#gameq

Eridan pulled his scarf tighter around his neck, shivering slightly. Only sea dwellers got cold that easily. He sighed, winter was approaching. Sea dwellers, when exposed to the winter cold, go into a comatose-like state. Eridan hurried back to his hive, where his matesprit Equius waited. This was their first winter together, and Eridan had to tell Equius.

"Eridan, you're home." Eridan's face always went a bit flush with violet whenever Equius called him by his name. It took forever for Equius to call Eridan anything besides 'Highblood'. "Eq, we need to talk." Equius lead him to the couch, taking off his scarf and heavy coat as the walked. "What about?" They both sat down, Eridan habitually resting his head in Equius' lap. Equius started to play with his hair, especially the purple in the front.

"As you know very well, I'm a sea dweller. Well, during the winter, sea dwellers go into a comatose state." Equius nodded, signaling that he understood, and moved to mess around with Eridan's neck gills, very carefully. Eridan let out a pleased hum and continued, "So, since I won't be there to fulfill my matesprit duties... I want you to know its okay with me if you enlisted someone else to do that, just while I'm gone."

Equius stopped moving his hand and stared down at Eridan, "I won't need to do anything if the sort. It would just be for a winter, right? I can wait that long." Eridan raised a hand to cup Eridan's cheek, "I knew you'd say that. Still, I want to talk about it." Equius nodded again and resumed pampering Eridan. "The first thing I want to say is, I only trust you with Gamzee. And Nepeta obviously, but you're moirails and you wouldn't pursue a flushed relationship with her. Maybe Aradia would be okay too?"

Eridan sighed as he tried to collect his thoughts. "My point is, don't go to someone that could easily fall for you, and don't go to someone that could hold it against you, like Vriska." Equius smiled down to Eridan, "It will be fine Eridan. For now, though, let's watch movies and cuddle. Savor our time before you have to sleep." Eridan agreed and they put on one of Karkat's romcoms he's always trying to get people to watch with him. They cuddled and ate snacks, giving each other soft pecks every once and awhile.

*

In the morning, Equius woke up on the couch with Eridan on top of him. He picked him up and brought him to their bedroom, laying him under the covers. "I guess we'll see if this is the comatose state or not." He placed a kiss on his matesprits forehead and went to make breakfast. He ate and went about his day, Eridan not waking up.

*

Eridan finally woke up in late February. He opened his eyes and stretched out his sore muscles, going to the kitchen to grab something to eat. When he walked into the living room, however, he stopped. There, sitting on the couch and cuddling while watching movies, was Equius and Gamzee. Eridan smirked and went to gloat about being right when Equius planted a kiss on Gamzee's lips. Eridan knew he'd said it was okay, but it still hurt. A lot.

"Eq... I'm awake..."

"Oh, highblood."

And at that moment, Eridan's heart broke.

Equius had stopped calling him highblood forever ago, why the sudden change? "Eq, you can call me Eridan, you know that." "Sorry highblood, let me talk to Gamzee for a second..." Equius' face was worried as he turned back to Gamzee, Eridan's heart breaking even more. Why was Equius calling Gamzee by name and not him? The two stood up, Equius giving Gamzee one last kiss before he left, and Equius walked back to Eridan. He looked nervous and seemed like he didn't know what to say.

"Highblood-" "Eridan. My name is Eridan." "E-eridan. Gamzee and I... we became really close and... highbl- Eridan, I have flushed feelings for him."

Eridan's eyes filled with violet tears. He was getting dumped, again.

"What about me? You said you could wait! I trusted both of you!"

Equius' discomfort grew with Eridan's voice, "I know, but I just... don't have those feelings for you anymore. I'm sorry highblood..." Equius turned and left, following Gamzee out the front door of Eridan's hive. Eridan crumpled to the ground in tears. He didn't have the energy to do anything. His stomach was growling at him to eat since he hadn't in months, and his heart was screaming to talk to Karkat or anyone about what had just happened.

But sometimes, sometimes he couldn’t help but hate sea-goat dad because of habits he’d acquired because of his lusus being terrible at looking after him. Habits necessary for his survival yeah, but ones that left him at odds with some motherfuckers.

The truth of it could be seen no more clearly than in his daily interactions with Equius. A friend, perhaps more if Gamzee ever overcame his terror that the other would immediately lose any interest in him after they spent any amount of time together, one Gamzee was more than confused about than anything else.

A lot of what Equius said made all kinds of sense, other bits not so much and it was, hard to sort through what was good and what wasn’t when there was so much to sort through and all of that in his… attitude. Obvious even through their primary mode of communication over their Trollian chats, over and over on a daily basis.

