Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your name is Dave Strider. It was your seventeenth (17th) birthday a week ago and on that same day your father (Who you call Bro) had been caught out for selling some illegal puppets (Which you are confused about because what the fuck is an illegal puppet?). Because of this you had to move in with the other half of your family while Bro is organising some fake documents. And then also because of this when the police showed up at your mother's door there was a rush to pack your bags and catch another flight. You have just arrived in New York and currently standing in front of your new house. It was big but definitely not as big as your mother's mansion. This was definitely the more rich side of the neighbourhood. All the houses have cleanly cut lawns and beautiful gardens. Yeah we're not going to fit in well here. You look over to your siblings. 

Rose Lalonde. She is your twin sister (Who is older than you by two minutes and only two minutes). She has dark skin and bright white hair that is cut into a bob. There is a black headband sitting on top of her head. She has Bright Lavender eyes (because unnatural eye colours seem to run in the family) with some cat wing eye-liner and black lipstick. She is about a head size shorter than you and has a thin body. She loves analysing you and trying to solve your problems for fun. She reminds you a bit of your younger sister.

Carnelian Lalonde. She is your younger sister by two years, making her fifteen (15). She is basically a complete copy of Rose minus the fact that her headband has cat ears and she has a strange sense of style, mainly consisting of her pyjamas. She loves romance and cats and is extremely passionate about the subjects. Her eyes are a mix between Lavender and pink and she has a tiny amount of eye-liner on. Your older sister basically raised her.

Roxy Lalonde. She is your older sister by a year, therefore making her eighteen (18). She has dark skin and bright white hair, aswell. Her hair is more shaped into a curly wolf cut compared to Rose and Carnelian. She has bright pink almost neon eyes with heavy slightly smudged eye-liner and black lipstick. She has an obsession with cats and alcohol. She is a couple centimetres taller than you but other than that she looked a lot like your mother. She is best friends with your younger sibling. 

Raven Strider. They are a year younger than you, making them sixteen (16). They are nonbinary and have very curly blonde hair. They also like wearing cat ears but they had a slight obsession with birds so it's covered in feather accents. They have heterochromia causing one green eye and one orange eye. They wear shades like you did but slightly cooler. They hang out a lot with your youngest brother.

Crow Strider. He is fifteen (15) and the younger twin to Carnelian. He looks a lot like you minus the fact that he wears wings around a lot. He likes pretending to be a bird and no one will stop him. If they try you will personally deck them. He loves crows and has short blonde hair that is stylised. He wears shades as well and he has dark red eyes. He is the shortest in the family. He looked up to you and your older brother.

Dirk Strider. The twin to Roxy therefore making him eighteen (18). He is the oldest kid in the family. He has blonde hair that is heavily covered in gel and he has dark skin with freckles. He has anime glasses that covered up his bright orange eyes. He has a passion for robotics and programmed an auto responder when he was thirteen (13). He looks a lot like bro.

"Dave. Unpack your shit. Now." You looked up to Bro and froze for a second before slightly nodding and picking up some boxes, quickly shuffling into the house.

The house was way bigger on the inside compared to the outside. There was six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two lounge rooms, eight closets, one study, one huge kitchen and one dining room. It was two stories and on the way it was already worked out who gets each room. Mom gets the master bedroom and Bro will sleep in the study. Dirk, Roxy, Rose, and you get your own room. Crow, Raven, and Carnelian share the other master bedroom.

You flash stepped up the stairs, quickly occupying the bedroom closest to the bathroom. "I DIBS THIS ROOM IT IS MINE AND ALL OF YOU CAN FUCK OFF!!"

"Dave, shut up, we get it, you dibs the room, sibling code says we can't get it." Rose looks into your room before turning and heading into the room across from you.

You started unpacking boxes, basically making a pile of shit that was organised by 'Clothing' and 'anything fucking else'. You safely put your katana within arms reach so if Bro or Dirk challenges you randomly you can defend yourself. You get some ironic posters and tape them onto the wall. You can never have too many ironic posters, it just adds to the irony.

"Dave?" You look up to see your older sister, Roxy.

"Yeah, what's up, Rox?" You put the poster you were holding onto your bare mattress.

"Are you ready for school next week? Are you sure you will be okay? Because you know if anything happens we'll have a Strilonde family meeting and we'll like eat together and beat up the people who decided to fuck with my favourite person." Roxy announces to you with wild hand gestures.

"Aw, Rox, I'm your favourite?" You dramatically put your hand to your chest before looking her dead in the eyes. "That's bullshit your favourite is Carnelian but I appreciate you trying to manipulate me. Yes, I am sure I will be fine. I promise to tell you guys, gals, and nonbinary pals if I have any trouble."

Roxy smiles at you before planting a kiss on the top of your head and waving goodbye to you as she leaves your room.

You are so not ready for this new highschool.

Chapter Text

Your name is Karkat Vantas. You are seventeen (17) and just finished your school day. You despise school and can't wait for it to be all over. You still have a year and three quarters left of school. You are tempted to drop out but you know your parents would be disappointed and you would get a mouthful from Kankri and you'd do literally anything to avoid his lectures.

You have three siblings, two pets, and your parents.

Nepeta Leijon. She is your younger step sister by a few months which makes her seventeen (17). You don't consider her as a step sister and more like your blood sister. She is super kind to you despite her strange way of talking and her strange best friend. She has tan skin and dark green eyes with medium cut brunette hair. She looked small and weak but she was extremely fit and could probably carry you and your brother over her shoulders without breaking a sweat. She is obsessed with cats and insists she's a cat as well. You are not going to break that illusion for her. She wears cat ears and a cat tail.

Meulin Leijon. Nepeta's older sister. She is eighteen (18) and is deaf. Your family has learnt sign language to help her feel more comfortable. You hated every moment of it and you struggle with words sometimes but it was extremely worth it. The way she looks so proud of you when you sign a coherent sentence makes you warm inside and you feel like a good person for once. She has tan skin as well but her facial features are more rounded out. She has curly long brunette hair and dark green eyes. She loves cats as well, sporting a pair cat ears and tail as well and majority of the time shipping people with her sister.

Kankri Vantas. He is eighteen (18) and sweet Jegus do you hate him. He has more tan skin than your sisters and short curly black hair. He has dark brown eyes and always wore an awful bright red turtle neck sweater. He is constantly lecturing people, especially about triggers. Excuse fucking you, Kankri, but your lectures trigger me so fuck off.

The two pets you have are a white house cat that your sisters named Pounce De Leon and a hermit crab that lives in your room in a very nice tank named Crabbers. You were tempted to name him Crabdad but you feel like your actual dad would take offence to that. You obviously don't care but you are not having your pet ownership licence revoked. Crabbers is your best friend. Yes, even over Terezi and Sollux. Speaking of friends...

It seems they are aggressively pestering you right now.

GC at 3:47 opened memo on board B3ST FUCK1NG FR13NDS

twinArmageddons responded to memo.

TA: Terezii what2 wrong?

GC: OK4Y SO YOU KNOW HOW W3 4LL KNOW TH4T 1 4M P4RT OF TH3 STUD3NT COUNC1L, Y3S?

GC: TH3R3'S 4 BUNCH OF N3W K1DS, L1K3, 4 LOT

GC: S3V3N TO B3 SP3C1F1C

GC: TWO 4R3 1N OUR Y34R, TWO 4R3 SN3IORS, TWO 4R3 FR3SHM3N, ON3 1S 4 SOPHMOR3

TA: ii 2ee no problem here.

GC: OK4Y Y34H BUT 1 4M SL1GHTLY SUSP1C1OUS TH4T TH1S HUG3 F4M1LY JUST SUDD3NLY MOV3D TO 4 N3W SCHOOL

carcinoGeneticist responded to memo.

CG: OH MY GOD SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

CG: SO THERE'S NEW KIDS, WHO CARES? THEY'RE PROBABLY A BUNCH OF DICKS ANYWAY.

TA: youre ju2t jealou2 kk.

CG: WHAT.

CG: WHAT THE FUCK IS THERE TO BE JEALOUS ABOUT???

CG: ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT THEYRE PROBABLY ASSHOLES.

GC: 1 TH1NK SOLLUX 1S R1GHT, K4RK4T! YOU'R3 JUST H4V1NG 4 T4NTRUM 4G41N

CG: OKAY YEAH NO FUCK YOU BOTH

carcinoGeneticist left the memo

Okay so maybe that was a bit harsh but they didn't have to be so rude. You know you have some anger issues but they don't need to tease you about it. For once you are happy to not be around them. Why couldn't high school be simple? Why couldn't it be as easy going as to kindergarten? Honestly this reminds you a lot of Heathers. You thought they were exaggerating but it seems not.

You finally arrive back at your house and you look down at your phone to see that it's four (4) already. You're a bit surprised that it only took you an hour today but you could've been faster. You open your front door and slide your shoes off, sitting them on the shoe rack. You rush upstairs before Kankri tries to question you on your day. Your day has been shit. It's always shit. Stop fucking asking.

You quickly slide into your room and you close the door behind you. You do not need people barging into your room to bother you. You slide your bag off your shoulders and throw it into the corner of your room before falling face first onto your bed. You are so exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally, but you can't rest yet. You get up and grab a small bowl that you have set next to your crab's tank. You tip toe downstairs to try not alert anyone to your presence. You get out some strawberries from your fridge, lightly rinsing each one. You stick one into you mouth, biting off the bottom and throwing the leafy top into the bin.

You head back up to your room and feed Crabdad. You love the little fucker so much. You sit the bowl back down and finally fall back onto the bed. Once again, you are extremely exhausted but you have so much shit to do. You have your homework and assignments to do, you have to actually look after yourself and have a shower, you have to help make dinner. You are very much not in the mood. You grab your laptop and open up Word. Might as well do some writing. You start typing away.

You get out of your thoughts when you suddenly hear a knocking at your door. "Who is it?"

"it's me, Karkitty!!" Ah. Nepeta. She's the only insane one around here to call you that. "Dinner is ready! Come down!"

You sigh and get up. You wonder if you'd be able to grab whatever they served up and quickly run back to your room. You save your writing and exit the room, peaking down the staircase, trying to see what they have. Udon! Oh this makes your plan so much easier. All you have to do is grab a bowl, put some Udon in it and toppings and run back upstairs. Simple and easy enough.

You go for it. Bolting down the stairs, grabbing a bowl and chopsticks on the way. You fill half of you bowl with the noodles and add toppings on before looking up.

Shit Kankri is right there. "Karkat Vantas. What are you doing? We are meant to eat together. It is very-"

"NOPE! SHUT UP!" You quickly run up the stairs and back into your room, locking the door behind you.

