Nepeta loved the beach. She wasn't a huge fan of the water, but she loved the beach, and it was nice to spend some time with family, as amalgamated as her family was. It was her, her sister, and their mother, and their mother's fiancé, Solomon, and his two sons Karkat and Kankri. Nepeta and Karkat had been friends before their parents started dating; in fact, Nepeta had a bit of a crush on Karkat. And then there was the Maryams: Solomon's mother, Nana Rosa, and his sister, Malati, and her husband, Aarav, and their kids, Kanaya and Porrim. So, yeah, they were far from traditional, but that only made things more interesting.
Karkat was grumpy—that was his default mood—but Nepeta figured it was because he had to wear a buttload of sunscreen and still stay in the shade of the umbrella. His little surly frown was endearing. Kanaya tapped Nepeta on the shoulder, pulling her attention away from Karkat.
"Nepeta, would you and Meulin like to play volleyball with me and Porrim?" she asked. Nepeta glanced over at her sister, miming hitting a volleyball. She couldn't always remember exactly what the official ASL signs were for everything, but as long as Meulin could understand what she meant, things usually worked out. Meulin nodded enthusiastically, then raised both hands and moved them up and down in a wave-like motion. Nepeta furrowed her brow for a moment, trying to remember what that meant. Oh. Ocean! Nepeta turned back to Kanaya.
"Sure! Meulin wants to go in the water for now, though."
"Of course. Enjoy yourself; we can wait."
Nepeta smiled, letting out a laugh as she ran towards her sister. Nepeta didn't want to get too deep in the water, but she got her feet wet, walking in until it was about around her knees and kicked up at Meulin, splashing her more than a little bit. Meulin retaliated, tackling Nepeta until they both fell into the water. Meulin popped up, grinning beneath the mop of wet hair that clung to her face, but Nepeta appreciated getting soaked about as much as a cat would. The joy in the water was short-lived, as after that pounce, Nepeta trudged back to the rest of the family, stretching out into the sun as much as she could.
Once Meulin returned from the water, and Nepeta was sufficiently dry, the kids began to get things together for the volleyball match. Karkat stood up to join them, squinting in the sunlight. Kanaya tutted, shaking her head, and then took her hat off.
"Here, take my sun hat," she said. Karkat could not have looked more unhappy about it, but he put it on anyway.
"I'm gonna look so fucking stupid," he muttered. Nepeta disagreed; she thought it was pretty damn cute. Then again, she kind of always thought Karkat was cute, even when he was on a pointless angry tirade. The six of them (apparently even Kankri had been convinced to play) made their way over to the volleyball court, as begrudgingly as the Vantases did so, and split themselves into teams—Karkat, Kanaya, and Meulin versus Kankri, Porrim, and Nepeta. Nepeta was the slightest bit frustrated to be stuck on Kankri's team; he was easily the least athletic one of the bunch, which was proven when he fell flat on his ass trying to make a save, but it was a pretty good match regardless, up until Meulin hit the ball way too hard, sending it over Nepeta, Kankri, and Porrim's head. Everyone watched as it hit the ground and rolled up to a group of four kids.
"Oops, sorry!" Meulin called. Her volume control was really off, especially without her hearing aids. Nepeta and Porrim exchanged a glance, and then Porrim turned to Karkat.
"Karkat, could you get the ball, please?" she asked. Karkat's eyes went wide for a moment.
"Yeah, but take this first," he answered, thrusting the hat back into Kanaya's hand as he passed her.
"You really shouldn't be in the sun," Kanaya said.
"It'll be like two minutes, it's fine! I'm not fucking walking over there with that dumbass hat on," Karkat huffed before running off to the other kids. Kanaya frowned at the hat in her hands, then walked over to Porrim.
"I thought it was quite fashionable," she said.
"Don't worry, Kanaya, men simply have no taste."
"I find that offensive," Kankri piped up, which, of course, sent him and Porrim into an argument. Somehow that was a recurring theme.
"I just don't see why you feel the need to undermine me at every turn," Porrim scowled at Kankri. Nepeta rolled her eyes, then looked at Meulin. She pointed at Porrim and Kankri, pointed her finger in the air and drew a couple of large circles, then pointed both her index fingers at each other, moving them up and down in synchrony. They always argue.