Wasn’t like Equius really needed to remind Gamzee that he wasn’t what he thought someone of his blood colour should have been, especially not in that tone of his, like it was the simplest thing in the world and that Equius was only saying what everyone should have known. What Gamzee should have already known.

CT: D--> I don’t understand how someone of your standing is simply unable to grasp such a simple concept CT: D--> Really, even with the vile things you tarnish your precious b100d with, it should have been obvious from the start CT: D--> How have you never learned this?

Gamzee grit his teeth, eyes narrowed at the deep blue text before him. Ain’t his fault none that nobody was ever there to teach him that shit, maybe he didn’t even want to learn it anyways, not if it was something Equius thought was important for him to know.

TC: MaYhApS i AiN’t NeEdIn It ThEn

CT: D--> %cuse me?

Gamzee grinned to himself, good, got the blue brother caught off guard with his answer. Now it was time to play into this a little bit.

TC:  MaYhApS i AiN’t BeEn TaUgHt It CaUsE i AiN’t Be NeEdIn It TC: I aIn’T nEeDiN tA bOtHeR lEaRnIn ShIt ThAt’S fOr YoU, yEaH?

CT: D--> You are quite correct, my apologies

Gamzee could practically hear the way the other way sweating through the connection of their screens, chuckling lowly to himself.

CT: D--> You truly do not need to be informed if you delegate to your underlings as one of your status is capable of doing, after all CT: D--> That is… CT: D--> A very appealing scenario to consider Highb100d

Gog the blue brother was so motherfucking eager to be put under heel, so eager to be of use to Gamzee, motherfucking infuriating and hilarious all at once.

TC: eXaCtLy :o) TC: I’lL jUsT sOmEoNe Ta DeAl WiTh AlL oF tHaT mOtHeRfUcKiN nOiSe FoR mE

CT: D-->… CT: D--> So you are not considering me for the task?

TC: wHy WoUlD i? TC: YoU wErE bEiN pReTtY mOtHeRfUcKiN rUdE tHeRe WeReN’t YoU?

CT: D--> You CT: D--> You are quite right of course, as much as I hate to admit it CT: D--> I was not behaving as one should towards a superior, please accept my apologies Highb100d CT: D--> May whatever punishment you see fit to bestow upon me be delivered quickly

TC: sUrE TC: yA pUnIsHmEnT’s BeIn AlL uP aNd IgNoReD aS a PoTeNtIaL fOr My NoIsE-dEaLiN-wItH-mOtHeRfUcKeR TC: hOnK hOnK :o)

There was a long pause as Gamzee watched Equius type for several, several minutes. And then he got a response.

CT: D--> I despise you you abso100te disgrace of a Highblood

~

“Hold my hand.” Gamzee thought, thought this would get the response he wanted. That using his best order-giving vocals and holding his hand out all expectant would give Equius the kick he needed to actually be able to do the thing he’d been staring at him for.

And if not then he was going to sit on his blue brother until he stopped being so fuckin pitiful for him. There should only be so much pity a troll should be able to feel for another, but Equius was shattering all them words of pre-convienced motherfuckin decree with naught but a stuttered noise, a fluttering of his hands that showed Gamzee that he WANTED but didn’t believe it was ALLOWED, and Gamzee’s pumper was fit to burst for him.

“But, but that is HIGHLY inappropriate. For someone of my standing to touch someone of such rich, noble blood is... is ludicrous at best and I cannot do such a thing.”

“Yeah,” Gamzee had started rolling his eyes when Equius had started talking, not that the other really noticed what with the whole started at his open, expecting hand like it was both a precious gift and a most wicked a weapons. “But I’m ordering you to. And you’re all about following whatever orders get talked at you from your highblood yeah?”

Equius froze and Gamzee worried that perhaps he’d read things wrong, had stepped out of a place he hadn’t known he’d been in and done something 

“My Highblood,” the words were uttered so motherfuckin whisper-soft Gamzee almost missed it, the fins at his ears fluttering to try to catch the noise. 

Equius... really needed to stop with things like that before Gamzee decided to just throw all the motherfuckin things about proper actions and courting behaviours that’d been scream-shouted at him away. He really needed to.

“Yeah,” Gamzee agreed, like it was a statement as simple and true as the day was dangerous. “Your Highblood. And Your Highblood wants you to come over here and hold his hand.”

“Yes Highblood!” There a motherfucker goes! Equius is relaxing now, letting Gamzee’s order dictate his actions and let him do what they both knew he wanted to do. What a good blue.