[OPEN] In the back of my head there's a siren that won't shut up.

[chronomancer]

Characters: Eridan Ampora and YOU!
Setting: Media floor.
Format: Starting with action, but I'll match you.
Summary: Eridan's back from his little time out in the land of boredom and jack-fuck-shit-all-to-do, but they're serving waffles in the cafeteria and he needs a few dumb movies to shut up his brain before he braves out social interaction on a larger scale.
Warnings: Eridan.

[Eridan's got this whole thing sorted out. Utterly in control, it's him. You don't even know. He's got about four plates of waffles stacked up and he's curled up on the floor, back pressed against a couch, and there's blankets and really stupid action flick blaring in the screen. Screw you, Zen masters, he doesn't need no stinking peace and quiet to get some inner peace.

Or at least something that greatly resembles inner peace.

By which I mean denial. Very thorough, very careful denial. So yeah, no trauma here, no emotional unrest, no sir. All is calm and chill as fuck, and if you don't agree you can go have a talk with the barrel of his gun, which is coincidentally half hidden under that pile of blankets and within easy reach.

But it's not like he's being paranoid or anything. Of course not. Shut up. He's watching a movie and eating waffles and not going crazy. What's wrong with that?]

Comments

[geometry]

[Equius' neck can't deal with nuzzling, Eridan.]

[That's why when you try to pull it, he giggles like an idiot and kind of tries to press his head and shoulder together out of reflex, but not too hard because that would kind of hurt. Just enough for his muscles to send the message that BITCH, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE EQUIUS LAUGH TODAY. ...Meanwhile, Eridan, in your many hair-brushing escapades, have you ever realized just how heavy the stuff was? Because you do now. It's kind of a mess from not being looked at in forever, and is also all over your back because Equius is trying to shove his head in the same space your head is. The whole situation is just laughably pathetic.]

Oh my god.

[He doesn't sound very worried as he says it, though; it's more like an "oh my god you really feel the need to shove your head in my neck right now, you giant doofus" kind of oh-my-god. Which is totally a great description and you should accept no substitutes.]

[chronomancer]

[Eridan snickers, wiggling in Equius' hold and still keeping his own arms wrapped around him. Because yeah, heavy hair, yeah, squirmy Equius, but it's so fucking cute it hurts him somewhere deep inside and he's not letting go any time soon. The end result is that as he laughs a little quietly, he's huffing each chuckle into Equius' neck.]

Nah. Just your regular non-godly jadeblood disaster.

[geometry]

Come on, you're not a disaster. [He will hold on to this insinuation as long as he lives, even though it's kind of obvious to everyone involved that Eridan Ampora secretly is kind of a disaster. By definition, in fact. Every single Eridan Ampora is a nuclear bomb of stupidity and bad fortune. Except this one, Equius would say, and the reason (never spoken aloud) is because fuck you. He doesn't feel like asking where Eridan went off to, because it was kind of obvious by this point, so instead he pulled his head away from Eridan's and left his own neck at the complete mercy of a cuddle-starved lunatic. Eventually he caught sight of the waffle plate on the floor -- and the brown stuff smeared on it.] Is that... chocolate?

[ERIDAN AMOPRA ARE YOU EATING CHOCOLATE. He is so proud.]

[chronomancer]

Mmmm.

[He's very zen about being a disaster right now, too zen to argue, even. Relish in this rare event, it doesn't happen often. When Equius asks, though, Eridan shrugs, shifting a little and half attempting to hide into his shirt.]

...I wasn't in the mood to nitpick.

[geometry]

Good. [You should be not in the mood to nitpick more often. Casually, he just grabs for the front of Eridan's shirt and attempts to pull it down again, lowering his head to meet Eridan's gaze, grinning as he does so. No hiding in your shirt today, Ampora, that's what blankets are for.] Well... welcome back.

[chronomancer]

[Eridan looks up at Equius for a moment, as if contemplating words. Look at all this boneless adoration, Zahhak. Look at it. And then he just leans in to rest his head on his shoulder. Because you're the bestest security blanket in the world. Fact.]

I'm sorry I was gone.

lk;jfads. I got this login to work for ONE TAG.

[geometry]

It's not your fault. [Why are you apologizing unnecessarily? That's his job.]

/pets, there, there,

[chronomancer]

Being at fault has never stopped me from being sorry.

[He chuckles a little wryly, before looking up at Equius, but not moving from his current spot.]

...so. Uh. Wanna sit down?

[So, you know. He can sit down and cuddle you forever?]

;a;

[geometry]

...Sure. [He stands there for a moment, briefly contemplating simply vaulting over the couch and landing in a seat, but then he decides that would be stupid and walks around the side instead. Almost instinctively, he picks up the empty waffle plate and sets it on a side table. Someone could step on that. And afterwards, he picks up all the blankets and throws them in a giant ball on Eridan.]

/gently loves on

[chronomancer]

[Eridan has this silly smile tugging at the corner of his lips, small and muted, because this is such an Equius thing to do. He squawks a little, when he gets a ball of blankets to the face, but he soon surfaces from with with a grin.]

