Left Foot, Right Foot
John welcome to band at Homestuck High, practice is afterschool until 5 p.m.! Your Director -Mr. Jack Noir said the note taped to my locker when I walked into the band room. I got out my clarinet and walked out to the practice field right next to the parking lot and walked up to the man standing off to the side in a wide-brimmed tan safari hat. He was shouting into the megaphone at the shorts-and-t-shirt clad kids gathered on the practice field "NO STOP. ROWS 4 8 12 16 20 AND 24 GO BACK PERCUSSION, TUBAS AND BARITONES STAY WHERE YOU ARE. HURRY UP GET TO YOUR LINES! AND SHUT UP! GOD DAMNIT THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO DO THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN BECAUSE YOU GUYS WONT SHUT YOUR YAPS LONG ENOUGH TO LISTEN TO MY DIRECTIONS." He turned and scowled, "Are you the new kid? Clarinet player, John Egbert right?" I nodded a bit nervous. "Well go find another clarinet player and march next to them. Figure shit out I'm not gonna baby you guys on this field." I reeled back and dashed off to the back of the formation and saw a tall lady with brown and orangey dyed hair grin and exclaim "Oh yay we get to start this over for the fifth time in the last three minutes. Come on guys." I walked up to her and she smiled sarcasticly and asked my name "John. What are we supposed to do?" I followed her and she guestured me to march next to her and hopefully not fuck up. We finished the drill and I finally got to take a break and talk to the others. My pair's name was Hannah and another one of the clarinets a pretty carmel haired girl nick-named Shades (she was wearing black and white checkered shades) helped me out. She was a grade before me, a freshman. She seemed as nervous and confused as I was, taking shakey steps since she and her partner a tenor sax player were sharing a spot. She sat off in the shade with a group of people in my grade and junior year. I kinda just wandered looking at people, taking in faces. A raven haired boy back in the sousa section caught my eye. He was just sitting there glaring at every thing that moved. He flipped his hair out of his eyes and caught my stare. I opened my mouth to ask him his name when the shrill scream of the whistle caused everyone to scramble up, grab their instruments and wander back to their places. I followed Hannah the rest of that afternoon being shouted at by our (slightly tipsy :?) director. After practice we all gathered in the band room put our instruments away and people slowly filed out so I shot my dads PDA a message to come pick me up at the school. I sat down and pulled my crosby-top out and started up Pesterchum scrolling through my contacts and sent the only person online at the moment a message.
-ectoBiologist began pestering turntechGodhead-
EB: Hey Dave you there?
TG: yeah sup egderp? how did the moving go since you decided to go out to the middle of fucking nowheresville and establish a little fucked up colony of one.
EB: Welp right now it's fine we are almost finished unpacking the basic things and I just finished band practice.
EB: I met a bunch of people and... hang on. I have to go get this kids name.
TG: ooh gotta little crush on someone? whos the lucky sir?
EB: hehehe i dont know his name yet!
EB: shit! who said anything about a guy?
TG: pretty sure you just did.
EB: fuck.
-ectoBiologist stopped pestering turntechGodhead-
I shove my phone in my pocket and dash over to the black haired sousa player struggling to lift his instrument into its cubby. "Hey need help?" I asked as I lifted it and slid it into the back of his cubby. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU DOUCHE DICK?" "John Egbert. New kid, sophmore, what about you?" He paused then mumbled something "What?" "IM A FUCKING SOPHMORE TOO. AND MY NAME IS FUCK YOU." I laughed and grinned "ITS KARKAT, EGDERP... WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING TO ME DONT YOU HAVE ANY FRIENDS?" Actually no." my face fell and I started pouting "I just moved away from all my friends and I don't know anyone here." he paused again then his face softend "I UNDERSTAND." I nodded and leaned against the cubbies suddenly really tired. "HAVE YOU RUN THROUGH YOUR SCHEDUAL YET TODAY FOR CLASSES?" I shook my head. "No I came here afterschool cause my dad was mostly finished unpacking things we need." He just nods then I pull out my phone, "My dad actually is busy tonight do you think I could hang with you? I don't have a ride until 8 tonight when he gets off work." he just groaned and nodded. "MY LUSUS WONT BE THERE FOR A WHILE ANYWAYS CRABDAD IS ALWAYS SHITTING AROUND SOMEWHERE." I nodded slowly and we walked out grabbing our backpacks on the way. We stepped out into the chilly afternoon air and started off walking in some direction vaugely near my house. We walked up to a big apartment complex and stepped in. There was a narrow metal staircase running up the middle of the room with an elevator to the right We climbed the stairs to the next floor and walked all the way to the right back room on that landing. He pulled a key out of his sleave and shoved it in the lock. We stepped in and I stumbled as he pushed past me in the complete darkness. I saw a light flip on around the corner and slowly made my way towards it. A door closed blocking off most light from the room I walked closer and pushed the door open slowly and stood there in shock as I saw Karkat shirtless standing there watching me.