(no subject)

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Nobody talked to the kid with the dreads.

Nobody knew if he'd been held back with the jocks, or if he'd just hit the world's worst growth spurt, but the long, lanky highblood seemed to top everyone else in stature, even the select little clique of seadwellers, all of whom had taken to muttering about him indiscreetly. Of course, it didn't help his image that he wandered the halls with the dazed expression of the perpetually baked. He'd already been forced to stop painting his face by the faculty to keep from distracting others in his classes. As if that was really what everyone was focusing on.

He was intelligent, even brilliant according to some of the instructors, but that didn't count for anything when none of his homework was turned in, either coming up missing or simply forgotten, or occasionally doodled on. He never took notes and rarely remembered to bring his textbooks. The only class he did well in, for that matter, was his visual arts elective and even then, he rarely stayed on task, often speeding through the lessons then slinking away to one of the broken-down loveseats what were used for the occasional sit-in model for life drawing sessions.

He was a flake, and ninety percent of the time, he was alone.

Fourth block Gym was never something that he participated in. He simply stayed long enough to be counted there for role call, then slipped out easily to settle down behind the gymnasium where the security guards never went, sitting on the ground in the shade in his gym clothes and packing a bowl out of sight where the smoke would be whipped away by the breeze.

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[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Nodding, Gamzee relaxed a little and sat forward, laying his hands on Eridan's shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze. "I'll be fine, man. don't even get yourself all motherfuckin' worried about me." He sat back up and started to get his things together, packing it all into secondhand messenger bag that he'd gone and gotten from a garage sale the day after his binder had finally fallen apart. He'd confided in Eridan once that the reason for the wear and tear to the thing that was only a year old was because he'd had to use it on occasion to defend himself, though he was never forthcoming on why he had to do so to begin with. In the end, it was the zipper finally coming apart from the binder itself that rendered it useless.

After standing and shaking his clothes out straight, Gamzee offered Eridan a hand up. "If somethin' happens I promise I'll give you a call, alright?"

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan pulled himself up with Gamzee's hand with a sobering and serious gaze at the highblood. "I'm going to hold you to that, Gam." He carefully straightened out his own oversized sweater before pulling his heavy coat over it, and tucked his scarf around his neck and under the front of his coat. "I don't want you to keep thinkin' that it's you on your own." He pulled his hat on and fastened it over his horns to keep it in place, before looking down in his bag at the extra hat he'd brought, and then back up at Gamzee. He had a feeling that any gifts given to Gamzee would get him in trouble, no matter how innocent, or necessary they might be in the later months.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee laid one large hand against the side of Eridan's neck and leaned down to look him in the face with just as serious an expression, his forehead nearly touching the other's. "You worry to much, man. Trust me, alright?"

[princeofmelodrama]

If there was a surefire way to get Eridan to go violet across the cheeks it was to get in his space and talk quietly to him. It was, however, an addition of his neck being touched that made the glow of the dots across his cheeks start up, and he got flustered by that, nodding in understanding, before clearing his throat and turning away. He put the strap of his bag over his shoulder, nervously fidgeting it into a comfortable place as he walked towards the door. "If you want to grab somethin' to drink before we drop you off, we got some time left," he mentioned, though his voice was quavering in the way it sometimes did when he got too flustered to function like a rational person.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee couldn't help but grin at that, arching an eyebrow up some at the pattern across Eridan's cheeks and the bridge of his nose. One of the first things they'd learned in biology at the beginning of the year was about the bioluminescence of sea creatures, including seadwellers. This had prompted a good deal of subtle teasing to try and get their royalty blushing, which had been rather amusing up to a point. Seeing it on Eridan only made it better. Following close behind him, Gamzee nodded thoughtfully; he had a while before he really had to be anywhere and going to get something beforehand would definitely be appreciated.

Taking a seat in the passenger side of Eridan's car proved to be a bit of a challenge, but by now Gamzee had learned to accommodate for his height, glancing around for the seat controls and leaning back, sliding the seat just far enough back to keep his knees from jamming up under the console then simply holding his bag in his lap.

"Hey uh... I just wanted to say thanks, man," he said after a minute. "All this shit you're doin' for me, ain't no motherfuckin' reason for it but you do it anyway. Ain't asked shit in return either. All you're doin's givin' a shit about me. I ain't used to that, y'know? So just...thanks."

