Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationship:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Series:
Part 2 of FantasyStuck
Stats:
Published:
2018-04-23
Completed:
2018-05-15
Words:
12,018
Chapters:
3/3
Comments:
25
Kudos:
93
Bookmarks:
14
Hits:
748

A Fish and a Bat Fell in Love

Summary:

A collection of bits from Eridan and Dirk's relationship as a siren and vampire pair, featuring things like dealing with day-night schedules, interacting with other magical beings, and the occasional kidnapping.

Chapter 1: Reveal onto Me

Summary:

In which true/alternate forms are revealed, as is Eridan's other home, and the number of hairs on his head.

Notes:

So we're back! With some little snippets about our two favorite dorks. Enjoy!

Check me out on Lunethwrites on tumblr!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

 

“Do you have a true form?” Eridan asked. He was leaning against Dirk’s back as Dirk fiddled with some robotics project he had been working on. He paused now, fingers wrapped in some wires, keeping them in place.

“Like, a second form?”

“Yeah, I mean,” Eridan shrugged, “Kan said she has this other form, one that makes her look less human. Do you have one?”

“I do,” Dirk put the project down, “But it’s not a ‘true form,’ it’s more like an enhanced form for times of stress or fighting.”

“Oh, huh.” Eridan scratched at his cheek. “Sorry, guess I just assumed it would be like my real form.”

“That’s a fair assumption.” Dirk leaned back against him. “I could show you, if you wanted.” Eridan twisted around to look at him, and Dirk moved smoothly with him to turn around as well.

“Is it hard?” Eridan asked. His curiosity was obvious, and Dirk’s mouth twitched upwards.

“No, just drains my energy if I keep it up too long. A quick look shouldn’t be too hard. It’s a little scary though, just warning you.” Eridan snorted and rolled his eyes.

“What, afraid I’ll scream and faint?”

“I’ll catch you if I do.” Dirk ruffled his hair. “My fair damsel.”

“Why Mr. Strider,” Eridan drawled, “I’m tickled.”

“While we’re on the subject,” Dirk shrugged, trying his best to act nonchalant. “If you’re ok with it, could I see your true form sometime?”

“Oh, uh-” Eridan flushed and looked away, “Sure, if you wanna, I mean.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I dunno, you won’t think it’s weird?”

“Nah.”

“Well, in that case I gotta get my pendant back from Rox,” Eridan’s excitement returned to his voice, and actually seemed to grow a bit. “There’s a spot near my house that’s pretty hidden, and we can do it in the mornin when no one’s around.”

“I can’t change very well when the sun’s out,” Dirk commented, “Would sometime at night, work?”

“That’s fine,” Eridan answered quickly, “I can see better in the dark than most humans.”

“Same here.”

“How’s midnight sound?” Dirk asked. Eridan nodded and flashed him a thumbs-up.

“Come to my house around that time, then.”

“Cool.” Dirk flashed him a thumbs-up. Eridan grinned and bumped his forehead into his chest.

“I’ll see you there.”

 

000

 

“Eridan?” Dirk stepped onto the dock leading off the porch of Eridan’s house. He had knocked, but gotten no answer. The moon was half-full, giving Dirk plenty to see by, but the water below him was still dark as ink.

“Dirk.” He turned around, but no one was there. He frowned and stepped toward the edge of the dock. A panicked voice stopped him. “W-Wait, hang on!” The voice, Eridan’s voice, was coming from the water under the dock.

“I’ll be out in a sec,” Eridan continued. He sounded almost bashful. Dirk smiled and sat down on the dock.

“Alright, do you need a hand?”

“No, I’ve done this before.”

Dirk heard a soft splash, then after a few seconds something burst out of the water. Dirk’s arms snapped up and managed to catch Eridan right as he barreled into him. Dirk’s back hit the dock. He winced, feeling the water soak his clothes and a heavy mass on top of him. He opened his eyes.

An ashen gray face peered back at him, violet eyes wide in surprise.

“Oh shit, sorry!” Eridan yelped and tried to roll off him. “I wasn’t expectin ya to be right there.”

