Nepeta smiled at her computer, giggling at the playful banter she and Equius shared over instant messaging. He was coming to visit in a few days, and she was excited to spend time with her mewrai! She wiggled in her seat, antsy to have him stay over. They hadn't seen each other in a long while! However, she had a lot of cleaning up to do, plus she needed to make sure all the food she had was vegetarian to make sure he didn't get nauseous again. Granting him a regretful goodbye, she hopped out of her swivel chair, picking up her mess of shipping charts and colored pencils. Now that she and her friends were much older, things had settled down, especially drama wise.

Her crush on Karkat dwindled as the sweeps went on, and now, she didn't feel anything but the human concept of plain old friendship toward him. It was quite nice to just feel strictly platonically for someone! Even though she and Equius were morails, she sometimes did feel slightly flushed feelings for him, but she wouldn't ever tell him. She didn't want to ruin the perfectly good thing they had going for them! And it would be rather devastating to invest herself in those feelings when he clearly didn't feel the same!

Sighing, she prepared herself to sleep, it was a good way to pass the time and forget about emotions. Although she didn't have to rest often, she felt like now was probably a good time. Maybe when Equius arrived she'd feel better! The thought of that improved her mood as she got comfortable, falling asleep peacefully.

After a long few days, Equius finally arrived at her house, only to be pounced on and have his luggage go everywhere. It wasn't fun to clean up, but Nepeta didn't regret it at all. After setting everything up, Nepeta dragged her mewrail to sit down, placing herself on his lap as they talked about what ships she thought would happen. Although she was babbling on and he was listening like he normally would, she would get lost her sentences whilst trying not to stare up at him or cuddle too close. She got nervous when he started to sweat, frantically avoiding his eyes as her blush began to increase, but he simply pulled her closer and urged her to continue on. It took her a minute to relax, but she picked up where she left off, resting her head against his chest. She paused after a while of talking, giving her voice a break, so Equius gave her his input on all of her potential ships, holding her tight as he did.

"Do mew think I'm off on any of them?" Nepeta asked suddenly, nearly cutting Equius' sentence off.

Equius pressed his lips tight together in thought. "You are not usually wrong with these things, Nepeta, so I highly doubt they will not happen." He paused for a moment, wrapping a second arm around her waist. "Why are you asking?"

"N-no reason!" Nepeta flushed heavily, hiding her face in her best friend's chest. "I was just curious."

Equius' eyebrows were scrunched with worry, but before he could drop the subject, he had to ask something to ask first. "Are you feeling flushed for someone? Because that is perfectly normal, Nepeta."

"Maybe. Mew will nefurr get it out of me."

Equius sighed, picking Nepeta up to take her outside for some fresh air. She was acting really weird. "Well, you can tell me whenever you are comfortable." He opened the door, checking the perimeter for any lethal creatures, and set Nepeta down, seating himself beside her. Their hands instantly linked together out of instinct, fingers interlocking tightly.

"I missed mew, Eqkitty."

"I missed you, too, Nepeta."

Nepeta lurched awake suddenly, breathing heavily. Equius, the light sleeper he was, woke up as she did, and quickly pulled her to his chest, running his hands through her hair. She had issues with staying asleep, and when she did wake up, she usually woke in a panicked frenzy. It took her about thirty seconds to steady her breathing, and when she did, Equius cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead and cheeks all over, causing his mewrail to giggle and squirm. And thanks to her inability to keep still, a kiss was planted on the corner of her lips, causing the both of them to freeze. Equius gulped, closing his eyes and kissing her gently, in which Nepeta happily did the same, her hand going to the back of his neck, her hand in his hair.

Her other hand toyed with the end of his tank top, slowly sliding it further up his chest until he finally broke away from the kiss to peel it off of his increasingly sweaty body. He then moved on top of her, his arms on both sides of her head, placing his weight on his forearms as he swung his leg over hers, pinning her underneath him. Nepeta's breathing went quick, taking everything in. She took in a deep breath and removed her sweater, leaving her in her undergarments. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he held her close as their lips met again to kiss deeply and needily.