Shit, he is totally going to tell your dad. You are so fucked. You are going to get a lecture from both of them later. You sit back down on your bed, starting to eat your Udon. It isn't bad but you could definitely do better. You hear your pesterchum go off and open your laptop.

-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 18:28 --

TG: hey cg how was your day?

TG: sorry i havent been able to talk

TG: super busy with personal shit yknow?

CG: LIKE YOUR STUPID IRONIC BULLSHIT THAT YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT?

TG: sorry cg

CG: IT'S FINE, TG, I KNOW WHAT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE IS LIKE. I UNDERSTAND.

CG: I AM A BIT SALTY THOUGH, I MISSED TALKING TO YOU.

TG: aw cg actually cares about me?

TG: i cant believe *the* cg actually missed me! you going to show up outside my house with a boombox? playing sick beats while telling me how much of an asshole i am for not talking to you?

Okay, so, TG is your online friend. Found him after both of your friend's decided to challenge you to adding a random chumhandle. He is super sweet to you and is your best friend. Yes even over Crabdad.

CG: OH NO, HOW DID YOU FIND OUT MY PLAN? I AM DEVASTATED NOW. I'LL HAVE TO THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!

CG: I'LL HAVE TO THINK OF ANOTHER AMAZINGLY ROMANTIC GESTURE SO I CAN SHOW UP AT YOUR DOOR AND YELL AT YOUR FOR BEING A COMPLETE DICKWEED!

TG: aw how sweet of you

TG: back to what i said before how was your day?

CG: SHIT

TG: oh

TG: what happened?

CG: BULLIES LIKE ALWAYS. YOU KNOW FOR STRIAGHT MEN THEY'RE SO OBSESSED WITH THE FACT I LIKE MEN. WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT THEYD BE SO UPSET WITH *MY* INTERESTS. THEY DRIVE ME INSANE.

TG: some straight men are just like that its weird

TG: i dont give a shit about that type of stuff if you like dudes good for you if you like girls good for you if you like people who dont identify with either of those then good for you

CG: OH YEAH YOU HAVE A NONBINARY SIBLING DON'T YOU? I NEARLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT.

TG: yeah

CG: HOW WAS YOUR DAY THEN?

TG: oh yeah shit as well i just finished unpacking my stuff to fill my new bedroom

CG: YOU MOVED?

TG: yeah remember bro and his smuppets? yeah hes on the run and dragged us along for the ride

CG: OH SHIT.

CG: ARE YOU OKAY? LIKE MENTALLY

TG: i guess

TG: i got to go though so ill talk to you later yeah?

CG: YEAH, I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER, TG.

-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 19:23 --

Well, that's that conversation ended. You think TG is super cool and not just in his stupid ironic way. You would say that you've come to actually have a romantic interest in him buttttttt he is, kind of, y'know, straight, so that sucks (TG would make a dick joke there). He's aware with your half crush on you and he politely declined but said that if he ever realised he likes dudes that you are the first on that list to date.

You look at the time and sigh. It's not that late in your opinion and you know your insomnia will keep you up either way. You might as well continue your writing. Not to mention TG has a terrible habit of waking up in the middle of the night and he likes talking to you until he falls asleep again. You might as well make some coffee and get to writing.

It'll be a long weekend.

Chapter Text

Your name is Dave Strider and it is currently five (5) a.m. Your best friend, CG, went to sleep an hour ago because he had to actually get stuff done. You do too but you are so fucking scared for your first day of this new high school. You, of course, can not show that you are terrified though. You're a Strider and you can't let people know that Strider's have emotions! Not to mention that you're meant to be a stereotypical man and men don't cry and they don't show emotions and blah blah blah. Rose is trying to help you with showing your emotions and getting rid of your fragile toxic masculinity. You totally owe her for that. Rose isn't the only one helping you, CG is helping you too. He knows almost everything about you and you know almost everything about him.

That is except both or your guy's faces and names. You both decided to stay completely anonymous until you were both comfortable with revealing your identity. Apparently CG is extremely insecure and is scared you'd abandon him if he shows you his face (Which you won't he's your best friend). You personally believe he's just blind about how hot he is.... No homo though.

Okay, fuck, maybe homo? Listen, you recently realised that you mayhaps like men...? You aren't sure yet. After talking to Rose you realised that you had a crush on your best friend, John Egbert, for the past six years, on and off. As soon as you realised this you lost all interest in John and kind of ghosted him for a few months. You guys are good now but you feel super bad about it. Once again, total thanks to Rose, she told John what was happening and got you both to talking again. Shit, you totally owe Rose.

Almost like she knew you were thinking about her Rose walks in. "Dave, get dressed, school starts in thirty (30) minutes."

Oh, shit, how did you go from being way to early to nearly being late? "Yeah, don't worry, Rose. I'll be cool and ready in half that time."

"I totally believe that, Dave." Rose closes your door and leaves you be.

You stand up, quickly fixing your bed up and throwing your shades on. You may like the shades cause they make you look cool but also because your eyes are extremely fucking sensitive to light. You grab a red long sleeved shirt and some black ripped jeans, grabbing a random pair of boxers and throwing some long socks onto your bed. You leave your room with your clothes and head into the bathroom next to your room. It isn't extremely big but it's spacious enough that you don't feel uncomfortable like you did with Rose's house.

You look in your long mirror fixing yourself up. You were wearing a red long sleeve with a white sleeveless jacket over the top, black ripped jeans and some longer socks with black Doc Martens. You finish gelling up your blonde hair and wipe off any excess gel onto the back of your pants. You quickly make sure that your glasses are still on your face and you aren't hallucinating. You feel like you are ready to go.

Holy shit this school is huge. You are totally not ready for today. On the inside you are screaming and crying and throwing up but on the outside you are deadpan, no emotion on your face. Being a Strider fucking sucks. You have to jog slightly to catch up with your huge family walking into the building, Roxy and Dirk leading the way. Oh my god you guys totally look like a fucking gang this is terrifying for every party involved holy shit. Strilondes please hurry the fuck up and get to the principals office I am dying of embarrassment here!

You skim your eyes over the people you're walking past, some look confused, others look terrified (same bros), some look sort of excited? Then there's the one. The grumpy dude who has dark tan skin that's lightly freckled. His short black fluffy hair slightly covering his closed eyes and his brows extremely furrowed. He was short, shorter than average, with his body being slightly chubbier than average too. He wore a grey sweater with black not ripped jeans and some white leather converse. Holy shit this guy is hot. This guy is your gay awakening. After looking at this man you have decided that you are in fact Bisexual. Holy smokes you need this guy's number and name ASAP. You must woo this man.

Oh shit but what about CG? It'll be fine, you don't have to date this smoking hot man, just, I guess, try to fuck him? Fuck how does gay sex even work? Do you use the same stuff as normal sex? See this is why schools need to educate about this shit. How the fuck are you going to have safe sex with this guy? Fuck you don't even know if he's gay yet. He may just be a cute nerd who is very straight and not interested in dick. He is standing next to that girl smiling with the glasses. Is that his girlfriend? You are not breaking up a couple just cause you want to fuck this guy. Maybe you can suggest a threesome?

Suddenly you feel someone grab your arm and dragging you along. You look up to see Rose and realise that as soon as you saw that guy you froze in place staring at him. You keep staring at him as you get dragged away because he is just so fucking cute. Rose comes to a stop and lets go of you.

"What the hell happened back there?" Your twin sister questions.

"Rose I am so fucking Bisexual. Men are so hot, Rose. Have you ever seen men before? They are so hot and sexy and oh my god-" You ramble before being interrupted.

"Okay, shut up. Congrats, you realised your sexuality. Finally. But I am sorry to say yes I have seen men before but they are not quote hot unquote to me as I am a lesbian." Your sister stares at you, slightly annoyed yet slightly proud.

You walk into a room with the rest of your siblings. You pay no attention at all. You know that someone will eventually fill you in on some stuff. You can't get that guy out of your head though. He was like an angel sent from above. He had a beautiful face structure and some piercings, one of them attempting to cover a scar on his eyebrow. He was really a fucking masterpiece. He could be a model if he wanted to. His hair was probably so fucking soft. Holy shit are you obsessed? You might be obsessed. That's not what Striders do, dude. They're meant to be cool and stoic and have no emotions and fucking hell you're rambling again. What were you even thinking about in the first place? Oh and it looks like we're leaving the room now, okay, this is fine. You are walking and walking and we are leaving the room and okay what the fuck that is a terrible painting- NO FOCUS. You leave the room with your family.

"Okay so someone fill me in please and thank you." I say, turning back to my siblings.

"I second tat, I wasn't listening!" My older sister, Roxy, says as she puts her hand up. "I meant to say that-"

Rose and Dirk collectively sigh and Rose speaks up. "Our classes start today, the Principal, who wants us to call her The Condesce, handed Dirk all of our schedules, locker keys, and told us what books we would need for each class. Other then that? Not much."

Dirk hands us our schedules and locker keys. "On the other side of the schedule is a map of the school, your locker key has it's locker number engraved onto it, and all of the textbooks we'll need for the year has been crammed into our lockers so if you get hit by an information avalanche don't blame me."

"Okay, so, to summarise, The Condesce is a bitch and our principal, we have shit tons of books, we get lockers, and our classes has already been decided?" I ask, glancing over my siblings.

"Sounds about right. We're joining the classes after recess so we can just fuck around until further notice." Dirk says, already walking away from us.

Okay, so, time to split up, I guess? Maybe you can find some of those kids who skip classes or something. Maybe find some cool and quirky people vaping behind the school. Don't vape kids it's not cool. You should know, you're the coolest person ever. You start walking down the hallways, mindlessly wandering. Before long you realise that you done a full circle. Rose would laugh at you over this. You hear some muffled sobs and look up, seeing that handsome tanned guy sitting in a ball against the wall. Every fibre of you tells you to not approach him but your heart and dick says that you must comfort him and get to know him.

You approach the stranger and bob down. "Hey, dude, are you okay?"

He immediately whips his head up at me, anger on his face before morphing into confusion. "I'm fucking peachy. I am so fucking happy right now that is why I am sobbing on the gross school floor. I can not think of a better fucking thing to do to pass time."

I laugh slightly before sitting down with him. "I'm not here to tease you or something, dude. I genuinely want to know what's wrong."

He furrows his brows at me. "Why the fuck do you care?"

"Multiple possibilities. I'm new. I want to make friends. I am curious. In my opinion the most likely possibility out of all of those is that I care. That I'm concerned that this cool looking dude is sobbing on the, quoted from him, gross school floor." I softly smile at him.

"Damn. Smooth flirting, Douchenozzle. Fine, I'll tell you what's wrong." He stands up, putting a hand out to you.

You take his hand, blushing ever so slightly. "Douchenozzle? That's a new one."

