“(_Name_), just go aw-way right now. I don’t hav-ve time for this at the moment. Go aw-way.” Eridan calls out from behind the closed door. He had shut himself in his hive a couple of hours ago. Usually you, his moirail, would be able to get him out of one of these moods but not this time. This time was different. Feferi had just rejected him and practically banished him from every coming within 20 feet of his hive, so he was pretty upset.

For as long as you could remember Eridan’s quadrants had always been empty. That’s why he had been so glad when he had met you. You, just a lowly brown blood. Why would he like you? Apparently he did and that was all that mattered to you. He said he liked you attitude; the way you could talk back to anyone without sounding scared at all, even if you were snapping at a high blood like himself.
Your friends were happy for you, having only filled your first quadrant. Although they seemed a little wary around him. They told you it was because he was a high blood and they were afraid that he could kill them at any time and he would get away with it. But after many long talks with your new moirail and your friends you came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to murder any of them. That was a relief. You really didn’t want to choose between staying with your friends that you had known forever, or Eridan.

Which leads us to the current situation. As I was saying, Mr Ampora here is really lonely. He wants someone to love him and be with him at all times. If only he wasn’t so oblivious. He would be able to see that you loved him, with all your heart and soul. You had for a while now. But alas, the boy is too blind to see that. How disappointing. At least he realizes that you’re a valuable friend. That was a start.

You bang on the door, huffing with frustration. “Eridan Ampora! You open this door right now or I swear to whatever you want me to swear to that I will kick this-“ And then the door opens. Just like that. A sniffling Eridan grabs your arm and pulls you inside, instantly wrapping his arms around you and burying his face in your bosom. You stand as stiff as a board, hands clenched into fists as a brown blush comes onto your face. However, you’re used to occurrences like this so just blink a couple of times and take some deep breaths and the blush fades.

Just in time too, as Eridan gazes up at you, his gold and violet eyes wide and glazed over with tears. He doesn’t even need to speak, you get it. This has happened enough times for you to understand what he’s saying. You gently pry him away from you and grab his hand, slowly leading him away from the entrance to his hive and towards one of the main rooms. In it sits a large bed, which apparently he made himself. It’s really beautiful and surprisingly comfy. It’s made out of oak; the dark wood gleaming under the light from multiple candle lit chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. The top blankets are plain and white, whereas the bottom blankets are multiple shades of grey and purple. All of them together to make the bed look really inviting.

You let go of his hand from a moment only to climb onto the bed. It’s rather high up generally, but with you being as short as someone who is about 7 ½ sweeps old it’s a bit harder to get onto. But you manage to hoist yourself onto the mattress eventually. You then reach out a hand towards Eridan, which he takes gladly, using it to help himself get onto the bed. Even for him it’s a struggle to heave himself up onto the bed. Who was the bed built for? Giants?

You sigh and crawl underneath the blankets. Eridan follows you under, sniffling slightly. His eyes are bloodshot; small purple-ish veins spreading out over the yellow of his eyes. You hold out your arms and he gratefully crawls towards you, his own arms wrapping around you. You allow him to curl into a ball next to you, his head resting on your chest as you lay there, staring up at the ceiling.

Outside the wind groans and the waves crash against the rocks his hive-boat was situated on. A rumble of thunder shakes the building, making the chandeliers sway precariously. The light flickers over the wooden walls, creating shadows before filling them with a bright golden light once again. The smell of see salt and other beachy things is stronger now than before, thanks to the storm.
A flash of lightning lights up the room, bathing everything in its electric white glow. You shiver and huddle closer to Eridan under the blankets. You hate storms, even though they were a common occurrence here on the coast.

Eridan senses your unease and pulls you close to him, cradling your head against his chest just like you had done to him. You horns; which started just behind your ears and curved up and backwards, ending in a spiral, press into his chest. You aren’t quite sure if he was comfortable or not but you were glad for the closeness.

“Are you okay (_Name_)?” He asks, his voice taking on a concerned tone. You just sigh and hug him, drawing him close to yourself. “Just a little bit scared,” you mutter in return. You feel his face press into the top of your head, nuzzling into your smooth black hair. You feel a faint blush coming onto your face, staining your features a pale chocolate. You force it away with thoughts. He doesn’t like you like that. You’re his moirail, nothing else. …Then why is he doing this?

Eridan plants a kiss on forehead and you close your eyes. “It’s alright (_Name_), I’m here. I’ve got you. It’s going to be ok.” There was no more stutter, of course. He only stuttered when he was upset or angry. Which did tend to be most of the time but then there were moments like this, when he was strangely loving. “But-“ You start to protest. “Shhh.” Eridan cuts you off, placing a finger to your black lips. “Just go to sleep. I’ll protect you from the storm.” You close your eyes and let his velvety voice sooth you, lulling you to sleep.

I’ll protect you from the storm (_Name_). There’s no need to worry anymore. I’m here.