A bunch of short stories

Erikar

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you think that maybe this new world is okay. Maybe.
The sun isn't as bright as on Alternia, and there's a lot less stress on you now that the game is over. Everyone from the sessions live on one small block, one next to the other. To you it seemed almost claustrophobic, which is why you live on the end house. You sometimes think about making like Eridan and moving without any warning and leaving no clue of where you went. Most of the time the urge passes. Most of the time.
Of course you know where Eridan is. You were suprised when he contacted you, not on trollian but on skype, sitting on the other side of the screen sobbing and completely pathetic. You think it's unfair how easy he makes it to pity him. You, being the softie you are, actually stayed on the line long enough to calm him down and talk to him until he fell asleep.
Three days later you were his moirail.
Three weeks later and you ended up being his matesprite.
It made you pretty happy how much he trusted you. He made you happy. Except when he went on those stupid rants about seeing your gills.
You had shown them to him once and he'd immediately lost his mind, basically demanding you let him teach you to swim. You had, reluctantly, agreed. Which was a mistake you would not be making again no matter how much Eridan begged.
"Kar...?"
Eridan sounded hazy, blinking sleepily at you from the screen. You smile at him and he grins back, pointed fangs glinting in the dull light of his hive.
"You're up late. Can't sleep?"
You ask softly. Eridan nods, his eyelids drooping. You can hear him purring quietly, but you're more focused on the dark grey bags under his eyes and the silvery-violet ring seemingly burned around his neck, just barely peeking over the edge of his scarf. Rope burn, from back when he was only four sweeps old. He said it was from an unfortunate flarping accident with Terezi but you knew better. Eridan didn't even know Terezi at four sweeps.
"You're starin' Kar."
Eridan murmered, his smile fading.
"Stop being so beautiful and I won't have to."
Eridan's face turns a light shade of purple and he pulls his scarf up to his nose, hiding his face and exposing parts of his neck. His gills flutter and any oher time you'd have to resist the urge to laugh. Unfortunately, along with showing his gills, the moving of his scarf revealed another silvery ring, another failed attempt. It wasn't anything you hadn't seen. There were other scars, across his arms and thighs. Light gray scratches on his arm, the ones he made to get attention when he was younger. Then the dark more-violet-than-silvery scars layered one over another on his thighs, some overlapping, that he had made during the game and after.
"Kar your purrin'"
Eridan said, smiling worriedly. You stop purring. You don't even remember starting to purr.
"Kar, you're thinkin' 'bout too much. Don't wworry about me."
Eridan's voice is quiet, sad. You force yourself to purr, hating the sound but knowing that the sound helps to calm him down.
"Kar, I'm serious."
"I thought you were Eridan."
Eridan has an amazing laugh. He smiles brightly, dark eyes shimmering.
"You're a nerd. You should get some sleep."
Eridan laughed. You nod reluctantly and Eridan sighs.
"Mornin' Kar."
Just before Eridan's cam shuts off you flash him a heart symbol and he blows you a kiss.
"Flushed for you."
You tell the blank screen. There's a smile on your face as you curl up in a comfy chair, ignoring your recouperacoon, and you fall asleep, slipping into dreams of violet.