[princeofmelodrama]

Once Eridan settled into the driver's side and buckled in, with his bag tossed unceremoniously into the back, he looked over at Gamzee with a smile. "You're welcome," he said, before adding a quick, "It's really nothin', though. I enjoy spendin' time with you." He looked down as he chuckled. "Sorry nobody else has given you the time a day, but ultimately, it's their loss. You're great company." He started the car and started towards a cafe, where he could pick up some hot chocolate for himself.

The cafe was unsurprisingly packed with people trying to stave off the chill of the autumn weather, and although he wasn't very happy about the line, he got into it, hands stuffed in his pockets and his head mostly obscured by the scarf. He ordered the hot chocolate for himself as well as a toffee bar that he'd been craving all day. He stepped aside to pay for his drink and sweets, and also paid for Gamzee's drink, not even thinking about it, just doing it. The tip jar was visited by his change, and he went back to hunching into his coat as he waited for his drink, nibbling on the toffee while he stared with anticipation at the pickup counter.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee had never set foot in this place, knowing better than to wedge himself into a crowd where, if someone started something, collateral damage was a certainty. He took the coffee Eridan handed him and sipped at it, glancing around then reaching around him when he wasn't paying attention, breaking off part of the toffee bar with a small smirk and popping it into his mouth. He put on an innocent expression and looked up at the ceiling like he'd done absolutely nothing then nodded toward the door. While it was nice to be in the warm, the crowd was jostling him and he was afraid he was going to spill his coffee.

Back out in the cold, Gamzee watched his breath drift off as mist on the light breeze, the day already starting to grow dark. He leaned against the side of the car, looking out toward the water then down at his feet. He didn't want to have to go off and do anything else. He didn't know for sure what he did want, but just about anything would be better than having to finish his coffee and let Eridan drive away.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan scowled sincerely for all of half a second before looking up at Gamzee with narrowed eyes and a dark smirk, nudging him faintly in the side. He followed him out and bundled himself around his cup of hot cocoa, leaning against the car as well as he sipped his drink. He looked over to Gamzee and sighed, smiling a little. This was nice. It was comfortable, and easy, and the silence wasn't awkward between them. It was a companionable silence that made him feel at ease.

But he knew it would end far sooner than he wanted, and the light smile that was on his face dropped at the thought, replaced by a frown that he hid with another sip of his drink. "What are you needin' to do tonight?" He asked casually, looking back at the water.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee's lips pressed together at that, his cup held up in front of them. He didn't look Eridan in the face when he said, "Remember how I told you I gotta go runnin' errands for my guardian? Yeah, this is one'a those things." He hadn't gone into detail when he'd first told Eridan about being the Grand Highblood's runner, but the implication was there. The fact that he would be doing his job in a lowblood neighborhood was doubly damning though; highbloods didn't buy what the Makaras were selling because more often than not, either they didn't approve, or they could afford better. The fact that the Makaras were the muscle and the peacekeepers meant that they almost never got in trouble for it either. It wasn't something that Gamzee was proud of, and he made an effort not to let that part of his life get tangled up with his more domestic affairs, namely school or the very small number of people he legitimately considered his friends.

"After you drop me off just make sure you're far outta the area alright?" he said quietly, looking back at Eridan with a soft frown, starting to crumple his cup some with his tightening grip on it.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan had known about the Highbloods and their businesses in the Condesce's court, and while he wasn't particularly approving of their less than noble tactics, and the way they operated - and knowing that his friend had to work that way, to do things that he knew he likely didn't approve of, as easygoing as he often was... Well. That was something he didn't bring up. He simply nodded to Gamzee's explanation, and took another drink of his cocoa.

"I can do that, yeah," he agreed, looking up at his friend, giving look of an unspoken 'I've got your back', before finishing up his drink, walking over to throw the cup away. "Soon we're goin' to need to switch the schedule, with swimmin' comin' up. Two hours instead a one, three times a week."