He crosses him arms and laughs lightly. "Thank you, I take pride in my creative insults. Anyways, some of the jocks here like teasing me about my sexuality and one of them just decided to break a pride pin my online friend gifted me. Okay, that sounds super stupid but it's super important to me." He huffs.

"What? No, dude, that's like, super cool that your sentimental about gifts, even from people you haven't met. I completely understand. So, did they, like, make it completely unfixable or did they just snap it?" You go to put a hand on his shoulder before deciding against it.

"They set fire to it, so, unfixable. I really don't want to tell my friend about it cause they may hate me over it and then no longer want to be friends. I really can't afford to lose him, he's one of the only friends I have left." He sighs, his posture relaxing a bit.

You totally understand. You would hate for CG to leave you, especially over a gift.

"I think you'll be fine. If he actually is your close friend then he'll probably be more concerned over the fact you're being bullied instead." You look him in the eyes (Though he probably can't tell.).

"Thanks." He cracks his neck before looking back at you.

Holy fuck his eyes are so pretty.

Chapter Text

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you just watched the pride pin that TG got you be burned. You ran out of the classroom and one of the new kids decided to try to comfort you. For some reason you let it happen and started ranting to him. Why the fuck are you so comfortable around this guy what the fuck? Okay yeah he is kind of attractive with his blonde hair and rich dark skin that's lightly freckled. His style and shades decrease the attractiveness a bit but he's still extremely hot. Either way we are not here to gush over how hot this man is, we're here because TG's pin was absolutely wrecked. You know this guy said TG won't be upset but you're still allowed to worry.

"So, what class do you have after recess?" The shades guy turns his head away slightly.

"Uhh, I think Literature and Comp with Mr. Slick? He gets angry easily so I don't like him that much." I say off the top of my head.

"Oh! After that do you have chemistry with Mr. Deuce?" The guy questions you.

Holy hell you do. Has this guy been stalking you or something? That'd be pretty scary.

"Yeah, how do you know?" I ask, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrow questionably.

"I have him after that! Isn't that so cool?" He responds, looking down at a piece of paper and holding it out to you.

You snatch the paper off of him and look over it. Mondays, Art with Ms. Paint, Literature and Comp with Mr. Slick, Chemistry with Mr. Deuce. Tuesdays, History with Mr. Trace, P.E. with Mr. Itchy, Statistics with Mr. Droog. Wednesdays, Geography with Die, Health with Mr. Itchy, Geo and Calc with Mr. Doze, Home Ec with Mr. Biscuits. Thursdays,  Algebra with Clover, Humanities with Fin, Biology with Stitch. Fridays, Economics with Quarters, Physics with Cans, Politics with Sir English. Holy hell this guy has the exact same schedule as you. This was totally done on purpose. Pairing up one of the new kids with one of the students that have been here for years. Fucking hell you're going to have to put up with this guy for the next year and such.

"Looks like I'm stuck with you. What's your name?" You say, handing the schedule back to him.

"Dave Strider, pleasure to be at your service, Mr. Grouchy Pants." He says doing a little bow.

"Okay, fuck you, you don't get my name. You lost those privileges. Go fuck yourself." You tell him, rolling your eyes and crossing your arms.

"What?! No, please! I'm sorry, I won't do it again, just please tell me your name!!" He responds immediately, practically begging you.

You laugh and shake your head slightly. "Karkat Vantas."

"What?"

"That's my name, Dumbass." You pick your bag up from the ground and slide it over your shoulders.

"That was not what I was expecting. I don't want to assume, but are you, like, anything but American?" He asks, adjusting his bag straps.

"Terrible wording but yes, I'm Mexican." You tell him, smiling. You love your culture and are extremely proud of it.

"Oh! Okay my friend taught me this. Estás muy bien." He says, practically beaming.

You go red in the face. "Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah! It means you're kind." He tells you, raising an eyebrow.

"No it fucking doesn't. You just called me hot, dude." You laugh slightly as you correct him.

"Oh. Holy shit I am so sorry I definitely didn't know that. Fucking hell I really need to fact check my sources more often holy shit. I am so sorry if I made you uncomfortable in anyway I did not mean to practically catcall you-" He starts rambling before stopping. "Shit, sorry, I ramble sometimes."

"You have no filter when you're nervous, I get it. I'm not uncomfortable at all it was a simple mistake that probably happens way too much. No problems." There was in fact problems because this hot dude just called you hot without meaning to.

"Thank fuck. Once again I am so sorry." He sighs.

The bell goes and kids begin funnelling out of class and into the halls. You hate being in the hallways when class ends. Because you're so small you get easily pushed over and trampled. You cling to Dave, not wanting to get absolutely destroyed by hungry high schoolers. You hide your face into his chest and your breathing quickens slightly. Hey, anxiety? Go fuck yourself I am trying to make a friend for once.

You feel arms wrap around you and pull you closer. You look up slightly to see Dave glancing around trying to keep you away from people. He looks down at you and smiles softly. Holy fuck this guy is so caring. Also hot but let's not think about that. This guy has known you for thirty (30) minutes and is so protective of you. This is the type of sappy shit you'd write for your fanfictions. Speaking of that you're wondering how the new chapter of your story is being received. It took you a week to write because writers block hit you like a truck. Eventually the halls empty out and it's just you two again.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you need anything?" He glances down at you.

"No, no, I'm good, thank you. Thank you so much for shielding me just then I get tons of bruises from people knocking me over." You let go of him, his arms lingering on you for a second before letting go too.

"Nah, it's cool. That's what friends are for. Want to go eat recess outside?" He asks you.

You freeze. "Wait, we're friends?"

"Uh, I think so? If you don't want to that's fine-" He goes to suggest before you cut him off.

"No! No, we can be friends. Not many people want to be friends with me, that's all..." You sigh lightly.

"Well, looks like you just got a friend! What do you have for recess?" He starts to walk away.

Holy shit you actually made a friend.

Chapter Text

Your name is Dave Strider and you just finished your first day of school. You made friends with a short grouchy guy named Karkat. You found him crying in the hallway and you comforted him and now he's your friend. You're still in slight disbelief over this. He's such a kind dude once you get to know him and definitely shouldn't deserve to be bullied. Okay, no one deserves to be bullied but you get the idea. After your fruity realisation though you have to talk to CG. You have so much to tell him. He'd probably be so proud of you for actually socialising for once.

-- turntechGodhead began pestering carcinoGeneticist at 15:15 --

TG: hey dude we need to talk

TG: its super important

TG: please answer

CG: TG I'M WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL

TG: shit sorry

TG: we need to talk though

TG: its really fucking important

CG: CAN YOU TELL ME NOW? ALL I'M DOING IS WALKING.

TG: fine

TG: i realised i was bisexual

CG: HOLY SHIT.

CG: SORRY THAT SOUNDS BAD.

CG: CONGRATS DUDE I'M HAPPY YOU FOUND A LABEL YOU THINK FITS YOU!

TG: yeah so that's part one part two we kind of made a deal that id date you if i realisied i liked dudes and i still definitely want to do that but i realised i know nothing about you and wanted to know if you'd be comfortable sharing at least one photo of yourself or like not fully a selfie but like i dont fucking know

CG: I THINK I GET WHAT YOU MEAN.

CG: HOW ABOUT YOU SEND ME A PHOTO OF YOUR EYES BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE CAUSE YOU ALWAYS HAVE YOUR GLASSES ON.

TG: only if you send me a photo of your tongue piercing

TG: you told me a while back that you got custom jewellery made for it so it'll be unique

CG: SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.

CG: ALSO THOSE STUPID JOCKS DESTROYED THE MLM FLAG PIN THAT YOU GOT ME.

-- turntechGodhead is an idle chum! --

CG: SHIT I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

It's probably just a coincidence that his pin given by his online friend got destroyed too this is okay. Okay it probably isn't but still. Karkat is your best fucking friend and someone you're potentially about to date? Pretty unlikely. Shit you need to respond to CG.

TG: sorry bro came in

TG: its fine dude not your fault that those guys are dumbasses

TG: ill just get you something better

CG: YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT!

TG: pleaseeee cg

TG: you never let me get you anything the whole reason you have that pin is cause i surprised you by getting rose to send it to you to keep everything anonymous between us

CG: FINE.

TG: thank you cg

TG: anyways the photos

CG: YEAH YEAH I JUST GOT HOME LET ME HEAD UP TO MY ROOM QUICKLY

TG: while you do that ill send a photo of my shitty eyes

-- turntechGodhead has sent an attachment --

CG: HOLY SHIT DUDE YOUR EYES ARE SO FUCKING PRETTY!

TG: oh my god shut up no please

CG: HAHA SORRY I FORGOT YOU DON'T LIKE COMPLIMENTS.

-- carcinoGeneticist has sent an attachment --

You open the photo and holy fucking shit. His tongue jewellery is a skull with red eyes. That's cool and all but you can see how long his tongue is and hot damn. You would gladly have that inside y- no, no, back on topic. You can see what colour his skin is in the photo too. It's the exact beautiful caramel colour of Karkat's skin. Holy motherfucking shit. You are such a fucking simp.

TG: dude that looks epic

CG: THANK YOU.

CG: SO, ARE WE LIKE, DATING?

TG: if you want yeah

CG: YEAH.

TG: . . .

CG: . . .

TG: this is so fucking awkward

CG: AGREED.

TG: do you want to like call?

TG: we can use voice changers if it makes you more comfortable

CG: YES, PLEASE. TO BOTH OF THOSE.

TG: nice let me get my laptop up and ill send you a link to a download for a voice changer

Holy shit this is so fucking awkward. You're fucking ecstatic that you know who your best friend of four years is but you also are extremely terrified. Oh, that and the fact that you guys are dating now. How are you meant to even act? You don't want to admit it but you've never actually been in a relationship. People just always assume you're taken. Honestly it gets tiring. It's all like 'Oh hey I like you' and then she'd respond 'Oh but what about your girlfriend!!!!' Ladies please, I am single. Or, I was.

You grab your laptop off of your bedside cabinet and sit it on your lap, turning it on. Shit, wait, you have homework to finish. It's fine you can do it while on call to Karkat. You get pesterchum up and quickly send him a link to the same website you got your voice changer. Shit, don't fucking panic, Strider, you are the coolest guy ever you'll be so smooth.

-- carcinoGeneticist has begun calling turntechGodhead --

SHIT FUCK FUCKING SHIT- and you just hung up on him. Round of applause, Dave, smoothest move ever. You turn on your voice changer and choose one of the presets.

-- turntechGodhead has begun calling carcinoGeneticist --

"Shit, dude, I totally didn't mean to hang up on you, I just didn't have the voice changer on yet and when I saw you calling I panicked and nearly threw my computer across the room a-"

"Oh my god, TG, shut up. I get it, you freaked, first time on call together, it's fine. What are you up to right now?" He asks, the eyeroll extremely prominent in his voice.

