equius+eridan sickfic comfort vomit

This was Hell. There was simply no other explanation, no other description, that was befitting of the situation he was in. Lord knows what he did to deserve this; was it breaking up with Feferi? The myriad of venom-tipped verbal jabs he had sent at Sollux during their stay in the Medium? Or did the universe just decide that today, this day, would be forever remembered as The Day The World Platonically Hated Eridan?

"Oh cod, oh my co-urk!"

Hand flying to his mouth, Eridan staggered slightly off the smooth stone walkway of the intimidating steel hive ahead and ducked toward a shrub, trying to piece together what had landed him in this mess. The whole ordeal had started with a groggy morning and a tingling sensation around the gills, nothing a seadweller of his stature couldn't handle. By noon, it had grown into a nausea that permeated his body, sending light chills up his spine as he gingerly gripped his aching stomach. To his relief, Kanaya was willing to listen to his plight, and recommended a potent brand of antacid pills, which he happily alchemized and downed without a second thought.

Unfortunately for him, it was a scant few hours of nervous discomfort before his ills came back twofold. He remembered nearly tripping over himself as he hurried out the door, breathing shakily as he forced down the burning sensation of acid reflux. He remembered the moment when it all became too much and he toppled over, clutching his churning gut as the entity of the day's meals violently erupted from his body, hard bits of fish pushing against his uvula and scraping past his teeth, accompanied by the half-digested medical tablets and splotches of unidentifiable brown. He had panicked, pushing himself toward the nearest hive under the setting rays of the distinctly-unlethal New-Earth sun, and the rest of the journey was a haze of heat and colors.

Now, however, as the last beams of light vanished over the horizon and the chirping of insects began to grow in volume, Eridan doubled over and heaved into the poor bush adorning the pathway. The last globs of solid matter were ejected from his system, but to his horror there always seemed to be more liquid forcing it's way up his throat. Once the second wave of gastrointestinal eruptions subsided, he forced himself back to his feet and practically threw himself at the thick door of the hive. He was burning up, nose running and eyes watering and cheeks blazing purple, and he felt practically nude without his regal cape and scarf, both abandoned earlier that day at the faintest threat of being ruined by his rebellious body.

He wasn't sure how long he stood, pounding on the door, before it opened under him. Looking up through watering ocular orbs, he was met with the stone-like, impassive face of Equius. The large blueblood seemed impassive as always, natural rage quietly contained behind his cracked shades, although at the sight of the runny, dribbly mess that was Eridan, sweat instantly began to form on his brow.

"Hi-highblood?"

Fuck it. Eridan dove into the dimly-lit hallway, practically shoving Equius out of the way. "Eq, oh cod, you-you have to help me!" The sudden movement shook up his already-turbulent insides and he gave a dry heave, and he leaned against the reinforced wall of the hive, choking down another burst of heated vomit.

Equius took one look at Eridan's ruddy cheeks and mucus-splattered face, as well as a glance at the purple pool forming under his lawn bush, before closing the door and briskly walking towards the hygineblock, sweating in full force.

"I will retrieve a towel."

---

A high-pitched, strained whine escaped Eridan's throat as he clutched his belly with both hands and spewed into the upheaval cube at his feet. Beside him, on the simply-designed couch, Equius gingerly rubbed the seadweller's back, fresh towels at his side and those dirtied from mucus or sweat in an unappealing pile on the floor. To his credit, Equius remained stoic, sweating slightly subsided, as he continued to press somewhat-gentle patterns on the other troll's body.

"Eq, man, you gotta be honest! I...I'm gonna fuckin die, aren't I?!" Throat burned raw from the heat and acid of his juices, Eridan could barely force out a whimper. "Oh, cod, it keeps happe-"

He was quickly cut off by another torrent of murky purple bile, during which Equius spoke up from his place at the highblood's side. "You will not die. Nepeta suffered a...similar ailment some time before. It passed in the span of a planet-cycle, during which she was, regretfully, in much the same state as you are now."

"Oh my cod, did Nep kick the mop as well?! Is that why she isn't ar...around here...?"

