Author's Notes:

Sorry this took so long to update hah

At lunch, Sollux barely managed to catch sight of a familiar slicked-back hairdo attempting to slip through the crowds in the direction of the cafeteria, and once he did it wasn't hard to weave through the people who ignored him for the most part, and grab hold of Eridans sleeve.

"We need to talk," he said, as quietly as he could, painfully aware that they were surrounded by people listening in interestedly, and Eridan looked at him with those wide purplish eyes that shouldn't be legal, all nerdy hipster frames and soft face, and blinked owlishly.

"Not.. Not here?" Eridan said, glancing down at the grip Sollux still had on his sleeve, which Sol let go of like it had burnt him once he realised Eridan probably didnt like being touched so.. possessively? Who knows. Sol was busy focusing on the way his voice had cracked as he said here, and chanced a glare at the assholes surrounding them.

"Yeah, alright," he said back, rougher than he intended, before weaving back through the crowd, catching the people who tried to trip him or ED up and kicking them in the shins hard enough to make them withdraw before either of them could stumble. They escaped from the packed corridor and made it outside, where there were a few students milling about, but the area was roughly empty, so Sol turned to Eridan and was met with a hopeful expression that was too damn cute for the owners own good.

"Tho," he started, scratching the back of his neck as he realised he really hadn't thought about what to say at all. "I've been thinking about Friday, a lot."

Eridan sighed and looked down. "This is the conwersation w-where you tell me I need to get a grip, pay you, and leawe you alone, isn't it?" he asked quietly, and the sheer dejection in his voice made Sollux's heart almost drop out of his chest.

"Well I wouldn't thay no to the money, but thatth becauthe I'm dirt poor and lowkey need it. I wath actually gonna thay... would you maybe, well, join me on a proper date? Maybe thith Friday? Like, actually go thomewhere and call it an official date? Or ith thith too thoon? We dont have to thay we're dating, jutht to, like, tetht the waterth and whatever? And I could pay, if your parentth have like cut you off from the family gold mine thankth to me being a thhit on Friday? That theemth like thomething your dad would do. But like-"

"Sol." The interruption was quiet, but sparked with a hint of hope and happiness.

"Yeth?"

"A course I w-will. But I'm payin."

"Aw, what?"

"You paid for the McDonald's trip. It's only fair."

Sol laughed. "You realithe McDonaldth ith dirt cheap and I could've probably afforded it even if we had jutht had another medical bill for Tuna roll in?"

Eridan laughed back and rolled his eyes. "And you realise it w-was my first taste of peasa- normal life? Now-w speakin a peasant food, w-we should go eat some shitty cafeteria food before people w-wonder w-where w-we are."

Some deep-rooted issue in Sollux's brain muttered that no one cared whether he was there or not, but he pushed down the thought and followed Eridan, who had started to slowly drift back towards the inside. "Yeah, thure. But that meanth you have to actually eat thomething, not jutht pawn your food off on Jade."

"Oh, shush, you."

"And we need to make actual planth for Friday. Firtht date and all."

"Sol." This time Eridans voice was dangerous, low and attractive in a way that made Sollux shiver. He never knew a single syllable of his name could sound so attractive. The smaller male spun around as he spoke so he was facing Sollux, one eyebrow arched high above his eyes.

"Yeth, dickprince?"

"I'm charmed by the nickname, but shut up and kiss me."

And with that he took a step forward and pressed a careful kiss to Sollux's lips. It wasn't their first kiss, but it still sent shivers down Sollux's spine, even if it was over within a couple of seconds and ED was already sauntering back inside like nothing had happened. Sol wondered if his confidence was false, or if he was really just that cocky when it came to his relationship with Sol.

Despite all of that, they made it back to the cafeteria to find Eridans regular lunch group sitting there talking animatedly, a large chunk of the conversation actually being speculations as to where Eridan could be (Sollux shoved down the thoughts that told him they didnt care about him - he just never hung out with them, is all). Dave seemed to believe they had either been kidnapped or abducted, or they were busy blowing each other so hard they could move Lady Liberty with the sheer gale force of their gay boners. Well, that didnt sound so bad.

Eventually the hellos settled down and Sol and Eridan fit into the conversation as best they could, but mainly just sat back and let talking wash over them. Sol cast some pointed looks at Eridan and the trays that sat in front of the people already there, but he simply waved them off and pretended like Sollux wasn't being a caring boyf- riend. Caring friend. That's it.

