Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/602604.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Homestuck
  Relationship:
      Eridan_Ampora/Feferi_Peixes
  Character:
      Eridan_Ampora, Feferi_Peixes
  Additional Tags:
      Pale_Romance_|_Moirallegiance, Awkwardness, Quadrant_Confusion, Massage,
      Dry_Humping, Flushed_Romance_|_Matesprits, Tickling
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-12-21 Words: 4295
****** Salmon ******
by mousaerato
Summary
     Understanding the subtle differences between red and pale romance can
     be difficult. Especially when you're six sweeps old.
Notes
     I'm sorry in advance. This is my headcanon and nobody can take it
     away from me.
-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling caligulasAquarium [CA] --
CC: UG)(!!!
CA: oh hey fef
CA: wwhats up
CC: The SAM-E t)(ing it always is!
CA: your lusus im guessin
CC: I can’t glubbing TAK-E IT anymore!
CC: It’s always KRILL T)(IS, CULL T)(AT, K-E-EP H-ER QUI-ET!
CC: I don’t want to do all t)(is! It’s CRU-EL! )(ow many trolls )(ave ended up
orp)(ans?
CA: wwell youvve got me helpin you
CA: you knoww that right
CC: Whale, S)(OR-E I do! T)(e t)(ing is, -Eridan, s)(e’s still my
responsibility and no one else’s! It’s on M-E, not you.
CC: I am so glubbing SICK of it!
CA: fef
CC: Sometimes, I t)(ink it mig)(t be better to let her just SP-EAK THE VAST
GLUB ALR-EADY!!!!
CA: wwhoa FEF
CC: W)(AT?! AT L-EAST T)(-EN, I’D B-E OFF T)(-E )(OOK!
CA: you started trollin me for a reason
CA: i knoww youre stressed out
CC: ...
CA: and look i understand wantin to bring about the end a the wworld
CA: i really do an you gotta trust me on that
CA: but if nothin else i dont wwant YOU dead
CA: youre ovverwwhelmed an i get it
CC: T)(e -Empress is just glubbing FIN-E wit)( destruction, so w)(y can’t I be
too?
CA: youre not talkin genocide right now
CA: youre talkin outright obliteration and suicide here
CC: I AM NOT!
CA: yes you are
CA: if you didnt wwant someone to calm you dowwn you wwouldntvve contacted your
moirail
CA: am i wwrong
CC: ...No, no you’re not. 38(
CC: -Eridan, I’m so tired...
CC: It’s too muc)(!
CA: its okay
CA: look howw about you come ovver here
CA: get awway from your hivve for a bit
CC: ...Are you s)(ore that won’t be an inconvenience?
CA: fuck no im doin a pale and right royal duty
CA: its a privvilege
CC: 38’)
CA: wwell get you fixed up right as fuckin rain i promise
CC: T)(ank you so much. S)(ould I come over now?
CA: hurry up i dont wwant you changin your mind and doin somethin ludicrous
CC: Okay t)(en! Sea you soon!
-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling caligulasAquarium [CA] --
      Feferi arrived at Eridan’s hive with haste, swimming more forcibly than
she had in at least two sweeps. She was overwrought, frustrated, ready and
willing to use anything as an outlet for her fury, even if deep down she knew
it was misplaced. Being responsible for Gl’bgolyb was an onerous burden, one
which on occasion left the young heiress drained – or worse, despondent. While
her species was trained to accept death and cruelty from the very beginning, it
certainly didn’t mean that Feferi accepted it with joy or delight by any
stretch of the imagination. She understood better than most that keeping her
mammoth lusus sated was for the benefit of all of Alternia, but its high costs
often made the fuchsia-blood wish she were regent instead. Maybe then, she
could change her world and ameliorate her conscience.