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee drained his coffee and waited until the car had been unlocked before settling back down in the seat again, his arms wrapped loosely around his bag. He looked down inside it at the pair of clubs stashed inside, heavy, collapsible things that made for easy storing and, in his case, hiding. To anyone else, he could simply explain that he was learning to juggle , and he could provide evidence of that as well if need be. He'd already known how to for a long time though, but being able to show it off just lent his story more credence. He looked around at Eridan when he joined him, giving him a soft pout then just slouched down in his seat with his hands in his lap.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan looked over at Gamzee with a near-mirror of his expression. He didn't want to do this, it was obvious to Eridan, and the fact that he had to ripped the seadweller's heart apart. He leaned over and put his hand on Gamzee's face, patting it gently, before he put his arms around his friend, wrapping them tight over his shoulders. "Just be safe," he murmured against the highblood's shoulder. "Even if you gotta do some really underhanded, foul shit, you need to be safe."

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee froze momentarily, then wrapped an arm around Eridan in kind, his face pressing into the other's shoulder, his eyes closed tight. He murmured a promise that he'd be alright then simply stayed in the embrace until they had to pull away to be able to make the short trip, already rather late for the time he had to be there. "I'll be real close to my moirail's place so even if something doesn't go down I'll have somewhere to crash until school tomorrow," he sighed, rubbing his fingers into his eyes and the bridge of his nose.

When they pulled up just outside the neighborhood he'd been assigned to wait at, he lingered in the car a minute, fiddling with the clasp of his bag then reaching back over and laying his hand against the side of Eridan's head, his fingers tangling into the back of his hair briefly then slipping away as he got out, grabbing his longboard out of the trunk and rolling down the rough street without looking back.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan turned when Gamzee put his hand on his cheek and neck. He looked at him with a weak, but hopeful smile, and when he closed the trunk, Eridan got out of the neighborhood, unnerved by just being there. He quietly wished his friend luck in whatever nasty shit he had to be up to.

Once he got home, he immediately went up to his room, getting to his computer, talking to Feferi for a couple hours, pouring out all his feelings of worry for Gamzee at her, and at how he very much was not trying to bring himself into a matespritship with the guy, as much as his feeling had been leaning hard into the red for him. She gave him no pertinent advice, but soothed him and told him that he just had to trust that Gamzee was capable of handling himself in such dire situations. It was what he was born to do, after all! Eridan didn't accept that; he knew far better about the highblood than to believe that a mellow, easygoing, gentle, artistic guy would eventually find some perverse glee in doing what the GHB had sent him out to do.

Once he logged off and finished up what little homework he had left to do, Eridan wandered down the stairs of the otherwise empty house. Cronus had gone out to do whatever miscreant shit he got up to, and their guardian was out on the ocean, doing whatever was required of him; likely off hunting lusii to feed to the great old god that acted as the Condesce's guide. Eridan himself found that sort of thing rather exciting, but didn't like the idea of it being all that he would eventually do. He didn't like the idea of being some pawn. He had higher goals than that.

He settled into the sofa and started in on one of the many books that he'd been working through, enjoying the silence for the time being. He eventually drifted off, curled up around his book, trying not to think too hard about what his friend was doing just then.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Working as the family's enforcer was the least pleasurable thing he could imagine as he stood out in the cold. He had his clubs in his hands, his face painted into a more jagged, intimidating pattern that very clearly let anyone in the vicinity of his operation site who he was working for. Meeting with rival groups from other areas often proved to be interesting, but when they brought their own fighter and noticed that nobody had come to back Makara up, they seized their opportunity.

School the next morning ended up being something of an interesting affair. People were used to seeing Gamzee walking the halls sporting some injury or another, but this was the first time they'd ever seen real wounds. There were long diagonal gashes across his face, one looking as if it had come very close to blinding him. He'd been forced to leave his paint off for the time being to prevent aggravating the injury, instead letting his hair fall to shade as much of his face as he could manage. He was quieter than usual and actually concentrated on doing his work, and as soon as the bell rang for lunch he was gone.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan had immediately seen the wounds and winced in sympathy for his friend, though once lunch had come, Eridan wandered out to see if he could find his friend. First, he'd tried the stand of trees by the track, and when that warranted no results but a few idiots smoking cigarettes and giving him a few weird looks, he tried the other spots outside that he'd thought he'd find Gamzee.

