Author's Note:

I've always wanted to write a story about the values of family bonding and understanding!

Eheheh. Not really.

But sweet baby Jegus, I could not wait to write this story. How the entire plotline came to me... I'm not sure. But, I thought it was a pretty good idea, so here we are.

So, I'll quit yapping and let you read. Hope you enjoy.

xxx

CHAPTER ONE:

That Woman

Karkat Vantas hated people. At least, as far as the general public was concerned.

So, understandably, the absolute last thing he wanted was more people living in his house.

Unfortunately for him, that was pretty much exactly what his father was suggesting. Well, that's what he gathered from the breaking news. Amongst other things, of course.

And then, he proceeded to blow a fuse in front of everyone present.

x-A short time earlier-x

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU WRIGGLING SHITSACK! I'LL KILL YOU!"

His older goddamned brother leered back down at him, nose wrinkled in distaste. Karkat hated when he made that face. Well, he hated Kankri's smug ass face in general, but this particular expression was just so... condescending. Who did that girly, holier-than-thou fuckass think he was?

The argument had started off as usual: Kankri said something that pissed Karkat off (in this case, babbling on and about how immature he was and how he'll never contribute to society with an attitude like that and never mind finding a girlfriend because no girl wants an inconsiderate asshole and blah blah blah. How any being could yap like Kankri could was an absolute mystery to Karkat.

"Karkat Vantas, watch your language. I apologize if any of my previous commentary has triggered you, but please do try to have a bit of self control. We've been over this," responded Kankri in his usual calm, lengthy, superior way. The fact that he was acting as if this conversation was nothing fueled the youngest Vantas child's anger even more. God, siblings were such a pain. Oh well, he thought. At least he only had one.

Karkat unclenched his teeth and opened his mouth to retort in the most cutting way possible, but the first syllable of his cleverly chosen insults was cut off by Kankri's sweater-covered hand clamping firmly down upon his face, effectively shutting his mouth. His first reaction, of course, besides flailing in surprise, was to grab his brother's wrist and attempt to pry it off of his face, which was exactly what he did.

Just as he managed to peel Kankri's had away, right when he was about to start yelling at him again, he was promptly shh-ed, and he had no choice but to hush up. Everyone knew that when someone said "Shh", it meant that something was going down that was worth paying attention to. Whether or not this particular spectacle fell under that category, however, was definitely up for debate.

After a moment or so of silence between the brothers, Karkat finally registered the voices Kankri had been hearing. They drifted up from downstairs, the foyer most likely, he reasoned. They were all too easy to identify. His dad, and... his goddamned girlfriend.

Fuck. Everything.

He could clearly hear their greetings as his dad allowed that woman inside. Or at least, he would have clearly heard them, had his mind not have been preoccupied by hateful thoughts. That woman irritated him beyond all reason. His hate for her could not be done justice by mere words. Why, exactly?

Well, that was the thing. He had no idea. He hated her with every fiber of his being, and he didn't have half a clue as to the reason.

Instead, he came up with a proto-reason himself that seemed plausible enough, even though it wasn't true at all: That he did not want to lose his dad to that woman. Which, although it would pass as feasible to one who didn't know them very well, was otherwise ridiculous. He knew very well that that was not the kind of person his father was. Furthermore, it was not the kind of person his girlfriend was, either. She was actually very nice, and they actually seemed like they were meant for each other. It was a beautiful relationship, inside and out, and he was admittedly actually happy that his dad had found The One.

So why couldn't he stand her?

He had also speculated that the reason might not lie in her at all, but in her family. That is, her daughters: Meulin and Nepeta. Now, he wouldn't have had a problem with these two, except, well, they were his schoolmates. Karkat had always figured that this whole situation between his father and their mother was horribly awkward. The thing was, he seemed to be the only person who saw a problem in this, and that just bothered him more. Nepeta had already been all over him for as long as they'd known each other, and the absolute last thing he needed was her yipping and cheering over them potentially becoming, God forbid...

Step-siblings.