       Eridan opened the door as soon as Feferi brought a slender, gray hand to
the door; he had been waiting anxiously for her arrival. Her steel-toned eyes
went wide behind her goggles in shock at her moirail’s attentiveness. Eridan
looked at her and thankfully was able to hide with a tight-lipped kind of smile
how beautiful he found her, even in her disheveled state. Her hair, soaked jet-
black locks that fell now to her knees, had begun to curl and frizz at the ends
and at the crown of her head. Her skirt clung to her curvy and strong legs,
giving Eridan a view of her thighs more than what she would usually reveal as
droplets ran from the hems of the cyan and seafoam fabric to soak into her
fuchsia shoes. Likewise, her black top clung to her frame, and while it gave
nothing indecent away, it unintentionally gave her moirail a clearer view of
the likewise soft and inviting curves of her petite frame. He swept her up
under his violet cape, bringing an arm around her shoulder, shooing her in.
“Come in, come in,” he urged in a whisper, “I’m so glad you’re here...”
      Feferi’s footsteps made crude squishing noises as her weight squeezed
water out of her shoes. She stopped in the center of Eridan’s hive, humiliated;
her host said nothing, opting to take the cape off of his back and wrap her in
it where she stood. He delicately and gingerly rubbed the material at her
shoulders and at her hair, enjoying the indirect sensation of his skin on hers.
And helping her to dry off, of course.
      “T-thanks,” she finally offered, voice small and soft. Finally being out
of the ocean and in the presence of someone she knew cared about her helped
Feferi ease up. She was exhausted physically as well as mentally at that point.
      Eridan offered her a hug which she happily accepted, bringing her arms
around his neck and nuzzling her head against his chest to enjoy his warmth.
Eridan let his hands come to the middle of her back, making sure that the
violet fabric he gave her never fell from her. In her current state, she was so
fragile, and Eridan couldn’t help himself from wanting to take care of her,
even if physically he didn’t seem capable. Feferi was all alluring curves and
strong legs underneath an adorable layer of fat; Eridan on the other hand was
naturally thin, lanky - bony, even. Still, he was taller, and in their
respective states, much more capablethan she was.
      “It’s hard, Fef - growin’ up with that lusus,” he murmured into her hair.
“It’s hard, but I understand.” Feferi wiped her face against his shirt and
shivered. “Let me get you something t’drink, okay?”
      Feferi left his embrace as he gestured for her to make herself
comfortable. As he left to retrieve a warm beverage, Feferi opted so sit in
Eridan’s computer chair to gaze through his ship-hive’s window to the ocean. It
was ubiquitous, consuming the young royal’s vision in waves of foaming blues
and indigos; at the same time, home had never felt so far away. From the
surface, everything looked calm and beautiful – intelligible. She knew,
however, that underneath its surface were things darker, insidious,
overwhelming, manipulative. She loved the chaos and beauty of the creatures of
the deep, yes, but even she needed a moment at times to breathe.
      Before she knew it, the warm vapors of a drink infused with honey and
citrus wafted under her nostrils, making her goggles fog up slightly. Her hands
– practically entirely tyrian with how cold she had been from the swim –
suddenly felt hot as Eridan slowly handed her a violet mug. She turned to look
at Eridan, his face warmer than she’d ever seen him before.
      “Did I interrupt anything, princess?”
      “Oh! No, not really...”
      He knew her better than that. “Still thinkin’ ‘bout home?”
      “Yeah.” Feferi took a long but dignified sip of Eridan’s home-brewed
handiwork. “I can’t stop wondering, ‘Is she full? Should I go back? Was that
last lusus enough?’”
      “You’re gonna be such a great ruler,” Eridan offered assuredly.
      “If I can’t handle one monster’s needs, what makes you think I can rule
Alternia?”
      “Y’care, Peixes,” he replied softly as he pulled another chair up to sit
beside her, noticeably holding a fluffy, grandiose robe he clearly procured for
her. “We’re only six sweeps and you understand how serious this all is. The
greatest a’ leaders in history were madeover time, Fef. When your day comes,
you’re gonna make this place amazin’, I promise.”