Meulin nodded. She pointed at Porrim, then raised her right hand, placing her thumb in front of her chin and drawing it down to her chest before putting both hands in front of her shoulders and gesturing forward. Then, she pointed at Kankri and just gestured a 'blah blah blah' motion. Yeah, she talks about feminism and he just talks too much. Nepeta found sign language probably way too fun to use, especially around other people who couldn't tell what they were talking about. It was like having a little secret code. Before Nepeta and Meulin's conversation could go much further, Kanaya walked up to Nepeta, still looking a little upset about the hat. Nepeta patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Kanaya, I like your hat! Karkat's just a little grumpy sometimes." Kanaya looked up at Nepeta, looking a bit befuddled.
"Yes… if by sometimes you mean literally all the time," Kanaya said, smiling a bit. "I do have to ask, what is it exactly that you see in him? And… I hope you don't find this too intrusive, but don't things ever get awkward?"
Nepeta pondered the question for a moment. "I… I don't know, I just think he's sweet, even if he doesn't show it in the way other boys might. He cares about his friends a lot." Kanaya pursed her lips, looking like there was something else she wanted to ask, but she decided against it, which Nepeta was glad for, since Karkat was returning with the volleyball. It seemed a bit of a scene had taken place, and Karkat came back looking slightly more disgruntled than usual. There was a mention of resuming the game, but everyone's mood had been soured in the maybe ten minutes Karkat had been gone, so it just got kind of shrugged off. Kankri wandered off, seeming a bit pouty, and everyone else went back to the umbrellas. Nepeta checked her phone, hoping for a message from a specific someone, and there was in fact one waiting for her.
centaursTesticle [CT] began pestering arsenicCatnip [AC]
CT: Good afternoon, Nepeta.
CT: I hope you are having a pleasant time with your family.
AC: hi equius!
AC: i was just pawndering if I'd hear from you today!
CT: Yes, well, as you're aware, I've been kept quite busy with programs my father insists on enrolling me in every summer.
AC: I knowwwwww
AC: I've hardly seen you!
AC: *ac pouts a bit*
CT: None of that.
CT: You know it's not my fault.
AC: you could tell your dad you don't WANT to go to hockey camp or whatever nonsense he's running you ragged with
AC: you big dumb stinky butt
CT: Nepeta, please, we have talked about this.
CT: My father is quite controlling.
CT: He will not cotton well to me resisting.
CT: And it is archery class in the summer.
AC: pfft you suck at archery
CT: No.
AC: yes
CT: No.
AC: yes
CT: No.
AC: yes
CT: No I don't.
AC: yesssss yes yes yes
AC: have you ever even successfully fired an arrow?
AC: like actually got one to leave the bow?
AC: what the hell is that about?
CT: Nepeta, what did I say about that awful language?
AC: oops
AC: sorry :(
CT: Your fraternization with the lower class has loosened your morals, can't you see this?
AC: but it doesn't matter!
AC: most of my tossed-together family is what you'd define as lower class
AC: i guess you think karkat is, anyway
CT: Yuck.
CT: Don't pollute my incoming data sream with his name.
AC: i don't understand why you dislike him so much!
AC: sure he is cranky, but i think he is fun!
AC: he even plays silly purrtend games with me, even if in a grumpy and insincere way
AC: which is more than i can say for YOU, sweatquius :P
CT: We will never agree about him, it seems.
AC: yes, it DOES seem
AC: he's not as bad as you seem to think
CT: I think he is a negative influence on you, and you don't know any better.
CT: Which is why I am here to look out for you.
AC: ahahaha, no
AC: everyone knows you're a creep and a weirdo
AC: which is why YOU'RE lucky to have ME to keep an eye on YOU
CT: I do not need you to keep an eye on me, or any of our supposed friends.
AC: but
AC: they ARE our furriends
AC: i was even thinking of joining terezi and vriskers and i guess eridan when they play dnd
CT: The thought of you fraternizing with and abetting those hooligans strikes me as scandal beyond measure.
CT: I'm afraid you're too delicate to withstand that sort of corruption.
CT: It's forbidden.
AC: nuh uuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh
CT: Yes.
CT: You won't.
AC: no
AC: i will
CT: You won't.
AC: you can't stop me!
CT: I am telling you not to.