He did not want to live with those people. He hardly even wanted to see them at school, much less wake up and have to deal with them all day every day until he moved out. How in the hell was he the only one that had a problem with this? It was such a huge problem! Karkat remembered ranting about this particular issue to Kankri once, but, amazing big brother figure that he was, all he got from the red-sweater-wearing bastard was a lengthy, vehement diatribe against his views, and about how he should be ashamed of himself for thinking such a thing and how Nepeta and Meulin and their mom were perfectly decent people and how you could trigger someone with such hateful words and how their dad deserved to be happy and yaddah yaddah yaddah. Typical Kankri. Good-for-nothing douche. He was a horrible enough brother already. How did anyone expect Karkat to deal with more siblings?

But the clincher, he believed, was something he'd thought about that had kept him awake at night about a week ago: He'd been thinking about their relationship, as usual, and it occurred to him that they'd never fought once, according to the watchful radar of him and Kankri, and how they'd been dating for at least six or seven months now. His thoughts also wandered to the woman, and that one time she'd brought cookies over to their house (damn, were those good cookies), and how she was always smiling and laughing, and how happy his dad was when she was around, and how good of a mother she'd make-

And that was where the terror set in.

Mother.

One day, that woman would be his mother.

He couldn't stand that thought. It kept him awake some nights for a while after that, tossing and turning, with no hope of getting rest. A mother. No way in a frozen-over FUCKING hell. Again, he did not hate that woman for her character or anything. It was just that... Well, he'd gone pretty much the entirety of his life without a mother. What need had he for one now? None. Absolutely none. He was perfectly content (relatively, at least) living with only his father and his brother, despite the colossal douche he was.

The truth was that, although Karkat didn't know it yet, he was scared. He was scared of this foreign aspect of a maternal figure intruding upon the life he was pretty much already okay with. He was afraid that she would somehow manage to take his life and everything he knew to be firm and true, and rip it all out from under him, much like one ripping a tablecloth from underneath fine china. Karkat did not want change. He was, in a way, admittedly, happy like this. Even with a dicky older brother that was gifted with way too much gab, even with a rotten social life and very few friends, and even with all of the normal complications that came with being a teenager, he was, pretty much, happy. He wouldn't want his life any other way at the moment, in all honesty. It was for that very reason that the prospect of having a new "mother" and "sisters" terrified him out of his wits.

So, lately, he had been considering ways to break the two up, like the jealous friend in one of those cheesy romance movies. Except, obviously, he wasn't going after his dad. That would be creepy. He just wanted them separated. Then, he figured, he could get on with his life and focus on other, much more important things than this persistent thorn in his side that seemed to just keep getting bigger.

Unfortunately, he'd been drawing a blank as far as plotting their breakup. He couldn't think of a single flaw in that woman's character (except maybe being too nice) for him to exploit. Sensibly, he didn't dare expose his desires to Kankri. Best case scenario, he'd only nag at him again. Worst case, he'd rat him out to their father, and that just couldn't happen. It was a plan easier said than done, of that he was certain.

Thoroughly frustrated at the mere sound of that woman's high, melodic voice, Karkat roughly yanked Kankri's hand away. He turned on his heel and crept farther down the hallway, appearing as angry as one who was nearly tiptoeing could be. Kankri followed, although with less... silence.

"Karkat? I don't know if this is morally acceptable. We could easily be detected, and there's no telling whether or not this may trigger Ms. Leijon, let alone fa-" Karkat had promptly lost patience and kicked his older brother in the shin to silence him. As usual, it worked like a charm. Not even Mr. Virtue could resist a little eavesdropping.

The brothers crouched down low behind the stair railing, ears straining to hear the conversation between the two adults, as though they were young children rather than a freshman and a senior in high school. They had done this before. Sometimes, Ms. Leijon would ask his father about his work. A while ago, Karkat would have thought this completely unfair and out of line. His father had never told him or Kankri about what he does for a living, so why should this hussy get to know? He eventually got over it. Surprisingly enough, topics concerning his father's work never really held his interest for long. He'd supposed he'd just gotten used to the mystery until the curiosity faded from his mind, and the aspect of his father's job just blended into the backdrop of the rest of his life.

The couple was in the kitchen, Karkat inferred. Their conversation, this time, was not centered around his father's job, but rather, something else. He pressed his ear closer, risking a surreptitious peek at the two.

They were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table. The mere sight of this set Karkat's blood boiling. That wench! How dare she get so close to his dad? He scowled, but kept his fuming thoughts suppressed as he listened to their conversation.