      He hoped to himself that one of her first acts would be to drown the
planet, but he never told her that. Regardless, he meant every word.
      “Thank you...” Feferi’s voice was tinged still with concern and remorse;
Eridan couldn’t stand it.
      “She’s fine, y’know. Y’take good care of her, even if you don’t really
want to...”
      “She’s a wonderful custodian, she really is! But...”
      “You don’t like doin’ Alternia’s version a’ cullin’.”
      “Exactly,” she sighed with relief. Eridan knew exactly what to say in her
time of despair.
      “I got somethin’ else for you,” Eridan offered, voice calm and even as he
let a hand gently tug away at the cape still poured over her shoulders. He
tried to place the new, dry, fluffy robe on her, but Feferi gestured very
quickly with her hand for him to stop.
      “What’s wrong?” Eridan asked.
      Feferi tried to find the right words, hoping he wouldn’t misconstrue
them. “My clothes are still--”
      “Oh,” he replied, realizing that even with the robe, she was still in
soaked fabrics. He felt his face get hot, and he averted his glance as he made
the offer. “If you’re comfortable, of course...you can change into this in the
other room.”
      “Are you shorethat’s okay with you?” She might have been an empress in
training, able to make the rules as she saw fit, but she was still politeand
considerate, at least.
      “Oh- yeah, yeah. Heck, go ahead and put on some a’ my garb if y’want,” he
teased, hoping to himself that she’d pick otherwise for a brief moment.
“Whatever makes you feel better.”
      Feferi finished the last bit of the hot drink and nodded as she took the
robe from her host, excusing herself away from his gaze. Still, she did a
double-take to check if Eridan was looking before she did anything else. He was
the perfect gentleman: he had moved his chair to the far end of his computer
room, staring blankly through another window so far away from her that there
was no way he could watch her. Some lesser trolls may have taken advantage,
even if Feferi could easily have had them culled upon being caught.
      She shimmied out of her skirt, feeling a chill hit her clammy body yet
again. This time, however, it was liberating; taking off the colorful and
imperial garb that signified her caste and role was a relief, not unlike the
comfort she felt when her moirail opened the door and brought her into his
abode. Just as it hit the floor, she removed her top, leaving her entirely bare
save for her fuchsia shoes. Finally, she removed her goggles and put on the
dry, warm robe Eridan had provided her – not putting on anything else - and
stepped back out into the room where he waited, still staring vacantly into the
ocean as if he had forgotten she was even there.
      He turned to greet her upon hearing that familiar squeak and squish of
damp shoes, surprised to see her looking so...at ease, even if she was still
not entirely herself. He had never seen Feferi without her goggles; the shape
of her face pleased him even more without them. The soft and fuzzy fabric
suited her as she practically drowned in how large the robe was on her. Eridan
felt a small surge of possessiveness seeing his “moirail” in his colors and
nothing more – until he remembered her shoes.
      He rose to greet her, offering her again his old seat. “Sit down, Fef.”
She complied lazily while he stood in front of her, bringing his hands to her
shoulders to assure her. “It’s gonna be fine. I told ya we’re gonna get you
right as rain. Did the tea and clothes help?”
      She hummed happily in response. “It’s so nice not being there.” Every
syllable was heaved out of her in a heavy, alleviated exhale. “I’m worried
about when I go back, though.”
      Eridan rubbed at her shoulders, earning him a relieved sigh. “You’re
doin’ just fine...shhh.”
      “How many custodians are we going to have to cull next time-”
      “Shh,” he murmured again, kneading at the tension in her neck and around
her shoulder blades. “Don’t worry about it right now. Breathe.”