"Oh, well, I was about to continue working on my homework. This new school packs new kids with homework, probably to check what their learning level is? Attention, school, my learning level is pure shit, does that help?" You joke, already pulling Word up.

You hear a loud, croaky laugh before a soft sigh. "Yeah they're definitely testing you, dude. What subjects are you working on currently?"

"Ah, this stupid English thing, have to write at least one thousand (1000) words on my favourite author or something." You complain to him, already searching up 'Top 10 most interesting authors'.

"Oh, I remember doing that at the start of the year. I just done mine on this fanfic author I really like. I finished it in the same lesson we got told about it." Your nose scrunches up while listening to CG.

"Okay, first of all, the fuck is fanfic? Second of all, you wrote one thousand (1000) words within a single (1) English lesson? Without cheating or plagiarising or anything like that? Dude you're a god." CG laughs again and you smile down at the screen.

Okay, maybe this won't be so bad.

Chapter Text

It has officially been a day since you've started dating TG and it has thrown you off completely. He acts almost completely different when on call with you compared to how he was when you guys were only texting. He's a complete fucking flirt and the amount of times you've had to go have a breather because of how flustered you were is insane. He'll often send super cheesy messages to you during class and you end up reading them all at break and lunch. Your friends have questioned you about your new attitude but every time you just respond with an eyeroll and tell them you've always been like this.

Secondly, you have started becoming more friendly with Dave. Apparently he met someone here and it was "love at first sight" whatever the hell that means. He always asks you for advice on romance since you are obviously the romance expert. He gets your opinions on romcoms, romance novels, how to flirt, etc etc. Speaking of Dave, he's coming over to your house this afternoon to watch some romcoms with you. You've only known him for two days but you feel like you've known him forever! You can't wait for the end of the day, school is such torture. Oh, not to mention that it's currently PE class. You get the worst grades for this class as you are not sporty at all and your asthma does not help you.

"Karkat Vantas, why are you sitting out?" You look up at Mr. Itchy.

Mr. Itchy is the sportiest teacher in the school and is also the fastest. He typically gets called for when there's students that needs to be rounded up. He'd just run up to them and sit them over his shoulders. It's honestly terrifying to watch. You're pretty sure it counts as child abuse but none of the parents really care, just as long as their kids are learning.

"'Cause." You shortly respond, staring daggers into his soul.

"Do you have a note to say you can't participate?"

"Nope." You hate whenever he asks people that. Obviously they don't.

"Then you'll need to get up and play sports with the others." He glares right back at you. You would've broken into a cold sweat already if you weren't use to this. You're obviously his least favourite student.

"No offence, Sir, but I am not playing indoor hockey with 6 of the most sporty and competitive kids in the school. They make up thirty-seven point five percent (37.5%)of the grade. I'd be happy if you gave me some theory work on the matter though." You cross your arms, smiling up at him. Itchy never gives out theory work and when he does it's the minimum that the curriculum requires.

"Karkat, you need to participate. You can't just sit out of math class because you want to. PE is one of the core subjects." He taps his foot, obviously getting more annoyed.

"And that is why I suggest giving me theory work, Sir. In maths we don't do practical work that requires dynamic balance and taking heart rates and hitting people with sticks. Not to mention that you don't even give Tavros any theory  work. He sits in the corner of the gym reading books simply because he's disabled. I don't mean to sound harsh but that sounds like Ableism, Sir." You can see students slowly starting to listen in on the conversation, eventually stopping the hockey game so that they can hear.

"Tavros doesn't need to do PE, he can't use any of the skills we learn in practice anyways." He's very much agitated at this point and has fallen into your trap. Speaking before thinking. You hear some students gasp, including Tavros, at what he said.

Suddenly Dave chimes in. "Sir, that's terrible, not giving people theory work simply because they "can't use it". As a sports teacher you should know that anyone can do anything if they try enough. In fact, there's Olympics specifically for people who are disabled, so don't go saying that they can't."

Mr. Itchy stutters for a second before regaining his composure. "That is not what I meant at all. Actually, why are you wearing glasses inside, Dave?" And he's shifted the subject. Great.

"It's for a medical condition, Sir." You remember hearing Dave tell his friend John that he switches his glasses out for PE 'cause he doesn't want his special ones that John got him broken.

"I don't remember there ever being a medical condition that makes you wear glasses inside. Take them off." Mr. Itchy takes a step towards Dave. You can already see this isn't going to end well.

"Sir, I genuinely can't, it's for a medical condition." Dave crosses his arms and tilts his head up at him.

Suddenly Mr. Itchy grabs the glasses off his face before snapping them in half in his hand. Dave goes wide eyed before shutting his eyes and covering his eyes with the palms of his hands. The class gasps.

"Oh, stop over reacting. It's only some glasses you'll be fine."

You get up to grab Dave's original pair of glasses and Mr. Itchy grabs you by the arm. "Where do you think you're going? Don't think you're getting out of this just because your friend made a distraction." 

You try to get out of his grip but he grabs your arm tighter and you wince. You know what? Fuck it. You bite Mr. Itchy and he lets go of you with a yell. You rush over to Dave's bag and grab his glasses for him and go back over to Dave, handing the glasses to him and picking the broken pair off the ground. 

"Do you want to head over to the Nurse's office?" You ask him, letting him grab onto your arm and he nods.

You leave the gym, flipping Mr. Itchy off while walking away. You guide Dave up to the office and sit in the Nurse's office with him while he lays on the bed. You pull up your sleeve to look at the mark and can already see it going purple.

"Shit." You whisper under your breath. This is definitely noticeable.

"Hey, Dude, are you okay?" Dave asks you, looking over to you slightly before wincing and laying his head back down.

"I'll be okay, just some bruising starting. Not too bad" You play it down. He doesn't need to know how bad it is.

"My B-... Dad. is going to be so pissed that the glasses were broken." He sighs slightly before tilting his head to me again. "Hey, you liar! That bruising is basically purple!"

You laugh, slightly embarrassed, before a tall and muscular man enters the room. It's the school nurse, Matchsticks. Dave is obviously alarmed by this cause he hits his head back into the pillow, making him wince.

"So, what happened?" Matchsticks walks over to me, examining the bruise on my arm.

"Mr. Itchy grabbed me really tightly and broke Dave's glasses." You aren't exactly sure why Dave's glasses are important but you're still a good friend.

Matchsticks grabs a folder and pulls some papers out of it, reading them. He then puts the papers back and hands Dave some headache tablets and gives you an ice pack. "Because of what your parents wrote at the start of the year on your notes I will have to call them to pick you up."

You sigh slightly. It is such a pain to get your father to come pick you up. It's why you typically avoid going to the Nurse's office but you had to for Dave. You'll have to ask him later why he needs his glasses.

You hope he can still come over.

Chapter Text

Your name is Dave Strider and jegus fuck do you hate school. You were just at PE and some douche teacher broke your glasses and hurt your boyfriend. Apparently Karkat was discussing ableism and how the teacher doesn't give people theory work and the teacher got really pissed. You didn't hear much, you were playing hockey against Jade, John's cousin, and she's extremely competitive. You stood up for disabled people and Karkat and the teacher switched topics and snapped your glasses in half. Not many people know this but your eyes are extremely sensitive to light and it gives you headaches and causes fainting spells. You have a feeling you said this already. That and if Karkat saw your eyes he'd realise he was dating you and that thought alone is terrifying. You are currently waiting in the Nurse's office for your Bro to come get you. He is going to be so pissed.

Suddenly a loud man walks into the office, talking to somebody on his phone. He's very tall and is in a red sweater with dark jeans. It looks somewhat angry and like he's ready to murder someone. He gets off his phone call and immediately his expression softens. He goes up to the desk and quickly signs something before walking over to Karkat and kneeling in front of him.

"¿Qué pasó, hijo?" The man puts his hand on Karkat's knee.

Karkat sighs softly before responding. "Nada importante, podemos ir¿papá?" Holy fuck that was hot. You do not know what he said but his accent is beautiful.

"Por favor, dime, Pequeño Cangrejo. Sabes que me preocupo por ti." The man stands back up.

Karkat rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath. "Maybe a little bit too much."

"¿Te lastimó este tipo? Si lo hiciera, voy a conseguir que sus padres vengan aquí ahora mismo. ¿Es por eso que has estado tan callado? Lo juro por Dios-" The man glares at you and you straighten your back up.

"¿¡Qué!? Papá, no, este es Dave, es un niño nuevo, es mi nuevo amigo del que he estado hablando..." Karkat stands up, talking up to what you assume at this point is his dad. You heard your name at some point and now you're scared.

"Oh. Eso tiene sentido. ¿Te ayudó después de que te lesionaste?" Karkat's dad says as he looks you up and down.

"Sí. Espera santa mierda-" Karkat nods his head before looking to you.

"Karkat, ¡Idioma!" His father says, lightly smacking him on the hand as Karkat rolls his eyes.

"Dave, this is my father. He's a famous politician and.... is way too overprotective of me."

"Nice to meet you, Sir." You put your hand out for him to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you, Dave. My son has told me a lot about you." He shakes your hand firmly and you blush slightly.

"DAD WHAT NO SHUT UP!!" Karkat goes bright red and hides his face in his hand, using his other hand to lightly push his dad.

"Karkles, it's fine, I don't care if you told your dad about me." You smiled at him slightly.

HOLY FUCK YOU TOTALLY CARE THAT KARKLES HAS TOLD HIS DAD ABOUT YOU. What has he said? Does his dad like you? Did you meet up to his expectations? A bead of sweat rolls down your forehead and you wipe it away. You're literally getting stressed over a small think like this. Can you get any lamer? Honestly you hope not. This is already way too much lame for a Strider. You really hope your Bro doesn't walk in right now.

"Dave, get your ass over here." You look up. Holy fucking shit you did not just jinx yourself like this.

You go over to your Bro, standing next t him. You are so dead when you get home. He's going to start one of his angry rants at you and you have no one else other than your mother to protect you. Suddenly Karkat's dad approaches your Bro. Oh shit no no no please don't start talking to him, please don't start talking to him!!

"Hello, you must be Dave's father. Pleasure to meet you, Sir." Karkat's father puts his hand out to your Bro. Holy shit you are dead. Might as well go dig up a hole and lie in it. At this point you are six feet in the ground already. Decomposing in the soil. It's fifty years later and archaeologists will dig up your bones and ask 'Man, how is this guy so lame?'

". . . Hey, Dude. I'm actually Dave's oldest brother. Nice to meet you too." Your Bro shakes the man's hand while he looks down at you from the corner of his eyes.