"I'm so excited!" she chirped, and Karkat wanted to shoot down those stairs and punch her right in her god damned perfect face.

His father smiled and nodded. Then, he took her hand and looked into her eyes lovingly. "As am I," he murmured, but Karkat could hear him perfectly from where he crouched, and it made him sick. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, and wanted badly to go back to his room, and maybe chat with Gamzee or something. Anything but to be there, witnessing this heinous occurrence taking place within his own household. But, he just had to remain. There was something about the undertones of this otherwise typical mushy exchange that intrigued him. Something was up. His suspicions were confirmed when his father spoke again.

"Are you ready to break the news to them?" he asked. Her response was an enthusiastic nod. She looked like she was about to burst with joy. Bitch. Karkat glowered at her from his relatively secluded vantage point for a moment before ducking back into the hall as his father turned his gaze to the stairs.

"Kankri? Karkat? Could you come here for a second, boys?"

The two brothers looked at each other for a moment, as if both were trying to glean reassurance off of the other. Whether it worked or not, Karkat stood up, pushed his shoulders back and kept his head high, and was the first to descend the staircase. He wasn't going to show that bitch that she affected him greatly in the emotional department. Nope. Not him. He was going to keep his cool, no matter what.

His father gestured to chairs across the table from him and his girlfriend. Smiles were broad upon their faces. Although Karkat desperately wanted to run upstairs and curl up in his room, he managed to keep his confident air about him as he took a seat, back ramrod straight, and eyes focused solely on his father's overjoyed expression. Kankri sat next to him, wearing an expression of genuine curiosity.

Karkat sniffed discreetly in disdain when he deduced that they must have been holding hands under the table. His father's other hand was on top of the table as he began to speak. "Boys," he said, "Now...-" He cleared his throat here. "-Miss Leijon and I have been together for a number of months now, and, well, we figured that now would be as good a time as any to take the next logical step..."

Karkat's demeanor almost shattered. His brows raised slightly. What was his dad trying to say, exactly? It couldn't be... Could it...?

He clenched his teeth together as he listened to his father's next words. For all of his silent praying, it didn't seem to delay the inevitable. His father took a deep breath before going on. "So, this summer, after school ends, she and I will be getting married."

And just like that, he cracked.

Karkat began to visibly shake. His hands grew clammy, and they gripped the edges of his chair until the knuckles were almost as pale as his face. His eyebrows were raised high, and he felt his teeth begin to chatter. His worst fear was being realized. He'd been too late to stop them, after all.

His father was not done with the soul-crushing newsflash. "After that, she and her daughters will be moving in with us. Isn't that great? A new mother, and two sisters!" The genuine happiness on the couple's face was getting to be too much for Karkat to bear. His father sighed happily. "We'll be moving to a larger house, too. We've already got our eye on a place. It's a nice house, big enough for all of us, and it's out of this dang city, too, and it looks over the ocean- gosh, you guy's will love it! It's gonna be great!"

As if it couldn't have gotten any worse.

Karkat's mind took a toll of the devastation:

He was marrying that vile woman.

Nepeta was going to be his new step-sister.

And they were moving out of the city, where he'd lived since he was born, and where he'd set his roots.

And he would have to deal with this for the rest of his juvenile life.

So, it should not have been surprising at all that he proceeded to flip his lid in front of everyone, like a child throwing a tantrum. But it was all in good reasoning, as far as he was concerned.

He shot up out of his chair with so much force it tipped and fell over backwards with a loud thud that immediately silenced his father's mouth. "No way!" Karkat exclaimed vehemently. "No fucking way!"

His dad furrowed his brows in confusion at the outburst. "Karkat? What's wrong-"

"What's wrong?" he hissed, and jabbed his index finger in Ms. Leijon's direction. "That is what's wrong, Dad!"

Hurt flashed across the woman's face, but Karkat paid her no mind. His father rose from the table as well, confusion gradually giving way to outrage. "What are you saying, young man?"

"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M SAYING, DAD!" he yelled. He saw Kankri shrink away from him out of the corner of his eye, but he was too angry to care. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING? YOU'RE FUCKING UP EVERYTHING! WHY? FOR SOME TWO-BIT HUSSY YOU'RE FAWNING OVER!"

