Author's Note: I made a new fanfic instead of focusing on the others. Humanstuck seems to be my forte. I did fiddle with the ages for reasons. I hope all y'all enjoy!
Disclaimer: gurl, if I owned Homestuck, you wouldn't have ever heard of it.
"Vantas, why don't you work with Makara?"
Karkat sighs. He'd rather die than work on a group project, but no one ever asked him. "Yes professor."
"KARKAT. YOU?" asks Karkat.
"Gamzee Makara!" smiles Gamzee.
"Okay, you need to know that..." Karkat looks at Sollux. Sollux shrugs and turns back to his lab partner, Feferi.
"… and this is a very dangerous solution if mixed with the wrong compounds. What you need to mix it with is…"
Gamzee begins combining the different things, pouring liquids into liquids. A hissing noise brings Karkat's attention back to his lab partner.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I'm mixing these miracles."
"NO STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT-"
"It burns."
"HEY! WE GOT A CHEMICAL BURN OVER HERE!"
Later, in the Nurse's Office…
"HOW DID YOU EVEN GET TO 10TH GRADE?"
Gamzee just looks up at Karkat. He holds his bandaged right hand. "You think I can still play guitar?" he asks.
"YOU'RE JUST LUCKY THAT YOU DIDN'T BURN YOURSELF TOO BADLY."
"It's a miracle."
"LOOK, I GOTTA GO. JUST- DON'T DIE. I'LL GET INTO SO MUCH TROUBLE. GOOD THING YOU DIDN'T DRINK THAT STUFF."
"Later, bro!"
"I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND!"
Later…
"Hey, Best Friend!" shouts Gamzee.
"WHAT?" asks Karkat.
"Man, I coming over."
"DID YOU JUST INVITE YOURSELF OVER TO MY HOUSE? I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. KANKRI WILL-"
"Kurloz can't pick me up today. It'll just be one day."
"FINE, BUT KANKRI-"
"Thanks man! Come on, let's go!"
Later…
"Hell9, Karkat." smiles Kankri.
"UH, KANKRI, I HAVE TO ASK YOU SOMETHING-"
"What is it, Karkat?"
"Honk honk!"
"IS IT OKAY IF I BRING GAMZEE HOME?"
"9h… 9kay."
"COME ON, GAMZEE."
"S9, Karkat, what did y9u d9 at sch99l t9day?"
"OH… THERE WAS A CHEMICAL BURN IN THE LAB TODAY. I GUESS THAT WE CAN RE-SET THE 'ACCIDENT-FREE' SIGN FROM 12 TO 0."
"Wh9 didn't f9ll9w lab rules?"
"That'd be me. Whoops."
"Well… what else happened?"
"I spent a while in the Nurse's Office. There was this one kid who-" The sentence is interrupted by a clown horn.
"What was that?"
Gamzee looks up from his phone. "Aww man, that pipe finally broke!"
"9h n9."
"Yeah man. Looks like we gotta find a place to crash tonight…"
"Why n9t stay at 9ur place?"
"Really? Okay."
"Karkat? Y9u've 6een really quiet. Are y9u 9kay?"
"I'M FINE. JUST TIRED."
"Yeah man. School's pretty tiring."
"Sh9uld I g9 pick up Kurl9z?"
"Nah, I'll just get him to follow us." Gamzee begins texting.
"H9w's Kurl9z?"
"He's fine. Doing better than at graduation."
"That's g99d. I've 6een w9ndering what he's 6een up t9."
"I think he's planning on going to New York. I wonder if he'll leave before I graduate…"
"I sure h9pe n9t. Maybe he sh9uld keep taking it easy. Y9u kn9w, while he adjusts."
"It's been over 6 years…"
"That's a really traumatic thing t9 g9 thr9ugh at such an y9ung age."
"He was 16."
"That's still really y9ung."
Gamzee pauses in texting for a second. He bites his lip.
Karkat doesn't know exactly what happened. Just that one day, Kankri came home from school crying and never told him why. Kankri would stare at Karkat and just hug Karkat for no reason. He never knew why but wanted to. He awkwardly begins his homework.
"He says thanks." informs Gamzee.
"He's very welc9me. Are y9u sure that y9u're 9kay, Karkat? Y9u're awfully quiet. Is s9methign wr9ng?"
"I'M FINE."
Kankri finally pulls into the drive…
Kurloz follows him.
