Oh, what's this? Am I updating a story and posting a new one on the same day? Go BB!
Cronus knew no one liked him these days. He'd done that very specifically, picking a style and attitude designed to keep people away from him. He'd quit the swim team, stopped dating, didn't talk to people unless it was really bad, awful flirting that made them not want to talk to him anymore. It wasn't because he wanted to, and if he was honest he missed his old life and friends very much. Getting rid of his friends and hobbies was a necessity, ensuring that he was there to take the hell from his father instead of his brother getting it.
Their life had been perfectly normal, happy even, until about three years ago. First came the death of their mother. It was sudden and unexpected, a wreck on the way home in the middle of the night. Second came the drinking. Their father started out with a couple of drinks every other day, steadily getting to a point where he couldn't be found without a drink in hand unless he was at work. It had been decided by both Eridan and Cronus, without even discussing it, that friends were no longer to be invited over lest they be introduced to the crazy, uncontrollable wrath that was Douglass Ampora.
The drinking, of course, also led to fights. Horrible screaming matches between Cronus and Douglass, caused intentionally by Cronus himself. Douglass had always been picky about the cleanliness level in the house, but ever since the death of his wife it had become an obsession. He demanded the house be perfect, though he would never lift a finger to do it himself. Cronus, looking for an outlet to get over the death himself, would leave messes everywhere, huge ones that were obviously his.
However, this only worked for a short amount of time before it backfired, as it was always bound to. In all honesty, the mess that started the worst part of the whole thing was actually one Cronus forgot about until his father got home, with slamming doors and loud, slurred cursing. Cronus had made his way downstairs, ready to get things started, only to find Douglass glaring into the kitchen at a frozen Eridan, who'd been desperately trying to clean it up. He'd always tried to avoid the fights, cleaning up after Cronus whenever he found a mess he'd made. This was the first time he'd been caught.
Neither one of the teens had had time to react before Douglass moved, crossing the kitchen in two steps and hitting Eridan across the face so hard he hit the floor and slid half a foot. "Don't ever let me catch ye with a room this dirty again, do ye understand?" Eridan nodded up at his father, close to tears but knowing that crying would probably make things worse. He couldn't say anything, but Douglass didn't seem to care as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and walked past a frozen Cronus to his room.
Eridan couldn't hold back the tears once he was gone, and began crying hard as Cronus rushed over to him. He pulled him into his lap, whispering apologies into his ear over and over until the younger fell asleep. He continued to sit there for quite a while, rocking his brother back and forth until he decided to take him upstairs to his own room. Eridan could sleep with his big brother tonight. Despite how much Cronus wanted to stay with his brother, he went back down to the kitchen and cleaned until the kitchen was absolutely spotless.
He then went back upstairs and got into bed with his brother, pulling him close and trying to sleep some himself. As he laid there, he promised himself that he would never allow Douglass to touch his brother again. He didn't care what it took, he'd take any insults and injuries without question or fight. Eridan didn't deserve that, and it was Cronus' fault that it had happened in the first place. He would protect his brother, whatever it took.
So many ways I could take this, I wonder which way I'll take? Find out by continuing to read~