Don't Take My Sunshine Away

WARNINGS: Major character death, gore/violence, caliginous romance (which kind of ties in with the violence), mild sexual themes (like kissing, I don't think it gets worse than that), Gamzee's mouth, and lots of pointless rambling.

DISCLAIMER: Last I checked, Hussie was a guy. I am not a guy. Therefore I am not Hussie, and therefore I do not own Homestuck. I wish I did. Then this would've totally happened. :D

CHARACTERS AND PAIRINGS (in order of introduction/importance): Terezi Pyrope, Tavros Nitram, Vriska Serket, Gamzee Makara, Scourgecest (Terezi Vriska), Eight of Clu8s (Gamzee Vriska), implied PB&J (Gamzee Tavros), possible implied Terezi / Tavros.

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. I CAN'T GUARANTEE IT'S ANY GOOD.

Red glass glinted in the dim artificial lights as the tealblood stood, sniffing in distaste. The lights were a dirty yellow color, like a ruined yellow marker, that smelled utterly foul… nothing at all like the taste of rich chocolate that lingered on her lips.

She ran a hand across her mouth, smearing the brown blood that clung there like dew on a windowpane. She had known it was pointless. Prospit was dead, killed long ago by Jack Noir when they had been powerless to stop him. But she couldn't just let him go; she had to try to bring him back… "Adios, Toreador," she whispered, a single sea-green tear falling from her cheek and splashing to the ground by his bloodied hand. Tavros's hand. Poor, sweet Tavros: he could never hurt so much as a butterfly, and here he was, murdered in cold blood.

Blue blood.

It had to be her. It was so obvious. Who else but Vriska would've killed the docile brownblood? Terezi growled, clutching her cane tightly as she sniffed the air like a hunting dog. Vriska would pay for this…

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…

Orange-clad legs dangled over a precipice; blue wings fluttered, creating a trail of yellow sparks; viscous brown blood dripped steadily from trembling gray fingers. Vriska sat staring down into the soot-colored abyss that surrounded the meteor, thinking back on what she'd done. She'd killed Tavros. She wasn't going to deny that she'd done it… but she hadn't wanted to. He'd come up to her with all his newfound "confidence" and challenged her to a duel. She'd tried to avoid a fight; he made it clear, though, that only one of them would be leaving alive. She'd tried to reason with him. "What about Gamzee?" she'd asked. "Your matesprit, my kismesis? If you win, he'll hate you. If I win, he'll kill me. Neither of us will benefit no matter the outcome."

As she remembered, she absently rubbed her forearm, where his lance had cut through her sleeve. Her god tier robes were soaked with her blood, the complementary colors turning an ugly brown, and now starting to get stiff as the sleeve dried. She curled her lip in disgust. While she had tried to pacify him, he had attacked her; normally she wouldn't have allowed such a slip. At least there had been no more talking after that. In self-defense she had grabbed his lance and pulled it away from him, never intending to wield it, only to prevent him from doing so. She bent her knees and then stepped towards him with her elbow out, which would hopefully knock him unconscious long enough for her to get away. Yet just as she did that he sidestepped, and as her arms shot forward to perform the maneuver, the lance buried itself in his chest.

She wouldn't allow herself to regret it. He had made it clear that he intended to kill her, and even though she knew he couldn't, she wouldn't have escaped without injury. She had reacted in self-defense, and through a stroke of bad luck, he had gotten hurt. The highblood killed the lowblood. It happened all the time. So this shouldn't feel any different. Shouldn't? Didn't. Didn't feel any different. She did what she had to do.

A noise sounded behind her. Footsteps? In a single movement, she swung her legs around and planted her feet on the floor, springing up lithely and assuming a fighting stance. The gray sky gave little light, but it was enough for Vriska to recognize who had found her—it was someone she would know anywhere. Her stance relaxed. "Terezi?"

You make me happy when skies are gray…

Terezi felt Vriska relax, but she remained stiff and upright, both hands on the sculpted head of her cane. "Vriska Serket," she said quietly, "are you aware that Tavros Nitram is lying dead on the floor in this very lab?"

Vriska tensed up again, seemingly not expecting that to be Terezi's opening sentence. "I am…"

"And are you aware that the victim's blood currently stains your hands?"

"It's not what it smells like, Terezi."

"Isn't it?" The tealblood forced herself to remain calm. "Guilty until proven innocent, Ms. Serket. And right now, you don't smell very innocent to me."

Vriska frowned. "He attacked me first, Terezi. Here." She rolled up the sleeve on her left arm, and the fabric seemed to protest as something that had dried upon it cracked when it was folded. A deep cut marred the blue-gray skin, steadily oozing a thick azure liquid. "Do you really think I'd let that happen if I was trying to kill him?" Vriska asked, almost turning the question into a challenge.

She wouldn't, Terezi's conscience whispered, but she ignored what she knew. "You could've gotten the injury another way."

"You know I'm telling the truth."

"Do I? Why would he attack you?"

Vriska looked down. "He was trying to be self-confident like me…"

"So it is your fault."

"I didn't mean to! Terezi, Tavros was Gamzee's matesprit. Do you really think I would've killed him for no reason?"

Terezi paused, taking in the desperation in her old friend's voice, and the imploring expression she wore. She could feel her resolve wavering. She didn't want to believe Vriska had simply killed Tavros out of spite. But she couldn't keep believing the best of the blueblood. Vriska had gotten both of them into too much trouble. Perhaps it was better for everyone if she wasn't an issue anymore. "Gamzee could kill you for this," she mused.

"I know."

