"You'll like her, really! I purr-omise!"
Karkat groaned – this was not how all-nighters were supposed to go. At an all-nighter, you stayed at a friend's house; they were in the fucking woods right now. At an all-nighter, you didn't fall asleep because you were having fun; he wasn't asleep because Nepeta fucking Leijon had dragged him from his home at one in the fucking morning, to make him run through the woods. At an all-nighter, you were already with the people you wanted to find because they were who you were aiding in said activity; the pair were going to meet this 'mew-stery girl' for 'mew-sterious reasons' at a ridiculous and not at all mysterious hour in the morning.
"Why do we have to meet her this fucking late? Or… Early, whatever."
Nepeta just let out a giggle, not letting her firm grip on his hand waver. "You'll see!"
Karkat huffed, dipping and weaving through the trees after his feline friend. It was odd – the half-familiarity of the situation. When the two had been together – a pair, a thing, a matespritship – Nepeta had always pulled him away to participate in odd little outings of this sort. However, those outings would always end in a secluded and sloppy make-out session. It had been almost two years since that, though, and surprisingly Nepeta had been the one to break things off when they drifted beyond repair. And neither minded. They remained good friends afterwards, and were now the best of friends, leaning towards moiralliegence.
Even though he really wanted to just punch her in the face right now for this ridiculous fucking shenanigan.
"Do you even know where we're fucking going, Nepeta?" He growled, though his uncertainty tinted his voice vaguely. The whole situation was a little unsettling from his point of view.
"Of course I mew, silly! Don't worry about it, Karkitty, we'll be there soon! You have to keep a little quiet, though, okay?"
He sighed, grumbling something about cat puns and being directionally challenged before giving a curt nod. "Yeah, whatever."
She giggled softly and papped his head before pushing through a thick barrier of shrubbery, Karkat following after.
Nepeta was right about one thing, he realized as he straightened himself, standing in the huge clearing and taking a long look around, the Leo mimicking. She'd told him to leave his jacket at home. If he hadn't, he would've been stuck in the branches and thorns of the forest. Multiple times.
Nep had left her own, putting her in just her blue and white tank top and shorts, adorned with her slightly torn stockings and small boots. Karkat himself had been left in his dark gray v-neck, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his khaki pants, his feet clad in his own pair of taller, more seemly boots.
Running a hand through his hair, he took another evaluating look around the empty clearing, boredom and disinterest beginning to take over the surly tone of his voice. "So, Leijon, nothing's here. What exactly are we-"
He was cut off by the rustle of bushes and a loud grunt, followed by a soft, sweet laugh as a girl – a human girl – emerged from the opposite side of the clearing. She was clad in a blue sweater, hanging off both shoulders with too-long of sleeves, emblazoned with yellow and red markings; dark brown shorts that hung loosely off one hip, despite her light blue belt; yellow, red, and blue stockings that reached just above her knees; gray, red, and yellow sneakers, worn down and covered in dirt, most likely from her previous trek through the woods she had emerged from; and a gray one piece underneath everything, hugging her body with thick straps and no sleeves, the legs reaching to just above her mid-thigh region. She had a dagger, sheathed and tied to her thigh with a leather strap. A blue star pendant was tied around her neck with black twine, and her hair was wound back in two long, loose braids.
Oh, God, that hair. It was white, shimmering in the light of the moon that fell into the clearing, like water or textured glass. It almost glowed, reaching the back of her knees even when tied into twin braids. Her skin was fair, cheeks dusted with a rosy red. Her nose was round and upturned slightly, and those lips full and plump and red.
But nothing could compare to those eyes.
They weren't a bitter crimson like that Strider fucker's were. They were a sweet, cherry red, almost purple in the lighting they currently had. Her eyes were big and round, and on anyone else, they would have been too big, disproportional. But on her… Perfect. Oh so fucking perfect.
Her body, curvy with wide hips and a well-endowed chest, was elegant, but all the while deadly. The way her steps were careful, even, measured – ready to spring at any moment. Her hands found each other and entwined and oh, he could almost feel the soft pads of her fingers, alabaster meeting ash, and –
"VEE!" Nepeta squealed, obviously forgetting her own rule of being quiet and simultaneously breaking his chain of thought as she charged at the newcomer, tackling her to the ground in a hug.
"MMPH – Wha – pfft. Hey, kitten. Excited to see me?" She let out a lazy, content chuckle, one that matched his own. Cherry-red eyes settled on him and a soft smile tugged at her lips as she beckoned for him to come over. "Who's your friend?"
