavros! We’re already running late because of you,” the
feminine voice groaned.
Eridan looked over, noticing a female with dirty blonde hair and dull grey eyes
coming their way. She was being followed by a Latino boy with a fluffy Mohawk
carrying two backpacks and three textbooks in his thin arms. He almost looked
to be thinner than Sollux, which was near impossible.
The female walked right up to Eridan before looking down at him and freezing.
She stared at the new kid for a moment before looking at the others. “What’s
this fairy doing in my seat?”
Feferi rolled her eyes. “Be nice. He’s new; he didn’t know.”
“And you did tell him, why?” she asked, resting a hand on her narrow hip.
“Because no one here likes you, Vriska,” Terezi cackled, earning nervous smiles
from Feferi and Nepeta, whose attention was drawn away from Equius. Everyone at
the table looked quite uncomfortable with the situation. Even Karkat, who had
finally drawn his attention away from his book to see what the commotion was
about.
“Shut the fuck up, Terezi,” the female growled before turning her attention
back to Eridan. “Get up. That’s my seat.”
Eridan looked around, searching for a name as if to mock the blonde. “Yeah,
sorry, I don’t see your fuckin’ name on it. Why don’t you find a different
seat?”
The blonde scoffed. “You’re a piece of shit.”
“Vriska, I’m sure we can find other seats,” Tavros muttered softly, his arms
shaking from the load of schoolwork he had.
“Shut up! God, you’re so annoying, Tavros,” Vriska growled.
Eridan’s face paled. Vriska. Vriska Serket? Oh, God.
“What’s your last name?” Eridan asked without thinking.
“Why does it matter to you?” She asked.
Feferi suddenly piped in, “Her last name is Serket.”
Vriska tossed the dark-skinned girl a glare, however Eridan smirked, standing.
“My apologies. I didn’t know this was your chair,” he began before holding out
his hand, “by the way, my name is Eridan. Eridan Ampora.”
Vriska’s gray eyes hardened as she realized just who the male standing in front
of her was. She looked down at his hand before moving her gaze up. “Sorry, I
don’t shake hands with filth.”
“Good point, I’d hate to touch someone as filthy as you,” Eridan shot back,
straightening his back and arching his chin forward slightly. He needed to
establish that he was better than her in every way.
Vriska laughed, though it sounded fake. “Yeah, well, you losers have fun
hanging out with this faggot. Tavros and I will find another place to sit.”
Without another word, she flipped her dirty blonde hair over her shoulder and
walked away, grabbing Tavros by the front of the shirt and dragging him along.
Eridan glared after her before sitting back down, keeping his gaze averted.
“What the fuck was that about?” Sollux asked, breaking the uncomfortable
silence that had formed. “ED, do you know her?”
“You could say that,” he responded, taking his phone out of his pocket and
texting his father.
‘Well, forget private schools. You hit this one on the nose. The Serket's are
here.’
***** Heist *****
Eridan Ampora stood in front of his father, back straight and chin raised
slightly. He needed to establish power, but not more than his father- never
more than the boss.
School had let out three hours prior, though it had felt much longer. The
youngest Ampora found himself overly tired from the schoolwork and training he
had done. He simply wasn’t used to it. Not to mention actually talking to
people like they were friends grew rather tiring as well. Eridan knew his
father wouldn’t be too pleased about him talking to others, so he decided not
to say anything on the matter.
Four men stood behind Eridan- standing in similar positions as the young
Ampora. All of their faces were solemn, not a single trace of emotion showing
up. Darian looked at all of them one by one, taking in all of their faces
silently before finally speaking.
“You five are to rob the First National Bank tonight. Obviously Eridan will be
leading you,” he began, looking at the four behind his son with hard blue eyes
before setting them on the teenager. “I want you all to leave with at least
one-thousand each. Robbie will be going with you, but he’s to stay in the van
as he’s still new. All of you need to stay safe, I don’t want any casualties,
and for the love of God, please don’t set off the alarms.”
The small group of six nodded at once, showing they understood Darian’s orders.
“I want all of you out of here by seven. I’ve been keeping an eye on how things
work, so the street should be deserted. Do me proud,” the man finished before
walking away.
Eridan hung his head slightly, stifling a yawn. He knew being tired wasn’t
going to do the group good, but he couldn’t back out of it. Obviously his
father needed the money for a reason, be it more weaponry or a raise for the
family. The teenager backing out simply wasn’t an option.
He did a few stretches before walking over to a shelf and plucking a pistol off
of it, checking quickly for ammo. He grabbed a few shells just to be absolutely
sure, as he found one couldn’t be too careful, and placed the weapon in the
back of his black jeans. He then grabbed another gun, going through the same
process before placing it carefully in its holster located on his calf.
The teenager looked back at the others who were standing in wait. Each of them
had packed at least two weapons.
“Where’s Robbie?” Eridan asked, looking around.
One of the men gestured to the bathroom with a thumb. “I think he’s nervous. He
went in there about ten minutes ago.”
“He’s probably puking his dinner up,” another man smirked, nudging one of the
others in the side.
Eridan rolled his eyes at their childish nature. He constantly found himself
surprised at how, when it came to the gang, he seemed to be the most mature of
all the members- despite being the youngest. The Ampora walked past the men,
stepping up to the bathroom, and knocking on the door where he heard a loud
retching sound.
“Ju-just a sec!” came a small voice from inside. The way the man’s voice
sounded was making Eridan nervous about taking him. He felt Robbie wasn’t ready
to go, but there was nothing that could be done. There was absolutely no way
Darian would let the man skip out on the heist, especially since he was so new
and needed to learn.
“We need to leave soon, Robbie. Finish up and then come out,” Eridan called
into the bathroom before walking back to the other men. “Jeremy, go ahead and
start up the van. Clear out the back if it isn’t already.”
The dark-skinned man nodded before heading out back to the van. Eridan never
understood why his father would choose a van as their getaway vehicle-
especially a white van. If anyone were to ask Eridan, he’d say it was the most
obvious choice in vehicles. It practically screamed ‘I’m going to rob a bank’.
Still, the teenager didn’t question it. He found that questioning his father
was a lost cause anyway, as the man usually didn’t listen.
Eridan and the other men stayed silent, with the teenager making sure his
glasses were in place before doing a series of stretches. They never knew what
to expect and, when Eridan went on his first heist, they’d almost been caught.
Since that moment, the youngest Ampora had always been careful about everything
he did. The last thing he needed was for himself and his family to go to
prison.
Eventually, Robbie came out, his dark green eyes red-rimmed and his nose
running like a faucet. The young twenty-something looked downright horrible,
which made Eridan question him going even more. Instead, he rolled his eyes and
double checked his weaponry.
“Are you guys ready?” the teenager asked, running a hand through his black
hair. 
The men surrounding him nodded, and Eridan gestured for them to follow him,
talking among themselves as they moved out and piled into the van. Due to the
fact that the teenager couldn’t drive, he sat in the passenger seat with the
dark-skinned man in the front. The others went to the back of the van, their
voices increasing in volume as the driver started the vehicle and moved out.
The drive to the bank took around fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of Eridan
rolling his eyes at the hooting and hollering coming from behind him in the
back. A migraine was beginning to form making rub at his temples, trying to
will it away. Whenever he lead a group, the others normally talked loudly and
ignored almost everything Eridan said about keeping quiet- at least in the car
ride. They knew that if any of them fucked up and got the boss’ son hurt, the
penalty would be death.
When they finally arrived, the group quieted down immediately. Eridan opened
his door as the door to the back swung open as well, a few of the men jumping
out and grabbing a few bags each. The others then followed suit, grabbing their
bags and moving by the back door of First National Bank.
The teenager waited until everyone was there before going back and checking on
Robbie, who seemed to by hyperventilating. Eridan sighed, hanging his hand for
a brief moment before looking up to address the other, “You’re to stay in here,
do you understand? If you do well, Darian will let you go on more heists and
runs in general, but if you fail, you know what will happen.”
Robbie nodded, obvious tears glinting in his eyes as he shook like a leaf.
“We’ll be out in about ten minutes. If we aren’t, get Darian on the phone.
Understood?” Eridan asked, becoming antsy. He hated taking the new guys out, as
they always whined and took up precious time. The teenager had a bank to rob,
he couldn’t go and babysit grown men that didn’t know how to handle a job.
Robbie nodded once more. Eridan only hoped he actually understood and would do
as he was told, he didn’t need anyone screwing up the heist. However, the teen
didn’t have time to double check and instead opened the other door on the back
of the van and headed to the door where the others were.
He put on a pair of latex gloves, making sure the others were either following
suit or already had theirs on. Once that was done, the teenager picked the
clock and disabled the code on the door, getting in with ease.
“Keep an eye out for traps. You’ll see a faint red glow or hear a soft
buzzing,” Eridan whispered to the others as they began piling into the
building.
The men moved to the left of the door to give Eridan room to go in and move
ahead of them. Once he had, they all began following him quietly.
The back of the bank was eerily quiet and dark, which made things easy when it
came to the slight buzzing and red light that illuminated some of the area. The
rest of the building was pitch black. Eridan took out a small flashlight and
clicked it on, making sure he kept it up to make the lasers easier to see.
“Come on,” he muttered, beginning to move through the maze of traps. He’d
robbed many banks and his father found that he was the best at it. Cronus was
much too big and burly to actually go through with it with ease- not that it
mattered to the eldest Ampora child.
Eridan kept moving, leading the group along until they came to the large door,
signaling the fact that they had finally reached the vault.
“Get your bags ready,” the teenager commanded, pulling out a duffle bag as he
disabled the locks on the vault and pulled it open with ease. He made sure not
to go too far as one of the lasers was designed to go off if the door was
opened too much. Still, one had to laugh at how poorly the bank was guarded.
With the door opened, Eridan motioned the men to go forth and fill up their
bags. The seven quickly began doing so, getting two bags in when the sound of
sirens suddenly broke the silence. The teenager looked up in alarm, looking at
each of the men.
“Did one of you trip the fuckin’ alarm?” he growled softly, throwing one of the
bags over his shoulder while pulling his gun from the back of his pants.
The men shook their heads, looking equally as alarmed as they prepared to head
out. It was then that they all figured out just who it was- Robbie. The man
stood in the doorway, his own dark-green eyes wide with alarm and fear.
“What the fuck, Robbie? I told you to stay in the fuckin’ van!” Eridan
practically shouted. Needless to say, he was pissed. Anger and adrenaline began
fueling him as he pushed a few of the men ahead of him. “Go!” He then handed
the new guy his own bag of money, wondering briefly how Robbie had even managed
to get in so quietly. What had been his game plan?
The teenager decided not to dwell on that too much, as he had much bigger fish
to fry at that point in time. He gripped the back of Robbie’s neck and
propelled him forward, not stopping until they reached the door. Three of the
men had made it back to the van, the others standing by the door with their
weapons drawn. They looked to Eridan for a plan.
He quickly formulated one in his head and opened his mouth, however before he
could speak a voice rang out.
“We have the place surrounded, come out with your hands up!” The voice was
gravelly, reminding Eridan of someone, however he couldn’t quite place his
finger on it, nor did he even have the time to do so.
He looked at the distance to the van from where they were standing, cursing
softly. He knew he would need to be the last to go, it was only right. He
wouldn’t let any of his men die. Eridan turned to the others, motioning for
them to grab their bags.
“On the count of three, you’re all to run to the van. Don’t shoot, do you
understand me?” Eridan growled softly.
The men nodded, picking up their bags and putting their weapons away. Eridan’s
plan was to let them go and cover their flanks. He wouldn’t let them die, but
he also wouldn’t kill any of the officers on duty. They only killed police
officers when it was absolutely necessary.
Eridan held up his index finger, then his middle, and lastly his ring finger.
He then gave the first man a push, waiting as they ran out and made it to the
safety of the van with ease. Eridan, on the other hand, was not so lucky.
“Freeze!” the gravelly voice commanded, making Eridan do as he was told.
However, he quickly moved a door to block his body as he held his gun up,
prepared to fire.
“I said don’t move! Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air,” the harsh
feminine voice growled.
Eridan cursed under his breath before aiming his weapon to the left of the
woman’s head, knowing it wouldn’t hit her. Once he was sure, he fired a round.
Many of the officers ducked, however the woman with auburn hair- the captain,
obviously- fired a round of her own, hitting Eridan in the arm.
The teenager cried out as he gripped the door and elevated his arm quickly,
aiming and firing another round at the woman’s torso. The captain let out a cry
of her own before staggering back, distracting the officers. Eridan acted
quickly, jumping into the back of the van and closing the doors.
“Go, go, go!” He yelled, hitting the sides before ducking. The others followed
suit as gunshots began going off, however the van was moving and out of range
in seconds.
Eridan sighed, soft pants coming from his person as he kept his arm high,
clenching his teeth at the pain. He’d been shot many times, but the pain never
lessened. It was something he knew he wouldn’t be able to get used to. The
teenager couldn’t help but feel slight remorse for shooting the woman, as she
had only been doing her job, however he knew by the bulk of her chest and torso
that she was wearing a bulletproof vest. She would be okay- though there’d
probably be a ton of bruising.
“Eridan, I’m so sorry, I-“ Robbie began, his cheeks stained from crying.
The teenager shot him a glare as one of the other men moved over to the
teenager, placing cloth on the wound that was gushing blood.
“It looks like the bullet went clean through, but it’ll be best if Jerome
looked at it to make sure,” the man said. Eridan trusted his word.
“Well, let’s just focus on getting back,” Eridan began before looking out the
window. “It doesn’t look like we’re being followed, but I still want to do the
vehicle switch once we reach the halfway point.”
The man nodded and pulled out his phone, calling the driver and letting him
know the information. The driver confirmed everything quickly before hanging
up. Eridan laid his head back, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the pain
in his arm as well as the anger directed toward Robbie.  He had been told to
stay in the van, so why disobey?
                                      ^^^
“What in the fuck happened?” Darian Ampora growled, his eyes having found the
makeshift bandage around Eridan’s arm that had bled through.
The teenager dropped the bag of money at his father’s feet and sent a glare
toward Robbie. “I told him to stay in the van, but apparently he grew nervous
and decided to make a surprise appearance. He tripped up the wire and an alarm
was sent to the police station. We didn’t even realize he was there until we
heard the sirens,” Eridan explained, content they at least got the money,
though they would have to lay low in terms of heists for a few months due to
Robbie’s carelessness.
Darian ran a rough hand over his face before slamming his fist down onto the
table, causing everyone in the room- including Eridan- to jump a mile in the
air.
“Robbie, I’m going to need to speak with you. Eridan, go to Jerome and have him
take care of your arm,” the man growled, embers in his blue eyes. Everyone knew
things wouldn’t end well for Robbie. Chances were, he would meet his demise
slowly and with tons of pain.
Eridan nodded and moved to the back of the house, finding Jerome St. James’
office. The teenager knocked, waiting for the all-clear to go in, as Jerome
didn’t like people coming in unless it was a life or death emergency.
“Come in, come in,” a heavily accented voice sounded from inside.
Jerome had been the Ampora’s personal medic for years- much longer than Eridan
had been alive. The man considered Cronus and Eridan his children as well,
though Darian never liked the sound of that, so the three kept it private. He
was an older man with graying hair and a bright smile.
The man looked up from his desk where an abundance of papers sat, waiting to be
worked on. Everyone in the Ampora gang had quite a bit of paper work to do, per
Darian’s orders. His face automatically turned to one of concern when he
noticed the blood on Eridan’s bicep, soaking through his shirt and the
bandages.
“What the hell happened?” Jerome asked, his voice mirroring Darian’s.
“The new guy fucked up the heist, so this is the bullshit that came of it,”
Eridan responded, moving to the cool metal bed that stood in the center of the
room and taking a seat.
The medic tsked and ordered Eridan to take off his shirt. He did as he was
told, though with slight difficulty as pain flared up when he moved his left
arm.
“Why is it always you getting hurt during these damned heists?” Jerome asked,
placing his glasses on his face.
“Because I’m willin’ to put the family’s lives before my own,” Eridan
responded, looking right at the older man.
Jerome simply looked at him before shaking his head, turning his attention to
Eridan’s wound. He inspected it and took notice that the bullet went right
through, not hitting a single important artery or even bone.
“The officer knew exactly where to hit you,” Jerome mused.
“Really?” Eridan asked, curious.
The man nodded. “She didn’t hit an area that could’ve caused major damage. It’s
strange really, but maybe she’s simply a bad shot. Anyhow, all I need to do is
clean this thoroughly and bandage it up. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t do
strenuous activity. Do you understand?”
The teenager nodded as Jerome cleaned the wound carefully, making him hiss in
pain. The worst part of getting injured had always been the cleaning process-
he hated the feeling of antiseptic, it always stung and made him feel more
uncomfortable than the gun shot.
“You’re just like your grandfather, though if the situation really called for
it, he would have no problem throwing men under the bus and causing them to get
killed for his own benefit,” Jerome stated, tossing bloody wipes into the
wastebasket.
“Don’t compare me to him. I hated him; I aspire to be like Dad,” Eridan
muttered. He hated being compared to his hard ass of a grandfather. He’d been
horrible; no one ever did anything right in his eyes. On Eridan’s end, he
always tried to make the family comfortable and happy. That was what mattered.
An unhappy gang meant trouble.
“Alright, alright. All I was saying is that there are certain aspects that you
share with your grandfather,” the older man stated, wrapping gauze around
Eridan’s bicep carefully and tapping it. “You’re all done. Come back to me in
the morning before you go to school, and I’ll get the bandages changed.”
Eridan nodded, though he was still peeved with Jerome about the grandfather
comment, he wasn’t about to not thank him. “Thank you, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. Just try to keep yourself safe in the future,” Jerome stated,
taking off his blood-covered latex gloves and removing his glasses. He then
waved at the teenager, signaling the fact that he could leave.
Eridan went back to his father and automatically noticed the blood quickly
being wiped off his hands. Eridan raised a brow at the other and carefully
crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m assumin’ you took care of him,” Eridan mused.
Darian rolled his eyes at his son. “You know what the penalty is if you or
Cronus get hurt. I wasn’t about to let him get away with it.”
Eridan raised his good arm. “Fine. I am fine, though.”
“Good. I take it Jerome took care of you.”
“That he did,” Eridan responded, looking down at his bare chest and realizing
it would’ve been wise to put on a new shirt, however he couldn’t find himself
bothered to do so. He would save such a task for the next morning when he
needed to shower and change.
“Well, now that everything is taken care of, I need to do some things in my
office. You, on the other hand, need to work on your homework,” Darian stated
and then looked his son up and down. “Have you eaten yet?”
Eridan shook his head, trying to seem annoyed at the fact that he had to work
on homework, however he found himself secretly pleased that he could get back
to at least a little normalcy in his life.
“Well, eat while you do your work. I’ll get Cronus down here as well, because
God knows he hasn’t gotten anything accomplished,” his father muttered.
He nodded and moved to the living room, grabbing his shoulder bag that lay by
the door and moving to the kitchen. He pulled out all of the necessary work,
setting everything in organized piles before moving to the refrigerator. In the
past, Eridan’s father had talked about getting a maid, but found that most
wouldn’t be too pleased with the fact that they’d be working for gang members,
so they occasionally got people from their gang to come in and clean for them.
It got things done and let the members earn extra cash.
He looked through the contents of the refrigerator before moving to the freezer
and deciding on a frozen pizza. Eridan grabbed a cookie sheet and pulled the
pizza out before setting the timer on the oven, waiting for it to preheat. He
then went to the table and started in on his homework.
Eridan was a worksheet in when Cronus walked into the kitchen, practically
slamming his backpack on the table before flopping into a chair.
“This is unbelievable,” Cronus hissed, rolling his sea blue eyes.
“What is, Cro?” Eridan asked.
“The fact that I have to do homework wh- wait, what happened?” Cronus asked,
mid rant as he looked up and noticed Eridan’s arm.
“I got shot,” the teenager answered with a slight shrug of his right shoulder.
“Well yeah, but what happened? Fuck, I never get told anything around here!”
“You would be informed if you were actually downstairs when we got back from
these things,” Eridan muttered, picking up his pencil just as the oven finished
preheating.
“Okay, okay, you’re right, I’m wrong. Now will you tell me what happened?”
Cronus exclaimed, throwing his arms up.
“The new guy; Robbie. He came into the bank when I specifically told him to
stay in the van. He tripped up a wire and sent an alarm to the police station.
We didn’t have time to get out of there fast enough, so we had a show down with
the cops. I got shot. End of story- Robbie’s dead and I’m okay,” Eridan
responded, talking carefully so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself as he stood
up and popped the pizza into the oven, setting the timer for fifteen minutes.
“Did you shoot a cop?” Cronus asked.
“Yeah, I think she was the captain. I shot her in the torso, but I know she was
wearin’ a bulletproof vest,” Eridan responded, moving back to the table and
starting in on his  homework once again.
“Man, I wonder if that was Latula’s mom,” the eldest Ampora son muttered to
himself.
“Who?”
“Latula. She said her mom worked on the force as police chief,” Cronus
responded.
It was then that Eridan felt a sinking feeling in his gut. “What’s her last
name? Is she related to anyone?”
“Her last name is Pyrope- she has a, uh, a little sister! I think her name is
Terezi,” Cronus responded, snapping his fingers.
Eridan could’ve slapped himself in the face at that point. It dawned on him
that the familiarity Eridan had noticed was the fact that the captain’s voice
sounded almost exactly like Terezi’s. Eridan Ampora had shot Terezi Pyrope’s
mother.
“What’s your deal?” Cronus asked, noticing how his younger brother’s mood
changed at the drop of a pen.
“The captain is Terezi Pyrope’s mother- and guess who I’m getting close to at
school?” Eridan muttered, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger
under his glasses.
Cronus whistled. “Better not let her find out then.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
***** Suspicion *****
Eridan’s arm woke him before his alarm could.  He groaned at the pain and the
slick wet he felt and knew he had bled through- probably due to sleeping on his
arm wrong.  He’d always had a habit in doing so.  The male stood up, running a
hand through his black locks and padding quietly to the bathroom, flicking the
light switch and taking a look at his injury.  Sure enough, he was right. 
Eridan had completely bled through the bandages.  Blood ran down his bicep,
having leaked onto his torso and shoulder as well.  The male wondered how
beyond repair his bed sheets were, but tried not to dwell on it.
Instead, he dry-swallowed a few pain relievers and made his way down to Jerome,
almost in a dream-like state.  If there were anything Eridan valued the most in
life, it was sleep- if anyone disturbed it, he would be their worst nightmare.
As he reached Jerome’s office, Eridan was thinking how much trouble it would be
to actually saw his arm off to avoid being woken up again.  However, he quickly
pushed that thought to the side, not wanting to actually get angry enough to do
it.  Instead he knocked softly on the large wooden door.
“Jer’m,” Eridan muttered, feeling himself going back into the land of sleep.
“Come in, Eridan,” a soft voice called out, shaking Eridan from his sleepy
state for a moment.
The teenager walked into the room, a soft smile appearing on his face as he
pointed at the soiled bandages on his arm.  “Bled through.”
Jerome shook his head at the other before setting down his pen.  It was obvious
he had been working on something important, though Eridan wasn’t sure if it
pertained to the gang or not.  Even then, he didn’t care all that much.  He
simply wanted to get back to sleep.
“You slept on it wrong, didn’t you?”  Jerome asked, patting the table as a
signal that Eridan needed to sit.  He then put on a pair of latex gloves and
turned on a bright lamp that hung just above the table.
Eridan sat, nodding.  He snorted softly as he held his arm out, watching Jerome
unwrapping it and cleaning the blood with a sterile cloth.  Jerome had taken
care of the Ampora's and their gang for many years.  He was even older than
Darian- in fact, he was almost as old as Darian’s father had been.  Eridan
didn’t like to think about it though, as it meant Jerome would be passing as
well.  It wasn’t something he liked thinking about too much.
“You are the worst out of the lot, you know that?  It’s always you getting hurt
or bleeding through.  I just can’t get over it!”  he ranted, though there
wasn’t an ounce of hostility in his voice.  Instead, he wore a bright smile on
his face, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle.  Eridan couldn’t help but
smile back.  He could truly say he loved Jerome and everything he had done for
the gang.
“Yeah, yeah.  Just fix me up so I can get my beauty sleep,” Eridan responded,
stifling a yawn as he spoke.
The man tending to his wound rolled his eyes, shaking his head before moving to
a cabinet and pulling out a needle and thread.  “Unfortunately, I’m going to
have to stitch you up.  I didn’t think you’d need it, but it’s quite obvious
you do.  When I do this, try to avoid sleeping on it.”
Eridan nodded and sat through Jerome stitching his wound shut.  He had never
gotten used to the slight sting that went along with getting stitches. 
Actually, he hated the sensation.  He closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep
and was just on the verge when Jerome sat the equipment down, clapping his
hands together and causing him to jump.
“You’re all done!”
“Jesus fuck, ya coulda gone about tellin’ me in a quieter manner!”  Eridan
responded, his thick Scottish accent shining through in his surprise.  He hated
his accent and tried to mask it more times than not, though when he was
surprised or angry it usually came on full force.
Jerome chuckled softly, “Go to bed, Eridan.”
The male nodded, mumbling his thanks before going back up to his room and
falling face-first onto his bed, his eyes closing automatically as he fell into
a deep sleep- or started to.  As soon as the world slid out from under him, the
teenager’s alarm clock began blaring.
Eridan groaned loudly before grabbing the shrieking object and throwing it
against the wall.  It dawned on him that, due to the fact that he was rudely
awoken, he wouldn’t be in a good mood for the rest of the day.  He prayed no
one would mess with him at school, but knew that hoping so was probably a lost
cause.
The male huffed and stood, moving to the bathroom quickly and starting the
shower.  He pushed his sweats down his legs, kicking them away and rubbing at
his eyes.  When the water was at a satisfactory temperature, he hopped in,
making sure he didn’t irritate his arm- again.
Once he was done, the teenager got ready quickly, doing his hair and getting
dressed with slight difficulty.  He then went downstairs where his father was
drinking from a mug of coffee while filling out a stack of papers.
“What are those for?”  Eridan asked, walking to the refrigerator and pulling
out a bottle of apple juice.  He then poured himself a glass and sat down in
front of his father, waiting for the older man to respond.
“They’re letters to everyone in the gang.  I want to let them know I’m giving
them a raise while also making them aware that we have our sights set on the
Serkets,” Darian responded, not paying much attention to his youngest son.
“Uh-huh, and why not just hold a meetin’ or somethin’?”  Eridan asked, taking a
small sip of his cool beverage.  He wasn’t too into the conversation and was
instead thinking about what to have for breakfast.
“Because of the Serket's trying to watch us like we’re watching them, it
wouldn’t be safe to do so.”  Darian’s voice was quick and harsh, making
Eridan’s throw his good arm up and stand once more.  He decided on having a
Pop-Tart and forcing Cronus to drive him to school so he wouldn’t have to deal
with his father’s obvious attitude.
“Right,” Eridan replied, putting the Pop-Tarts in the toaster just as Cronus
came downstairs, running a comb through his thick black hair.
“Morning,” he said, moving past Eridan to get to the refrigerator.
“Mornin’,” Eridan responded, drowning out the grunt from Darian.  “Can you take
me to school?”
Cronus turned away from the refrigerator, holding a carton of milk in his
hand.  His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked from Eridan to their father.  It
didn’t take him long to realize Eridan was fed up with their.  He rolled his
eyes and nodded.  “Yeah, Eri, I’ll take you.”
The room then went quiet as Eridan put on a pot of coffee while he ate
breakfast.  He then made sure all of his homework was finished, making sure he
grabbed a novel to take with him during the lulls in the day.  When the coffee
pot beeped, the male poured himself a travel mug of coffee, adding creamer and
sugar before looking at Cronus expectantly.
“God, you’re always so impatient.  Hold on,” Cronus muttered when he caught
Eridan looking at him.  Cronus was the type of person that didn’t care if he
were late or not, especially when it came to school. 
Eridan tsked and began tapping his foot, everything ready to go as he waited by
the door.  He felt a soft throbbing in his arm, but didn’t do anything about
it.  He had just been shot, so pain was to be expected.  Though he knew he
should’ve grabbed pain killers or extra bandages, he didn’t bother.  If Cronus
saw him moving upstairs, he’d wait even longer to leave and Eridan didn’t want
that.
“Come on, Cro!”  the teenager growled loudly, opening the door and stepping
onto the porch.  He wondered how long it would take him to walk, but quickly
ruled that out.  He didn’t want to ruin his hair or clothes, nor did he want to
be late.  Knowing his luck when it came to such things, he’d set out and get
passed up by Cronus.
The male sat on the porch, drinking his coffee and wondering how the day would
play out.  Would the table he sat at the previous day still be open to him? 
Would anyone still be friendly toward him?  There was a part of him that hoped
it wouldn’t be the case.  He needed to focus on his studies and bringing the
Serket's down.  However, he knew that one way to find everything out about
Vriska would be getting close to her friends.  He didn’t necessarily want to
use the people that had been so kind of him, but what if they were on her
side?  What if they were trying to find out everything about him?
Eridan tried to force himself to stop caring; he didn’t care about them.  He
wouldn’t give out anything personal and would simply go through the motions. 
The teenager had seen enough movies to know how to react around ‘friends’.  He
would be just as fake as they were probably acting.
He was lost in thought when his brother finally emerged from the house,
slamming the door behind him and tearing Eridan from his thoughts.  The smaller
male jumped and turned around quickly.  “Dick.”
“You wanted me to take you to school, so here I am.  Don’t test me, Eri,”
Cronus muttered back in response, walking past his younger brother and moving
to his vehicle.
Eridan wondered if Cronus had gotten into it with Darian as well, but decided
not to press him until Cronus inevitably came to his younger brother himself. 
It was what usually happened with such issues.  The eldest Ampora child would
let his problems stew before eventually going to Eridan and letting them blow
up- usually with tears and shouting.  The younger used to grow tired of it
quickly, but he had adapted and even started to like helping out his older
brother.
The two didn’t speak on their way to school, though Cronus stayed tense the
entire ride, his jaw clenched and knuckles white from clutching the wheel with
such strong force.  Eridan couldn’t help but want to pry, but forced himself to
stay silent, practically jumping out of the car before Cronus parked.  He
ignored his brother calling out to him and kept moving until he was inside the
school among the throes of students.
Eridan remembered exactly where to go and began pushing past the talking,
zombie-like adolescents.  He managed to reach his locker within two minutes. 
He had just opened it when he felt a presence behind him.  The male turned his
head and nearly jumped when he laid his eyes on Feferi.
“Jesus, Fef, you can’t just do that,” he muttered, shoving textbooks into his
locker before switching out everything he needed for English.
“Sorry!  I saw you come in and was just wondering if you’d want to walk to
class together again,” Feferi responded, moving to Eridan’s side, a wide smile
on her face.  The male wondered if she ever stopped smiling.
“Yeah, sure,” Eridan said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.  He then closed
his locker and faced the female completely.  “Shall we go?”
She nodded quickly and grabbed Eridan’s wrist, leading him toward the
classroom.  The male juggled interrogating Feferi at that time or later.  He
wasn’t sure how to approach it, as he’d never had to ask ‘normal’ people about
others.  The Ampora's had never dealt with anyone like the Serket's, who were
violent enough to establish themselves as a strong gang, but clever enough to
blend in with normal society and not get caught.  Even Darian had been at a
loss with it all.
Eridan eventually came to the conclusion that asking about Vriska in the
crowded hallway wouldn’t be the best idea, so he waited.  He hoped to do so in
class, but found there was a pop quiz.  The male quickly grew frustrated at the
fact that there hadn’t been a chance to ask the female a single thing.  Though
he tried to push it out of his mind as he finished the quiz before taking out
the past assignments and walking up to Mr. Tanner’s desk and handing the stack
to him.
The man looked surprised as he stared down at what Eridan had given him. 
“What’s all this?”
“The pop quiz and everythin’ else I missed,” the teenager responded, adjusting
the glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose.
“Oh- but you didn’t have t- you know what?  Thank you.  I really appreciate you
doing this; I’ll get these graded and added to the system ASAP,” Mr. Tanner
said, flashing his slightly crooked teeth at the teenager.
Eridan nodded and headed back to his seat just as Feferi stood up to take her
pop quiz up.  She shot a dazzling smile at Eridan, who had trouble returning
it.  Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the fact that he neededto know more
about Vriska.  He had an idea that Feferi was someone that knew plenty about
her.  The peppy girls were always full of gossip, at least, that's what the
movies he'd watched proved.
Feferi sat back down and leaned over toward him.  “What do you think you
scored?”
“Probably an A.  The quiz was easy,” Eridan responded, shooting her a lopsided
smile.  The smile made a soft red tint appear on Feferi’s cheeks, causing the
male’s brows to furrow.  Why was she blushing?  Had it been something he’d
said?  “So uh, what do you think you scored?”  the male asked, his voice
unsure.
“Not to toot my own horn or anything, but probably an A as well.  I was the
smartest in this class before you came along,” the female giggled, her dark
brown eyes sparkling.
Eridan nodded.  “If you think you scored well, you should be proud of
yourself.  And you’re still the smartest- probably.”  He then smiled at her
before looking around.  Mr. Tanner was grading what quizzes had gotten done and
a small portion of the class were talking among themselves, paying Eridan and
Feferi no mind.  He decided to ask her to at least go to the back of the school
once again.  After all, Eridan knew he’d be no use in gym.  “Hey, I know you
have a study hall next hour, but would you maybe want to ditch and come to the
back with me?”
If possible, Feferi’s large eyes grew even larger as she nodded.  “Of course!”
“Good,” the male responded before turning away from the female.  He reached
into his messenger bag and pulled out his novel, tuning everyone in the room
out as he began to read.
He didn’t realize the bell had rang until Feferi tapped him on the shoulder. 
The male looked around quickly, noticing everyone filing out quickly,
chattering animatedly to one another.
“Are you ready?”  Feferi asked, a smile still present on her face.
“Yeah.”  Eridan packed up his things and walked with Feferi out the back doors,
moving to the back building and taking seats on the cool cement.
“You know, I think you and I should start a club,” Feferi commented as she
watched Eridan pull out a pack of cigarettes.
The male froze, looking up at her with wide blue eyes.  “What?”
“Yeah!  Like a book club or something.  Maybe we could get Karkat involved! 
And Aradia!”  Feferi grinned.
“Where is this coming from?”  Eridan asked, extremely taken aback by Feferi’s
sudden proposal.  He pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit it, taking a
long drag.
“Well, it’s obvious you like to read.  I like to read and so do a few of the
others.  I think it’d be fun,” Feferi responded with a shrug, eyeing Eridan’s
cigarette.
“I guess I’d be up for somethin’ like that,” Eridan mused, never recalling any
sort of reading club in Scotland.  He did most of his reading in private and
only talked about it in class, as literature bored both his father and
brother.  The teenager knew it’d most-likely be nice to read something and be
able to talk about it with others without being graded on it, or judged for
whathe was reading.  He offered a smile toward the other and decided to speak
up once more before Feferi could say anything else about the club.  “So, I have
a question.”
The female’s head tilted to the side slightly, her brown eyes filling with
curiosity.  “Yes?”
“What can you tell me about Vriska Serket?  As you know we had a run-in
yesterday and I guess- I guess I just want to know what her problem is,” Eridan
responded, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“Oh- Well, none of us really talk to her much.  Honestly, she and Tavros sit at
the table just to have somewhere to sit.  We ignore Vriska, she’s too mean. 
Sollux has tried kicking her out and she made fun of him relentlessly for a
month,” Feferi said, her eyes moving to the ground.
Eridan took a drag of his cigarette, slowly realizing Feferi was completely
telling the truth.  He knew liars and she wasn’t one.  He wondered what Vriska
had done or said to her, or just how she had made fun of Sollux.  The way the
Ampora saw it, Sollux didn’t let anything people said get to him.  He let the
smoke seep from his nostrils before speaking again, watching as the smoke
wafted into the air, blowing away with a gust of wind.
“How did she end up in your friend group anyway?  None of you seem the types to
really get along with someone like her,” Eridan said, finally looking at
Feferi.
“It’s my fault, I guess.  My older sister, Meenah, started dating Vriska’s
older sister.  From the beginning she was always mean to me, though.  I just
never said anything.  Vriska makes fun of my weight a lot.  I was too afraid to
say anything to the others- I don’t like drawing attention to the fact that I’m
bigger.”  Feferi kept her eyes fixed on the ground, staring hard.
“I’m sorry that happened and I’m sorry she’s such a bitch to you.  If it means
anythin’ comin’ from me, I think you’re beautiful the way you are,” Eridan
replied, shrugging as he took another drag.
Another blush dusted Feferi’s dark cheeks as she looked up, a light smile on
her face.  It was sad though, something Eridan wasn’t expecting.  “Thank you,
Eri-fin.  I really appreciate that.”
The male nodded, returning the smile with ease that time, before offering her a
cigarette.  The two then spent the rest of the period smoking and talking about
things that weren’t so harsh.  Eridan knew he wouldn’t get anything out of
Feferi.  In fact, he was sure he wouldn’t get anything out of anyone, aside
from Tavros and perhaps the sweaty male- Equius.  He decided he’d try the two
whenever he had the chance.
                                      ^^^
Lunch came around slowly.  When the morning first started, his arm was only
slightly throbbing, but by the time fifth period rolled around, a steady pain
had begun.  He yearned for pain relievers and wanted to call home, but didn’t
want to converse with his father, especially after the morning with both of
them being grumpy toward one another.
Instead, he tried to ignore it, moving through the motions of his classes,
keeping his jaw clenched.  Luckily, no one touched his arm.  He knew if
something like that would’ve happened, it wouldn’t have ended well.
“So, are we walking to lunch together?”  Sollux asked, raising a brow toward
Eridan as he stood from his seat.
“Yeah, sure,” Eridan responded, standing as well, though he kept his wounded
arm to his side, trying to keep it as still as possible.
Sollux gave him a strange look before walking away, leading the way to the
cafeteria as Eridan followed him quietly, trying to take deep breaths, though
it was getting harder and harder to ignore.
The two walked into the lunch room, Eridan skipping out on getting anything and
instead going straight to the table, sitting down carefully and keeping his
eyes fixed on the table.
“Are you okay, Eri-fin?  You look sick,” Feferi said, leaning forward in her
seat slightly.
Eridan nodded, finally pushing past the barrier of pain.  “Yeah, just a
stomachache,” he responded.
“Are you hungry?  I brought extra fish today!”  she exclaimed, pulling two
containers out of her bag and pushing one toward Eridan.
He smiled gratefully at her.  While hunger wasn’t actually the cause of his
pain, he was always happy to receive fish.  As he opened the container- albeit
with difficulty- Karkat sat down at the table along with Sollux.  The male
automatically pulled out a book, opening to the spot he left off at and
beginning to read, while Sollux turned his attention to Aradia.  Equius and
Nepeta were already seated and talking among themselves as they ate.  None of
them were even remotely concerned about the lack of Vriska at the table.  In
fact, the energy seemed positive overall.
However, Eridan did notice the absence of one other: Terezi.  Just as he began
looking around the lunch room, the sound of books clattering on the table drew
his attention to the empty spot on the other side of it.  A frazzled Terezi
stood, panting softly as she took a seat.  The rest of the table happened to be
drawn to her as well.
“Are you okay, ‘Rezi?”  Nepeta asked, concern lacing her voice.
“Well, where do I begin?”  she asked, running a hand through her tangled hair. 
“I didn’t get any fucking sleep last night, in fact I was up most of it
worrying.”
“Why?”  Aradia asked.
“Why?  I’ll tell you why!  My mom was shot last night.  Right in the fucking
stomach.  I mean- luckily she was wearing her vest, but still.  She was shot,”
Terezi responded, flailing her arms.
Eridan’s eyes widened as he looked down, his heart beginning to pound. 
However, he tried to calm himself, knowing there was no possible way Terezi
knew it was him that did it.  She couldn’t know unless she was a genius and
able to piece things together perfectly.
“What happened?”  Feferi asked, leaning forward.
“Well, she got a call about a bank robbery, so she left.  Apparently she shot
the leader in the arm after they shot at her.  I mean, she knows that they were
probably trying to miss, but still.  So, she got them in the arm. 
Unfortunately the group was still able to get away.  Everyone was too busy
worrying about her,” Terezi responded.  “But she’s been up having Latula and I
get everything for her and it’s so fucking annoying.  Ugh.”  The female then
looked at her friends’ trays, taking a roll from Equius’ and biting into it.
“Oh my God… Well, I’m glad she’s okay.  Fuck the asshole that did that,
though,” Karkat growled.
Sollux nodded in agreement, opening his mouth to speak when he noticed Eridan’s
arm.  His eyebrows furrowed as he took a closer look.  “ED, is that… blood?”
Eridan looked up quickly, his attention moving to his arm as his blue eyes grew
wide.  “Fuck.  Uh, yeah.  Cro and I were bein’ idiots last night and I fell. 
I’ll be back,” he said quickly, standing up and practically running to the
bathroom.  He cursed himself up one wall and down the other.  How could he not
have realized the fact that his arm had bled?  How did it even happen?
The male reached the bathroom, taking off his shirt and placing towels around
the soiled bandages, trying to get the blood soaked up.  He cursed softly over
and over, realizing he should have called Jerome to bring bandages at the very
least.  He was pissed at himself, but knew there was nothing that could be
done.  Instead of dwelling on it, Eridan cleaned up as much of the blood as he
could before throwing the paper towels away and putting on a jacket over his
shirt.  He knew it wouldn’t be enough to last him through the day, but enough
to call Jerome.
As he checked over himself in the mirror and made sure he looked presentable
and not-suspicious, another appeared in the reflection behind him.
“So, do you mind telling me what happened to your arm?”  It was the gravelly
voice of Terezi.  Her arms were covered over her chest, a stern look on her
face.
“I told you what-“
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Ampora.  You’re not as mysterious as you think
you are.  So, I’m assuming you were the leader at the bank, then?”  Terezi
asked as Eridan slowly turned around.
The teenager sighed, running a hand through his hair.  He was caught and he
knew it, though he also knew there could be a way to save not only his own ass,
but his family’s asses as well. 
“Look, I know I fucked up, okay?  I didn’t wantto shoot her!  I had to so we
could get out of there, but nothin’ was goin’ as was planned.  I knew she was
wearin’ the vest, that’s why I shot her where I did.  Is she really okay?” 
Eridan spoke quickly, the realization hitting him that he really did care.  He
wanted to know how Terezi felt about everything.  He wanted to know if her
mother was okay.
However, she did something Eridan didn’t expect; she smiled.
Her arms dropped to her sides as she leaned against the sink.  “I figured.  She
knew exactly where to shoot you too, you know.”
“What?”  Eridan asked, completely surprised.
“Oh come on, Eridan.  We aren’t stupid.  We know there’s a new gang in town- a
new gang, plus a new family.  It’s completely obvious.  We also know about your
beef with the Serket's, plus my mom did a lot of research on you.  It turns
out, you aren’t really assholes to civilians.  I mean, you rob a few banks, but
what’s the harm in that?”  Terezi stated, her voice turning casual.  She no
longer looked frantic and frazzled, which made Eridan wonder if she was faking
it the entire time to gauge his reaction.  Had that been the case?
“Then why aren’t you takin’ us to jail in handcuffs right now?  We’re still a
gang,” Eridan muttered.
“Because, you can potentially help us.  And if you do, we’ll turn a blind eye
to whatever you’re doing- well, as long as it doesn’t include taking over New
York or whatever.  Keep, you know, not killing innocent people and we’re good. 
And that’s not just coming from me; my mom said the same thing,” Terezi
responded.
“How can I help you?”  Eridan asked.
“Help us bring down the Serket's.  Trust me, we’ve been after them for quite a
while too.  They’ve been a pain in everyone’s asses.  In fact, my mom wanted me
to do some undercover stuff and find out stuff about Vriska- you know, befriend
her and everything.  Unfortunately, she caught onto it pretty quickly.  But
yesterday, with your little showdown with her, it’s obvious things are going to
go much differently.  I really think you can at least bring Vriska down,”
Terezi responded, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.
Eridan nodded along, knowing she was right.  He had the upper hand on Vriska. 
He had made his presence known and showed he wouldn’t back down no matter
what.  That had to have been worth something.
The bell ringing dragged the two out of their respective thoughts.
“We better go.  I am in the boy’s bathroom after all; not that I mind.  It’s
cozy in here!”  she exclaimed, preparing to walk away, though was stopped when
Eridan grabbed her arm.
“Wait!  Please don’t tell anyone else about me or my family, okay?”  he asked
quickly, prepared to beg if necessary.  He couldn’t imagine what Darian would
say if he ever found out that someone knew- especially if it were the police
chief’s daughter.
Terezi simply grinned and shot the male a wink.  “Your secret’s safe with me.”
***** The Fight *****
A few weeks passed without incident.
Due to the fact that Eridan knew Terezi and her mother knew about everything he
didn’t need to feel as cautious when it came to heists, though he knew getting
caught still wouldn’t be in his favor, plus the last thing he needed was Darian
getting suspicious about his youngest son’s new friends.  Of course, Eridan
wasn’t sure if he could really call all of them friends, he didn’t know much
about friendship anyhow.  If anything, Terezi was his closest friend, even
though they kept most of their conversations hushed from everyone else.  He
wasn’t ready to out himself to all of them.  Hell, he didn’t even know if he
could trust all of them.
However, in the span of a few weeks, the group had included Eridan in many
things.  From inviting him over after school- which Eridan always had to
decline, due to his father being suspicious- to including the teen in their
conversations.  The male had definitely warmed up to the group, that much could
easily be said.  He allowed himself to smile and laugh around them, something
he’d never been able to do with anyone in Scotland.
He always managed to catch his elder brother’s eye during lunch- though Cronus
didn’t have any complaints.  He was happy Eridan was fitting in.  The elder
Ampora wasn’t having too bad a time either, having made acquaintances with
Karkat, Kanaya, Nepeta, Terezi, and Sollux’s older siblings.  He, too, often
found himself laughing at lunch.  All-in-all, public school wasn’t all that
horrible to either of them.
                                      ^^^
“Eri-fin!  A few of us are going to sit outside for lunch today.  It’s really
nice out.  Care to join us?”  Feferi asked enthusiastically, bounding up next
to the male as he and Sollux walked to lunch.
Eridan looked to his pale companion, who simply shrugged.  “I don’t mind.  Is
AA going to be out there?”
“No, she’s sick.  I thought she texted you?”  Feferi muttered, her eyebrows
furrowing.
“Nope,” Sollux responded shortly.  “I’m going to get my lunch.  I’ll see you
two out there.”  Before the others could say anything else, the slender male
walked away, pulling his phone out of his pocket and typing furiously.
“What was that about?”  Eridan asked, watching Sollux closely.
“You haven’t noticed?”
Eridan’s brow raised in confusion.  “Noticed what exactly?”
“Sollux and Aradia haven’t been getting along.  Nepeta says there’s something
going on between Aradia and Equius, but she doesn’t have proof and neither of
them are about to admit it.  Nepeta says Equius feels ashamed of what he’s
doing, though,” Feferi responded, looking sheepish.
The male nearly froze at the female’s words.  “Wait, so you’re tellin’ me that
Ara might be cheatin’ on Sol and nothin’s bein’ done about it?!”  He couldn’t
deny the fact that he was angry.  If that had been happening to him, he
would’ve been livid.
“It’s not our place to, Eri-fin.  Trust me, a lot of us want to, but Sol-fish
wouldn’t want to hear it, especially coming from anyone other than Aradia. 
That’s just the kind of guy he is.  He doesn’t believe it unless it comes from
the source,” Feferi said softly in response, keeping her brown eyes down.
“Fuck, I want to say somethin’, but I doubt he’d listen to me anyway,” Eridan
muttered, running a ring-clad hand through his hair and letting forth a soft
huff.
“Why do you say that?”  Feferi asked.
The male shook his head quickly.  “Nothin’.  Don’t worry about it.”  The last
thing he wanted to admit was that he had developed feelings for Sollux.  He
wasn’t sure where they had come from.  All he knew was that the two were
sitting in class answering questions back and forth as they usually did. 
Eridan looked at Sollux in a different light and felt- something.  He wasn’t
too sure what it was, but there were definitely feelings there.  However,
Sollux had a girlfriend- granted one that was probably cheating on him- but he
was taken and he’d never said anything about liking males.
Eridan felt his face heat up at the thought of Sollux finding out.  He didn’t
want to even mention it to Feferi, so he walked faster, heading out the back
doors of the school and moving quickly to the back building.  He didn’t stop
until Karkat and Terezi came into view, a large smile appearing on the latter’s
face while Karkat kept his nose buried in his book, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Hey guys,” Eridan said, taking a seat on the ground and pulling out a pack of
cigarettes.
“Hey Eridan, where’s Sollux and Feferi?”  Terezi asked.
“Sol’s gettin’ his lunch and Fef is comin’,” the male responded, lighting a
cancer stick and taking a long drag.  He wanted to get all thoughts of his
crush on Sollux out of his mind- if that was what it was, that is.
“Ah,” Terezi began, her head tilting slightly.  She knew there was something
off about the other, but wasn’t quite sure what that something was, so she
decided against saying anything.
Feferi came up to the others, her arms crossed over her chest.  “Eridan
Ampora!  I didn’t appreciate you leaving me back there.  If you were pissed off
at what I said you could have just said so so we could’ve worked things out!”
she huffed, rolling her brown eyes before taking a seat next to Karkat.
“I ain’t mad at you, Fef,” Eridan muttered.
“Humph!  I shouldn’t give you any of my lunch today, but out of the kindness of
my heart, I’m going to,” the female said, taking two containers out of her bag
and handing one to the apologetic Eridan.  He loved Feferi’s mother’s cooking
and missing out would’ve been the largest of crimes.
“You’re so good to me, Fef,” Eridan said, his mouth salivating when the
container had hit his hands.  He quickly pried the lid off and dug into the
mackerel that had a light lemon coating on it and practically melted at the
taste.
“You two are so weird.  I’ve never met anyone that loved fish as much as you
two,” Terezi cackled, taking a bite of her own lunch and chewing with her mouth
open.  At first, Eridan had been repulsed by such table manners, but he quickly
got over it and even accepted that that was how she ate her food.
The male had grown to start accepting everyone’s quirks.  They were certainly a
different group of people, but he was sure he was different in his own ways as
well.  He was comfortable around them- albeit not 100%, but it was something.
Eridan found himself scooting closer to Terezi as he ate, a small smile on his
face.
Eventually, Sollux came back, looking down as he sat with his lunch.  A frown
pulled his face down, making Eridan question what was wrong.  Had he found out
about Aradia?  Did someone finally come clean to him?  Eridan opened his mouth
to ask, but just as he was about to speak, Feferi beat him to it.
“Are you okay, Sol-fish?”  She asked, concern lacing her voice.
“Not really,” Sollux responded, keeping his eyes fixed on his tray and picking
at the roll that sat on it.
“What’s goin’ on?”  Eridan asked quickly, beating Feferi to the question.
Sollux shrugged his shoulders before sighing and taking off his glasses,
pinching the bridge of his nose.  He took a small moment, keeping silent before
finally speaking, “Aradia and I broke up.”
No one said anything.  In fact, the silence grew quite uncomfortable.  All of
them knew about Aradia and Equius and they only wondered if Sollux knew as
well.
“I’m sorry, Sollux.  I’m so sorry...”  Feferi said softly, breaking the
silence.
The lanky male shrugged, a dry laugh escaping his lips.  “She didn’t love me
anyway.  She loves EQ, so whatever, I guess.  It hurts, but I have my sights
set on someone else anyway.”
Karkat’s head shot up, almost like he just realized Sollux had joined them. 
“Someone else?  Who?”
Sollux’s bicolored eyes looked to Eridan for a split second before going back
to Karkat.  “I’ll tell you later, KK.”
Unfortunately for Sollux, his simple glance meant something completely
different to Feferi and Terezi, who both noticed it.
“Oh my God!  I know who it is!”  Feferi squealed, though her excitement didn’t
quite match her eyes.
“As do I!  My, my Sollux, I never t-“  Terezi started, a grin on her face,
though she was quickly interrupted by Sollux, who held a hand up and spoke
loudly.
“Both of you shut the fuck up!  I’m not ready to say anything yet, obviously. 
If you’d like, I could talk to both of you about it later as well, since I’m
well aware that neither of you will drop it until I confirm it,” Sollux hissed.
Eridan found himself confused by everything, but decided to keep his mouth
shut.  He wondered who it was that Sollux had a crush on.  He wanted to ask as
well- to be in on it.  However, he didn’t want to make his disappointment
obvious.  Of coursehe liked someone else.  Eridan just wondered who it was. 
Terezi?  Nepeta?  Feferi?  It could’ve been anyone.
The male went back to eating, just as Karkat went back to what he was doing. 
Terezi and Feferi exchanged smirks before they went back to their food. 
Sollux, on the other hand, pulled out his cellphone and began typing furiously,
his face contorted into an expression of pure concentration.
The small group stayed as they were for around ten minutes, though that was
when a drawing feminine voice reached their ears.  Vriska.
Eridan looked up quickly, his blue eyes meeting Terezi’s green-blue ones.  The
male sat up straighter, sitting against the wall of the building as he listened
in.
“So, what’s your deal, Pupa?”  She asked, her voice mocking.
“I told you Vriska, I failed my History test,” the small, nervous voice of
Tavros responded.
“I know, I just like to hear you admit it!  You’re so stupid, I don’t even know
why I’m with you,” Vriska responded, her voice drawing closer to the group.
Anger filled Eridan at the way Vriska was talking to the other male.  She had
no right to abuse him- and that’s what it was- abuse.  He hated it.  He hated
her.
Before Eridan knew it, he was standing, blocking Vriska’s path.  The blonde
looked at him with her hard blue-gray eyes.  A smirk found its way onto her
face as she took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Leave him alone, bitch,” Eridan growled, his hands closing into tight fists as
he spoke.  The rest of the group stopped eating, watching the scene unfold
before them.  Terezi prepared herself to jump in if needed.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize he was yourboyfriend.  Mind your own fucking
business, Ampora,” Vriska shot back, her eyes narrowing.
“He shouldn’t be your boyfriend.  You treat him like shit, so back off,” Eridan
responded, wanting to hit her.  Though he knew he couldn’t, not at school- not
unless she hit him first.
“Seriously?  Fuck off.  This is the last time I’ll say it, faggot,” Vriska
hissed, turning to Tavros.  “Come on, Pupa.  We’re going back in.  I didn’t
realize trash would be out here, too.  By the way,” she turned her head, facing
Eridan as a sickening smile lit up her pale features.  “Give your mommy my
best.”
Eridan’s face paled for a moment, before he found himself taking a few steps
after Vriska.  “Same to your daddy.”
The blonde froze, her eyes gaining a look of murder.  “We don’t talk about my
dad.”
Eridan chuckled cruelly.  “Why?  Because he’s dead?  Like you’re going to be?” 
He knew what he was saying, however, at that moment it didn’t register that his
friends were sitting three feet away, listening to everything being said
between the two.
“No, actually, you’ll be dead.  Just like mommy dearest,” Vriska shot back,
giving Eridan a sickly sweet smile.
The male’s face contorted into an expression of rage.  His knuckles turned
white as he held himself back from punching her.  It was as if she knew
everythingto say to get a reaction from him.  He knew his father would tell him
to back off and leave well enough alone, but Darian wasn’t there.  Neither was
Cronus.  No one could tell him what to do in that moment.
“Or maybe your mother wasn’t good enough for him and he left.  After all,