The bell rung, and yet again Sol was weaving through the corridor, this time without a quietly complaining teen trailing behind him. He might as well have, though, for all the wandering his mind was doing to the teen in question. Classes dragged on, and despite not being a great artist Sollux found himself doodling a certain rich kid in the margin of his paper, only to be told off by his teacher for not focusing. It was safe to say Sol was well and truly distracted.

At the end of the day, he instinctively moved to go to Eridans car, only to shake his head in confusion and tell himself to just suck it up and walk home. You couldn't get a ride home every single day, he tried to convince himself, much as he wanted to talk to ED more.

Seemed like fate preferred the idea of a ride, because as he passed the parking lot, he spotted Eridan standing outside his car, looking around anxiously and gnawing at his lip. It seemed like he was waiting for somebody, and hope leapt in Sollux's stomach. Could he be waiting for him? It couldn't be that out of the ordinary, right?

Braving it, he walked up to Eridan, who didn't seem to notice him at first, but then again he was busy cleaning his glasses on his scarf. "Hey?" Sol said, trying and failing to not make it sound like a question, and Eridan looked up. It was the first time Sollux had seem him without his glasses, and it made him look almost naked, sparking thoughts that most definitely should not be in his brain. Get out of there, thoughts.

"Sol? Is that you?" Eridan asked, squinting, and placed his glasses back on his nose, sighing at remaining smudges on the lenses but brightening up at the sight of his friend. "I w-wondered if you had left already since w-we didn't plan anythin, but I figured it w-was w-worth w-waitin anyw-way, right?"

Joy bounced in Sollux's stomach and he couldn't stop the grin that graced his features. "Well, aren't I lucky? Didnt think you'd wait either. I wath all ready to leave ath well. Colour me thurprithed."

"Oh, shut up and get in the car." Eridan said, pointing at the passenger door, and Sol quirked up an eyebrow, a smile dancing across his lips.

"Thoundth thort of like I'm about to be kidnapped. Thhould I be worried? Are you gonna blindfold me too?"

"I'll gag you if you dont shut up."

"Kinky."

"Just get in the car!"

Sol smirked and slid in the passenger seat, watching as Eridan rolled his eyes and got in the drivers seat, starting up the car.

"Tho if you couldn't thee me even that clothe, you mutht have thome really thhitty eyethight, huh?" Sol asked conversationally once they were on the road, and ED rolled his eyes.

"It aint that bad, Sol, don't exaggerate."

"I wath like two feet away from you and you didnt know who I wath."

"Alright, so maybe it is that bad. So w-what?"

"Tho nothing, I wath jutht wondering. Anyway, how often thhould I be expecting to find my knight in thhining thcarveth come to thave my damthel in dithtreth ath from the horror of having to walk home for a bit?" he asked jokingly, expecting ED to scoff and tell him the ride was a one off.

"Depends, how-w often do you w-want slash need a lift home?" Well that was a genuine answer Sollux wasn't expecting.

"Well if you mean how often I typically walk home then every day, but thatth-"

"I'll giwe you a ride ewery day then, simple. Unless you dont w-want a ride ewery day, then like, I w-wont force you, but the offers there, but if you'd rather w-walk thats okay, I w-wouldnt w-wanna driwe w-with me ewery day either, thats fine. Yeah."

Sol cast a surprised glance at the driver, who was staring furiously at the road, a dark blush colouring his cheeks and ears bright red. Even more unexpected.

"A lift every day would be appreciated, thure. Unleth we argue, in which cathe I won't be found dead in your car. But I'm thure you'd do the thame if the roleth were reverthed, tho. Thankth."

"No problem."

They drove on in relative silence, Sollux torn between feeling lucky as all hell that he no longer had to walk for ages every day and feeling guilty that he couldn't do anything in return. As a way to alleviate the guilt he told himself, very firmly, that he would think of something, anything, to do in return for ED, despite his brain telling him he'd never be able to do anything worthwhile. He shut down that train of depressive self-loathing thought as soon as it left the station. Emergency brake that shit, motherfucker.

Eventually they reached Sollux's house, and Sol was snapped out of his thoughts by Eridan poking him gently with a smile, prompting him to climb out of the car with a grin back.

"Thankth for the ride," he said, leaning in through Eridans open window.

"No problem," Eridan said in return, and leant in at the same time Sollux did, as though they both had the exact same instincts, meeting in the middle for a quick kiss.

When they pulled apart they stared at each other for a second, before Eridan blushed and Sollux cleared his throat and stepped back and ED had driven away after a quick round of awkward waving.

Standing there, touching his lips with his ears turning red, Sollux cursed whatever god was out there that had made him into such a goddamn idiot.

Author's Notes:

That Be More Chill reference tho