Lullabies of Hopeless Pretenders

Eridan sighed as he walked along the beach, letting the wind
blow his blonde dyed hair, which had a streak of violet down the center. He straightened his glasses, which often hid his piercing ice-blue eyes, and sat down on a moderately sized rock that sat near the low-tide line. He always waited here for his friend, Feferi, though he had always wished that she could be more than just his friend. He stayed at the spot where he had sat for about a half hour, until he realized that she probably wasn't coming. He sighed and got up to go meet his brother, Cronus, back at the boardwalk. He walked slowly, and sort of crookedly, in a way that made people, mostly children, stare. It was because of a disorder he'd been born with, that made your bones so brittle and weak, that they often had to be surgically corrected. His case hadn't been as severe when he was young, but it had just gotten worse as he'd grown older. He was stopped by a familiar voice calling his name. "Eridan!" He turned to see Feferi running towards him, with her long dark brown hair billowing behind her. He smiled at her for a moment, taking in all of her features, though he'd already had them memorized, etched in his mind. Her round, dimpled face was framed by her hair, which curled and careened down over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her bright blue eyes, which he could swear were flecked with gold, stuck out on her slightly dark complexion, and seemed to stare right through him. Her face and shoulders were dotted with freckles, which he found adorable, though she was annoyed by them. She hugged him, and he blushed a little as they held hands, walking back to the rock Eridan had been sitting at. "So, Eridan, how've you been? I haven't seen you in weeks!" She smiled and looked up at him, which most people had to do, as he was pretty tall. "Well, I had to go to a hospital in a different state. They said I'm gonna have to have surgery soon, so that I can still walk." Feferi looked kind of sad. "Well, how long are you gonna be gone?  I'm really gonna miss you." He nodded. "I don't know how long it'll be this time. All I know is that it's gonna be over before I have to apply to a college." They were both silent for a while, until Feferi said, "Hey, Eridan, remember when we were kids? We'd come here and build sandcastles." She had a melancholy expression on her face. Eridan nodded,feeling a twinge of sadness. That was before everything. Before Vriska, before he even knew Sollux, his best friend. Everything was so different now. He lived with his brother, and he had since he was 15 and his brother was 18. But now he was 18, and Cronus 25. He'd be going to college after this summer, and he was terrified. Cronus was out of college, and had a good job as a mechanic. He had promised Eridan that he would help pay for him to go to college, and they had begun putting money aside for it two years ago. The only thing he was worried about is not having enough money for food, and other necessities. Eridan was going to try to get a job during college, but it would be hard with his disorder, even after his surgery. "Fef?" He let his fingers brush her hand, and she held his hand gently. "Yeah, what is it?" He looked at her, holding back tears. "I'm so scared, to be honest. I feel so helpless, not knowing if we're going to be able to pay the rent, or to be able to buy enough food... I just don't know what to do." She nodded, looking a little more sorrowful. "Eridan... I don't know what it's like to be helpless... and I can't really relate to what you're going through. But... I just want you to remember that I'll always be on your side. No matter what." She smiled, and let go of his hands. She stood up, and together they walked to the boardwalk. As they arrived, the sounds of people chattering, street-vendors selling food and other things, and the obnoxious squawking of seagulls drowned out any hopes of conversation.
He looked at Fef, who was distracted by a shop selling Japanese windchimes, with flowers and other patterns painted on them. She seemed to really like a certain one, with an orange and blue carp painted on it. She held it up to show him. "Eridan, look how pretty it is!" She smiled her perfect smile, making him feel that fluttery feeling he always did when she talked to him. He blushed and carefully took the windchime out of her hands. He stared down at it, and he knew that he shouldn't. He was trying to save money, not spend it. He couldn't resist making her happy, though, so he looked back at her, and said, "Well, what if I bought it for you?" She smiled up at him. "Eridan, that's not necessary! You're trying to save money, right?" He shrugged. "Well... yeah. But, it would make you happy, right?" She looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Well, yeah, but-" Eridan nodded, and smiled at her, saying, "Well, then, I'm definitely getting it now!" He laughed, and turned to the older woman who owned the small shop. "Excuse me, ma'am, how much does this one cost?" He made sure to seem polite, as she seemed put off by his dyed hair, small tattoos and ear and lip piercings. "$25.50." