Dave Strider closed his apartment door, smirking as he did so. He looked into the bag from the costume store he had just come home from, seeing the cowboy costumes complete with wigs and fake mustaches. He laughed, imagining him and his boyfriend wearing those things in public tomorrow.

Dave was in a band; a pretty popular one. And he couldn't go in public without the paparazzi overwhelming him and begging for pictures and gossip. So Dave was forced to wear ridiculous disguises whenever he went into public. And his boyfriend, John Egbert, fairly enjoyed the ironic costumes.

His phone suddenly beeped loudly, shocking Dave and bringing him out of his trance. He looked at the phone, seeing that his friend and fellow band member Karkat Vantas had texted him.

'WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE HAD PRACTICE A FUCKING HOUR AGO!'

Dave really could never tell if Karkat was yelling or if he had slammed his fingers on his keyboard too hard and broke the caps lock key.

'sorry. im on my way' Dave quickly responded. He switched his phone to silent, sticking it in the back pocket of his black skinny jeans as he threw the bag on his couch. He sighed, a cold shiver going up his spine. Living alone was horrible, especially after spending so many of his lonely nights with John. He took a deep breath, his throat chilling and freezing thanks to the fuckin' AC that only made his solemn self feel even more cold. Yeah, actually, you know what? Going to band practice didn't seem too bad anymore.

He quickly left, slamming his door behind him.

About twenty minutes later he arrived at Karkat and Terezi's house (ever since the two started dating nearly two years ago they had lived together), not even bothering to knock on the door as he marched in, striding to the band room and grabbing the mic flawlessly. Eridan was stationed in the far corner of the room, texting someone he obviously didn't want to. Karkat was already sitting at his drum set, his feet propped up on one of the bigger ones. Terezi was leaning against the wall next to the drums, her guitar propped up next to her. She sniffed, smiling. Her senses where even weirder than her name. She had Synesthesia; a condition she was born with that fucked with her senses, making them all switch places and mix together. An example was the fact that she could see smells and taste colours. However, she had gone blind later in life- you can thank her sister for that one- but luckily it didn't phase her thanks to her not even needing to see.

"Took you fucking long enough." Karkat said, pulling his feet off of his drum and stretching his arms, popping his fingers while he was at it.

"Just shut the hell up, Karkles." Dave smiled as Terezi laughed, hearing that he had used her nickname for the albino. Eridan just continued to text, ignoring them all. "What song're we doing first?" Dave said, taking his position in front of everyone as he tested the mic to make sure it was working.

"Stop and Stare, now shut up and sing." Eridan said, sticking his phone in his pocket as he grabbed his bass and plugged into the amp. Terezi giggled again, grabbing her guitar and slamming the strings hard as she could to make sure it was working, laughing even harder when Karkat made a screeching noise at the sudden off pitch string vibration. He growled, cursing under his breath. Eridan jumped at the noise, nearly dropping the bass.

Terezi, tired of waiting for her fellow band members to stop fighting, went ahead and started, her fingers dancing across the guitar's strings, like she knew the song by heart and was simply plucking at her heart strings. She smiled brightly, butterflies filling her stomach, chilling up her spine and covering her entire body in a crystal like sensation of pure bliss. She really just loved to play guitar, and was so thankful that Dave had taught her how to.

Dave suddenly clutched the mic with both hands, holding it up to his lips as he breathed the lyrics into it.

"This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us, it's time to make our move, I'm shaking off the rust, I've got my heart set on anywhere but here, I'm staring down myself, counting up the years!"

Karkat started to hit the drums lightly, biting his lip as he focused on not screwing up.

"Steady hands just take the wheel, just take the wheel, and every glance is killing me, time to make one last appeal, for the life I lead…"

Eridan started on the bass, not even having to think about it. He knew the song too well and practiced too much on his own. For him, this was more than a money making, fame bringing, time passing job. It was a stress reliever. And stress relieving was something he really needed.

"Stop and stare…" Dave was so into it now he didn't even realize that anyone else existed. Because they didn't anymore. He was in his own world, like everyone else was. His voice was the only sound he heard, flowing as easily as the wind. "I think I'm moving but I go nowhere, yeah I know that everyone gets scared, but I've become what I can't be, oooohhh…"

Practice went on for at least four hours before Karkat got sick of Dave's girly singing and kicked him out, as well as Eridan.