"Hey bro!"
Kurloz waves at Gamzee and pulls two bags out of his car, along with a black guitar case with purple details. He hands one bag to Gamzee as well as the guitar case. Kurloz signs something to Gamzee and Gamzee replies with "I'm sure they won't mind."
"No, it's fine. They'll be fine with it."
"Karbro's pretty chill. And you know what his Kankri is like."
"That was years ago."
"He will forgive you, or at least has forgotten."
"Relax, Kurloz."
Kankri unlocks the door.
"SO WHERE ARE OUR GUESTS STAYING?"
"I was h9ping that y9u w9uld 9pen y9ur d99r f9r Gamzee…"
"YOU THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE PEOPLE OVER THAT I WOULD SLEEP."
"I was h9ping that y9u w9uld get s9me rest, yes."
"I'M NOT TIRED."
"I never said that y9u w9uld 6e."
"YOU WERE IMPLYING THAT I WOULD BE TIRED. I'M NOT."
"Just relax, Karkat."
Karkat stomps up the stairs.
"9h Karkat." sighs Kankri.
"Y9u need t9 sh9w Gamzee where he's staying!"
"OKAY, I'LL GET TO THAT!" Karkat calls back.
"He's n9t… he's always like this. I'll give y9u a t9ur."
Karkat listens to his older brother leading the Makara's around. He decides to get to cleaning up his room. How did it get this messy?
He clears off the floor, making things seem less messy. There, that looks… moderately decent. He just hopes that no one opens the closet.
"… and this is Karkat's r99m. I'll let y9u get adjusted."
"HEY, GUYS." Karkat meets them at the door.
Kurloz and Kankri move along, depositing Gamzee at Karkat's room.
"SO THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE I SL- WHERE I BASICALLY LIVE."
"Cool, man." Gamzee sets down the bag he's carrying.
Night falls…
Karkat stays up, watching a Rom-Com. Gamzee sits on the floor- not the couch- and strums the guitar he brought. He hums along. Karkat finds both the strumming and the humming incredibly annoying. "9kay, we d9n't want any9ne t9 6e tired t9m9rr9w. Time t9 sleep."
Kurloz takes to the couch, not wishing to- as he put it- 'disturb Kankri like before'. Whatever that meant. Karkat is really annoyed that no one is telling him anything.
"Karkat, that means that y9u have t9 sleep t9night."
"OKAY… WHATEVER…"
"N9 argument? 9kay, then."
Karkat moves upstairs.
"Aww man, now I'll never know how it ends!"
"YOU WERE WATCHING?"
"Yeah."
"WAS IT A GOOD MOVIE?"
"Yeah, man. It would have been better if there were ghosts, but it's pretty good."
Karkat shrugs.
"Hey, Karbro, mind if I ask you something?"
"YOU JUST DID. I MINF VERY M-"
"I need your help with something."
"WHY DON'T YOU LIS-"
"There's money in it."
"OKAY, BUT HOW IS THAT-"
"Come on, Best Friend!"
"WHY ARE YOU-"
"Just be quiet!"
Gamzee picks up the guitar case. He drags Karkat out of the house and into Kurloz's car.
"KANKRI'S GOING TO KILL ME FOR LEAVING THE HOUSE AT NI-"
"He won't know."
"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?!"
Gamzee laughs and drives down the road.
A lot of shouting and one car ride later…
"Come on, bro! We gotta go."
"WHY DO I EVEN HAVE TO GO-"
"No time for that! Just come and let the miracles work!"
Gamzee strolls into a coffee shop, dragging Karkat along.
"Okay, now just wait here!"
Karkat bites his tongue. He looks around the coffee shop and at the people there. Many were college students, typing on laptops or just drinking coffee. He gets many curious stares and then realizes that he is a little young to be here at night.
"Are you lost?"
"Do you need help finding your mother?"
"Who let the ten-year-old in?"
"You're a bit young for coffee."
"Do you need for me to call your parents?"
Karkat blushes furiously. "I'M SIXTEEN YEARS OLD! NO, I DO NOT NEED MY FATHER!"
Everyone stops talking and stares at him.
"Hey Best Friend! C'mon, we gotta go!"
"YEAH, OKAY, WHATEVER."
Gamzee goes behind the curtain of the stage. Karkat reluctantly follows him.
"Okay, you need to sing."