havin’ a wife and kids like you guys would make anyone leave!”  He didn’t know
why he said it, but he did.  And it definitely got a reaction from the other.
“Shut up!”  Vriska shouted, before throwing a punch, hitting Eridan in the
cheek.
The young Ampora felt pain blossom on his face as his head whipped to the
side.  However, he couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his features as he
re-clenched his own fist, straightening himself before throwing a punch of his
own, watching as Vriska grunted and fell on her ass.  Eridan thanked his lucky
stars that he decided to wear rings that day.
He gripped the female’s long, dirty blonde hair and pulled her up roughly,
delivering another punch into her gut, however, he found himself thrown back as
Vriska rested her hands on the male’s chest and pushed roughly.  His back hit
the hard brick of the building, nearly knocking the air out of him.  He didn’t
have time to recover before Vriska was at him, grabbing his head and knocking
it into the building- making the male see stars as his knees buckled.
The female threw another punch, causing Eridan to bite his bottom lip, blood
flowing from the cut as the female threw a third punch, hitting the male in the
gut.  He gasped, but tried to block the pain, not wanting Vriska to have the
upper hand.  He refused to let her win.
Gaining his strength and pushing all signs of pain to the back of his mind,
Eridan got a few hits in of his own, downing Vriska as she spit blood out of
her mouth.  He delivered a few kicks to her side, before she grabbed his ankle,
nearly twisting it as she brought him down.
“I’ll fucking kill you!”  she screamed, moving on top of Eridan just as Terezi
came in, grabbing the blonde and throwing her off of Eridan.
“Vriska!  Do you want to keep going?  Because this will be enough evidence for
my mother to actually bring you in, and I’m sure you don’t want that!”  the
female’s gravelly voice hissed as she stood over the other.
“Fuck you, Pyrope.  He started it,” Vriska shot back.
“No, you threw the first punch.  All of us saw it.  There’s enough proof right
here to get you taken in, you wouldn’t want that, now would you?”  Terezi
asked, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her narrow hip out
slightly.
Vriska simply rolled her eyes, dragging herself to her feet and looking to
Tavros.  “Come on.  Let’s get out of here, and then let’s have a deep
conversation about how you’re a useless boyfriend.”
The small Latino boy looked absolutely terrified, but nodded anyhow, following
Vriska away from the group.
Eridan huffed and wiped blood off his chin with the back of his hand before
pulling himself to his feet as Terezi walked over.  She had a concerned look on
her face.
“Are you okay?”  she asked.
Eridan nodded before his blue eyes landed on the group, all of which ended up
standing during the fight, their eyes wide as saucers.  He scratched the back
of his neck, knowing he’d have to say something to them, though he knew it
couldn’t be anything about the gang.  Fuck, what had he said beforehand? 
Surely he didn’t give anything away.
“What the fuck was that?”  Karkat asked.
“Nothin’.  She’s just a bitch,” Eridan responded.
Terezi shot the male a look.  “Eridan.  You need to say something.  One way or
another, they’re going to get involved.  You and I both know how the Serket's
work.”
The Ampora sighed, his shoulders hunching slightly as he looked at the small
group one-by-one.  “Okay, fine."  He paused for a moment before continuing,
"Vris is in a gang.”
“What?”  Feferi asked, sounding breathless.
“Yeah, she’s in a gang.  A ruthless, blood-thirsty gang, but still a gang. 
She’s, um, our rival,” Eridan responded.
“Our?  Like, you and Terezi?”  Karkat asked, his voice sounding confused.
“No, as in my family.  We came to America from Scotland because the Serket's
were responsible for my mother’s death.  They killed her and sent in a video
proving all of it,” Eridan said, looking away.  He hated talking about his
mother and her death, but he knew it was vital information, especially since he
was coming clean about everything.
“So, you’re in a gang too?”  Sollux asked quietly.
Eridan nodded, refusing to meet any of the other’s glances.  He couldn’t
imagine what their expressions held.  Hatred?  Probably.  Confusion?  More
likely than not.  Surprise?  Hell yes.  The male wanted to run from the
questions he was assuming they would have.  Who wouldn’t have questions after
learning someone they had learned to accept was in a gang?
The group looked at one another, the air around them growing quiet and
uncomfortable until Feferi spoke up.
“Well, we’re here to help you with whatever you need.  It’s about time someone
showed Vriska what’s what around here,” she said, her hair bouncing along with
her head as she spoke.
“That goes for all of us, Eridan.  We’re in this together,” Terezi added on,
resting a comforting hand on Eridan’s shoulder.
Eridan felt his gut clench.  How could they have been so quick to just accept
it?  They should’ve asked questions or been quick to disbelief.  What kind of
town was he living in?  The male decided not to say anything and simply accept
it, though he knew there was one thing he needed to mention.
“None of this is to get out.  Do you guys understand me?  If it does, the
penalty is death,” Eridan muttered, his voice low and serious as he spoke.
The group nodded, understanding his words perfectly, though they looked
slightly afraid.
“What kind of assholes do you take us for, Ampora?  We wouldn’t just blab all
of this randomly.  Do what you need to do, man,” Karkat said with a shrug
before going back to his novel.  Eridan wondered how many gang romance novels
the male had read.  He hoped Karkat wasn’t expecting something like that to
happen, as that wasn’t what being in a gang was about.  There wasn’t romance-
nor even friendships, though Eridan supposed he could throw that to the wind,
as, sitting in front of him was four friends.  Were they perfect?  No.  But who
was?
***** Debate *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Eridan found himself opening up more and more to Sollux, Terezi, Feferi, and
Karkat. Of course, he only talked about the gang when he had a heist planned
and didn’t want anyone contacting him for the night. The four were
understanding; more so than Eridan expected them to be. They hadn’t asked the
male many questions, but he was assuming they were ready to burst with them at
any point. He didn’t know how he would take all of them when they finally came
forth, but he was willing to explain. At least, he thought he was.
The young Ampora looked forward to lunch every day- in fact, he looked forward
to school. He’d never had friends and the feeling of actually having people to
associate with- to make him feel normal, was a feeling he grew attached to
quickly. Not only was the aspect of friends present, the realization that he
had crushes on two of them was present. Karkat and Sollux. He wasn’t sure where
the feelings had come from and he wasn’t sure what he’d do about them, but they
were there and weighing down on him. He wanted to tell someone, but he knew if
he told Darian he’d probably be forced to switch schools, and if he went to
Cronus he’d get an ear full on Darian’s rules and how he hadn’t managed to bond
with anyone at the school, which most definitely wasn't true. The next person
that came to mind in terms of coming out about his feelings was Feferi. He
trusted her not to tell the two, but she would be much too peppy about it and
Eridan wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Terezi was the last person. He knew
she’d poke fun at him for it, but would she really tell?
Eridan decided he would tell Terezi. He did fully trust her, after all. If
anything, being the police chief’s daughter, she was almost in the same boat as
Eridan- at least in terms of loss around every corner. She had told Eridan that
her other parent had lost their life on the job, as they had been an officer as
well. In fact, everyone in the group had lost a parent. Karkat’s mother passed
away from cancer, Sollux’s mother was killed in a car accident, and Feferi’s
father had been killed- granted, it was by her mother, but he was still dead.
Eridan wondered if the bond he felt with the group stemmed from the fact that
they had all lost someone close to them.
                                      ^^^
Eridan stepped into the cafeteria. He was unsure of himself, but knew he
couldn’t keep his crushes to himself anymore. If he tried, he knew he’d say
something stupid, just like the characters did in the movies or the books he
read. The last thing Eridan wanted to be was that guy. Instead, he walked right
up to Terezi after shooting the others a nervous smile. He rubbed the back of
his neck as he leaned forward.
“I need to talk to you. Privately,” he muttered, standing up straight and
waiting for the female’s answer.
Confusion was clear in Terezi’s blue-green eyes, but she shrugged and stood,
following the male to the other side of the cafeteria, where a lone table
stood, sticking out like a sore thumb. He quickly realized why it was deserted
as, upon closer inspection, graffiti littered the top- writing and gum stuck to
it. Eridan made a disgusted face and pulled a chair out with the black sleeve
of his shirt, sitting away from the table and waiting for Terezi to follow
suit. She decided to stand after also giving the table a disgusted look. A
group of druggies had sat at the table her freshman year and wrecked the table,
but the school decided not to do anything about it. No one was sure why.
“So what do you need to talk to me about?” she asked, crossing her arms over
her chest and raising a brow at the male.
“It’s about Sollux and Karkat.”
Her face brightened, “Oh? Do tell me more.” Her interest was peaked, it was
clear. She leaned forward, a large smile on her face.
“I- okay, don’t fuckin’ judge me for this, alright?” The male took a deep
breath, looking away for a moment. “I like them. Like, like them.” He looked
away quickly, not wanting Terezi to suddenly burst out laughing right in his
face and tell him that he’d never have a chance with either of them. He
wouldn’t know what to do if she reacted that way.
She stayed silent, making Eridan regret saying a word about it, however she
suddenly spoke up after a few moments, “Thank God! I don’t have to keep their
stupid, obvious secrets quiet anymore!”
Eridan’s blue eyes shot up to meet hers. “What do you mean?”
“They like you too, you idiot! Sollux hides his crushes well- Karkat on the
other hand… he turns into a blushing mess every time you come around. Jesus,
Eridan, I figured you, you know, being in a gang would make that obvious,” the
female responded, keeping her voice down. Eridan still looked around, making
sure no one over heard before giving Terezi a hard glare.
“Hey, keep your voice down about that, Ter,” he growled.
She held her arms up, an innocent look on her face, before her demeanor changed
once more and she dropped her arms, pulling up a seat of her own- though making
sure she stayed away from the table. “Look, they like you too, that’s what I
was getting at. Maybe you should ask one of them out or something.”
Eridan’s eyes widened. “Are you kiddin’? Fuck no! After what happened to my
mom, I’d never bring anyone into a life like this. I’m not goin’ to risk either
of them gettin’ killed.” What he said was true. He couldn’t put Karkat or
Sollux in danger, or Terezi and Feferi for that matter. He was already risking
their lives by being involved with them as friends. Lovers would just put a
higher target on their backs. He wouldn’t be selfish like that. Plus, he was
pushing having friends. If his father found out he had a boyfriend, well,
Eridan didn’t want to think of the consequences.
Terezi sighed. “Well, maybe when the Serket bullshit blows over. Which, by the
way, is something I want to talk to you about anyway.”
Eridan couldn’t lie and say he was disappointed with the sudden subject change.
He was quite thankful. Talking about lovers with Terezi was awkward. She was
the type to simply ask someone out without question while he needed to take his
time. Plus, his life was simply much too dangerous. He turned his full
attention to the Serket's, pushing Karkat and Sollux from his mind. Even if he
did want to ask one of them out, he liked both an equal amount and if they both
liked him as well, it meant letting one of them down. Eridan didn’t want to
even consider disappointing one of them.
“Alright, what about them?” Eridan asked after a slight shake of his head.
“You know that Vriska’s dangerous as well as Melissa, but have you considered
just how dangerous Aranea is?” Terezi asked.
“Well yeah, she was in the video of my mom bein’ killed. In fact, she did most
of the work, so I’m well aware that she knows what she’s doin’ and can very
well kill me,” Eridan responded, curious. Of course all the Serket's were bad,
but he knew they were probably equals in horror- though Melissa seemed the
worst by far. He was sure she could give his father a run for his money.
“You don’t know what’s gone on here, Eridan.” Her eyes flicked around the room,
making sure no one was listening before leaning forward toward the male. “Last
year a boy went here. He was a Junior, but really quiet. He didn’t talk to many
people, but he got made fun of a lot. Meenah, Feferi’s older sister, gave him a
hard time for it. She’s not a bully, per say, but she does like to joke around
and she includes everyone in that. She would pick fun at this kid, just for
shits in giggles. At first he laughed along too, but I think Meenah messed with
him when he was in a bad mood, and he yelled at her. He just said ‘leave me
alone’, but Aranea snapped. She hit him a few times and dragged him out of the
school. No one really knows what she did to him, but he never came back. Arenea
got expelled and the boy’s parents tried to press charges. My mom said what she
saw made her stomach churn. She doesn’t talk about it. Eridan, Aranea single-
handedly did that, just for him yelling at Meenah. Vriska takes a lot more
prompting and insults, and we aren’t too sure about Melissa, but we’re sure
she’s the same.
The point is, Aranea is a ticking time-bomb. She’s fucking terrifying when
she’s angry because she’s so calm about it,” Terezi finished.
Eridan shrugged. “I can handle her. I’ve seen what she can do, Ter.” Horrifying
people didn’t bother him, though the news did change things. It meant Aranea
also wasn’t afraid to start a fight in school.
“You don’t understand what I’m getting at. She sticks up for her sister, more
so than she does for Meenah. If she sees you messing with Vriska, she could
very well do what she did to that kid to you,” Terezi said, rolling her eyes.
“I’ve been trained. I’ll be expectin’ it. Don’t worry, okay?” Eridan said,
trying to reassure her. He knew they all posed a threat and that he needed to
tread carefully, especially since Cronus didn’t like fighting in public. If
both of them decided to jump at the chance to have a go at Eridan, he’d be on
his own- unless, of course, Terezi had his back. He didn’t doubt that she did,
but he also didn’t want to drag her into the mix.
Terezi made a small noise and rolled her eyes again, standing. “Fine. Whatever.
Let’s go back to the table, I’m starving.”
Eridan nodded and followed the female. The two went back to the table where the
others sat, Karkat and Feferi working on homework, and Sollux coding on his
laptop. Eridan sat down while the other practically ran to the lunch line to
grab food before it closed.
The male pulled out a novel and had just begun to read when Karkat suddenly
growled and slammed his pencil to the table, pushing away his notebook and
textbook. “Fuck this class! I hate math and whomever created it! Honestly, what
the fuck is the point of all these extravagant problems? I want to be an
artist, so I don’t need to know half this shit. Adding and subtraction?
Definitely. Division and multiplication? Fuck yes. But all this other bullshit?
What the fuck?” He crossed his arms over his chest, black bangs falling into
his eyes as his brows furrowed angrily.
“Geez, KK, calm down. Don’t have a heart attack. If you wanted, I could help
you out,” Sollux said, a slight smirk gracing his features.
“Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather eat razors,” Karkat muttered, rolling his eyes.
“Wow, okay. First, that’s rude as hell. Second, I help you with homework all
the time. What’s your deal?” Sollux shot back, his lisp growing thicker in
annoyance.
“A lot good your ‘help’ does. If you really fucking helped, I’d know what the
fuck I was doing, but oh, what’s that? I don’t!” The smaller male growled,
shooting daggers at Sollux.
“You know, you could’ve just said that, asshole.”
“Fuck you, Sollux.” Karkat rested his arms on the table before laying his head
down atop them, sighing dramatically.
“I could help if you wanted, Kar,” Eridan offered, shrugging. He didn’t mind
helping the other, especially knowing how much he was struggling. Eridan
excelled in school, so he knew it wouldn’t be a problem. It would just be a
matter of getting out of the night’s heists. He knew his father wouldn’t be too
keen about him skipping them to go help people study- people he wasn’t supposed
to be friends with.
“Really? Oh my God, you’re a fucking savior, Ampora,” Karkat sighed, lifting
his head and looking at the other with big brown eyes.
Eridan offered a smile. “Of course.”
“Would you mind helping me too, Eri-fin? I’m having trouble in history. For
some reason I can’t memorize these dates. Maybe you could quiz me or some-fin!”
Feferi piped in, looking frazzled with her history book.
“Hey, what the hell, FF, you too?” Sollux growled, looking pointedly at the
female.
“Sorry, Sol-fish, but you just get too angry when you’re helping us. You don’t
have patience,” Feferi responded, sheepish.
“Who doesn’t have patience?” Terezi asked, appearing before them and taking a
seat, automatically digging into her food.
“Me, apparently. Who fucking knew I was so useless?” Sollux muttered before
turning his gaze to Eridan. “Congrats, you can help these fuckers out. I’m
going back to coding.” He then moved his computer in front of him, hiding his
face as he began working once more.
There was a part of Eridan that felt bad for suddenly taking over, but he
couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction. The blond tooted his own horn way too
often. The fact that Karkat and Feferi were asking for Eridan’s help gave him a
sense of pride. Of course, he wouldn’t voice such thoughts, Sollux seemed to be
pissed off just enough, and Eridan didn’t want to fuel his anger- not at that
moment, anyway.
“Oooh, is there going to be a study party?” Terezi asked, offering a wide grin
as she looked around the table.
“It seems like it,” Eridan said, shooting her a smile of his own.
“Hell yes! I don’t need help, but I can help you tutor, Eridan.”
“So where should we meet? The library?” Eridan asked, looking at Karkat and
Feferi.
“No, it’s Wednesday. The library closes early. We’d only have about half-an-
hour to study, which definitely isn’t sufficient because I need all the help I
can fucking get,” Karkat responded, looking away before quickly adding on,
“plus, my place is a no-go.”
“Oh, alright. What about you Fef? Maybe a cafe or somethin’?” Eridan asked,
hoping it wouldn’t come down to having to go to his place.
“I can’t study when there are tons of people around, and the park and cafes are
usually pretty packed after school. We also can’t go to my place because my mom
doesn’t know you,” Feferi answered.
“Yeah, her mom’s fucking terrifying,” Karkat shot.
“Oh, she’s not that bad. Just a little intimidating,” the dark-skinned girl
giggled.
“’A little intimidating’? Bullshit. She’s terrifying. There’s no way you’ll
change my mind on that,” Karkat muttered.
Eridan began losing hope. He began formulating some sort of plan in case it
came down to his friends having to go to his place for the ‘study party’. He
knew Darian wouldn’t like it, but he usually never turned down those that
needed academic help.
“What about your place, Ter?” Eridan asked, his voice slightly hoarse. He
looked at her with hope in his eyes, silently begging her to say yes.
Instead, the female shook her head. “My place is also a no-go. My mom works,
and she wants to meet any new people that come in. Karkat and Feferi would be
fine, but you wouldn’t be Eridan. Plus, you shot her, so I mean-” she trailed
off, still wearing a large smile on her face, almost as if she were recalling
the way she had practically tricked it out of him. “What about your place?”
Eridan sighed, looking at a few crumbs on the table. “Yeah. I’ll have to ask my
Dad. If he says no, I can’t really do anythin’ about it.” He pulled out his
phone, shooting a quick text to his dad, ‘hey, I have to tutor a few people. Do
you care if they come over?’
Darian replied within a few seconds, ‘They are to stay in the kitchen and be
out by seven. You have a heist tonight.’
Eridan stared at his father’s response for a moment before looking up at the
others. “He said yes, but there are a few things we need to go over before you
actually come over.”
“Lay it on us,” Karkat responded, putting his books away.
“I’m not your friend. You guys can not let my dad in on that. I’m not allowed
to have friends and finding out- well, it wouldn’t be good. The next thing,
treat my father with respect. Don’t disrespect him, otherwise you’ll be thrown
out. Just- I’m your tutor, okay? That’s it,” Eridan said. It was vital they
knew how bad things would be if his father found out about them.
“Sounds good to me! You’re just our tutor,” Feferi smiled. “Don’t worry, Eri-
fin, we won’t out you or anything. We aren’t like that. You’d think you’d know
that by now, you know, having been friends with us for a few months.”
Eridan shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure all of you knew how vital this
is.”
The table went quiet as Feferi, Karkat, and Terezi began eating. There was a
part of Eridan that felt bad for hitting the others with such information, but
he knew he needed to. It would only take one small slip-up for Darian to
suspect something and he didn’t want to risk it. He looked around at the
others, silently putting all of his trust into them.
“So,” Terezi eventually spoke, pushing her empty tray away from her, “does your
dad like debating?”
“Uh, what?” Eridan asked, his brow furrowing.
“Oh God, please tell me you aren’t going to try and debate with Eridan’s dad,”
Karkat groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Come on, Karkles, I did it with all of your parents! It would be disrespectful
of me not to do so,” Terezi said, grinning.
“One, don’t fucking call me that. I hate it. Two, my dad despised you for three
months because you decided to debate with him on the subject of religion. If
Eridan’s dad is worse than mine, I can’t imagine what would happen to you.”
Karkat pushed his own tray away from him, shooting daggers at Terezi.
“But he forgave me, remember? Now he loves me! All the parents love me, and
none of you can deny it,” Terezi cackled.
“Actually, Terezi, my mom finds you really annoying,” Feferi said, looking away
from the other female.
Hurt flashed briefly in her eyes. “Well that’s rude. Sollux’s dad likes me,
though! Right Mr. Appleberry Blast?”
Sollux didn’t look up from his computer as he responded, “You give my dad a
headache every time you come over. He always asks how you have so much energy.
Then again, he says the same thing about Mituna and I, so I can’t say he hates
you.” He then clamped his mouth shut and continued coding, focusing all of his
attention on the screen in front of him.
“Well then! My mom likes me, and that’s good enough for me.” Terezi crossed her
arms over her chest before turning her attention back to Eridan. “But really,
do you mind if I debate with your dad?”
Eridan opened his mouth to refuse before shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever.
Just listen to what I warned you about.”
“Yes!”
                                      ^^^
The school day ended, leaving Eridan jittery. He met the others outside the
building, watching them from afar as they talked animatedly to one another,
seemingly excited about seeing Eridan’s place. He couldn’t find it within
himself to share the excitement.
“Are you guys ready?” he asked, walking up to them and interrupting whatever it
was they were talking about.
“Yup!” Feferi exclaimed, a large smile on her face.
“Where’s your brother?” Karkat asked, looking around.
“He’s stayin’ after for somethin’, I guess. Is Sol not comin’?”
“No, he’s being a little bitch and giving us the cold shoulder. He’ll be fine
by tomorrow,” Terezi said.
“Ah, okay. Well, we better head out,” Eridan said before rubbing the back of
his neck. “Could I ride with one of you? I don’t have my license here yet.”
“You can ride with me!” Feferi exclaimed, jumping at the opportunity. She
grabbed Eridan’s wrist and pulled him away, calling back to the others, “Follow
us there, Terezi!” The female then lead Eridan to her car, a fuchsia Prius. The
two got in without much comment and drove to the exit of the parking lot.
Feferi then stopped her car, waiting for Terezi to pull up behind her.
“Which way are we going, Eri-fin?” She asked as Terezi pulled up in a beat-up
red Taurus.
“Left.”
“Got it!” She flicked her turn signal, looking both ways before pulling out of
the parking lot.
“After that, take another left, then you go straight for about a mile, and then
there’s a right,” Eridan said.
“Easy; remember that I have problems memorizing things,” the female giggled,
the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly when she did so.
“My bad. Take the next left coming up,” Eridan said quickly.
Feferi did so and continued straight. “So we haven’t had many chances to talk
privately, but you seem to be warming up to everyone.”
“Yeah. Honestly, I’m glad I met you guys. I actually enjoy goin’ to school
every day,” Eridan responded, looking out the window as he spoke. “I’ve never
had friends, so I hope I’m doin' okay.”
Feferi stayed quiet for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure how to tread the topic.
However, she eventually began to speak. “You’re doing fin-tastic, Eri-fin. We
all enjoy having you so much. You’re really becoming part of the group!” She
looked away from the road briefly to shoot the other a quick smile. “Trust me,
if you weren’t, we wouldn’t talk to you.”
The teen couldn’t help but smile at Feferi’s words, though he stayed quiet,
only speaking when she needed to know where to go. Within twenty minutes, they
had arrived at the Ampora household. Everyone unloaded themselves from the
vehicles, stepping up to the large home looming in front of them. Karkat had
wide, fearful eyes.
“You live here?” Karkat asked, an audible gulp breaking the thick silence that
had formed.
“Well, yeah,” Eridan responded, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Am- am I allowed to touch anything?” His dark eyes shot around the perfect
landscaping, worry lacing his features. “I feel like the grass is worth more
than I am. Fuck, that rock probably is, too.”
“Oh, calm down, Karkles. Let’s go in, Eridan!” Terezi exclaimed, moving toward
the door.
Eridan quickly moved ahead of her, pulling his key out of his pocket and
opening the door. “I’m home, Dad!”
“I’m in my office. Remember, kitchen and dining room only,” Darian called back
before the place went silent.
“This is a really nice place,” Feferi commented, looking at the art work that
hung on the wall.
“Yeah, I guess,” he muttered in response. “Follow me.” He then lead the group
of three to the kitchen. “Do any of you want anything?”
“What do you have to drink?” Terezi asked.
“Uhm, water, soda, I think we have juice.” Eridan opened the refrigerator,
taking a look at the contents inside. “Do any of those sound good?”
“I’ll have water,” Terezi said.
Eridan took a bottle and threw it toward Terezi, watching as she caught it with
ease, which surprised him due to her eyesight. He then turned to Karkat and
Feferi, though they declined any refreshments. The four sat themselves down in
the dining room, everyone taking out their homework and splaying it on the
polished wood.
“What section do you need help with, Kar… Karkat, sorry.” Eridan silently
scolded himself, reminding himself that only friends gave one another nicknames
and he wasn’t their friends. He couldn’t slip up, especially not if his father
decided to pay them a visit.
“It’s fine… We’re being taught new, 'fun' bullshit in pre-calc and I have no
idea what the fuck I’m doing. We have to do this informational packet and we
can’t look up any of the answers. Honestly, I want to cheat, but Ms. Cia is
smart as fuck. She’d know,” Karkat responded, carding a hand through his hair.
“What part of the packet are you stuck on?” Eridan asked, holding back a smile
aimed at Karkat. He knew the smaller male wouldn’t be too appreciative if he
thought Eridan was poking fun at him.
“Vectors.”
“Oh, those are simple. A vector is basically a mathematical entity that has
both magnitude and direction. The magnitude is able to be zero. To put it
simply, it’s an element of vector space,” Eridan explained, writing down
information on vectors on another sheet of paper. “Does that make sense or
should I go more in-depth?”
“I think I got it. Thanks.” Karkat began copying the paper, taking a brief
pause and thinking about what Eridan said.
“Eri-fin, could I have help with this?” Feferi asked, her voice small and
sheepish.
Eridan cringed when he heard Feferi’s nickname. He shot her a glare before
scooting toward her.
“Sorry, Eridan,” she whispered, shoulders hunching slightly.
“It’s fine. Just try not to do it again,” Eridan whispered in return before
going back to using his normal voice, “So what do you need help with?”
“Memorizing. Sol-fish told me you were really good at it, and I don’t
understand how you can memorize things so… easily. Teach me your ways!” Feferi
explained, her voice desperate as she sighed and hung her head. “I used to be
really good at all of this before the move, and then it’s like I lost
everything.”
“Well you’re great at retainin’ information in English. Maybe apply how you
memorize things there to history,” Eridan offered.
The female shook her head. “It’s not that easy. History is all about dates,
whereas English is full of blocks of information. I’m better at that than small
dates that don’t mean much to me.”
“Alright. Usually I write down the date multiple times and then go back and
write down what happened with said date. After that I make a little game. I
scramble the dates and what happened with said date and practice with that
until I grasp it all fully. Does that make sense?” he asked, looking at the
section she was going over.
“I think so. I can give it a try, at least. Thank you, Eridan.”
“Just call me over when you’re ready, okay?” At her nod, Eridan began moving
back to Karkat, but found Terezi sitting next to him, showing him what to do on
one of the problems. With a content sigh, he stood up. “I’m gettin’ a snack. Do
you guys want anythin’?”
“Ooh! Do you have any chocolate?” Terezi asked, looking up from a piece of
paper.
“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” He then left the room, going to the kitchen and
grabbing a chocolate bar and a container of strawberries from the refrigerator.
 He then moved back into the dining room, handing Terezi the candy bar and
leaving the strawberries for himself.
The group sat in silence. Feferi memorizing what she needed to, Terezi watching
Karkat work on his problems, and Eridan working on his own homework while
munching silently on strawberries. Soon the silence was broken by Darian
entering the room, his chin held high as he looked down on the three strangers
sitting in front of him.
“Hello, how are things in here,” he asked.
“Good, Dad, thank you,” Eridan responded, tensing up slightly. He knew his
trust in the others would be tested based on how they reacted toward the man.
“Damn,” Terezi began, her face lighting up. “That’s a snazzy suit. Are you,
like, a business man or something?”
Darian looked taken aback, however he quickly composed himself before
answering, “Thank you, and yes, I am. I run a weaponry business.”
The female looked at the group for a moment before turning her complete
attention to Darian. “If that’s the case, then may I ask you a question?” She
leaned forward, awaiting an answer, though on the inside she was overcome with
excitement.  Darian looked like a tough one to crack- or beat- in a debate, and
she desperately needed a challenge.
Eridan dreaded the conversation that would arise from Terezi trying to have a
debate with his father. He clenched his fists and looked down at the table,
staring hard at the divots in the wood instead of paying attention to what was
going on. He wanted to tune it all out and pretend it wasn’t happening.
“You may,” Darian answered, moving his arms to the front and hooking his hands
together as he waited patiently.
“What is your opinion on justice in the business world? Like with business
moguls taking over lesser businesses, firing employees, when a business is sued
by an employee, fair treatment of employees, et cetera,” Terezi asked, a glint
of mischief in her blue-green eyes.
It took a moment for Darian to answer, his face stayed passive however. “I
think that greediness in the business world is necessary to get anywhere. We
are men and women who know what we want and take it when we get the chance. If
there’s a potential to expand and bring in more revenue, then we take it.”
“I understand that, but what about the political ramifications in the cases of
taking over local businesses to expand a franchise?” Terezi’s persona did a
complete 180. She became serious, her face gaining a few creases as she focused
all of her energy on what the man was saying.
“Honestly, they don’t matter if the products are in high demand. If a business
can take over with better quality products, then the public will still buy them
and support the CEO regardless if they like him or her.”
“However, if they really don’t like the CEO, there are people out there who dig
up every little bit of information on him or her in order to find even just the
littlest thing to have said CEO removed and possibly arrested. What do you
think of that?” Terezi wiggled her eyebrows slightly, knowing she had an
advantage over Darian.
“I think those types of people are extreme and rare,” Darian said simply with a
slight shrug.
Instead of stopping, Terezi kept speaking, not ready to let him back down.
“They are much more common than you would think, sir. And especially if the
police don’t like them or believe the business is unfair, they’ll get
involved.”
“Ah, but that’s where bribery comes into effect. Police are very easily bribed
to keep quiet.” Eridan looked up at Darian’s words, wondering if it was a
mistake to say what he did. He hoped Terezi wouldn’t say something absolutely
absurd that would completely give him away- if she hadn’t already.
“Only some of the more greedy ones. The ones that truly stand for justice may
appear to accept the bribe only to stab the CEO in the back as soon as they
have enough evidence. After all, true justice will prevail in some way.” It was
obvious Terezi knew what she was talking about. Whether she studied everything
or spoke to her mother, she knew exactly what she was saying.
Eridan, Feferi, and Karkat watched the debaters closely. The latter two’s eyes
were large as they watched everything unfold. Eridan tried to remain as calm as
possible, wondering what what going on in his father’s mind. His face still
remained passive, though his voice was strained ever so slightly. He knew the
others wouldn’t be able to pick it up on it like he had.
“I have never heard of such a case, however, it does seem plausible. Very well.
I will concede you on that point. In cases like that, bribery will not work and
the CEO will have to face the consequences for their unfair behavior. I must
say that I am quite impressed with your extensive knowledge and your ability to
debate so well.” Darian offered up a slight smile as he gave Terezi the
victory. Eridan couldn’t help but feel surprised, but it also clued him in. He
was in trouble; huge trouble. His father knew something, that much was obvious.
“Thank you. I debate with about everyone I meet based on whatever occupation
they have or some of their political standpoints. It makes life more fun. If
they can handle it, they can stay. If not, they can leave.” Terezi grinned,
showing all her teeth, victorious in her debate with Darian.
“A noble point of view. Eridan. May I speak with you in the kitchen?” Darian
asked, turning around before Eridan got a chance to answer.
Eridan’s heart sank as he stood, shooting another glare at Terezi. She
shrugged, seemingly not understanding what the big deal was. Feferi and Karkat
looked nervous, though they tried to mask it by going back to work, keeping
their heads down as they did so.
Eridan stepped out of the dining room and into the kitchen where his father
stood, a stern look on his face that made Eridan’s blood run cold.
“What were you thinking, boy?” He growled, eyebrows furrowing as Darian looked
at his son.
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” Eridan tried to cover, though even he
knew it wouldn’t help anything.
“The hell you don’t. How do they know about us?”
“I- told them.”
“You what?” the man growled, disbelief flashing on his face.
“Yeah, I told them. Vriska and I got into a fight and they saw, so I explained
everythin’. They deserved an explanation, sir.” Eridan knew in that moment
Darian was his boss, not his father.
“What do you mean ‘they deserved an explanation’?” The man’s voice was gruff.
If there was one thing Eridan hated more than anything, it was when his father
started acting like his grandfather. Alastair Ampora was a terrifying man, and
Darian enjoyed modeling himself after the deceased gang leader.
“They’re my friends. I know your rule, but they’re different. I like bein’
around them. Damnit, Dad, I feel fuckin’ normal when I’m with them!” Eridan
nearly shouted, raising his arms as he spoke. He wanted Darian to know just how
serious he was about Karkat, Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux. “They took the news
with minimal surprise. They can handle this.”
“And if they can’t? What then, Eridan? Will you be prepared to kill them?” the
gang leader growled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.
Eridan froze. He hadn’t thought about actually killing them. The teenager
trusted them not to say anything, plus they promised. If it came down to it,
would he really be able to do such a thing? Would he be able to take their
lives and watch the light fade in their eyes? No. He wouldn’t be able to, but
he wasn’t about to let Darian in on that. “…Yes. I’ll be able to dispose of
them if they say anythin'.”
The man narrowed his eyes at his son, opening his mouth to say something else,
but changing his mind. “Get them out of here. You have a heist tonight.”
Eridan nodded and left the room, his shoulders slumping slightly. “You guys
have to leave.”
“Eridan, I’m so sorry. I-” Terezi began, but stopped abruptly when Eridan held
up a hand.  The group had heard everything said and felt horrible, especially
Terezi.
“Don’t.”
“Thanks for your help, Eridan. And I’m sorry things turned out the way they
did,” Feferi muttered. “Karkat, do you need me to take you to work?”
Karkat froze as he was putting his things away. “Fuck, what time is it?” he
asked, voice filling with terror.
Feferi pulled out her phone. “Six thirty. Why?”
“Oh fucking shit! I was supposed to be there half an hour ago!” Karkat nearly
shouted, packing his things up faster. “Feferi, you’d be a lifesaver if you did
take me.”
“Don’t worry, that’s why I offered. Hurry, hurry!” Feferi exclaimed, swinging
her backpack over her shoulder. “Thanks again for the help, Eri-fin. Come on,
Karkat!” She then left the room and moved quickly toward the front door.
“Yeah, Eridan, thanks. Your dad’s terrifying, by the way,” Karkat said before
turning on his heel and following Feferi out the door.
Eridan stood by the table quietly before finally speaking. “Kar looked really
terrified about bein’ late.”
“He was,” Terezi responded softly.
“Why?” Eridan asked.
Terezi froze briefly, almost as if she were afraid to say. However, she shook
her head and began speaking quickly, “He’s not well off, Eridan. He and his
brother, Kankri, pay for everything. Kankri’s working two jobs, and Karkat
keeps talking about getting another one when Kankri goes off to college. Their
father is a pastor and doesn’t make anything.”
“Where does he work?” Eridan asked, getting an idea.
“The Chinese restaurant downtown. He’s been close to losing his job a few
times. The shit has a short temper and is brutish toward the patrons, but they
need the help. He works seven days a week,” Terezi responded, grabbing her
backpack. “Anyway, I’m going to go. I’m sorry for what I said, Eridan.”
The teenager shrugged and walked out of the room, knowing Terezi would find her
way out easily enough. He was angry at her, and he knew it showed. How could he
not be? She had let his father in on everything when he asked her not to. He
asked for one thing, and she betrayed him. Eridan felt his hands clench into
hard fists as he entered the kitchen where his father stood.
“Are they gone?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ve called a few men. Get ready for the heist, I’ll give you
instructions when they get here,” Darian said, “Oh, and Eridan.”
“Y-” Eridan’s response was cut off by a sharp slap to the face. He hadn’t seen
it coming in that moment, but it was there. Of course he would have to pay for
not following his father’s orders. Just because he was the son of a gang leader
didn’t mean he was exempt from the punishments. The teenager rubbed at his
stinging cheek, glaring at his father.
“Get ready.”
He nodded, preparing to turn on his heel, however, his father’s voice stopped
him in his tracks.
“…Afterward though, how do you feel about Chinese tonight?” he asked.
Eridan couldn’t help the smile that formed on his aching face. His father was a
brute, but he always tried helping those in need- even those like Karkat, who
had wormed his way into Eridan’s life. He knew it wasn’t Alastair that Darian
got the kindness from- it was Margo.
“I’d like that.”
“Good. Now go.”
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     I'm really sorry for taking so long. Recently I've been struggling
     with my writing abilities. I don't feel good enough, I guess.
     Honestly, I'm starting to get out of it, so updates will hopefully be
     much more frequent. So, here's a long chapter as an apology for
     making all of you wait so long.
     <3
***** A Helpful Tip *****
Eridan hated heists he was forced to go on when he was in trouble. His father
always made them much harder than necessary to test his strengths and
weaknesses. It definitely wasn’t fair treatment, but it was the only treatment
he’d ever known- at least after his mother died. Still, he followed what his
father said, as testing the man’s patience definitely wasn’t something he or
Cronus did often.
The teenager watched his father walk past him, completely ignoring Eridan’s
presence. He usually did such things when he was angry at his son, and Eridan
had broken two very important rules, so of course Darian would treat him as
such. It didn’t mean Eridan appreciated it, however. His cheek still stung from
the slap and, upon inspection, it would bruise. That much was certain.
“You alright, Eri?” one of the gang members asked, resting his hand on Eridan’s
shoulder.
“Yeah, just got in trouble with the boss earlier,” Eridan responded, not
willing to give any more information than that. He didn’t want to know what the
gang would think if they knew what Eridan had done.
“That sucks, kid. Hope he didn’t beat your ass too much,” another member that
overheard the confession chimed in.
Eridan shot the man a sharp glare, clenching his jaw and refusing to say
anything else. Luckily at that moment, Darian stopped in front of them.
“Alright, gather around and listen up.” The group stopped talking among
themselves and stared up at their boss. That was all Darian was in that moment.
He wasn’t a father- just a boss. He held a rein of power over the others, and
it was obvious. Eridan still stood tall with his head held high, taking in
Darian’s words. “There is a small gang that’s causing trouble downtown. They’re
residing in an old junk yard. It’s our job to bring them down. Arthur has all
the information on it. Figure out what all of you are doing and head out.”
The group of men nodded and went to Arthur, a small balding man that looked
nervous all the time. Eridan was baffled at how he managed to land himself in
the Ampora's gang, but he didn’t question it. Obviously, Darian knew what he
was doing at all times. The teenager did feel a pang of jealousy at the fact
that Darian went to Arthur instead of him. Eridan had usually been the one he
went to, though he supposed it was part of his punishment. He did something
wrong and, in return, Darian didn’t fill him in on anything- he was just
another gang member.
“Okay, so we are to ambush the gang. It’s relatively small, luckily. Their
strengths are hand-to-hand, which all of you are very skilled at, so you should
have no problem taking them down no matter what. Darian doesn’t want you to use
too much gunfire due to the fact that it could draw unwanted attention. There’s
a small trailer park close to the junk yard. Be weary. Understood?” Arthur
explained, making sure he shot Eridan a shit-eating grin. He was pleased with
the fact that he got the orders before Darian’s son. He was reveling in it, and
that fact pissed Eridan off.
Still, he and the group nodded, showing they understood Arthur’s explanation.
“Good. Eridan and Michael will take them from the front. Andrew and Peter are
to take them from the left. Jakob and Sammy are to take them from the right.
And Greg and Arnie are to take them from the rear. Is that clear?”
Once again the group nodded. Eridan pulled out his gun, checking to make sure
everything was in order before sticking it back in the waistband of his skinny
jeans. He made sure he shot Arthur the dirtiest look he could muster before
walking away, heading to the back door. However, he stopped to wait for
Michael, who was a large Native man with long black hair and a square jaw. The
two always showed one another respect, though they hardly knew one another.
“That Arthur is a real piece of work,” Michael muttered when he reached Eridan.
“You’re tellin’ me. God, what a cock,” he responded, rolling his eyes and
heading out the door after everyone else. “Anyway, you and I need some sort of
plan.”
“I’m the brawn between the two of us,” Michael started, though held up a hand
when Eridan shot him a dirty look. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re fucking great at
what you do, but you have to admit that, where our strengths lie, you’re better
with a gun.” The group piled into the van, Andrew and Peter taking the front
seats while the others took to the back. Michael sat across from Eridan. He
pulled out a silencer, handing the object to Eridan, who pulled out his gun,
clicking the object into place before laying it on his thigh. “Use it.”
Eridan nodded. “I’ll cover you, alright?”
“And I’ll do the same with you,” Michael responded.
The group then sat in silence until they pulled up quietly to the junkyard.
Lights shone brightly into the area, illuminating wrecked cars and other
objects that people decided to dump. Plenty of places to hide. Eridan felt like
something would go wrong, though he didn’t voice it. If he did so, the others
would convince him to go back, and that was the last thing he needed. His
father was already angry enough at him, so backing out of the heist was
considered a sin at that point.
“Alright, get into place. The signal will be a shrill whistle. Don’t hold back.
We’re here to kill. Got it?” Eridan said, looking at everyone with his hard
blue eyes.
The men nodded, pulling out their various weapons or cracking their knuckles,
preparing for a fight.
“Let’s do this,” Eridan muttered, opening the back door of the van quickly and
looking around. Once he knew the coast was clear, he stepped out, cocking his
gun and holding it at the ready. If the Ampora's knew about them, there was a
good chance the gang knew about them and would be ready. However, he realized
no one was around. The place was eerily quiet, which didn’t make the young
Ampora feel any better. Still, he gestured to the others, pointing in the
directions they needed to go. No one spoke or closed doors. They simply went
about their jobs quickly and quietly.
Michael and Eridan looked at one another, both nodding at the same time before
moving forward. They made sure they stepped carefully. It would only take one
wrong move and everything could go downward for the gang. The teenager kept his
breathing under control, making sure he didn’t make any sounds. The two reached
the gate of the junkyard with ease. They looked in, seeing nothing. It was
almost as if everyone were asleep, though it didn’t seem possible. What gang
went to sleep at 7? Eridan kept his eyes peeled, watching for movement. It
wasn’t until nearly the last second that he saw it. The glint of a gun.
“The signal… now!” Eridan growled at Michael, pushing him to the wall as a
gunshot rang out, colliding with the pipe the man had been standing in front of
seconds prior.
The man whistled loudly before turning to the teenager. “They were fucking
expecting us. How typical. You ready for a good fight though, kid?”
Eridan nodded, taking a deep breath and checking over his gun quickly before
looking around the corner of the wall they stood behind. The saw a head poking
out from behind a trashed refrigerator and decided it was then or never. He
took aim and fired, hitting the enemy perfectly and watching blood erupt from
the other side of his skull. Eridan smirked as the yelling began and more
gunshots rang out. With the enemy dropping like flies, Eridan knew it would be
time to head in and fully attack. He didn’t like attacking from a distance
anyhow. It wasn’t as exhilarating.
“Whistle again so they know to go in. Remember, no one is to escape,” Eridan
said, shooting another man in the chest and watching him fall backward into one
of his comrades.
Michael did as he was told, watching Andrew and Peter quickly and quietly climb
the fence, wasting no time in getting over and taking down more of the gang.
Eridan and Michael ran in after, knocking down the weakened fence with ease.
The teen found himself surprised that the fence didn’t fall forward when the
others scaled it. However, he didn’t waste too much time in thinking about it,
as a few of the rival gang had begun withdrawing from their hiding places. One
held up a gun of his own, though was quickly taken down by him. He continued
shooting, watching Michael’s back as he did so.
Soon, the rival gang was no more. The members lay sprawled around the junkyard,
crimson coating the ground as it ran freely from the deceased bodies. The
victorious’ breaths came out heavy, though none of them were hurt too bad.
Eridan had felt a bullet graze his thigh, but knew it wasn’t a big deal. His
adrenaline was wearing off, and it didn’t cause him much pain. As long as he
could walk, he was okay. Michael had received a cut to his cheek, though it
didn’t look too serious. The rest of the gang had minor cuts and bruises,
nothing more.
The eight members gathered around the van, grabbing five large portable gas
tanks and going back to the junkyard, dousing the place in the potent fluid.
Once the objects were empty, they quickly moved outside of the small war zone
and lit a few matches, dropping it on the gasoline and watching the place go
up. The group didn’t waste time waiting around, instead quickly getting into
their vehicle and making a break. Eridan tended to the members' wounds as best
he could, though he knew Jerome could do a better job.
“All of you did great,” Eridan commented, wrapping cloth around his thigh to
staunch the bleeding.
The group didn’t speak, though Eridan found he didn’t mind. He enjoyed the
quiet as they went back to Darian’s.
When the members arrived, they walked into the house. Darian sat in his office,
awaiting their return, but when he heard word they were back, he still refused
to look at his son. Eridan felt a pang of… something in his gut, though he
couldn’t quite place what it was. He’d never had his father be so angry with
him. It was then that Eridan knew just how much he’d fucked up. It also meant
his punishment was far from over. The young Ampora knew a simple slap to the
face wouldn’t be the only thing his father would inflict on him.
“You got all of them?” the boss asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
The members nodded, though it was Michael that spoke up, “All of ‘em. There
were no survivors. After we made sure, we lit the place up.”
“Good. Now, all of you get cleaned up. We’re going out to dinner. I expect all
of you to be there in twenty minutes,” Darian said. “The Chinese restaurant
downtown. Don’t be late.” Without another word, the man turned on his heel and
went back to the office, closing the door behind him.
Eridan looked back at Michael, who’s cheek was being tended to by Jerome. The
member gave him a simple thumbs up before wincing from the pain of alcohol on
his face. Eridan decided to change and get ready. He didn’t want Karkat to see
him post-battle, if his friend was even there, that is. Still, he didn’t want
to take the chance. He pulled on another pair of skinny jeans, re-wrapping his
thigh, and then pulling on a violet turtleneck before tending to his hair. He
made sure the vibrant violet could be seen. He then wrapped a scarf around his
neck and deemed himself ready enough.
He went to Cronus’ room, knocking on the door. His elder brother had next to
nothing for a social life- not that he'd be allowed out anyhow, so he knew he’d
be in his room if he hadn’t been downstairs.
“What d’ya want?” Cronus called from within, his voice sounding annoyed.
“Come to dinner. We’re goin’ out,” Eridan responded, giving the door a small
kick before going downstairs.
His father looked at him for a second before turning away with a small tsk.
Eridan tried hard to not roll his eyes in return. He hated it when his father
cocked a teenage attitude. That was his and Cronus’ job, not a thirty-seven
year old man’s. Eridan wondered what his father was like as a teenager. He knew
he had been whipped by his father, but how was he outside of that? How did he
act when he wasn’t in Alastair’s presence? It didn’t take long for Eridan to
realize that he really didn’t want to think about his father as a teen. It was
strange, and he didn’t like thinking about it because it got him to think about
Margo and after that, it would just cause a train wreck of emotions. He didn’t
want to deal with heightened emotions, especially not before seeing Karkat.
Cronus came down the stairs shortly after Eridan pulled on a pair of black
boots. He ran a comb through his black hair, a cigarette hanging out of his
mouth, looking like it was in desperate need of an ashing. “So where are we
going for dinner?”
“The Chinese place downtown. We really need to head out, though. I don’t know
what time it closes,” Eridan said, pulling out his phone and checking the time.
8:30.
The elder Ampora put on his own shoes, waiting for Darian’s go-ahead to head to
the car. Once he did, the two practical ran out. Not only was Eridan looking
forward to seeing Karkat, he was also starving. His stomach growled loudly, and
a wave of nausea had crashed over him. Heists always left him famished.
The Amporas and the rest of the gang met up on time at the restaurant, all of
them going in together and asking for a table. The woman at the front looked
perplexed and slightly annoyed, though she still nodded, showing the group to a
table and walking away with a simple bow. Eridan looked at his father, who had
an eyebrow raised. Darian Ampora absolutely loathed people that didn’t treat
customers with respect, especially a customer such as himself. He looked
important, and he knew it. Eridan only hoped Karkat wouldn’t be so rude.
He found himself pleasantly surprised, as soon the small male walked out of the
back, a notepad and pencil in hand. He looked tired, too tired. However, he
still put on a smile, though it fell short when he saw the large group sitting
before him.
“Hey, I’m Karkat Vantas and I’ll be your- oh my God…” His mouth fell open as he
looked up and down the table where eleven men sat hungrily. “Ahem, sorry. What
can I get you to drink?” The male’s brown eyes fell on Eridan, surprise filling
the orbs, though it was quickly masked as the men began calling out what they
wanted. Karkat took it all down with ease. “Alright. I’ll get those out to you
shortly. I’m assuming you guys need some time to look at the menu?”
The group nodded and Karkat nodded in return, walking away to get the drink
orders placed. The members began chatting quietly to one another, though Eridan
stayed quiet, staring after Karkat. With the heist behind him, he focused on
the fact that Terezi had outed him. He put his trust in her and she threw it
back in his face- whether she meant to or not. He wasn’t sure what to do about
it, though. Ignore her existence? Talk to her about it? Talking seemed like the
more plausible answer, but he wasn’t sure if he could face her without getting
angry. He didn’t blame Feferi or Karkat, though he wished one of them would’ve
stepped in and stopped the female. He looked at his father from his peripheral,
noticing his set jaw and hard eyes. Eridan knew he was still pissed. Hell, the
teenager could practically feel the anger radiating from his father.
Karkat came back five minutes later, handing everyone their drinks, though he
didn’t meet Eridan’s eyes. “Have you decided what you want?”
The group nodded. Eridan pulled out his notepad and pen, taking the group’s
orders and then going back to the back to put everything in. Eridan wanted to
talk to him, but didn’t know how to go about it. He wanted to talk to his
father, but knew he wouldn’t be listened to. Instead, he settled with Cronus,
though when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. It was as if all
the chit-chat had been sucked out of him. Luckily, his older brother saw just
how much he was struggling.
“You okay, Eri?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern.
“Yeah, I’m just tired, I guess,” Eridan responded, crossing his arms over his
chest and sending another quick glance toward his father. The man wasn’t giving
him the time of day, though. His hard blue eyes stared straight ahead, focusing
on the wall. Eridan rolled his eyes, deciding to play the immature route as
well. After all, he was a teenager. He had every right. “Don’t you hate it when
grown fuckin’ men act like they’re five, Cro?”
Confusion blinked in Cronus’ eyes as he stared at Eridan, trying to figure out
what his little brother meant. It didn’t take him long to fully process it,
though. His eyes went wide, and he shook his head, looking down. He cursed in
his mind. Of course Cronus wouldn’t play along; he never did- at least, unless
Darian had wronged him as well. While Cronus didn’t want any part of the spat
between Eridan and their father, Darian decided to finally respond,
acknowledging his youngest son.
“It’s not as bad as when you give specific orders that have been in place for
years, and your son decides to toss it all out the window. But that doesn’t
matter, now does it, Eridan? What I ask of you doesn’t matter at all to you,
does it?” the man growled.
“Mom would’ve let me have friends,” Eridan spat.
“Well, she’s not here, is she?” Darian then turned his glare back to the wall,
once again shutting his son out completely. Eridan shook his head in anger,
wanting nothing more than to stand up and scream at his father, however he
didn’t want the gang to see him like that, nor did he want Karkat to see him.
Still, the urge was there and hard to ignore.
Eventually, Karkat and another worker brought the gang’s food out, setting
everything down in front of them and standing back. “Does everything look
okay?”
Everyone nodded, automatically digging in. Karkat offered a smile, though it
didn’t reach his eyes, and walked away. Eridan wanted to follow him and ask if
everything was still okay between them. After all, it was Terezi he was pissed
at, not Karkat. However, pissing his father off even more in a day didn’t
exactly strike him as appealing, so he held himself back. Instead, he dug into
his food, losing himself in the sweet bliss that is Chinese.
Karkat came to check on the group periodically, giving beverage refills as
necessary and clearing out plates when they were finished. He looked even more
tired than when the group first arrived, however he did his job well, keeping
up on everything and not giving anyone attitude. Eridan was surprised with the
male’s work ethic. He was so angry any other time, but acting calm and
professional in front of customers. His respect for the other raised quite a
bit.
“How would all of you like to split the bill?” Karkat asked, the fifth time
around the table.
“I’ll pay for all of them,” Darian stated, wiping around his mouth with a
napkin before setting the soiled cloth on his empty plate.
“Alright. And can I get any of you dessert?”
Everyone shook their heads, completely full from the food, which was surprising
for gang members that had just finished an intense heist. Karkat nodded,
walking away to get Darian a receipt. The group sat in silence until he
returned. Eridan, knowing they were finished, pulled out his wallet, taking out
three-hundred dollars and setting it on the table near Darian. Michael shot the
young Ampora a smirk before pulling out four-hundred and setting it on top of
Eridan’s cash. If gang members were anything, it was rich, especially a gang
like the Amporas. The rest of the men followed suit, at least pulling out one-
hundred dollar bills. Darian pulled out four-hundred and Cronus added three-
hundred to the mix. The total for the tip was well over two-thousand dollars.
Eridan smirked at the cash sitting neatly on the table, wanting to stick around
to see what Karkat’s reaction was. However, the others were putting on their
coats and preparing to leave. He followed suit- the group leaving before Karkat
came back out.
The young Vantas exited the back, surprised to see everyone had gone. He
sighed, pleased that he was able to put on his resting bitch face once again.
Though, when he reached the table, his mouth fell open when his eyes landed on
the stack of cash laying there. With a shaking hand, he picked up the bills,
counting all of it. He shook his head, wondering how someone could mix up one-
hundred bills with one dollar bills. Still, he wrapped a rubber band around the
wad and put it in his back pocket, fully prepared to bring it up to Eridan and
insult his intelligence the next day.
                                      ^^^
Darian, Cronus, and Eridan found themselves back home with full stomachs. The
latter was fully prepared to finish his homework and go to bed, not wanting to
spend another minute around his father. He was thankful they were back home, as
it meant he didn’t have to put on a fake exterior around the man.
However, Darian wasn’t about to let Eridan off easily. Instead of letting him
go, the man called his son back. “Eridan, come to my office. I need to speak
with you.” The tone of Darian’s voice sent chills down Eridan’s spine. He knew
the upcoming conversation wouldn’t be a good one. Not only had Eridan disobeyed
him, he’d also given him a hard time in front of the rest of the gang, which
was a sin in itself.
The teenager shot a look toward Cronus and left room, following Darian into his
office- a large space with bookshelves and a desk. It was the place Darian
spent most of his time, as he had a lot of planning and paperwork to do. It