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK EGBERT? IS THIS SOME FUCKED UP NEW HUMAN CUSTOM TO WALK IN ON SOMEONE CHANGING WITH A GRIN THEN A TOTAL JAW-DROP?!" he stuttered when answering "k-Karkat I'm sorry... I couldn't see and... What happened?" he guestured to my shoulder and I spun around slowly showing him the full extent of the scar. It ran a jagged course from my left shoulder to my right hip. I sighed impatiently before answering "I FELL WHEN I SOMETIME AFTER I BUILT MY HIVE CRABDAD CAUGHT ME AND HIS CLAW CUT ME. BIG FUCKING DEAL CAN I FINISH CHANGING OUT OF MY UNIFORM?" he spun around and put his hands on his bright red face. I slipped out of my uniform and into my usual clothes then paused. He was shaking from head to foot and I noticed liquid dripping from his hands. I immediantly stepped over and reached out taking his hand away from his face "WHATS WRONG ARE YOU OKAY?" "I- I'm not a homosexual" he whispered repeating it three times before I put my hand over his mouth "shhhh... I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS BUT ITS OKAY... CALM DOWN OKAY? WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO TONIGHT?" "C-can we just watch a movie or play video-games or something?" "WHATEVER. I JUST GOT A NEW GAME FOR YOUR STRANGE HUMAN CONTRAPTION CALLED AN XBOX. SOMETHING CALLED LEFT4DEAD2?" he nodded an smiled "That one is fun actually come on lets play!" we spent the next couple hours (okay until like 11:40 at night) playing it as I raged at the stupidity and flaws in it. Afterwards I shut it off shouting at the top of my lungs "FUCK THIS SHIT I QUIT!" he grinned and I asked "IS A MOVIE OKAY FUCKASS OF WITCHWAKERSVILLE." he laughed and agreed I grabbed some DVD out of my stack of rom-coms and threw it in, then while the commercials played we built a tiny fort out in front of it and made a couple bags of popcorn. We both layed inside the fort and watched the rom-com I put in, both of us glancing nervously at eachother during the romantic scenes (the entire fucking movie). After it faded to black I groaned, sitting up and John mirrored my movements. "That was a really boring movie Karkat. Needs more action." "THIS ISN'T SOME SHITTY CAKE RECIPIE GRUB-FUCKER. YOU DON'T JUST ADD SHIT HERE AND THERE AND IT COMES OUT ALL FUCKING DELICIOUS AND EDIBLE, NO. THAT WAS A GREAT FUCKING MOVIE AND YOUR OPINION DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE." "Then why are you ranting about it?" I stopped and felt my face flush my mutant red. Unluckily the movie went back to the title screen and the room lit up. That stupid fuckass decided it was a good idea to reach over and stroke my cheek with his thumb at that fucking moment. I didn't know what to do so I just closed my eyes and submitted to him. I realized after a second when he paused that I was purring. My face heated even hotter and I shut down until I heard him gasp then back up. I opened my eyes and I saw him staring at his hand like it just grew another finger switching his gaze between his hand and me. "I-I am so sorry Karkat. Did I hurt you?" "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK JOHN. IM FINE WHY ARE YOU FLIPPING YOUR SHIT THIS TIME?" "Y-you purr!? Like..." and then he cracked up laughing. I looked away in embaressment and stood up walking out of the fort, hitting the T.V.s power button on the way, plunging the room into darkness. I sat against the on the floor leaning against the wall and sighing. This shit was so confusing. I'm not supposed to give a fucking flying shit about him nor anyone else except for worrying about my high ass motherfucking moirail. I heard him get up and start crawling until I heard a loud THUMP and a whimper. I watched him bump his head on the coffee table and his glasses fall off and skitter away under the couch. I noticed a crystal tear fall in the darkness and he shuddered as he silently started crying. His mouth moved uttering silent pleas and words. 'why can't I do anything right? why do I feel this way? I thought Augh oh gog oh gog he's asbosultely bawling now. What should I do!?' that voice in the back of my mine told me so crawl over and comfort him I began to do so but then I started to doubt myself and I paused, hand reaching for his face. I continued again and rubbed a thumb under his eye, waiping away the crystal like tears. His breathing hitched at my touch and he looked at me in the glittering darkness. "k-Karkat? What are you d-" he hiccuped and I scooched closer wraping an arm around his shoulder hugging him awkwardly. He just paused then said suddenly "I was just thinking Karkat. Did you move here like a couple months ago?!" "YEAH I WENT TO AHS JUST LIKE YOU." "*That's* why your familier! Your thats kid that kept getting in trouble all the time aren't you?" "YUP AND YOURE THE DERP THAT HAD LIKE MAYBE A TOTAL OF THREE FRIENDS THAT STUPIDLY ANNOYING BLONDE THE SLIGHTLY LESS ANNOYING BLONDE THAT TALKED FOREVER AND THE ONE THAT LOOKED LIKE YOUR SISTER." "She was my sister. She just stayed with our grandpa and grandma out there." "OH" He turned and rested his head on my chest and I felt it get cold and wet as he started crying again "I- I just left her out there with the rest of my friends... Do you know anyone here?!" "I've met quite a few people like me. I don't consider us really close friends though... though I do have a moirail out here. His name is Gamzee." I spoke quietly. I hadn't seen him in a long time actually... After a bit I felt him stop shaking and breathing flatten out. I looked down to see him fast asleep curled against me. I actually smiled for once and picked him up and laid him down in the fort tucking blankets around him and then hesitantly I moved my pillow next to his and curled against him sharing the blankets between us.