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. It was pretty much empty, but there was a $20 dollar bill and a $10 dollar bill, so he took the bills out and handed them to the shopkeeper. She seemed annoyed, but didn't say anything as she counted out his change. Fef was standing behind him, still looking a little embarassed, but happy nonetheless. After the shopkeeper gave him his change, he handed the windchime to Feferi. She smiled a little. "Eridan, that was stupid of you... you didn't need to waste your allowance!" She gently nudged his arm playfully, and he laughed. "I'll pay you back, I promise!" Eridan shook his head. "No, you don't have to. It's a gift, silly." She looked down at the windchime. "Well... then I'll get you something! Hopefully before you leave for your surgery." He nodded. "You really don't have to. I mean, idea apreciate it, but you really don't have to." She smiled up at him. "Alright... And really, thank you. I love it." He smiled, and for a moment considered ruffling her hair, but quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to embarrass himself. They continued to push their way through the crowds of people, and eventually made it to the end of the boardwalk. Cronus was waiting there with his boyfriend Kankri, who was lecturing him on why he shouldn't smoke. Cronus brushed it off, and called him cute, making Kankri get flustered as Cronus laughed. Kankri waved to Eridan and Feferi. "Oh, Cronus, another reason. Your habit of smoking could possibly rub off on Eridan, and as his caretaker you have a responsibility to-" Cronus cut him off with a quick kiss on the cheek, which made him more flustered. "Hey, chief." Cronus waved to Eridan, and Eridan rolled his eyes at hearing the stupid nickname. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Cronus laughed a little, and Kankri began to lecture him again, "Cronus, you should apologize to him. And quit using that nickname, he takes offense to it, and it might be triggering to someone of his age." Kankri continued to lecture Cronus, who mostly ignored his actual lecture. Feferi glanced at Eridan, as if to ask what was going on. He could only shrug as a sort of answer, and Feferi laughed. After Kankri had decided he was done lecturing Cronus, he looked at Feferi. "Oh, hello. Aren't you Meenah's little sister?" Feferi nodded, answering, "Yeah! And you're Karkat's older brother?" He replied, "Yes, he's my brother. He can be rude at times, and is a bit too convinced that the romantic comedies he  so enjoys aren't entirely fictional, but he's alright." Feferi laughed awkwardly, and looked at Eridan, who, again couldn't do much else but shrug. "Well, I think it's time to go, chief." Cronus said to Eridan, breaking the momentary awkward silence that had settled. Eridan scowled at him, but then turned to Feferi. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Fef?" She nodded, and hugged him, bringing their faces close together, and making him blush and smile uncontrollably. "B-bye.." Eridan stammered as he walked away with Cronus and Kankri. Cronus grinned at him. "You like her, don't you?" Eridan blushed more, shaking his head. "Okay, right,you do like her. We could get Meulin to do some matchmaking for you if you want," Cronus continued, jokingly. Kankri rolled his eyes, and shaking his head said, "Cronus, you're so immature." Cronus smiled at him. "And you find that endearing, I assume?" He laughed as Kankri blushed and quickly dismissed that statement. "N-no. I find it quite annoying to be honest." Eridan couldn't help but smile at them. He was glad that his brother was happy, and not moping about how he was 'all alone' and that 'nobody loved him'. When they arrived at Kankri's house, Kankri gave Cronus a quick kiss on the cheek before walking inside. Cronus and Eridan walked alongside each other in silence, which he was glad for, so he wouldn't have to talk to him about Feferi. Cronus walked slowly so that Eridan could keep up, and this was something he'd become used to. Eridan looked down at the ground, thinking about Feferi, and how she would react to his feelings for her. She wouldn't feel the same, as he'd fantasized about, and he knew this. He sighed sadly, and Cronus noticed almost immediately. "You okay, Chief?" Eridan shrugged, and said, "I don't know, maybe?" Cronus ruffled his hair, and tried to encourage him. "You'll be okay. Just trust me, in the end, you'll survive." He smiled at him and shrugged. Eridan faked a smile back at him. "Yeah. I know." When they arrived at the apartment building, they took the elevator up to the 14th floor, where their apartment was. Eridan quickly walked out of the kitchen, taking the phone with him to his room. He sat down on his bed and dialed Sollux's phone number, which he had long since memorized. The phone rang only once before Sollux answered. "Hey, Eridan, I'm glad you're back. What's up?" Eridan smiled, and answered, "Nothing really. Feferi and I finally met up at the beach again.." He could tell by Sollux's voice that he was smiling. "Oh, well what happened? Hm?" Eridan laughed nervously, and Sollux kept asking about the events of that evening. "Sollux, nothing happened. Trust me." Sollux sighed in exasperation. "Dude, when the fuck are you gonna make your move? Do I have to pep talk you and all that shit like when you were breaking up with Vriska?" Eridan sighed, and laid down on his pillows. "Probably. And hey, does you brother's girlfriend know anything about Cronus and Kankri's relationship? It seems like they're getting closer... Not that that's a bad thing, I'm just curious." Sollux replied, "Nah, not that she's told him. I think she doesn't really care about their relationship, and to be honest, neither do I." Eridan sighed. "Well, whatever. How's your brother?" He asked. Sollux answered, "Same as usual. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. How much pep talking and motivational speeches are you gonna need? You have to tell her eventually, or she'll go out with another guy." Eridan shrugged, and rolled over to lay on his stomach. "I don't know. A lot probably. When I was breaking up with Vris, the only thing holding me back was her manipulative 'love'. And with  Fef... There's nothing stopping me. I don't even know why it scares me. She's just so perfect. And I'm just... me." He heard Sollux sigh, and the sound of what must've been him dropping the phone into his lap. When Sollux picked the phone back up, he said, "Well, the thing is, you aren't 'just you'. Eridan, honestly, everyone who's hurt you... they can burn in hell. You are going to tell her how you feel, sooner or later, okay?" Eridan smiled, and replied, "Okay. Well... I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Bye." After they'd both hung up, Eridan laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling.. 
[UNFINISHED]