So I decided that I'd post this on Tumblr as well as FFN because I'm not sure how many people would read it where, so… It feels weird, actually. It's the first thing that I've actually finished writing in a long time. And it's the first legititmate Homestuck thing I've posted here. Okay enough reminiscing.
I apologize for the length of this chapter. I plan on making the others longer than this.

Enjoy!~

Summary: Just as Sollux begins to start discovering his feelings for him, Karkat introduces his roommate to his new boyfriend. But when things begin to backfire on his best friend, does Sollux have it in him to protect the one who hurt him? Or will he turn away, and leave his new found feelings behind with Karkat's problems?
Pairings: Sollux/Karkat, Eridan/Karkat, Eridan/Sollux
Rating: M for language and future sexual/rape content

Upon hearing a knocking on the door, you gave an exasperated sigh, somehow managing to tear your eyes from the screen of your laptop, and roll – painstakingly - off of your bed. Opting to take your delicate time with it, another pound sounds impatiently as you half-heartedly search for some pants to cover the god-awful, honey color, bee-riddled boxers your legally blind sister had picked out for you. Hey, they were boxers, and you had sort of slacked off on your laundry in the previous week. You were that desperate…and lazy not to just do your damn laundry. You find an overly-simple pair of grey skinny jeans and slip them on as yet another knock rings in your ears. God, that person was impatient. In budding annoyance, you give up on finding a shirt, taking two long strides toward the door.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" you hear as you prepare to greet the visitor. "Put a goddamn shirt on, for fuck's sake."

"Nice to thee you too, KK," you reply, your voice dripping with a joking sarcasm. The two of you stand there for a moment, looking at each other; he just waits in the doorway, his hands fidgeting awkwardly at his sides, while you lean, bare-chested, against the edge of the door. From behind your anaglyph glasses, you look into his ever tired-looking eyes as they look back up to you, just visible beneath his furrowed eyebrows. That grey gaze of his sends jolts through your spine from the base of your neck, straight into the pit of your stomach. It was something that was happening much more frequently, though you didn't quite understand what it was, and self-analysis was never your strong point. So you tended to leave it alone, and not even attempt to elaborate on it.

After a moment, he finally became irritated ("Are you gonna fucking let me in or not, fuckass?") which you realize was your subconscious goal. You give a smile that shows that you're laughing at him on the inside, but remain standing in the doorway. "Why the fuck did you knock in the firtht place? It'th your apartment too, y'know."

"Don't you think I fucking know that?" Your roommate started forward, but stopped himself, his gaze awkwardly falling to the ground.

"What ith it?"

"I just had to make sure that your lazy fucking ass was somewhat decent, assnuzzler."

"Wh-" You didn't have a chance to ask for his reasoning before a much taller male (than either of you, you notice) appears from behind the wall outside the door, settling to a stance behind Karkat. "And you are?" Not liking the looks of this fellow, you begin the interrogation immediately after a mere second of stunned silence.

"Someone w-who's already gettin' annoyed by the sound a' your woice."

And he was complaining about your "woice?" Did he ever hear himself when he talked? Oh wait, you think to yourself. That was probably the only reason he said anything in the first place.

"Well, that'th polite," you snap back, knowing you didn't have a very good line of insults in your arsenal. "If you were ekthpecting to come in, you can forget it.

"W-wow-w. And I thought you w-were kiddin' w-when you told me he had a lisp, Kar."

"Do you alwayth thpeak with thuch an inthuffereable accent?"

"Do those glasses help w-with your depth perception?"

"Are thothe glatheth, or thome thort of deformity?"

"Do you style your hair like that, or is it naturally that gay?"

"Doeth that thcarf of yourth help hide your whoreth' hickieth?"

"GUYS!"

You both pause for a moment on Karkat's outburst, lining up possibilities to use against him, your eyes still boring into his with an implicit, mutual hatred. After a few more moments of merciless glares, Karkat finally spoke again. "Sollux, this is m-"

"Eridan Ampora," the douche interrupted, a twisted, arrogant smile spawning on his lips, as he tilted his head upward to look at you down the length of his nose. The way he pronounced his last name sent a horrid chill through you, making it sound along the lines of "emperor" in that ridiculous accent of his. You get the feeling that wasn't an accident.

Still casting sideways glowers toward this intruder, you fix your attention on your roommate. "Tho… Who'th thith douche bag?" you reiterate, hopefully able to get a more elaborate answer than just a name.

"My-"

Your best friend couldn't even get his sentence out before Eridan was interrupting again, this time pushing past him to force his way into the apartment. The fact that Karkat had to catch himself from the movement made you blood boil, more than it should have. Seriously, who was this guy? To show up at your door unannounced – granted with the company of Karkat, your roommate and (supposed) best friend – then just waltz right in as if he paid the rent every month. Not only that, but to treat his "friend" that brought him here in the first place like total shit. Needless to say, you definitely weren't very fond of him.