      Their eyes met, Feferi’s looking up into Eridan’s, and both of them
seemed at that moment to realize exactly how intimate and...palethe entire
scene was. Her face was still strained with stress, mouth taut and tense with
her stature completely rigid. Eridan pitied her in that state; she didn’t
deserve that kind of worry. Likewise, Feferi felt a kind of appreciation for
her moirail that she never had before. Maybe it was the physical contact. Maybe
it was the amount of consideration he had taken for her sake. Either way, she
enjoyed the touch of his hands and the sound of his voice – they were
placating.
      Feeling suddenly confident, Eridan spoke, making an offer that sounded a
little more like a certainty. “We should get you out of those shoes, Empress.”
He offered he a sly, playful smirk as he got down on his knees in front of her.
      “Eridan,” she laughed, “I’m not an empress yet!”
      “Shh,” he retorted, “Told you great leaders take years of raisin’...don’t
feel bad about getting the benefits as well as the burdens.”
      He daintily removed her fuchsia shoes, looking up at her as he began to
tickle the soles of her feet. Feferi twitched and even snorteda little before
Eridan redoubled his efforts, pleased to see the grimace on her face turn into
a bright grin punctuated with uncontrollable giggles.
      “Er-i-dan,” she huffed enthusiastically, “I – ah! – st-haha-op!” Her
voice was melodious and cheerful despite her request for him to cease. He
hummed, pleased with himself, and sighed, “As you wish.”
      “Thank yo- oh...”
      Eridan had begun kneading and massaging at the bottoms of the Witch’s
feet, earning him a deep, breathy sigh and the cracking of toes for his
ministrations. He worked his thumbs in circles, applying just enough pressure
to soothe the aching parts of her feet. She really did do too much, Eridan
thought.
      Feferi felt undone by the considerate gesture, sucking in air and
shivering in spite of herself. He was humbling himself for her sake, she
thought – how kind and how pale he must feel for her. As he worked upward from
her feet to her ankles, Eridan looked up at Feferi unflinchingly, watching for
her reactions. She had begun to slouch, head falling back the smallest bit,
giving him a view of something...stunning.
      Eridan, in all his experiences alone and in his former kismissitude, knew
himself not to exhibit much of a blush for any reason. Feferi, on the other
hand, was utterly flustered a vibrant shade of fuchsia all across her cheeks,
down her neck, and to the bit of her collar bones he could make out from the
plush violet fabric. Flushedfor him, as it were.
      “Feelin’ better?” Eridan asked, voice giving away a little of his own
nervousness. He was aware that her reactions were indicating something...much
redder than what she would probably normally be okay with. This was his first
moirallegiance, his first pale experience – hers too. Maybe this was simply how
it worked? No, this...this was something else, and he knew it. He pushed that
fact down, rationalizing that if Feferi was comfortable with it, then there was
truly no issue. If she was no longer a threat – if she was happy – then he was
doing his job. And, of course, if that job just so happened happened to have
some other personal benefits that fit his truest desires, well...Eridan saw no
reason to reject them.
      He realized his hands had finally reached at her thighs and rubbed
cautiously, looking at his palemate to see if she was enjoying it, if she was
relaxed, if he was doing this right, if she wanted more. A small pang of guilt
mixed with arousal shot through his spine as he inched his hands higher up her
thighs and realized, stunned, that she had rejected his offer to wear his
clothes.
      She was completely bare under his hands.
      “Yeah,” she replied, voice a quivering, breathy whine. She had never had
anyone touch her that way, and with the innumerable responsibilities she
juggled taking care of Gl’bgolyb she had scarcely any time to herself. Even
though she was well aware of her own wants and what felt good, having someone
else do it was...enthralling. Every rub, every skim, every bit of warm pressure
from his hands sent chills and jolts down her spine that made her manage –
finally – to turn her brain off.No cares, no responsibilities, just pleasant
sensations to her skin that made her blood rush and pound.
