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Opening the door to his apartment, Eridan wasn't sure what he was going to find.
“Sol’ ?” He called out into the silent darkness as he stepped in. “Are you alive ?”
But instead of his boyfriend, the only answer he received were soft meows as he closed the door, followed by soft sounds of small footsteps along the wooden floor. Looking down, he smiled at the ball of white fur rubbing against his shins before putting his grocery bag on the floor and grabbing his cat.
“Hi love,” Eridan said, giving her a few kisses, “Where’s your dad ?”
Miu Miu ignored the question, trying to climb into the scarf, like she used to do when she was still a kitten. He couldn’t help cooing at her, keeping the cat in his arms as he grabbed the bag, making his way towards the kitchen.
After putting the groceries away, rambling about his day to Miu Miu, giving her a few more pets, he checked if she still had enough food and water.
“Now I have someone else to take care of, if you’ll excuse me.”
Trying to step away wasn’t easy when she meowed so sadly, jumping down onto the floor and looking up at him with her big eyes. But Eridan resisted this time, knowing he was needed somewhere else.
His cat followed him to the bedroom door, but didn’t follow inside, letting Eridan enter alone into the dark room.
“Sol’ ?” he called softly, as his eyes acclimatizing to the lack of light.
“Ugh-”
Face flat against the bed, his boyfriend groaned. Like a sad lump, he was star fished on the bed. Still in the same clothes as this morning, which were already the same as yesterday, smelling of sweat and sickness.
"I take it you're not feelin' any better ?"
“Ugh-”
Sollux had started to feel sick yesterday morning, and Eridan had known it meant trouble. It wasn’t his boyfriend’s fault, really, but the guy could get dramatic.
“Did you take your meds ?”
Turning his head to the side as Eridan sat on the edge of the bed, Sollux’s eyes peeked out at him. He had dark circles under them and, god, he looked pathetic right now.
Maybe there was something deeply wrong with Eridan because he half-hesitated between pity and laughter as his boyfriend nodded weakly. He decided laughing could wait until Sollux felt a little better, when he was capable of shooting back at him. That was always more fun.
“Were you talking to your hellspawn again ?” grumbled Sollux, voice rough and hoarse.
“Shut up, Sol’,” Eridan answered, pressing a hand against his boyfriend’s forehead.
Since they moved in together a few months ago, Eridan had been trapped between a rock and a hard place.It seemed that his boyfriend and his cat were incapable of coexisting. Their shared enmity had started long before that, but Eridan had hoped that the jealousy they felt towards each other would falter with forced proximity.
It didn’t.
So now, Eridan was trapped, having to deal with Sollux’s derogatory comments towards his precious princess and Miu Miu’s attempts to ruin every moment he had with his boyfriend.
He loved her, really, but the habit of opening doors by herself was a lot less cute when she tried to get snuggles when he was tied-up in other business.
“I think you’re runnin’ a fever, babe,” Eridan finally said, softly brushing away sweaty bangs out of his lover’s face.
“I told you I was dying,” his boyfriend moaned weakly, “I can’t believe you abandoned me.”
“I have to work, Sol’.”
“Don’t care, you’re a traitorous- Ow !”
Sollux batted away the hand that just pinched his ear, rolling on his back with a look of betrayal.
“I can’t believe you’re hurting me when I’m at my weakest.”
Eridan shook his head, looking at Sollux’s frown, trying to decide if it was worth the fight. His boyfriend wanted to start something he was too weak to finish, and Eridan saw no reward in kicking a man who was already down.
Instead, he chose to be the bigger man, cupping the side of his lover’s face, thumbing at the curve of his cheek and earning an appreciative hm from Sollux, who leaned into the touch.
“Damn, your hands are cold.”
As his boyfriend nuzzled into his hand, Eridan feels a little guilty with how much he enjoys this moment. Sollux wasn’t doing great, poor thing, but it melted Eridan’s heart to see him acting this cute.
And what if he likes seeing his boyfriend in a vulnerable position ?
Yes, he has issues, that’s nothing new.
It was Sollux’s fault for managing to still look attractive while being miserable, tangled in the sheets, his hair messed up from flopping around the bed, his pretty mismatched eyes half-lidded, the pretty flush on his usually pale skin, the way his sweater rode up to reveal a sliver of his stomach and dark hair of his treasure trail-
“I’m dying, and you’re objectifying me ?” Sollux snorted, taking Eridan out of his daydream, “And people think I’m the nasty one.”