When he came up with absolutely fuckall, he sighed and started down to the green room, where he'd taken to leaving notes sometimes for his friend, intending to do just that. As he walked into the green room, he couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine. He'd so far managed to stay lucky and not get ill, but the drop in temperature found him getting more sniffly. He murmured, "Last thing I fuckin' need, a cold," as he turned on the light in the far end of the room so he could see what he was doing, so he could write a note for Gamzee.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

The light was flicked on before he could touch it, Gamzee's hand on the switch. He'd been out of the way, staying out of sight and remained so, hidden snug in the alcove between the desk and wardrobe, sitting atop a small stack of cushions with his knees pulled up level with his chest. He tucked his arm back down and looked up at Eridan with wide, tired eyes, his hands perched on his knees. In spite of his size, he looked like a child, hiding in his closet from the monster under the bed. His nose was starting to run from the cold but mostly going ignored save for occasionally being wiped on the wrist of his sleeve.

"Hey, you think you could pick up the rest of my homework for the day?" he asked quietly, his voice hoarse.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan jumped back with a gasp, his eyes gone wide and his earfins tight against his neck, looking scandalized, though his expression softened once he saw Gamzee. He stepped closer as he reached down into his bag to grab the small packet of tissues, dabbing at Gamzee's nose. "I was goin' to leave a note tellin' you I've got to go home. I'm comin' down with somethin'," he murmured, moving his hand down to Gamzee's chin so he could bring his face up to look at him.

"I'll go get your other classes' work for you," he quietly agreed, brow knit in concern, "but you should at least come with me so you can have my dad take a look at these," he said with a pout to the wounds. "He's good with this sorta thing. An' really, they aren't as bad as his, either. With a little care, they'll heal up an' you'll barely be able to see 'em," he assured.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee cringed some, then winced as he did, the scabbed over cuts stinging a little as he pulled a face. He nodded when the prickly feeling subsided and took one of the tissues to gingerly blow his nose, slowly unfolding and picking himself up then shaking his sleeve over his hand before offering it to help Eridan back up as well. He glanced around then fished behind where he'd been sitting, coming up with the snapped halves of his board and carrying them both under one arm, his bag slung over his shoulder. Going to see Dualscar wasn't the ideal end to his day, knowing that more likely that not it would get back to GHB, but it was better than going him to be immediately punished for his failure.

Walking behind Eridan as they went to their last few classes to retrieve their work, Gamzee kept his head down, ignoring the burning of his ears at the hushed murmurs, wanting to either sink into the floor or else scream at them all to stop. He couldn't handle this. Not today. He compromised by letting his hackles rise, baring his overlong teeth at them until they'd fallen silent.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan had noticed the whispers and gossip again and glared at everyone who even tried to start talking, his eyes gone narrow and his pupils gone to slits. Once in the stairwell on the way to the parking lot, Eridan turned around and put his hand on Gamzee's chest, then put it up against his cheek, shooshing him carefully and quietly as he papped the highblood's face. He made a quick stop into the office and signed Gamzee and himself out for the day, asking very discreetly not to inform the Makara family about the half-day absence, for... pretty obvious reasons. He was sure by now that the faculty knew that dealing with the GHB on a personal basis was the worst thing possible, and that putting Gamzee in further distress would be remarkably bad for the young highblood.

Once in the car, he finally blew his nose into a tissue, tucking the used tissue into a small trash bag in the back. "How long will it be 'til you need to be back?" he asked. He didn't want to incur the wrath of the Grand Highblood any more than he wanted the school to, but on the other hand, he didn't want to put Gamzee into the line of fire until it was strictly necessary.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

"He knows by now I fucked up," Gamzee muttered, picking at a hole in the knee of his jeans. "Doesn't matter when I go home, it's gonna be the same no matter when it happens. He ain't gonna expect me back for a couple motherfuckin' days at least though so...I guess that's somethin'."

Hunkering down as Eridan drove, he stared out of the window, his horns scraping the roof of the car every so often. He looked up at the house when they turned into the drive, giving a soft whine at the open curtains, knowing that more likely than not, Dualscar was home and that he knew that they were there. Cronus at least would still be in school as far as he knew.

