The teen slid the metal key into it socket, twisting and listening for the small ‘click’ of the door handle to tell him that it was unlocked. Once it was, he kicked the door open with his feet, and gestured for the person behind him to follow.
Sollux was doing this because he had to, not because he wanted to. His friend group had stated that he and Eridan needed to try getting along more, as their bickering had become more and more annoying and distracting over time.
It had been Equius who suggested they hang out, as supposedly them being alone was going to be better for them as opposed to them being in a public space. Sollux found the idea ridiculous, and even now was surprised they haven’t torn each other’s throats out yet.
Nonetheless, he agreed, figuring that he had nothing of importance left to loose. Although, deep down, he was also getting tired of these fights with Eridan. They were stupid and had no real meaning to him, plus his friends seemed like they started to get genuinely annoyed by them, and he didn’t want to make them all too uncomfortable.
All that was left was to try and get Eridan to agree with the idea, which was easier said than done.
It took days of people pestering him about it, with Feferi somehow being the one to convince him to give this a shot. He doesn’t know what she said, or did, but Sollux made a mental note to ask her later.
In the present, the two walk down the stairs, the creaks of the wood and the buzzing of the air conditioner being the only sounds that filled the room. Sollux felt his foot touch carpet, which told him that they had arrived.
The basement wasn’t much, really. It could be considered a bit better than most but overall, it felt plain. The TV stood on a small cabinet in the middle of the farthest wall, the one directly in front of the staircase. It had a worn couch placed a few feet in front of it, and behind said couch was a small kitchen, with a dusty microwave and a fridge that most likely contained some old drink that the two had never even heard of.
Sollux felt that Eridan was about to say something snarky, as he usually did, but to his surprise the other bit his tongue, and instead offered a small, “It’s nice.”
Despite being a bit taken aback, Sollux replied, “Yeah, it’s the best my family could do.” He tossed the keys on the kitchen counter, and maneuvered himself so he was behind the table. “There’s movies under the TV stand, pick something.” He almost added a ‘and make it good’, but figured that wouldn’t be any good with achieving today’s goal. “I’ll make us some popcorn, if your into that.”
“Yeah, popcorn sounds good.” He could see Eridan bent down out of the corner of his eye, his head poking into the small cabinet of the stand. “Light butter.” he paused, “please.”
Sollux nodded, having pulled out the bowl and inserted the popcorn bag into the microwave. He stood, arm leaning on the counter and foot tapping on the ground.
He glanced at Eridan, who was now settled on the couch. He had a movie case in his lap, and from what Sollux could see was most likely Percy Jackson.
He let out a sigh, and and pulled out the now popped popcorn, replacing the large bowl with a small cup filled with 1/4 of butter. Usually, Sollux would have more, but he figured he might as well try to be accommodating.
Once the popcorn was buttered and salted, Sollux brought the bowl to the couch, gently setting it in between Eridan and where he intended to sit. “Hand me the movie, i’ll pop it in.”
“Got any drinks?” Eridan asked as he passed Sollux the movie, which he could now identify as Percy Jackson and the lightning thief. Not what he would have chosen, but it can’t be that bad.
“We have some water in the fridge.” Sollux answered. Eridan gave him a look, and he added a “It’s cold, I promise.” The other teen nodded, and Sollux popped in the movie before going to fetch Eridan his drink, and a bottle for himself.
Sollux could hear the movie beginning as he fished around for the water. It didn’t take long for him to find it, and he was back on the couch before anything could really happen.
He tossed Eridan the water bottle and settled himself on the sofa, immediately opening his water just as Eridan went to grab a handful of popcorn. So far, this wasn’t so bad. A little awkward, but not horrendous.
As the movie played, Sollux wondered what he could do to make this visit not-awkward, when Eridan started commentating on the film.
“That guy looks stupid.” He pointed at a random background character on the screen.
Sollux raised an eyebrow, and leaned forward a bit too see. “Who?”
Eridan leaned forward with Sollux, and continued pointing, “That guy, right there!”
Sollux could see who Eridan was talking about, and yeah, he did look kinda funny. He chuckled, and pointed at another background character. “Look at that dude, looks like a fuckin’ idiot.”
Eridan glanced at where Sollux pointed, and laughed.
They kept on like that, laughing at stupid shit about the movie, like how bad the plot was or a stupid decision a character made. By the time the movie ended, there was only a few kernels left in the popcorn bowl, and two crushed up water bottles in the nearby trashcan.
As the credits rolled, the two boys were still laughing their asses off, tears falling from their eyes as they attempted to wipe them.
Sollux glanced at the clock that hung above the trashcan, and saw that it was almost time for Eridan to go. He gave his arm a quick ‘pap’ with the back of his hand, “hey- dude, dude, you gotta leave soon.” Eridan was just beginning to calm down from his laughter, when he saw what time it was, “Oh shit, your right.” He stood, “I should get goin’”
They both started to clean up, with Eridan putting the popcorn bowl in the nearby sink while Sollux ejected the movie and put it back in it’s original spot.
As they started the trek upstairs, Sollux began mulling over the day’s events. He genuinely had a good time with Eridan, so much so that he was considering inviting him over again.
When he unlocked and opened the front door, Sollux could see the car that Eridan came in, which Cronus seemed to be driving. He moved to let Eridan pass, but he only turned to face Sollux, “I had a nice time today, Sol.”
He blinked, a bit taken aback at the sudden complement. Could that be considered a complement? Sollux would take it as such. “I did too.”
They stood in silence for a moment, before the car horn beeped, and that was Eridan’s cue to leave.
“Well, I guess i’ll see you later.” Before Sollux could reply, Eridan walked down the driveway to the car, where Sollux watched him get in and drive away.
As Sollux closed and locked his house door for the night, he began making mental notes of what they should the next time Eridan came over.