Equius gave a deep inhale, willing himself into a calm state of mind. "She is currently spending time with Maryam and the lowbloods." Oh, right. Kanaya had mentioned being in the middle of a game or something, but he had been too busy dying of a virulent stomachache to care at the time. "Regardless, it is perhaps fortunate that she is absent, for I fear her...outgoing nature would only further agitate you."

"And...and I've been fu-fucking doin this for...where is it even coming fr-oh cod, no, n-"

Another burst of watery fluid forced Eridan back into his bowing posture on the edge of the sofa, adding to the already-sizable pool of various liquids in the cube. Behind him, he could feel the pressure of Equius' touch on his back, and hear the burly troll's rumbling yet quiet voice. "I am afraid I do not know, highblood. Nepeta suffered a similar reaction; despite not consuming anything of nutritional value, she was...purging...for far longer than my expectations." The first syllable of "expectations" was pronounced with a distinct accent, and were in he any other situation Eridan would have poked fun at the verbal tic. "Regardless, what you are...producing now is mostly water. It would be in your best interests to drink some fresh liquid once you are feeling more composed. If-if that is all right with you."

It was another agonizing fifteen seconds before Eridan could respond. Every time he thought it was over, more searing pressure was forced from his abused protein chute and into the upheaval cube below. Faint purple tears were streaking down his face, mingling with the snot from his running nose and the traces of puke on his chin, and yet he was somewhat thankful he had already gotten everything solid out of his system; he was in pain, but he wasn't choking on chunks of undigested food, and he had to admit it was coming out rather easily.

"I-I...I don't know what to fuckin do, Eq...if you t-think it would help, but, no milk, please no fuckin milk, no..." Another heave, this time distinctly dry save for the spike of acid in the back of his throat. Maybe he was finally running out of material to expel.

"Very well." There was a groan as Equius lifted his bulk from the couch, gingerly making his way to the culinaryblock. Eridan reached across and gripped a towel shakily, bringing it to his face and wiping as much of the various fluids off as he could. A second towel was used to blow his nose in, and once he was reasonably dry he buried his face in a third. He could hear footsteps, quiet mutterings, and at least one distinct clunk before Equius' presence returned.

"Drink."

A small cup was held in front of his face, reinforced with bands of alchemized titanium, and Eridan stared at it for a few moments before tilting his head back slightly. Equius, true to form, brought the cold cup to the highblood's lips, and Eridan reveled in the cold water trickling down his throat, soothing the tingling aftermath of the acid in his throat. He broke away after a moment, leaning back into the couch; Equius followed suit, cup at the ready.

"Eq..." Sniffling, Eridan brought his knees up to his chest, and took a shaky breath. At such a close distance, the scent of salty perspiration invaded his somewhat-cleared nostrils. In the back of his mind, Eridan expected to be revolted, and yet, he realized that for all that could be said about the sweaty blueblood, it was hardly disgusting to be near him. The hints of saltwater caused Eridan's bloodpump to slow, and he felt almost relaxed. At the same time, the exhaustion of the day was catching up to him, and he realized his eyelids were beginning to flutter closed of their own accord.

"Yes?"

"Th...thanks. For this."

A streak of blue formed across Equius' face, and he gave a slight shudder as a fresh wave of perspiration formed across his body. It was almost endearing, in a way, that such a simple phrase could rile his blood so much, and Eridan suppressed the urge to laugh as the larger of the two reached forth and grabbed another bunch of towels.

"It...it is an honor, highblood." Equius gave an ever-so-slight bow, before standing up slowly. "Nepeta will be returning home soon, and I will do what I can to ensure she does not bother you. Please attempt to rest, if you tolerate me saying so."

With that, he sauntered off, toweling off as he went, and Eridan was left alone to curl into himself on the sofa. His stomach rumbled, but the urge to puke his guts out had all but faded, and he decided that, yes, sleep would be a good idea. He let his head droop slightly, the soft mewls and hoarse whispers of his two hosts fading to silence as a peaceful rest engulfed his mind.