AC: bllllllraaaaaaaawwwlllllrrrrghggghghgh
arsenicCatnip [AC] has ceased pestering centaursTesticle [CT]
Nepeta set her phone down. Equius was just so FURRSTRATING. But they were best friends; practically inseperable. There was something almost magnetic about the friendship, like they belonged together in every conceivable alternate universe, even if they disagreed or called each other stupid names. Equius could be a little controlling, Nepeta would admit that much, but it was usually his attempts of looking out for her. It was the same way that Karkat's grumpiness was really him looking out for his friends. Nepeta glanced at Karkat, sitting cross-legged under the umbrella. He shot a look at her, a look that said, "your best friend is the only guy on the planet who's a bigger asshole than me" before turning back to whatever he was doing. Nepeta plopped herself down next to him.
"Hi, Karkitty," she said, leaning into him a bit. Karkat frowned a little bit.
"Hey, Nep," he muttered.
"Whatcha doin'?" Nepeta asked. Karkat let out a sigh, then tilted his phone towards her. She peered at it, frowning a bit. It was one of his dumb romance novels. Nepeta smirked at him. "Honestly, I don't know why you read that stuff, it's so trashy!"
Karkat gaped indignantly. "First of all, it's not trashy. Second of all, you read shitty Wincest fanfiction so you're not really one to talk."
It was Nepeta's turn to be indignant. She stood up. "I do not read Wincest." She stuck her tongue out at Karkat. "Everyone knows Dean and Castiel are PERFECT for each other." It was true. Destiel was best ship.
"Dean isn't gay!" Karkat shouted, also standing. It wasn't the first time they'd gotten in this exact argument.
"Dean could be gay, you don't know that." Okay, he probably wasn't GAY gay, but he looked at guys too!
"Okay, Dean is not gay," Karkat said. "I suppose YOU could argue that he's bi, but I doubt even that. And anything the writers put in hinting at Dean and Castiel being a thing is blatant queerbaiting, which is gross. They tease and they tease and they tease, saying 'hey guys, look, we might have this potential gay couple, look how progressive we are!' And they proceed to jack each other off in some massive circlejerk at how they've now attracted this fucking fanbase of teenage girls searching for ~teh yaois~ without even putting the gay couple in the show in the FIRST PLACE, when all the actual queer community wants is some goddamn representation!" Karkat was breathing a bit heavy at the end of his tirade, Nepeta had physically taken a step back, surprised at having set Karkat off, and Rosa looked mortified. Karkat composed himself, turning pretty goddamn red, and then Nepeta blushed herself and quickly sat back down. "Sorry…Nana Rosa," Karkat muttered before sitting next to Nepeta again.
"Okay, what about JohnLock?" Nepeta asked.
"That's the same fucking problem," Karkat whispered in as much of a whisper as Karkat could ever manage. Nepeta decided not to press things anymore.
Nepeta wandered off towards the water again, not getting in this time, but rather, she found a stick and began writing initials in the sand. AD + SC—Aradia Droog and Sollux Captor. TN + VS—Tavros and Vriska? No. Nepeta crossed that one out. KM + ... Nepeta didn't have a match for Kanaya yet. She knew Kanaya had a thing for Vriska, but Vriska was harsh, and Kanaya was too wary of ruining her chances to ever make a move, which resulted in Vriska just seeing her as someone who can't keep her nose out of things. Vriska was too harsh, in general, for relationships, Nepeta thought. Most people couldn't tolerate her. TP +- fuck, she didn't have anyone for Terezi, either! Shipping her friends would be so much easier if there was more than one way to pair them off. TP + KV was certainly a contender given the history, but Nepeta was being a bit selfish about it. GM + TN. EA + FP. That last one was debatable. Before too long, Meulin joined her and they worked out her friends' ships, too. DM + RN, Nepeta wrote out, before Meulin crossed it out, explaining that the ship SANK. What a shame. MC + LP. KV + CA. ML + KM. PM + LE (literally everybody). AS + MP. HZ + RN. The waves kicked up and erased all the letters as they went.
Nepeta drew one more before leaving. The family was packing up, Meulin had gone up to help, and Nepeta felt okay writing NL + KV and drawing a heart around it. She ran up to meet the rest, turning around just as the water washed her handiwork away. All she could do was hope it wouldn't turn out to be foreshadowing of reality.