Chapter 1 - Walking Along

Karkat's P.O.V.

The blue-ish glow from the husktop lit up the dark room. Its glow beckoned the tired troll, promising entertainment and company for the long days he spent awake, staring at the luminescent light. Clicking harshly on the little black keys, reply after reply appeared on his screen, it was a mechanical exist. Almost as if no thought, only routine and habit went into the conversation. It was a pointless conversation, hardly worth saying. Nevertheless it dragged on and on. How long had it been? A few hours possibly?

The troll snarled a bit as he mashed the caps lock button once again, more and more angry and irritated than before. It was only his nature that made him this way. The rims of his golden eyes were candy red and the schleras a murky yellow. His thin, cracked, black lips curled away from sharp yellow teeth and his yellow nails tapped angrily at the keys. Fluffy hair covered the rounded nubs of his horns. The hair was jet black and straight, jutting out at odd angles from his head. His shirt, fashioned with his dark grey Zodiac symbol was wrinkled beyond imagination. This was none other than the short tempered troll, Karkat Vantas.

Finally his conversation with the obnoxious human John ceased. He closed the husktop and rubbed his temples lightly. How in the world had he managed to hold that conversation for so fucking long? Pushing back his chair, the small Cancer walked to the window and drew back the black curtains. Light trickled into the room. Despite the growing darkness, it still made him back away, hissing. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he left, walking down a few flights of stairs to the ground floor.

Walking over to his front door, Karkat pulled on his black sneakers and stood up to open the door. He looked far back into his hive and the living space and was satisfied with its current state of cleanliness. Not many other trolls thought of the cancer as a neat freak but he certainly was one.

As his fingers grasped the cold brass doorknob he pulled it open and was greeted by a frigid gust of air that sent chills down his spine. Karkat walked outside and closed the door behind him. He had planned on going for a short walk out of pure boredom but he wasn't sure if the cold was going to stop him or not. Cussing angrily under his breath he wrapped his arms around his pale grey body and headed in no particular direction.

Sollux's P.O.V.

The allure of the computer was something that most trolls were more or less addicted to. It was strange how the faint glow of the screen and promise of less than adequate social interaction could pull one in so easily and hold them there for indefinite amounts of time... But as any troll also well knew, it was nothing that should be over-indulged in, because it made one weak and, quite honestly, lazy.

Surprisingly, though, Sollux, one who spent more than adequate time on his own computer, wasn't at his. He wasn't indoors at all. Yes, maybe he was stupid to do such a thing, but he was outside, sitting up on his roof with his lusus, despite the horribly cold wind. While it bothered Karkat, it didn't bother him. He didn't know -why- it didn't bother him, but he'd never been all that sensitive to temperature. Perhaps his psionics kept him warm or cool somehow, in the same manner that they radiated in red and blue, but it wasn't something that Sollux was aware of, nor was it something that he cared all that much about.

He dangled his feet over the edge of the building's roof, looking out over the city and the country beyond, and down toward the streets below. It really was high up; he could see a lot from here. Sollux had always been fascinated by heights. While many trolls - and humans for that matter - were scared of them, he'd never had a reason to be. Even at a young age he could catch himself when he fell with his psionic power, and even if he were to jump off this building now, he would land unharmed. Due to his special powers, he even liked doing things like that. BASE jumping was a hobby of his, and falling was fascinating and exciting to him. He'd jumped off this roof a large number of times. It was funny how often others thought he was committing suicide or something ridiculous like that.

At that moment, he had settled, gently shaking his feet every so often as he stared off into the distance. There was nothing interesting beyond the city, so he took a look down to see what he could find below. There were a few trolls out walking, but on a night like this, most of them were indoors, avoiding the cold winds. Nights were usually a bit cold on Alternia, but this one was definitely a bit colder than normal; the sort that would easily put a chill through a troll's bones.

He thought he saw something familiar down there; something with nubby horns. Yes... hmm... a closer look and more attention did seem to show that it was, in fact, KK. He suddenly felt a dangerously evil grin creeping over his face. KK had never seen him jump, had he? Well, he had his apartment key in his pocket... So he braced himself against the side of the building, and jumped.

A moment before he landed, not all too far from the Cancer, his powers caught him with a flare of wind and light, the remaining energy dissipating around the two of them, flickering out like the last sparkles of a flame.

"Hi, KK," he murmured casually.

Karkat's P.O.V.

Casually walking along through the cold streets there were few trolls roaming the area. It was cold, bone chilling, and Karkat could definitely feel it. His fingers were chilled, they were a glowing red as blood rushed to the tips in an attempt to warm him. Why was he even out here? He had no idea. Shivering a little he glanced around at the pompous trolls of the town. He sent a few of them angry glares and they quickly backed away from him.