Nepeta giggled, letting the girl sit up on her elbows but continuing straddling her hips. "That's the guy I was telling you about, Karkit –"
"Karkat Vantas," he interrupted, now standing a few inches away from the pair. "Pleasure to gain your acquaintance at one in the fucking morning. Might I ask the reasoning for this?"
Another chuckle. She was seemingly unfazed by his ferocity. Another point for mystery girl. "You can call me Vee, if you hadn't already gathered from Catnip here." She paused to ruffle her friend's hair affectionately, earning a purr in return. "And, though I'm surprised she hasn't already told you, the shitty timing is because I live in the Inner City. I have a lot of friends in the Outer, though, and very few at home, but my father doesn't like me coming out here. He's incredibly prejudiced. I, however, am not, and so I meet with Nepeta every other morning around midnight to one. I stay until dawn."
Karkat nodded, eyes flicking back and forth between her lips and her eyes, not able to decide which he liked watching more. The prior flickered with varying hues, shining and changing with each topic in a split-second. Like how, when she spoke of her father, they darkened slightly, her eyes narrowing to where she was almost peering through those thick, full, dark lashes of hers; or when she spoke of the Outer City and mentioned her friends there, they brightened, eyes wide and lips curling up slightly, causing small folds at the corner of her eyes to appear, those of which were flashing with a warm, cherry red. Her face was expressive, and he found himself running his eyes over every inch of it as Vee turned to talk to Nepeta about something he didn't care to listen to. Her cheeks were a bit round, eyebrows raised in full attention of what the Leo in her lap was raving on about.
So lost in thought and awe of the new girl, he didn't notice the knowing look that Nepeta gave him, or the small, devious smirk that began to curl at her thin lips.
The next day, Karkat couldn't get his mind off of this girl. Nepeta had ended up running off when she thought she saw a cat, sending a discreet wink to Karkat, who then got a little flustered. The pair then talked for a while, probably a few hours, about anything and everything.
He found that Vee wasn't her real name – she couldn't spill it, though, because her father was big in the business world of the Inner City, and she didn't want to put any of her friends in danger if he found out she was visiting there every other day. Another point for her. He learned that she worked as a hunter, supplying for various stores and market stands, explaining the dagger on her thigh. She also filled in as a Gondola Girl occasionally for her friend, Jade. She was sweet and snarky, smart and attentive – another point – and was interested in every single thing he had to say, never feigning curiosity of what he had to tell her. It was endearing as well as kind, and he found himself speaking more openly than he had to anyone ever before – more so than even Gamzee, his own moirail.
Karkat told her all about his job as a student teacher, and how he seriously "just hated all those stupid fuckasses", to which she laughed, warm and loud. He told her about his and Nepeta's relationship, which she already knew every detail but let him talk anyways because she could tell it was helping him by doing so. How he was barely scraping by anymore. How there were very few people who didn't drive him fucking insane anymore because of how stressed he was lately. During so, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and Vee smiled sympathetically, taking his other hand in her own and rubbing small, firm circles in his palm with her thumb. It brought a tint of red to his cheeks, yes, but it calmed him all the same.
He couldn't get enough of speaking to her, and they talked and joked, laughed and teased. They were a lot alike, in all honestly, though he was just a lot more bitter and pessimistic in personality, while she was bubbly and kind, but snarky all the same. He'd never found someone he could speak to so freely and endlessly before, and he never wanted it to end. However, the sun began to crawl above the horizon, soft golden rays clawing and melting away at the navy sanctuary they had found.
Nepeta returned with these first rays of light, grinning as she saw her two best friends stand and Vee wrap him in a hug, arms around him tightly and cheek against his collarbone. Karkat looked flustered and faltered, whatever words he'd been about to say dying on his lips. He was frozen for a long moment, cheeks rosy, before his expression softened and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hugging him back. Vee's lips moved, whispering something Nepeta couldn't quite hear, and the Cancer grinned, nodding. "Abso-fucking-lutely," she heard him reply, his low timbre of a voice much louder than Vee's.
They pulled apart and Vee walked over to Nepeta, wrapping her in a hug, as well, arms wrapping around the smaller girl tightly. "I'm coming back tomorrow, okay?" she said softly as the Leo's arms wrapped around her waist. Nepeta let out a giggle and nodded, excited, sending Karkat a wink to which he blushed furiously and looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"O-purr-dokee!"