You shrug at him in response. "Oh, my apologies. May I ask why you're picking up Dave and not his father? If it isn't too personal."

"His father is currently on the run from the police." I mean he's not lying but like, you don't reveal that to a politician!? Or anyone in power?! Come on Bro, you aren't this dumb.

"Oh. My apologies. And what do you do for a living?" Karkat looks over to you confused. You are being embarrassed in front of your boyfriend who doesn't know he's your boyfriend. Bro, is this you punishing me? Talking to my boyfriend who doesn't know he's my boyfriend that you also don't know he's my boyfriend's dad.

"I make puppets for entertainment. It's quite a popular business." You go dark red. He's not going to lie is he? He's going to tell his life story to this random guy. Well, not a random guy, just your future father in law. Karkat eyes your Bro with suspicion. Fuck your life, Dude.

"Oh, that's interesting. Do you make puppets for shows like Sesame Street?" You want to laugh at that. If your Bro made puppets for Sesame Street it would be rated R18+.

"Something like that. Anyways, Dave, what happened?" Your Bro finally turned to you and asked.

"Oh, nothing too bad, just this PE teacher who snapped the glasses you gave me and told me I don't have any illnesses." You might just get out of a lecture for this one.

Almost in sync both parents look down to you and ask in a serious tone. "He WHAT?"

"And he grabbed Karkat, bruising him." Sorry for dragging you into this, Karkat, even if you already are.

"I want to have a friendly chat with this teacher." Karkat's dad's face flashes with anger. Okay, make sure you don't ever piss him off.

Karkat glares at you. Shit. "Dave, can I borrow you for a second? I need some help finding a thing I lost." Karkat grabs your arm and takes you down the hall. "Why the fuck did you tell my dad about what happened? I'm going to be here for the next 5 hours now."

"I'm sorry Karkat I didn't think-" You begin to say before he interrupts you.

"Exactly. You don't fucking think. You never do, do you?" Ouch. That hurt a lot more than you'd like to admit. He grumbles something else before heading to the bathrooms.

You walk back over to Bro and Karkat's dad, sitting on one of the waiting lounges while they talk.

-- carcinoGeneticist began pestering turntechGodhead at 11:37 --

CG: OH MY GOD I AM SUCH A FUCKING IDIOT

CG: TG HELP ME

That's a surprise.

TG: what happened?

CG: I JUST WENT OFF AT MY FRIEND WITHOUT THINKING AND I UPSET HIM AND NOW I AM HIDING OUT IN THE BATHROOMS BECAUSE I FEEL SO GUILTY.

Oh. Well at least he didn't mean what he said.

TG: well, apologise to him, baby. an apology will mean more than you think.

CG: I HATE THAT YOU'RE SUCH A SMOOTH TALKER. THANK YOU THOUGH.

TG: bye, love you, good luck!

CG: YEAH YEAH LOVE YOU BYE

-- carcinoGeneticist stopped pestering turntechGodhead at 11:44 --

Okay, guess that means Karkat will be coming back to give me an apology. You feel sort of bad that you aren't letting Karkat know that you are turntechGodhead but it'll pay off in the end. You want to actually make sure Karkat is your friend and he's not just using you like everyone else you've been friends with... Okay maybe you haven't had the best experience with other schools but so far this school is turning out to be good. Minus the abusive staff. You hope your Bro doesn't get found out this time around. You're finally finding some friends and the love of your life is here.

Karkat comes back from the bathrooms and sits next to you. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get upset at you or say the things I did. I wasn't thinking right and cared more about my time with you then your feelings and that was unfair of me."

"Wait, your time with me?" You ask, turning your head towards him.

"Yeah, we're meant to watch movies this afternoon, remember?"

You don't remember at all. You are genuinely so upset at yourself, why did you forget about this? Your first date with the man you love and you forgot it. You're absolutely hopeless. "I am so sorry, I completely forgot, I was too absorbed with remembering what classes I had today and where they were. I'd still be up for it now if you want?"

"Sure, I think our parents would be fine with us sneaking off. We're just going to my house anyways." Karkat assures you as he grabs his bag off of the ground.

You stand up with him, slinging your bag over your shoulder. "Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!"

Chapter Text

Your name is Karkat Vantas and jegus do you love Romcoms. You have an entire bookshelf filled with dvds not to mention the copies you bought digitally. And here you are, walking back to your house about to watch some romcoms with your best friend, Dave Strider. You're trying to think of the best movies to watch but even then, you think that might last for a day. Maybe you can beg for Dave to sleep over.

"Karkles, are you okay?" You look over to Dave. Shit, you must've been too zoned out.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, sorry, did you say something?" You ask, straightening your posture slightly.

"I was saying how I live nearby."

"Ah, right, sorry. That's cool! You could catch the bus with me." You see Dave light up.

"Really!? That'd be great!! Do I need to pay or anything?" He grins widely at you.

"Nah, you just have to get a bus card, then you can ride whenever you want. Oh, here's my house." You run up to the front door, quickly unlocking the door.

"Welcome to my house, enjoy your time here." You tell him, taking your shoes off and sitting them on the shoe rack.

"Uh- Do you want me to-" Dave starts, staring awkwardly at the shoe rack and down at his shoes.

"Preferably. You don't have to if you don't want to, I won't force you to do anything, but we typically take our shoes off." You comment, taking your bag and jacket off, hanging the jacket on the hanger before picking your bag back up.

Dave nods and starts taking his shoes off. You stare at the rack, realising that Kankri's shoes are here and a pair you don't recognise.

You sigh and put your hands on your hips before yelling out. "KANKRI VANTAS! WHY ARE YOU HOME ALREADY!?"

You hear some shuffling come from upstairs and muffled voices. Kankri suddenly looks down at you from the top of the staircase, his hair a mess and his sweater not as neat as it normally is.

"Karkat. Fancy seeing you here. Home. Who's your friend?" He looks over to Dave before fixing his sweater up and combing his hair with his fingers, half jogging down the stairs. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Kankri Vantas, eighteen (18) years old, and I use He/Him pronouns."

Dave sort of freezes up before relaxing again. "Oh. Uh- Hello! I'm Dave Strider, I'm seventeen (17), and- uh- I use He/Him as well." He grabs Kankri's hand, shaking it firmly.

Kankri looks at the handshake, horrified. "Uhm. Sorry, I should've been clear, I have Mysophobia. The fear of germs. Please let go of my hand."

Dave stares in shock before quickly releasing his hand. "Fuck- Sorry, that's totally my bad."

Kankri squirts some hand sanitiser on his hands and rubbing them together before crossing his arms. "Please watch your language. Swear words like that could be triggering for many people. Other words that could be triggering includes slurs. Please refrain from using these in your time staying here. Also refrain from excessive apologising, it could give off the idea you are trying to manipulate and guilt trip someone and both apologising and manipulation can be very triggering subjects. I do accept your apology though as you were unaware of my boundaries."

Dave looks from you to Kankri to you. He stares at you almost like he's asking for help.

"Kankri, please don't lecture our guest already. I actually want him to enjoy himself here." You sigh, facepalming slightly.

"Right, sorry. Enjoy your time here." Kankri quickly heads back upstairs into his room.

"Thanks. I see what you mean about your brother being annoying." Dave sits his shoes on the shoe rack.

You stare at him for a second, confused. "I haven't mentioned my brother to you."

A look of panic flashes over Dave's face quickly. So quick that if you decided to blink right then you would've completely missed it. But you didn't blink. Dave laughs at you. "No, you definitely did bro. Otherwise why would I know you think he's annoying."

You just silently nod before making your way upstairs to your room with him. Fuck. You totally forgot to clean your room. It looks like a tornado has gone through it. You blush a bit out of embarrassment. God, you hate yourself so much right now.

"Holy fuck, Karkat, your room is epic!! Oh my god is that a crab-" Dave looks around your room before spotting Crabdad and making his way over to his tank.

"Oh- Uh- Yeah, his name is Crabd- Crabbers. He's cute isn't he?" You sit your bag in the corner of your bedroom before heading over to Crabdad. "Do you want to hold him?"

Dave looks up at you, smiling wide. "Holy fuck, really dude?? I would love to!!" He puts his hands out to you.

You very carefully reach into the tank and take Crabdad out. You sit him in Dave's hand. "Just be careful, he likes pinching people he doesn't know."

"He's so cute! Awww, you're such a cool and rad guy, aren't you, Crabbers? He needs his own pair of mini shades." While Dave is admiring Crabbers he pinches him.

"Fuck! Sorry, I knew he would do that and I still gave him to you." You quickly take him back and put him in his tank. "Fuck. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I have bandaids-"

"What? Dude, I'm fine, I didn't even notice he pinched me." Dave would wipe his now bleeding hand on his jeans. "See? All good."

Now looking at Dave's jeans you realise that it's covered in bloodstains. That... Isn't normal.

"Dave, are you okay? Your jeans are covered in bloodstains." You go to reach out to him but he flinches back.

"I'm fine dude, I'm fine, I just- uh- I just injure myself a lot, that's all." He awkwardly smiles at you. "Anyways- movies- right? Movies are cool. I really like Shrek. Ten out of ten movie."

"Wh- Dave, you can't be serious, Shrek is horrid." You cross your arms.

"How dare you! Shrek is an amazing movie." He crosses his arms back mockingly.

"No! The humor is terrible. The plot is terrible. The characters are terrible. People only like it because it's been memed out of proportions!!" You take a few breaths.

"That, Karkat, is why it's the greatest movie of all time. I like it ironically." He smirks at you and you sigh in defeat.

"Fine, whatever, as long as you don't genuinely like it. What do you want to watch?" You sit on your bed, grabbing your laptop and logging into it.

"Oh- Uh..." Dave would sit his bag on the ground before sitting next to you. "I don't know... You can choose!"

Great! "Okay, how about Heartstopper? It's a great show and it only goes for- like- four hours total."

"I've never heard of that show! I'd love to watch it with you!" He smiles at you and shuffles closer to you.

This'll be great.

Chapter Text

Your name is Dave Strider and holy shit you are relating HARD to this Nick Nelson character. Like, cool popular kid who is suddenly realising he likes his best friend and has never had those feelings before and is scared of what people would think? Dude is basically a British version of you- except- less cool. And Charlie Spring is definitely Karkat but with less anger issues. God, you love Karkat. He deserves to protected, he's so precious.

"Sorry, let me pause this quickly, I just want to check up on my bo- friend." Karkat pauses the episode and pulls up pesterchum on his laptop and goes into his dms with someone named 'Cool Hottie'.

Wait a god damn minute. Did Karkat nickname you on pesterchum 'Cool Hottie'? Oh you are definitely going to tease him about this.