Karkat certainly had a reputation. He wasn't abusive, just very rude. He could cuss you out for hours when all you did was bumped into his shoulder. Trolls just tended to avoid him just to avoid the conflict and the violence that could potentially come with him. Little did they know that his bark was a hell of a lot more intimidating then his bite. Nevertheless, most avoided him and secretly shunned him. He was okay with that though, he hated them all anyways.

He fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he became more accustomed to the frigid air. With that, he picked up his head and searched the area. It was the typical sort of town for trolls. Many abstract buildings, each one personalized to a troll's liking. Some had exceptional amounts of angles or curves. Others were very tall and still others were short with long floors. It made the area look quite interesting. Not that Karkat really /cared/ what it looked like.

Suddenly his attention jerked up a little further at a rather horrifying sight. It was a swirl of red and blue that made him block his eyes. He knew it was Sollux, knowing he just jumped from some extreme height that made his psionics work so hard to keep him from dying. It must be nice to have some mutant force fight your battles for you…

Still there was a few seconds that Karkat thought that Sollux was going to hit the ground in a horrific honey-colored splatter. He might have let out a slight cry as he backed away from where Sollux would evidentially land. The Cancer was cowering, his whole body language expresses worry. He didn't know what came over him but immediately hearing the Gemini's voice he straightened up, his fists clenching with anger. "SOLLUX YOU ASSHOLE YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY!?" Huffing for a moment he narrowed his eyes into two glowing golden slits and growled in a lower voice, "I fucking thought you were going to die."

Sollux's P.O.V.

Sollux just canted his head, flung forward from where he had landed, and shook his hair back, brushing off his shirt and straightening it back into place. Okay, so it wasn't -that- cold out here to him, but falling through the frigid air had just about made him shiver. Now he was fighting that urge, but it felt much warmer down here, anyway, when he wasn't flying through really cold air. Plus, his psionics did do a little to absorb the cold, though they weren't doing that right now, now that they had dissipated.

"What'th the matter, KK? Did I thcare you? Surely you weren't tho frightened ath to cry..." He leaned in closer, inspecting the other for tears in his eyes. "Nope, theemth you've avoided that much."

He didn't know why he enjoyed pestering Karkat. Maybe it was because they had similar interests... or, well, they both did programming. That, and Karkat was kind of like a friendly rival... Oh, it was hard to say. He didn't really feel like they fit into one quadrant or the other, but like they could easily slip into one of the darker quadrants at any time, given the right circumstances.

"KK, you know ath well ath I do that I wouldn't die from a jump like that. There'th thimply not enough actheleration for that thort of thing to occur. Even at terminal velothity I can thtill thop mythelf from taking the impact ath long ath I have a few thecondth to thtart it working." Even a power such as his had its limits. He couldn't just summon it a second before impact; it wouldn't have time to slow him down enough. Though he would probably be able to keep himself from dying, it wouldn't keep his body from ...well, crumpling.

"...Tho... what are you doing out here, anyway? ...Ith thomething wrong?" He did find it strange that Karkat would go out wandering on a night like this. He could see him shivering; he knew that he was cold...

Karkat's P.O.V.

Calming himself down further after he had worked himself up after that incredibly rude stunt that Sollux had just pulled. Karkat grumbled a little, fuming silently to himself. His fists clenched and unclenched. He wanted to punch the other in the nose. Nothing would satisfy him more right now. But then again, he was a bit on the small side to win a fight with Sollux. The Gemini must be at least a foot taller than him. There was no way in /hell/ he was going to try to fight the other, not unless provoked that is.

"I wasn't fucking going to cry. I wouldn't cry if you…. Nevermind." He mumbled to his feet. Looking back up at the other with an intense glare he scowled but said nothing more. Although, if looks could kill, Sollux would have disintegrated into a pile of red and blue rubble.

Karkat was beyond confused as to what their relationship was. He couldn't put Sollux into any of his quadrants correctly. It frustrated him beyond belief. Usually he could fit them either into a single quadrant, or none at all. But with Sollux it was different, sometimes when they were talking online it was more of a moraillagence. When they were in person and the Gemini pulled this type of shit, it was a kismessitude. And at times that Karkat would never admit to anyone, it was a matesprit type feeling.

"Shut the fuck up asshole! Your science shit doesn't need to be involved in this conversation. Honestly do you think I give two shits about all of that stuff? You are a stupid bipolar fucker if you think I would /ever/ listen to that type of stuff." Karkat's cheeks reddened again as the bite sized troll commanded himself not to show his anger. But even with his pitiful efforts, a purplish vein on his neck protruded more prominently from his greyish skin.

"I'm doing whatever the fuck I want. Since when did you become an overbearing matesprit?" He grumbled a little to himself. "I didn't want to stay inside today. Okay? It's not even your business anyway. I'm just in a bad mood today." He bit his lip, wrapping his arms more tightly around his torso and trying to warm up his shivering body by whatever means necessary. This was a bad idea to go for a walk. /This/ is why he never went for walks.

Sollux's P.O.V.

