Weak

This wasn't supposed to happen.

This had only been to make Feferi jealous. He shouldn't have cared. He shouldn't have ever cared about a land-dweller.

But he did.

Eridan sighed as he gazed down at the sleeping troll before him, his face and body covered in cuts, scrapes, and deep blue bruises. Trembling a bit, the purple-haired male laid his head upon Equius' chest, if only just to hear his heart beat.

Equius was lucky he hadn't ended up like Tavros. He'd fallen off a cliff, to put it simply; how he'd done it was another, more complicated story, involving an overly-complex fighting move and a very large ogre. Aradia had claimed that, were it not for Equius' incredible strength and muscle mass, he would have died instantly upon hitting the ground below.

Now, the strong male was tucked into his bed, left alone to heal over time. Finding himself particularly worried about Equius, Eridan had come to his hive, staying by his bedside ever since. He hardly remembered the fact that he'd initially only courted the other male to draw attention from Feferi.

He wasn't sure how long he'd laid there, drinking in the sounds of royal blue blood pumping, before he heard another sound - a small cough, followed by a groan. Jerking his head up, Eridan's heart skipped a bit as he saw Equius' eyes flutter open, looking around before focusing on the other male in front of him. It was the first time Eridan had seen his so-called Matesprit's eyes without his cracked sunglasses.

"Eridan..?" Equius whispered, apparently unable to make much more sound than that. He looked confused, as if he hadn't expected the troll he thought to be his Matesprit there with him. His head was tilted unnaturally to the side; Eridan feared restlessly that it was stuck that way.

"Hey.. hey, I'm here," the sea-dweller whispered, offering Equius a sad smile. "I'm here.." Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss upon the other's lips, following with a softer one to his broken jaw. He shook as he spoke softly to Equius, as if he were afraid he'd simply keel over and die.

Smiling up at the other, Equius closed his eyes again, content to bask in the comfort of Eridan's arms now wrapped gingerly around his shoulders. A moment characterized by soft, even breaths passed before a realization came to the once-strong male, causing him to open his swollen eyes once again.

"Eridan..." he whispered, doing his best to pick his head up just slightly. Frowning, Eridan slipped a hand behind his neck, holding it up for him instead. Smiling, Equius continued.

"Eridan, I did this.. on purpose.. for you," he murmured, looking the other in the eye with a sad gaze. Eridan flinched, furrowing his brows together in confusion.

"W-what..? E-Equius, you don't.. you don't fuckin' know what you're sayin'.. go back to sleep," he whispered, running a hand through the other's long hair with a worried gaze.

Shaking his head, Equius gave a pained chuckle, resting his forehead against the other's. He raised a hand from the mattress, glancing at it with a sad smile.

"No.. Eridan.. I did it, so that.. for once.. I could be weak."

Reaching up, Equius placed a trembling hand on the side of Eridan's face, using a bandaged thumb to gently stroke his cheekbone. And for once, it was the touch of a normal troll; one not so encumbered by the incredible strength of a bohemoth such as him. A touch that would not leave a bruise; but instead, a blush, paired with numerous soft goosebumps along Eridan's spine.

Mouth agape, Eridan simply stared at the other for a moment, tears welling in his eyes. But slowly, reaching up, he curled his hand around Equius'... and Equius did the same. For the first time, the two held hands, unafraid of breaking Eridan's lithe fingers. And as Eridan gave a soft sob, heaving himself onto the other, Equius accomplished another first - wrapping his arms around his Matesprit, in a gentle hug, rather than a debilitating crush.

Tears now poured from Eridan's eyes as he sobbed into his Matesprit's shoulder, an arm wrapped tightly around his neck. One hand was tangled in his unwashed mess of Equius' long hair, while the other still gripped his hand, holding on tight despite how hard he was trembling.

The two laid there for quite sometime, simply holding each other like normal, loving Matesprits, eventually falling asleep in each other's softly clinging arms. And no matter how broken, or beaten, or bruised... to be able to hold another made Equius the happiest he had ever been.