"Dave."
A blond demon in the pits of the underworld looked up from his shenanigans. "Sup."
"Dave I have a job for y-"
"Fuckin finally."
The superior hissed then cleared his throat. "You're going to haunt a certain group of kids. With your sister."
Dave grumbled. "Aw hell no I ain't doin shit with Rose."
"DO IT OR MELT." That's the worst they can do here. Melt a demon to smithereens.
Dave laughed and morphed the rock he was messin with earlier into a seriously sharp katana. "Only on one condition."
A sound of grit teeth. "What."
"I get to drag whoever I want down here."
"... FINE." And with that the superior vanished in a boom of heated sulphur.
A cruel grin formed on Dave's face. One of satisfaction. "Cool." Then he too whooshed away in a puff of mercury. Why mercury? Because it reminded Dave of his cold and shiny soul.
"Dirky!"
A sigh. "I thought I said not to call me that."
"But Dirky!"
"Rox no."
The blonde angel with her martini bumped the other with his scalene triangle shades. "Said there's a job for ya. To guard some group of kids. Course I get to go along!"
Dirk groaned. "Okay, let's go." The two gently dissolved into a warm breeze to their destination.
"Johnny boy come on, chin up! It'll be a chipper day today!" John sighed inwardly and put on a brave smile for Jake. That's just how it was, every morning. Jake woke John up around seven for Sburb university and in return John tried to be chipper. It wasn't gonna last too long though. John had his facade but it wasn't really... Real.
That's besides the point here. John glanced at the clock and ran off in a panic. "JADE. JAKE. JANE. WE'RE LATE." A flurry of colors and scuffling ensued with everyone getting ready and eating. Jane whipped up pancakes in no time flat and Jake had all their drink ready in a flash. This was clearly a routine thing. The two younger, John and Jade, got ready first and then ate while the elder two cooked and ate first before actually getting ready. Seven forty five and they were all out, madly running to catch the train, just as the doors closed they got in. Time 7:50.
A sigh escaped John's lips. Made it once again.
Classes started 8:30 and the train ride to school was about thirty minutes. Lots of uni students took the chance to catch up on sleep like Karkat Vantas. Other's tried to complete homework such as student Tavros Nitram. Still other's managed to find their special destined partner and talk to/cuddle with them on the train, an example being Sollux Captor and his long time girlfriend Aradia Megido (Partners since freshman year, high school).
John always found a place to sit or stand near a window. It was never really strange to him how the scenery looked. Until today since he didn't see just the normal greens and browns. He saw a flash of white and a flash of black. Confused, he stared out the window and hoped to catch another peek but none happened.
He shook it out of his head and the rest of the train ride went relatively smooth with the exception being British exchange student Eridan Ampora sparking a fight with Sollux (Neither won as their respective girlfriends broke it up. The scolding after was actually really hilarious).
SBURB University was a large school, even by uni standards. It had several dorms and giant school buildings. You didn't get to class on time unless you either walked the entire break (15 minutes) or had some other mode of transportation (rollerblading, skateboarding, biking ect.) or you were just really fast as running or something. Either way it was a huge campus and nearly all of it was filled with students and faculty. You could very well get lost in such a big campus. John's first class was one he shared with Karkat and Sollux (Aradia didn't join in this one). Eugh math. John hated math with a burning passion and as the bell rang, he barely made it into the class. The teacher, Miss Alice was reading off the roll and something new caught John's attention.
"...Dave Strider?"
A pale hand rose into the air lazily but that's not what stunned John. He had a voice like shimmering icy waterfalls, all frozen in their tracks. It was also like the lazy river frozen over with shining ice chunks floating along. Just a cold but beautiful voice. "Sup."
John's first reaction was a gaping face and Dave seemed to note this, giving a lopsided half smile. It's just the corner of his mouth tilting up slightly. It's not much of a smile but it takes John's breath away. Completely. His mind short circuited even more when he heard a "Dirk Strider." In short another one.
Except this one was warm like freshly baked chocolate chip chip cookies and sunlight heating up the day. It was like the warm ocean waters of Hawaii with all the colorful fish and coral too. Simply everything mixed into one sole voice that seemed to completely oppose his possible sibling's, Dave. Dirk flashed a grin like the sun which quickly faded back into the clouds. Both Striders seemed awfully tense. And John couldn't remember them from before…
Class passed by fast. Just a normal day of spacin out and not payin attention. Acing anything the teacher asked. John was a literal certified genius with a superbly high IQ. The bell chimed and John slinked outta class, stretching and yawning. "What a dull class." John knew before he turned. The icy tone, the chilling presence. Dave.
Up close it was like looking at an angel. But like a fallen one. A devil so to say. Fine strawberry blond hair framed a face like the moon, cold and luminous. Freckles spanned from cheek to cheek and the aviator shades gave the sense of a superstar or something. He was dressed casually in a ragged pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. On it was a small symbol right in the center. A time record of sorts but it was sliced in half? A jacket not at all zipped. Some sweet headphones topped it all off.
"Oh yeah I know." John heard his own voice spill out. It sounded squeaky and high. He blushed furiously and cleared his throat. "So uh I've never seen you around here." True that.