C'mere.

[Except he's the one that's moving, whoops, and squirming over to share the blankets and then latch onto Equius' side like a particularly loving barnacle. He sighs.]

You haven't been brushing your hair at all, have you.

[You know what that means.]

u///u

[geometry]

[Unlike a barnacle, however, Eridan has all the power in the world to drag Equius wherever on that couch he wants. The blanket toss was almost more daring for him, personally, than climbing the sofa, but he's just relieved it worked. (And enjoying that high you get from being a rebel. By throwing blankets. Someone get this child a life.) And once he's been locked into position and has no hope of escaping because of the Eridan-clamp over all of his limbs, he simply keeps the neutral expression on. No point in lying or being over-dramatic about it...] Not at all, no.

<333

[chronomancer]

[Equius is the cutest rebel ever. Eridan will fight anyone who disagrees. Actually, Eridan will fight anyone who says anything unflattering about Equius because Eridan is ferally stupid like that and everyone knows Equius can do no wrong. Because Equius. Your argument is invalid.

He huffs a little, snuggling into Equius side.]

...'m starting to think you like it when I brush it or something.

[geometry]

[But what if Eqius himself disagrees, Eridan. What do you do then.] But if I liked it so much, wouldn't I do it myself? [...This is a blatant lie, of course.]

[chronomancer]

[Then things get tricky, but not impossible. It's all a matter of careful, delicate prodding with the adequate tools, such as unrepentant snuggling and constant positive reinforcement.]

So you don't want me to brush your hair.

[Teasing~ You're a terrible liar, baby. And your matesprit is a godtier filthy spewer of falsehoods. Takes one to know one, and all that.]

[geometry]

It just doesn't cross my mind, is all. [He is determined not to show all that backpedaling he's doing because he knows Eridan is being a dick, he knows, but... Equius has never been very good at responding to taunts like that. One wonders why he still sticks around this kid at all. Including Equius. Because he actually doesn't know.]

[chronomancer]

[Eridan laughs, quiet but sincere. He rubs his head against Equius' shoulder.]

I suppose that means I'll just keep doing it.

IT WORKS. YES.

[geometry]

Fine. If you must.

[He sounds so pained about having to suffer through your brushing, Eridan. Why do you keep bringing this poor yellowblood into all of your sick games? Brushing hair? HOW DARE YOU. After maybe ten seconds, though, he suddenly became much warmer to the whole idea, because there is now a goopy mess melting all over the blankets where Equius Zahhak used to be. Mostly he just allows himself to sink into the seat and maybe rest his chin on the top of Eridan's forehead with one arm wrapped around him or something like that.]

I guess I'll just need to deal with it.

\o/

[chronomancer]

Be a trooper, Eq, take one for the team.

[But as Equius melt into a puddle, the laughter in Eridan's voice melts into a steady, rumbling purr. You can't resist the purr, Equius. No one can.]

[geometry]

[And then he actually melts. There is now an Equius lying horizontally across your lap, and he's having a great time.]

[chronomancer]

[Yeah, that's not gonna make Eridan stop purring. If anything, he just ups the volume a little. He settles one arm under Equius' head and the other resting on his sternum, and then he's just quite happy to purr and indulge in the 'stare lovingly and lonvingly down at your matesprit's perfect face' game. It's an extremely popular game.]

[geometry]

[He... he figured. He figured that it wouldn't make Eridan stop purring. That's what he was banking on, actually, because he'd already gone to all the trouble of making this stupid cat person purr and there was no one who could take that away from him. Suddenly Equius understands why the 'stare lovingly and longingly down at your matesprit's perfect face' game is so popular, and his expression freezes. He's seemingly only just now realized what he was doing -- and is regretting it immensely. Because now his face is bright yellow and he has to shut his eyes. This is stupid and dumb and he doesn't understand why or how this is happening and he's lying on Eridan's bulge and--]

[chronomancer]

[...and then the hand under Equius' head shifts so that Eridan can finger his hair, the gesture soothing. That blush is illegal levels of adorable, but he knows better than to even try to mention it. But as Equius closes his eyes, Eridan actually drags the purring into his voice.]

I missed you.

[geometry]

[He groans and puts one hand over his face, trying to ignore the beautiful siren song of Eridan's stupid hair petting. Equius needs more time to sulk in solitude over things that are ridiculous and also unimportant. God, you insensitive matesprit, you. He doesn't respond for a little while, but predictably, the first thing that came out of his mouth when he did was:]

...ugh. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[chronomancer]

[Eridan shifts his legs a little, raising Equius without dislodging him, so that he can bend over and give him a snuggle while he remains sprawled on his lap.]

Don't be sorry, it's not your fault.

[geometry]

[Except now it actually is his fault, they were having this great Moment and he just had to mess it up with his Equiusness. But he shifts around again too, making no move to get out of the position he was in, and eventually takes the hand off his face. It's still quite yellow.]

...God, I missed you too.