You stand up, sneakily pocketing your phone and turning to Karkat. "Hey, where's the bathroom?"

"Just exit my room and turn left. It's a the end of the hall." He says, smiling up at you and mimicking the way towards the bathroom with his hand.

"Thanks dude!" You quickly exit his room.

God his house is so cool. It's a bit similar to your house but different too. It's a lot more fancier and a bit bigger too. You head down the hallway towards the bathroom passing by what you assume are bedrooms. There's a door covered in detailed cat drawings and another door with a sign that says in fancy writing 'Please Do Not Disturb.' You can hear some groans coming from that room so you assume that's Kankri's room. You finally get to the bathroom and enter. Holy hell, this bathroom is fancy as fuck.

-- carcinoGeneticist began pestering turntechGodhead at 13:12 --

CG: HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING, TG? YOU'VE BEEN AWFULLY QUIET. YOU'RE TYPICALLY FLIRTING WITH ME CONSTANTLY.

TG: wow, i thought you hated my flirting. you actually miss it?

CG: WHAT, NO!! I'M JUST CHECKING UP ON YOU, IDIOT. I'M ALLOWED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT YOU.

TG: i know, i know, i'm kidding, cg. i'm doing fine, just been busy with stuff.

CG: STUFF? WHAT STUFF??

TG: homework stuff. just chilling out, vibing, watching shows while doing epic studying.

CG: OH, NICE! WHAT SHOW ARE YOU WATCHING?

Shit. You didn't think this far ahead.

TG: oh, uh, just a show called heartstopper, i doubt you've heard of it.

GC: WHAT!? OH MY GOD, TG, I LITERALLY LOVE THAT SHOW! I'M WATCHING IT WITH THE NEW KID RIGHT NOW.

TG: new kid?

CG: RIGHT, YEAH, HE'S THE FRIEND I ACCIDENTALLY WENT OFF AT EARLIER. LISTEN, I PROMISE TO CATCH YOU UP ON EVERYTHING LATER, I'VE JUST BEEN SO BUSY.

TG: you're fine to have a personal life outside of me, dude. enjoy yourself! just remember to tell me all about it later.

CG: YEAH, OF COURSE, I GOT TO GO. LOVE YOU! <3

TG: love you too. <3

-- carcinoGeneticist has ceased pestering turntechGodhead at 13:19 --

God, he's adorable. Oh, fuck, you forgot to tease him about the nickname! Fuck it, you can tease him later. You flush the toilet and wash your hands. Need to make it believable you actually went to the toilet. You pocket your phone again before leaving the bathroom and heading back into Karkat's room.

Karkat would be shirtless, holding a shirt that it seems he was about to put on. His grey sweater would be sitting on his bed abandoned. He's staring right at you frozen in shock and now a dark shade of red. Holy fuck he is hot. His body looks amazing with the way the light is hitting him through his window. If you could take a photo of him right now you would. God, the things you want to do to hi- NO. No. Dave. Don't even think about it. You take a step back and close the door again. You slide down the door, covering your face with your hands. Fuck. Holy shit are you blushing? You're definitely blushing. Oh lord. You have never blushed before. You really love this guy. You can't believe yours-

Before you can continue that thought you fall backwards and your head hits the ground. "Fuck! Ow!"

"Shit! Sorry!! I didn't know you were- I- Fuck. I'm so sorry." Karkat would be leaning over you and he'd put his hand out to you.

You would grab his hand and would let him pull you up. "What, no, dude, I should be saying sorry. I walked in on you while you were changing, that's my bad."

He'd sigh, putting a hand to his forehead. "No, it's my fault, I was the one who decided to change into a shirt. You were gone for so long I thought I would be able to quickly change into a shirt."

"How about we both agree that it's both of our faults?" You put out a hand for him to shake.

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Deal." He shakes your hand. "Do you have lunch in your bag? We sort of missed lunch and it'd be good to eat while we watch."

Fuck. You never have any food in your bag. You either buy some at school or after school or you just don't eat in general. Unless this is Karkat asking you if you want to eat with him because he's hungry. Fuck. What do you say?

"Uh, I'm not hungry. I could go for some water though if that's okay?" You rub the back of your neck.

"Yeah, of course! Hold up, I think I have a clean cup in here somewhere-" He starts looking over his dresser that's covered in mess before pausing and turning to you. "Uh- I get thirsty during the night so I have a cup in here for that."

"Oh, that's smart! I just forget to drink water sometimes." You sigh. Why would you tell Karkat that??

"Fair, I struggle with hydrating too but my dietian told me I need to drink more water." He also sighs before handing you the cup.

"Hey. Good on you. Either way though I think anyone would be lucky to have you, you have a great body as it is." You blush. Fuck! Dave, think before you speak! Oh my god! "I'm going to get water now- bye-"

You quickly exit Karkat's room, shutting the door behind you. Fuckkkk. You just never know when to shut up do you? You turn towards the way to the bathroom before- wait a minute.

A tall man stands in the hallway, handle on Kankri's door know like he just exited the room. He had messy black hair and dark blue, almost purple eyes. He was extremely pale and had a two scars almost shaped like lightning bolts on his forehead. He was wearing a white shirt and black ripped jeans. He was holding a leather jacket with the hand that wasn't on the doorknob.

"Rip off Harry Potter?" You ask the strange man.

"Excuse you! I do not look like Harry Potter! If anything I am Danny Zuko thank you vwery much." The man crosses his arms, offended.

"Who? Also, do you have a lisp?" You question him again. He looks like he's trying to be cool but failing hard.

"Ugh! Just shut up, kid! I am just peacefully leaving, okay? Okay." He walks past you, down the stairs, and out the door.

That was a strange interaction but okay... You head into the bathroom before filling up the cup with water and chugging it all. You do this a couple more times.

God, being flustered has made you exhausted.

Chapter Text

Your name is Karkat Vantas and god do you hate yourself right now. The past six (6) hours have been absolute hell. First Dave saw you getting changed and then he said your body looked good and then apparently Kankri had his boyfriend over and Dave ran into him while he went to get water, and like, pardon? Kankri has a boyfriend? How did you never know this??? Is this why he was home early? Holy shit it totally is. You are in shock about that still. And then your papá and Dave's brother showed up at your house and you had to watch them argue while your father went to get him some coffee and he ended up slapping Dave!! Dave is staying over tonight and was allowed to go get some clothes and such for it. You guys ended up watching the rest of Heartstopper and Dave was writing things down in his phone? (Probably for his girlfriend). And then it turned out you were eating Chinese tonight made by your mamá and you don't even know if Dave LIKES Chinese! And here you are. Sitting at the table with your hermano, papá, and Dave while your hermanas and mamá make dinner in the kitchen.

"So, Dave, what do you want to do in life?" Your father smiles at Dave, who is sitting next to you.

"Papá!! You can't just ask people that!!" You panickily slam your hands on the table.

"What's wrong, mi pequña oscuridad? Also, you know not to slam your hands on the table." He crosses his arms.

You blush slightly out of embarrassment. You know Dave doesn't understand but it's still weird to be called 'My little darkness' in front of your friends.

"Papá!! No me llames así delante de mi amigo! Plus, you can't just ask people that casually! It can be stressful!" You sigh and relax back into your seat.

Dave puts a hand on your shoulder. "It's fine, Karkles. I'm thinking about producing music as a living!"

Your dad narrows his eyes at Dave. "Ah, I see, I see. Well, my Karkat here is going to be a doctor."

You shrink into your seat. He knows you don't want to be a doctor. You've told him that. He just doesn't listen to you. You want to be an author. He'll never accept that though. Suddenly you feel a hand nudge yours from under the table. You look up at Dave to see him softly smiling at you. You take his hand in yours and he rubs the back of your palm with his thumb. You feel a lot more calm. You'll have to thank him for this later.

Suddenly, your mamá and your sisters come into the dining room carrying a couple plates of food. You look over your selection. Kung pao chicken, sweet and sour ribs, egg fried rice, fried lettuce, and some stir fried mushroom. Hopefully there's something here that Dave will like. He goes to start serving himself and you quickly dig your nail into the hand you are holding before shaking your head at him.

"Let us all join hands for us to say Grace. Karkat, I believe it is your turn to lead us." your father looks towards you before everyone joins hands. Except Kankri. He puts some oven mits on before grabbing Dave's and Meulin's hands.

You groan before sluggishly beginning. "Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your goodness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Grace."

"Grace." Everyone repeats after you.

"Uh- Grace?" Dave very meekly says.

"Let us eat!" Your father loudly booms and everyone starts digging in, serving themself and starting from the plate closest to them. Dave follows their lead.

"Oh, Dave, Sweetie, you need more than that! You're allowed to have anything you want." Your mamá stands up, adding a bit more of everything to Dave's plate.

"Oh I don-" Dave begins to say before looking at your father who is staring daggers into his soul. "Uh- Thank you, Mrs. Vantas."

"No problem, Dear. Enjoy." She sits back down and continues enjoying the meal.

Your father swallows his mouthful before looking to you. "So, Karkat. How have your studies been going? You don't talk much about them."

You advert your eyes from him. There's a reason you don't talk about them. They've been on a steady decline over the past couple of months and you are not happy with yourself.

"Oh, the same as always, Papá." You look down at your plate in shame.

"He's failing six (6) classes and the rest are C's." Kankri chimes in, looking proud of himself.

"Karkat! I can't believe this! You're better than this and you know it!" Your father crosses his arms.

Fuck. Fuck you, Kankri. "But, Papá-" Your father cuts you off.

"No. No buts. To your room right now, hijo. No more dinner for you." He looks down at you disapprovingly.

Your vision begins to get clouded as you leave the dinner table and let go of Dave's hand, running upstairs into your room. The last thing you see is Kankri looking regretful towards you. But fuck him. He knew that papá was going to respond like that and he still commented about it.

You grab your comfort hoodie and slide it on before getting into your bed and laying under the covers, balled up. You begin to cry and sob. You fucking hate this household. You hate Kankri. You hate your father. You hate everyone. And most importantly, you hate yourself with a burning passion. You don't know what happened. You used to get straight A's (minus PE). You were perfect. You would receive awards and trophies and you were amazing. What happened?

"Kar? You okay?"

You look up to see Dave sitting next to you, his plate in his hand. He puts his free hand on your shoulder. Fuck. You forgot about him.

"Uh- Yeah. I'm- Fuck, I'm so sorry about all of this." You bury yourself deeper into your hoodie and blanket.

"Hey, Hey, It's okay." You hear him set the plate down and before you know it you're suddenly being moved into his lap.

He wraps his arms around you and rubs circles on your back while whispering comforting words. You adjust yourself slightly before nuzzling your face into his chest. He is surprisingly comfy and warm and he smells so good and he is just what you need right now. You're sure it'll be fine if you close your eyes for a couple seconds...