I had never slept this well.
Chapter II
When I woke up I wondered lazily why I was so warm and content. I sat up then cold air flooded around my body and I shivered then my heart fell when I saw Karkat groan and sit up. He had been wrapped around me probably all night. My face immediently flushed cherry red in a blush when he looked at me hurt playing in his eyes then they steeled and growled "DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO WAKE ME UP BULGELICK." I frowned and shook my head 'say something suave John' I thought but all that came out was a stuttered welp. He rolled his eyes and groaned as he crawled out and stood. I heard a faint beeping in his bedroom and I remembered it was a school day. "SHIT!" I exclaimed and crawled out and looked at the clock. It was 10 A.M. school started hours ago. "Think we should go anyways?" he paused then announced not to go and just call in sick. He walked back to his room and emerged wearing pajama pants and a giant chocolate brown hoodie with a bloody line on the front and walked to the phone coughing then anounced that me and him we're sick with food poisoning from something we ate last night and can't make it four feet with out pukeing. He grunted and hung up announcing that we got today and tommorrow off if needed. I grinned nervously and then asked "Karkat, do you have a set of clothes I can borrow?" "WHATEVER SURE JOHN WHY DONT WE JUST GO THROUGH MY ENTIRE CLOSET TO FIND YOU SOMETHING TO WEAR?" the sarcasm in that statement just blew through the roof, we may have killed some dueling Striders." I regreted saying that when my heart squeezed with longing as I rememberd my friends. "SINCE WE HAVE ALL DAY TO FUCK OFF WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO FUCKASS MC-LETS-MISS-THE-ALARM-CLOCK DUMBASS." "Hey we both were out here so... hey you know th *BANG* I hear a door open and loud clicking follow it. "SHIT. CRABDAD I. FUCK, NO HES JUST A KID FROM SCHOO... WHAT? NO ITS NOT MY... GOG DAMNIT COME ON JOHN CRABDADS JUST FLIPPING A HUGE PILE OF CRUSTCEAN SHIT RIGHT NOW AT THE ASPECTS OF A HUMAN... IN MY HIVE." "what IS that?!" I shouted as I saw his giant crab monster. "THAT MY LUSUS JUST IGNORE HIM COME ON LETS GO." I was practically dragged from the room, Karkat pulling out a cool rainbow sickle fending off the thing called 'crabdad'. We ran over to my house and burst inside me laughing and karkat with a bemused expression on his face. I ran up to my room and jumped on my bed while Karkat just stared at me "WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK EGDERP." I breathed in the smell of the ocean breeze and smiled into the pillow then froze when I felt the bed shake as he crawled over and sat next to me. I peeked one eye up to look at his face "HEY FUCKASS YOU WANT BREAKFAST? I'M ABSOLUTELY STARVING" mhurghamshg "WHAT?" I lifted my face up and repeated what I said "sure pick your poison". His face contorted into a grimace and I grinned "thats a human expression, what do you want?" "DONT CARE MUCH FOR HUMAN FOOD" "you haven't had my cooking then." I ended up making chocolate chip belgian waffles and pulling out a carton of apple juice. As I was mixing the batter I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist and a face burrow into my shoulder, "k-karkat what are you d-doing?" "NOTHING MUCH JUST WATCHIN YOU MAKE SOME SHIT CALLED 'WAFFLES'" I reached out to the counter and grabbed a taster spoon (of course we had one cause of my dads stupid betty crocker baking luckily I found some pretty good non-betty-crocker cook-books),set down the bowl and scooped some up. I turned in his arms and held the spoon to his lips till they parted and he accepted the liquid waffle. He starred at me blankly then said "ARENT THERE RAW CLUCK-BEAST EGGS IN THIS?" I shrugged feeling the blush burn brighter when his arms shifted a little to the new position. I smiled in a non-derpy way for once sub-consciously trying to be cute. The corner of his lips tugged up into a lopsided smile and on impulse I reached up and planted my lips to his slightly