wasn’t something that could be pushed aside.
The man stood in front of his desk, a livid look present on his face. The
expression twisted his face, making it look frightening. Eridan looked away,
casting his eyes downward. When the man was angry, it was best not to look him
in the eyes- reminiscent of a predator.
“I’m hoping you didn’t think the heist and that weak slap was your punishment,
boy,” he growled. Eridan could hear the man approaching him quickly. He tensed
up, unable to help it.
“No, sir.”
“Good.” Without waiting another moment, Darian swung his fist, catching
Eridan’s cheek and sending his face to the side. Eridan hissed in pain, letting
his glasses fall to the floor. Darian then hit the teenager again, sending him
stumbling backward- his back colliding with the wall. Eridan coughed a few
times, the breath having been knocked out of him. However, the man was far from
finished. Instead, he kept going, a reign of punches being washed over his
son's body.
Eridan struggled to stand, his knees buckling until he fell. Even then, his
father aimed a hard kick at his gut. He gasped, being overcome by a coughing
fit. He felt like a few of his ribs were cracked, though he didn’t say
anything. Instead, he tried staying as quiet as possible, not wanting to push
his father even further. Fortunately for him, Darian was finished. He backed
up, breathing hard.
“Maybe that’ll teach you not to disobey me, boy. Now get out of my sight,” the
man snarled, his blue eyes hard.
Eridan nodded once the coughing ceased. He felt around for his glasses, picking
them up and stumbling out of his father’s office. Cronus stood outside, looking
concerned, but not speaking. Eridan didn’t mind, as he would’ve pushed him away
anyway. He dragged himself upstairs, pain blooming in his cheek and torso. He
hoped his injuries weren’t as bad as they felt. School would be hard to get
through if that was the case.
Luck didn’t seem to be on Eridan’s side, though, as when he looked in the
mirror, a cut up face stared back. The left side of his face was bruising, and
a cut on his cheekbone bled profusely. Eridan assumed it was from one of his
father’s rings. Instead of looking at himself for too long, the teenager set
about cleaning his wounds, knowing he’d have to wear make-up the next day.
He eventually went to bed, not bothering to do his homework. Eridan was much
too sore for anything of the sort. He fell asleep dreaming of ways to get back
at Terezi.
***** Apologies and Confrontations *****
While asleep, Eridan figured out exactly how he was going to get back at
Terezi. He simply wasn’t going to speak to her. He wasn’t sure if it would
prove to be efficient or even teach her a lesson, but it was the only thing
that came to mind. He left the house early, easily getting past his father’s
office and walking to school. As he walked, he came across a Starbucks. While
it took an hour on foot to get to school, the teenager knew he had time to
stop. Plus, he had to live up to his ‘hipster’ lifestyle. Cronus constantly
teased him about it, though once Eridan realized what a hipster was, he
actually agreed with his elder brother. He went inside the establishment,
ordering a coffee and waiting patiently. As he waited, he took a look at his
reflection.
Eridan was one to wear makeup normally, as being in a gang usually gave one
many scars, however he had to cover up the fresh markings his father had given
him the night prior. He didn’t want anyone questioning him. His blue and gray
scarf covered up the gang symbol- two lightning shaped scars on his neck, and
the rest of his clothing covered up the various other markings on his body,
bearing scars from both his father, brother, grandfather, and those who were
against the gang. He hated the fact that he had to cover up, especially when
summer came around, but it was the best way to avoid questioning. He had no
choice.
Once the teenager received his coffee, he left the cafe, walking to school
without any other stops. He didn’t know how he was going to go about not
speaking to Terezi. She was always with the others, with the exception of
physical education. However, no one had time to talk to one another in the
class. As soon as the bell rang, the coach would make them get to work. He
never wasted a minute. It was one of the reasons Eridan and Vriska hadn’t had
any run-ins in the class. Still, in his mind, the only way to get to Terezi
would be ignoring all of them. He didn’t necessarily want to do it, but knew
that if he talked to the others, she would be there too. Plus, there was the
chance they could report to her about everything he said. He wouldn’t let that
happen.
Eridan finished his coffee just as he reached the school, where students were
walking aimlessly in. As he entered, Eridan’s eyes caught Vriska’s. She sent
him a grin, waving at him before walking away. Eridan simply scowled, hating
the way she teased him. He wanted to do something about her. The lump sticking
out slightly of the back of his pants grew heavy. He desperately wanted to whip
it out and end Vriska then and there, but he wasn’t allowed to even have a gun
since his permit hadn’t gone through. Not to mention, killing someone in a
school would easily land Eridan in prison.
He shook his head and went to his locker, grabbing everything he needed for
class and heading in. He didn’t bother waiting for any of the others, and he
knew he would need to sit away from Feferi and Sollux in their various classes.
The teenager wasn’t as worried about Nepeta and Equius as the latter usually
kept Nepeta away during class. Eridan found that he never minded- Nepeta was
much too happy and jumpy for Eridan’s tastes. She was nothing like Feferi.
Eridan bit his lip, trying to get her out of his mind. He couldn’t think about
them- it would only make him want to talk to them.
                                      ^^^
Eridan found that the classes he had with his friends were surprisingly hard to
get through. He didn’t speak a word during any of them, earning strange looks
from Feferi and Sollux, though, when they approached him, he brushed them off,
saying he needed to do something else. He couldn’t tell what reactions he was
gaining from them, but they weren’t happy about it, nor did they seem angry. It
was almost as if they were hurt. There was a part of him that felt bad for
doing what he was doing, but it was the only revenge he could think to get that
didn’t involve some sort of violence.
Eventually lunch came around, and the teenager found that he wasn’t sure what
to do. He’d gotten so used to sitting with the others that he instead stood in
the bathroom, thinking things through. On one hand, he could sit with him
anyway and simply ignore all of them, or he could just walk by and go outside
to eat. The male decided the latter solution would be much better. He gave
himself a quick once-over in the mirror, before turning to walk out. However,
another presence made itself known. Feferi.
The female stormed into the bathroom, her brown eyes blazing as she stopped
just short of Eridan.
“What did you do to Karkat?” she demanded.
“Um, excuse me?” Eridan asked, completely taken aback by the female's question.
He expected her to ask why he’d been ignoring her all day, not throwing Karkat
into the mix. Confusion was plastered on his face, however Feferi poked his
chest hard.
“Don’t play stupid, mister! He’s been acting off all day and you’ve been
ignoring us. I know you did something, so what is it?” she asked, crossing her
arms over her chest, waiting for an answer Eridan wasn’t sure he had.
Terezi then came into the restroom. Her face slightly flushed. “God damnit,
Feferi! Don’t just run off like that.” The female caught sight of Eridan, her
blue-green eyes narrowing when she did. Eridan wanted to hold his arms up in
defense. He didn’t do anything to Karkat- he simply wanted to ignore the others
to get at Terezi, though he knew that would fly out the window, because the
females looked like they meant business. “You know Eridan, I expected you to be
pissed at me, but ignoring the others and doing whatever you did to Karkat?
That’s not okay. We want to know what you did.”
“I didn’t do anythin’ to Kar! I mean, I was ignorin’ all of you to get at Ter,
but that’s it. I haven’t said a word to any of you!” Eridan said, speaking the
truth, though he could tell the females didn’t buy it.
“Well, I told you about the restaurant. Did you go there last night?” Terezi
asked.
Feferi’s face fell from anger to confusion as she looked at Terezi. “You told
him about Karkat’s job? What all did you say?”
“I told him everything, Feferi. He would’ve found out anyway,” Terezi muttered
before her eyes grew hard. “Now tell us, dammit! Did you go or not?”
“Yes, I went, okay?” Eridan said, wanting to shout, but keeping his voice under
control. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself.
“And? What did y-” Terezi began, though was cut off by another gruff voice.
“What in the fuck is going on in here? I said he didn’t do anything to me!”
Karkat growled, making himself known in the bathroom. He looked tired and
upset.  Eridan knew it wasn’t him that did it. How could it have been? He and
the gang had simply walked in, ordered, ate, and left. They had even left him a
good tip. What was there to be upset over?
Feferi took a step back from the Ampora as Sollux walked in as well, his mouth
too busy with a sandwich to actually get anything coherent out. Instead, he
stood by and watched everything unfold, but not after shooting Eridan a glare.
It was obvious the male was pissed off at Eridan, which made him feel horrible.
He hadn’t meant to punish the whole group- including himself.
“You seemed really upset, Kar-crab. We just wanted to find out why.” The dark-
skinned female looked away from Karkat.
“I told you I would handle it. I just needed to figure out how, but I guess I
have no choice now.” Karkat turned to Eridan, reaching into his pocket and
pulling out a wad of cash. “I don’t know how you, of all people, could be so
stupid, but you and your- family? Gang? Whatever- gave me one hundreds instead
of one dollar bills.”
Eridan’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the cash in Karkat’s hand before his
blue eyes traveled up to the male’s face. “Kar, I’m a lot of things, but an
idiot isn’t one of them. That was done on purpose.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Why was it done on purpose? Fuck, how did you even know I
work-” The male froze, the surprise fleeing from his face and instead being
replaced by confusion as he turned to the others. “Did any of you tell him?”
Terezi cleared her throat, looking sheepish. “Um, yeah. I did. He would’ve
figured it out anyway, Karkat. You know that! All of us did.”
“Yeah, because I actually told you. That’s such a fucking invasion, Terezi!”
Karkat growled, before turning to Eridan, completely shutting the female and
whatever she had to say down. “Why did you do this?”
“You deserved it,” Eridan responded, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
“I deserved about three-thousand dollars?” The male sputtered.
“Yes. And the rest of the gang thought so, too. I didn’t ask anyone to tip;
they just did.”
Karkat nodded before looked down at the cash in his hand. “I’ve never held so
much money in my entire life. I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You could put it in the bank!” Feferi exclaimed, jumping forward.
“I don’t have an account,” the male muttered.
“Shit man, do you still have to hand over all the money you make to your dad?”
Sollux asked, polishing off his sandwich.
Karkat nodded and sighed, sinking down to the grimy bathroom floor. “Every
single paycheck goes to him, but I don’t want to hand it over. I want it to be
mine… Fuck, that makes me selfish, doesn’t it? Way to go me! Son of the year
award goes to me.”
“KK, if anything, you deserve that money. You earned it, so you should keep it.
I can take you to the bank after school if you want, or my dad can do it,”
Sollux said, leaning over and resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Won’t Simon tell my dad?” Karkat asked incredulously.
“Fuck no. My dad hates the rules Karcer has in place. The fact that you two
have to make all the money in the household infuriates him. I think he’s tried
to talk to your dad about it, but he always gets brushed off.” Sollux shrugged.
“If you want, I can call him and figure it out.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Karkat responded and then turned his attention to
Eridan once more. “Thank you, by the way.”
“Don’t mention it,” Eridan responded quickly, pushing his hands into his
pockets. He then looked at Feferi and Terezi, wanting some form of apology.
They had jumped the gun when he didn’t deserve it. They hadn’t known the
reasoning's behind anything and still chose to blame Eridan. There was a part
of him that knew why, but he pushed it away, pride getting the best of him.
Feferi looked sheepish, brushing her long black hair over one shoulder. “I’m
sorry, Eri-fin. You were just ignoring us, and Kar-crab has been upset all day.
We just- got worried I guess. I really am sorry for putting the blame on you.”
He stared at the female for a long moment before shrugging. “It’s okay. I’m
sorry for bein’ weird today, I just-”
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Terezi asked, crossing her arms over her chest
and looking at Eridan with hard eyes.
Eridan nodded, looking away from her gaze.
“It was an accident, Eridan. Plus, you didn’t have to punish everyone else to
get at me. I’m sorry, okay?” Terezi said, letting her arms fall to the side as
Sollux helped Karkat up. The male’s lack of talking signaled the fact that he
had been filled in- he knew what was going on.
The Ampora shook his head, his eyes moving to Terezi’s face before he set his
jaw. Suddenly, it was as if he couldn’t think. The male moved forward, grabbing
paper towels and wetting them before wiping off part of his makeup- exposing
the large cut his father gave him. The others watched as he did so, at first
showing confusion until they realized just what was underneath.
“Oh my God,” Sollux whispered.
Eridan turned to the others. “This is what happened last night. This was my
punishment, so forgive me for not lettin’ you off the hook so easily.”
“I’m so sorry,” Terezi whispered, her eyes moving downward. Eridan knew she was
telling the truth. One couldn’t fake that kind of body language- he’d tried it.
Still, he wasn’t sure if he could forgive her at that moment.
“Thank you for your apology, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to accept it yet,”
Eridan muttered, opening up his bag and pulling out his makeup, quickly
reapplying it. He knew there was a reason to bring it to school.
“As long as you know it’s out there,” Terezi responded, her voice sounding
slightly withdrawn.
“Let’s go back to the lunch room?” From the sound of it, Feferi meant it as an
excited statement, though it came out as more of a question. There was no doubt
that she felt the tension, as did everyone else. Still, the others nodded in
unison before filing out of the room quietly.
Eridan sighed, feeling like he had fucked up beyond repair. His plan had
completely backfired, blown up in his face. However, he was happy the others
weren’t shunning him in return, plus Terezi and Feferi had apologized, and it
was clear they meant it. He was pleased about that.
Upon entering, the male’s eyes landed on Vriska and Tavros. The female had a
look of anger on her face, talking in a low voice to Tavros, who looked
frightened. Eridan decided to take his aggression out on the female. Not only
was he already ticked off about everything that happened, he hated the fact
that Tavros put up with her disgusting antics. He didn’t know the male, but
from the looks of it, he deserved much better than a bitch like Vriska Serket.
Before thinking through his actions, Eridan found his legs moving toward the
couple. He stopped just short of the blonde, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Leave him alone, Serket,” the raven-haired male growled.
Vriska turned toward him slowly, rage clear on her features. “Or what, Ampora?
This isn’t your fucking fight.”
“Obviously it isn’t Nitram’s, either. You’re bein’ a fuckin’ bully to him. In
fact, in most areas, the way you’re treatin’ him would be considered abuse. Not
that you’d know anythin’ about that, though,” Eridan responded, crossing his
arms over his chest, though he was prepared to fight if Vriska so chose to do
so. He hoped she would throw the first punch. In fact, he was begging her to in
his mind.
“Whatever. This isn’t your business. Go away before I make you,” she responded,
facing Eridan completely.
“Then make me, cunt.”
Without anymore prompting, Vriska threw a punch, hitting Eridan square in the
jaw and knocking his head to the side. He didn’t waste any time in hitting her
back. He let his anger fuel him, jumping forward and knocking the blonde to the
ground, hearing her head slam against the floor. She looked dazed by the
impact, the anger leaving her eyes momentarily before she shook her head,
grabbing the front of Eridan’s shirt and pushing him forward and then back
quickly.
The movement was enough to knock Eridan off the female. Before he could even
consider getting up, she was on him, throwing punch after punch. A crowd of
students began circling the fighting teenagers, their phones out and filming
the scene in front of them. To Eridan, though, none of them were there. It was
just him and Vriska. He thought about what it would take to kill her. All he
would need to do was pull out a gun and shoot her in the head- instant kill
shot. However, it would be in front of many people. It wouldn’t be worth the
consequences. Instead, he fought her back with his bare hands, scratching and
hitting- inflicting as much pain as possible.
Eridan was able to flip the female onto her back, coming out on top as he
continued hitting her. He felt the skin on his knuckles split, the blood
flowing and mixing with Vriska’s. His rings cut her face, making short sobs
start escaping her lips as she stopped hitting and simply tried to defend
herself. Grunts escaped the male’s own lips as he landed hit after hit.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last too long as soon enough, someone was grabbing
him, pulling him off of Vriska and slamming him against the wall.
He continued trying to hit until he saw who it was. Aranea. He froze suddenly,
though still managed a snarl. Unfortunately, Eridan had used a lot of his
strength on Vriska, which meant he didn’t have enough to get away from her
older sister.
Aranea’s hand tightened around his throat, squeezing painfully and cutting off
Eridan’s supply of air. His face began turning red as he stared at her,
struggling for breath.
“Don’t you ever touch my sister again, faggot. If you do, I’ll choke you until
there isn’t a breath left in your pathetic body. I’ll do what I did to your
mother. What would your daddy think about that?” she hissed, her voice low, but
obviously meaning business. “Do you understand me, Ampora?”
Eridan managed a small nod, though he was going light-headed as he struggled to
get a breath in.
“Good.” Aranea then let him drop, turning away from him and going to her
sister, who was struggling to sit up. “Come on Vriska, let’s get you home.” The
females then left just as the principle walked in.
“Mr. Ampora! My office, now!” she barked.
Eridan rolled his eyes, coughing a few times before standing on shaky legs. He
looked over at his friends, who stood shell-shocked- their eyes wide and their
body language clear that they were afraid of him. Eridan knew he could
understand why. If Aranea hadn’t stepped in, he might have killed Vriska
anyway.
He tried to push that from his mind as he walked toward the principal. He knew
suspension probably faced him, but Eridan wasn’t worried about that. He was
worried about what his father would say. No doubt Darian wouldn’t be too
pleased to hear he almost beat someone to death in the lunch room. Fear struck
the teenager. Not only did have to worry about Aranea, he had to worry about
his father as well.
***** The Call *****
“You what?” Darian’s voice boomed over the phone, forcing Eridan to take the
device away from his ear while wincing.
“I got suspended for a week, Dad,” Eridan responded, his voice low. Needless to
say, he was nervous. He could clearly hear the anger and disappointment in his
father’s voice, making him feel even worse than he already did. However, he
decided to keep things simple. He couldn’t argue. “So I need you to pick me
up.”
“I’ll be there in ten, and you’re going to tell me exactly what happened. Do
you understand me, boy?” Darian growled, though didn’t wait for his son to
respond. A clear click could be heard on the other line.
Eridan sighed, putting his phone away and resting his head in his hands. He
hated the fact that he had gotten himself into such a situation. All he really
remembered was getting angry and lashing out when Vriska hit him. He hated her
more so. He hated the situation. Fuck, he hated everything. There was no
denying it anymore. He sat in the principle’s office, his book bag by his feet
and his eyes staring at the carpet, watching an insect move around move around
in the grooves. Eridan tried not to think about what his father would do. More
likely than not he would have a schedule full of heists. The Aquarius supposed
things could have been much worse.
The door opening forced Eridan away from his thoughts. Sollux and Feferi
stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
“What are you two doin’ here?” Eridan asked, confused. Had they gotten in
trouble as well?
“We wanted to make sure you were okay,” Feferi responded, crossing her arms
over her chest. “You really scared us back there, Eri-fin.”
He looked away, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. He hadn’t meant to scare
his friends. “I’m sorry. I let my anger get the best of me. I was already
pissed off and seein’ Vris treatin’ Tav like that set me off, I guess.” He
shrugged half-heartedly.
“Honestly, I’m just sorry we didn’t have your back, ED,” Sollux muttered,
looking away. Eridan couldn’t tell completely, but it looked as if his face
were red. Feferi pursed her lips, rolling her brown eyes.
“Oh God, Sol-fish, do what you want in a second.”
Eridan’s head tilted slightly to the side, confused by what the female meant.
However, he didn’t get a chance to speak, as she beat him to it.
“So what’s your punishment?”
“I’m suspended for a week. I guess it isn’t that bad, but my dad isn’t too
pleased with me,” he responded.
A concerned look crossed Feferi’s face. “He isn’t going to beat you again, is
he?”
Eridan let out a dry laugh. “Who fuckin’ knows. If anythin’ he’ll just send me
on a bunch of heists.”
Feferi opened her mouth, but a stern look from Sollux made her roll her eyes
once more. She tsked and waved goodbye to Eridan, leaving without another word.
Eridan found himself even more confused, looking to Sollux for an answer.
However, he didn’t find one. Instead, the lanky male moved forward quickly,
closing the space between the two and pressing his lips against Eridan’s. The
Aquarius sat back quickly, surprised. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, because
he did. It was simply the situation. What had prompted it?
“Sol-”
“Don’t. You can make your choice later. I know I caught you off-guard and I’m
sorry, but I couldn’t wait anymore,” Sollux whispered. He then let out a
breathy sigh. “I’ll see you in a week, ED.” And wordlessly, just like Feferi,
he exited the room, letting the door close behind him.
Eridan brought his fingers up to his mouth, touching the spot where Sollux
kissed. His lips tingled, but in a good way- a very good way. He’d pictured
just how his first kiss would go, but had to admit that his imagination never
cooked up something like that. Eridan had thought himself arriving from a
battle, going to his love and kissing them. He had witnessed his father do the
same thing to his mother after a rough heist before her death. He wanted love
like his father had had, but knew it wasn’t safe. The smile that was beginning
to form on his face froze as he thought about it. He couldn’t put Sollux in
danger like that. What on Earth was he thinking?
The teenager shook his head, trying to clear it of all thoughts of romance. The
kiss had been a nice experience, but it would never go any further, especially
not after the threat he had received from Aranea. If the Serkets knew something
romantic was blooming, Sollux could end up just like his mother.
The thought of Sollux ending up like Margo plagued Eridan until the principle
came in, informing him that his father had arrived. He tried to clear his head
as he stood, moving quickly out of the building and into his father’s car.
Darian pulled out of the school lot wordlessly. The drive home was tense and
quiet, but Eridan knew once they stepped foot inside, things would blow up.
Darian was able to keep calm in public, but once he was behind the doors of his
home, he would yell and toss out insults.
Eridan braced himself when Darian pulled into the driveway, cutting the engine
and getting out without a word. The teenager released a sigh before getting out
as well and following his father to the door. The two then went inside, Eridan
closing the door behind him. Darian stood with his back to his son for a few
moments before slowly turning around.
“What… happened?” he asked, voice slow and soft, surprising Eridan.
“Vriska was abusin’ her boyfriend and I stepped in. She threw the first punch,
I was just defendin’ myself,” Eridan responded, keeping his eyes fixed on his
father’s.
Darian nodded. “And what have I told you about fighting in public? Your cunt of
a principle said she might have to go to the hospital. Do you know how that
reflects on us, Eridan?”
“You’ve told me not to, but I was just tryin’ to stop her from houndin’ on her
boyfriend! Look, I’m sorry the Ampora name isn’t goin’ to be too popular with
the school, but I did what I needed to. I was just tryin’ to defend myself,
Dad,” Eridan responded, his voice low as he grew angry. He hated that his
father never listened. If his mother were there she would actually take
everything he was saying in consideration. Sure, he would still get into
trouble, but he would be listened to. She would actually treat him like a son
instead of a pawn in her gang.
“I don’t want to hear anymore. You are to train all the new members, Eridan. I
will pick up your homework from the school and you’re to do that in your free
time. Am I clear?” Darian asked.
“Yes, sir.” Eridan then went up to his room, slamming the door behind him as he
sat on his bed with a huff. He wanted to break something, but knew it wouldn’t
get him anywhere in that moment. Instead, he pulled out his cellphone, noticing
a message from Terezi.
'Aranea is pissed. It’s good you got suspended, because being here would only
result in disaster. Watch your back Eridan, and stay safe.'
The teenager sighed, running a hand over his face. He then sent her a text in
return. 'Did she approach any of you?'
It didn’t take long for the female to respond. 'Apparently she asked Feferi
about you when she was leaving one of her classes.'
Anger filled Eridan. He hated the fact that his friends were getting involved.
The fact that they were made him want to go back to the school and deal with
the Serkets there, once and for all. But his father wouldn’t be too
appreciative of it, plus it would be difficult to cover up a double murder, no
matter how much money would be involved. No, he couldn’t do it. He had to wait
it out, but it was hard to simply push away the murderous thoughts.  They had
been plaguing him more than usual.
He decided not to text back and instead went to take a shower, aiming to wash
away all of his anger before his father brought the trainees. He hated training
the new guys, but it was much better then a beating or going out on heists, so
he wouldn’t complain too much.
                                      ^^^
“Eridan, the trainees are here!” Darian called up to Eridan’s room. The man had
since calmed down from the incident at the school. He knew Eridan needed to do
what he had to, but it didn’t excuse the fact that he had directly disobeyed
him once again. Darian’s rules were few, but clear and very important. He
absolutely hated it when his sons refused to listen to them, though Cronus was
much better about things then Eridan.
The youngest Ampora came downstairs wearing a pair of jeans and an Under Armor
shirt, his usual training attire. His glasses sat on his face; though he didn’t
like to wear them during training, he also hated the feeling of contacts in his
eyes. The teenager’s jaw was set as he stood in front of the small group of
four. The men looked nervous but awake and ready to train, something that made
Eridan’s job easier. He hated training those that didn’t want to be there.
Eridan took on an air of power as he placed his arms behind his back. “Today
we’re goin’ to be goin’ over basic trainin’ techniques. I’m assumin’ all of you
know how to do basic stretches?”
The group nodded quickly, not wanting to waste Eridan’s time. Sure, he was a
teenager, but it was obvious he meant business. The last thing the newbies
wanted to do was piss him off, so they responded in record time.
“Good. The trainin’ room is to your left. Go ahead in and start stretchin’.
I’ll be in in a moment,” the teenager said, dismissing the men as he walked to
his father’s study. He knocked lightly on the door. “Dad?”
“What?” A gruff voice called from within.
Eridan opened the door. “I was wonderin’ how far along you wanted me to get
with these guys.”
“I want them to at least get to combat with one another. Make sure they take at
least two breaks before they get to that point, though,” Darian responded.
“After that, send them home and let me know. I have a heist for you and your
brother to go on tonight. After that, you’re to work on your homework. Jerome
is making dinner tonight and you’re to attend, but after that, go back to
whatever it was you were doing. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Eridan muttered, closing the door and pulling out his cell phone.
He opened up Facebook with a small sigh, letting his friends know that they
shouldn’t contact him at all during the night. It was something the group had
agreed on once they found out everything about the gang.  Going into heists
without letting them know was much too risky, as if he forgot to turn the sound
off, it could prove to be disastrous. 
'I’m going to be busy tonight. Do not call or text.' Without waiting for an
answer from anyone, he put his phone back in his pocket. Eridan then moved into
the training room, preparing to teach the new members what to do and how to do
it.
The training went by faster than Eridan thought it would, especially due to the
fact that Cronus came home half an hour into it and decided to help Eridan out.
The elder Ampora felt bad for not being in the cafeteria to help his younger
brother and wanted to make it up to him in any way he could. At first, Eridan
was angry with him, but once he saw just how genuine Cronus was, he couldn’t
help but forgive him.  He wished forgiveness would've come that easily with
Terezi.
The two were leaving the room after cleaning things up, when Cronus decided to
speak.  The new members had gone home, exhausted from a long evening of
training.
“I’m sorry again, Eri. Trust me, I would’ve been there, but Mrs. Alc decided to
keep me after. I told her I had the hang of all the bullshit work she makes us
do, but-” Cronus began, though was cut off by a loud, dramatic sigh from
Eridan.
“Shut up, Cro. Like I said, I understand. It’s fine. I’m not mad,” he muttered,
closing the door behind him. The teenagers were met by a strong aroma of beef
when they turned around. Eridan’s mouth instantly began watering. “God, I can’t
wait to eat. Jerome’s food is always the best.”
“His cooking reminds me of mom’s,” Cronus said, his own mouth watering from the
smell.
They moved to the kitchen where they were met with Jerome taking a roast out of
the oven. There was sweat glistening on the man’s forehead as he did so. Mashed
potatoes and an assortment of other veggies were simmering on the stove, just
waiting to be devoured.
“God, that smells so good, Jerome,” Eridan practically moaned as his stomach
growled.
The man chuckled softly. “I’m glad you think so. It’s ready. Go shower and I’ll
fix up plates for you boys.”
Cronus and Eridan practically raced to get upstairs and into the bathroom.
Luckily, Eridan beat his brother to it, laughing in his face before slamming
the bathroom door and hopping into the shower. He washed away all the sweat and
grime from training, eager to eat. The incident with the Serkets had been
forgotten, masked by the hunger Eridan felt. He only hoped his father wouldn’t
still be hard ass about everything. One way to get the Amporas to forget about
their problems was a well cooked meal.  Margo and Jerome had always taken
advantage of that in the past whenever there was an argument or some sort of
disagreement.
Once Eridan finished in the shower, he changed and went downstairs, not
worrying about his hair or anything of the sort. Plates were set up at the
table where Jerome and Darian sat. The latter had a pile of papers in front of
him, with his uneaten plate of food sat to the side. Eridan was surprised to
find him with the papers, as Jerome usually talked him out of bringing his work
to the dinner table. He hoped all was well, though didn’t find himself curious
enough to ask.
He seated himself at the table, mouth once again watering at the food in front
of him. The chunk of roast on his plate looked like it would fall apart if it
were poked- it looked so tender. The potatoes had butter and cheese mixed in,
and the vegetables looked fresh. Eridan wanted to devour it right then and
there, but recalled the rule of waiting until everyone was at the table. That
had been a rule ever since he was a child and he knew it was one thing that
would never be tossed out, especially while Jerome was around, as he was the
one who instilled it. The doctor was under the impression that dinner was
family time and should be enjoyed together.
While they waited for Cronus, Jerome decided to make small talk, turning to
Eridan as he took a sip of wine.
“So, your father told me that you were suspended.”
Eridan could’ve smashed his face on the table at the mere mention of what
happened, especially when he noticed how his father tensed. It was clear he had
forgotten about the incident as well. Still, he knew it would be rude to blow
Jerome off, so he cleared his throat. “Yeah, there was a fight between Vriska
and I.”
“Why?” Jerome asked.
“Well, she was-” Eridan was cut off by a shrill ringing coming from Darian’s
area.
“Darian, you know the rule on cell phone’s in the dining room. Take it out,”
Jerome scolded.
The gang leader glared at the other, but gave in, picking up his phone and
taking it out of the room. Eridan could hear the man’s greeting on the phone
before the door to the dining room closed, cutting off whatever he said next.
He turned his attention back to the other.
“Anyway, she was abusin’ her boyfriend and I told her to cut it out, so she hit
me. That’s the gist of it,” Eridan responded, keeping his eyes down. He didn’t
want to tell Darian how he was practically asking to be hit, but that was
something that could be left out. Vriska had still given in and hit first, it
wasn’t like he had done it.
“It’s good you stood up for the boy, but you know how bad the Serkets are,
Eridan. Sometimes you just have to turn the other cheek,” Jerome stated, taking
another sip from his wineglass.
“Yeah, yeah. Trust me, Dad thinks that too, even though he didn’t say anythin’
about it. He basically delivered my punishment and told me to get out of his
face. Typical of him,” the teenager grumbled.
“You know your father, though. Give him some time to calm down from it. I
believe he’s just shocked that you got suspended. That just isn’t like you,
Eridan.”
Cronus then stepped into the dining room, his hair wet and relieved of gel.
“Good, you guys didn’t start without me!” He took a seat quickly, inhaling the
delicious aroma that invaded the senses in the best way possible.
“Of course not! What do you think we are? Animals?” Jerome exclaimed. “We just
need to wait on your father to get back and then we can start in. How’s school
going for you, Cronus?” The elder man treated Eridan and Cronus better than
their own father. He always asked how school was or what went on in their
lives. There was never a dull moment around him, as he loved to keep the
conversation going strong.
“It’s going okay, I guess. Unfortunately my grade in Government dropped. I
don’t know how, because I’m excelling in that class,” Cronus responded.
“You can always come to me, Cro. Let’s face it, I’m so much better than you at
that kind of thing,” Eridan said, a smirk gracing his features.
Cronus’ eyebrows furrowed as he prepared to retort with something, however
Darian came back into the room, looking angry. “Dinner is going to have to be
postponed.”
“Why?” Jerome asked, surprise lacing his voice.
The man looked at Eridan and Cronus, his glare growing solemn. “That was
Melissa Serket. She wants to end things- tonight.”
***** Kidnapped *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“What do you mean she wants to end things tonight?” Eridan asked Darian, his
voice incredulous. He didn’t trust this one bit, especially knowing that there
was determination in his father’s eyes. He wouldn’t back out no matter what.
Darian finally had a chance to avenge his dead wife, and he was going to take
it. Of course he wouldn’t listen to his suspicious sixteen-year-old son. That
would be absolutely outlandish!
“Melissa called me. I have no idea how she got a hold of my number,” Darian
paused, seeming shaken up. His hands shook violently as he took a seat slowly.
“She called and said she wanted to meet and end everything tonight. An all-out
war between the two gangs. The strongest is to emerge victorious.”
“Are you actually goin’ to meet her? I really don’t feel good about this, Dad,”
Eridan said, balling his hands into fists. His chest began to hurt. He just
didn’t trust it- of course, he wouldn’t trust a single word out of a Serket’s
mouth no matter what.
“Are you kidding? Of course I’m going! Do you not understand what this is,
Eridan? It’s a chance. We can finally get rid of the Serkets. We can finally
avenge your mother’s death. Does that mean nothing to you?” Darian growled,
slamming his fist on the table and causing everyone in the room to jump.
Jerome spoke up before Eridan could. “Now Darian, I don’t believe that’s what
Eridan meant by that at all. I believe he meant that you aren’t really thinking
this through. Of course you’ll be able to avenge Margo’s death somehow, but
isn’t all of this a little sudden?”
“You aren’t thinking things through, Dad,” Cronus piped up, getting over being
stunned stupid by what Darian had said. He usually kept quiet when his father
wanted to do something, which gave Eridan the impression that Cronus had the
same bad feeling rising in his chest.
“I honestly can’t believe any of you,” Darian muttered, his shoulders squaring
off as he stood up once more. It was blatantly obvious that the man was pissed
off beyond belief. All he wanted was for his sons to listen to him and follow
through with everything. “Eridan, Cronus. You two don’t have to go. Stay here
for all I care.”
“Fuck, Dad, are you kiddin’? You really think we’d stay here while you went out
and did this by yourself?” Eridan growled, standing as well.
“That’s what it seemed like you were implying. Are you two in this or not?”
Darian hissed, staring daggers at Cronus and Eridan.
Cronus looked at his brother, an expression of uncertainty on his face. Then,
he sighed, closing his crystalline blue eyes for a brief moment. “I’m in.”  
“So am I."  The moment he agreed, a sharp sensation ran through his chest,
almost causing him to double over.  It all seemed way too soon; there had been
no preparation; and it was so soon after Eridan had beat the hell out of
Vriska.  Had they finally realized the fact that the Amporas meant business? 
“Good.” Darian carded a hand through his hair. “I’m going to get some of the
gang here. We’ll need all the help we can get to take them down.” Without
another word, he left the room, leaving Eridan, Cronus, and Jerome alone.
Jerome looked at the teenagers with a worried expression. “You two don’t have
to leave, you know that, right?”
“Yes, but we also refuse to let Dad go alone. I’m going to get ready,” Cronus
said, getting up and leaving without another word, just as Darian had.
“Eridan-”
“I’m with Cro on this one. I’m sorry, Jerome.” Eridan then left just like his
brother and father. He went straight to his room, taking a few deep breaths to
calm his racing heart down. There was no way he would be able to talk his
father out of going, so he would join him. He would go right into the middle of
it all.  It was proven that if even Jerome wasn't able to talk him out of it,
no one could.
With another deep breath, Eridan began getting ready, changing into a pair of
jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He couldn’t afford to dress fashionably, he
could save that for school. He grabbed his gun, making sure everything was in
working order before sticking it in the back of his pants. He then left his
room, moving quickly downstairs where a group of men stood. All of them looked
solemn, just like his father had. The teenager easily spotted Michael in the
crowd. He stepped over to him wordlessly as the rest of the gang talked quietly
among themselves.
“I’m assumin’ you know what’s goin’ on,” Eridan stated, not bothering with a
greeting.
“Yeah, your father filled us in,” Michael responded. “How do you feel about
it?”
“Not good, honestly. I think Dad is rushin’ into this without thinkin’ things
through. But that’s typical. He refuses to listen; which is also typical.”
Eridan didn’t necessarily want to bad mouth his father, but he was speaking the
truth, and Michael knew it.
“I don’t feel great about this either, Eridan. I feel like something bad is
going to happen. Does Cronus feel the same way?” the Native asked, worry easily
detected in his voice.
“Yup. He even tried speakin’ out against Dad, which is somethin’ he never
does.”
“That’s how we know this is serious, then. Don’t get me wrong, I understand he
wants to avenge his wife, but this really seems like a trap. I don’t like what
the Serkets are playing at. Why would they let themselves be caught so easily?
Why would they just give up? They’re the type of family that plays with their
food before devouring it,” Michael said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Trust me, I’ve asked myself all those questions. Nothin’ is addin’ up.” The
two then went silent, lost in their respective thoughts and wishing Darian
would simply cancel the entire thing. The teenager’s chest was beginning to
throb more so, despite him taking deep breaths.
Cronus joined the two a few moments later, dressed in a white t-shirt and blue
jeans. His brow was furrowed as he, too, was lost in thought.
“Has Dad come out yet?” he asked, breaking the small silence that had formed.
“Nope. Who knows what the fuck he’s doin’ in there.”
“I wish there was a way to talk him out of all this,” Cronus muttered.
“Me too, Cro, me too.”
It was then that Darian exited his study. He was dressed in a similar fashion
as Eridan, though he had a strained look on his face. At first, it gave Eridan
hope that he was backing out of everything, realizing just how silly it was.
However, when the man began speaking, Eridan knew it was no use. He wouldn’t
see reason no matter what.
“I’ve already filled all of you in on why I called you here. We are meeting the
Serkets at the abandoned warehouse on Walnut Street. Melissa and I will engage
in a few words, and then Hell will break loose. Eridan and Cronus will have my
flank, all of you will hang back. When the first gunshot rings out, that’s when
all of you come in. Am I clear?” Darian asked, his voice hard.
Everyone nodded, signaling the fact that they heard and understood. The room
was tense. It wasn’t something simple everyone was going into; it was so much
more than that. They were going into a war.
“Good. We’re taking three vehicles and parking a few buildings away from the
warehouse. You are to follow me there.” Darian then walked away, throwing a set
of keys to Cronus and another set to Michael.
The groups then dispersed and filed out of the house wordlessly. No one spoke
or even looked at one another. They kept their eyes downward, fearing what was
to come. No one knew who would live and who would die. A few of the men pulled
out their cell phones, sending text messages to family and friends, just in
case. Eridan hated the fact that everyone was putting themselves in danger. He
knew Margo wouldn’t have wanted it. The teenager wondered how disappointed she
would be in Darian for putting everyone in such danger; especially her sons.
They arrived a few streets away from the warehouse, shutting off their
headlights and parking. There was no use in hiding themselves, however, as
Melissa and Darian had agreed on a time prior. Still, it was a precaution they
all followed. Everyone got out of their vehicles quietly, meeting as a group in
front of Darian. Cronus and Eridan stood in front of the others, standing at
clear attention. They didn’t want to miss any orders their father would give.
“Are all of you ready?” Darian asked, his voice- usually loud- dropping quite a
bit in volume.
Everyone nodded, still silent in their actions, though they weren’t looking at
the ground any longer. They were facing everything head-on. All of them were
brave; Eridan felt proud to work among them.
“Good. Let’s go.” Darian then turned on his heel and walked away. Eridan gave
his father a closer look, noticing the man was shaking slightly. The teenager
wondered if his father was also having second thoughts about the plan, or if he
was just looking forward to taking down the Serkets. He wasn’t sure, but wasn’t
about to ask either. Darian took things like shaking as weakness, and the last
thing he’d want was Eridan pointing it out in front of the others.
The pressure in the male’s chest increased the closer they got to the warehouse
until he was nearly hyperventilating. Cronus nudged the younger a few times,
though never received a response. The eerie quiet that had formed over the
group grew twofold when they reached the enormous building. Wordlessly,
everyone drew their weapons, holding them at the ready. Darian looked at his
sons with hard eyes before moving forward- the teenagers following him closely.
He opened the door of the warehouse, a loud creaking from the object filling
the night and completely giving away their cover. Darian swore under his breath
and stepped inside, knowing it was no use sneaking around. Eridan and Cronus
followed, their weapons at the ready in case there happened to be an ambush
waiting for them. However, they were met with silence until they were fully
inside the building, the door closing behind them.
“Ah, Darian, I’m so glad you made it,” a loud, drawing voice called out.
The man’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the blonde woman standing at
attention, her murky gray-blue eyes full of malice as she stared.
“Yes well, how could I pass up such a perfect opportunity, Melissa?” Darian
asked, cocking his weapon.
“Oh, there’s no need for that right now. I just want to talk. I see you brought
your sons; I brought my girls. Aranea, Vriska, come out,” she called behind
her.
The females emerged from the shadows. Aranea looked bored whereas Vriska’s face
was swollen and bruised from the beating she had received from Eridan. He
couldn’t help but smirk at her, pleased at his work. He hoped she was
suffering, though found himself surprised that she actually showed up; however,
it seemed like Melissa needed all the help she could get.
“How nice for you,” Darian muttered, sarcasm dripping from his words.
“I see you don’t want to talk. What a shame; I was just about to bring up
Margo,” Melissa sneered.
Darian’s eyes widened for a brief moment before hardening. “This ends now,
cunt.”
“You’re damn right it does. Now, boys!” she exclaimed, causing a large group of
about twenty-five men to come pouring out of the shadows, beginning to fire
their weapons.
Eridan quickly ducked for cover as Cronus and Darian were surrounded. He looked
back quickly, noticing members of their gang beginning to file in, firing their
own rounds at the enemy. Eridan turned his gaze to the front once more, locking
his gaze on Vriska who stood at attention, a sick smile on her face. The
teenager watched her take aim and fire, taking out a few of the gang members
easily. He growled under his breath when one of her bullets grazed Michael’s
arm, causing him to cry out.
Eridan stood, moving to another set of discarded crates as he fired at the
rival gang, taking out a few men. He needed to get as close to Vriska as
possible. She had been a pain in his ass ever since he arrived. She was the
reason he couldn’t have friends or even a boyfriend. She was the reason his
mother was taken away from him. So it was time to take away her life. Eridan
took a deep breath before moving to another set of crates, taking out another
five men.
He realized he was as close as he would get, so he took aim, lining his gun up
with Vriska’s wounded face. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled from his
mouth slowly before firing, hitting Vriska in the side of the head. Blood and
gray chunks flew out of the other side of her head as she fell in what seemed
like slow motion. Eridan could’ve easily given out a whoop when she hit the
ground, but he contained himself, his eyes then on Aranea, who had noticed her
dead sister.
“Vriska, no!” she cried, shooting another few men before picking up her little
sister’s corpse.
“Who killed her?” Melissa screeched, also having taken notice of her deceased
daughter.
No one answered as the fighting continued. Darian and Cronus were too busy
fighting off small groups of men as they tried to down them. Eridan knew he had
the perfect shot at Aranea as well, so he took aim, preparing to fire when his
cell phone suddenly began going off. He fumbled with his gun as the shrill
ringing gave away his location. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly pulled
the device out of his pocket, answering it.
“What in the fuck do you want?” he growled lowly.
“Dude, chill. I was just calling about a homework question, I-” the voice of
Karkat began, though was cut off as Eridan’s phone was snatched from his hand.
The black-haired male looked up slowly, realizing Melissa was the one that had
taken his phone.
Shit.
The woman aimed her gun at Eridan and, before he could react, shot him in the
leg. A scream escaped his lips as he fell back, clutching his wounded limb.
“Sorry, Eridan’s a little busy right now. Call back at a later time, mkay?”
Melissa said, a smirk on her face. She then hung up on Karkat, placing the
phone in her pocket and picking up Eridan, who grunted in pain. “Aranea, let’s
get out of here. Now!”
The woman’s daughter looked up, tears streaming down her face. However, when
she noticed Melissa holding Eridan, a look of satisfaction crossed her
features. She gave her little sister’s hand one last squeeze before standing
and following her mother out a side door.
Darian, having broken through a small group, looked up in time to see his
youngest son being carried away by Melissa. He crushed a man’s nose with the
butt of his gun before running forward. “Eridan! Fuck, no. Eridan!” The man ran
forward, taking out multitudes of the rival gang as he did so. He ran out the
door in pursuit of Melissa, Aranea, and Eridan; however when the cool air of
the night hit his face, he found they were already gone.
Anger fueling him, the man ran back inside, taking out even more men as he
helped Cronus, then tugged on his arm.
“What’s going on, Dad?” he asked, surprised.
“We need to leave. They took Eridan,” Darian responded, absolutely panicked at
the situation.
Cronus’ eyes widened as he nodded and followed his father out of the building,
quickly running back to their vehicle and climbing in before zooming off. It
was at that moment that Darian knew he shouldn’t have went through with it. He
should have listened to his sons and Jerome. The only thought that crossed his
mind was the fact that it was entirely possible that Eridan would end up just
like Margo.
Chapter End Notes
     What a fascinating turn of events!
***** Distress *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Karkat lowered the cell phone from his ear, heart pounding. He’d heard Eridan
get shot, and then what? Who was that on the phone? The teenager felt tears
gather in his eyes as he dialed Terezi’s number with shaking hands. Had he
gotten Eridan killed?
“Hello?” Terezi answered in a sing-song voice. It was obvious she was in a good
mood; unfortunately though, Karkat was about to ruin it.
“T-Terezi? Something happened and I really need to talk to your mom,” Karkat
said, not bothering with greetings. Obviously something had happened to Eridan,
whether he was truly in danger or not.
The female’s voice automatically turned serious. “What is it, Karkat? I’m
getting my mom now.”
“I… called Eridan-” Karkat began, but was cut off by the other.
“Youwhat? Karkat did your internet go out again?” she asked.
“Yeah, wh- oh God. He sent a group message, didn’t he?” the male said, his
heart sinking. Tears began tracking down his cheeks at the possibility of
Eridan having been killed because of him.
“Yes. Shit. Okay, tell me what happened. I need to find my mom,” Terezi said
quickly, getting up and searching for her mom. The female’s heart began
pounding as well. Eridan had become such a huge part of their group. The last
thing they wanted was for something to have happened to him.
“I called him because I had a homework question. He answered and I heard
gunshots in the background. I- I don’t know why I didn’t hang up, I guess I was
just caught by surprise. Anyway, I heard a gunshot that sounded really close to
the phone and then Eridan screamed- and- and oh God, Terezi, what if he’s dead?
What if I killed him? Fuck. I don’t know what to do.” A sob escaped the
teenager as he put a hand over his mouth, trying to hold back his cries.
“Shh, Karkat, it’s okay. You didn’t know. Did anything else happen?” Terezi
asked, trying her best to sooth her best friend.
“Um, a woman got on the phone. I don’t know who she was,” Karkat responded once
he found a pause in his sobbing.
“What did she say?”
“She said Eridan was busy and to call back later, then the line went dead.”
“Fuck. Okay, listen to me. I found my mom and I’m going to tell her everything
you told me. Go to Sollux’s, okay?” Terezi said, making sure her voice was
clear. She had to be strong for him, even though she was falling apart as well.
“Y-yeah.”
“I’m going to hang up now, okay?”
“Yeah.” There was an audible click before the line went dead. Karkat put his
phone in his pocket, wiping his tears away and taking a few deep breaths. He
decided he wasn’t even going to try to talk to his father about anything. He
would go straight to Sollux’s. Their parents wouldn’t understand anything going
on, nor could they tell them.
Karkat pulled a sweatshirt on, grabbing the charger for his phone just in case
there was another call from Terezi or even Eridan. God, he prayed that it was
all just a joke. The scream that kept replaying in his head proved otherwise.
It was a genuine scream of pain, unlike any he’d ever heard. Karkat tried to
push everything regarding Eridan from his mind as he exited his bedroom,
walking down the hall and past Kankri. It seemed as if his father weren’t home.
Unfortunately, Kankri Vantas’s talent was prying when he wasn’t wanted.
“Karkat? Are you okay?” the older male asked, brows furrowing.
“Yes, Kankri, everything’s fucking peachy. I’m going to Sollux’s, let dad know
for me,” Karkat responded, refusing to look at his brother. There were still
tears built up in his brown eyes, and he didn’t want the other to see.
“Oh, okay. Be safe, and please don’t use that language, Karkat. It’s
offensive,” Kankri responded before continuing whatever it was he was doing.
Karkat rolled his eyes, leaving the apartment and moving quickly to Sollux, who
lived a few buildings away from him. Once there, his fist crashed into the
door, not wanting to be out any longer. He wanted Sollux to hold onto him and
just- reassure him. Fuck, he needed it.
It didn’t take long for one Simon Captor to open the door. The father of Mituna
and Sollux looked surprised to see the young Vantas standing at his doorstep,
tears still tracking down his face. The blond male’s face turned to one of
concern however.
“Karkat, are you okay?” he asked, stepping aside to let the other in.
He shook his head quickly, moving inside the house. “Is Sollux here?”
“Yeah, he’s in his bedroom,” Simon responded, the same lisp Sollux had tinging
his own voice.
“Thanks.” Without another word, the black-haired male practically ran to his
best friend’s room. He didn’t bother knocking, instead walking right in.
“Sollux.”
The blond teenager nearly jumped out of his chair, his head whipping around to
look at Karkat. “What the fuck, KK? Have you ever heard of knocking, because
it’s a- woah, what’s up?” It didn’t take him long to notice just how distraught
his friend was. Sollux stood up quickly, moving toward the other and leading
him to his bed. “What’s going on?”
Karkat sniffled loudly, wiping at his nose and cheeks before responding. “I
called Eridan. I didn’t know he sent the mass message because, of course, my
fucking internet went out. So, I called him, and he answered, but there was a
lot of shooting in the background and he sounded so pissed off. Then there was
another gunshot, and he screamed. I think a woman took his phone from him,
because then I heard her saying Eridan was busy and that he would call back
later. I think something happened to him and it’s all my fault, Sollux.” The
male then fell apart, loud sobs wracking his body as he leaned against the
other.
Sollux’s eyes were wide as he took in everything Karkat said. His first thought
was to be pissed, but he knew it wouldn’t solve anything. Instead, he placed an
arm around Karkat, pulling him closer and letting him cry. He usually wasn’t
too good at comforting people, but he found the closeness nice. He didn’t know
what else to do except sit in the darkness of his bedroom, listening to Karkat
sob and trying to sort through his own emotions.
Back in the living room, Simon stared after Karkat, wondering what it was that
had gotten into him. He hadn’t seen the teenager so emotional for as long as
he’d known him. The man pulled his cell phone out, dialing Karcer’s number.
“Yes, Simon?” he asked, voice entirely different from Karkat’s.  It was softer
and much more soothing than his son's.
“Hey, I was wondering if you knew what was up with Karkat. He just came over to
my place absolutely distraught. I’m wondering if something happened with him,”
Simon said, beginning to pace. He worried about Karkat like he was his own.
“Oh, no, sorry. I’m currently at the church. Perhaps call and ask Candace or
Regina?” Karcer said, beginning to sound distant.
Simon rolled his eyes, but confirmed with Karcer that he would before hanging
up. He then debated actually calling Regina and Candace. Would they really know
what was going on? He figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and dialed Candace
Peixes’s number first. The woman intimidated the hell out of him, so he wanted
to get a phone call with her out of the way as soon as possible.
“Hello?” the woman answered, her voice smooth.
“Hey Candace, it’s Simon. Karkat just came over to my place pretty distraught.
I was wondering if something happened; maybe something between him and Feferi?”
Simon stated, trying to keep his voice calm as he spoke.
“Well, if something happened, I wouldn’t know anything about it. Feferi’s been
in her room all night. I can talk to her and call you back. I’m assuming you’ve
talked to Karcer about him,” the woman responded, curiosity in her voice. She
adored drama in her life, especially when it was applicable to her children. As
if she didn’t get enough drama in her own life.
“That’d be great, thanks. And yeah, I spoke with him; he’s at the church, as
usual though, and didn’t know anything.”
“Okay, I’ll speak with Feferi and then call you back. Bye, Simon,” Candace said
before hanging up.
A shiver moved through Simon’s body. God, talking to her freaked him out every
single time. He wasn’t sure why he remained friends with her other than the
fact that Sollux and Feferi were best friends. How could a mother and daughter
differ so greatly anyhow? It didn’t make sense to him.
Puffing out a breath, Simon then dialed Regina Pyrope’s number, though got her
voicemail. He pursed his lips before sitting on the couch, waiting for someone
to get back with him. The man knew if he asked Sollux and Karkat about what was
going on, he’d simply receive cryptic answers or nothing at all. He didn’t
really want to go behind the kid’s back, but there was no other alternative.
                                      ^^^
Candace Peixes moved slowly up the stairs of her home, headed toward Feferi’s
room. She wasn’t sure why she was actually following through with speaking to
her daughter. Of course she wanted to know what was going on with Karkat, but
her daughter came to her about everything, so surely she didn’t know anything
about it. Still, she wanted to ease Simon’s pathetically worried mind.
She knocked on Feferi’s door. “Feferi, I need to talk to you.”
“Come in!” Feferi called, her voice high and enthusiastic. She definitely
didn’t know what was going on.
Candace opened the door, standing at the entrance and resting a hand on her
hip. “I just got a call from Simon.”
Feferi looked up from her laptop, her brow furrowing slightly. “Oh?” She knew
something was up due to the fact that Simon, of all people, had called her.
Everyone knew that Sollux’s father would never call Candace unless absolutely
necessary.
“He was calling about Karkat. Apparently he arrived earlier completely
distraught and crying,” Candace responded. “Do you happen to know what’s wrong
with him? Simon’s worried and Karcer doesn’t know anything, as usual.”
Feferi looked confused, however after a brief moment, her expression turned to
one of horror. Her brown eyes quickly went back to her computer screen,
checking over the Facebook message Eridan had sent. She had seen it… Terezi…
Sollux… Karkat? Oh, God. Her mouth hung agape as the realization hit her, only
to be confirmed when she received a text from Terezi.
‘I don’t know if you’ve been filled in yet, but something happened to Eridan.
 It'd probably be best if you got a hold of Karkat; he's pretty distraught
right now.’
She slapped a hand over her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. What could
have possibly happened? He had been fine beforehand. Of course, he never let
anyone know what was actually going on; he simply sent the message and went
about his life. She felt completely and utterly useless, which was something
she hated- she wanted to be there for Eridan and the others, and yet there she
was, sitting at home and browsing the internet.
“Feferi, what is it?” Candace asked, growing concerned.  It was clear to her
that she had been wrong in her assumptions; Feferi clearly did know something
was going on.
Feferi looked up, lowering her hand and biting her bottom lip. Her mother was
the CEO of Betty Crocker; if something had happened, she had the money to make
sure it could be both covered up and aided. It was at that moment that she knew
she wouldn’t be able to keep Eridan’s secret any longer. She had to tell
someone. Plus, her own mother would be understanding, right?
“Mom… I have something I need to tell you.”
 