Chapter Text

Your name is Dave Strider and you are super flustered right now. Your boyfriend fell asleep on you and for the last ten minutes you've been frozen in shock. He's just so fucking amazing and adorable and precious and you don't want to move in case he wakes up. But you really need to move. Fuck, what do you do?

Screw it, you'll move. You very carefully scoot Karkat off of you and stand back up. He makes no signs of waking up. Phew. Now, to embrace your inner malewife. You don't want Karkat to wake up to more shit to deal with so might as well help him clean up a bit. You also brought your plate up to make sure Karkat ate something. He didn't really get a chance to before all that chaos happened. His mother was absolutely pissed though. Just went off at his father. It was insane to watch.

You start picking up any scattered clothes on the floor, throwing them into a half-full laundry basket in the corner. You head over to his dresser and open the drawers, getting out some pajamas for him and sitting them on the edge of his bed. Okay, maybe that's a bit weird to do but Karkat will understand the thought behind it. You also grab up any dirty dishes scattered around his room. You'll quicky drop these off downstairs.

You exit Karkat's room and head down the stairs. You quickly make your way into the kitchen to sit the dishes in the sink. To be honest, you never really learnt how to do the dishes. You always either had takeout or your sisters did the dishes. Not because they wanted to but because your Bro is very sexist. You're about to leave when you (physically) run into Kankri. He tries to speak but you very quickly flash step your way out of there. He is a dick and you are not in the mood to deal with him.

You head back up into Karkat's room to see the man of the hour sitting up in bed munching on some of the food from your plate. You're happy he's eating. You can see how his eyes are red and puffy and his cheeks are tear stained. You just want to protect and look after him. He deserves everything good in the world.

"Oh- Shit- Sorry, is this your food?" Karkat looks up at you, his words being a bit muffled from having a mouth full of food.

"No, no, you're fine. I brought it up so we could share the food together since you didn't really get to have anything." You make your way back over to him and he shuffles over for you to sit with him.

"Oh. Thanks. Or something, I don't know." He sits the plate in between the two of you, taking a bit more food.

"No problem, Dude." You eat some of the food as well.

You suddenly wake up, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. You start to panic before remembering that you're staying the night at Karkat's. You look over to his alarm clock to see that it's two am. Pretty good for going to sleep early. You typically wake up tons throughout the night. You wonder why you slept for so long.

You then look down at your chest where you see a small ball of black fluffy hair. Ah. It's because Karkat is sleeping on you. You wrap an arm around him and kiss him on the forehead. God, he's adorable. You love this man so much. You want to spend the rest of your days with him. You want to wake up in the morning to see this man sleeping cosily. You want to see his beautiful eyes everyday. Fuck. You totally fell hard for this man. You decide to go get a cup of water.

You get up and make your way over to Karkat's dresser, rummaging around for the glass he uses for water. You then remember that you put it in the sink earlier when you were cleaning up. Screw past you for fucking over future you. You make your way over to the door, your eyes having adjusted to the light by now.

You make your way out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen. You find the cabinets that keep glasses in it and pour some of the tap water into the cup before chugging it all. You do this a couple more times before filling it up again and sitting on the counter, holding the drink in your hand. Your phone buzzes and you take it out of your pocket, the screen lighting up your face.

-- carcinoGeneticist has begun pestering turntechGodhead --

CG: TG. I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING, PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE UP.

CG: I'M FREAKING OUT.

TG: whats up?

TG: whats wrong, babycakes?

CG: MY FRIEND IS STAYING OVER AND WE WERE SLEEPING IN THE SAME BED AND I WOKE UP ON HIS CHEST CAUSE Y'KNOW, I LIKE HUGS AND HE WAS WARM. AND HE KISSED ME ON THE FOREHEAD. HE KISSED ME, TG. AND I AM FREAKING THE FUCK OUT.

Oh shit.

TG: oh shit.

CG: I DON'T THINK HE KNEW I WAS AWAKE AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. HE'S DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW BUT I AM FREAKING OUT.

TG: cg. calm down. it'll be okay. square breathing, okay?

You would send a recording of yourself whispering while guiding Karkat through square breathing. You don't want him to aggressively freak out.

CG: THANK YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT HIM KISSING ME?

TG: you should tell him you have a boyfriend. not now obviously. just mention it casually when you both wake up in the morning. okay?

CG: YEAH. YEAH. COOL. THANK YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

TG: i love you too, kitkat <3

CG: GOODNIGHT!

TG: night!

-- carcinoGeneticist has ceased pestering turntechGodhead --

Phew. That was a relief. You chug the water a couple more times before bringing it back up to Karkat's room with you. You enter his room and sit the cup on the dresser. You make your way back over to his bed and lay down. Karkat has moved all the way across the bed, as far away as he can from you. You feel bad about it. You wish you could tell Karkat about everything but you're so scared. So, so, scared. What if he thinks you betrayed him? Lied to him? Well, you are lying to him. But you don't have bad intentions. Fuck, you are so conflicted. This sucks.

You go to sleep that night thinking about many things.

Chapter Text

Your name is Karkat Vantas and HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. It is six am currently and you barely slept. Dave kissed you last night! Kissed you!! AND YOU LIKED IT!!!! But, you have a boyfriend. Who you also really like. Fuck, you are in love with two people. You don't know what to do. On one hand, you've known a guy for years but don't know who he really is, on the other hand, you've known this guy for a couple days but he's so genuine and sweet you feel like you've known him for years. You don't know what to do.

Dave is currently laying in the bed next to you, his glasses are on the bedside table. He looks so... Peaceful. You've never seen Dave with his glasses off before. God, he's handsome. You could kiss him right now but you should probably ask for consent. (cough cough something he forgot to ask for last night.) ((But you also liked it so you're conflicted.)) (((But consent is still important.)))

You decide to actually get up. You don't typically do this but you know full well you aren't getting anymore sleep tonight so there's no point is staying in bed. You head over to your dresser and take out some clothes. You really wish you didn't have school today. Way too stressful. You're about to change before remembering Dave is in the room and quickly leave to the bathroom before you have a repeat of what happened earlier.

You don't typically get the shower first thing in the morning so you actually get to use all the warm water. You sit your clothes on the counter and get undressed, stepping into the shower.

Fuck, what do you have today? You should have these memorised it by now but honestly you have shit memory. Actually, what day is it? You had PE yesterday and that means it's probably Wednesday today. Right, yeah, because on Wednesdays Terezi has Student Council meetings. You should hang out with Terezi and Sollux today. Maybe finally introduce them to Dave. Fuck, right, you need to tell Dave you have a boyfriend. Wait do Sollux and Terezi know you have a boyfriend? Have you told them?

Okay, enough shower thoughts for today. You get out of the shower, drying yourself off and getting dressed. You open one of the drawers and get out a small purse worth of facial hygiene stuff. Your bedroom is a mess but you can still keep your skin healthy and clean. You do your little skin routine and make your way back into your bedroom.

Upon reaching your bedroom you head back over to your dresser, quickly checking yourself over. You're wearing a band shirt with your favourite denim jacket. It's covered in random pins your friends have gotten you over the years. You're also wearing some denim shorts today because the rest of your jeans need to be washed. You can already feel your thighs rubbing against each other. These are going to be so uncomfortable.

You searched for your eyeliner underneath your mess and begin to do it, making sure to not get any in your eye. You're not doing anything fancy, just something to actually make you look better than usual. Why? You have no clue, why are you doing eye liner to look good, you don't care about your looks. You finish one eye and begin to do the other.

"What'cha doing?" Dave puts his hands on your shoulders from behind you and you flinch a bit.

"Ah! Uh- Doing my eyeliner." You'd turn your head a bit towards him.

"Cool! I've only ever seen my sisters do it. Can you do eyeliner on me?" He asks, excited.

You turn to him. "Pardon? You want me to do your makeup?"

He shakes his head quickly. "No, no, no, not makeup, eyeliner!!!"

You stare at him, dumbfounded. "Eyeliner is makeup."

"What?"

"How did you not know this??? What do you think makeup is??" Your mouth is agape.

"Like... Lipstick and shit. I thought eyeliner was just a fancy marker!"

You snort, bursting out with laughter. "You- You thought eyeliner was a fancy marker!?!?"

"Yeah!!! Listen, to be fair- Stop laughing. To be fair, it does look like it- Oh my god, stop laughing!!" He'd hide his face in his hands, very much flustered.

You manage to calm yourself down. "God, that is the most adorable and innocent thing I've ever heard." You'd continue to finish up your eyeliner.

There's a brief silence and you turn back to Dave. He's a bright red.

"...Did you just call me adorable?" Dave would be staring at you.

Fuck shit fuck. "Uh- Yes? No? Maybe? Sorry-"

"Nah, It's cool. I liked it." He'd scratch the back of his neck.

You'd blush. "Cool."

There'd be a moment of silence before you'd speak up again. "So- Uh- You want me to do your eyeliner?"

"Right!! Yes, please." He'd nervously fidget with his hands.

"Okay, scoot closer then." You'd motion for him to step closer.

He'd take an awkward half step towards you. You'd grab him by the collar and pull him closer to you until you were both touching. You'd grab his jaw and make him look slightly more down at you. You'd begin to do his eyeliner as you feel his cheeks heat up more.

"Jesus, calm down. I just need to be close to you to do this. Look up, please?"

He'd try to look up with his head and you'd hold his jaw firmly. "No, just with your eyes."

"Ah- R-Right. Sorry." He'd look up with just his eyes.

You'd continue to do his eyeliner and slowly his blush would calm down.

"Right, there you go. I'm done." You'd look proudly at your work.

Dave would look down at you smirking before looking back up again and sticking his tongue out, moaning.

"AHSQUSBD-" You'd turn your head away, covering your mouth with your hand. You'd be a dark, dark red.

You'd use your free hand to push him away and he'd be giggling his ass off. Holy. Fucking. Shit. You were not expecting him to do that. What the actual fuck. What the fuck. Holy fuck. That was so hot. You are gay panicking so hard right now. Holy fuck. You are so fucking flustered. You don't know if you'll be able to recover.

"Haha- Shit- I'm sorry, I- Pfff- I didn't realise it would affect you so badly. I'm so- Hehehe- So sorry." He'd be covering his mouth too, trying to muffle his laughter.

You'd roll your eyes at him, still in shock. "Just- Get changed."

You'd exit the room and head into the bathroom, locking the door behind you and sitting on the floor. You look down in your hands to see you're still holding the eyeliner. You are in so much shock. Why would he do that? He knows you're gay. Probably because he likes you, idiot. He kissed you. But people don't typically just casually do that? Do people do that? You did have that thing with Sollux but that was very much friends with benefits and not casual friends. And you've known Sollux for so much longer. Like, since your were kids. What the fuck. But there is one thing you're are mostly shocked about.