The kisses, and touches, slowed down as the reality of what time it was sunk in. They were both super tired, and it definitely was a bad time to do any more than this. Equius was the first to stop, and Nepeta followed soon after, the two of them shared short and soft kisses until they sat, pressed tight together, whispering sweet nothings to one another.

"I love mew so much, Eqkitty, I really do."

"I love you, too, Nepeta. Beyond speakable boundaries."

Holding each other tight, they kissed again until they couldn't stay awake any longer, falling asleep with entangled limbs and goofy grins.

Equius woke to small pecks being placed on his jaw and neck, causing him to stiffen and perspire. He felt a a nibble of sharp teeth right underneath his jaw, forcing him to stifle a rather embarrassing noise. "Nepeta, I order you to stop that at once."

"But Eqkittyyyyyyy," she whined, pouting and looking up at him. "I thought mew wouldn't mind aftfurr last night!"

Equius' blush darkened even more as he remembered exactly what he initiated last night, and he began to sweat even more. "I did not think either of us would remember that, but here we are, remembering exactly that."

Nepeta giggled, booping Equius' nose. "Mew are super cute."

Equius sighed, looking Nepeta in the eye. "You know this… messes with both of our quadrants, right? I'm still matesprites with Aradia and we're morails. I don't know what to do about this. I feel strongly for you, Nepeta, but I cannot promise Aradia will be as forgiving. I'm sorry, Nepeta."

Nepeta's face fell immediately. How could she be so selfish? She knew Equius already had that quadrant filled, how could she even have let him do that when they were both exhausted? She was a terrible morail. "I'm so sorry, Equius, I forgot about that I'm so sorry oh my gog I—"

Equius pressed a palm gently to her cheek, their foreheads pressing together. "It's okay, Nepeta. We will make this work."

"Are mew sure it's okay?"

"As long as it is with you, yes."

Equius gulped as he saw his current matesprite infront of him, her robot form moving about as she handled simple tasks. She had to be careful in such a delicate form – it was only a prototype. She turned around to see Equius, a delicate smile running across her face. She leaned in to kiss his cheek, but Equius stopped her halfway. "Aradia.. we need to talk."

Aradia made an awkward expression, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, her lips pulled into a frown, "What's wrong?"

Equius sighed inwardly. "I do not think we are meant to be matesprites, Aradia. I am deeply sorry. I have come to realize for a while now that I am completely flushed for Nepeta."

At first, she said nothing. Her face was blank as she looked up him. Then suddenly, she slapped him, breaking her robot hand clean off its wrist. She didn't stop hitting him until her newly built, mechanical body was dented up and partially broken. She had once again let her anger take over. Equius grabbed her wrist before it could hit him again and cause even more damage. "You will stop this at once, Aradia, and accept that we are no longer matesprites. I understand you are angry, but look at what you are doing. It is not right. If you wish to still be friends, you will stop this nonsense immediately."

Aradia sighed, her frown worsening. "I know, but I am very, very mad at how sudden this is. I'm sorry for overreacting."

"Promise me you will not hate Nepeta for my decision."

"I can't."

Equius arrived back at Nepeta's place after repairing Aradia's robot body. Nepeta was drawing on her tablet, oblivious that Equius had even come back, until he said a somber 'hello', which made her screech, nearly dropping her tablet. "Eqkitty, I didn't think mew would be back fur a while. Mew really scared me, hehe."

Equius did his best to offer a smile, but couldn't no matter how much he tried. "She's… very mad."

Nepeta frowned. "Oh… she me mad at me?"

"I think so, yes. I hope this does not mess things up for us."

"Oh…" Nepeta sighed, getting up from her seat on the ground and hugging Equius, resting her head on his chest. "I'm sorry."

Equius wrapped his arms around Nepeta, holding her tight. "Please do not feel like you must apologize. You have done nothing wrong."