"Then I'm doing you a favor." Terezi took a step forward, and Vriska stepped back, holding her hands up. "Terezi, I don't want to fight you."

"Then don't fight," Terezi snapped, her emotionless mask finally breaking, and showing just how upset she was over Tavros's death. "Don't fight anymore. The time for fighting is over, Vriska. Now is the time for peace, and I can't risk you killing anyone else." She paused. "I thought you were changing. I thought you were better than this. But you let me down. Again." There was genuine sadness in her voice and her useless eyes as she raised her cane. "Goodbye, Vriska."

Vriska took another step back, and then froze, sucking in a sharp breath. It took Terezi a moment to realize that it wasn't because of her—something or someone was coming up behind her. She whirled around and raised her cane, taking in impressions of gray, orange, and indigo, and then a white-and-red object was flying towards her. She attempted to raise her cane, but she knew that it would be too late…

Gamzee's club connected with her head, and the overwhelming pain forced her to the ground. Colors became a blur. She could hear Vriska screaming, and if she'd had any doubts before, she knew now that this wasn't a wound she'd recover from. A strange calm settled over her, and the pain seemed to fade away. She was still aware of it, but distantly, like it was someone else's pain, not hers. Dying wasn't so bad, she mused to herself. But then she remembered Vriska, and she frowned—mentally, at least, since it didn't register on her face. The one thing she regretted was never telling Vriska… but maybe there was still time. "I love you," she choked, but her hoarse voice wouldn't form the proper words. Vriska would never know what she had tried to say…

And then she was gone. The last thing she was aware of was being pulled into Vriska's arms, feeling the spider-troll's body shake as she sobbed, and wanting to reach out and comfort her, but knowing that she'd never touch her old friend again.

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you…

It all seemed to play out in slow motion. Gamzee's sudden appearance, Terezi turning, the club descending, the broken body crumpling, teal blood staining the tiled floor.

"No…" For a moment, she stood frozen, not understanding what was happening… Somewhere, someone was screaming, and Vriska's throat was raw, and she realized she was making the awful noise… Her legs carried her to Terezi's body, and she knelt there, forcing herself to stop screaming. Terezi tried to mumble something, but Vriska couldn't make out the words. She pulled the limp body into her arms, cradling her friend's head. Terezi took one last shuddering breath, and her arms moved slightly, but then she fell still again, and was gone. Vriska's breath caught. A choked sob tore its way up her throat, and then she was crying, holding Terezi's lifeless body and rocking back and forth. "Terezi… No… I… I love you…"

Gamzee's feet appeared in her line of sight, and she growled, not looking up. "Go away."

"I just saved your motherfucking life, and that's how you thank me?"

"You should've let her kill me…"

Gamzee squatted down so he was at her level and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I was going to. You deserve it. But…"

"But what?" she spat. "Why didn't you?"

"You killed my matesprit. I killed yours."

She growled again. "She was never my matesprit!"

"I saw the way you looked at her, though." Gamzee tilted his head to the side, a cold look in his eyes. "I figured you deserved to feel exactly what you made me feel."

"I didn't try to kill him…"

"I don't motherfucking believe you."

"I hate you."

"That's the point."

She glared at him, and he laughed cruelly. "Come on, sis, get over it. You still got me."

She tried to pull back, but he tightened his grip on her chin, his long nails slicing her skin and drawing blood. "Look at me when I'm motherfucking talking to you."

"You don't deserve that much respect," she hissed.

He laughed. "Neither do you, motherfucker, but here I am getting down to your level and looking you in the eye." He leaned in closer. "So let's try and be all motherfucking civil here."

"I'll be whatever I want to be."

"Feisty, ain't ya?" Before she could respond, he closed the space between them and kissed her roughly. His fangs scraped her lower lip. She remained motionless, her eyes open, staring past him as though he wasn't there. Gamzee pulled away after a moment. "Don't tell me you don't want to be my motherfucking kismesis anymore? Isn't that a bit harsh?" She didn't answer, and he kissed her again, this time biting down hard enough to draw blood. She didn't consciously react, but it seemed to be an automatic response—she growled deep in her throat and closed her eyes, clutching Terezi's body tighter, as if trying to shield it from him. He smirked and pulled back, licking his lips clean of her blood. "So you do."

Realizing what she'd done, she snarled in disgust and pulled out of his grip, looking away. He chuckled. "Fine. I'll leave you to your misery."

As he started walking away, she spoke in a voice so quiet and emotionless that it could've belonged to a ghost. "Kill me."

He paused, then turned back to face her, a demented smirk forming on his face. "I don't think so. You're not getting out that easy."

She let go of Terezi's body and staggered to her feet, drawing her dice from her strife specibus. "Kill me," she demanded again, her eyes wide and haunted with the weight of the tealblood's death. Gamzee shook his head. "I'm going to live with what you did to Tavbro. I'm not going to let you escape my motherfucking revenge."

With a wordless shriek, she flung the dice at him, but he leaped out of the way of the attack they launched. She dove for them, but he was faster, pushing her out of the way and scooping the dice up, captchaloguing them quickly. "I think I'm gonna take these too, motherfucker," he informed her. "Don't want you getting any motherfucking ideas."

She collapsed to her knees, the tears starting to fall from her eyes again, and he laughed cruelly. "See ya around, spiderbitch," he called, turning and walking away. She didn't move until he was gone, and then she crawled over to where her friend's corpse lay, not having the energy to stand and walk. She sat looking down at the body, blue tears rolling down her cheeks. Her wings fluttered once, sending a shower of sparks into the air, and then the light died, leaving her in darkness. "I love you, Terezi… I'm sorry…"

Oh, please don't take my sunshine away…