"I DON'T SING."
"You need to tonight."
"YOU SAID THAT THERE WAS MONEY INVOLVED."
"Yeah."
"FINE, I'M IN."
Gamzee pulls back the curtain. "Hey guys, it's me, Gamzee Makara!"
Lots of people clap.
"And this is my buddy Karkat."
Fewer people clap for Karkat.
"We will be your entertainment on this miraculous evening!"
Gamzee strums his guitar for a minute, and then begins playing 'We'll be Counting Stars".
Karkat takes in a deep breath and begins singing.
"LATELY I BEEN, I BEEN LOSING SLEEP.
DREAMING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE COULD BE.
BUT BABY, I BEEN, I BEEN PRAYIN' HARD.
SAID NO MORE COUNTING DOLLARS.
WE'LL BE COUNTING STARS.
YEAH, WE'LL BE COUNTING STARS…"
The song ends…
"Now for our next song, 'This is Halloween.'"
Gamzee strums something creepy, which belongs on an electric guitar like his.
"BOYS AND GIRLS OF EVERY AGE, WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING STRANGE?
COME WITH US AND YOU WILL SEE, THIS OUR TOWN OF HALLOWEEN.
THIS IS HALLOWEEN, THIS IS HALLOWEEN, PUNMKINS SCREAM IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
THIS IS HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY MAKE A SCENE, TRICK-OR-TREAT 'TILL THE NEIGHBOR'S GONNA DIE OF FRIGHT."
The song ends…
"Our next song will be-"
Karkat paws at Gamzee's hoodie sleeve. He looks at Gamzee for a second.
"Looks like that's it for tonight! See you guys later!"
The audience claps and cheers.
"So you're finally tired, Best Friend? We should be going home anyways."
Gamzee walks off to talk to someone about the money for the gig.
A girl walks up to Karkat.
"That was amazing! You have a really good voice!"
"HUH? OH, THANKS." Thanks Karkat.
"You got a girl?"
"N- NO." yawns Karkat.
"Too bad. She'd be real lucky to have a guy like you."
"OH, REALLY?"
"Yeah. I suppose someone like me deserves someone like you." She leans closer to Karkat.
"WHAT ARE YOU-"
"What's up, bro? Whoa, did I walk into something?" asks Gamzee.
"NO, YOU DIDN'T WALK IN ON ANYTHING."
The girl leaves.
"What was that about?"
"I THINK SHE WANTED TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND…" Karkat is shocked. No one has ever kissed him before.
"You sound scared. What's wrong, bro?"
"NOTHING. AND IF IT WAS SOMETHING, I WOULDN'T BE TELLING YOU."
"Aww man, I can help. You can trust me."
"IT'S NOTHING. WE SHOULD BE GOING BACK, ANYWAYS."
"Yeah, your brother will be worrying."
An awkward, quiet car drive home…
Karkat shuffles into his room. He yawns and collapses onto his bed.
"Night, Best Friend."
Gamzee curls up on the ground.
Morning comes…
"Hey, I forgot to give you the profits from last night." remembers Gamzee.
"OH. HOW MUCH?"
"Fifteen dollars."
"THAT'S A GOOD PROFIT."
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"DO I SMELL PANCAKES?"
"Pancakes? Honk yeah, man!"
Gamzee runs down the stairs. Karkat follows suit.
Kankri pours batter onto the griddle. "Y9u're up late. What kept y9u?"
"I WAS TIRED."
Kurloz signs something to Gamzee. Gamzee signs something back.
"Y9u were tired f9r 9nce? That surprises me, Karkat. You never sleep."
"I HAVE A GOOD REASON."
"Well, eat up. Y9u have sch99l t9day, y9ung man."
"YEAH, I KNOW."
As Karkat gets out of the car…
"Hey, Karkat!" shouts Kankri.
"YEAH?"
"Y9u're a g99d singer. Just d9n't sneak 9ut again and y9u're all9wed t9 keep it up."
Karkat pauses and stares at his brother.
"HOW DID YOU-?"
"Y9u sneak 9ut at night with y9ur friend and leave my car at the h9use... I w9nder h9w y9u expect me n9t t9 f9ll9w y9u. Besides, y9u weren't exactly quiet, either."
"ARE YOU GOING TO TELL DAD?"
"N9t if y9u tell me where y9u're g9ing first."