Nepeta sniffled, and soon started bawling, clinging to Equius' shirt. Equius simply stroked her hair and held her close, not knowing what else to do. There was nothing to say to help, because he could not be sure of Aradia's actions toward Nepeta. When she had calmed down, he sat down, pulling her onto his lap, kissing her forehead and temples and whispering his true feelings for her; how much he loves her.

"Do mew really mean it?"

"You are my everything, Nepeta. I would never do anything to hurt you, nor lie to you. I love you."

"I love mew, too, Eqkitty. So much."

"Would you like to eat something now? I'm quite hungry myself." Equius stroked the side of her face gently, Nepeta nuzzling into the touches.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Is it okay if I eat my jerky?" Nepeta knew Equius certainly wasn't fond of seeing her eat meat around him.

"Whatever makes you feel better," Equius assured, pressing a short but sweet kiss to her lips. "I am going to make myself something, if that is alright."

Nepeta nodded her head, giving her flushed partner a kiss on the cheek before standing up. Equius stood up after her, towering over her as he straightened his back. For once, he smiled without it feeling awkward, and the gorgeous smile Nepeta returned made his heart beat even faster. Jegus, he was in love with her.

Feeling himself blush and perspire, he turned away, mumbling what sounded like an "okay", rushing to the kitchen, only becoming more flustered when Nepeta giggled at his awkwardness.

As he prepared his lunch, he felt the ache of hunger dissipate as butterflies replaced the feeling, making him feel light-headed. Gog, he loved her so much. With her cute little cat puns and the way her lips felt against his and her untamable hair and her little kitten noises— oh gog he needed to stop thinking, he had nearly melted from the amount of sweat he was producing. However, he still managed to say loud enough for Nepeta to hear:

"I love you, Nepeta."

Nepeta cuddled close to Equius as they watched a movie together, his hand rested on her hip, rubbing gentle circles into it. It really flustered her, and she had a hunch that Equius did indeed know this due to his lack of eye contact. He always knew how to make her blush, even when it was unintentional. Her hand was rested firmly on his thigh, unmoving but she was pretty tempted to tease him, too. Nepeta had better ways of playing this game, though, and it certainly wasn't with dumb tactics.

"Eqkitty," she whispered, causing him to turn his head and look at her. Just what she needed. "How about mew and I furget about this movie," she started, sliding her hand upward on his thigh, "and mew just kiss me instead?"

Nepeta could hear Equius audibly gulp, watching his blush grow and he began to sweat. He cleared his throat, regaining some of his confidence. "I do not think you understand, Nepeta." He leaned in close, his lips pressed against her ear, his warm breath making her flush. "I want to kiss you for hours on end, I want to have you squirm underneath me when I tease you, and I want to make you mine. But I suppose for now, I can settle with your idea instead."

With a shaky and heavy breath, Nepeta nodded her head, and Equius scooped her up into his arms, only to press her against a nearby wall. He lifted her legs up, placing them on his hips before leaning down and pressing his mouth against her neck. "Gog, you're so beautiful. I don't deserve to have such a gorgeous being in front of me, beckoning me to kiss her and touch her and love her. I have already fulfilled the last one, however it is time to make up for the first two."

Equius peppered kisses up and down Nepeta's neck until they turned into deeper kisses, and soon enough Nepeta had a very obvious hickey on her neck that would be nearly impossible to hide. With both of them quickly becoming highly embarrassed with situation at hand, Equius awkwardly looked up at Nepeta, sweating profusely. Her eyes moved from his down to his lips, and suddenly, she was leaning in to kiss him, and he gladly closed the distance, kissing her softly and lovingly, holding her close. He wanted to be as close to her as possible, constantly, even if it could only mean he could simply stand by her side and he would be content.

Nepeta suddenly bit his bottom lip, bringing his full attention to the task at hand. Pressing himself closer to Nepeta and pushing her even more against the wall, he slid his tongue along her lower lip, her mouth opening and her tongue running over his. Equius moaned into her mouth, feeling himself begin to sweat. Before he could become any bit more flustered, Nepeta pulled away from the kiss, breathing hard. Her eyes fluttered open and met his, and a sweet smile pulled at her lips. She bumped her forehead against his. "I love mew so much, Eqkitty."

