It's been about three weeks trapped on the veil with Strider and Lalonde a recent addition to the party. After just the first two days you thought that maybe you'd overreacted and this wasn't going to be as bad as you'd made it out to be, but day three quickly proved your initial suspicion correct when Dave decided that derping around with Terezi wasn't quite enough to keep him entertained and he'd made harassing you his new favorite hobby.

He pesters you about practically everything, about your relationships with the other trolls, your terrible self-loathing issues, the differences between human and Alternian culture; even your former hate crush on John, which he probably knows about through his daily conversations with Terezi.

With a little help from Kanaya, you've forced yourself to become evasive, avoiding contact with the human as often as possible. You hate doing it, feeling like a wimp for running away from your problems like this, but at this point it's honestly all you can do to keep yourself from having a complete emotional breakdown.

...

"Sup Vantas,"

You nearly flinch as the words burst out from behind you, pausing the shitty computer program you'd been fucking around with but not turning to face the teenager who you know is standing right behind you, one of his signature smirks more than likely plastered on his pink fleshy face.

You hear him start to say something else when you refuse to respond, but you easily cut him off, keeping your back to him as you speak: "What the fuck do you want this time."

He walks over to your side and you reluctantly swivel your chair around to face him, frowning as he gives a casual shrug. "Not much, just checking in on my favorite little ball of anger, you know; the usual. It's nice to see you're not mute, by the way. I was a little worried there for a second. Thought you lost your voice or something. Man, wouldn't that be tragic."

You give him a blank sort of look, determined not to let this spiral into another inane argument. "Just get the fuck away from me, Strider. I'm not even in the mood."

Dave gives you an exaggerated gasp, throwing a hand over his mouth for a few moments in feigned surprise. "Karkat Vantas? Not in the mood to go off on one of his signature tangents? I'm shocked; speechless even. Never thought I'd live to see this day."

You feel your nose twitch a bit and you curl one of your hands into a loose fist to avoid blowing up at him. Another pointless argument is just what he wants, and if you let him get his way, things are only going to get worse for you later on. "Just fuck off, alright?"

The human sends you a mocking sort of frown, shaking his head in what was meant to be a false act of disappointment. "Shooting me down and pushing me away just 'cause that pretty vampire friend of yours thinks you should steer clear of me, huh. And here I thought you didn't listen to anyone; thought you did the shit you wanted and didn't give a fuck what other people thought. Yet here you are, practically bowing down to some sparkly white chic like you're her fucking dog or something."

That last comment makes you flinch, and you know that expression a person has when they're about to laugh their fucking ass off at you? Well that's the exact look painted on Strider's face right now.

Only he doesn't laugh because he's got to keep up that moronic cool kid act of his. So he just stands there, smirking at you like a fucking tool and leaving you to pivot your chair back towards the computer screen, halfheartedly muttering a few insults under your breath.

There's a brief moment of silence before he speaks again and you think that maybe you'd be happier if you'd let Gamzee cull you instead of shoosh papping his psycopathic clown ass a few weeks ago.

"That's seriously it? The almighty Karkat just doing whatever this Twilight chic says? I thought you were the leader. The big tough dog giving all of the fucking orders. Guess it's all bark and no bite then huh."

You keep your eyes glued to the screen in front you, staring blankly at the program you'd been trying to pick apart before Strider's arrival in the lab, but not doing anything with it. Just staring at it like a retard as if you're going to find the solution to your current predicament somewhere within the coding.

You're pathetic. Just sitting here refusing to say anything like this. Is this really what you've been reduced to? To some wimp who can be silenced by a douche like him? Are you really out of things to say after only three weeks? What's even gotten into you?

And then Dave does laugh and it's this quick, pompous sort of thing and you really want nothing more than to punch him right in his fucking mouth, but a physical fight is the last thing you need. Besides, you'd never hear the end of it from Kanaya.

"What's wrong Kitkat, out of insults already? Guess it's no bark then either. What, can you only do this kind of shit when you're at a fucking computer? Real life arguments just ain't the same for you, right? Gotta do all your trolling on the interwebs or something."

And there goes your other hand, curling itself into a fist to match the other, only this time you're digging your nails so far into your palm you can feel that mutant blood of yours pumping through your veins.

You turn to face him again, bright orange eyes snapping up to meet the human's gaze behind his shades as you feel a soft growling noise rising up from the back of your throat. You narrow your eyes at him, speaking through bared teeth.

"Fuck you. Fuck you and fuck your shitty glasses and your fleshy pink face and your practical obsession with following me around like I'm your fucking prey. Fuck you for thinking you can do whatever the fuck you want and fuck you for being such an unbearable douche all of the fucking time. Fuck you for doing nothing in this gray abyss other than scheme with Terezi and make my life as miserable as fucking possible. Do you really think I want to deal with your incessant cool-kid blather every single second of my goddamn life? Do you honestly think I give a fuck if you're bored in this hell-hole? Do you seriously believe that you can just go on like this for the next sweep and a half? Do you think I'm going to let you get away with this shit? Fuck you. Kanaya doesn't control me, Strider. Believe it or not she's actually trying to be a good friend and keep me out of shit like this, unlike Terezi who seems absolutely thrilled about idea that another three fucking human years with you could very well throw me into some sort of breakdown of not only the mental sort but very well the emotional manner as well. Fuck you. I'm done. Don't you understand when someone is through with your shit or is your minuscule human think pan really so deficient that you can't even realize a fact as simple as that."

You're left huffing when you're through with your tangent, heart pounding and cheeks a bit flushed from all of that rage you just spewed in the human's direction.

Dave only smirks again, and your expression quickly shifts to one of devastation as you realize you gave him just the reaction he's been practically lusting after.

He leans forward to give you a quick pat on the head. You wince at that, automatically smoothing your hair down where he'd touched you, and glaring at him some more as he opens his mouth to speak again.

"There's the Vantas we all know and love. Well you have fun dealing with that raging hateboner towards me, kay? I think it's time for my quality time with TZ but don't worry babe I'll be back later so don't you worry your pretty little head about that."

You open your mouth to shoot back a sarcastic retort, but he's over to the transportalizer and out of the lab before you can get a single word out, leaving you to bang your head against your desk a few times, absolutely dreading the next interaction with him, per usual.