Oh, Karkat really was angry. That much he could tell; there was a biting aura of anger coming off the Cancer, and even more of that anger manifested in his eyes. Okay, so what he had done might have been incredibly rude, but Sollux honestly found it to be ...incredibly fun... seeing his KK so worked up... Well, it wasn't always fun. There was definitely a line to be crossed. Did he think he had crossed it yet, though? ...Not really.

He watched the other clenching and unclenching his hands, at first feeling the desire to match the gesture in a mocking way, but he realized it would be threatening if he did, and put a quick stop to that train of thought. There was no need to provoke him right now. It wasn't that he was concerned about winning or not - he could do so easily even without his psionics thanks to KK's small frame. Not that the little guy wasn't tough, though... He imagined that, as long as he kept psionics out of it, KK really could give him a run for his money.

Speaking of giving him a run for his money, the look Karkat was giving him right now could kill. Could chop him to pieces. Oh well, he knew the other couldn't match that intensity any other way. He tried to stare back at him and match it himself, squinting, but he simply didn't have the anger to back it up. Hell, what was he so angry for?

"Hey, KK. Chill. You're jutht going to give yourthelf an aneurysm if you keep doing that..." He could definitely see those veins popping out, and he had meant what he said rather literally. He reached out, gently touching it. He knew KK didn't like it when he touched him, but... hell, he liked touching him. And not just to piss him off.

He knew he couldn't be his moirail... that much was obvious enough. KK already had a moirallegiance with Gamzee, and by God everyone knew they needed to keep -that- relationship, what with the blood the other had and the history of their madness. They could definitely have a fulfilling kismesis, but Sollux was just too sensitive to KK's emotion. While he didn't want to admit it to anyone, either, he did sort of desire a matespritship with Karkat. Maybe more than sort of. Especially at times like this.

"Yeth, I thee you are doing whatever the fuck you want, and becauthe of that, you're freething your ath off. Look at you." He gestured to the other, who was wrapping his arms around himself, shivering like mad. "...Come on. You can come warm up at my plathe." He turned around, heading back toward the communal hive stem where he lived. Even if Karkat insisted he didn't want to, he still wasn't going to turn around. He just kept heading that way, as though demanding that he come in... or be left alone. He didn't know the cause of the other's mood and maybe he didn't really want to know... he just wanted to change it. KK in a bad mood was significantly worse than just normal KK.

Karkat's P.O.V.

Karkat was about to swat the Gemini's hand away from him. He hated being touched. By anyone really. It irritated him beyond belief. But he absolutely loathed being touched by those certain trolls that confused him. Trolls like Sollux where he didn't know whether to be angry or excited or for it to be a mutual feeling of nothingness. As the Cancer raised his hand to push away the other's from his neck, Sollux gestured for him to follow him to his hive. As much as he didn't want to, the Gemini was right, it was cold outside. Plus, he didn't want to be left alone right now, he was sick of being alone.

Following the other from a distance he let out a soft sigh. Shoving his hands in the pockets of his gray jeans he trudged along. He still hadn't decided what had brought about this bad mood. Nobody really pissed him off in particular today. Mostly it was just a day like any other. Sitting on his husktop, not sleeping, eating in between replies; maybe that was what was wrong, he didn't ever /see/ anyone. Probably why he was compelled to go outside despite the frigid air.

Although his bad mood made him a little more edgy and alert, it also added a little depth to him. There was a little more truth and thought behind his words. It was due to how alert he was, not just mechanically spilling insults like he seemed to most of the time. God… He hated being alone all of the time. No one to actually talk to or see. Just him and his computer screen, talking to someone who was on another planet. It wasn't even talking anymore, mostly arguing. Whatever, he was used to it.

He sped up a little to walk beside Sollux. That might not seem so strange but he never actually walked /next/ to someone before. He had, just it wasn't the norm. Usually he would either lead or follow, there was no in between. It was because he sort of wanted to talk. Actually use words and speech. Who would have thought? Karkat didn't say anything though, he didn't expect Sollux to either. Even walking casually next to someone else was enough. It made him feel less bored and lonely.

Letting out a small sigh he looked over at the other. Tilting his head to the side slightly he was almost /admiring/ Sollux. The other troll was fairly tall and slim built but at the same time he didn't look too tall or too slim. He had medium length black hair that framed around his face, fringing to cover his forehead. His eyes were concealed with blue and red glasses, as usual. Of course he had his black t-shirt with the mustard colored Gemini symbol on it. How was he not cold? Whatever that wasn't important. Karkat looked straight ahead before the other could see him looking.

(A/N) Yay for chapter 1!

Thank you so much for reading this. The next update should be ready in 2 weeks. For other fanfictions by me, you can look at "Trollmance" although it is still on hiatus but I have plans to work on it very soon.

For those of you who may wonder, this fic will end with smut but not for a few chapters of drama and angst first.

Thank you and make sure you review this!

Love and Donuts,

VialCreatures