 
Chapter End Notes
     I apologize if this chapter seems pretty filler-ish. I promise
     there's a point to it, but ayyyy, meet the parents!
***** Secrets Revealed *****
Candace Peixes couldn’t believe her ears. Her daughter’s new friend was the son
of a gang leader? No, she wouldn’t have it. She wouldn’t let some lowlife ruin
her daughter’s life.
“Thank you for telling me, Feferi,” the woman said, her jaw set as she spoke.
She tried her hardest to not let her anger show, though it was quite hard to
do. Candace was so used to telling people how it was and letting her anger fly
forth, however she couldn’t do that to Feferi, especially not when she was so
fragile. Her worry for her friend was clear as day. “I need to call Simon. Get
ready, please. We’re going to go somewhere.” Once she saw Feferi nod, the woman
left the room, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
She dialed Simon’s number, tapping her foot impatiently against the hardwood
floors as she waited for the man to answer, though it didn’t take too long.
“Did you find anything out?” the man answered, lisp clear as day.
“Yes. You might want to get Karcer there, and Regina if you can get a hold of
her. Feferi just told me something… interesting, and all of you should hear
it,” Candace responded, keeping her voice low so Feferi didn’t hear her
speaking. She knew her daughter wouldn’t want a big deal to be made out of
everything, but the woman would not stand to have a gang member as a part of
her child’s friend group, nor did the other parents.
“I can definitely get Karcer over here, but I’m having trouble reaching Regina.
I think she might be working,” Simon responded, sounding concerned.
“Well, have Sollux call Terezi, then. I just want everyone there. This is an
emergency, Simon.”
“Okay, okay. Come on over, I’ll get everyone here.” The man then hung up,
automatically calling Karcer with shaking hands. He didn’t know what had
happened, but very rarely did Candace ever want to come over to his place, so
obviously it was something big.
“Yes, Simon, what can I do for you?” Karcer answered, his voice sounding
annoyed at having been called twice in the span of half an hour.
“I’m sorry I’m interrupting your work, but you need to come over now. Candace
and Regina are going to be here, too. Something happened, Karcer,” Simon said,
speaking quickly. He understood how much the church meant to his best friend,
but he hoped it wouldn’t outweigh the importance of his son.
The pastor sighed loudly. “Fine. This better be important though, Simon. I’ll
be there in ten minutes.” There was then a prominent click on the other line,
signaling the fact that he had hung up. The blond then turned to Sollux’s
bedroom.
“Sollux, Karkat, get out here!” he called, automatically hearing the loud groan
of his youngest son.
Sollux opened the door to his bedroom, poking his head out. “What is it, Dad?
Something’s kind of going on here.”
“Yeah, I know. Now you’re going to grab Karkat and come out here. Candace and
Feferi are on their way, as is Karcer. I need you to get a hold of Terezi,”
Simon said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Dad-”
“Don’t. Listen to what I say or you’re grounded,” Simon growled, never really
using his ‘stern’ voice.
“Oh my God, fine!” Sollux exclaimed, then turned to Karkat, who was still
sniffling on the bed, though the tears had stopped. “KK, we need to go out
there, okay?”
Karkat nodded, his brown eyes staring straight ahead as he did so. However, he
still found it within himself to stand and walk out of the room, going straight
to the couch and seating himself. He didn’t care that his eyes were red-rimmed
and it was clear he had been crying. Something was happening with Eridan and it
was his fault. Sollux followed closely, his phone pressed to his ear as he
called Terezi.
“Yes, yes, what?” Terezi answered, out of breath.
“My Dad wants you to come over,” Sollux responded, running a hand through his
short hair.
“Sollux, I know Karkat filled you in, and I’m sure with, knowing that, you can
understand why I can’t do that,” Terezi huffed.
“You don’t understand; Candace and FF are coming over, too. I don’t know what
happened, but it’s big. You and your mom need to come over now, okay?” Sollux
said quickly as he reached the living room and sat closely to Karkat, wrapping
a comforting arm around the male.
“Fine, Sollux. I’ll get my mom. She’s doing some paperwork and coming up with
some sort of story; hopefully she’ll give in.”
“Just try, okay? I’ll see you when you get here.” Sollux then hung up the
phone, looking at his father with an annoyed expression on his face. “So what’s
this about, Dad?”
Simon rubbed the back of his neck, almost as if he weren’t sure how to answer.
“I’m… not sure. Candace called me and wanted everyone here. She sounded super
pissed off, so I’m sure something happened. Do you two want to save me the
anxiety of waiting and tell me what’s going on?”
Karkat and Sollux looked at one another before shaking their heads.
“It just involves a friend, that’s it,” Karkat muttered, his voice low and
thick due to crying. Much to his annoyance, there was still a lump in his
throat.
“Okay, whatever. Let’s just play it difficult and wait until Candace gets
here,” Simon growled, growing pissed off at the boys’ behavior. They’d never
been so cryptic before.
As soon as he had gotten the sentence out, however, there was a knock at the
door. The blond quickly moved to answer it, seeing Candace and Feferi standing
on the other side. Feferi’s head was hanging low, her own eyes red-rimmed and
makeup smeared as she stepped through the door, sitting on the love seat next
to the couch. She didn’t acknowledge Sollux and Karkat’s presence, worrying the
both of them immensely. Had she found something out? What in the fuck was going
on?
“Where’s Karcer and Regina?” Candace asked, also stepping inside.
“Karcer will be here in ten, and Sollux said Regina’s going to get here when
she can. I think she’s working. What’s going on, Candace?” Simon asked, concern
once again lacing his voice and features.
“I refuse to say anything until everyone is here. This isn’t a matter that
should be kept between people,” Candace muttered coldly, glaring at her
daughter for a brief moment.
Simon looked between the two in confusion before shaking his head. “Okay, well,
go ahead and sit. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Water would be fine, thank you,” Candace said, taking a seat on the armchair
across from the children.
The male nodded, moving to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water for the
woman. He then made his way back to the living room, handing her the bottle
just as there was another knock on the door. He released a mental sigh of
relief, not wanting it to just be he and Candace among the adults. Simon
quickly went to the door, opening it to reveal Karcer, who looked more than a
little annoyed.
“Can we make this quick? I really need to get back to the church; I still have
so much to d- Karkat, what’s wrong?” Karcer asked, his eyes landing on his
sniffling son.
Karkat’s eyebrows furrowed as, he too, looked at his father. “What are you
doing here?”
“Simon called me. What’s going on?” Karcer asked, looking at Candace and Simon
for answers.
“I will not speak on it until Regina and Terezi arrive,” Candace said, sticking
up her nose as if she were a stubborn child.
The pastor sighed loudly, taking a seat next to the woman and crossing his arms
over his chest. The room then went silent, save for the sniffling coming from
both Feferi and Karkat. Sollux continuously tried meeting the female’s eyes,
but she never looked up. The blond grew more and more worried that something
more had happened.
The silence was broken by yet another knock on the door. Simon stood up swiftly
to answer it, revealing a more than mildly annoyed Pyrope family.
“What do you want, Simon? I was in the middle of something; my phone was off
for a reason,” Regina growled, staring down the blond man.
Candace stood, turning toward the door. “Regina, Terezi, come in, please,” she
said, almost as if she owned the home she was standing in.
Regina glared at Candace, not liking the fact that she was in control; then
again, when wasn’t the CEO of Betty Crocker not involved? The red-haired woman
stepped into the cramped space, Terezi tailing her closely until she found a
hole, quickly moving to her friends and planting herself beside Karkat. The
male still hadn’t looked up at all, which worried Sollux to no end.
“So, Feferi told me something very interesting tonight,” Candace began,
crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at her daughter.
“Oh?” Karcer asked, moving forward slightly, his curiosity peaked.
“Apparently, our children’s new little friend, Eridan Ampora, is part of a
gang,” Candace hissed the word ‘gang’ distastefully.
Sollux looked to Feferi, a look of astonishment on his face. “FF, you told?”
“I’m sorry,” Feferi choked out. “I thought she would help, not act this way.”
Simon and Karcer stood completely still, stunned stupid by the news that their
children were friends with someone in a gang. However, it was Karcer that found
his voice first.
“Karkat! How dare you be friends with someone that leads such a violent, sinful
life? Why are you friends with this boy?” he asked, voice growing in volume.
Karkat looked up, his eyes filled with rage. “Because there’s more to him than
being a fucking gang member, Dad. He’s kind and funny, and has helped us out
with so much. The only reason I’m passing my classes is because of him!” The
male paused, tears filling his eyes once more. “It’s not like it matters now,
because I probably got him killed!”
“We’re working on it, Karkat. We’ll figure out what happened, okay?” Terezi
said, placing her hand on top of Karkat’s.
“’We’re’?” Simon asked, his eyes landing on Regina.
The woman sighed loudly, throwing her arms up. “Yes, ‘we’re’. I knew, okay?
Eridan and I had a run-in when I was on the job. He had the chance to kill me,
but didn’t. From the way Terezi spoke, the next day at school, he was full of
regret. Most gang members don’t regret a single thing they do.”
“That doesn’t matter! He’s still in a gang! He probably has sex, does drugs,
and kills people. I do not want my son around him!” Karcer practically
screeched.
Karkat stood up, knocking Sollux’s arm off him and slapping Terezi’s hand away.
His voice was full of venom and rage when he spoke, all of it directed toward
his father, “He’s not fucking like that, Dad! And it doesn’t matter what you
say because, if he’s found alive, I’m going to hang out with him no matter
what. I’m going to treat him like the goddamn human he is! You claim to be such
a man of God, Dad, but you aren’t. You really fucking aren’t.”
The room went quiet as Karcer and Karkat stared daggers at one another.
However, it was Candace that stepped in next.
“I fully agree with Karcer. I don’t want Feferi to hang out with someone like
that.”
Feferi looked up quickly, tears pouring down her cheeks. “Mom, no, please don’t
say that!”
“I will not take no for an answer, Feferi. You can find better people to hang
out with,” Candace said, her mind obviously fully made up.
Simon was about to speak next, but Karkat’s phone ringing in his pocket made
him stop. The room when quiet once more as Karkat pulled his phone out, looking
at the caller ID in horror.
“It’s- it’s Eridan,” he whispered, trying to get his voice void of any emotion.
“Answer it, KK,” Sollux said quickly, he and Terezi standing up and moving
around Karkat.
Karkat nodded and accepted the call, quickly turning it on speaker and holding
it out.
“Eridan?” he asked, voice hoarse.
“Wrong!” a female voice cackled on the other end. “Well, you’re not completely
wrong, because Eridan is here with me. Would you like to say hi to him,
Karkat?”
“Y-yes,” Karkat responded, his body visibly shaking. He prayed to whatever
deity there was that Eridan was still alive and okay. Fuck, he just wanted
everything to be a joke! Or even a dream.
“Oh, Eriiiiidaaaaaan, you have a caller,” she said, her voice growing further
away as another voice took her place.
“K-Kar?” a weak voice asked, sounding so broken already.
A sob escaped Feferi’s lips as she slapped a hand over her mouth, Sollux had a
look of pure horror on his face, and Terezi stood stock still, as if trying to
gauge where Eridan was. Tears slipped down Karkat’s cheeks at the sound of
Eridan’s voice.
“We’re going to get you, Eridan. You’re going to be okay,” Karkat whispered,
his bottom lip trembling.
A sudden scream from the other line made everyone in the room jump.
“ED!” Sollux shouted, unable to stop himself. He gripped Karkat’s shoulder,
needing something to hold onto.
“Now, don’t give him hope, Karkat. You need to realize that he won’t be getting
out of here alive; not if his dope of a father can’t even find him,” Melissa
said. It was clear as day that she was smiling on the other end, reveling in
her genius.
“Kar- 7685,” a weak voice called.
“What?” Karkat asked, confusion lacing his voice.
“Call i-” there was a sudden click as the line went dead. Karkat stood as still
as a pole, staring down at his phone in horror.
“She’s hurting him,” Sollux whispered, moving backward and sinking on the
couch.
The adults in the room were once more stunned stupid at what had happened,
however Regina didn’t stay that way for long. She sprung forward quickly,
“7685, call it Karkat. Use the area code for Eridan’s number, but the four
digits Eridan gave you. I have a feeling I know who it is that you’re going to
be calling.”
Karkat nodded, dialing the number Eridan gave him and pressing the speaker
button once more. The room fell silent once more as the phone rang, two times,
three times, f- “What do you want?” the voice belonged to none other than
Darian Ampora.
“Darian, it’s Karkat.”
“Karkat? How in the fuck did you get my number?” Darian growled, obviously not
wanting a call from the male.
“Eridan gave it to me,” the black-haired male responded. “I got a call from a
woman a few minutes ago, I think she’s torturing Eridan- but, but he gave me
the last four digits of a number and it happened to be yours. He wanted me to
call you.”
The line went silent for a brief moment, then, “Where are you?”
“Simon Captor’s. The address is 578 Maple Street, Apartment 5,” Karkat
responded, barely getting the full address out of his mouth before Eridan’s
father hung up.
Karkat then followed Sollux’s lead, moving back to the couch and collapsing
with a loud sigh. He didn’t want to think about Eridan and how it was all his
fault that his friend was in the situation he was. He heard sniffling beside
him and, looking over, saw tears dripping down Sollux’s cheeks. Terezi’s face
was void of emotion, though her hands were shaking violently. Karkat took his
friend’s hands, squeezing them tightly as he bit his lip, trying not to cry
again. He hated showing weakness like he was, especially in front of his
father.
“So Eridan’s father is coming?” Candace asked, resting her hands on her hips.
“Yes, Candace. Wasn’t that obvious from the call?” Regina answered for the
teenagers, knowing they needed time on their own, but also realizing the
parents weren't about to let something like that happen.
“Good, I’m glad he’s coming, because I’m really looking forward to giving him a
piece of my mind,” Candace growled.
“As am I. This man needs to know just how vile he is, and to think that he
tried to get his youngest to contaminate our children? Ugh,” Karcer shook his
head, a look of disgusting warping his features.
Simon, while extremely upset that his son hadn’t told him anything, couldn’t
find it within him to be as angry. He knew Sollux would make his own decisions,
plus the Ampora boy hadn’t put his son in any danger that he knew of. Sollux
never arrived home from school with bruises or cuts, instead he came home…
happy. They all had. Eridan coming into their lives changed them for the
better, not the worst. However, Simon knew he couldn’t say any of that to the
other parents. Of course, they would get the wrong idea and he would be cast
out as well.
“You two need to calm down. Keep in mind that this man’s son was just
kidnapped. Have a little compassion,” Regina growled, staring daggers at the
adults in front of her.
“I refuse to have compassion for gang members,” Karcer sniffed. Candace kept
her mouth sealed tightly, watching the door like a hawk.
Ten minutes passed before a loud banging could be heard at the door. Simon
moved quickly to answer it, not wanting to make Darian Ampora wait any longer.
The man pushed past Simon roughly, stepping into the space as his eyes landed
on Karkat. Before he could get a word out, however, Candace was jumping
forward, her hands extended toward Darian, wanting them to be covered in his
blood. Regina quickly intercepted, holding the woman back with slight
difficulty.
“How dare you get our children involved in your sinful life!” Karcer growled,
stepping forward.
Darian raised a brow. “For your information, I didn’t want them to be involved,
but I grew on the idea of my son having friends. They helped more than harmed.
Am I still a fan of him having friends? No. Now, if you’ll get out of my way,
my son was kidnapped, and I want answers.” He turned to Karkat once more. “The
woman you got a call from was Melissa Serket; she kidnapped Eridan tonight
after shooting him. He got a call from someone, despite the fact that I’ve told
him to leave his phone at home, and that distracted him long enough for her to
get at him. Vriska Serket is dead.”
The teenagers looked up at Darian with horror on their faces. Karkat gulped,
knowing he could very well die right there. “I was the one that called Eridan.
He usually sends out Facebook messages before he goes out to do something gang-
related. My internet went out, so I didn’t get the message. I called him with a
homework question, I heard him get shot. And then she called me again. Eridan
screamed so loud, and I know that she’s hurting him. He gave me your number to
call you before Melissa hung up, so I did it. Please, sir, we’ll do whatever we
can to help find him.”
The Ampora looked angry at first, but the anger melted off his face when he got
word that Eridan was being tortured. “Oh, God…” He ran a hand through his hair
roughly before looking at everyone with hard eyes. “None of you are to
interfere. My gang has this under control and, along those lines, you are not
to tell anyone about this, otherwise it’ll be your life. I don’t know who told,
but I’d say you’re lucky I’m not here to kill you.”
The room was silent as Darian looked around, making sure everyone heard him
loud and clear. He then turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door
behind him and leaving everyone behind in horrified silence.
                                      ^^^
“Whose number did you give Karkat, hmm?” Melissa Serket asked Eridan, standing
over him, with the heel of her shoe pressing into his abdomen.
Eridan hissed in pain, his eyes closing tightly. “Fuck… you…”
“Oh, don’t be like that, Eridan. You do know I could just look it up, right? I
mean, I’m assuming you were giving him your father’s number. It’s a shame he
won’t find us, he isn’t all that smart,” the woman laughed. “After all, he
couldn’t even find your mother in time. What makes you think he’ll find you?”
Eridan opened his eyes, his glasses askew on his face, making Melissa’s form
blurry. “He’ll find me. You aren’t as clever as you think, bitch.”
The smile on Melissa’s face fell at the insult, causing her to dig her heel in
further, making Eridan groan. “You’ll regret saying that. I’ll make sure of
it.” She then turned to the door. “Aranea! Come in here.”
Eridan looked around the room he was trapped in. The floor was concrete and
stained, with what, he wasn’t sure. There were no windows, signaling the fact
that he was more than likely in a basement; on his left there was a large metal
door that looked to lock from the outside.  He wondered just how many people
had been tortured and killed in the very spot he was in; it also made him
wonder if his mother had been in the exact same spot as he.  Eridan groaned
inwardly, knowing that he’d be lucky to escape on his own, but it didn’t look
too likely.
The large door opened with a screech, revealing Aranea. The blonde female
stepped into the room, a wide smile on her face. “Yes, mother?”
“Take all his rings off him while I grab the equipment we talked about,”
Melissa responded, taking her heeled shoe off of Eridan’s body and walking out
of the room.
Aranea stepped up to Eridan, the smile still present on her face. She knelt
beside him, grabbing a hand. Eridan sneered at her, trying to pull his hand
back. He didn’t want her to touch him, she was absolutely putrid, and he was
above her in every way- at least, that’s what he tried telling himself to get
past the fear growing inside him.
“If you keep trying to take your hand back, I’ll break your wrist and cut off
all your fingers. You don’t want that, do you?” the female asked, smile
dropping from her face for a brief moment.
Eridan’s breathing picked up slightly as he kept his hand completely still,
letting Aranea slide all the rings off his fingers before placing them in her
pocket. As soon as she finished, Melissa walked back in, carrying two black
bags.
“Aranea, help me set all of this up,” she said, slightly out of breath.
Her daughter nodded, standing and moving to help Melissa set up a video camera,
attaching it to a tripod and placing it in front of Eridan. Dread filled him as
he watched, knowing it was more than likely that he was going to die exactly
like his mother had. He wished he had gotten to say goodbye to his friends, his
father, and his brother. Jerome. The rest of the gang. There was so much he
hadn’t gotten to do, and would most likely never do thanks to the Serkets. The
only thing he had to hold onto was the fact that he had brought Vriska down
with him. No one would have to worry about her any longer.
Once Melissa and Aranea were finished setting everything up, they stood in
front of the teenager, their arms crossed over their chests as they looked down
at him. Like mother, like daughter.
“I’m sure you know what this means, Eridan. Darian and Cronus are going to get
to watch us have our fun with you while they search desperately. They’ll only
have a week until the grand finale and, after that, you’ll be dead. And then
we’ll go after your brother, and if Darian still can’t catch us, we’ll off him
too. Honestly, you should really blame your father for all of this. He’s going
to get you all killed,” Melissa said. “We’ll start tomorrow. Sweet dreams,
Eridan.” Without another word from Melissa, she exited the room. Aranea blew
the teenager a kiss before taking her leave as well.
Eridan jumped slightly as the door shut with the bang, the lock moving in place
before everything went silent and Eridan was trapped in the dark, left alone
with his racing heart.
***** The Police Chief's Daughter and The Hacker *****
The next day at school was torturous for Karkat, Terezi, Sollux, and Feferi. No
matter how hard they tried, they just couldn’t get Eridan off their minds
enough to focus in class. Instead, they spent most of the morning texting one
another, asking if any had heard about anything. Unfortunately, they hadn’t.