“It’s fine.” Dirk sat up, still holding an arm around Eridan’s waist. He examined his gray complexion, the fins sprouting from his face and the horns on his head. He then let his gaze travel down until he saw Eridan’s skin merge into scales. Dirk took a soft breath in. They glittered silver with a violet sheen, ending in a delicate tail with a clear, silky fin.

“Wow,” Dirk said. Eridan blushed with a hue more violet than red. Dirk blinked and shifted around, taking Eridan’s chin in his hand. “Is your blood violet?”

“Y-Yeah.” Eridan turned away from the hold, and Dirk noticed another fin running down his spine. “You wanna see?” Before Dirk could answer Eridan brought his arm up to his mouth and bit down hard. When he brought his teeth away a thin line of violet rose up on his skin, which he held up to Dirk.

The blood smelled exquisite. It had a salty tang that wasn’t in humans, along with a unique flavor to it. Dirk’s tongue ran along his teeth and he clenched his hands.

“That sure is violet,” He answered neutrally. Eridan snickered.

“You wanna taste?” He held it up closer to Dirk. Dirk hesitated, then gently took Eridan’s wrist. He ran his tongue over the wound. It had a slight tinge of fish, but not too much, and a very rich flavor.

He pulled back, and Eridan offered a shy smile.

“Good?”

“Yeah,” Dirk licked his lips, “Interesting flavor.” The comment made Eridan beam with pride and his tail flicked around a little. Dirk grinned in response.

“Alright.” Dirk got to his feet. “I promised I’d show you my form too.” Eridan nodded eagerly, propping himself up a bit so he could get a good look.

Dirk took a few steps back, then closed his eyes. He reached into himself and found the knot of energy wrapped tight inside of him. With one sharp push he had it break and unravel, streaming outward through his veins.

He felt his muscles ripple and grow. His bones hardened and his skin drew thicker while his teeth and nails extended and sharpened. Lastly, a pair of black leathery wings sprouted and unfurled from his back, spreading outward to cast a large shadow over Eridan and the dock. Dirk took his glasses off, revealing brightly glowing orange eyes.

“…Well?” Dirk asked. Eridan was staring up at him, mouth open.

“Holy shit!” He gasped. “You got more ripped?!”

“…Dude,” Dirk jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “I have wings.” Eridan snorted.

“Yeah, and I’ve got a tail.” Eridan shrugged. “For real, though, you look incredible.”

“Same to you.” Dirk sat down again, folding his wings around himself. “How fast can you swim?” Eridan’s face lit up in pride.

“It’s uh, hang on-” His eyebrows furrowed together as he did some calculations in his head. “I guess it would be like, 30 miles an hour? Or like, 50 kilometers. And I can keep that up for a good couple a hours.”

“Damn,” Dirk answered. “I can fly at around that speed, but only for like half an hour. Unless I recently drank a lot of blood.

“Not bad,” Eridan mused. He hesitated, then reached his hand out with a questioning expression. Dirk twisted around to let him graze his fingers against his wings.

“They feel nice,” Eridan murmured. “Strong.”

“They are.” Dirk reached out as well, and after Eridan nodded, he gently ran his hand down Eridan’s scales. They were perfectly smooth under his touch, and a little cold.

Eridan leaned up against Dirk, purring a little as he nuzzled up against his chest. Dirk wrapped an arm around his waist and rested his head against Eridan’s shoulder. He curved his wings around them both, enveloping them into a little cocoon.

“Hey,” Eridan murmured. “D’you…have to breathe? Do you die if you don’t?”

“Nope,” Dirk answered. Eridan leaned back to look at him.

“Wanna see my home? My underwater one.”

“Sure,” Dirk let his form revert, his wings pulling into his back once more and his muscles and teeth shrinking. Eridan watched with interest, then when he was done he pushed himself back into the water, sliding in with hardly a splash. Dirk tucked his glasses into his pocket before diving in after him. The cold water closed in around him. He waited a few seconds, then opened his eyes. Bright violet irises stared back at him. Dirk waved. Eridan grinned, showing off a row of shark-like teeth, then took his wrist and pulled him downward. Dirk let him tow him along, making out the dark shapes of rocks and fish here and there. The cliff continued on past the surface all the way to the bottom. Eridan led him through a narrow opening.