A scowl came and went over Dave's face so fast John couldn't be sure if it was a 'real' scowl. "Just transferred in." Oh. How… Anticlimactic. John nodded and began his way to find Jade. Jade had this robot dog they used for transportation, a machine named BEC. He'd forgotten what it stood for. Jade was there, waiting but also chatting with someone. A girl John hadn't seen either. She was a drunk, he could see that clear enough but it was a fun drunk it seemed, with her bright smile and shining personality. The blonde girl laughed cheerfully and pet BEC's head. It simply barked and panted.
"Jade…" John didn't feel right interrupting but the blonde girl grinned brightly and hugged John like he was her long lost rich cousin or something. Her breathe didn't smell like alcohol which surprised him but rather like fruit salad. How odd… The raven haired boy grinned in return (fake) and she pouted slightly. "Hi! Name's John!"
"Ra- I mean Roxy Le- Lalonde." She hiccuped and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Nice ta meetcha Jan. Uh, John."
"Pleasure's mine Roxy!" He dimmed his smile slightly and could smell the scent of a fresh field of Tulip flowers from her. A lot like Jane's garden…
"We'd better get going John!" Jade yanked him out of his stupor and was pulling the boy onto the big metal machine. "BEC let's go!"
And off that dog bounded. Over students of all kinds who took it into their normal routines. That's just how it was a SBURB Uni. Accepting and loving and firm and kind.
Now the bell was ringing again and this class was the language class John took. Latin Because it was a shadier and sort of more cool sounding language. This class had a new student too. A girl, blonde, by the name of Rose Lalonde. He wondered if she and Roxy were sisters.
Rose was much more like Dave with her icy cold stare and the straight, slow way she talked like glaciers that carve into the mountain. John decided that Dave and Rose we siblings of sorts and that Dirk was brother to Roxy. That the four were connected only through family name. (As it is, he's right.)
Class flowed smoothly and was over sooner than expected. Lunchtime was usually a hustle bustle thing but today was peaceful to John at least since he sat under his favorite oak tree. It was really nice… Ah but here come all four new kids and all his friends.
A smirk on Dave's face, neutral on Rose, drunk smile on Roxy (They allow alcohol in the school?) and half smile on Dirk. They all vary so much but it's odd… They don't seem so human as they do out worldly beings. John shook that thought out his head and watched the group approach.
First thing that was heard was Kit- Karkat's screaming at Dave.
"YOU BULGE SUCKING NOOK EATER. I SAID THAT ROMCOMS DO NOT FUCKING SUCK." That language is what get's him in trouble more often than Gamzee (That one stoner guy that smokes all the time. Some new brand called sopor. It's green apparently but what does John care?"
"oh but you know they go kitkat" It's Dave. He's joking around. It's practically tangible, his silent laughter at the expense of the Vantas. "romcoms are just plain silly and pretty sure everyone here knows it"
"I'm Sorry Dave, But Could You Please Cease Messing And Bothering Karkat?" Kanaya's calming voice just before Karkat could tersely answer. John thought of a flower bed when she spoke, it was so gentle and soft and soothing. She managed to get them both to stop which didn't really shock the aqua eyed boy.
"Ah, thank you very much Kanaya. I appreciate that you have arbitrated (separated) this argument. It was really beginning to grind on my nerves." How'd Rose get on such good terms with Kanaya already?
"My Pleasure Rose." Miss Maryam must really like Miss Lalonde. 'My Pleasure' was not a term often heard.
"Calm your2elf KK." As mentioned before, Sollux Captor. It would be accurate to label him as that one dickwad that knows his way with technology. He's not so bad once you spend some time with him. He's got a love for bees and honey and his precious 3D glasses. They're actually perscription so he says. They don't look too bad… Oh and he's got a lisp.
"He's right Karkat. Y0u get far t00 w0rked up." Also mentioned before, Aradia Megido, Sol's long time girlfriend. She's nice enough but she suffers from severe depression. Sometimes John found her crying into Sollux's shoulder as he gently cradled her, murmuring comfort things. Neither of them knew thing and that's how it's going to stay. She speaks in a kinda spooky way and her o's sound hollow.
"Wwell I think he's just fine in wwhat he's doin." That british voice is unmistakable. It would only be mistaken with Jake's but the double w's tip it off. Eridan Ampora, foreign exchange douche. What can anyone say about him? He's a big dick who's too full of himself. He's not royalty or anything but his family ranks high in the world and that's just about all that's worthy of him.
How he caught someone like miss Feferi Peixes is beyond the imagination of anyone. She's high up in the ranks too but she's nicer than anyone of her rank should be. Blessed girl to be frankly honest. "B-e nic-e -Eridan! )(-e's a littl-e loud." Cutie!
John sighed. So many people! Perhaps more would come but currently they were the only ones around.
Rattling off the list again: John, Jade, Dave, Dirk, Rose, Roxy, Karkat, Kanaya, Sollux, Aradia, Eridan, Feferi.
Wow look at them all. So many. John sighed again. Too many people around his quiet place but it's okay since he really kinda wanted to have some company anyways. Dear me, it looks like there might be a fight cuffing out.
Dave slinking about in a circle, one perfectly matched by… You guess it, Karkat. Karkat's tenser body was the opposite of Dave's that slid around like water, free flowing. Before the fight had even started, John knew who the winner was but that still didn't stop the woosh of concern for them both in fear they'd injure each other.
Author's 2 cents: Ah yes, my first fic finally shooting out. I will be updating but slowly of course. Hopefully I will be able to load this to AO3. Added bonus I don't know what I'm doing. So constructive criticism is welcomed yada yada yada. Okay bye.