He heard Ms. Leijon gasp quietly, and any trace of any emotion that was not anger was flushed from his father's face at once. His voice was dangerously intense and low. "Karkat Vantas. Go. To. Your. Room. Now." Karkat did not have to be told twice.

Without saying anymore, he turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs. By the time he reached his room, the first tear had fallen. Fuck. Why was he crying? It was not the Karkat thing to do.

Who knew that one woman could cause so much god damn trouble?

Karkat immediately plopped down into his desk chair and switched on his computer. As it started up, he reflected on what had just happened. He'd just gone batshit in front of everyone. His face flushed red with embarrassment. Great going, fuckass.

As soon as the computer was ready, he opened up Trollian and nearly sighed openly with relief when he saw that his best friend was online. God, he really needed someone to talk to. Scratch that. He needed Gamzee. No one else knew how to lift his spirits like his best friend.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

CG: GAMZEE.

CG: GAMZEE?

CG: OH MY GOD FUCKING ANSWER ME YOU STONED SHITSPONGE

TC: wElL iF iT iSn'T mY bEsT mOtHeRfUcKiNg FrIeNd.

TC: WhAt CaN i Do Ya FoR, mY iNvErToBrOtHeR?

CG: DON'T FUCKING CALL ME THAT.

CG: SERIOUSLY.

CG: NOT IN THE MOOD.

CG: BUT YEAH.

CG: ABOUT THAT.

CG: I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED, BUT DON'T- I REPEAT - DO NOT SAY A FUCKING THING UNTIL I'M DONE. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?

TC: cLeAr As A fUcKiNg CrYsTaL :o)

CG: OKAY.

CG: SO.

CG: IN A NUTSHELL

CG: MY DAD TOLD US HE WAS ENGAGED TO NEPETA'S MOM.

CG: AND I WENT APESHIT.

CG: AND SAID A LOT OF SHIT I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID.

CG: POINT BEING, NOW I'VE GOT AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE MAD AT ME,

CG: MY DAD'S MARRYING THAT BITCH,

CG: NEPETA'S GONNA BE MY SISTER, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY,

CG: AND THIS SUMMER, SAY YOUR FUCKING FAREWELLS, CAUSE APPARENTLY, BECAUSE OF THIS PIECE OF SHIT MARRIAGE, WE'RE MOVING.

CG: I'M PRETTY SURE THAT COVERS ALL OF THE BULLSHIT.

CG: YEAH, I'M DONE.

CG: FEEL FREE TO SAY WHATEVER.

TC: LoOkS lIkE a MoThErFuCkInG jAm To Me, BrO.

CG: THANK YOU, CAPTAIN GAMZEE MOTHERFUCKING HIGH OFF OF HIS ASS MAKARA.

TC: tElL yOu WhAt,

TC: FiRsT oN tHiS mOtHeRfUcKiNg GaMePlAn,

TC: cOoL yOuR mOtHeRfUcKiNg JeTs :o)

TC: sLaM a FaYgO, oR sOmE sHiT.

TC: SeCoNd,

TC: ThErE's AlWaYs ToMoRrOw, YoU kNoW?

TC: tAkE a NiGhT tO cHiLl.

TC: ToMoRrOw, We'Ll TaCkLe ThIs ShItStOrM aS bRos

TC: sHoW tHaT fUcKeR wHo'S bOsS.

TC: :o)

CG: ...

CG: I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT.

CG: OKAY. I'LL TRY TO RELAX TONIGHT.

CG: THANKS, I GUESS.

CG: SEE YOU TOMORROW.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

Karkat breathed a heavy sigh after shutting down his computer. With the last remaining strength he had, he trudged over to his small bed and flopped right it, not bothering to crawl under the covers.

His mind, much to his chagrin, wanted badly to keep reliving the events of his snapping, and the hellish revelations that lead up to it. However, he was just too tired. In his last moments of consciousness, he thought hazily of talking things out in person the next day with Gamzee at school. High or not, his best friend was always there for him, and that's what counted most. Especially in a most unfortunate situation as this.

Moments later, his consciousness faded, and Karkat was asleep.

xxx

Soooooo? Love? Hate? Lemme know, lovelies! I'm always open to your input! Until next time~