There was a bit of netting hung up further in. Eridan pulled it away to let them through. The cave opened up into a large cavern. Glowing seaweed hung on the walls, lighting the area, which was adorned with various trinkets, jewelry, and weapons.

Eridan pulled Dirk upwards, toward the surface, and they broke through the water to find themselves in a small underwater cavern.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Eridan spoke with obvious pride. There are a few cracks here and there that keeps the air fresh. The seaweed is a special rare species. I planted it myself.”

“Wow,” Dirk pulled himself up onto the rock floor, “And I just rented a cheap apartment.”

“I couldn’t live in the city,” Eridan muttered, “Even without the threat a stayin a human forever, I’d feel antsy with so much time away from the ocean.”

“Each to their own,” Dirk answered. He crossed his legs and opened his arms up. Eridan grinned and scooted over to curl up in his lap. Dirk ruffled his fingers through his hair shuffling the curls around.

“…Can I count your hair?” Dirk asked. Eridan tilted his head back to shoot him a quizzical look. Dirk was staring at his hair intently as he played with it.

“Vampires have this counting thing,” Dirk explained. Eridan shrugged and made himself comfortable propped up against him.

“I don’t exactly know how you’d do that but knock yerself out.”

Dirk began to carefully knit his fingers through Eridan’s hair, separating the strands a lock at a time from one side to another. Eridan sighed at the gentle touch and let his head loll back against Dirk’s shoulder.

He woke up sometime later, curled up on the blanket he kept at the corner of the cave. Dirk was curled up around him, arms wrapped tight around his shoulders and his face buried into his hair. He was warm, but not overbearingly so like humans were.

Eridan shifted a bit, and Dirk stirred, then sat up.

“One-hundred-thousand, four-thousand, five-hundred sixty-four,” Dirk mumbled. Eridan chuckled.

“Did you really count them all?”

“Yeah. I’m really fast.”

“Huh,” Eridan ruffled a hand through his own hair, “Well, now I know. Can you help me over to the water?”

Dirk looped his arms under Eridan and lifted him right up, making him grab Dirk’s arm in surprise.

“These muscles ain’t just for show, huh?” Eridan muttered.

“Nope.” Dirk set him down by the bank, letting Eridan slip into the water. Eridan sighed through his gills as the water soaked into his skin. He’d been feeling a little dry, falling asleep on land in this form.

He rejoined Dirk a minute later. The other seemed to be spacing out, staring at the wall.

“Dirk?” Dirk blinked, then looked down at him.

“Sorry, yeah?”

“You alright.”

“I’m fine.” Dirk ran a hand down his face. “It’s just been a while since I fed, and using my other form sped up my hunger a bit. I should go-” He paused, then looked up at the ceiling of the cave. “Do you know what time it is?” Dirk asked.

“Uh, hang on.” Eridan pulled himself up, then grabbed his back to pull out his phone. “6:12 am.”

“The sun’s up,” Dirk grunted. Eridan’s eyes went wide before he swore.

“Shit, hang on.” He disappeared until the water again, reappearing a few seconds later. “Looks pretty clear out,” He reported. “I could uh, grab you a sheet?” Dirk shook his head.

“I’ll just wait it out until nightfall.”

“What? No way!” Eridan heaved himself back up beside him. “You’ll be bored to Hell. How do you usually avoid burnin up?”

“Sunscreen,” Dirk answered, “I have some really strong stuff back home, but-”

“I’ll get it then!” Eridan insisted. He reached out his phone and began to text someone. “I’ll ask Rox to take my pendant. Your brother should be home, right? I’ll have him let me in.”

Dirk scowled. He really didn’t want to impose on Eridan so much like that, but he didn’t really have much of a choice. He’d fry in one minute without his sunscreen. Not to mention he was uncomfortably hungry right now. Probably not enough to be going crazy any time soon, but waiting half a day might put some stress on him.

Then again, he could always stay under the water, catch some fish, keep low for the day.

“Before I go,” Dirk was snapped out of his thoughts as Eridan shoved and arm at him, “Here, you should eat somethin.”