“I didn’t say anythin’-”
“You don’t need to, you’re thinking loud enough for me to hear.”
It was Eridan’s turn to flush, trying to ignore his boyfriend’s chuckling like an idiot.
“As much as I want to give you what you want,” Sollux said with a contrite smile, “I don’t think I’m capable right now.”
“Wait, Sollux Captor can’t get it up ? We need to warn everyone, the apocalypse is on its way.”
“Oh, wow, don’t say that, I’m always down, and you know it. It’s just that... I think it might kill me.”
“And the idea of dyin’ while you’re havin’ sex isn’t somethin’ you’re into ?”
Looking up at him, Sollux blinked, freezing for a moment before a wide grin took over his face.
“Fuck, you’re right. Come here, hot stuff-”
With a surprising amount of strength for someone who claimed he was dying two seconds ago, he wrapped his arms around Eridan, trying to bring him down for a kiss. But his boyfriend knew better than to let himself lose his sight of what was important here.
“Don’t touch me !” Eridan screeched, pushing Sollux’s face away from him with both hands, “You’re far too disgustin’ for that !”
Eridan wasn’t too concerned about germs, since he was the one who was sick first, but he did feel a responsibility to take care of his boyfriend, even if the guy didn’t want to make it easy.
“If you got energy, go take a fuckin’ shower !”
“You know that’s not the same kind of energy-”
Ignoring the pleading and the grabby hands of his lover, Eridan stood up.
“You’re greasy, Sol’ ! An’ we’re not sleepin’ in your filth tonight.”
“Don’t-”
Grabbing the sheets, he unceremoniously slides them off the bed, boyfriend included. Sollux hit the ground with the loud thud and a look of betrayal.
“What the fuck, Eridan ?!”
“Go hit the shower.” Before his sex-pest of a boyfriend could open his mouth to complain, he continued, “You’re not touchin’ the clean sheets with your crusty ass, so either shower or sleep on the couch.”
“... This has to be abuse,” Sollux finally mumbled, “I should call Terezi, sue your ass and take the kid in the divorce.”
“You hate her, and she hates you back.”
“Well, that way we’ll all be miserable.”
Rolling his eyes, Eridan proceeded to ignore the complaining of his boyfriend long enough for him to grow bored and finally leave to take a shower, all while cleaning up the room. The sheets were a good start, but he took the time to open up a window and to put a fresh water bottle on the bedside table.
When Sollux came back, the room felt less suffocating and cleaner. Eridan was about to try baiting his lover into admitting how lucky he was to have such a great boyfriend like him, going through great lengths to take care of his sorry ass, but one look at Sollux was enough to ruin his plan.
In the doorway, the other man hovered like a zombie about to collapse. His hair was still wet and he looked like the shower drained him of all the energy he had left.
Eridan really wanted a shower too, but seeing his boyfriend so miserable and tired, slouching even worse than usual, it didn’t take much more to change his mind.
“Come here,” he said, sitting down on the bed, and that’s all he needed to say before getting a lapful of his boyfriend falling down on him.
Sollux buried his head in his neck, wrapping around him, and all Eridan could do was slide back to a better position, laying down with his head propped up against the pillows and gently petting his boyfriend’s hair.
“You’re cold. S’nice.”
“You make me confused, how can I be cold when you say I'm smokin' hot all the time ?”
He could feel Sollux’s smile against his skin, but he didn’t say anything back, which was enough proof that the sickness was really getting to him.
They stayed like that for a while, silent and wrapped around each other. It didn’t take long for Eridan to notice that his boyfriend fell asleep like that. He could feel himself drifting too lured by the sounds of his lover’s soft breathing and the warm weight of his body on him.
As he started to close his eyes, the telltale sound of a door opening broke the sacred silence of the room, followed by Miu Miu jumping onto the bed, looking at the lovers.
“Be nice,” Eridan whispered to her, knowing it wouldn’t be the first time that she decided on annoying Sollux in his sleep.
But, for once, his cat seemed to feel merciful. Instead of jumping on Sollux’s face with her claws out, which had been a night no one could forget, especially not Sollux with the scar he still had on his cheeks, she simply nestled in a gap between them.
Eridan knew Sollux would surely complain when he woke up, but for now, it didn’t matter. Not when this was the cutest sight he ever saw fulfilling the domestic bliss he had been dreaming of since they started living together.
His only regret was not having his phone on hand to capture this moment for how sweet it is, but also for how useful it could have been as blackmail material.