Equius sat on his couch, flipping channels. His finger ever-so-lightly tapped the remote buttons, hovering almost. The channels sped through until stopping on the one channel Equius desired. The remote broke in his hand.
"Third one this week." Equius grumbled. He started to pick up his weights.
"Equius? Are you there?"
Behind his wooden door, Equius's moirail, Nepeta, waited. She hummed a soft tune.
"Come in."
"Oh, silly, the door's locked!"
Fiddlesticks. Equius had locked his door last night after being interrupted by the highblood Makara. Equius was almost out of sopor slime to give.
"Can you pick it with your claws? I see no need to break another door knob."
The humming silenced. The door knob jiggled a bit, then the door opened. A small cat troll pounced onto the blue blood.
"Equius!"
Equius groaned. Nepeta was getting bigger each day, no longer a young meowbeast. She smiled.
"Equius, guess what? My little hoofbeast is on!"
"Nepeta, I have no time to exert my energy watching that television show."
"But you love it!"
"Please, Nepeta. I will watch it later."
Nepeta frowned. Her tail dropped. Slowly, she picked up her head.
"If you so much as dare show me your meowbeast eyes, I will—"
Nepeta stared into Equius's blue eyes. She curled up the sides of her mouth into a sweet grin.
Equius sighed in defeat.
"Oh boy! Lucky for us, the show has just begun." Nepeta reached for the broken remote. "Oh."
"Sorry, Nepeta."
"Sometimes, I wish you weren't strong."
"Then how would I protect you?" Equius reached to pet Nepeta's head. He frowned and dropped his hand.
"You don't need to protect me. I can protect myself."
"Alright. If you say so." Equius took his moirail's word and looked away to pick up his weights.
"Do you ever wish you were someone else?" Nepeta asked.
"N-no." Equius stammered. He was quite surprised at the force applied to the question.
"Are you sure? You don't look very happy."
"I am very happy when you are here." Equius turned back to Nepeta. She was trying to fix the remote. "Nepeta, that won't work."
"Yes it will. It has too."
"There is not as much importance to My Little Hoofbeast as you think there is."
Nepeta stopped playing with the remote and placed it on the table. She laid back onto the couch.
She mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?"
"You don't do a lot with me."
"Huh? Nepeta, we are together all the time."
"You don't play, you don't watch tv, you don't even cuddle."
"I watch television often. You just saw me."
"Not good shows."
"Nepeta, what is this about?"
The cat troll buried her head into her jacket. Her hair fluffed around her head, creating a shield-like cover. She shook her head.
"Nepeta."
Silence. A muffled squeak barely reached Equius's ears.
"I want to hug you. I want to hug you and be able to play without getting hurt. I don't want to just sit by you. But there is nothing else because if you lay a hand on me, I'm in pain." Nepeta mumbled. She voice cracked.
"We can play without physical contact. You like roleplaying, don't you?"
"Yea. But you don't. You told me yourself, games are for lowbloods."
Equius held back a comment. What could he say? He felt the same and wanted to tell his moirail that.
Nepeta noticed the silence and shifted. She opened her green eyes, sparkling from the nearing tears. Her claws ran through her hair.
"We could watch my little hoofbeast."
"It's not on remember? I tried the remote."
"… How about we go somewhere?"
"We are stuck on a meteor. All we can go to is the common room and we practically live there." Nepeta gathered her things. "I guess I'll go back to my room then."
Equius reached out for Nepeta. She left without looking back.
Equius dropped his weight and ran after her. Sweat dripped down his face as he spun around corners. In the process, he pushed Vriska.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"Have you seen Nepeta?"
"She went to the common room. Geez, look out ." Vriska sneers. Her god tier wings slap Equius in the face as she heads toward the stairs.
Equius throws open the door, startling both Nepeta and Terezi.
"…I have to go. Vriska wants me." Terezi finishes her conversation with Nepeta and leaves the room. Nepeta waves goodbye.
"Oh, hi Equius!" Nepeta calls Equius over. He stumbles to her, regaining his highblood stature.
"Hello Nepeta. I'm sorry about what happened back there."
"No worries. I—"
"Sweaty douchebag, I need you for two seconds!" A familiar voice calls from the corner of the room.
Equius excuses himself and goes to the side of the lowblood. Karkat shows Equius his current conversation, his red eyes widening with every word. Equius starts to sweat again. Nepeta throws him a fresh towel.
"Oh my." He breathes. His coarse black hair sticks to the side of his face.
"Do you see why I need you? I hate to admit it but against him I am useless against him. Are you up to the fucking job? I literally have no one else. No one."
"I guess."
"Thank gog. Try to bring him back alive. Or dead. Dead is better." Karkat shoves you off in the highblood's direction. You quickly grab your towel.
Nepeta laughs at Karkat trying to push you away. You look down at your hands, then to the metal doors. Clenching your hands, you approach Nepeta. She giggles.
"What was that about, Equius?"
"Oh, nothing. The lowblood needs me to help him with someone."
"Can I help?" Nepeta smiles, tilting her head ever-so-slightly.
"Not now."
"oh. That's too bad."
"How about we roleplay?" Equius smiles, his eyes glistening. He was thankful for the cracked glasses he had. Nepeta perks up.
"Of course! Gimme your glasses!" Nepeta practically rips Equius's glasses off, leaving Equius to wipe his eyes under Nepeta's hat. He didn't understand why he felt like this. There was a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Grr..i'm Equius and I am so sweaty!"
"I'm Nepeta and I like cats. Meow meow meow!"
"Hehe, Equius that's so silly! I don't say meow." Nepeta giggles. The glasses fall off her face.
Equius stifles a smile. In the corner, Karkat glares at you. His eyes soften at the sight of Nepeta.
Looking back at the blueblood, Karkat nods his head toward the door.
"I have to go now, Nepeta."
"Already? This is so much fun." Nepeta pouts.
"We will play later. Now is not the time. I need you to hide."
"Why?" Nepeta pulls her hat back on. Her face is green from laughter.
Equius tears up.
"That's not important. Whatever you do, don't follow me." Equius turns around. Nepeta puts her hand on his shoulders.
"Meowrails forever?"
"Moirails forever." Equius takes off, exiting the room. Nepeta frowns as he leaves.
I wonder what he's up too. She thinks. Out of boredom, she disobeys her moirail and crawls through the vents.
Closing her eyes, she hears a faint, throat-growled voice.
HONK.
Oh! Equius left to roleplay with Gamz33! Nepeta crawls toward the noise. But why didn't he want to roleplay with me?
Reaching the first opening, Nepeta is appalled by what she sees.
Prince Lemonsquare! Who would do this?
Nepeta continues down the dark path. The noise grows louder.
I bet Equius will be so surprised to s33 me! He can be so silly sometimes. Nepeta passes more openings. Her excitement grows more and more.
Finally, she gets to Equius and Gamzee.
HONK
Honk
HONK
Honk
HOOOOOONK!