And who would expect you to be? Certainly not Karkat. What was he even thinking bringing this guy here? He was a prime example of exactly the type of person you can't stand; stuck up, arrogant, and with a "the-world-revolves-around-me-let-me-post-what-I'm-doing-every-second-of-every-day-on-Twitter-because-everyone-cares" type of attitude. Not to mention the way he dressed; Rata Plus Vans, with (two sizes, to small) fade-out skinny jeans, a purple ("wiolet" you can hear him, correcting. Ugh, you just want him out of your head) and black plaid button-down shirt, and that god-awful stripped scarf. Of course, you've already mentioned the glasses (hipster, with the lenses popped out) but have yet to describe his bottle-blonde hair with a purple streak running up the middle, styled back and the obvious trace of a tan, probably about as fake as his purple contact lenses.

He stood in the center of the living room, Karkat slowly trudging in behind him, staying somewhere between the two of you in the event that one of you tries to attack the other, no doubt. Eridan's gaze didn't settle on one place; his eyes roamed, seemingly inspecting every minute detail of your home. The look of almost disgust that crossed his face gave you a hint to the type of life he had growing up: spoiled as fuck.

You close the door with more force than necessary, realizing that you still weren't wearing a shirt. With an exasperated sigh, you make your way to your room – relieved to have a break from Karkat's new friend – to grab the first shirt you see, not caring enough about the company if it were clean or not. You slip on the yellow polo with each sleeve that was either red or blue, ignoring the fact that your bedroom door was left open and you could hear your roommate's "whisper", most likely telling Eridan (you're tired of trying to figure out new names for him) to behave, though you highly doubted that he would. Upon exiting your bedroom, you grab your laptop from on top of the desk, and take it with you to claim a spot on the couch, Eridan glaring at you as you passed. You put your headphones over your ears to block out that stupid accent-slash-stutter, Seether blasting in your ears.

You sat in your place, occasionally glancing up to watch their movements over the next few hours, your eye twitching slightly when Fishdick got too close to your roommate. At long, long last, Karkat's pet left, but of course, not without wishing you a "fare"-well. He stood over you, waiting for some sort of response.

When he received none, he took your headphones by the connector piece, and ripped them from your ears, letting them fall back to the couch with the cord rising up to meet your neck. You kept your – tensed – hands on the keyboard, in an attempt to keep from hitting his smug face, but you made a face that screamed bloody murder.

"Nice meetin' you, Sol. I hope w-we can do it again soon." Eridan was leaning over so that is face was mere inches from your own, a haughty smirk still plastered to his fish face. You just barely resisted the urge to stretch out your leg and send your heel into a very sensitive area, for Karkat's sake more than anyone's. Barely.

You were already retrieving your headphones when your best friend turned back to you after closing the door behind his guest, putting them around your neck. The two of you sat in silence, waiting for even a single word from the other. Karkat's gaze couldn't quite meet yours, you notice. His hands were again fidgeting at his sides, his weight shifting from foot to foot after every second or two that passed. Your expression was expectant, waiting for an explanation for such a vile creature entering your home.

"Tho…" you start.

"What?" Karkat snaps.

"Nothing," you say calmly. "Jutht…curiouth."

He exhales through his nose, seeming to carefully calculate how to say his next words. "What did you think of him?"

You couldn't help but scoff. "You're really athking what I think of him? Why doeth my opinion matter at all? After all, you theemed perfectly capable of inviting him over without my conthent."

"Why the fuck would I need your 'conthent', you obstinate bastard? It's my goddamn apartment, too!"

"The keyword there being 'too'!" As hard as you tried, you couldn't keep you voice from rising in volume. What had gotten into him? What had happened to your best friend? "That implieth that you comprehend that thith apartment belongth to both of uth. Meaning, if anyone cometh over, both of our opinionth thould be taken into conthideration!"

"You wouldn't have known already if you wanted him over or not, dumbass, because you've never met him until now!"

"You could've at leatht texted me that you were inviting thomeone over! Did you ever thtop to think I wathn't in the mood for company?"

"You made that pretty fucking obvious from the start!"

"Well, thit! I wonder why! And yet you thtill you let him thtay!"

"Yeah, he was already over! I wasn't about to send him away because you were being a selfish asswipe, dickwad!"

"I wath being thelfith? OKAY, let'th rewind through that entire converthation we jutht had about thith being our apartment! I mean, who even ith thith guy?"

By the way you two were arguing you felt like you were in court, only there was no judge to call order, and you were serving as the jury.

"…He's my boyfriend."

And the defendant just pleaded guilty.