A/N: Hello! I'm starting another story. Well stories more like. I've never tried writing fluff or one shorts so this was a chance to try both. Honestly some of these aren't as good as I want so I decided to start with this one because even if not many people ship it I liked how this one turned out. Also I may not be able to update everyday. I will try my best but either I'm busy and/or I just couldn't get one done. It hard for me to write short things. Now enough of me rambling. In the true spirit of February, the month of love/shipping, we begin with a Nepeta ship.

Ship: Eridan and Nepeta

Words: 1,540

Warnings: Some sadstuck and major character death (note neither Eridan nor Nepeta are the character who dies)

Note: I'm sorry if I miss a w or a v for Eridan or miss a cat pun for Humanstuck around the age of 17.

Every day I go to the dock, alone. Sure, there are much better things I could be doing. I don't even like the beach much anymore. Bad memories and, even worse, good memories, live here at this very beach. I could be loads of places that don't have these bad memories. The movies, my house, I even heard Sol was having a party today and I could be there. But I'm not. I'm at Zephyr Beach, alone, just like every day, watching waves crash against the beach, seeing people walking along the coastline. The sun is setting slowly, the sky set up in a million colors. Well not really at all. Just oranges and red and fuschia. That was Fef's favorite color. She said it calmed her down. I don't know how long I plan to stay here today. Sometimes I stay hours while other days I stay mere minutes. But I always come. Not like I have anything to do anyway. Poor Eridan Ampora, all alone, no friends. Whatever. I'd much rather be here, eyes closed, listening to the waves crash and sea gulls then be out with anyone who went to my stupid school.

I hear footsteps behind me and suddenly I'm not so alone. I know who is there so I don't bother to open my eyes. She almost always comes, whenever she can catch me looking out on the shore. We sit in silence together, sometimes talking, sometimes silent. I lean up against the railing that keeps little kids from falling ten feet into the sand below. After a few minutes of silence she starts talking.

"Hey Eridan." I open my eyes and look at her. She isn't looking at me, she's looking out on the ocean. I hate to say it but she's quite adorable. It's nice how she comes and leans on the fence with me. If I had to say I had one friend, it'd be her.

"Hey," I say quietly, turning my attention back to the shore line.

"It's Friday," she says, turning to face me. I glance over at her to see her smiling, green eyes sparkling.

"And a long wweekend comin up." I say dully. I hate long weekends. At least school gives me something to do. Also she can never come visit on weekends.

"Yeah. I'm going to my aunt's house. Bluh. She's so annoying! Anyway, how was your week?"

I shrug, "fine I guess." It wasn't fine though. It sucked, worse than most weeks, but she doesn't need to know that.

"It wasn't fine was it?" She says quietly. Ugh, why does she have to see though me so well?

"It wwas fine." I feel bad for lying "Honestly." She looks like she's going to push it but she lets it go. Then she doesn't.

"Was he bothering you again?" She drops her usual quirk, proving to me she's serious.

"Wwhat? Yeah kinda. He's just an idiot anywway. That's not it." I pause then realize something "If anythin wwas bothering me it's that."

"Really? I've met Pawlux befur and he didn't seem that bad but if what mew say is true then he really needs to stop." There she is with the puns again. How come I always fall for girls who use puns?

"I don't care about Sol anymore. He's not wworth my time," I say and I mean it. "He can go…die for all I care." The words feel sharp on my lips. Don't you remember what happened last time you told someone to go die Eridan?

She doesn't say anything for a while and the subject of my week and Sol is dropped. She starts talking again. "So who mew waiting for?" It's a routine of ours. Every day she asks who I'm waiting for.

"A girl," I say curtly.

"A girl? What does she look like?" Like always, she just wants more details.

"Wwell she had long blond beautiful hair and blue eyes that wwould sometimes turn sea green. And she was tan from all the hours she spent at the beach. She lovved the ocean and the beach. This beach actually. That's wwhy I'm wwaitin here. I knoww she'll come back." Was and had were very important words in those sentences. "I actually don't know. I'm just hopin either she'll come back or show me somehow she forgivves me."