“Eridan,” Dirk shook his head and pushed his arm away, “I am definitely not going to have you going all the way to my apartment after giving you some significant blood loss.” Eridan huffed and rolled his eyes.

“I’ve done this before, Dirk, and I can lose more blood than humans can. At least a little to tide ya over.”

“You should always rest after providing blood,” Dirk argued, but Eridan waved him off.

“I’m just gonna be walkin to your apartment. I’ll eat somethin sugary on the way. Don’t worry.” Dirk tried to think of another point to argue, but he recognized the look in Eridan’s eyes. There was a fiery determination that would listen to no reason.

Eridan held his arm out again. Dirk grimaced but shifted around to take it.

“Just a little,” He insisted, “What are you used to?”

“Uh, Kan usually bites here:” Eridan pointed to the large vein on the inside of his elbow. Dirk nodded.

“I’m going to try and tone it down, but you may feel a bit lethargic and tired after. Don’t push yourself, and drink a lot of fluids. If you get a headache, you should definitely stop and rest.” Eridan nodded along. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, relax.” Dirk leaned in, feeling the muscles in Eridan’s arm relax against his hands. He gently sunk his teeth into the skin. It was a bit thicker than a human’s, smoother. He kept the wound small, coaxing the blood out at a patient pace.

The unique tang of the blood flooded into his mouth. He closed his eyes as the taste overwhelmed him and awakened the instinctual drive in the back of his mind.

“Control.” He breathed in and forced his shoulders to relax. He took two mouthfuls, then drew back. He ran his tongue over the wound once to clean it, then grabbed one of the handkerchiefs he kept in his pocket. He wrapped it around the wound, glancing over at Eridan as he did so.

Eridan was watching him through half-closed eyes as he worked. His arm was limp in Dirk’s grip. Seeing Dirk looking at him, he smiled faintly to show he was alright.

“How do you feel?” Dirk asked. Eridan blinked, then nodded.

“I’m fine, feel pretty relaxed.”

“That happens. You should lie down-” Dirk started, but Eridan shook his head.

“Later, Rox’ll be here soon.” Eridan grabbed his bag. “Hang tight, I’ll be right back.”

He had slipped into the water before Dirk could answer. The water stilled with his departure, leaving Dirk alone in the cave.

Dirk sighed and leaned back against the wall. When he usually fed off someone, he made sure that someone got a good meal, some sugar in their system, and he would watch over them for a bit as they rested. He was never going to forgive himself if Eridan fainted because he had pushed himself too hard. Dirk should’ve been more careful and not let himself fall asleep. It was just…

Something about Eridan just relaxed the Hell out of him. He made him feel so calm and want to curl up and chill without a care in the world. All his pent-up stress and hypervigilance, some of it decades in the making, ebbed away like it had been no more than a bad dream.

It was as nice as it was terrifying. It had been some time since he had someone he felt he could relax entirely around. Part of him, age-old instincts, screamed that it was dangerous, that this was a sign he should distance himself.

These days though, that part of him wasn’t so loud. Already, the idea of pushing Eridan away felt more painful that the fear of showing him vulnerability. For better or for worse, Dirk wanted to stay with Eridan. He’d deal with anything else later.

 

000

 

Dave opened the door in his pajamas. One might think he had been just waking up, as opposed to just heading to bed. He blinked rapidly, then squinted at Eridan behind his shades. In his hurry, Eridan had thrown on a quick sundress and not bothered to shower or fix his hair. He probably looked hideous, but vanity could wait. Right now, he scowled at Dave with an inpatient glower.

“…That soon, huh?” Dave remarked. Eridan’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, then he shook his head.

“I’m here for sunscreen. Dirk’s at my place and he needs it.”

“Does he need some condoms too?”

“What?”

Notes:

Dave: yeah no dude its fine its totally fine its not like i was worried as fuck when he came home ha as if what am i some harried mom worried when her little bat boy didnt come home do i go fluttering my hands around wondering if hes been roasted by the sun or garlicked to death nah course not its fine
Eridan: what

I hope Dirk at least texted him before falling asleep.