      When Eridan pulled back nervously, Feferi instinctively grabbed his hands
without a second thought and placed them to clasp at her sides. The Prince
couldn’t believe what had just happened. No, she wasn’t upset; she wasn’t
unsettled or even offended by what he saw as blatantly, brazenly scarlet. She
wanted him to do more, and he happily seized the opportunity. Rising back to
both feet, he continued where she had put him, carefully listening for every
sigh, hoping to feel her shiver and shake into his skin as he worked upwards.
      He didn’t dare touch her breasts – that would be too overt, even if she
whined and huffed when his hands hovered over them and sadly ultimately skipped
giving them any attention. He finally settled at her shoulders, gently working
through the knots and tension in them, and as he did, Feferi boldly wrapped her
arms around his waist and pressed him into her, her legs still on either side
of him. Eridan failed to hold back his shock and gasped, biting his lower lip
as his arousal grazed and rubbed against her bare thigh.
      “T-this okay?” Eridan stammered. Feferi’s mouth pressed against his
collarbone as she nodded and hummed in approval while cautiously, perhaps
unconsciously, letting one leg hook and snake around one of Eridan’s to pull
him closer. There was no way she couldn’t feel what was happening to him – did
she care? Is that...what she wanted, possibly? Either way, Eridan saw no reason
to ruin a good thing. He continued rubbing into her back, letting his fingers
play in the damp black ringlets that danced and cascaded down it. She really
was beautiful inside and out – no pathetic, petty commoners deserved someone
like her, Eridan thought.
      Eridan heard a squeak and felt his weight shift forward. Feferi had laid
back a little further, pulling him forward and down with her, the two of them
ultimately pressed flush to each other with his groin now aligned with hers.
She wanted to feel his warmth, wanted to let the inviting feeling of relaxation
take its course – even if it meant a little change in direction in the process.
It was wonderful in her eyes what was happening, what he was doing.
Moirallegiance was a difficult quadrant to understand, yes, but she felt like
maybe, just maybe, they were doing it right. Even though a foreboding, dark
feeling tugged at her stomach, she chocked it up to nervousness and
inexperience. They were both happy in the moment, both blissfully content;
there was no reason to feel that uncertainty to her. Still, Eridan pulled away
the slightest bit as she fluttered her eyes open to see his face: tense,
strained, and giving away the smallest hint of violet.
      When Feferi’s palm skimmed against Eridan’s pinstriped jeans, she felt
the very beginning – or end, she guessed – of something hot and hard, similar
to the pressure she had felt bearing against her a moment before. He sighed and
almost squeaked when he spoke: “Fef...”
      “You’re the one who’s...not calm now,” she replied, seeing in his face a
kind of determination, nervousness in his eyes. She could discern a kind of
aggression bubbling underneath, though she wasn’t quite sure from what. He
seemed to relax, in a way, when she squeezed at him through his pants, so she
continued.
      “Oh God,” Eridan managed to spit out. His voice was dripping with
desperation.
     She rubbed along the length and listened to him hiss and shake needily. He
could barely form words at that point. “It’s what we’re supposed to do, right?
I can’t just - it can’t be one-sided, right?”
      “Y-yeah, I guess...” Eridan wondered if they were both on the same page
about what this was and what it meant, if she too was obfuscating a different
inclination. How could she not, he asked himself as his eyes slammed shut from
waves of pleasure coursing through him, enough to make his skin tingle.
Regardless, Eridan Ampora wasn’t one to discard a good opportunity. Looking
down at her still-flushed fuchsia face, Eridan let himself be guided back to
the same position they were in before when Feferi leaned back. Slowly,
nervously, he thrust against her, earning a shrill but choked noise from his
matespr- moriail.
      “It’s-it’s good Eridan, it’s okay,” Feferi whispered as she brought her
hands to his hips to help him. “Do more, please...”
      “...be my fuckin’ pleasure,” he huffed out with a bite to his voice. He
grabbed roughly at her hair and picked up his pace, hips gyrating and snapping
to enjoy every bit of tantalizing, indirect contact he could rouse up and
relish from her, with her. Feferi let her legs pull him in again, sighing and
squeaking out as she dragged blunt nails against his black shirt.