chapped and sticky ones. His arms tightened around me and I tilted my head to the side a bit to kiss him better and his lips shifted, moving into the kiss. I heard a click behind me on the counter as my timer went off. I leaned back then sprung back slamming my back into the counter. I put my hand over my mouth in shock and embaressment then turned around and took out the waffles, my head swimming so much it takes three tries just to get one out. As I tried to pry the second one off I accidentally raubbed my hand against the top, "AUGH SHIT!" I immediantly stuck my hand under the faucet and turned it on and sighed when the cool wter rushed out over the puckered red skin. "WHAT DID YOU DO NOW JOHN?!" Karkat asked a slight edge of panic. "just a burn i'm okay karkitty." "HA YEAH. I GUESS SO..." he just stood there hovering while I dipped my hand in the cascading water. I pulled it out and strode off to the bathroom to put a bandaid and neosporin on it. When I returned I set the last of the batter in the waffle iron and turned to face him with an apologetic smile. He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his warm lips kissing the burn, "thanks karkat. you hungry? the waffles arent gonna eat themselves. you want apple juice?" "SURE WHATEVER YOU WANT JOHN. IM GONNA TRY AND FIND A SET OF ACTUAL CLOTHES TO CHANGE INTO, I SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME." I watched him walk back to my room then realized I should show him where my clothes are and ran up after him I burst into the room to find him standing there with his back to me his face buried into one of my old black spades shirts. I tried to shift to my other foot awkwardly when I realized why he hadn't turned. I was floating a good couple of inches off the ground. He noticed me out of the corner of his eye and slipped off his shirt and I spun blushing. I didn't even know why I was I mean bros don't have anything to hide, why should I be embaressed to take note of those toned abs or lithe body. Wait what was I thinking? "HEY JOHN. I WAS WONDERING D- DO YOU HAVE A KISMESSIS?" "a what?" his face lit up a bit then flattened out to his usual annoyed glare "NEVERMIND YOU ILLITERATE NOOK-SNIFF I WAS JUST WONDERING... WHAT ABOUT A M-MATESPRIT?" I shook my head and he had that look of relief again then he walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist. "gee i never thought you would be a hugger vantas." "WOW MY NAME SOUNDS WEIRD COMING FROM YOU." "karkat vantas, karkat... heh it sounds weird both ways so its all cool how about a movie karkitten." "DONT CALL ME THAT A MOVIE IS FINE IF YOU LAY OFF THE STUPID NICKNAMES NEPETA GAVE ME" "whos that" "GIRL FROM SCHOOL YOU KNOW IN THE BELLS SECTION" "nope. whatever lets go pick a movie." We end up watching Titanic. I pull a blanket down and wrap it around us for warmth as we snuggle up into the couch. I lean into the arm rest and set my head back thinking about the move and my family back south. About Jade, and our friends Rose and Dave. About how grandpa used to make Jade practice aiming with her rifle while I had piano practice. I don't notice I had fallen asleep until my dream starts.
"Johnnnnnn your dads calling for you to come inside. Where are you John? Joooooohnnn! Where are you?! Are you okay?" "Jade! Where are you?" "I'm right here silly, come here. Come back!" I saw a flash of green and a garbled scream. "JADE!" "R-r-run... he's back for us, run John." I almost tripped on something. I look back to see a black garbed arm I follow it back to it's torso and there lies my sister in a pool of her own blood. I screamed then awoke to find Karkat shifting across my chest to look at me. "ARE YOU OKAY?" "y-yeah. peachy. just had a nightmare." "IM SORRY. WAS THE MOVIE TOO BORING? I LOVE THAT ONE." "no karkat i guess i was tired. i was thinking about back home my family and friends." he nuzzled his face into my neck and sighed then looked up at me "JOHN, DO YOU WANT TO.. MAYBE KISS AGAIN?" my head swam as I leaned my face down over his shoulder and barely touched our lips together.