"That's why you wait here? Beclaws mew think she'll come back?" Nep's eyes are closed while she imagines the girl in her mind. No matter what she sees in her mind cannot compare to what Fef used to look like. No one can imagine how she was.

"Yeah. If she comes back anywwhere, it'll be here."

"Why are you waiting for her at all Mr. Ampurra?" She'd asked that before but I'd never answered. I'd just stare at the sand and say 'Too many reasons'. Maybe today Nep deserved her answer.

"You see Nep, I havve a lot of explainin to do. I really need to tell her I'm sorry. There's stuff she needs to knoww."

"Now tell me Eridan, what do mew have to be sorry for? Why does this girl need to furgive you? Furrom efurything you've told me about your life, the rest of the world should be asking mew for furrgiveness." She's staring straight at me, as if daring me to say I've done something wrong.

"Too many reasons. I have to tell her I didn't mean it. Wwhen I told her that I…" I could barely get the words out. My voice drops to a whisper "wwhen I told her I hated her. Wwhen I told her to die."

"Eridan, if mew have to say all that, if she knows you long enough to know what you have to tell her, why hasn't she come?"

I was quiet. I couldn't tell the truth. Well I could, I just didn't want to. "Somethin's holding her back. Somethin's not letting her come and see anyone."

"Who or what is this 'something?'"

I was quiet for a long time and maybe Nep thought I wasn't going to answer. "I am. I'm the reason she can't come." I look up at Nepeta, into her green eyes. They're beautiful. "You remind me of her," I say softly. Then I drop my voice so quiet somewhat hoping she won't hear me. "If anyone wwas going to make me forget her, it'd be you."

We were silence for a long time "If I were her," Nepeta says, breaking the silence "I would come see you and furrgive you." I close my eyes, not looking at Nepeta because she might see the tears in my eyes. I could still hear Fef's last words in my mind. 'Fine. I understand. Good bye Eridan.' Then she left, tears in her eyes. That was the last time I saw here. Then it happened. I got the phone call at 1 o'clock in the morning, telling me the love of my life was gone. It was almost ironic. My pretty little fish girl, drowned.

"Did you knoww," I say slowly, "that there are grave yards underwwater?" It had been the obvious place to bury her. Again, ironic in a way.

"A graveyard? No I didn't know that," she says, looking at the sea again.

"An underwwater cemetery," I say.

"Really? That'd be a cool place to be buried. It may confurse furture archeologists." I laugh a bit.

"I guess it wwould, wwouldn't it?" I think about people finding Fef's body in the future. It's a weird thought. "Nep, I nevver asked. How was your wweek?"

"It was fine." She says looking at the ground. "But you see, one of my furiends is a bit depressed."

"Really? Wwho?" I ask, somewhat interested. "Is it you? Because of Kar?" I didn't know Karkat yet had given him his own nickname. I just had to shorten things. Force of habit.

"What? No, not me. I-I think I'm over Karkat."

"Karkat?" I ask.

"Karkitty." She corrects herself with a smile.

"So wwhich of your friends is sad Nep?"

"Just this boy," she says, turning to face me.

"Wwhy's he depressed?"

"He's waiting for someone who will never come." Then I realize she's talking about me. She lets out a sigh. "It's late Eridan. I have to go home. I have a feline I'm going to be waiting on my furiend fur a while." She turned and walked away down the boardwalk.

And in that moment, watching her walk away, arms wrapping her coat around her as the ocean breeze blows around her, I realize what I have to do.

"I miss you Fef," I whisper to the wind "and I'm so so sorry. I miss your smile and I'm sorry I said those things or ever hurt you. But I think I might be wwaiting on the wwrong girl." I turned down the board walk and yelled out "NEP!" she turned around to face me while I ran to catch up with her.

"Hey Nep," I say, "I think I'm done wwaiting for her. She's not going to come." Then I lean down a bit and kiss her on the lips. She blushes, then kisses me back.

And in that moment, my life starts again.