Karkat stared straight ahead in all of his classes, whatever the teachers had
to say going in one ear and out the other. He didn’t care. School wasn’t
important at that moment; Eridan was. He had been taken, and all he was doing
was sitting in school. He knew he should have been out looking or doing
something, but his father would have never let him off like that, especially
after the attitude he had pulled the night before. Karkat had always been an
angry child, but he’d never smarted off to his father so much. The same went
for the others. All of them had showed different sides of themselves- sides
their parents had never seen and definitely didn’t like.

The lunch bell eventually rang, sending most students happily to the cafeteria.
The four walked slowly to their table, sitting down and staring at the grains
in the fake wood. They didn’t speak to one another, though they all knew what
the other was thinking.

Feferi, however, was one that couldn’t stand silence, especially in stressful
situations. She looked up, tears in her eyes. The female had decided against
makeup that day, knowing it wouldn’t make any difference. She would have cried
it all off anyway. “I miss him.”

“Don’t fucking talk about him like he’s dead, Feferi,” Karkat snapped, glaring
at his companion.

“Snapping won’t help the situation, Karkat,” Terezi shot back, dark bags under
her eyes. Despite what Darian had said, she still continued helping her mother
find Eridan, but they had come up with nothing. They couldn’t even trace the
calls, meaning Melissa had definitely thought ahead with everything.

Karkat opened his mouth to retort, but before he could the speaker rang out,
signaling the fact that there was to be an announcement.

“Attention students; this is an important announcement with very bad news
attached. Last night, the body of Vriska Serket was discovered. Apparently she
had been involved in a hit and run.” Whispers, as well as a few cheers erupted
in the cafeteria. It proved just how bad Vriska was to the students of the
school. Terezi looked around, her eyes scanning the room for Aranea. She didn’t
expect the female to be there, but decided to search anyway. As she scanned the
area, her blue-green eyes landed on Cronus. He, too, had bags under his eyes,
though instead of a look of sadness on his face, anger was the main expression.
He looked up slowly once he realized he was being stared at. His blue eyes met
Terezi’s, anger residing in them.

Terezi tore her eyes away quickly. She hadn’t been the one to suggest the
school make an announcement- no, it had been her mother’s doing. Still, she
couldn’t help the feeling of guilt that overcame her. She was torn from her
thoughts as the principle began speaking once more. “Along with the news of
Vriska, we were also filled in that another one of our students, Eridan Ampora,
was kidnapped. As of right now, his whereabouts are unknown, so if any of you
have any information, please call 655-432-2265. Grief counselors will be in
tomorrow morning to help those that were affiliated with Vriska Serket. Thank
you.” There was then static and the speaker went quiet.

A pair of hands suddenly smashed on the table, causing the teenagers to jump,
looking up into the angry eyes of Cronus.

“What in the fuck are you guys thinking? I know my dad told you not to get
involved, and what are you doing?” the male growled lowly.

“We weren’t the ones that had the announcement made, Cronus; it was my mom.
Look, I get that you’re upset about Eridan, we are too, but we can help you.
Sollux is a damn good hacker and-” Terezi began, though was cut off by Cronus
throwing a hand up.

“No. Stop interfering.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked
out of the cafeteria.

The four grew silent until Sollux broke it by standing.

“Where are you going?” Karkat asked, concern lacing his voice.

“Darian’s. I’m going to get that fucker to listen to me no matter what. I don’t
care if you guys come with me or not, I’m going,” Sollux said, crossing his
arms over his chest.

The trio looked at one another, weighing their options. They knew that their
parents wouldn’t let them out of their sight after school, so the best time to
do something about the Eridan situation would have been during. Feferi stood
next, pushing in her chair and grabbing her backpack. “I’m in.”

“So am I,” Karkat declared.

“Fuck it, me too,” Terezi muttered, throwing her arms up and following the
others out. They moved out the back, traveling quickly to their cars. It was
easy to get away from the school undetected, plus students were leaving anyway,
using Vriska’s death as their excuse.

“KK, you can ride with me,” Sollux muttered to his friend as they all got into
their cars. They wasted no time in driving to Darian’s, nearly breaking laws
with how quickly they arrived.

Upon arrival, they noticed Cronus’ car in the driveway. It was clear he had
come home early as well, no doubt telling Darian about the announcement at the
school. The group gathered around Sollux’s vehicle, ready to talk about how
they were going to approach Darian. They knew he wouldn’t be too keen on them
showing up at their house and trying to help, especially in Karkat’s case.

“I say we just be upfront with him. If he knows we aren’t afraid, he might be a
little more willing to accept our help,” Feferi said with a shrug, her brown
eyes continuously drifting toward the large house.  It wasn't clear if she was
frightened or anxious to get the conversation over with.

“I agree with Feferi. Plus, we can bring up our strengths. My mom is on the
police force and I’ve done a lot of training, Sollux and his family are full of
hackers, and Feferi’s mom is absolutely loaded,” Terezi added, trying not to
look at Karkat, though nobody missed the fact that he wasn’t brought up. It was
clear that he didn’t have a single strength to bring to the table, which made
him feel absolutely useless in the situation he had found himself in.

“Let’s do this,” Sollux muttered, moving ahead of the others and stomping up to
the door, slamming his fist against the expensive wood.

It didn’t take long for Darian to answer the door. A five o’clock shadow
littering his face, his blue eyes empty, and his jaw set. He tensed noticeably
when he realized just who it was at the door.

“I don’t have time for this,” he growled, moving to shut the door; however,
Karkat moved forward quickly, throwing a hand out and stopping Darian.

“We need to talk to you, Mr. Ampora,” Feferi spoke up, her voice empty, but
harsh. It was obvious she really wanted what she was asking.

The man looked the others up and down before rolling his eyes, mumbling
something unintelligible under his breath as he stood to the side, letting the
teenagers in. They entered quickly, before he could think about changing his
mind.

Once the they were inside, Darian shut the door before rounding on them. “Now,
what do you want?”

“We think we can help, Mr. Ampora. Eridan’s our friend, as much as you don’t
want to admit it. He’s been there for us, and we want to be there for him,”
Feferi sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke.

“Oh? And your method of ‘helping’ is having your mother make an announcement to
the entirety of the school? I don’t know if you know this, but that can prove
to be fatal,” Darian growled.

“That wasn’t us, you complete fucking idiot!” Terezi shouted, losing her
patience entirely with Darian. She understand how much he was hurting, as she
had seen families with lost children; Terezi had seen people fall apart due to
missing kids. Darian was no different, other than the fact that Eridan going
missing was the result of gang activity. She wondered if he blamed himself for
it. “My mom issued it. She’s a police officer and a mother. She knows how much
Eridan means to us, and wants him found, too. Now if you’d just let us help
you, we could find him much faster!”

The man went quiet, avoiding eye contact with the others. It was clear he was
lost in thought, weighing the options of having people outside of his gang
helping him, especially due to the fact that one of the people there was the
reason his son was taken in the first place. Still, he figured that Eridan
would have wanted them to help; he would have wanted them to be included. It
was obvious Eridan cared for them as much as they cared for him. He rubbed his
calloused hand over his face, sighing, ready to give in; however, just as he
was about to, Cronus burst into the room, his eyes wide and wild.

“Dad, you need to get in here, now,” he said, voice hoarse. He paid no
attention to the others at the door and instead moved back into the room he’d
come from.

Darian moved quickly after Cronus, not speaking another word to the teenagers,
who decided to follow him. They didn’t care that they hadn’t been invited in;
Cronus looked absolutely terrified and they needed to know if it had anything
to do with Eridan.

With the small group in the living room, everyone went absolutely silent as
their eyes hit the TV. On the screen was Eridan, laying on the dirty ground. A
look of fear showed in his blue eyes as he looked around frantically, his chest
heaving. Feferi slapped a hand over her mouth, grabbing Terezi’s hand and
squeezing it tightly to keep from crying. What was in front of them was
something they’d never seen before- not even Terezi had witnessed it. It caused
all of them to freeze in place, unable to do a single thing.

Another figured moved into the shot on the screen- Aranea. It didn’t take
anyone in the room long to figure out she was putting rings on her fingers.
Most of them were simple gold bands, but others were more extravagant, with
violet jewels tinging them. Terezi realized what the female was doing before
anyone else. “She’s going to beat the shit out of Eridan, just like he did with
Vriska,” she whispered, eyes widening.

No one looked at her, though Feferi gave her hand another squeeze. Darian and
Cronus sunk down on the couch, unblinking and barely breathing as they watched
their son and brother watch his abuser helplessly. He looked so weak, which was
a position no one had seen him in. Eridan absolutely hated showing weakness,
especially in front of his enemies.

Aranea moved closer to Eridan, a sick grin on her face as she brought her hand
back before bringing it forward quickly, her fist colliding with Eridan’s gut.
He gasped in pain, eyes widening before closing as Aranea hit him again, though
her fist clashed with his face, breaking the skin on his cheek. The black-
haired male brought his hands up, desperately trying to shield himself from the
blows. Unfortunately, nothing he did worked, as Aranea continuously found
openings on the other.

The beating lasted ten minutes. Ten minutes of Eridan’s sharp cries and groans.
By the end, there were several cuts on his face, all of them oozing blood as he
brought himself into fetal position, hissing in pain. There was absolutely
nothing he could do though. Fight back? No, there was no way. He was too weak,
that had been proven early on. Eridan was absolutely helpless.

“Thank you, Aranea. Go ahead and clean up,” another voice spoke from behind the
camera.

Upon hearing it, Darian tensed noticeably, his hands turning to fists as
Melissa Serket walked to the front of the camera, kneeling next to Eridan. A
smile illuminated her features as she gripped him by the hair, pulling him up.

“Say hi to your Dad and brother, Eridan. You have an audience, you should
really smile,” Melissa said, her voice brimming with sarcasm.

Eridan’s eyes widened once more as he began struggling to get away; he didn’t
want to be seen. He didn’t want his father to think of him as weak for simply
taking Aranea’s beating. Of course, it was too late then. He’d probably watched
it. In fact, he was probably calling off the search for him. Why would someone
so weak deserve to be rescued? Tears filled his eyes, though he quickly began
blinking them away, trying hard to not fall apart. He didn’t want to fall
apart.

Melissa shoved the teenager away from her with a look of disgust, obviously
bored with him for the time being. She stood, walking to the camera and looking
into it, almost as if she could actually see Darian and the others surrounding
him.

“You have a week to find him, Darian; if you fail, then you get to watch him
die. The clock is ticking,” the woman giggled just as the camera shut off,
leaving the screen blank.

No one moved and no one talked for a while, stunned and horrified by what they
had seen. It was Sollux that moved into action first, laying his backpack on
the ground and pulling his laptop out.

“What are you doing?” Darian asked, snapping out of his own thoughts and
looking down at Sollux.

“I’m a hacker.”

“Okay? What does that have to do with my question?” Darian’s voice betrayed the
confusion that he was trying to mask as he watched Sollux move to the TV,
plugging in a few cords from his laptop and typing furiously.

“He’s going to try and find where the feed was coming from,” Terezi responded,
moving to Sollux’s side, hoping he would be able to find something. She tried
not to think about what she’d just seen and instead applied her emotions to
what Sollux was doing, helping him out as best as she could.

Cronus, Feferi, and Karkat stayed where they were, silent tears rolling down
their cheeks. Nothing was comprehending in their minds. They didn’t want to
believe what they just saw; they didn’t want to believe Eridan would be
tortured and potentially die if Darian didn’t find him in time. As everything
began hitting him fully, Karkat sank to his knees, choking back sobs as he ran
his fingers through his hair, tugging. He needed to get his mind off of
everything. He needed to forget; he didn’t want to think about Eridan.

“Karkat?” Feferi asked, her voice small as she moved to the male, sinking next
to him and wrapping her arms around his frame. Together the two of them slowly
fell apart.

Sollux, on the other hand, remained busy. He cursed loudly when he couldn’t
find anything. The blond slammed his laptop closed before turning to Darian.
“It’s obvious Melissa is going to be doing this again, so I need to be here. If
I’m actually present and tracking the address while everything is going on, I
can find her faster. There isn’t a trace of her right now. Let me do this,
Ampora. Please.”

Darian looked at the hacker with hard eyes for a moment before they fell
closed. He exhaled through his nose as he threw his arms up. “Fine. Do what you
must.”
***** Carvings *****
“Eridan, wake up,” a voice called out, forcing a groan out of the teenager. His
body ached, head pounding. He could feel the dried blood on his face cracking
as he winced, opening his eyes. Melissa stood in front of him, a smirk on her
face that Eridan had gotten used to.

“Are you ready to get started?” she asked, obviously not waiting for an actual
answer, as she stood up straight. Melissa moved to the camera, pushing the
record button before moving back to Eridan. “Is there anything you’d like to
say before we begin?”

He looked away, refusing to answer anything she asked, especially since he knew
his father and brother was probably watching. Plus, what was there to say?
Nothing he would say would make a difference. Melissa wouldn’t stop. He only
wished his death would come quickly. A sharp slap to the face jolted him from
any thoughts of death and back into reality; back into the world of pain. “So,
Eridan, I thought about all the things I could do to you. My mind went
absolutely wild last night just thinking of all the possibilities, but then I
thought why come up with new ideas? Why not just do exactly what I did to your
mother? I want to test something out with that, anyway. I’d love to see which
of you screams the loudest, or maybe which one of you dies first. Perhaps both?
It took your dear old mom four days to die; she just couldn’t hold out. Let’s
see if you can break that record,” Melissa said, a dark grin illuminating her
features in the worst way possible.

Tears filled Eridan’s eyes as he took in her words. Anger moved through him
before it quickly diminished to hopelessness. What could he do? Death meant
being reunited with his mother, right? He knew there was that to look forward
to if he didn’t make it out alive. He’d never given up so quickly in his life,
but he decided not to dwell on that fact too long.

While lost in thought, thinking about how nice the sweet release of death would
be, Melissa had grabbed a large knife. The blade glinting off the light brought
him back to reality yet again. His eyes widened as he shook his head, moving
back as best he could. It didn’t help that it felt like his entire body was on
fire, pain shooting through it every time he moved.

The woman moved forward quickly, gripping Eridan by the throat before slamming
him to the ground, his line of vision becoming unfocused slightly due to the
impact. The blonde used that time to rip his shirt open, right down the middle.
She pulled it apart quickly, using it to bind his hands together. She didn’t
want him moving too much- it would ruin the art. Eridan groaned slightly as he
found himself unable to move his hands. He had absolutely no way of protecting
himself.

Melissa laid a manicured hand on his chest, using it to hold him in place
better. She then positioned the knife better in her hand, pressing the blade of
the knife against his skin. Eridan gasped in response, his body tensing as he
prepared himself for the pain that was going to be issued.

The woman slashed at his skin slowly, wasting no time in getting started. She
began carving patterns into Eridan’s skin- making sure none were too deep; it
was only the second day after all. There was still so much to do. Eridan
gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn’t want to show any signs of
weakness. He didn’t want Melissa to feel the satisfaction.

“Tell me how it feels, Eridan. No, tell your Daddy how it feels,” the woman
laughed, knowing how much Eridan was hurting.

He shook his head, a few tears squeezing from his closed eyes and sliding down
his cheeks. Fuck, he didn’t want to cry. Despite the fact that he kept telling
himself it didn’t hurt and he didn’t care, it did. Eridan wanted it all to
stop. He wanted to go back to his friends. He wanted to be told everything
would be okay.

But it wasn’t okay.
 
                                      ^^^


Darian and Cronus watched the feed of Eridan on the TV, their faces grim as
they took in what Melissa was doing to him. Cronus couldn’t stop the tears that
gathered in his eyes, making their way down his cheeks. He wanted to help his
little brother, but couldn’t. He didn’t want Eridan to go through what he was.

Sollux sat near the TV, trying not to look at the screen. The blond didn’t want
to see the blood oozing out of Eridan’s body with every cut Melissa made, and
he didn’t want to hear the small groans of pain escaping him. He didn’t want to
see or hear any of it, but knew he had to endure it in order to find him.
Feferi, Karkat, and Terezi sat behind him, their eyes avoiding the screen as
well. The four had left school early once more, speaking with Regina to help
them cover everything up so their parents didn’t find out.

“Are you finding anything, Sollux?” Darian asked, his voice strained.

“Nothing yet. How long has the feed been on?” Sollux asked in response, his
eyes never leaving his computer screen.

“Ten minutes,” the man responded, checking his watch briefly.

“It hasn’t been long enough. I’m not getting a fucking thing from this; I need
to dig deeper.”

“Do whatever it takes. Cronus, are you okay?” he asked his other son, concern
on his voice. He wanted to take a break from watching what Melissa was doing to
Eridan. He couldn’t handle seeing his son in the position he was in.

Cronus shook his head. “What in the fuck do you think, Dad?”

Darian didn’t respond, instead he stood and walked out of the room soundlessly.
He needed some sort of escape, but couldn’t think of anything to do with his
time. Eridan plagued his mind, everything that had happened before he was
kidnapped haunted him. The man regretted not taking his sons' words into
consideration. He should have known it was a trap, but the thought of revenge
had been the strongest in his mind.

He ran a hand down his face, moving to the basement. Jerome. He needed to speak
with Jerome.

Darian went down the stairs quickly, stopping at Jerome’s door. He had never
been nervous before he spoke with the gang’s doctor, but he just got a bad
feeling. The man hadn’t seen nor heard from Jerome since he had gotten word
that Eridan had been kidnapped. The elder man had simply shaken his head and
left the room, as if he were a disappointed father. Darian hated that, he hated
feeling the way he did. And he hated the fact that it was clear Jerome probably
blamed him, especially because he blamed himself.

He knocked loudly before stepping back, waiting for a confirmation to come in.

“Yes?” a voice called from within.

“I need to speak with you, Jerome,” Darian responded.

A loud sigh met his ears, but footsteps soon replaced it. Soon enough, the door
opened, revealing a disheveled looking Jerome. His salt and pepper hair stood
up every which way, it was clear he needed a shave and two days worth of sleep.

“What do you need to speak with me about?” he asked, crossing his arms over his
chest.

“I- haven’t seen you around.”

“I refuse to watch what’s happening. I watched it happen with Margo, and I’m
not going to be able to bear seeing it with Eridan. I think of him as a
grandson, Darian; do you know how I felt when I heard he had been kidnapped? He
tried telling you no. He had a bad feeling about it, we all did, but you
refused to listen. You only think about yourself or those that have already
passed, Darian,” Jerome growled, venom in his voice.

Darian’s mouth dropped as if he had been slapped. Jerome had never spoken to
him in such a way, and he found himself surprised because of it.

“Margo wouldn’t have wanted any of this to happen, Darian. She would’ve wanted
you to let all of this go. You know she didn’t believe in revenge; and now- now
Eridan’s probably going to die because of you. If he does, you can expect me to
be on my way. I won’t stand by and watch something happen to Cronus as well,”
the man added, gripping the door frame.

“She would’ve wanted me to do something. Don’t act like you knew her Jerome! As
for Eridan, we’ll get him out of there. He’s strong, he’ll survive,” Darian
said, his face growing red with anger. The conversation with Jerome wasn’t
going the way he had planned. He hadn’t expected a fight.

“No, she wouldn’t have; you and I both know that, but you’re simply looking for
excuses. Your boys are what keeps this gang together, so expect a lot of us to
leave if you’re wrong… I hope he makes it out too, Darian, but you know how the
Serkets are. I can’t see him die, but there’s absolutely nothing I can do to
help. I’m only a doctor, other than that, I’m useless. Absolutely- useless.” He
shook his head before shutting the door in the other’s face.

Darian took a few steps back, letting everything Jerome said hit him. However,
instead of getting angry about it and confronting him, he moved back up the
stairs. He stepped into the living room, sitting on the couch and resting a
hand on Cronus’ thigh, trying to support him. The teenager’s blue eyes were
still glued to the TV, as if he couldn’t tear them away even though he
desperately wanted to.

“Cronus, go to the kitchen and get yourself something to eat, okay?” Darian
said, trying to keep his voice even. He didn’t realize tears were threatening
to spill out of his own eyes until it was too late.

Cronus simply nodded, standing up and going to the kitchen, almost as if he
were a robot doing only the simple things- only doing what would keep him alive
and nothing more.

“I need to go; my mom is starting to get really suspicious so I might not be
over for a few days,” Feferi muttered, speaking only to the teenagers, still
Darian decided to put in his two cents.

“I’m sure one of the others can keep you updated. If something comes up, you’ll
know Miss Feferi,” he said.

Feferi nodded, looking at the others and giving a small wave before heading
out.
Sollux ran a hand through his hair.  “This cunt is good at what she does.
Everything is almost impossible to get around, but I have found some sort of
trail. I’m not sure where it leads, but I’ll get it. I know I will,” he said,
taking a sip of an energy drink he had brought with him.

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Terezi asked, biting at her nails.

“It’s hard to say; I’ve never had to get through anything like this before,
especially in such a short amount of time.”

“And you’re sure you’ll be able to get it?” Karkat asked, suspicion in his
voice. It wasn’t that he doubted what Sollux could do, because he didn’t; it
was the fact that sometimes a large project took him a few weeks to get done,
and Eridan didn’t have that much time.

Sollux glared at Karkat for a moment before rolling his eyes. “Yes, KK, I’m
sure. Thanks for having faith in me.”

“You know that’s not what I meant, Sollux. I’m sorry I’m fucking freaking out
here,” Karkat shot back, feeling bad, but also not caring. Sollux didn’t need
to take everything personally.

“Do you not think I’m freaking out, too? KK, ED and I kissed. I really fucking
like him, and now this is happening, and I feel like I should do more. FF and
TZ feel the same, but we’re doing all we can. So, if you could stop being a
shit, maybe you could help us out and just shut the fuck up,” Sollux growled,
staring daggers at Karkat.

Karkat's eyes widened as he took in what Sollux had said, feeling hurt. He and
Eridan had kissed; even though it was clear as day that he liked Eridan as
well?  Not only that, but they had made a fucking pact.  Did that mean nothing
to Sollux?  He couldn’t stop the look of betrayal that overcame his face. “Un-
understood. I’m sorry; I should probably go. Text me if something else happens,
Terezi,” Karkat muttered, standing quickly and leaving without another word.
Tears tracked down his cheeks as he left the Ampora residence. He wasn’t angry
or hurt toward Eridan- no, all of it was directed toward his best friend. How
could Sollux have done something like that? 

He knew it was the worst time to be thinking about his feelings for Eridan,
considering the circumstances, but he couldn’t help it.
 
                                      ^^^


Eridan gasped in pain as Melissa finished her carving. His blood covered the
blade of the knife and moved down his body in tiny, thick rivers. Tears rolled
down his cheeks. He couldn’t help it, the pain grew to be too great. It was
impossible to hold them back.

“We’re almost done for today, Eridan,” Melissa said, the tone of her voice kind
and reassuring. The teenager wasn’t sure what to make of it. Why would she play
the kind card with him? She wanted revenge and nothing but that, so what was
the point? “There’s just one last thing that needs to be done.”

Eridan looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes. The silhouette of her was
absolutely terrifying to see, as he had lost his glasses at some point; he was
sure it was Melissa that had taken them. In fact, they were probably destroyed
or sitting in the trash somewhere. It gave the woman the perfect advantage over
him however; take his glasses and he won’t be able to escape.