[princeofmelodrama]

Eridan couldn't help the pout that came to his face at that. What he wanted was to keep Gamzee safe from retaliation, safe from that abuse that he'd eventually get. However, there was no clout outside of Her Imperious Condescension herself that would hold back the wrath of the Grand Highblood. He parked in the garage and sighed, looking up at the gouge in the fabric in his car's hood, and grimaced. Small price to pay, he thought, and patted Gamzee's hand before he grabbed his book bag and started in.

The place was opulent, even by seadweller standards. Around every corner was some piece of treasure or a displayed suit of armor, or a painting of large, and ridiculous proportion. Eridan breezed past those, and through a large hallway to knock on the door of what was Dualscar's study. He looked behind him to Gamzee with a weak smile, and at the gruff call of "Come in," he opened the door.

He started with, "I'm takin' the day off, got a real nasty cold comin' on. An'... well." He stepped away from between his guardian and Gamzee, looking over at Dualscar with hopeful eyes. "This is Gamzee Makara. I told you about him. He needs someone to look at these wounds he got. An'... Y'know." He inched out of the way of his father as the large, rough looking seadweller came around from his seat behind a large, ancient desk, and came to crouch down and look at Gamzee face to face. He was fully two feet taller than the highblood, and had a pair of scars that gouged his face from his thick left eyebrow to his chiseled right jaw.

"You're the Grand Highblood's little wriggler, aren't you," said Dualscar, not really in the tone of a question as he put the curve of his knuckle under Gamzee's chin to make him look up, so he could get a better look at the damage. "You shoulda gotten this fixed professionally first thing. Guessin' that wasn't an option, though. Stay right where you are. I'll go get my kit." He stood and rumpled Eridan's hair on the way out to grab his medical kit.

Eridan was violet in the face with how he was treated like a damn pupa, but also at how quickly his guardian rose to the occasion to help. There was no argument, no chiding about putting off responsibility. It was as simple as that.

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee swallowed hard as he stared Dualscar in the face, never looking away until he'd been passed by in the pursuit of first aid. He looked back around at Eridan, unable to help the quiet chuckle at his fluster. He started to fuss his friend's hair back into place, his tongue poking from between his lips. Dualscar's reappearance and raised eyebrow made him back up again, then slink away to sit down and let his face be scraped and dabbed, occasionally letting out a quiet, colorful curse until the cuts had been properly tended to, butterfly bandages holding them together to heal more easily. He made a face then muttered his thanks, going to scratch at one of the bandages and having the back of his hand papped. His nose had started to run again and Dualscar sent him back to Eridan's side, shooing them away to a huge room with a huge tv, huge sofa, everything fit for a huge seadweller, even an immense fireplace that was prodded to life.

"Man I don't even know what's fuckin' goin' on anymore, people bein' all motherfuckin' nice to me and shit," he murmured as he curled up at Eridan's side with his chin on his knees, pouting a little at the world at large.

[princeofmelodrama]

With a sheepish smile, Eridan nodded and handed the remote to his friend. "I think you're just goin' to have to get used to it," he murmured quietly, getting a blanket draped over his shoulders, watching as Gamzee got one of his own draped over his as well. "He's in one of his good moods," he explained as Dualscar left them alone, likely to heat up some stew, "Gets like this just after a good hunt. He's. Like this a lot, actually." He didn't want to say so at first, because it sort of sounded to him like bragging. Eridan just didn't like his father's sour moods. They were hellbent fury of thousand storms on an ocean. A maelstrom of temper.

He pressed his finger's knuckle against his lips as he looked at the TV, pointedly not looking at Gamzee as he murmured quietly, almost so quietly that it could have been missed. "You don't have to go until you want to."

[cookinglikeamotherfucker]

Gamzee dragged the blanket tight around him, thumbing the remote without really paying attention to anything on the guide he'd pulled up. He paid more attention to Eridan sitting beside him, the expression on his face and the tension but mostly the tone of voice. He put his cheek against the back of his free hand, glancing back up at the TV every so often. "Don't really think I could get used to all this fancy-ass nice shit. Not really somethin' I ever grew up with. I mean yeah we got money, but it don't really count for shit when it don't make anything better." He'd never take Eridan home with him, that was for damn sure. He smiled faintly nonetheless, finally stopping it on one of the science channels and putting the remote down between them.