      What Eridan lacked in blushing, he more than made up for in talking.His
head hovered centimeters from Feferi’s face, breath tickling her neck as he
went from distinguished nobility to a sailorwith each movement and thrust:
“Fuck, Fef...y’feel so goddamn good...you have – hnnh – no idea...”
      “Eridan...” her voice was small, swallowed up in his grunts and pants;
she too was overwhelmed by the experience, however.
      “You’re just—so fuckin’ good, you know...God, damn...I swear I’ll never
let y’feel like you did before...just, lemme make you feel like this, fuck...”
He was doing exactly what he had dreamed of, feeling exactly what he had wanted
for such a long time – he couldn’t stop the words from spilling out,
overflowing before he could temper them.
      She could only whimper, but encouraged his movements by tugging at him.
“Do you – mmm – feel calmer?”
      “Yeah,” he said as his movements became more erratic. “Fef--”
      Feferi’s toes cracked as she curled them and wrapped her legs around him
tighter. Everything – the violet robe, the bits of Eridan’s skin she could
manage to touch, even the parts of him still covered – felt oppressively hot.
She brought a hand to weave into Eridan’s hair, tugging the smallest bit at the
back to bring his face close to hers. They struggled to keep their eyes open to
look at each other, faces glazed in soft drips of sweat, eyes dark, and mouths
open as they panted and sighed together, practically exhaling into each other.
      The scene was aggressive, firery; they moved together like the pieces of
a great beast of the sea, pushing back and forth, practically stirring and
churning the world around them together in a noisy, strange, corporeal
maelstrom.
      Then without warning, everything was suddenly still. With a pleased
shriek from Feferi, both she and Eridan stopped, bodies twitching and shaking,
holding each other for dear life as the waves and tremors worked their way
through their bodies. It was at that point that both of them knew exactly what
they had experienced with each other. Both of them were quiet, blissfully
empty, and spent, with Eridan making a great effort not to press his entire
weight into her as his knees nearly gave out.
      She held him then, helping him to shift in a way that wouldn’t hurt.
Eventually, he ended up back on his knees, head resting on her stomach where
she stroked at his hair quietly. Eridan was glad for it – he could feel that
his pants were stained, much to his dismay. Although he did feel somethingon
the violet material Feferi had cocooned herself in as well – and he was fairly
certain that something was fuchsia.
      “I love you,” Eridan managed in a low, husky, weak whisper.
      “What did you say?” She didn’t hear him over the blood pumping in her
ears.
      “...said I know you, Fef,” he lied. “I feel like I really...I know how to
do this now...”
      “M-me too,” Feferi replied softly. She still wasn’t sure if what had
happened was what moirails did for each other. Certainly, they were both
calmer, both no longer a threat to anyone – why did she even freak out earlier
to begin with? “Are you okay with thi-”
      “If this is what y’need Fef, of course,” Eridan said, cutting her off.
“We can do this. Told you it’s a privilege.” He wasn’t about to let thisslip
though his fingers.
      Feferi hummed happily and tugged at Eridan so he would know to move. He
straightened up his posture enough that they were equal, and Feferi embraced
him lightly.
      “You’re such a good moirail, Eridan...”
      “Likewise,” he whispered.
      They both felt so interconnected, so pleased and happy. While Feferi
maybe, just maybe had the inkling that what had transpired was rather
intimate,she was okay with it. After all, calming each other down was simply
what those in the pale quadrant did. If that was what worked for them, why
question it?
      Eridan, on the other hand, assumed she was just as flushed for him as her
lovely face had been moments earlier. He resolved to enjoy it for what it was,
and once the right opportunity arrived, he would make his move to a
matespritship with her. There was no way she wouldn’t reciprocate.
      Maybe the game they were supposed to play soon would be a good
opportunity. 
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