The blonde’s leg shot out, colliding with Eridan’s face as he fell back, his
world going dark due to the impact.
***** Heartbeats and Rescues *****
A scream escaped Eridan’s mouth as Melissa held a flame to his flesh, scorching
it. It had been four days and he was falling apart completely; he had lost all
hope of being found and had fully accepted he would die where he was. Melissa
had done a spectacular job in helping him come to such a conclusion. He didn’t
see the point in holding anything back- tears, begs, and apologies. In all
actuality, he didn’t know why he apologized to Melissa. Wasting her time?
Crying in front of her? Killing Vriska? He wasn’t sure, but he simply didn’t
care anymore. The only thing on his mind was the pain and wishful thinking for
death.
“That’s right, tell your Dad how much it hurts,” the blonde crooned, a
sickening smile on her face. Eridan had gotten used to seeing it, as it had
become such a common thing in his life. He missed seeing the smiles of his
friends- Karkat’s scowl, Terezi’s cackle, Feferi’s wide grin, Sollux’s smirk.
He’d gotten so used to seeing them and didn’t realize just how much he would
miss them until they were gone- out of his reach forever. He wondered what
their expressions would contain if they saw him in the position he was in.
 Eridan wondered if they would cry.
The flame lapping at his skin brought Eridan out of his thoughts as another
scream escaped him. His back arched slightly, his head lolling to the side;
sweat poured down his temple as he tried to keep his eyes from rolling into the
back of his head. It was difficult to remain conscious, but he knew he had to.
If he didn’t, it would only mean more pain when he woke up. Eridan prayed his
heart would end up give out.
The intensity of the heat suddenly went away, Melissa growing bored of Eridan’s
reactions. She knew the week was beginning to come to a close and figured
Darian would be in for a surprise. She was tired of waiting for the mid-finale.
The woman turned to her daughter, who stood to the side in the room, simply
watching everything going on with an air of satisfaction.
“Aranea, it’s time to do what we talked about. Go get me the pail of water and
that old car battery,” the woman barked.
Aranea nodded, leaving the room quickly as Melissa put away her other things,
not caring about having her back to Eridan. She knew he would be of no use in a
fight. The teenager was absolutely useless in the condition he was in. The
woman had beaten him multiple times, carved into his skin with a knife, burned
him, and convinced him that everything was his fault, though the latter hadn’t
taken much convincing. She knew his mind was plagued as well. He was a broken
boy, which meant she had won. If Darian ended up finding him in time, he would
never be the same, and that was a fact.
Aranea came back into the room, holding a large pail of water, which was
promptly dumped on Eridan, creating a large puddle around him, as well as
soaking his person. He sputtered slightly, spitting out the water that had made
it into his mouth. He didn’t trust what else they had put in it, if anything.
He looked up at the females, watching them closely. Aranea then handed the car
battery to her mother, along with a few frayed wires. She flipped the switch on
the battery, listening as it started humming softly. Her gray eyes landed on
Eridan, a smirk moving to her face.
She then turned to the camera. “Let’s see how he fares with this, Darian.”
Without another word, she threw the battery into the puddle, moving out of the
way quickly and dragging Aranea with her.
Eridan’s body went rigid, shaking slightly. His eyes widened, saliva escaping
his open mouth. His face held an expression of unbridled pain. There was a loud
popping before everything went quiet, the teenager’s head lolling to the side.
                                      ^^^
“Oh my God! Dad, did they just-? Is he-?” Cronus couldn’t find the words to
speak as he watched his younger brother being electrocuted. He stared at the
lifeless looking body on the TV screen, horror on his face.
Darian held a hand over his mouth, standing quickly. His heart was racing,
unable to be calmed until he knew Eridan was still alive. He knew it was
selfish of him, as it was clear his son had been in pain, but he didn’t want to
lose his baby boy.
“Well fuck. Aranea, kick the battery out of the way; it seems to be dead
anyway,” Melissa said, clearly audible to those that watched.
Aranea did as she was asked wordlessly, jumping back as soon as she did so,
though her mother had been right about the battery being dead, dying at what it
had to do. Once Aranea had moved out of the way, Melissa moved forward,
dropping to her knees and checking Eridan’s pulse. With a soft tsk and a roll
of her eyes, she began doing CPR on him.
“No! She fucking killed him,” Sollux screamed, trying to stop himself, but he
couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t watch what was happening- he wanted to
stop, but couldn’t tear his eyes away. If Eridan was dead, he’d never be able
to fully move on.
Feferi began sobbing loudly, grasping Terezi, who had silent tears rolling down
her face.
“Eri, no! That fucking bitch. Fuck, Eri please come back. Don’t give up yet,
we’ll find you!” Cronus sobbed, speaking to the screen before his head dropped
to his hands, violent sobs overcoming him.
Tears fogged Sollux’s vision as he worked on finding the location. Even if
Eridan was gone, he’d still want to find the body. He couldn’t just give up; he
wouldn’t allow himself to. He typed, clicked a few times, and then it happened.
“Guys, I got it!” he exclaimed, turning to Darian, whose eyes flitted to the
blond male.
“Tell me where it is; now,” Darian growled, pulling his car keys from his
pocket.
“1322 Redwood Road,” the male responded.
The gang leader nodded. “Cronus, come along. We’ll get our revenge if he is
gone.” He quickly turned all-business, trying to push his emotions to the side.
He couldn’t let them get in the way; the last thing he needed was to see
Melissa get away again.
Cronus stood, picking up his gun from the end table. The two then left without
another word as Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux watched the screen with bated
breath.
“Come on, Eridan. You’re stronger than this. Your Dad is coming for you, please
don’t give up,” Terezi whispered, her voice raspier than usual due to the lump
in her throat. She had to believe he’d come back.
Her wish came true, as Melissa suddenly stopped pushing at Eridan’s chest when
he gasped, coming back to life with a deep groan of pain. New tears poured over
the old, though relief filled them. Eridan was okay and was going to be
rescued. Everything would end once Darian and Cronus came in.
“You got lucky this time, kid. Give it a few days and no one will be here to
revive you,” Melissa muttered, wiping her mouth.
“Wh-why did you revive me?” Eridan whispered, his voice empty save for the
agony that was clear on his voice.
“I need you alive, Eridan. I figured this was obvious,” the woman said with a
roll of her eyes, before standing up. “Not only is this getting to you, it’s
also getting to your pathetic excuse of a father. He must hate himself right
now over the fact that, no matter what he does, he can’t find you.”
“You're wrong, bitch,” Darian growled, not giving Melissa a chance to react
before shooting Aranea in the head. She hit the ground in a slump, motionless.
Melissa’s eyes widened as she stared at her deceased daughter, lying just as
Vriska had when she was killed. Anger quickly replaced the look of grief as she
grabbed for her own gun from its holster on her hip; however she didn’t get a
chance to shoot it, as Cronus shoved past his father, tackling the woman to the
ground and slamming her head into the concrete below a few times, not enough to
kill, but enough to knock her out.
Once they made sure she was downed, they moved to Eridan, who had passed out.
“He’s still breathing. Grab him, Cronus; I’ll get Melissa,” Darian muttered,
trying not to take notice of the wounds Eridan had received. He didn’t want to
cry at that moment; he had to make sure Eridan was fully okay. “We’ll drop
Melissa off and then go to the hospital. You can tie her up and give the others
a ride. Do you understand me, Cronus?”
Cronus nodded as he picked Eridan up bridal style, careful not to disturb him
too much. The last thing he needed was to cause his little brother more pain.
The men then left, throwing Melissa in the trunk, and Eridan in the back seat
before pulling away and going back to their place. Cronus got out, dragging
Melissa along. He was sure he had pulled her arm from its socket, but didn’t
care. She deserved it.
“I’ll see you at the hospital. If she wakes up, knock her out again, but don’t
kill her, Cronus. We can save that for Eridan,” Darian said quickly before
putting the car into drive and pulling out, zooming to the hospital.
Cronus dragged the blonde woman inside, opening the door to the basement and
throwing her down the stairs. Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux joined him.
“Where’s Eridan?” Feferi asked quickly, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
“We saw you take down Aranea and then you left.”
“Dad’s taking him to the hospital. I need to get this bitch tied up. Do you
three want to come with me?” Cronus asked.
The teenagers nodded, Terezi pulling her phone out of her pocket. “I need to
call Karkat and let him know. I’ll be right back.”
“Do you need help?” Feferi asked, her brown eyes glaring at the woman passed
out at the bottom of the stairs. The only word that came to mind that would
describe how she felt about Melissa was hatred. She hated her, and the only
person she’d ever hated had been her father. Feferi wanted to see the woman
dead, but not before suffering just like Eridan had.
“No, I’ve got her. If you could let Jerome know that we got Eridan, though,
that’d be great. He’s in his office. It’s down the hall and to the right,”
Cronus responded before making his way down the stairs. Sollux followed him
wordlessly, his eyes not leaving Melissa’s body. He shared the same feelings as
Feferi toward her.
Feferi moved away from the two, listening to Cronus’s directions and knocking
on Jerome’s door.
“Yes?” came a voice from within.
“Sir, I’m Feferi. Eridan’s been found; he’s on his way to the hospital now,”
Feferi responded through the door.
There was silence followed by quick footsteps on the other side of the door,
then it opened and Jerome appeared. “Darian found him?”
“Technically Sollux did, but Darian got him, yes.”
“Oh, good God!” the man exclaimed, running a hand over his face as tears filled
his green eyes. “How are you going to get to the hospital?”
“Cronus is taking us, though if you wanted to head out now, I wouldn’t mind
tagging along,” Feferi said with a shrug, eager to get out of the house. She
needed to see Eridan- or at least know for sure he was okay.
Jerome nodded. “Okay, come along.” He went back inside his room, grabbing a
jacket and keys before moving out of the room, shutting the door behind him
tightly. Feferi followed him closely to the car.
                                      ^^^
Darian, Cronus, Jerome, Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux stood in the waiting room,
too restless to sit. Eridan had been in surgery for an hour- an hour of
suffering for those who loved him.
Their attention was taken away from the ER doors as Karkat ran in, breathless.
“Is he okay?”
“Karkat!” Feferi exclaimed, running to him, fresh tears in her eyes. “He’s
still in surgery.”
“I got here as fast as I could; I’m sorry it took so long. My dad’s being a
piece of shit again, surprise surprise,” the black-haired male muttered with a
roll of his brown eyes.
“You haven’t missed anything,” Terezi muttered, finally sitting down after
pacing for so long. She ran a hand through her black and red hair; waiting was
getting tiring, they couldn’t keep it up.
At that moment, a doctor stepped out of the ER section, holding a clipboard.
“Ampora?”
Darian moved to the woman quickly, his brows raised as his heart began pounding
once more. He felt as if he were going to throw up; he was terrified to hear
the news, but excited at once. His son was a fighter, and that was clear as
day. Cronus and Jerome came up behind him, the others hanging back, though
straining to hear what was being said.
“His injuries are extensive; multiple lacerations, burns, broken bones, and
more. He seems to have suffered from electrocution, which brings up a problem,”
the doctor began.
Darian’s breath caught in his throat, rendering him unable to speak.
“What’s the problem?” Jerome asked in place, his voice wavering.
“The amount of voltage used should have killed him permanently- it obviously
didn’t, but his heart is severely damaged.”
“What are you saying?” Sollux asked, also stepping forward. He hated how
cryptic the doctor was being.
“Depending on the activities Mr. Ampora does, he only has five years to live
until his heart gives out completely.”
***** Breaking the News *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The room went silent as the group took in what the doctor said.
“Is there anything you can do?” Feferi asked softly, tears filling her eyes
once more.
“He can be put on a transplant list; unfortunately that’s the only way we’ll be
able to save him,” the doctor responded, his voice sounding grim. It was easy
to tell he didn’t want to be the one giving everyone the news. “Eridan will be
awake in a few hours; he’s stabilized and will have to wear a heart monitor so
we can keep everything under control if he overexerts himself. If he’s on any
sports teams, it would be wise to get him out of them.”
“Where’s the transplant list I can sign?” Darian suddenly asked. His face had
paled quite a bit and it was clear he was fighting back tears.
“Over here, sir,” the doctor responded, gesturing for Darian to follow.
As soon as the men left the group, Cronus turned to the others. “Who should
tell him?”
“I feel like your father should, but from how determined he looked, I don’t
think he’s going to want to,” Jerome muttered, crossing his arms over his
chest.
“You mean he’d actually try and keep this a secret from Eridan?” Terezi
exclaimed in disbelief.
Jerome nodded, averting his eyes away from the others as if he were ashamed of
Darian. “Yes, but we can’t have that happen. Eridan needs to know what’s going
on with his own body, otherwise he could overexert himself and not know what’s
going on. Fear would only make things worse.”
“I’ll tell him,” Sollux piped up, pushing his hands into his pockets. He didn’t
know how he would bring it up, but there had to be some way.
“Perhaps it would be best if one of you were to bring it up. Just don’t show
too much sadness around him, because that will affect him badly; be calm,
okay?” Jerome said, though stopped talking completely when Darian walked back
in, stopping next to Cronus.
“Nobody is to tell Eridan about this, do you understand?” he asked, voice low
and threatening.
“With all due respect, isn’t that the wrong thing to do?” Terezi asked, her
blue-green eyes hard as she stared the man down.
“No, it isn’t. This will help protect him; Eridan doesn’t take things like this
well,” the man responded, wasting no time with Terezi. “When the time comes for
us to be able to see him, Cronus, Jerome, and I will go first. After that it
should just be one or two at a time. Is that clear?”
Everyone nodded wordlessly, not wanting to argue with Darian on the matter.
Once the man had seen confirmation from everyone, he turned and walked to the
bench, running his hands over his face before letting his head fall forward.
Jerome sighed, looking at Sollux briefly before joining Darian on the bench.
The others stayed where they were, huddling close together.
“So am I going to be the one to tell him?” Sollux asked quietly.
“I think you should, but I could potentially say something if you wanted me
to,” Terezi responded with a shrug. “We both know I’m better with words, plus
Eridan and I have talked quite a bit. I was the first one of us to find out
about the gang- save for my mother.”
“Okay, so Sollux tells Eridan and if he can’t, Terezi will. Sounds good to me,”
Cronus muttered, though he kept his eyes downward, biting at his bottom lip.
 He was aware he would never be able to tell Eridan such a thing.  His brother
had survived being tortured only to be told he had a defective heart.
Feferi rested her hand on Cronus’s arm. “How are you holding up, Cronus?”
“My little brother was just tortured and now he’s on a fucking transplant list.
How do you think I’m holding up?” he snapped, glaring at Feferi for a moment,
who brought her hand back to her, though his anger was short-lived as, soon
enough, his shoulders slumped. “Eridan’s always been the strong one; he’s even
proven to be stronger than dad because he doesn’t let anything get to him-
he’s…” the teenager trailed off as tears began dribbling down his cheeks. “I
just don’t want anything to happen to him.”
The others stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Sure they hadn’t known Eridan
nearly as long, but they still felt an attachment. They loved him and didn’t
want any harm to come to him.
“We all just need to be here for him,” Karkat said softly. “We need to make
sure he knows he’s loved.”
                                      ^^^
The Amporas and friends had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, simply
waiting for the moment they could see Eridan once more.
Terezi stood, reaching her arms over her head in a stretch; there were a few
cracks as she sighed, turning to the others. “Do any of you want coffee?”
“I’ll take a cup,” Jerome said, dark circles forming under his eyes.
“Me too,” Cronus said, raising a hand.
“Same,” Sollux added, running a hand through his hair.
“Got it. I’ll be back,” Terezi said before turning and walking toward the
cafeteria.
Cronus and Jerome went back to not speaking, simply sitting in their seats and
staring either straight ahead or at the plain white floor. No one wanted to
talk about the future and what would happen with Eridan. They all knew it would
be awhile before he bounced back… add on the fact that he was on a wait list
for a heart transplant, and they knew he would only go downhill; there had to
be something they could do.
The silence was broken when Karkat’s cellphone began ringing, dragging everyone
from similar thoughts.
“Fuck, it’s my dad. I really hope Regina covered for me like she said she
would. I need to take this,” he said, standing and walking out of the hospital.
The cool air hit him as soon as he walked out, traffic speeding past. He only
hoped Karcer wouldn’t question it. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” Karcer’s voice practically boomed on the other line.
“I’m at Regina’s, dad. I thought I told you that,” he responded with a sigh.
“Oh, just making sure. I need you back home, so have Regina give you a ride,
unless you want me to pick you u-”
“No, that’s fine. Regina will drive me over. I’ll be there soon, dad.” Karkat
hung up without another word before going back inside. He walked straight up to
Feferi, running a hand through his hair. “Feferi, can you give me a ride home?”
“Your dad wants you back?”
“Yeah, and I need to get back before he does. He thinks I’m at Regina’s.”
The female sighed, flipping her long hair over her shoulder as she stood.
“Yeah, I’ll take you home. Let me know if something comes up, Sollux. Come on,
Karkat.” She then lead the male out of the hospital, leaving Jerome, Darian,
Cronus, and Sollux alone. Sollux cleared his throat awkwardly, wondering if
there was anything he needed to say, but coming up blank. No conversation
starter would be good enough.
Instead, the group went back to silence until Terezi came back, handing out
coffees and taking a seat. “Where’s Feferi and Karkat?”
“KK had to go home, so FF offered to take him,” Sollux responded, taking a sip
of the scalding black liquid.  While it seared his tongue, it also did enough
to wake him up, which was exactly what he needed.
Terezi nodded, peeking at the others before sighing softly. “So, this might be
a bad time to bring up, but I’m sick of waiting in silence. These thoughts just
keeping coming up, and I’m sick of them… You really kissed Eridan?”
Sollux nearly choked on his drink, obviously not expecting Terezi to bring the
kiss to the table. “Yeah, why?”
“Just wondering,” she went silent once more, chewing at her bottom lip softly.
“I kissed Feferi.”
“Wait, what?” Sollux asked, eyes widening.
“Yup, right on the lips.”
“When?”
“The same day you kissed Eridan. We were going to bring it up when Eridan came
back to school but, y’know… Her and I are dating, Sollux,” Terezi said,
offering the other a small smile. She hoped positive news would be enough to
lighten everything going on. At least, it made her feel happy. Her and Feferi
hadn’t spoken much since everything happened, due to the intense stress levels
and anxiety brought forth, but it was still a factor that kept Terezi together
and strong for her friends.
“Well, congratulations, TZ; that’s really great.” Sollux smiled, trying to be
supportive, but it was hard to do so when his potential boyfriend had only five
years to live max. “I hope ED and I make it that far- if he even wants to date
me after all this.”
“I don’t think you should give up on him. He does really like you; but I also
think you should bring the kiss up to Karkat. You really caught him off-guard
when you spilled the beans like that.”
“I know, I know, and I feel really bad about it. Honestly, me saying anything
was an accident. I was just freaking out, and I didn’t have it in me to stop
KK. Does that make me a bad person?”
Terezi offered a teasing smile. “No, it makes you a damn idiot, but hey, we all
knew you were.”
He nudged her, rolling his eyes dramatically, but smiling anyhow.
Their conversation was cut short by a nurse walking into the room, looking
tired and slightly frazzled. “Ampora?”
The group automatically stood up, stepping forward.
“Yes?” Darian asked, an impatient tone to his voice.
“Eridan is ready for visitors. Two at a time, please. He’s still woozy and very
confused, though isn’t in any pain. Honestly, he’s doing a lot better than we
thought he would be, but it would still be better to take it easy and slow with
him. Don’t jump at him and stay quiet, alright?” the nurse explained sternly.
Darian nodded. “Of course, of course. Where is he?”
“Are you going alone?”
Darian looked back at Cronus and Jerome, the latter stepping back. “You two are
blood; Cronus can go before me.”
The nurse nodded. “Very good, right this way, please.” The two followed her
into the patient ward, walking down the hallway and taking a left before
reaching a door labeled 345A. She opened the door slowly, stepping in and
holding it open for Darian and Cronus. Father and son looked at one another,
both shaking in anticipation and fear.
The eldest Ampora stepped in first, sharply in-taking a breath. Eridan didn’t
look good, though no one would after being tortured for almost a week. Various
machines were hooked up to him through wires, his eyes closed and hands by his
side, the white from the room and hospital gown washing out his pale face.
Needless to say, he looked very different from before. Darian tried to will
away the tears in his eyes. Cronus followed, having a similar reaction, though
he couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
“Eridan,” the nurse began softly. Eridan’s blue eyes fluttered open,
automatically going over to the source of the voice. “Your father and brother
are here to see you, okay?”
He swallowed, though managed a nod as his eyes moved to his father. Once the
nurse was sure everything was okay, she left the room, closing the door behind
her and walking away. Darian moved to sit next to the bed, resting his hand on
Eridan’s arm.
“How are you feeling?” the man asked.
Eridan shrugged, swallowing a few more times before speaking, “Weak, tired,
hungry.”
Darian couldn’t help but smile, happy Eridan hadn’t dissolved into tears,
though he assumed it was due to the morphine and confusion of waking up in the
hospital.
“Well, you can rest soon, okay? And when you get out of here, Jerome will fix
you a nice meal,” Darian responded. He’d never fully been soft with either of
his sons, not even around Margo. She’d always been the concerned and
understanding parent; however, after everything that happened, Darian couldn’t
help but want to change his ways. He had almost lost his youngest son due to
his carelessness.
“As long as it’s fish,” Eridan murmured softly, the corner of his mouth lifting
slightly.
Cronus moved behind his father, trying to wipe away his tears. “Hey, Eri.”
“Hey, Cro,” Eridan responded, his eyes finding Cronus' face slowly.
“Everyone’s here for you.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah; I mean, Feferi had to take Karkat home, but other than that, everyone
else is here,” the male said with a smile, sitting on the arm of Darian’s
chair.
“Do- do they know what happened?” he asked, looking away. He was ashamed and
would absolutely hate it if they had seen anything. Eridan didn’t want them to
see just how weak he was.
Cronus and Darian looked at one another, Cronus biting his lip and looking
down. Darian ran a hand through his slicked back hair, sighing. “Yes, Eridan,
they know what happened. It was your friend, Sollux, that was able to pinpoint
exactly where you were.”
Eridan nodded, inhaling a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before
exhaling. “What do they think of me now?”
“They still care about you, Eri. They never stopped caring,” Cronus said.
He nodded once again. “Good.”
“Would you like to see them and Jerome?”
He nodded once more, the soft smile returning to his face. While smiling he
didn’t look as bad, it looked like he held hope for his own recovery. Darian
and Cronus couldn’t help but return it.
“Okay, we’ll get out of here then. Both of us desperately need sleep, but we’ll
be here later on to check up on you, okay?” Darian said, moving his thumb in a
comforting motion along Eridan’s bandage clad arm.
“Alright. Thanks, dad.”
“We love you, Eridan,” Cronus said, sending another smile Eridan’s way before
leaving the room.
Eridan sat back, hating the feeling of the hospital bed, hating the overly
clean white that was everywhere, and hating the fact that he couldn’t just be
out; though he knew it was much better than being locked up in Melissa’s
basement and suffering through pain every minute of every day. Yeah, things
could’ve been much worse for him.
The door opened once more, Feferi and Sollux stepping in. Eridan’s eyebrows
furrowed, noticing the fact that Jerome hadn’t come in. Feferi quickly picked
up on his confusion, shooting him a quick smile. “A patient came in with a
screwdriver sticking out of his gut and Jerome decided to help out; he really
is the doctor, huh?” He couldn’t miss the tears glinting in her eyes, begging
to be released.
“ED, before we get too far into this, I need to tell you something,” Sollux
said, looking nervous as he stepped further into the room.
“Yeah?”
Sollux took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to go about
telling Eridan. He couldn’t figure out the words, so decided to just come out
and say it. There was no other way to put it anyway. “When Melissa electrocuted
you, y-”
“How do you know about that?” the teenager asked quickly, eyes growing hard.
“What do you mean?”
“How do you know exactly what Melissa did to me?”  
“We were right there, ED. I was trying to hack the camera she was using and
track down where she was,” Sollux said, confusion lacing his voice and causing
his lisp to grow thicker, though he supposed it could’ve been due to the fact
that he was so nervous.
Eridan had known his friends knew about what had happened, but he wasn’t aware
they had seen all of it. He had figured it was just his father, Cronus, and
Jerome. The fact that they had seen him completely fall apart killed him
inside. His heartbeat picked up, registering on the monitor as well.
“Are you okay, Eridan?” Feferi asked, her voice wavering slightly.
“Um, y-yeah. I’m fine,” he responded, trying to get his breathing under
control.
It took a few moments, Eridan closing his eyes and concentrating. He didn’t
want to freak out in front of Feferi and Sollux, especially after everything
they had already seen. Soon enough though, the monitor was back on track,
beeping every once in awhile, signaling the fact that he was okay.
“That’s not it, though. When she electrocuted you, something happened to your
heart. You- you died, ED. Melissa was able to bring you back, but- oh, fuck it,
you only have five years to live unless you get a heart transplant,” Sollux
spoke quickly, hoping his words weren’t jumbled together like they sounded in
his head.
Eridan’s eyes widened, taking in what Sollux had said. Five years? That wasn’t
enough time to do anything with his life, though he always expected he would
die young- being a gang leader's son set that in stone. He would only live to
be twenty-one.
“Are you lyin’ to me?” Eridan asked in disbelief, his voice shaking slightly.
The heart monitor steadily began going into over-drive, the beeping quickening
and increasing in volume.
“No, we wouldn’t lie about this, Eridan. I’m so sorry. We’ll be here for you
though, okay? We’ll always be here,” Feferi jumped in, her hands visibly
shaking as she tried consoling her friend.
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get. Out,” the raven-haired teenager growled through gritted teeth. He needed
to be alone, needed to think about things.
“Come on, FF, listen to what he’s saying. We’ll be back later,” Sollux said
softly to Eridan, grabbing Feferi’s arm and dragging her out of the room. Once
the door shut behind them, Feferi dissolved into tears, clutching Sollux for
support.
“Darian was right; we shouldn’t have told him,” she whispered, her face buried
in his neck.
“Yeah, I’m starting to feel that way too.”
Chapter End Notes
     Exciting news, guys! My fiance is going to start drawing panels for
     this story! He's starting with the first chapter and working his way
     up, so look back and expect panels to be showing up soon! I'm really
     happy all of you are enjoying this and wowie, over 100 kudos and
     1,000 hits! That's so amazing, guys! Thank you all so much for
     sticking with this and at least checking it out. You're all great<3
     On another note, if any of y'all want to request a one-shot, I'm
     open.
***** Welcome to the Family *****
Chapter Notes
     **This is on a small hiatus due to Oliver catching up with panel
     drawing. Right now he's working on panels for chapter six. Don't
     worry, I am writing the next chapter, so once they're finished I'm
     going to update.**
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Staring up at white ceilings grew tiring after awhile, but Eridan couldn’t give
anyone the time of day. He didn’t pay any attention to his family or friends,
instead counting the tiles and then grains of the ceiling, never blinking. The
fact that he only had five years- less if he were considering the life he lead-
terrified him. He began second guessing himself and his choices. Did he really
want to pick up the gang once his father was out of the picture? Was that truly
the life he wanted? Eridan always thought of pursing art or history as a child,
when his mother was around. She would have never wanted her sons to become
leaders of a notorious gang, and yet, the moment he’d heard word of her death,
he vowed to take over. Of course, at that point, he’d been fueled by his hatred
for the Serkets and the thirst for revenge, but they were out of the picture.
What else was he to do?
He could hear his friends trying to speak to him, calmly at first, but growing
more and more desperate as the days went on. All they wanted to do was reach
him, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer. Eridan feared he would break down
in front of them; but they had already seen way too much weakness. They saw him
being tortured and realized how quickly he had given up on life. He never
wanted them to see him in such a position again. He had to be strong for them.
The nurse described his silence as shock, something that was common in PTSD,
which was what Eridan was suffering from. He supposed she was correct, as
nighttime was the worst. He kept seeing Melissa standing at his bed, a wide
grin on her face as she held up the car battery that should have killed him for
good. Instead, it left him with a fucked up heart and no motivation to actually
live. It was clear she had won. No, he wasn’t dead, but he would always
remember what she did to him.
When his friends and family weren’t trying to get through to him, therapists
were. Eridan had to be assigned three or four to speak with him- though he
never said a word. What was there to say? What was the point in anything? The
most they would do is try to understand him, but how could they understand
someone that had been tortured for four days.  The most they could do for him
was prescribe pills that he had no plans of taking. Eridan only hoped his
father wouldn’t force him to take them.
After two weeks of the same thing- staring at walls, therapists, and people
trying to get through to him- the doctor finally gave the green light in Eridan
being released. He had six prescriptions to pick up and plenty of follow-up
appointments, but he was free to go home and then school after another week.
The teenager could’ve whooped with joy if he cared enough to. In all reality,
the hospital wasn’t the worst place to be. Visitors had a limited time with
patients, whereas Eridan could be bothered at anytime at home. If he could’ve,
he would’ve begged the doctors to let him stay forever- confined to a hospital
room, doomed to stare at ceiling tiles; but it kept him from having to speak
with anyone. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, which was what everyone
else wanted to do.
Still, he tried to push all of his feelings to the forefront when he was
released. He didn’t want to be a husk of the person he used to be, especially
not around the others. However, all he could feel was the doom inside of him,
struggling to make its way out and rip him apart like Melissa had done to his
exterior. Eridan knew his behavior could cause everyone he loved to leave him,
but maybe it was for the best. Maybe he deserved to be left alone for the rest
of his short life.
In the end, he pushed all the feelings down, put on his best poker face, and
refused the wheelchair the doctor tried to force on him. He wanted to walk out
of the hospital with his back straight and chin held high. Eridan wanted to
show that his scars weren’t a sign of weakness, they were a sign of his
battles- though that just sounded stupid, it was something he held onto.
When he exited the room, everyone was waiting for him, looking nervous, though
they held smiles on their faces. Eridan could tell they were afraid of what had
happened, they were afraid for him; hell, maybe even of him. He kept his chin
held high as he looked at all of them one-by-one. Darian rested a hand on the
small of his back, almost as if to reassure him, though it didn’t do much good,
as the teenager jumped slightly, his tough facade ruined in that moment.
Terezi and Sollux moved forward first, Feferi and Karkat hanging back as if
they weren’t sure whether or not to approach him.
“You’re out!” Sollux exclaimed with a smile. He reached a hand out, as if he
were going to pat the other’s shoulder or give him a hug, though thought better
of it, letting it drop back to his side.
Eridan simply nodded, not having much else to say. Why was he stating the
obvious?
Terezi looked to Darian. “Do you have any plans?”
The man looked confused. “Plans?”
She rolled her eyes before leading the man away. “Yes, plans. Like a welcome
home party or something.”
“Oh.” Darian scratched at his chin before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think
Eridan would like that too much. You know how closed down he’s been.”
Throughout the past two weeks, the teenagers and Darian had grown closer. He
had fully come to accept them, though it had taken time. Terezi had been the
one to force him to take a step back and reevaluate how he was treating
Eridan’s friends. It had taken him another week to apologize, admitting he was
in the wrong. It was something the group was surprised about- Terezi having
practically forced the leader of a gang to apologize for something; though it
wasn’t all that far fetched, as the female was the daughter of Regina Pyrope.
“Yes, but maybe a party is what he needs to open up more. If not you, then
Sollux and I were talking about having a party at Simon’s. He and my mom are
the only ones cool with Eridan, so they’ll be the only ones to know about it.
Simon said he’s going to tell the other parents there’s a simple get-together.
I think it’ll be good for him, Darian,” Terezi responded, crossing her arms
over her chest.
Darian looked to his son, watching as Sollux tried speaking with him, earning
only one word responses as a result. “If you truly think you can break him out
of this, then go for it. Not yet, though. He’s only been on his medication for
a few days and the doctor said it will take about a week to fully kick in.”
“That’ll give us time to plan, then. Thank you!” Terezi exclaimed quietly, a
large grin on her face, exposing all of her teeth. She then moved back to the
others, leaving Darian to wonder why he ever apologized to her in the first
place. “So, Eridan, when will we see you at school again?”
He shrugged, blue eyes looking tired and showing mild disinterest. “I dunno,
probably a week.”
“Whale, we’re glad you’re fin-ally out!” Feferi said, a smile on her face,
though it still didn’t reach her eyes.
Eridan appreciated the fact that she was trying, though. He turned to his
father, ready to get out of the hospital, pick up his medication, and go home
to his bedroom. He was simply ready to sleep in his own bed and stare at his
own belongings. Things would be different, though. His room wouldn’t be the
same, nor would the house. He would have to worry about medication that it was
clear his father would make him take, he had to keep in mind that he had a
heart monitor attached to him that needed to stay there at all times- well,
aside from in the shower. Eridan didn’t need to be electrocuted again.
“Are you ready, Eridan?” Darian asked, joining the others.
He nodded, looking at the others, knowing he needed to say something
meaningful. His friends had stayed by his side for two weeks, disobeying their
parents and putting their lives at risk for even being seen with Darian. But he
couldn’t find the words. Nothing sounded good enough in his mind and his mouth
suddenly felt dry. Capturing his bottom lip between his teeth, Eridan thought
for a few more seconds before figuring out the best thing to say. “I’ll see you
guys later.” No, it wasn’t award-winning, but it was something. He was at least
hinting at the fact that he’d see them once more. Eridan wouldn’t leave them in
the dust.
Without another word, Darian and Eridan left. The two headed to the car at a
slower pace than usual due to Eridan’s injuries. He had to get used to walking
once more, though he’d done a little while in the hospital, it wasn’t as much
as he normally did. Eridan found himself slightly out of breath by the time he
and his father had reached the Mercedes. He was pleased that the heart monitor
wasn’t going crazy, however. The doctor had said too much activity at once
could send it into overdrive, but Eridan was sure he didn’t mean a short walk
to the car.
“Are you good to get in on your own?” Darian asked, his voice softer than
Eridan had ever heard it.
“Yes, Dad. I can manage on my own, thanks,” Eridan responded, his voice holding
a mocking tone. He opened the door, taking inhaling a quick breath before
ducking in, practically falling into place on the seat. A long cut on his side
didn’t appreciate the sudden movement too much and Eridan prayed the stitches
hadn’t burst as he didn’t want to have to go back in the hospital, especially
not when his friends were probably still inside talking about him and how
fucked up he was now.
“Eridan? Are you alright?” his father asked, already in the driver’s seat.
The teenager nodded quickly, waving his hand slightly as he reached a hand to
his side and felt around, letting loose a sigh of relief when he didn’t feel
anything damp. Surely his shirt would’ve been soaked through if the stitches
had ripped. With a roll of the eyes, Eridan put his seat-belt on before sitting
back and waiting for Darian to leave the hospital parking lot. The man stared
at the other for a few more moments before shaking his head and starting the
car, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the pharmacy.
“Cronus and Jerome are going to be waiting for you. Cronus had to study and one
of the gang members were hurt, so Jerome had to stay and get him patched up,”
Darian said, obviously trying to make conversation. Eridan didn’t know why he
was bothering. Darian Ampora had never bothered with small talk. Had the
teenager being tortured really changed him that much? It didn’t seem likely,
but Eridan had a feeling he would have to accept his ‘new’ father.
“Sounds good to me,” Eridan muttered in response.
Darian sighed. “Please don’t be this way, Eridan. I’m trying and so is Cronus
and your friends. Shutting us out isn’t going to help.”
“Yeah, trust me, I’ve heard all of that from my therapists. Are you really
goin’ to make me take those meds?”
“Of course I am. You need them and it’s obvious. If you don’t like it or
refuse, I’ll gladly hold you down and shove them down your throat,” the man
responded, voice growing harsh.
“Whatever, Dad,” Eridan growled, though he couldn’t help the smirk that graced
his features at his father’s response. It was pleasing to know he wasn’t all
good and still had his old qualities to him. The teenager wondered if the same
would hold true for him and his future.
The two drove in silence, first to the pharmacy to pick up his medication and
then home. They got out of the car wordlessly and headed to the door together,
Darian opening it first and walking in. “Cronus, Jerome; we’re back!”
Eridan followed, taking slow steps inside. His body was beginning to ache,
making him wish he had access to morphine to make the annoying throbbing go
away. Unfortunately, there was no way he could ask for some, especially since
Jerome kept it all under lock and key, only allowing people to have it if they
seriously needed it. Eridan didn’t fall under that category. He stayed quiet as
Cronus made his way into the room, freezing when his cool blue eyes landed on
Eridan.
“Eri?” he asked, voice soft.
“Yeah, who the fuck else would it be, Cro?” Eridan shot back, voice annoyed,
but secretly pleased his brother seemed happy to see him.
“Eri!” The elder Ampora child ran forward, his arms moving around Eridan in a
loose hug. Eridan couldn’t help but focus on how warm the embrace was. God, he
needed it; he enjoyed it. There was a large part of him that wished he had
hugged Sollux- just hugged him and fell in his arms. Fuck, maybe even kissed
him as well. But he didn’t and there was a reason. Getting close to people
would only harm them. It was something else he had thought a lot about in the
hospital. The fact that, no matter what, it could’ve easily been one of his
friends or family. How could he have been so selfish?
“Hey,” he said, patting Cronus’ back a few times before awkwardly stepping
away. He didn’t miss the hurt look on his brother’s face as he pulled away,
making him feel even worse. “I’m tired, so I think I’m goin’ to sleep.”
“Do you need help getting up the stairs?” Darian asked, shirking off his
jacket.
“No, I’ve got it… thanks,” Eridan answered, distracted by walking to the
staircase and looking up, hating the fact that the Ampora residence was so damn
huge. With a deep breath, he began the slow descent up the stairs, feeling
Darian and Cronus’ eyes on him the entire way, as if he would suddenly fall and
start convulsing.
By the time he had made it up the stairs, Eridan was practically heaving, sweat
gathering at his brow. He stood by the wall, away from the stairs, trying to
catch his breath. However, a knocking from downstairs distracted him. He leaned
on the banister slightly, waiting to hear who it was. A gravelly voice suddenly
rang in the air, no doubt Terezi was there. He wondered if anyone else had
showed up with her.
“Hey, Darian. I know we just saw one another, but I really wanted to check on
Eridan. Is he okay?” she asked, causing Eridan’s eyebrows to furrow. He hated
the fact that everyone was speaking about him in hushed voices as if he were
too fragile to hear anything.
“Yes, he’s fine. It seems he’s having a hard time adjusting, though,” Darian
said.
“That’s to be expected after everything that happened. My mom is working on
something to get all of this covered up, but it’s not easy, especially because
of the fact that the rest of the force wants to talk to Eridan. They really
want to catch the person that did this, Darian.” Eridan could hear the concern
and worry lacing the female’s voice. He didn’t understand why she was so
afraid, though.  He decided not to listen any longer, instead moving to his
bedroom and shutting the door tightly behind him.
“Regina can get them off his back, right?”
“Well of course, she’s not the chief for nothing. I’m just saying that your
gang needs to lay low for a little while. Do you think you could manage that?”
Terezi asked.
“Yes. The gang hasn’t done anything since Eridan was found. I sent most of the
members home to spend time with their families. Many of them might be going
back to Scotland, honestly,” Darian responded, running a hand over his cheek.
Terezi simply nodded. “Okay, well, if you’re busy I can head out. I just really
wanted to check up on Eridan. We’re all worried about him. I’ll tell my mom
what you said about the gang. Just let me know if something changes or happens
with him. Karkat and I will be by tomorrow.”
“I know you are; we all are, Miss Pyrope. We just need to be here for him, I
believe. He needs support. I’ll give you a call if something does change. Have
a nice night,” Darian said, watching Terezi wave as she walked away before
shutting the door and sighing. There was so much more that could’ve been said
or done; he could’ve let her in and had her talk to Eridan. Terezi knew was she
was doing, however it was too late and would probably prove to be useless
anyhow. Eridan wasn’t about to let anyone in, especially not Terezi. The man
ran a hand through his greasy hair, stopping by the kitchen where Jerome stood,
pulling a carton of apple juice out of the refrigerator.
“Jerome, I’m going to shower and go to bed. Today’s been a long day,” he said.
The elder man poured a cup before putting the carton back and facing Darian.
“Imagine how hard its been for Eridan.”
The Ampora’s face fell. “Why are you still doing this? We found him like I said
we would.”
“No, Darian. Those kids found him; you sat around twiddling your thumbs and
waiting for something to pop up. You didn’t know what to do and it showed,”
Jerome shot back. “That boy is broken and a little time and medication isn’t
going to fix him. I understand you’ve changed and I do appreciate that, but-”
he stopped speaking, shaking his head. “Don’t let him drift; it can kill a
person, Darian. I’m worried about him.” With that, the old man picked up his
glass and stepped past Darian, heading to his own room.
The black-haired man stayed where he was, hoping Jerome wasn’t right. Of
course, he knew Eridan would need time; it wasn’t just the meds that would make
him better, it was being around those that loved him, but it was clear he was
distancing himself, making it hard to get close to him. Darian pulled his phone
out of his pocket, shooting Terezi a quick message.
‘How soon can the party be?’
He received a reply back almost instantly, ‘Do you want to wait until Eridan’s
meds kick in?’
‘I don’t think he can wait that long.’
‘Tomorrow. Drop him off at Simon’s place; I’m sure you remember where that is.
I’ll spread the word.’ Darian nodded as he read the message, hoping it wasn’t a
horrible idea. It was clear he didn’t want to be around his family, so his
friends were the next best thing. And if he still rejected that, the only thing
left to do would be checking him back into a hospital. Darian moved to the
bathroom, stripping his clothes off as he tried to push the thought of Eridan
from his mind. He felt like a failure of a father.
                                      ^^^
“Eridan, you really need to take your medication,” Darian sighed, staring at
his son as he took a sip of coffee.
“There’s really no point, Dad,” Eridan responded, looking more well-rested than
Darian had seen him the past month. He wondered if what the hospital gave him
knocked him on his ass or if it were just the fact that he was back in his bed.
Either way, Darian was simply happy that Eridan hadn’t had any nightmares. The
man had seen Eridan suffer from them, resulting in thrashing, crying, and
screaming. He hated seeing his son have to deal with the aftermath of
everything Melissa had done to him.
“Yes, there is. What did I tell you yesterday? If you don’t take these fucking
pills, I’ll shove them down your throat; don’t test me, boy.” He held the pills
up to Eridan, a stern fatherly look on his face.
“Oh my God, fuckin’ fine!” Eridan exclaimed, grabbing the pills from his father
and dry-swallowing them. He winced as he struggled to get a few of them down,
though managed with a sip of coffee. “Happy?” he asked, glaring at the other.
“That I am, and cut the attitude, Eridan. You better not act this way with your
friends. They just want to see you happy,” Darian muttered, trying not to lose
his patience. Before everything had happened, he would simply slap Eridan
upside the head, but he felt that that wouldn’t be such an appropriate response
any longer.
“Yeah, I get it, I just-” he stopped himself before he got too far in. Eridan
had done a lot more thinking the night before. There were so many thoughts
running through his mind and it was hard to get everything to make sense. He
wanted to keep fighting, but also wanted to stop fighting. He realized he’d
been put on a transplant list, but would it be enough? Would he be able to make
it that long? And the more important question: would his friends stick around
for that long?
The teenager knew that as long as he acted the way he was, no one would even
want to be around him. He knew he needed to decide what was best, not only for
himself, but for his friends. All of the thinking made his head ache, but the
pills were kicking in, making his thoughts grow fuzzy- but only slightly.
“You just what?” Darian asked, dragging Eridan away from his fuzzy thinking.
“Nevermind. I just want to eat and go to Sol’s,” he responded, digging into his
breakfast, pleased to be eating something other than hospital food.
Darian’s brow furrowed, though he didn’t say anything else, instead leaving him
be. The first night home with Eridan had been hard for him, especially after
the talk he had with Jerome. He found himself continuously checking up on his
youngest son, making sure he was okay and hadn’t done anything horrible to
himself. Darian hoped Eridan wouldn’t do anything to himself, but depression
did unpleasant things to people; it was clear his son wouldn’t be exempt from
that.
“What time are we leaving?” Eridan asked once he was finished shoveling eggs in
his mouth.
“As soon as you’re finished. You’ll be a little early, though,” Darian said,
finishing off the last of his coffee.
“That’s fine. I kinda wanted to talk to all of them anyway; there are some
things I need to say.” Eridan stood, taking his plate to the sink and washing
it off. He then turned and faced his father. “I’m ready.”
“Alright, let’s go then. Head out to the car while I grab my keys. And make
sure you grab your phone in case you need me,” Darian added, setting his own
dishes in the sink before grabbing his keys.
Eridan picked his phone off the coffee table in the living room, checking his
messages to find… nothing. He hadn’t heard anything from his friends, which was
both relieving and depressing. He ran what he wanted to say to the others
through his mind as he headed to the car, getting in and waiting for his
father. He wasn’t sure how to word anything, as the pills were definitely
having some sort of affect on him. He regretted actually swallowing them, but
with his father watching like a hawk and hanging threats over his head, he
didn’t have much of a choice.
Darian joined him soon after, sighing as he did so. He started the car, but
before he pulled out of the driveway, he turned to the other. “Are you sure you
want to do this? I know it’s still early and you just started taking your
medication outside of the hospital, so I want-” he was suddenly cut off by
Eridan holding up a hand.
“Dad, it’s okay. You’re right, I need to do this. I know I do; don’t worry, if
somethin’ happens, I’ll call you, alright?” he said, trying to reassure his
father.
“Alright, alright; I just wanted to make sure.” He then pulled out of the
driveway, heading to Simon’s house. Darian was happy Eridan was following
through with the plans, but also frightened. The last thing he wanted was talk
about what had happened to occur. While he knew there was a possibility it
would help him, he didn’t want to think about what the consequences might be.
However, he put those feelings aside and was, instead, happy for his son. He
was happy he didn’t stop Eridan from seeing them and knew Margo was probably
proud of him for sticking up for those he cared about… wherever she was.
The two rode out the rest of the ride in silence, arriving ten minutes later to
the rundown apartment. Darian didn’t understand how anyone could live in such a
fashion but wasn’t going to question it out loud. He had a feeling it would
only upset Eridan. The man parked the car, though didn’t turn it off. He faced
his son. “Well, have fun, okay? Remember, if anything happens call me, and I’ll
pick you up. Don’t walk home.”
Eridan nodded with a roll of his eyes. His newfound responsible father would
grow to be really tiring really quickly. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for
that. “Got it, Dad. Don’t worry, okay? Just- can you call the school and get my
homework. I don’t even want to think about how behind I am.”
“Of course, Eridan,” Darian retorted, watching as Eridan struggled slightly to
get out of the car. Once the door had closed, he sped off toward the school as
Eridan watched him go with a sigh. He then made his way up a flight of stairs,
reaching the door labeled 42A. Sollux’s apartment. His heart speeding up
slightly, Eridan knocked on the door, standing back and waiting for someone to
answer.
The door opened, revealing a man that looked a lot like Sollux- blond, tall,
and lanky. However, it was clear it wasn’t Sollux as there was a five o’clock
shadow tinging his face along with dark circles forming under his eyes. Still,
he managed a tired smile at the sight of Eridan. “Hey, the kids aren’t home
right now. They left to go get some supplies.”
“Oh, well, if you want I can go,” Eridan said, sticking his thumb out and
moving it behind him.
“No, no, I want to talk to you; well, not just me. Come in, please,” the blond
said, moving out of the way to let Eridan through.
He nodded, though grew nervous as he stepped through the door and took notice
of more adults, two of which looked more than a little angry. Eridan’s brow
furrowed as he also took notice of Regina, the only recognizable person in the
room.
“What’s goin’ on?” he questioned, confusion and a hint of fear tinging his
voice. His gut was telling him to hightail it out of there, though his path was
blocked by Simon and it was clear he wouldn’t be strong enough to fight his way
through.
“Eridan, you know who I am, but this is Simon, Candace, and Karcer. We’re the
parents of Terezi, Karkat, Sollux, and Feferi. All we want to do is talk to you
about a few things, so sit down, alright?” Regina said, stepping forward
calmly. She knew what had happened to Eridan and didn’t want to frighten him;
she only hoped the others would hold the same courtesy.
He nodded, doing as he was asked and taking a seat on the worn down couch. As
