Erisol Oneshot Collections

I didn't want a cat

     When Aradia died, Sollux had been crushed. Absolutely, positively, no doubt about it, crushed. He didn't think he'd survive. After all, he just lost the girl of his dreams. He had been going to propose to her at the museum. Even now, he could remember with surprising clarity how much she had loved to go learn about the old fossils and bones that were always on display there. He never much cared about the past, but he always let himself be dragged along to whatever new exhibit she wanted to see. It was worth it, just to see her face light up at every display. He also remembered the day she was taken off of life support. It had been terribly painful. But he let them. He knew that she was only alive because of the machines. He knew that she would've never woken up. So he went to his father's house and cried himself to sleep in the guest bedroom.
     After that, he never really came out much. It was too painful to walk out and pretend everything was okay when his heart was still just broken shards held together with glue. He would've been happy never leaving his apartment again, but he came out once a week to buy food. Despite being broken, he knew that she would've a wanted him to at least try and move on. So he did. He started working from home, earning the money to buy the food and other supplies he needed on a daily basis. But it never really felt the same as it did before. Of course, he didn't expect it to, because she was no longer a part of his life. But he had hoped that he would at least feel less empty. He just wished that he hadn't died with her.
     He wasn't alive anymore, not really. He still moved, and his heart still beat, but he was an empty shell. He had no hobbies, no social life, no life at all outside of his work. The tasks he performed everyday became nothing more than chores he had to complete. And once everything was done, he would work. He would work for hours on end, not caring when the sun set and the moon rose, losing himself in the numbers on the screen of his laptop. Occasionally, he would wake up with the impression of his keyboard present on his face, having passed out the night before. When this happened, he simply got up and made himself a cup of coffee before going about his chores. Then he would sit back down, and work.
Sometimes, he would wonder why he worked. It was pointless. He had finished his assigned tasks long ago, and was simply working on small meaningless projects that no one needed done. It was a pointless eternity of wasted time and effort, for a minimal amount of pay. But that was only sometimes. Usually, he didn't think at all. He just worked on whatever small task he saw unfinished until his eyelids grew too heavy for him to continue.
     Most of the time, nothing ever interrupted him. His brother or father would check on him occasionally and make sure he was still alive, but other than that, he had no visitors. So it came as a shock when small grey feet walked across his keyboard one day, completely messing up what he had been working on. It took him several moments to process what exactly had happened, and he didn't quite understand until he heard a voice.
     "His name is Eridan." Sollux glared at his father, then turned and glared at the small, white and grey kitten.
     "Tho?" His glare only deepened when a lisp mangled the word, hating how speech therapy hadn't worked for him the way it did for his dad. His father gazed at him coolly.
     "So I want you to keep him. My co-workers cat just had kittens, and she can't keep them. Mituna got his brother, and you get Eridan." The kitten in question blinked owlishly at Sollux, making him frown.
     "What if I don't want it?" He fixed his glare on the older man once more. He couldn't just walk in with a ball of fur and claws and expect Sollux to keep it!
     "I'm afraid it's too late for that. You'll have to keep him here with you until we can find him another home." Sollux protests were brushed off by his father and when the man left, he glared at his car as it drove away. Then, cursing under his breath, he went to go find the small animal that he already hated. He knew he hated it, simply because it was a cat. Cats chewed wires, and tore up furniture, and got hair everywhere and this cat probably wasn't any different. Besides, he was happy living alone. He didn't want anyone or anything shoving its way back into his life. His dad was just trying to replace Aradia, he knew it. And it made him furious. He didn't want her replaced, he didn't want her memory tarnished and he sure as HELL didn't want a fucking cat.
     But when he stalked into his bedroom to find Eridan asleep on his pillow, he found it hard to hate the small kitten. Really, really, hard. Frowning, he walked over to the bed, keeping quiet in hopes that the sleeping kitten wouldn't wake up. When he reached the edge of the mattress and kneeled down, Eridan opened his tiny mouth and yawned, legs stretching out, then rolled over, still sleeping soundly. In that moment, Solluxs past qualms flew out the window and it was decided that he would keep Eridan.
     Sollux smiled fondly at the memory and looked down at the lithe cat that was stretched across his lap. Eridan had managed to be a small ray of life in Solluxs numb world all those years ago, and Sollux was extremely grateful for that. He wasn't sure where his life would have led him if his father had given him a kitten. But he didn't worry about that. He was happy with his life now, and he knew that as Eridans loud purr filled the room. True, he still missed Aradia, but now when ever he was sad or lonely, Eridan would always waltz in and demand his attention. He had hated the idea of a cat at first, but now, he wasn't sure how he had lived without one.