"I love you, too, Nepeta. You are an amazing matesprite."

Nepeta's eyes lit up at the word, and a small little gasp came from her mouth. "We're matesprites?"

"I guess we never formally said it, but yes, you are my matesprite, Nepeta. I hope you are—" Equius was cut off by an excited kiss being placed on his lips, Nepeta smiling against his lips. "—okay with it."

"I'm sure mew know my answer to that, silly."

Equius felt himself smile, legitimately, and then he began to laugh, cradling Nepeta close, kissing her face all over. He had never felt this happy in his entire life. "I want to spend the rest of my life you, I want to spend forever with you."

"I want that too, Eqkitty, I want every last moment I have to be with mew. I'm yours."

"And I am yours."

"Are you sure you want to talk to her today? She may still be just as mad."

Nepeta pursed her lips. "I'm sure. I want her to know that things are okay between us and she has no need to think I hate her!"

Equius didn't have the heart to tell her that Aradia definitely didn't feel the same, and definitely would not react nicely. "I hope she will be just as calm as you."

They shortly arrived at Aradia's doorstep, Equius giving a somber knock. She answered rather quickly. "Hello Equius!" Her eyes drifted down to the girl beside him. "…and Nepeta." Her smile fell flat. "What are you two doing here?"

"Nepeta wishes to speak with you," Equius stated sweat beginning to form at how awkward the situation was becoming.

"Come in."

Equius held onto Nepeta's hand tight, nearly being tugged inside with her excited sprint. He wanted to smile at her adorable behavior, but he had too many bad vibes from Aradia to do so.

"Nepeta and I will speak in another room."

"I do not know if I feel comfortable with that happening," Equius quickly countered, crossing his arms.

"It'll be okay! Stop worrying so much, hehehe." Nepeta leaned on her tippy toes and planted a kiss onto his lips before following after Aradia, who had already started walking away.

Something really didn't feel right about this.

Nepeta waited for Aradia to close the door, offering a big smile to her, only to be punched in the face. "What the hell, Nepeta? What made you think it was okay to go and fucking do that?"

Tears sprang in Nepeta's eyes as she held her hand up to her eye, feeling it swell already. "I don't unpurrstand what I did wrong to mew…"

"Why did you make Equius break up with me? Is this some sort of game that I'm not catching on to?"

"I didn't Eqkitty, decided that fur—"

Aradia kicked her in the shin, causing Nepeta to fall down, sobbing. "What did I do wrong to mew?"

Before Aradia could lay another hand on Nepeta, the door burst open, Equius instantly furious with Aradia. No longer caring about the consequences, he punched a hole into her metal chest, taking out her useful hardware and crushing it in his hand. The robot fell to her knees, presumably dead. Equius quickly rushed to Nepeta, holding her close as she sobbed.

"I know, it hurts, we are going to fix this immediately, do not worry. Everything is going to be okay." He held her in his lap, stroking her hair as she cried. He really hoped she would calm down soon, he still had to dress her wounds.

"I love mew, Eqki—"

Oh gog.

There was so much blood.

The shard of glass that the remains of Aradia's robot had shoved into Nepeta had gone far too deep to fix, and the robot her ghost had harnessed died. Equius began to panic, not knowing what to do. "Oh jegus, Nepeta, we can fix this, I will find a way to fix this."

"Mew can't, Eqkitty. It hurts so much, oh my gog, I don't want to die, I don't wanna die oh gog oh gog oh gog…"

Equius felt himself begin to cry, pressing his forehead against hers. "I… please do not die on me, I have only been yours for a few hours and I do not want to lose you."

Nepeta managed to smile, still sobbing. "At least I get to spend my last moments with you, Equius." And then, her smile faded, and she stopped moving and breathing.

Nepeta was dead.