soon as his butt touched the seat, Candace practically jumped forward.
“How dare you choose to be friends with our children? You know what you do and
the danger that follows you, yet you chose to put our children in danger?! What
possessed you to do such a thing?” she growled, unbridled anger in her eyes.
Karcer stepped forward as soon as she had finished speaking. “Not to mention,
how dare you lead such a sinful life and drag my son into it? You kill people
and who knows what else! We know our children kept up with you when you were
God-knows-where and then afterward when you were in the hospital. The Devil is
inside you and we don’t want it spreading to our children!” he practically
screamed.
Eridan sat back, his eyes wide. He could feel his heart speeding up, the
monitor beginning to beep every once in awhile as a warning. He knew they were
right but didn’t want to admit it out loud, nor to himself. He had come to
terms with the fact that he needed the others. He couldn’t get through his
recovery without them, and it was obvious. The last thing he wanted was to die
alone. Eridan’s mouth moved, though nothing came out. Instead, tears filled his
eyes. Fuck, he didn’t want to cry.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Ampora?” Karcer growled, stepping up
closer.
“Karcer, that’s enough!” Simon growled, taking a few steps forward as well.
Karcer wasn’t an abusive man as far as he knew, though he’d also never seen his
best friend blow up like that.
“No, it’s not enough! Why are you even in this? You knew what our children were
up to and you didn’t tell any of us! Hell, Regina knew as well. Why are you two
trying to protect this monster?” Karcer erupted, slamming his fist down on an
end table and rattling the lamp that sat upon it.
“Karcer, calm down or I’ll have to remove you forcibly,” Regina barked, her
blue-green eyes hard.
The man exhaled through his nose, though stood back, crossing his arms over his
chest. However, the yelling was far from over, as Candace took that opportunity
to lean over Eridan, her eyes hard as she did so. “You being around my daughter
puts her in danger; her knowing you puts her in danger. How dare you think it
was okay to befriend them? Was it some sort of sick plan of yours?”
Eridan shook his head, tears spilling down his pale cheeks. “N-no. Fef
approached me, I swear. I’d never had a friend before and- fuck, I don’t know,
okay? I don’t know!” He then hid his face in his hands, shaking his head as
thoughts attacked him. Melissa had been right about everything.
“Well, it’s good you’ve never had friends. Someone like you doesn’t deserve
them, you filthy swine!” Karcer spat.
At that moment the door opened, Karkat, Feferi, Terezi, and Sollux stepping
inside and freezing when they saw Eridan. Feferi practically dropped what she
was holding to aid her friend, nearly shoving away her mother in the process.
“What are you guys doing?” she growled, her voice shrill.
Karkat moved around his friend, resting his hand on Eridan’s cheek. “Hey, man,
are you okay?”
Eridan shook his head. “I’m sorry. It was a mistake. I can’t be friends with
any of you anymore.” He then stood, moving out of the room quickly. As he did
so, he could feel a few of his stitches split, forcing him to wince in pain;
however, he hardly noticed and instead kept moving, not stopping until he had
reached the bottom of the stairs before pulling out his phone and dialing
Darian’s number.
Terezi watched Eridan go before rounding on the adults. “We left and all of you
decided to interrogate him?” she growled, glaring at everyone. “You do know
what he’s been through, right? He would do anything to keep us safe, including
keeping this fucking secret from us! He just wanted to be normal, you fucks! I
understand that’s such a hard concept for all of you to grasp, but you do
realize what you just did, right? You just insulted a kid. Yeah, Eridan’s the
same age as us, younger; in fact, he’s the youngest. We chose to be friends
with him, even knowing who he was. Eridan tried pushing us away, but we didn’t
let him. He was just fucking tortured; all we wanted to do was throw him a
small party to show that we were here for him, and what happens? You goddamn
idiots have to come in and ruin everything! I hope you’re fucking happy.” Her
voice grew in volume until she was practically screaming at the surprised
adults and, when she had finished, her chest was heaving. No one made a move to
say anything, though Regina looked rather proud of her daughter.
With yet another glare, Terezi stormed out of the apartment and down the
stairs, hoping Eridan was still there. She let out a sigh when she saw him
standing by the parking lot, obviously waiting for his father to pick him up.
Upon closer inspection she could see a few spots on his shirt where blood had
begun soaking through. The female moved closer, not stopping until she was a
few inches away from the other. “Hey, I’m glad you’re still here.”
“Ter, I told you that-”
“No, you need to reconsider. You can’t let what our parents say get to you;
remember that you did disobey your Dad to be friends with us,” Terezi said,
crossing her arms over her chest.
“That was my Dad, though. This is different. Kar and Fef’s parents fuckin’ hate
me and I can see why, because I hate myself too,” the male whispered, more warm
tears spilling over onto his cheeks.
Terezi reached a hand out, touching Eridan’s shoulder gently. “Please don’t say
that. We love you and want you to love yourself, Eridan. Trust me, if we didn’t
care or didn’t want to be friends, we wouldn’t be taking turns screaming at our
parents. Can’t you hear Karkat going off on Karcer?”
Eridan wiped his tears away with a small smile. “You’d really want to be
friends with me? Even after everythin’ you saw?”
“Of course, you idiot! We all want to be friends with you and were so fucking
worried when you weren’t responding to us in the hospital. We want you to be
okay, Eridan,” she said, pulling the other into a hug.
Unlike with Cronus, Eridan returned the hug, holding onto Terezi tightly. Just
like they didn’t want to let go of him, he felt the same toward them. Letting
go would mean certain death. His friends were the only ones keeping him alive
at that point- it was clear to him. The two stayed in their position for a few
more moments until the sound of a car grew near. Eridan pulled away, wiping at
his eyes once more as his father pulled up.
“Eridan? What happened?” he asked, his forehead creased with concern.
“Our parents are here. Someone must have told them about this, or they found
out on their own, so they attacked Eridan when he got here. All of us had
stepped out to go to the store, so we weren’t aware of anything going on until
we got back,” Terezi answered, taking hold of Eridan’s hand and pulling him
closer to the car. “Would you want to come in and set them straight?”
Darian sighed loudly, but nodded, shutting off the car and stepping out. “Do
you want to wait out here, Eridan?”
“I’ll stay with you if you want,” Terezi added, still holding tightly to
Eridan’s hand.
The male shook his head. “No, I want to go. I feel like I need to be there.”
“It’s settled then. Let’s go,” Darian muttered, obvious anger tinging his
voice. He walked forward, moving ahead of Terezi and Eridan, who took their
time walking up the stairs.
By the time the two reached the top, yelling could be heard from the apartment.
Eridan and Terezi looked at one another, sea blue eyes meeting blue-green as
they surged forward, bursting into the room in time to see Karcer move toward
Darian angrily, only to be stopped by Regina. The woman pulled the man’s arms
behind his back forcefully.
“Go home, Karcer! If you refuse I will arrest you,” the red-head growled,
pushing him forward.
“Fine, just know that you and your family will spend an eternity in Hell, and
if Karkat wishes to join that lifestyle, that’s his decision. If you desire to
live a life of sin so desperately, you’re not welcome back in my home,” the man
said, first directing his words to the Amporas before turning to his son.
“Whatever Dad, just know that it’ll only be Kankri paying for your shit. Have
fun living a life of poverty; I’m sure God isn’t going to help you out of this
one,” Karkat responded, his jaw set as he spoke, anger radiating from his
being.
Karcer simply glared at Karkat before shaking his head and taking his leave,
narrowly missing Eridan’s shoulder as he did so. Candace shook her own head.
“Well, Karcer may be willing to let his own son go, but I’m not going to risk
this. Feferi, come along,” the woman said, looking at her daughter.
The female’s eyes widened as she looked at everyone around her before landing
on her mother. “I-I refuse to just leave my friend. You hated every single
person in here until you actually got to know them, Mom!”
“This is different. This boy is a monster, just as Karcer said. Look at the way
he’s getting between all of us!” Candace retorted, throwing her arms up.
“He’s not! Your hatred is what’s getting between everyone. You won’t even give
him a chance!”
“I will not be spoken to like this. Now, do as I say, young lady,” she growled,
baring her teeth at her daughter in an almost feral way.
Feferi’s eyes filled with tears as she shook her head, though Regina stepped in
before things could be made worse. “Candace, at least let her stay to say
goodbye. This can be her last day with him. Simon and I are staying here, so
you won’t have to worry.”
Candace’s eyes narrowed at the other woman, though she sighed soon after. “Oh,
alright. Feferi, you’re to be home by ten; after today, you’re not to see the
Ampora boy. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Mom,” Feferi responded softly.
“Good.” The woman then took her leave with a flourish, though everything seemed
to be that way with her. Darian had to try to hold back the groan that
threatened to escape his lips. He despised the woman, though did admire the way
she carried herself. It was a strange sort of admiration he felt toward her,
however.
Once the door had closed behind her, there was a collective sigh of relief from
everyone. The drama was over, for the time being. Simon turned to Eridan, an
apologetic look on his face. “I’m so sorry all of that happened, Eridan. They
had come over and said they wanted to talk and promised to be calm. I didn’t
know they would react that way around you.”
“I’m sorry, too. I should have put a stop to all of that sooner,” Regina added
on, her own expression apologetic.
“It’s okay. I feel like all of that needed to happen. I do have somethin’ to
say, though.” He paused, looking toward his friends. “If you guys are to stay
friends with me, you need to be trained.”
“Trained?” Simon questioned, butting in.
“Yeah. They need to know how to fight and handle a weapon, just in case they
are put in a position that they need to get out of. The threat of the Serkets
is no longer a thing, but it’d be good to know and might even give you a piece
of mind,” Eridan answered, his blue eyes still fixed on his friends.
“Hell, I already know how to fight, but I’m open to learning more!” Terezi
exclaimed quickly, a wide grin on her face.
“I’m in,” Karkat responded immediately after. He didn’t have his father to tell
him no; he could do anything, though he knew he needed to find a place to stay.
“By the way, Simon, can I stay here?”
“Duh,” the blond responded with a smile. “You’re already like a son to me,
Karkat. You’re always welcome here.”
“Thanks.”
“Anyway,” Sollux said, looking at his best friend and father with a strange
look before turning his attention to Eridan. “I’m in, too.”
“So am I!” Feferi finished proudly, holding her chin high.
Eridan nodded, though turned to the chubby female. “Are you sure you want to go
against your mother?”
“Shell yes! The sooner she sees you’re a good person, the beta,” she said with
a smile.
“Alright, then it’s settled. We can start training as next week,” Eridan said,
clasping his hands together.
“Yes, good! And now that that’s settled, let’s get this party started!” Terezi
yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
Regina chuckled. “You kids have fun. The adults will be in the other room.
Simon and I have a new parent to get to know,” she said, turning to Darian.
Darian’s eyes widened. “Oh, I wasn’t planning on staying longer tha-”
“Oh, shush! Come on, tell me about yourself, handsome!” Regina exclaimed,
grabbing the man’s arm and leading him away as Simon laughed, following behind
them. Before he disappeared in the back, he faced the teenagers. “Call for us
if you need anything.  Oh, and Eridan.”
“Yeah?” Eridan asked, afraid of being yelled at even more.
Simon only smiled. “Welcome to the family.”
Chapter End Notes
     Hey guys, I'm hoping my chapters are going to end up being this long
     from here on out. Let's see how that goes, though. The next four or
     so chapters are going to be pretty calm as I'm sure all of you need
     some sort of reprieve from all of the serious that just occurred.
     Panels are also starting to be uploaded. The artist is the one and
     only: ScarletteFox718. You can find him on Tumblr under olli-lolli.
     My Tumblr is cronusisnotonfire.tumblr.com. Feel free to follow me if
     you'd like.
     Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think!
***** Panic Attacks and Kisses *****
Chapter Notes
     I know I said I would wait to update until Oliver was finished with
     the panels, but we're both pretty busy, so I figured I'd stop making
     all of you wait and go ahead and give you this. I hope all of you
     enjoy!
     Chapters 1-6 have panels, so feel free to check them out!
“Eridan, you really should take your medicine now. You need to adapt to an
unwavering schedule for this,” Darian said, taking a sip of his coffee as he
addressed his son. He knew Eridan was stubborn when it came to taking his
medication, even though he had admitted that they were working wonders on him.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it after I finish breakfast; get off my back, Dad,” Eridan
responded, shoveling food into his mouth. It had taken a few days, but his
appetite had come back full force, making him want to eat everything that
smelled decent and had grease dripping off it. He couldn’t help himself; he was
a growing boy that had to build his strength back up.
Darian opened his mouth to retort, but decided against saying anything, instead
rolling his blue eyes and sighing. It was clear he was trying his best with
Eridan, but it was hard to keep his temper under control when his son was
constantly disagreeing and trying to rebel against him. Such was life though,
which was something he really needed to adapt to. The two moved into silence,
with Eridan eating and Darian looking over paperwork for something or other
involving the gang. In the two and a half weeks Eridan had been out of the
hospital, more than half the gang had gone back to Scotland, which left the
Amporas with less people to cover for them for heists. Cronus wasn’t always the
best choice for such things, and everyone had decided it wouldn’t be the best
decision to throw Eridan back out into the field so early- despite his
complaints otherwise. With that being addressed, Darian had decided to open up
discrete interviews for those that were interested in joining. Of course, he
had to get to know them to see if they had what it took to be apart of a
notorious gang. It did leave the father of two pretty tired, which was a large
downside.
Jerome moved into the kitchen, scratching at the back of his head as he picked
up a plate and moved a few pieces of bacon and fruit onto it before sitting
next to Eridan at the island. “Have you taken your medication?” he asked,
concern lacing his voice as he took a bite of the crispy bacon.
Eridan simply rolled his eyes, responding by stuffing more food into his mouth
and chewing slowly. Jerome chuckled, though didn’t press anymore- at least, not
right then.
“Are your friends coming over? I would love to speak with Feferi more. She
showed interest in becoming a nurse in the hospital, and I feel I could help
her out a little,” Jerome said, standing once more to grab a mug for coffee. It
was clear he had a favorite of Eridan’s friends, obviously favoring Feferi
more, though his heart was big enough that he accepted all of them as his own.
Eridan couldn’t help but be more than grateful; not only to Jerome, but Darian
as well. It was clear his father had come a long way since the move to New
York.
“Ter said somethin’ about comin’ over to start trainin’, which will be really
nice. I’m assumin’ I’m allowed to join them?” Eridan responded once he finished
his mouthful of food. He then looked pointedly at his father, eyes wide and
hoping for a resounding yes.
Darian and Jerome looked at one another, the latter shrugging and earning a
loud sigh from the former. Jerome only wanted Eridan to get his strength back
as going from doing strenuous activity every day to none at all strained the
body. He knew it would be hard for the teenager to get back into the swing of
things, but with the help of his friends it would definitely be possible for
him to do so.
“I think he should be able to. As long as he takes plenty of breaks and takes
in plenty of fluids, he should be alright. I can sit in on the training to make
sure he’ll be okay to ease your mind, Darian,” Jerome said, his tone taking on
a joking manner and making the other roll his eyes. The men had worked things
out, only after a small shouting match. Things had been slightly strained, but
the last thing they wanted to do was cause Eridan stress with fighting, so they
kept their emotions positive toward one another when around him.
“Fine, as long as one of us is sitting in on the training. You better not
strain yourself though, Eridan,” the man paused, looking down at his papers
before his eyes moved back up to Eridan. “There is something I’ve been wanting
to speak with you about.” His voice sounded slightly strained and nervous,
making Eridan’s head veer into potential scenarios as to what he wanted to talk
to his son about.
Still, Eridan simply gulped. “Yeah?”
Darian grew quiet, as if trying to find a way to approach the subject, which he
supposed was something he was trying to do. Simply bringing up Melissa out of
the blue could have proven to be catastrophic, especially since the younger had
been doing so well in keeping the nightmares and thoughts at bay, though he was
sure that was also thanks to the strong dosage of medication he had been
prescribed to. “Melissa isn’t dead, Eridan. Currently she’s in the basement. I
figured you’d want to get your revenge on her, so I haven’t touched her, save
for a little food and water to keep her alive. I apologize for not telling you
sooner, however I think she can prove to be a good first lesson for your
friends. If they can sit through her torture, they can deal with training.”
It was Eridan’s turn to go quiet after he took in his father’s words. He hadn’t
been aware that Melissa had been under him the entire time. The thought made
his blood run cold, though he tried not to show it. Despite that, he nodded, a
sense that he needed to show he would be able to handle Melissa overcoming him.
He wanted revenge- desperately, and it would be simple to do. There was apart
of him that didn’t want his friends to see him turn into someone he only was
during his worst moments, but they knew about his life, and they had already
seen nasty sides of him, so what was the harm? “It’s alright, Dad. I think it’s
a good idea; I just hope they’ll have the stomach to watch it.” He thought back
to the fact that his friends had sat through him being tortured, and it seemed
like they had handled it well enough, at least, that’s what he’d gathered.
“Are you sure about this, Eridan? You don’t have to do it, you know,” Jerome
said quickly, only looking out for Eridan’s well-being, but still earning a
sharp glare from Darian.
“Yeah. Yeah, don’t worry. Iit’ll be okay,” Eridan said, moving the last of his
food around on his plate before clearing his throat. A feeling of dread was
beginning to wash over him, forcing him to lose his appetite. There was a large
part of his mind telling him he shouldn’t do it, but the part that wanted to
show his father and friends that he was strong outweighed that part of him.
“I’m goin’ to take my meds. Let me know if Ter and the others get here if I’m
not back.” Without waiting for affirmation from the others, he stood and left
the room, moving upstairs as quickly as he could and moving to his room. He
could hear Cronus playing guitar in his bedroom, creating a calming air around
him.
He moved to the bathroom quickly, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling four
bottles out, sighing as he opened each of the lids. He hadn’t been taking them
for too long, but he already felt as if he were turning into a robot. Eridan
couldn’t deny the fact that they were helping however, as much as he didn’t
want to truly admit it. He wasn’t looking forward to future appointments with
his therapists though, as he hadn’t exactly been the kindest toward any of
them. It was something he felt bad about, but not bad enough to actually
apologize. The teen had been in a tough spot at that point; how was he supposed
to react when people were constantly trying to tell him how he should feel or
that things would be okay?
With a sigh, Eridan poured the required amount of pills in his hand from each
bottle, looking at the colorful mood enhancers. They were each different sizes,
different colors, and all held different things. One was to keep the anxiety at
bay, one for PTSD, one for depression- a multitude of things that Eridan never
thought he’d actually have to take. He wondered what his grandfather would’ve
said to him had he still been alive. He could imagine it would be nothing kind,
as Alastair never had a high opinion of those that took medication- no matter
what kind they were. The thought of how annoyed Alastair would be at the amount
of pills his grandson had to take brought a slight smile to Eridan’s face as he
tipped his head back, throwing the pills in toward the back of his throat
before taking in a handful of water and helping the pills go down easier.
Taking all of them at once had been a bad idea, as it felt as if they were all
stuck. Taking in a few more handfuls of the clear liquid, he let out a soft
sigh once his throat didn’t feel entirely constricted.
Eridan then caught his own reflection in the mirror. Sure he felt a little
happier, but it wasn’t enough. He’d lost a lot of weight in the three weeks
that had occurred, causing his cheeks and eyes to sink in slightly, giving him
a hollow look. The mischievous light that had always graced his blue eyes had
disappeared. It was clear Melissa’s plan had worked; he’d survived but would
forever hold onto everything she did to him- all the pain would crawl back to
him. Eridan would never be able to forget. Still, he shook his head, biting at
his lip and tearing his eyes away from the mirror. The ghost of how he looked
stuck in his mind as he carded a hand through his thick hair.
He took a few deep breaths just as his father called upstairs. “Eridan, Terezi
and the others are here!” He nodded despite the fact that no one could see him.
Deciding it was time to go down and face everyone, he ran a hand over his face,
scars and healing cuts covered with a thick layer of makeup. He wasn’t ready to
show himself completely in front of the others. Not at that moment. The teen
moved down the stairs, nearly jumping when Feferi ran up to him, wrapping her
chubby arms around his torso and pulling him close.
“Hey, Eri-fin!” she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. It made Eridan happy
that she was back to her old self. She no longer looked like she was hiding
some deep, dark secret around him. The looks filled with pity had yet to stop,
though he pretended he didn’t notice.
“Hi, Fef,” Eridan responded, wrapping his own arms around her shorter frame. He
looked up at the others as she pulled away. They all looked awake, which was
good since it was their first day of training. “Are you guys ready to train?”
“Hell yes! What’s on the schedule for today? I call beating the shit out of
Karkles!” she exclaimed, raising a hand above her head before flicking the
shorter male on the ear. That earned her a loud growl, as Karkat tried swatting
back.
“That fucking hurt, shitstain! And what have I told you about calling me that?
Open up your ears for once in your goddamn life,” he muttered, rubbing at the
tender spot she had flicked.
“Oh, lighten up!” she rolled her eyes before her attention was turned back to
Eridan.
Eridan opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Darian speaking up first.
He hadn’t heard his father enter the room, which further proved the fact that
he definitely needed to brush up on his skills. Three weeks of being coddled
and babied hadn’t helped him out in the slightest. Being able to train would
have made things much easier, but no one deemed him ready enough- something
that would bother Eridan for quite a long time.
“For your first day of training, we’re going to be going down to the basement.
We’ve been holding Melissa here and, now that Eridan’s doing better, we can
start in with revenge that will lead up to her ultimate death. Are there any
questions?” Darian asked, going into boss mode. He linked his fingers together
behind his back, eyebrows raising as he took in the teenager’s surprised
expressions. Darian needed to make sure they were fit to actually train and the
best way to do that was to first show them someone being tortured in the flesh.
It was common for gangs to do so to one another in order to receive
information. The man recalled how much Margo had absolutely hated it, whereas
it had always been Alastair’s go-to method when it came to dealing with rivals.
Steal one man from a rival gang and torture the information out of him- and it
had always proved to be effective. However, Darian was trying his hardest to do
things differently, meaning he could resort to such measures. Not only that,
but it wasn’t his job- it was Eridan’s. His son had had to deal with her, so it
was only fair that he be the first to extract his revenge while also making it
an example to his friends.
Feferi gulped, an audible sound that could be heard by the others, however, no
one pointed it out; not even Terezi who kept her blue-green eyes fixed on
Darian, looking for any hint of a joke. It was safe to say she hadn’t expected
Darian to drop a bomb like that on them for their first day of training, though
she understood why he had done so. Her eyes moved to Feferi, who looked to be
sick to her stomach. She didn’t have to look at Karkat and Sollux to know that
they probably held the same expressions. Her eyes then moved to Eridan, who
kept his face passive. She wasn’t able to detect any form of emotion from him,
something that frustrated her. Still, she shrugged. “I don’t have anything to
ask. What about you guys?”
One by one, the group of four shook their heads, though their eyes remained
filled with worry and slight fear. Once Darian had gotten confirmation from all
of them, he gestured toward them, keying them in on the fact that they needed
to follow him down the stairs. He then turned on his heel and left the room,
Eridan following automatically along with the others. The walk to the basement
was quiet, as it seemed everyone was holding their breath, and no one dared to
say anything. The teens could safely say they were worried to see the state of
Melissa. They wondered if Darian had done anything to her in the time that
Eridan had been on the road to recovery.
Their silent questions were quickly answered as they approached a door, next to
it a window leading into a dark room. Darian flipped a switch from the outside,
the light flickering for a moment before shining brightly, revealing a woman
with matted, dirty blonde hair. It had looked like she’d been beaten as caked,
dried blood cracked at her temple as she looked up, her gray eyes empty save
for the pain she was obviously enduring. Eridan’s eyes widened at the sight of
her; Feferi had to look away, unable to take the sight. Karkat and Sollux
simply grimaced as Terezi kept her face passive, forcing all emotion back. She
needed to be strong and show the others they could do it too.
Darian unlocked the door as Melissa began stirring further, her hands bound
tightly with chains, which cut into her wrists. The man looked back at Eridan.
“Would you like to come in with me or should I get started first?”
A look of determination filled Eridan’s face as he stood with his back
straighter. “I’ll come in with you.”
Darian nodded in response and opened the door, stepping inside and holding the
door open. Eridan looked at his friends, letting out a breath he hadn’t
realized he was holding. He tried to give them a reassuring smile, but found
his muscles wouldn’t listen. Instead, he stepped into the room, listening to
Darian close the door and step up behind him. Melissa looked up, a smug
expression brightening her features slightly.
“Well, well, you are alive. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting you to actually pull
through. Then again, you have me to thank for that,” she said, lifting her
chin.
Eridan felt his chest begin to tighten, but tried to push the uncomfortable
feeling away. He had a job to do and had to prove to his father that he could
do it. The teen was no longer imprisoned, instead it was the other way around.
He could pull through and torture her, just like she had done to him. He knew
it- or at least, he told himself he did. Instead, thoughts filled his head, the
ghost of everything she had done to him crawling back to him, clawing at his
head and trying to be brought to the surface. Eridan tensed up, his fists
balling as he struggled with his thoughts.
Melissa simply laughed, noticing just how much her simple presence was
effecting the teenager. “What’s wrong, Eridan? Am I giving you bad thoughts?
Poor thing,” she cackled, a mischievous light flickering in her eyes. If she
were to die, she wanted to make sure she would eventually bring Eridan down
with her. Sure, it wouldn’t be completely by her own hand, but she would have a
large part in it. The woman had taken away Margo and Eridan was next.
“You can start whenever, Eridan,” Darian spoke up. He hadn’t noticed the
turmoil his son was going through, nor did he take Eridan’s pained expression
into consideration. His blue eyes were locked onto Melissa, cold hatred within
them.
Terezi and the others stood outside of the room, peering in through the one-way
glass. The female took a closer look at her friend, taking in his set jaw,
tightened fists, and pained expression. It hit her just how tortured Eridan was
being in the room with the woman. She wondered why Darian wasn’t doing a single
thing about it, simply standing in place like nothing was happening.
“What’s wrong with Eri-fin?” Feferi asked, her own brown eyes drifting to
Eridan as well. Her voice was tinged with worry and, though it took some force,
her eyes moved to Terezi for the answers she desired.
“It looks like he’s about to panic. Melissa is giving him a really bad
reaction, and I’m almost certain Darian isn’t realizing anything… as usual,”
Terezi responded, her voice low and eyes unmoving. She clenched her own fists,
prepared to start banging on the glass if it came to that. The last thing she
wanted to see was Eridan going into a full-fledged panic attack.
“We should get him out, then!” Sollux exclaimed, moving toward the door. He was
stopped by Terezi’s arm shooting out, keeping him in place. The blond struggled
slightly before giving up, not strong enough to actually take on the female.
“What the fuck, TZ? You said he’s about to panic! Shouldn’t we stop it?” he
growled, turning to face her.
Terezi shook her head. “No, it looks like he’s trying to fight it. Trust me, I
want to go in there, too, but I want to see if he can fight it off. If it looks
like he’s getting worse, I’ll go in there, okay?” she responded, tearing her
eyes away from Eridan for a split second. She gave Sollux a hard look before
they flitted back to Eridan, searching his face for any sort of change. She
automatically noticed his face had changed within the quick moment she looked
at Sollux. It was clear his was breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating, in
fact. In front of him, Melissa’s face held a superior expression. “Okay, yeah,
we need to stop this.” Without warning, Terezi began banging on the window,
trying to get Darian’s attention.
The man’s eyebrows furrowed as he moved quickly to the door, opening it and
poking his head out. “What in the fuck?”
“Get Eridan out of there, Darian. Being around her isn’t a good idea- just
fucking look at him!” Terezi growled, her voice low and angry.
Darian did as she asked and looked back at his son, finally taking note of the
teenager’s state. “Shit. Eridan, come on,” he said quickly.
Eridan didn’t move. His eyes stayed locked on Melissa, as if afraid to leave
her. He didn’t want her to pull anything and start the cycle of torture over
once more. The two stared one another down, though his father’s voice and heart
monitor beeping brought him out of his thoughts, forcing him to break the stare
and silence that had formed between he and Melissa. Eridan turned to look at
his father, whose own face showed concern. Not saying anything, Eridan walked
past his father with tense steps, his head back and eyes watching the woman,
making sure she wouldn’t try following him- not that she actually could.
Once out of the room, Eridan’s situation didn’t change. He found that he
couldn’t relax his body, and his breaths continued coming out in short gasps.
His eyes continuously wandered to the door, watching for Melissa. The darkness
of the basement brought him back to the stay in Melissa’s- his thoughts
centered around her and her alone, no one else getting through. Even his father
appearing in his line of sight did nothing. It was when Feferi touched him that
he began thrashing. It reminded him of her. Despite the fact that Feferi had
been gentle, all he felt was the pain that he had grown accustomed to.
Sollux moving in front of him and grabbing his face gently was what started to
bring him out of it. While he couldn’t hear what the blond was saying, the
thoughts of the kiss flooded his mind, calming him down slightly. He knew he
needed to think of his friends- the times he’d had with them. The banters with
Terezi, sharing lunch with Feferi, talking about romcoms and romance novels
with Karkat, and kissing Sollux.
Eridan closed his eyes, inhaling through his nose and exhaling from his mouth.
Words started flowing through his head- words of the present. He could hear
Feferi fretting, Karkat’s cursing, Terezi telling them to shut the fuck up, and
Sollux- Sollux telling him it would be okay- that there was nothing to worry
about. He grew aware that his cheeks were soaked with tears, and his muscles
ached from being tense. Eridan grew aware of everything around him, though a
wave of nausea overcame him. He opened his eyes, keeping his mouth clamped
shut, even as everyone began asking him questions.
“Are you okay, ED?” Nothing but concern could be found in Sollux’s voice, his
eyes showing just how worried he was.
Eridan nodded, afraid to open his mouth.
“I’m sorry, Eridan. I thought you were ready, and I didn’t think every aspect
through. Dammit, I should have bound her mouth!” Darian muttered, carding a
hand through his hair as he took a few steps back. He stood still for a moment
before locking up the room and shutting off the light. “I’ll do everything
myself. Go ahead and get Eridan upstairs, please.”
The teenagers nodded, Karkat holding out a hand to help Eridan stand. The
latter accepted, grabbing hold of it and letting himself be pulled up. Once
standing, he wiped at his cheeks and eyes, embarrassed that he had cried in
front of the others. He felt that it had been over such a small thing, however,
it had helped him realize something vital: he needed the others. There was
absolutely no way he’d be able to live without them. With that thought in mind,
Eridan smiled at each and every one of them, earning strange but relieved looks
afterward.
“Come on, idiot, let’s get you upstairs!” Terezi exclaimed, grabbing hold of
Eridan’s hand and leading him away from the room without a second glance. None
of them looked back, not noticing Darian slip back into the room and continue
on with what Eridan was supposed to follow through with. The group moved
upstairs quickly, stopping once they reached the kitchen, where Cronus sat,
sipping at a mug of coffee as he worked on homework. It was a sight Eridan
definitely wasn’t used to, as usually his brother had to be harped on and
either forced or bribed to actually work.
Cronus looked up as the others walked in, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw
the state of Eridan. “What happened?” he asked, taking a few steps forward as
he looked over his younger brother.
“To put it simply, I didn’t react well around Melissa. I think I had a panic
attack, but I’m not sure,” Eridan responded, scratching the back of his neck
sheepishly.
“It was definitely a panic attack,” Sollux said quickly, though a blush dusted
his cheeks as quickly as he spoke, causing him to look down in embarrassment.
Cronus stared at Sollux for a moment, opening his mouth slightly as if he were
going to speak, but thinking better. He turned his attention to the other. “I’m
sorry, Eri. Is there anything I can do?” He wasn’t too keen on how to handle
panic attacks as he’d never had one, nor had anyone else in the family- at
least, that’s what he thought. While living in Scotland, panicking was
considered weak. If one was frightened, they had to keep it to themselves. He
didn’t agree with it, but it was how he had been raised, though it still didn’t
give him the right to pass judgment on his younger brother.
Eridan rubbed at the back of his neck for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I
need to start trainin’ them,” he gestured to the other teenagers in the room.
“Do you think we can make an example? I need to fight anyway.” His body ached,
chest feeling tight and making it hard to breathe. He wanted to loosen up his
muscles and take his mind off of everything.
“Yeah, of course. Anything to get away from my homework,” Cronus said with what
sounded like a forced laugh. The others pretended not to notice and instead
walked in the direction of the training room, entering and standing to the
side, waiting for further instruction.
Eridan moved to the front of him, moving his neck from side to side and taking
a few deep breaths. He knew if he were to make any headway with his friends, he
needed to have a clear mind. Thinking about Melissa and everything he’d endured
wasn’t going to get him or the others anywhere.
“So, what do you want us to do, boss man?” Terezi asked, a grin on her face. It
was clear as day that she was trying to help, though Eridan couldn’t miss the
expression of worry that was plastered underneath the playful stare.
“Just watch for now. Cro, come here,” Eridan responded, his blue eyes landing
on his brother. “Watch how Cro and I move, look at the placement of our feet,
arms, shoulders. Look at where we block and where our weaknesses are.” He held
his arms up, waiting until Cronus followed suit.
Once Cronus had done so, Eridan attacked, automatically getting a hit into the
other’s side. Cronus hissed in pain, eyebrows furrowing as he took better
stance. The two watched one another closely, their eyes searching for any sort
of opening on the other’s person. Cronus moved forward, his fist aiming for
Eridan’s shoulder, however the latter dodged, moving one of his legs out and
tripping Cronus up, standing back as he watched his brother land with a hard
thud.
Eridan rolled his eyes, standing over him. “Stop goin’ easy on me, Cro. I’ll be
fine.” He held out a hand, helping Cronus up and getting back into stance.
Cronus huffed softly, obvious worry in his eyes. He didn’t want to go through
with it, not only due to the fear of hurting Eridan, but the fear of what
Darian would say if Eridan was hurt. Still, he too got back into fighting
position, taking a deep breath before going at Eridan with much more force than
before.
In the end, it was Cronus on his back once more, Eridan huffing softly above
him, a foot rested on his chest. The brothers stared at one another, trying to
catch their breaths before the younger sent a smirk Cronus’ way. Eridan lifted
his foot off Cronus’ chest, throwing his arms above his head as he looked to
his friends, who cheered, smiles on their faces.
“So, did all of you watch how I did that?” he asked the others, who nodded.
“It seems really confusing, though,” Feferi muttered, nibbling at her bottom
lip. As hard as she tried, it had been hard for her to fully pay attention,
especially since she was concerned about whether or not Eridan would overexert
himself. While she knew he knew what he was doing, the fact that he could
simply collapse made her heart ache. She didn’t want him to do anything overly
strenuous.
Terezi shook her head. “It’s not confusing at all! You just have to watch out
for your opponents weak spots and strike when you see an opening. Obviously,
it’s easier said than done, but- hmm, Eridan, let me fight you!” she exclaimed,
a wide grin splitting over her face.
Eridan looked surprised at Terezi’s offer, though he shrugged, a smile of his
own appearing on his face. He knew Terezi, of all people, wouldn’t go easy on
him. She would actually issue him a challenge, which was something he was
grateful for. She didn’t believe in going easy on anyone, though it would be
quite hard for her to actually push aside wanting to. Terezi knew the condition
Eridan was in and didn’t want to trigger anything either mentally or
physically. Still, she stepped up to the other, crossing her arms over her
chest, a wide smile still stretched across her face.
“Are you ready?” Eridan asked, the smile still present on his face as well. He
got into stance without waiting for an answer.
“Duh!” she followed suit, not wasting a moment in moving forward, swinging at
Eridan a few times and catching him by surprise once by getting him in the
shoulder.
Eridan found himself surprised. He figured Terezi would be a decent fighter due
to training with her mother, but he wasn’t expecting her to actually give him a
run for his money. Determination filled him as he blocked everything else out
of the world, his mind clearing automatically as he accepted his new challenge,
locating all the pinpoints on Terezi’s body that he could use against her. In
doing so, the female was able to get a few more hits in. However, once Eridan
figured out exactly what he needed to do, he moved forward, attacking instead
of simply blocking.
His fist connected with Terezi’s gut, making her double over. Eridan then
gripped the back of her head and moved it down, bringing his knee up at the
same time, though stopped himself before doing any considerably damage to the
other. His end goal wasn’t to take her down fully, but simply show the others
techniques.
Letting Terezi go, Eridan took a few steps back, a victorious smile on his
face. “Beat you.”
She rolled her blue-green eyes, but smiled anyhow. “Yeah, yeah. I want a
rematch as soon as I pick up more moves!” Terezi feigned another hit toward
Eridan before cackling loudly and backing off, moving to Feferi.
Eridan rolled his eyes, though the smile didn’t disappear from his face. He
turned to the others, clearing his throat slightly. He’d only trained those
that didn’t matter much to him. Sure, the Amporas were a family, but the four
standing in front of him were his friends- people that had had an impact on his
life. It was strange standing in front of them as a teacher instead of a peer,
but it also wasn’t too unwelcome. In fact, he accepted it.
“Alright, first off, I want all of you to practice on the dummies that are set
up over there. Go ahead and go, I want to see all of your stances. Ter, you’re
good; I know what you can do,” he explained, pointing his friends in the
direction of the dummies and watching as they moved toward them; Terezi with
confidence while the others moved slowly and nervously, as if afraid of
disappointing Eridan.
Karkat got into stance first, very obviously mimicking what Eridan had done,
though the teenager automatically noticed things that were off about his
stance. He walked up to the male, gently kicking his legs open further.
“You need to spread your legs like this and relax a little more; you’re way too
tense, Kar,” Eridan said, making sure his position looked much more natural.
“Like that. Also, make sure your wrists are straightened. If you hit someone or
somethin’ while they’re crooked, you could break your wrist. And you want to
make sure they’re nice and stiff, too, or you’ll break bones in your hands.”
Karkat nodded, showing he understood. It was hard for him to remain relaxed,
but he tried as hard as he could, straightening his wrists as he did so. The
concept of having broken wrists didn’t seem too fun for him. He took a deep
breath, his brown eyes meeting with Eridan’s blue ones as he smiled. Once he
was pleased enough with Karkat’s stance, Eridan moved to Feferi, surprised that
she had the stance down already. At his eyes widening, Feferi grinned proudly,
pleased with herself.
“Good job, Fef. You definitely have it down,” he said before moving to Sollux,
who was obviously having trouble with the stance. His tongue poked out of his
mouth slightly in frustration, brows furrowed as he looked down at himself
before his eyes wandered to the others, trying to get a grasp on what they were
doing. Eridan couldn’t help but smile at him, stepping forward and grabbing his
wrists gently. “You need to relax, Sol. It’s okay if you don’t get it the first
time,” he began. Sollux did as he was told, trying to relax his muscles. He
hadn’t realized just how tense he had been.
“Good. Now, spread your legs further apart. Yeah, like that. Move your elbows
closer to your sides and then you’ll be golden,” Eridan explained, guiding
Sollux through it with soft touches as he talked Sollux into the correct
position. “And, as I told Kar, you need to straighten your wrists, especially
when you’re about to hit someone.” Once he was finished, the teenager took a
step back from his student, a smile appearing on his face. Sollux’s stance was
perfect.
“Alright, now get out of the stance- stand naturally,” Eridan commanded,
watching as the three did as were told and standing with their arms to their
sides, moving their legs closer together. “Now, get back into stance.” Feferi
moved back into it almost naturally, Karkat struggling slightly, but ultimately
achieving it. Sollux hissed to himself softly, unsure of how to get back into
the position. Eridan helped him out once more, showing him what he was doing
well with and what he needed to work on.
“Fuck, this is difficult,” Sollux muttered, lisp growing thicker due to his
frustration. It looked as if he were about to give up and walk out of the
training room, but at the same time, he didn’t want to give up. He knew how
vital training was, especially if he wanted to remain friends with the other.
He took a deep breath before taking in everything Eridan had said, getting into
stance.
“You did it! Now, you three need to practice. Getting into stance should become
second nature by the time you’re done here. Keep go-” Eridan was suddenly
interrupted by the door opening, Jerome stepping in.
“I’d hate to intrude, but I just finished making lunch. You need to take a
break, Eridan,” the elder man said, looking completely unapologetic.
“Ooo, food!” Terezi exclaimed, running past the others and out of the room.
Eridan rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he shot a glare
toward Jerome, who simply lifted his arms innocently. Feferi perked up as well
at the sound of food, a smile appearing on her face as she walked away as well,
moving past Jerome. However the man stopped her, resting a hand on her
shoulder.
“Feferi, if you don’t mind, after lunch, I’d like to speak to you more on the
subject of you going to school for nursing, if you’re interested of course,” he
said, offering her a kind smile. It was clear he was excited about someone
taking an interest in nursing, as he was the only one in the family.
“Of course! Anything you know, I’d love to hear a-boat!” she exclaimed, smiling
brightly.
“Good, now go ahead and eat. Come to my office when you’re finished.” He then
looked to Eridan, who simply rolled his eyes. It was obvious he was also trying
to put a stop to Eridan training, figuring the teenager needed some sort of
break. “Are you two coming?” he asked.
“One sec, sir. I need to talk to ED about something,” Sollux piped up quickly
before Eridan could say anything.
Jerome looked between the two, his eyebrows furrowing slightly before nodding
and exiting the room, though his gray eyes stayed locked on the two as he moved
out of the room, as if afraid they were going to try something. As soon as the
door closed, Sollux turned to face Eridan, crossing his arms over his chest. An
almost awkward silence fell over the two, stuffing up the room and making
Eridan slightly uncomfortable.
Still, he cleared his throat. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” he
asked, quirking a brow.
Sollux looked around as if trying to find a sudden excuse to get out of
speaking with Eridan, though he knew it was no use. He needed to face
everything head on, including his feelings about the male standing in front of
him. “It’s about the kiss. I know you’ve said dating would be risky and
everything, so I’m not trying to pressure you into that, I just- want to know
where we stand or if what I did will make things completely awkward for the
rest of our fucking lives.” He spoke quickly, trying not to stumble over his
words and keeping his lisp to a minimum, though it didn’t work as well as he’d
hoped.
“Oh…” Eridan trailed off, rubbing at the back of his neck. Of course he’d
thought about the kiss. He thought about it every day, but dating Sollux would
still be risky, despite the fact that he wanted to desperately. He wanted to
experience a relationship and doing so with Sollux seemed simply perfect. At
the same time, though he was much too screwed up from everything Melissa had
done to truly focus on anything involving love; at least, that’s what he had
told himself. In all actuality, he wasn’t sure. “Honestly, yes, I’ve thought
about it, Sol. I’ve thought about it, and I want todo somethin’ about it, but
I’m way too fucked up. What happened earlier just confirmed that. Medication
only does so much,” he said, hesitating slightly as he tried to choose his
words carefully.
“I’m fucked up too, ED. I mean, no, I don’t say much about it, but- fuck. I
hear voices, okay? They tell me to do really extreme shit like hurt myself.
I’ve been in and out of inpatient and on meds since I was a fucking kid. I know
what it’s like to feel panic and hate yourself, okay? No, I haven’t been
through what you have, but you have to admit, we’re both fucked up in our own
ways,” Sollux said, growing desperate. It was true he wasn’t trying to force
Eridan into a relationship, but damn would he at least try to get him to see
reason. “And if you’re worried about me in terms of your enemies, the Serkets
are out of the way, and I’m learning how to fight.”
Eridan bit his bottom lip, not knowing any of that about Sollux. He knew the
other had a point however, he just needed to trust Sollux, but fuck, it was
difficult to do so. “Why are you sayin’ all of this?”
“Call me fucking crazy, but I think we can help one another in so many ways.
I’m not trying to cure you, and I hope you don’t do so with me, but I really
like you, ED. I can’t imagine losing you, okay?” he said, averting his eyes.
Sollux didn’t want to see the look of judgment on Eridan’s face. He didn’t want
to be flat-out rejected or told he didn’t matter- despite the fact that he was
every single day by his mind.
Eridan lowered himself to the ground suddenly feeling weak. He ran a hand
through his hair, chewing at his bottom lip as he thought things through. Even
if he did want to go through with everything, he wasn’t sure how to go about
any of it. Sure, he’d watched the movies, but were they really legitimate? Was
there a different procedure to go about when one guy was asking out another? It
was clear he wasn’t skilled in anything involving romance. Instead, he decided
to be straight up honest. “I like you too, Sol. The thing is- I don’t know what
the fuck I’m doin’. You were my first kiss, and you’d be my first boyfriend.
The last thing I want to do is come off as a fuckin’ idiot.” Eridan felt like a
straight up weirdo admitting all of that, and he didn’t want to seem lame in
admitting the fact that Sollux had been his first kiss, but it was the truth.
“I was your first kiss?” Sollux asked, his eyes widening. He knelt in front of
the other male, resting a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “I’m not going to
judge you for that, ED. Honestly, I’m kinda proud that I was. I know how to
date, I’ve dated three or four people.” Sollux tried not to bring up the fact
that they were all failed relationships, but knew that would be a conversation
for another day, if anything even came of the conversation between the two. “I
can teach you the ways of dating, plus I’m sure KK can show you a thing or two
as well.”
In bringing up Karkat, Eridan’s heart sank. It was another reason why he wasn’t
sure about dating Sollux. He liked both of them and wasn’t sure how to let one
go while holding onto the other. It didn’t seem fair, though it was clear that
Karkat didn’t care enough to actually speak with him, leading Eridan to believe
his feelings had moved on. It was saddening, but made things much easier on the
teenager. He sighed, head beginning to hurt with all the emotions and thoughts
running through it. Eridan looked up at the other, moving closer slightly.
“Okay, fine, how does one go about askin’ another out?” He wasn’t sure what he
was doing or why, but for some reason, it felt right.
Sollux grinned. “Like this.” Without speaking another word, he closed the gap
between them, gently pressing his lips against Eridan’s. The both of them could
feel their hearts lift slightly, beginning to race at the close proximity and
the touching of their lips. Everything seemed to fall into place, filling
Eridan and Sollux as they smiled into the kiss. It was the latter that pulled
away first, taking hold of Eridan’s hands and looking into his bright blue
eyes. “Eridan, would you be my boyfriend?”
Eridan couldn’t help the blush that dusted his cheeks, never actually thinking
the day he would be asked out would ever come. He wanted to laugh and jump up
and down, but didn’t want to be thought of as strange for it. He’d be able to
do it later on in his room. With a smile forming on his lips, he answered, “Of
course, you fuckin’ idiot.”
***** Rumor Mill *****
Chapter Notes
     Sorry it took me so long to get this update out! For some reason, I
     wasn't feeling too much inspiration, but I think I'm back now! I'm
     not sure if any of you have noticed, but I took down all the panels.
     olli-lolli wants to get them finished and, once he does, I'll add
     them all at once.
     Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I apologize that it's
     shorter than how they have been, but I'm hoping that will change and
     my word count will start going up once more.
Eridan stood in front of the high school, trying to keep his heart rate under
control. He kept a tight grip on the strap of his bag, his face blanching as
students walked by him, a few staring. For the most part, most didn’t look at
him. In any other situation, he would’ve been hurt at the sight of being
ignored, but all he could feel was a strange sense of relief. He didn’t want
anyone looking at him, calling him a freak, or anything of the sort. Darian
hadn’t let Sollux or any of the others stay with him the night before, instead
saying he needed to be well-rested for the next day. In reality, Eridan knew it
was due to the simple fact that Darian was sick of teenagers running in and out
of his house; not to mention the fact that something needed to be done about
the gang, which had grown uneasy due to the silence from Darian.