Eridan Ampora was the only one in the band who was single. Karkat had Terezi and Dave had John. Eridan only had his exgirlfriend, Feferi. He wanted her back so bad. He didn't end it. He was going to propose to her. He had the ring and everything. It was all planned out. He was going to do it on the beach. They both loved the ocean and the endless possibilities and mysteries it held. It reminded him of her.

He had the ring picked out so it was pink and purple. It had their names engraved on the inner ring. It cost more than the entire beach itself did. And Eridan had gone for six months of only eating ramen to pay for it.

They where walking on the beach barefoot, the moist sand between their toes, their fingers entwined. They where talking like best friends do, laughing at stupid things. Then Eridan brought up how he felt different. He meant it as in loving her beyond boyfriend/girlfriend. She obliged, saying she felt different too. He smiled, stepping in front of her, taking her hand and smiling softly.

"I know how you feel, and I feel the same way! For awhile now, actually. And I think that it's best we break up, too."

The only thing that broke then was his heart, crashing like the waves. His eyes where as deep as the ocean, his heart sinking like the sand. His hope was lost, his life was useless.

He tried explaining to her that's not what he meant, but she didn't get it.

He was never really the same after that night. Karkat tried to give him advice, but it didn't work. Nothing did.

That was four months ago, and he still wasn't over it. She was, though. She was with someone else now. But Eridan still didn't give up. He wanted his life back. His hope wasn't destroyed yet.

As it's been mentioned, Karkat and Terezi lived together as they had for two years now. They where the ones who combined their profits from the band and bought a house worthy of such a famous band. Goddamn, the place was fucking huge. Two stories high and three bathrooms. They even had two fucking guest bedrooms. Not that they ever even had guests over. And one of the bedrooms had been turned into a storage room. Terezi's seeing eye dog Lemonsnout had a pretty luxurious life with their huge ass backyard. Karkat never let him inside because he shed too much and would hurt his cat. Yeah, Karkitty had a kitty. A little black one he had named Nepeta. He was pretty attached to her and even though she shed as much as the dog she was strictly an indoors only pet.

Dogs and cats where just one of the many things that Karkat and Terezi couldn't agree on. To be honest, Dave and Eridan had no idea how or why they where still together.

While Eridan and Karkat where pretty well off, living in luxury houses with luxurious things, Dave lived in the same apartment as his brother Dirk. The 22 year old really should have moved out by now, but he was waiting to spend his millions for when he and John where finally fucking living together. Which Dave hoped would be soon.

Speaking of John, Dave was pretty sure that that was him texting him right now. Yeah, it was. Dave quickly replied, or kind of, since he didn't reply to John's question of 'whats up? :B' but rather just texted him song lyrics; something he always did. That was the only way he knew how to say what he was feeling.

'you can be the prince and I can be the princess, you can be the sweet tooth and ill be the dentist.'

'dave stop that's embarrassing. i cant even believe you listen to that song'

'you can be the shoes and ill be the laces, you can be the heart that I spill on the pages'

'im a little worried as to why youre spilling a heart on some pages. stop culling people, dave.'

'cus youre the apple to my pie, pie'

'dave stop this isn't okay'

'youre the straw to my berry'

'dave.'

'youre the smoke to my high'

'STRIDER!'

'jesus john calm your tits am I not allowed to serenade my boyfriend'

'not with songs that 12 year old girls listen to'

'don't you want to be a 12 year old girl in a cute little relationship with an attractive blonde romeo'

'no :B'

'holding hands in the hallway and giggling as our friends look at us like wow yeah i saw their facebook status update i cant believe that theyre dating i wonder if their parents know i wonder if hes touched her boob'

'why only one boob?'

'12 year olds only have one boob john i thought you knew this'

'no i didn't know! wow thats so shocking though'

'ikr'

':B'

'you can be the hero, ill be the sidekick…'

'dave youre much more of a hero than me! youre in a famous band and im just a grown man who has an unhealthy obsession with movies from the 80s'

'im not a hero'