You totally like Dave Strider. And you don't know what to do about it. You are not prepared for this year.

Chapter Text

It has officially been a couple weeks since you've started going to this new highschool. And for some reason Karkat is actively avoiding you like the plague. It's almost like you messed up your friendship with him by being weird and sucking at flirting and trying to 'be a bro'. You need to have a chat with Rose again. Not right now though. It's the weekend and she's out with her friend. A... 'Kanya?' or was it 'Cayana?'. You don't quite remember, Rose briefly yelled it out while rushing out of the house.

So. Rose is out with her friend, Dirk is on a date, Roxy is catching up with John, and your parents are out trying to find jobs. Which means, the house is under your rule for the next.... Six hours? Eight hours? That sounds pretty good. So, you immediately go up to your room and get your laptop out. You are going to spend the rest of this day getting on with that gamer grind.

You pull up Steam before getting a notification on Pesterchum and decide to open that up too.

-- carcinoGeneticist began pestering turntechGodhead at 10:00 --

CG: HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?

TG: hello to you too, handsome. nothing really, was just about to boot up steam, why?

CG: CAN'T I CHECK ON MY BOYFRIEND?

TG: nope, you're no longer allowed to.

CG: DAMN.

CG: IN ALL SERIOUSNESS THOUGH I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO HANG OUT?

TG: what? in real life?

CG: WHAT? NO, LIKE, PLAY A GAME TOGETHER. IT'S BE PRETTY HARD TO KNOW WHERE EACHOTHER LIVES!

TG: i know where you live

CG: *WHAT!?*

TG: wait no that sounds bad

TG: wait

TG: so listen

TG: i kind of found something out

TG: we live in the same town

CG: WHAT!? HOW DID YOU FIND THAT OUT???

TG: i kind of

TG: sort of

TG: recognised you

TG: from the picture you sent

CG: YOU KNOW WHO I AM? AND DIDN'T TELL ME?? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WHO YOU WERE?? THAT WOULD'VE MADE THIS SO MUCH EASIER, YOU DUMBASS!!

TG: i was scared.

TG: that you'd be angry at me if you found out.

TG: because of reasons.

CG: SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TELL ME WHO YOU ARE?

TG: nope, sorry.

CG: CAN I GUESS WHO YOU ARE?

TG: sure, but i'm not confirming or denying anything.

CG: WHAT!?!? NOT FAIR!!

TG: you'll find out eventually, i know you will. you're smart, babe.

CG: BOOOOOOOO

TG: don't lie, you love the mystery!

CG: I DO. SADLY. FINE.

CG: CAN I ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS?

TG: hmmm.

TG: three.

CG: WOO! OKAY. ARE YOU IN THE SAME GRADE AS ME?

TG: yes

CG: DO YOU WEAR GLASSES?

TG: yes

CG: OKAY. HM.

CG: ARE YOU EXTREMELY HANDSOME?

TG: absolutely.

TG: there are your three questions answered.

CG: OKAY. THANK YOU.

TG: do you want to play some games now?

CG: ACTUALLY, I MIGHT ASK MY FRIEND IF THEY WANT TO HANG OUT INSTEAD. SORRY.

TG: oh, okay then.

CG: I'M SORRY, I LOVE YOU!!!

TG: love you too, kitkat <3

CG: KITKAT?

-- turntechGodhead has ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist at 10:45 --

Welp. There goes that plan. Seven hours left. Now what the hell will you d-

Oh. Your phone just pinged. You grab your phone, checking it.

--MESSAGE FROM UNKNOWN NUMBER--

???: Hello, is this Dave?

DAVE: Yes? Who is this?

???: Sweet, okay, Kanaya didn't give me the wrong number. It's me, Karkat!!! I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?

Oh, shit. You're the person he was going to ask. You quickly save his number, changing his name.

DAVE: Oh, yeah, sure!!! You should come to my house though. No one is here so we're free to do whatever we want.

HOTDAYUM: Cool!!! Can you send me over your address? I'll make my way over there.

You giggle at the nickname you set before changing it to something more appropriate.

DAVE: Yep! I live at 312 Knight St.

MY MOON <3: OH!!! You really don't live that far away!!

DAVE: Told you!!

MY MOON <3: Also, if you ever forget, my address is 126 Seer St!! I'm on my way!!

DAVE: See you soon!!

You put down your phone. Fuck. Now you need to actually get dressed.

You stand up, quickly scattering to find some good looking clothes. You always dress to impress but right now you need to actually mean to do it. You must make Karkat swoon!! You grab some clothing, quickly getting changed. You apply as much deodorant as possible and open your bedroom windows. You quickly fix up your hair before hearing a knock at the door.

You run out your bed, scrambling downstairs before opening the door.

"Karkat! Hey!" You smile at the shorter man in front of you.

"Hello, Dave! May I come in?" He smiles at you, swaying back and fourth. It seems he's genuinely happy to be here.

"Yeah! Of course!!" You move out of the way for him, still holding the door opens.

He enters, going to take off his shoes before looking around to see where he can place them.

"Ah, right, my house is a bit different. Just take your shoes up into my room. Here, follow me." You begin to make your way up to your room, stopping outside your bedroom door. "Welcome to mi casa David."

He smiles at you. "Ah, so you do know some Spanish?"

You look at him, shocked. "That's Spanish???"

He bursts out laughing, releasing a full on belly laugh. "Yeah!! How- Pftttt- How did you not know that???"

Your cheeks tinge a light pink, embarrassed. You quietly mumble a "iunno" before entering your room.

"Woah... Your room looks great!!" Karkat enters your room, looking around amazed.

You decide to sit on your bed, beckoning Karkat to sit with you. He sits next to you smiling.

"So, is there anything specific you want to d-" You get cut off by warm lips on yours.

Karkat quickly pulls away, turning his head away, his cheeks growing a dark red.

What... the fuck just happened?

Chapter Text

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you just kissed Dave Strider, the guy you think- know is your online best friend and boyfriend. It was obvious really. You should've seen it sooner. When he said he knew you you just needed one questioned answered. If he is in your grade. And he is. You just kissed him. On the lips. Like it was something casual. But, now, you are internally stressed out, looking away and blushing HARD.

"I... Don't know what to say." You can feel Dave staring at you, in utter shock.

"You're turntechGodhead, right? My online best friend and.... boyfriend..." You ask him. You know he is but you want him to admit to it.

There's a moment of silence. Not lasting long but making it feel like it lasts forever.

"Yes. I am. I'm sorry, Karkat. I should've told y-" He puts his hand on your shoulder and you quickly cut him off.

"Yeah, you should've, dumbass. I don't even know why you hid it from me, you have nothing to hide!!" You turn to him, looking him dead in the eyes.

"I was scared!! Why didn't you tell me about you?? This all could've been avoided if you just told me!-"

"Isn't it fucking obvious!? I'm insecure, Dumbass!! I get bullied everyday and I am sick and tired of it all." You desperately yell.

"Karkat-"Dave begins before you quickly cut him off.

"Listen to me, Dave. I am sick of everything in this life. I get horrible grades. My father has high expectations for me. I am bad at sports. I am gay. I am overweight. I am the perfect fucking target for bullies and I go to that god damn school every single fucking day and something bad happens. I am sick of it all." At this point you are sobbing. You didn't mean for this to turn out this way but here you are. Great confession Karkat.

"Shit, Karkat. Listen to me, Dude. I fell in love with your personality. And your looks. Fuck, you made me realise I like dudes!!! Karkat Vantas. Your absolutely fucking rocking body made me realise that, oh shit, I may actually want to fuck a guy. And, let me tell you, that was not a fun revelation at nine am on a Monday morning." He'd have his hand on your shoulder again, looking somewhat distraught.

You laugh, smiling up at him while tears continue to stream down your face. "God fucking damn it, Dave. Why did you have to be just- just so fucking perfect????" You're putting the thought that Dave realised he was gay because of you aside. That's a thought for another day.

He'd smile at you, wrapping an arm around you. "I can barely be considered perfect when I'm sitting next to you. Now, are you finished yelling at me so we can make out?"

Sorry, did he just ask if you could make out??? "What??"

"I said are you finished yelling at me so we can hang out." Dave adjusts his glasses with a nervous laugh and you see the way he fidgets with his hands and- Holy shit. He totally asked if you could make out.

You look at him with a knowing smirk. Fuck it, looks like you're leading this shit. "Yeah, I'm done. We can make out."

His eyebrows raise so far they nearly blend into his head and you have to stifle a laugh. "What???"

"You heard me, Pretty Boy. Get over here." You grab him by the collar and pull him down, locking lips with him once again.

This time it seems both of you are more prepared, Dave kissing back quickly and the two of you just pressing your lips together. You run your tongue against his lips and he lets out a shocked squeak, flinching back. You look back up at him, letting go of his collar so he can back off if he was uncomfortable. Fuck, did you move too fast? Did you already mess up?

"Sorry- Fuck. Are you okay?"

Dave takes a minute, staring off slightly as he does so. He looks.... mildly confused to say the least. "What was that?"

You frown, shifting to awkwardly fidget with the hem of your hoodie and staring down in shame. "Uh- I.... I was trying to make out with you."

Dave shakes his head, a smile on his face as he sits a hand on your shoulder. "No, no, Kitkat. You licked me. What was that?"

Oh. "Oh. I was trying to initiate an open  mouth kiss. It's like- I don't know. I'm sorry."

You watch as the other goes a dark red, doing a quick double take of you. "Open mouth kiss??? People do that???"

Now you're the one confused. You look at Dave with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?? I thought you'd know that. I thought you would've had at least a single one night stand."

Dave just shakes his head. "No. I've never kissed or slept with anyone. Have you???"

You blush a bit and look away again. "Yeah. Once." A lot more than once. You and Sollux were friends with benefits for a while.

Dave just awkwardly nods at you before doing a thumbs up. You respond in turn with your own thumbs up and the two of you just go back to awkwardly sitting next to each other. Great. You fucked shit up again, Karkat.

"I wouldn't mind doing that. Open mouth kissing you I mean."

What? You look back over to Dave and you can see he's very much avoiding looking at you, his entire face a dark red. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I trust you entirely with... everything. You make me feel safe dude and if that's uncool to say then I guess that makes me uncool." He finally looks at you, hands planting on your shoulders with a small smile.

Everything about that makes your stomach do backflips. You make Dave feel safe? And he trusts you?? and he's doing that cute little smile you've seen him reserve for only certain things like when the crows at the park come and say hi to him or when there's one apple juice box left in the vending machine. It makes you realise just how much you love this man. "Okay. Cool. Then, let's make out."