“Are you ready to go in, Eri?” a voice next to Eridan asked, making him jump
slightly as he was pulled from his thoughts. It was Cronus. He had been nothing
but supportive for Eridan, which both surprised and worried him. He wasn’t used
to his brother acting kindly. They’d usually kept to themselves or had a
friendly rivalry going on. Even when Margo died, they weren’t completely there
for one another. In fact, Eridan shut himself away, only coming out to immerse
himself in the gang, while Cronus focused on his music. He never wanted a life
in the gang, he wanted to pursue music, which had been a passion of his since
he was young. Only Margo supported that decision. After Eridan had been
tortured, Cronus changed along with Darian. He wanted to ask why, but knew he’d
be faced with lies. It was unusual for the Amporas to spill their feelings,
especially to other Amporas.

Eridan nodded, trying to put on a brave face. “Yeah, and even if I’m not,
what’s the point in voicin’ it?” he said, crossing his arms and walking
forward. Eridan could hear Cronus sigh behind him, but following along
wordlessly.

They walked through the doors of the school, where students threw paper at one
another, laughing and talking loudly to one another. It was like entering an
entirely new world for Eridan. He saw everything with a fresh pair of eyes.
Living, breathing teenagers faced him; most only faced worrying about their
grades or social lives, whereas Eridan faced death at every corner. Not for the
first time, he wished he were among them: normal. Normalcy had been something
he yearned for in the past, but all thoughts of that had dissipated when his
mother died. Upon meeting his friends and dating Sollux, he began yearning for
what others had. The life of not having to carry a gun with him or watch his
back wherever he went. With the Serkets gone, a heavy load was lifted from his
shoulders, but there was still the problem of his father refusing to disband
the gang.

Once again, Cronus’ voice brought Eridan out of his thoughts and back to
reality. The reality where he was in the gang, where he did have to carry a gun
and watch his back. A world where he had to watch out for his friends as well.
His blue eyes shifted to Cronus, a brow quirking as he wordlessly asked him to
repeat his question.

“I’m going to class. If you need me, go to the office and have them call for
me. You took your meds, right?” he asked, taking a few steps back.

Eridan nodded. Cronus returned it and walked away, moving quickly toward his
first period class, leaving his younger brother to fend for himself. It really
wasn’t a big deal, as Eridan had grown used to the company of others due to the
fact his friends wouldn’t leave him alone. He didn’t mind too much, especially
since it meant he got to spend time with Sollux. However, they found that they
had to keep their newfound relationship a secret. Eridan wasn’t ready to tell
his father, and Sollux wasn’t ready to tell the others about it. Eridan
couldn’t imagine how Darian would react at the news of Eridan having a
boyfriend right under his nose, and he often wondered when the right time to
tell him would be.

He decided not to think about it too much, and instead went to his locker,
opening it up and pulling a few textbooks into his messenger bag. Once he was
finished doing so, Eridan moved toward English. However, along the way, Feferi
caught up with him, a bright smile on her face and three textbooks in her
chubby brown arms.

“Hey, Eri-fin!” she exclaimed with a tiny huff.

“Hey, Fef. What’s all that for?” he asked, eying the heavy looking books and
wondering if he needed to ask Feferi if she needed help. Despite wanting to, he
knew she would refuse any sort of help. Feferi had taken training very
seriously and was working hard, even pushing herself a little further than
permitted during her first month. Eridan wondered if she were carrying the
books for the simple fact of a workout when he took a closer look at the
covers. He quickly picked up on the fact that they were medical books, cluing
him in on the fact that her talk with Jerome had gone well.

As if reading his thoughts and confirming them herself, Feferi spoke, “Whale,
you know that I talked to Jerome- he’s lovely, by the way- and I reely took an
interest in everything he said! I dolphinitely want to move forward and pursue
nursing!” The two then went silent for a few moments as they walked, Feferi’s
breath becoming more and more labored as they did so. “Not to mention, carrying
all of these is quite the workout. I don’t know why I decided to carry these to
all my classes,” she said with a strained giggle.

Eridan rolled his eyes and grabbed a few of the books wordlessly. The two then
moved back into a comfortable silence. They reached the English classroom with
no problems, taking their seats and preparing for class. At first, Eridan found
he was nervous. He hoped he wouldn’t fall behind completely, though he had done
well with getting everything done during his absence, it was still a worry.

However, he quickly realized that he didn’t have much to worry about. As soon
as class began, he realized that he was still on top of things. While things
were slow starting off, he quickly picked up, earning a relieved smile from the
teacher and a grin from Feferi. It was a huge weight off his shoulders
realizing that he had nothing to worry about in terms of his grades. He would
be okay; he wouldn’t be held back. Unfortunately, Eridan paying attention to
classes meant he wasn’t paying attention to much else around him. He didn’t
hear an increasing amount of students pointing him out and whispering amongst
themselves quietly.

Eridan stayed in unaware bliss until Biology rolled around, Nepeta looking more
than mildly concerned for Eridan. As soon as he sat down, the small girl ran
over, her eyes wide.

“I’m so sorry, Eridan!” she exclaimed, her mouth pulled into a tight frown.

Eridan’s eyebrows furrowed as he took in Nepeta’s slightly panicked look. “What
are you talkin’ about?” he asked.

She looked around as if the class were hanging on to every word. Once she
accepted the fact that the coast was clear, she turned back to Eridan. “People
have been talking about you. They’re saying you’re to blame for Vriska’s death.
All of us are telling them to pipe the fuck down, but no one’s listening,” she
said.

Eridan took in her words carefully, his heart feeling as though it skipped a
beat. Of course, what people were saying wasn’t terribly far from the truth. He
was to blame for Vriska’s death, but Nepeta didn’t know that- and neither did
anyone else at the school. He was more than aware of how dangerous it was that
such a rumor was spreading, especially since the Amporas weren’t an uncommon
name, even in America. The Serkets had had many other gangs on their side, so
it was only a matter of time before the Amporas were sniffed out. However,
Eridan wasn’t supposed to know such a thing. He had heard Darian talking about
it with Jerome, who had been urging him to disband the gang for the thousandth
time. Still, Darian hadn’t listened.

He wasn’t sure what to say, however, his eyes moved around the room, taking
everyone in. His fists clenched as a student met his eyes and looked away
quickly. Eridan couldn’t stand it. No one was supposed to know about Vriska. He
hadn’t left a trail, other than the fact that the same night she was killed, he
had been kidnapped. He tried not to think about it, instead looking back to
Nepeta.

“I’m not goin’ to worry about it. What they have to say isn’t true,” Eridan
said finally, though he didn’t buy what he was saying and knew Nepeta didn’t
either.

Luckily, she nodded, not pressing him into saying anything more and instead
went back to her seat, joining Equius who simply shot him an unconcerned look.
Eridan averted his attention to the front of the classroom as the teacher moved
into the lesson, asking people to go to a page in their books and follow along.
He found it hard to pay attention, the whispers suddenly penetrating his
concentration and forcing him to focus on what was being said around him.

”I don’t know what happened, honestly. Someone said he was tortured, and from
the looks of it, I can see it,” a girl muttered a few desks away from him.

“He was always picking fights with Vriska. I heard Trevor’s pissed. I think he
might be planning something.”

“Oh, yeah? What?”

“Not sure. He just said to wait and see. It looks like Ampora’s a lot jumpier;
a huge red flag that he had something to do with it.”

Eridan forced himself to tune out of the conversation. The people around him
didn’t know anything, not a damn thing. They couldn’t speak about what they
didn’t know, yet the rumors weren’t about to stop. He would have to endure
them. It wasn’t as if he had much of a choice, and he wasn’t about to go to
Darian and whine about how he couldn’t take what people were saying about the
situation. Eridan had been put on meds for a reason, they needed to kick in,
they needed to block out what everyone was saying. Of course, he knew
medication didn’t work in such a way, but he still hoped.
 
                                      |||


At long last, lunch finally rolled around. Eridan stood up quickly from his
desk, exiting the classroom. He could hear Sollux behind him, calling his name,
but he wanted to be out of the crowded halls. He wanted people to stop bumping
into him, to stop pointing and whispering. Eridan could feel his heart monitor
begin speeding up, beeping softly from beneath his shirt. The sound only made
him speed up, pushing past people until he reached the lunchroom. He found it
wasn’t as crowded as normal, which was something that made him heave a sigh of
relief. Eridan stood out of the way of the door for a moment, calming himself
down before moving toward the table he and the others usually sat at.

Terezi and Karkat were already seated, neither eating nor reading as usual.
Instead, they both looked more than a little angry. Terezi’s foot tapped
against the ground, and Karkat chewed at his nails, his bushy eyebrows furrowed
as he looked up, brown eyes meeting blue.

“Hey, Eridan,” he said, taking his finger out of his mouth for a second before
putting it right back in and resuming his chewing.

Eridan took a seat next to Terezi and drummed his fingers on the table. He knew
why they were angry, but was trying to find the best way to bring it up. There
wasn’t an easy way to say that he wasn’t letting the people talking about him
get to him, but it was a bold-faced lie. Eridan knew he might have been able to
get such a lie past Karkat, but not Terezi- never Terezi. He ran a hand through
his hair before letting it fall.

“Look, neither of you need to be angry. I’m tryin’ not to let it get to me,”
said Eridan, putting emphasis behind the word ‘try’. It wasn’t too much of a
lie, but it also wasn’t exactly the truth. His eyes searched Terezi’s face,
whose skin was red with anger, her jaw set as she looked around the room, which
had begun filling up more since Eridan had sat down. “Really, Ter, I’m okay.
Just don’t do anythin’ stupid.”

At his words, Terezi looked over at him, her face softening slightly. “You say
that, but I can see it plane as day in your face, Eridan. You’re hurt by what
they’re saying.” She paused, running a hand over her face before turning her
back to the sea of students. “But fine, okay. I’ll try not to be angry.” Her
eyes then searched his face, as if she were waiting for him to have a mental
breakdown. He yearned to snap at her for it, but knew it wouldn’t get them
anywhere. He couldn’t afford to be angry, not with the rumors that were
spreading. He needed to blend in- if that were even possible.

Sollux then sat down next to Eridan, his gaze hard. “ED, I told you to wait for
me!” he exclaimed softly.

“Sorry,” Eridan responded as Feferi then joined him, setting a few books down
on the table. Just like Terezi, her face was flushed as well. No doubt from the
workout with all the books as well as anger.

Feferi sat down on Terezi’s other side with a huff. “I’m so angry at all of
these people!” she exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“Don’t Feferi,” Terezi said simply before turning her gaze to the table, as if
the grains were suddenly interesting. Feferi seemed confused at first, but
quickly caught on, figuring Eridan had spoken to Terezi. With another small
sigh, Feferi, too, turned her attention away from the students. She, instead,
immersed herself in the books in front of her.

The table sat in silence, Karkat pulling out his own novel and beginning to
read. Sollux grabbed his laptop and began coding, as usual. No one spoke, and
no one ate. They couldn’t find it within themselves to. However, Eridan found
himself calm sitting between Terezi and Sollux, with Feferi and Karkat near him
as well. He felt safer with all of them near him. While he knew how silly it
must have sounded, he felt at home with them around, like he could get through
each and every day as long as they were there with him.

Unfortunately, the feeling and blissful quiet didn’t last. A pair of hands
slammed on the table, causing everyone to jump. Terezi’s hand went to her
chest, making it seem like she was reaching for her concealed weapon for a
moment. She then rolled her eyes and sat back, crossing her arms. “What do you
want, Trevor?”

Trevor, the boy that had slammed his hands down, was a beefy male with curly
brown hair and hard gray eyes, just like Vriska had. He wore a sneer on his
face, his cold eyes fixed on Eridan. It was as if the others didn’t exist in
that moment. He lifted a meaty finger and pointed it directly at Eridan. “You.
I know you’re the one responsible for killing Vriska. You wanted to be the king
around here, and were completely jealous that Vriska ruled the fucking school.”

Eridan found himself taken aback for a moment. He had expected Vriska to be
mentioned. In fact, he had prepared himself to be approached by someone named
Trevor when he overheard the students speaking in Biology, however, he hadn’t
expected anything about kings and queens to be brought up. Had that been what
everyone thought? Eridan and Vriska were simply fighting in something
resembling a turf war? He could’ve laughed if he weren’t beginning to freak out
inside. Trevor’s booming voice had began attracting the attention of other
students. Others around the table stopped eating and talking, nudging their
friends and getting ready for some sort of show.

“Sorry, I didn’t think anyone ruled the school. I just came here to learn, she
was the one that tried gettin’ in my face,” Eridan muttered in response, his
face growing red at the unwanted attention. God, he hated how weak he had felt.
If he had never been captured by Melissa, he would’ve handled everything with
ease, but now he was hesitating, stuttering over his words. He could feel his
chest begin tightening, just as it had when Melissa staged her verbal attack on
Eridan in the basement.

“Really? That’s not what it seemed like to me,” Trevor said with a cold laugh.
“You came to herschool, stole her friends, and accused her of abusing her
boyfriend. You were jealous of everything she had. What do you not have
anything at home? Mommy and Daddy ignore you too much?” he asked with another
sneer.

Eridan squeezed his fists just as his chest tightened once more, nearly making
him wince in pain. He opened his mouth to speak when Karkat beat him to the
punch.

“Shut the fuck up and leave him alone, idiot,” he growled. “Nobody here is
interested in your weird obsession with Vriska. She’s dead. Get over it.”

Trevor looked hurt for a brief second, though it was quickly masked by the same
sneer. “Wow, you have to have your friends fight your battles for you? Really
noble of you, faggot. You’d be nothing without them. In fact, you’d probably be
dead, wouldn’t you, Ampora? You’re nothing. Everyone knows it. While you were
strutting up and down the hallways when you first arrived, everyone pointed out
just how meaningless you were. In fact, you were like a fucking flea. Everyone
wanted to be rid of you.”

He didn’t know how Trevor did it, but his words struck a chord. It suddenly
became hard to breathe. His breath kept catching in his throat, sweat beginning
to gather at his brow as his fists clenched and unclenched. Tears filled his
eyes at the embarrassment of it all, especially when his heart monitor began
beeping loudly, alerting him that he needed to get things under control. At
first, Trevor looked surprised and confused to hear it, but he suddenly
realized just what it was.

“Damn, whoever took you really did a number didn’t they? Too bad they didn’t
fucking kill you,” he growled.

Eridan could feel all eyes on him. His ears felt like a radio, the volume being
turned up and down by some unknown being. Things grew louder and then softer,
confusing him. Eridan tried shaking his head, trying to get control of himself,
though his body began acting on its own. He couldn’t stop anything that was
happening even though he desperately wanted to. He wanted to get out, he wanted
to leave. Why couldn’t he leave?

A hand suddenly moved around his waist, jerking Eridan from his thoughts
slightly. He looked to his left, eyes landing on Cronus, who looked concerned
and pissed, just as the others had. Terezi took his other side and, together,
her and Cronus helped Eridan to the back of the building, setting Eridan down
against the wall. He could only slightly feel the warm breeze against his face,
doing very little to cool him off. It still felt as though the world’s volume
was being turned up and down against his will.

“Sorry I wasn’t there right away,” Cronus began, running his slender fingers
through Eridan’s hair, which was growing damp with sweat. “My Calculus teacher
kept me over again, the stupid bitch. I swear to God, though, as soon as Eri’s
calm I’m going to go back in there and give that fucker a piece of my mind.”

“You won’t have to. I’m sure Feferi, Karkat, and Sollux have everything under
control,” Terezi responded, holding onto Eridan’s hand. She turned all her
attention to him, lifting her other hand to stroke his cheek softly. “Eridan,
look at me, okay? You’re going to be okay. Don’t listen to him. Can you take a
few deep breaths for me?” she asked.

Eridan nodded slowly, trying to get in a few deep breaths. At first, nothing he
did worked, though as he put his mind to it and began concentrating, he found
things getting easier for him. He forced himself to feel Cronus’ fingers moving
through his hair, Terezi’s hands holding his and stroking his cheek softly. He
forced himself to feel their love and strength coursing through his being. As
he breathed, he gripped onto Cronus and Terezi’s hands, wordlessly telling them
that they better not leave his side. Of course, they weren’t about to. They
would stay with him, something Eridan was grateful for.

As Eridan began calming down, he grew exhausted. Without actually being able to
stop it, his eyes fell closed and his head lolled to the side, his world going
black around him.

Terezi slapped his cheek a few times softly. “Eridan? Eridan? Fuck, he passed
out. We need to get him back to your place, Cronus,” she said, looking up at
the other.

Cronus nodded. “Yeah, sounds good to me. Fuck, is this how it’s going to be,
Terezi? They were fucking taping him,” he muttered, trying to clear his throat
to force the lump out of it. He didn’t want to cry; he needed to be strong for
Eridan- for his little brother. Cronus gently picked up up as Terezi stood
straight, looking crestfallen.

“Sollux will take care of the videos if they get put onto the internet. Vriska
wasn’t toounpopular with Trevor’s crowd. She always knew how to manipulate
people. Not to mention teenagers thrive on drama, Cronus. You did see Aranea
and her little group of friends, right? They were assholes, all of them,”
Terezi responded as they began walking toward Cronus’ car.

“I hope all of this passes soon. Eridan was improving so much,” Cronus
muttered, looking down at Eridan as he walked.

“It will. It’ll take a lot of time, but it will. Soon everyone will find some
other drama to latch onto. He’s still getting better, plus all of us are
recognizing the signs of a coming panic attack. As long as he takes his
medication and isn’t alone for too long at a time- at least until this blows
over- everything will be okay. Plus, summer break is coming up,” she said,
trying to remain positive for Cronus as well as herself. While she did believe
things would get better, she wasn’t sure how long it would take. “Anyway, you
go ahead. I’m going to get back to the others and shoot my mom a text. I’ll be
over after school; Sollux and Karkat will probably be with me.”

Once she got confirmation from Cronus that he’d be alright to keep going alone,
she rested her hand on the top of Eridan’s head for a moment before walking
back into the school, hoping the others weren’t in the process of expulsion.
***** Shipping Wall *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm really sorry this chapter took so long finish and publish.
     Honestly, I had lost inspiration for this for a little while.
     However, I'm back and I intend to finish it up! Stay tuned...
Terezi stepped into the lunchroom, her eyes searching the students. She had
expected a huge fight to be broken out between Feferi, Karkat, Sollux, and
Trevor. However, she saw nothing but students eating their lunches quietly. No
one spoke, which was something she’d never seen before. Trevor was nowhere to
be found. She walked briskly back to the table, clearing her throat once she
reached it. Sollux was typing away on his computer, with absolutely no chance
of looking up. It seemed he had gotten into ‘The Zone’, and whenever he was in
‘The Zone,’ it was hard to get him out. One thing Terezi did notice about the
group was the fact that they were all red-faced with anger. Karkat’s eyebrows
were furrowed as he stabbed a piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth.

Terezi tried looking over Sollux’s shoulder to see what he was up to, however
she found that no matter which angle she tried to look from, she couldn’t see
his screen. With a loud sigh, she turned to Feferi. “What’s he doing?” she
asked, jerking her thumb toward Sollux.

“Keeping an eye on YouTube and a few other websites. He thinks the videos of
Eri-fin will be uploaded soon, so he’s going to take them down as soon as they
get put up,” Feferi responded, her voice soft so no one would overhear her. “Is
he okay?”

“I’m not sure. He calmed down, but passed out. Cronus took him home. Fuck, I’m
so worried about him. This isn’t fair. He’s been through hell, and yet, he
still has to deal with it. I feel like he should be home-schooled,” Terezi
said, looking down at the table. She chewed at her bottom lip, looking at
Feferi, Karkat, and Sollux. Karkat had looked up from his food, his brown eyes
having settled on Terezi. Though the others were surprised from what Terezi
said, they didn’t say anything on it. Terezi was the type of person to
persevere no matter what, and expected her friends to do the same.

“You know he wouldn’t go for that, Terezi. Plus there’s only a few weeks left
of school. We can keep an eye on him and make sure nothing else happens,”
Karkat said, taking another bite of his lunch. He also knew Darian wouldn’t go
for it. Sure, he had gone lax on a few of the hard ass rules he had placed on
Eridan and Cronus, however leaving school early would be out of the question.
That wasn’t the Ampora way.

“I can talk to Meenah about it. She’ll do anything against my mom,” Feferi
said. “Plus, she knows about the gangs because of Aranea. Of course, she didn’t
say anything, but she told me she knew. Meenah said she’s sorry she ever shit-
talked Eridan, and I guess she did a lot of that with Aranea around- Cronus,
too.” She played with her long hair, ashamed her older sister had made fun of
Eridan and Cronus.

“And I know Latula will be more than willing to help. Whatever Latula helps
with, Mituna usually joins in. I swear to fuck, it’s impossible to separate
those two,” Terezi muttered before fixing her attention on Karkat. “Is Kankri
still being an ass about everything with your Dad?”

Karkat let out a dry laugh, rolling his eyes. “What in the fuck do you think,
Terezi? He’s always being an ass about my Dad, always taking his side. I swear,
he’s shoved so far up my Dad’s ass, it’s embarrassing.” He stabbed at the rest
of the food on his tray, but didn’t eat anymore.

The group went quiet for a moment, all of them losing themselves in their own
thoughts. Terezi’s eyes continued searching each of their faces, though always
came back to Feferi’s. She couldn’t help but notice just how upset and angry
her girlfriend looked. She wished there was something she could do to take away
all of their pain, but knew she could do little at that point. Terezi knew it
would be pointless to go to the principal about the bullying going on, as
nothing was ever done about bullying in the school. It was infuriating, but
what were a few Sophomores going to do about it? Instead, they had to fend for
themselves.

A pair of hands tapping the table drew Terezi out of her thoughts. The first
thought in her mind was that Trevor had come back, so she prepared herself to
give the verbal beat-down of the lifetime, however, when she turned, she found
herself face-to-face with Nepeta. The smaller female looked worried sick, her
large green eyes filled with worry.

“Is Eridan okay?” she asked. “I heard about what happened! I’ve been going to
the art class during lunch, so I haven’t been around to see all the drama. Grr,
I hate Trevor. He’s always trying to start shit!” Nepeta then sat down heavily,
crossing her arms with a loud sigh.

“Cronus took him home, Nepeta. He should be okay with a little rest. He just
had a panic attack,” Feferi responded, though didn’t sound too sure of herself.
None of them knew how Eridan would really react to Trevor and the wave of
rumors that had spread around the school.

Nepeta’s mouth pulled downward into a frown. “I wish there was something I
could do. I’m pretty ferocious, so I could fight off all the bastards!” she
exclaimed, dropping her usual cat-pun enhanced speech, which proved the fact
that she knew just how dire the situation was. “The rumors that are being
spread are so cruel. They’re saying Eridan was the cause of Vriska’s death, and
that he’s in some kind of gang. That can’t be true, though! Sure, Eridan’s
pretty mean-looking at first glance, but he looks like a big softy. Just like
Equius!” she then lowered her head. “Oops, sorry for mentioning him.”

The group looked at one another (with the exception of Sollux) and sighed. “I’m
going to tell her,” Terezi said to Karkat and Feferi.

“Tell her?” Karkat questioned, confusion lacing his voice.

“No, you can’t, Terezi!” Feferi exclaimed, reaching out and gripping Terezi’s
forearm. She automatically knew Terezi was referring to her telling Nepeta
about the Amporas and the gang. It would only confirm the rumors and perhaps
start more of them. Feferi had been very good friends with Nepeta, though they
drifted apart after Eridan moved to town as well as the drama between Equius,
Aradia, and Sollux happened. Plus, the group knew the rules. They weren’t
allowed to tell anyone about the gang. Feferi knew just how bad the
consequences could be due to her bringing it up to her mother at one point.

“I can, and I will. This girl is tough as rocks, Feferi. She’d be an amazing
asset, and she probably wouldn’t even have to train!” Terezi responded,
gesturing at just how important it was to her with her hands.

Feferi simply rolled her eyes, though Karkat still wore a look of confusion on
his face- completely lost. Terezi turned back to Nepeta, who looked just as
confused as Karkat, her eyes darting to each of them, trying to look for
answers by searching their faces.

“There’s something we need to tell you, Nepeta,” Terezi began, scooting closer
to her and keeping her voice as low as possible, while still making sure she
could be heard. “Some of the rumors you heard were true.”

“What?” Nepeta questioned, tilting her head to the side slightly.

Terezi sighed. “Eridan is part of a gang - his Dad runs it. One of their
biggest enemies were the Serkets, because Melissa, Vriska, and Aranea were
responsible for his mom’s death. They kidnapped her and killed her, Nepeta. Of
course, no one takes that kind of thing lightly, so the Amporas retaliated,
basically swearing revenge. They ended up moving here- to America- and,
obviously, Vriska and Eridan fought, a lot. There came a time where there was
some sort of showdown, and Eridan killed Vriska. Obviously that didn’t fly well
with Melissa, so her and Aranea kidnapped him and tortured him for about a
week. We were finally able to get him back here. He has a shit heart now
because the Serkets had killed him at one point, so now he’s on a transplant
list. He’s on a fuckton of meds, and now he has to deal with assholes like
Trevor here at school.” Once she was finished speaking, Terezi looked away,
more than a little afraid of seeing Nepeta’s reaction to everything she said.

Nepeta’s eyes were even wider than before, tears having filled them halfway
through Terezi’s explanation. “What happened to Melissa and Aranea?”

“Aranea’s dead and- we’re unsure where Melissa is,” Terezi lied, thinking it’d
be best to keep the fact that Melissa was alive in the Amporas basement away
from Nepeta.

Nepeta sighed loudly. “I’ll do whatever I can to protect him. I’ve seen just
how close all of you are. There’s obvious love there- not to mention all the
ships!” she said, her voice wavering slightly at first. Terezi looked up at her
to see a determined look on her face. She couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Thank you, Nepeta. I should also mention just how vital it is that you keep
this a secret. If you tell anyone, well, we’ll have to kill you,” Terezi added,
scratching the back of her neck with a sheepish look on her face.

Nepeta smiled at first, though quickly realized just how serious Terezi and the
others were. The smile faltered, and she cleared her throat. “Well, that’s
okay, because I wouldn’t have told anyone anyway! Not he-who-must-not-be-named
or she-who-must-not-be-named either. No one! Not a soul!” she said, crossing
her arms and lifting her chin into the air slightly.

“Thank you again,” Feferi said, relieved to know Nepeta was more than willing
to keep Eridan’s secret.

Karkat’s eyes were hard, though he kept quiet, his jaw set as he continued
stabbing at the food on his tray. It was clear he wasn’t as open to telling
Nepeta anything, therefore, he didn’t want to be apart of it. She wasn’t a
known blabber-mouth, but who knew what she would tell Equius if he found out
about her visit to the table. He didn’t even want to think about it.

The group fell into an awkward silence. It wasn’t easy to suddenly bounce back
from telling an outsider what kind of life their best friend really lead.
Feferi turned her attention to her hair, making small braids with steady
fingers- something she usually did when confronted with an awkward situation.
Terezi studied Nepeta’s face, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to
figure out if it really was a good idea to spill to her. However, Nepeta had an
almost dreamy look on her face as she studied the wall opposite her.

“What are you thinking about?” Terezi asked.

“Like I said, the ships with Eridan and all of you are amazing! I’m just
thinking about all of the paw-sibilities,” Nepeta responded before looking
around. “Unless, of course, he’s already taken!”

Feferi and Terezi couldn’t help but be taken aback by how quickly Nepeta
bounced back from the news. It was then both of them knew it was fine that they
had told Nepeta. She wouldn’t spill, and that was clear enough- she wouldn’t
talk about ships if she were made uncomfortable by everything that had been
said. For a moment, Feferi hesitated in coming forward about the news of her
and Terezi. They hadn’t come clean to the rest of the group- with the exception
of Sollux, but that moment seemed to be the best in her eyes. She decided to
only say something about it if prompted.

“What are some ships you have in mind?” Terezi asked, not bothering to hide her
smile. The talk of ships was a nice distraction to the conversations that had
plagued them ever since they found out Eridan was in Melissa’s clutches.

“I’m glad you fucking asked,” Nepeta said, bringing her fingertips together.
She looked at the group, a smile forming on her face. “I ship Eridan and Feferi
for one!”

Feferi nearly snorted. Of course, she’d had a crush on him when she first met
him, but things had changed. He was simply her best friend, nothing more. She
didn’t want anything more to come from it. Not only that, but she and Terezi
were in a very happy closed relationship. In the end, she giggled.

“We’re going to have to crush your OTP dreams for that one, Nepeta. Terezi and
I got together about a month ago,” she said, smiling at her girlfriend before
fixing her gaze on Nepeta.

Nepeta sat up straight, her eyes growing wider as she took in the females
before her. “You what?! Ugh, this is why I’ve hated going to the art room. I
miss everything! That’s so cute, though!” She nearly began vibrating in her
seat, a wild grin on her face. “I hoped there was something between you two,
but I was never sure, so I had the two of you on the bottom of my list, but now
you’re going on the very top!”

Terezi laughed and looked over at Karkat, whose eyes were wide- almost
betrayed.

“You two started dating and didn’t say anything?” he growled.

“Oh, shut up, Karkat! You know why we didn’t tell you. I mentioned it to Sollux
in passing to help lighten the mood at the hospital when Feferi took you home,”
Terezi shot back, her eyes growing hard.

Karkat rolled his eyes, looking like he wanted to retort, but didn’t say
anything. Instead, he sighed loudly and turned his attention back to his lunch
and novel, tuning out the conversation between the girls.

Terezi turned back to Nepeta. “Boys… So what other ships do you have for us?”

Nepeta looked as if she were fighting between talking more about ships or
keeping her mouth shut. She didn’t want drama to start within the group because
of her, especially because they had always been close, and had grown closer
still since Eridan joined them. However, if she failed at anything, it was
keeping her mouth shut when it came to potential relationships due to her
shipping wall.

“Well, with you and Feferi excluded, I ship the hell out of Eridan and Sollux!
Of course, he probably can’t hear me because he’s coding- the prick- but yes!
They’d be so cute together! I ship Karkat and Eridan too, but more as BFFs than
anything. I feel like they’d get too pissed at one another, especially with how
shouty Karkat is,” Nepeta laughed.

Terezi’s eyes wandered to Sollux, who was still staring at his screen, typing
every few minutes- no doubt trying to put a stop to potential mentions of the
lunch fiasco with Eridan online. She was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of
them. It was clear to her that something was going on between Sollux and
Eridan. Their body language when they were near one another proved just that.
She wasn’t sure why they hadn’t come forward about it, unless it was to avoid
Karkat’s wrath, which was understandable. Then again, she didn’t know
everything that went on with the two behind closed doors. Still, she wanted to
ask when the timing was better and Sollux wasn’t completely immersed in his
computer screen.

She turned her attention back to Nepeta, who had pulled out a sketchbook and
was showing Feferi all her top ships. Seeing Feferi giggle filled her with a
calming sensation. They could get through everything. Everything would go back
to normal, and Eridan would be a part of that normalcy.
                                     ^ ^ ^

Eridan groaned softly as a damp cloth was pressed against his forehead. He
tried turning his head, but it felt like lead- impossible to move. His body
ached as if he had gotten into a particularly nasty fight and came out of the
losing side. His mind felt strangely empty, which would’ve been good aside from
the fact that he had no idea what happened or where he was. With another small
groan, he opened his eyes with difficultly, his eyes meeting Jerome’s.

The elder smiled down at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. “Hey,
you’ve been out for about an hour. You gave your brother and I quite a scare,”
he said, pressing the cloth on his forehead again.

“What happened?” Eridan asked, looking around the room and trying to ignore the
start of a pounding headache. Had he gotten into a fight with someone at
school?

“I was hoping you could tell me that, Eridan. Cronus was able to give me a few
details, but a lot is still missing. He mentioned the fact that there was a boy
named Trevor giving you a hard time?” Jerome asked, his gray eyes searching
Eridan’s face.

Trevor. Eridan recalled the name easily, and it was in doing so that a face
appeared. Cruel words filled his head- everything that had been said to him at
lunch. Everything that sent him into a panic attack in the middle of the lunch
room. Yes, he could remember everything, though he really didn’t want to. He
could remember every single thing Trevor said to him, the truth actually
spreading, and Eridan having no idea how to stop it. He was completely
powerless. He was weak.

“Cro told you right. A kid came up to the table durin’ lunch, tryin’ to tell me
that Vris’ death was my fault- which it was- and all this other bull about my
friends and how I should have died. It was really poetic, you know, how much
fuckin’ passion the guy had. Anyway, everythin’ he said sent me into a panic
attack, and I guess I passed out. So, here I am,” Eridan said, trying to make
light of the situation in front of Jerome, though he still wasn’t feeling too
good on the inside. Everything Trevor had said was still sloshing around in his
mind, begging to be listened to over and over.

Jerome stayed quiet for a moment, though continued working on Eridan. He kept
the cloth on his forehead and bent over, grabbing a pill bottle and a glass of
water. He poured a few aspirin onto his hand before giving them and the glass
to Eridan. The latter took them without question. Jerome then put everything
away and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

“The fact that there are rumors going around about you being in a gang is
concerning enough; add on the fact that people are actually approaching you
about it is another story. Do you have any idea who started it?” he finally
asked, though his words did nothing to ease Eridan’s mind.

“My money’s on Trevor, but it’s impossible to be sure,” he responded with a
shrug.

Jerome sighed. “Well, I’m going to talk to your father about this; perhaps
there’s something that can be done. I want you to rest, do you understand?”

Eridan nodded, which was good enough for Jerome, as he stood and walked out of
the living room, leaving Eridan to his thoughts. He rested a hand against the
washcloth, trying to push all thoughts of Trevor from his mind, though found it
impossible. Not only was he plaguing his thoughts, the other students were as
well. The way they stood up, gaping at the scene in front of them. He thought
he had seen a few of them pulling out their phones, which would put that entire
situation on the Internet and make things much worse for him and his family.
Not to mention, Eridan hadn’t even tried fighting back.

He knew laying around and thinking about everything that had happened wouldn’t
do anything to help him. He needed to train, or find some other way to get his
mind off of the fiasco at school.

With slight difficulty, he pushed himself off the couch, standing up and
stretching. He then moved toward the training room, prepared to beat the hell
out of a dummy. He knew that if everything with Melissa hadn’t have happened,
he wouldn’t have hesitated in teaching Trevor a lesson. Now, though, Eridan was
weak. He was vulnerable. Gritting his teeth at the thought, he punched the
dummy, picturing Trevor’s face as he did so.

As he trained, his mind cleared. Sweat gathered at his brow, soaking his hair
and shirt at the collar. His breath came out deeply as he pushed his body.
Still, Eridan didn’t stop. At least not until a hand gripped his shoulder. He
swung around quickly, afraid it would be an angry Jerome, pissed that he wasn’t
laying down as he had been told to do. Instead, he found himself looking at his
friends. They all wore concerned looks on their faces.

Eridan wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and cleared his throat.
“Hey, how long have you guys been here?” he asked.

Sollux shrugged. “Not long.”

“Are you doing okay?” Feferi asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just needed to blow off some steam. I just- I can’t believe
I was so weak at school. It didn’t used to be that way,” Eridan responded,
knowing there was absolutely no use in lying to his friends about how he was
feeling regarding everything that happened. They would’ve found out about
everything one way or another anyway.

“Don’t worry, asswipe. Give it some time, and you’ll be back to your ass-
kicking self at school soon enough,” Karkat said with a smirk.

Eridan and the others couldn’t help but smile, though wondered how long it
would really be. It didn’t take a trained professional to tell that Eridan had
changed drastically. As much as they tried to tell themselves that it was only
a matter of time, they weren’t sure how much they really believed that. Eridan
had been through what most hadn’t, and everything that had happened would be
difficult to overcome- if he ever did.

The group fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence, all thinking the same
thing, but not wanting to speak up about it. However, they didn’t know what
else to say either. At least, nobody but Terezi. She had always been good at
changing the subject when necessary.

“So, Ampora, mind if we train with you?” she asked, grinning and showing all of
her teeth in the process.

“Go for it. I was just tryin’ to build my stamina since it was shot. Sol, you
need to practice positioning a little more until it’s absolutely perfect. Ter,
Fef, and Kar, you three are good to start trainin’ with me,” Eridan responded,
automatically changing his persona. He had to admit he found a certain
satisfaction in bossing his friends around and telling them to do things,
though he’d never admit that aloud.

Everyone nodded and got into their positions. Once they started, Eridan found
that having the others with him was much more enjoyable, especially when it
came to Terezi. The group shared laughs as they trained, all of them trying to
get their minds off of everything that happened. In those moments, it was like
Eridan was back to normal- or as normal as an Ampora could be with the life
they lead.

Unfortunately, it all ended when an angry looking Darian entered the room.
Eridan stopped what he was doing immediately once his blue eyes caught sight of
the other.

“I thought Jerome told you to rest, Eridan,” Darian said, his voice rough.

“I couldn’t just lay there and think about everythin’, Dad. I wanted to train
and get my mind off of everything that happened,” Eridan responded with a
shrug, like it was no big deal.

Darian shook his head, looking down for a moment. “Well, shower and get ready
for your appointment, which you’re still going to, by the way,” he said, though
his voice had softened slightly. “I’ll be waiting.” He then left the room.

Eridan sighed and turned to the others. “You guys should probably go. Unless
you want to keep trainin’.”

“I do need to go. I’m sure my mom is wondering where I am. I’m glad you’re
doing better, Eri-fin,” she said with a smile, pulling Eridan into a sweaty
embrace. “Do you want me to take you home, Terezi?”

“Nah, I think I’m going to stay here and train. Be safe on your way home,
though,” Terezi responded, pecking Feferi on the lips and cackling as she
blushed.

Feferi only managed a quick nod, waving at Sollux and Karkat before leaving the
room.

“I’m staying if you are, Sollux. You’re my ride home,” Karkat said, crossing
his arms.

Sollux nodded. “I don’t want to leave until I perfect this position BS.”

“Alright, well, keep doin’ what you’re doin’ then. I need to get ready,” Eridan
said, making his way to the bathroom. He had almost reached the door when he
felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he found himself facing Sollux.
The blond didn’t speak, just pulled Eridan in by the soaked collar of his
shirt. Their lips met softly, their bodies nearly flush against one another.
Eridan’s hand moved upward, resting on Sollux’s shoulders for a moment as his
eyes closed and he lost himself in the kiss. He could feel Sollux’s chapped
lips move against his, his exhales tickling his cheek. Eridan felt like he was
soaring, his head cleared completely and everything felt okay, at least, until
Sollux pulled away.

“Just wanted to give you a goodbye kiss,” Sollux said with a wink. He then
walked away, a smirk resting on his face.

Eridan rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair. He watched Sollux walk
away and, once he was gone, he finally went into the bathroom to get ready for
his appointment, his chest feeling much lighter than before.
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