Today was the day. You'd finally found them all.
Well technically they found you, but who even gives half a shit about the logistics of it? You'd all be together again in...
a quick glance at your watch
...Thirty-five minutes. Shit.
Your name is Karkat Vantas and you have not been late to a social occasion yet, which means you've been on time a grand total of three times in your 17 years on Earth, and you were not going to let this one break your record, no way. You check your reflection in the mirror, straightening out your grey hooded jacket a little, pulling at your sleeves and checking you have all your normal bracelets on. You pull the small silver Cancer pendant from under your black shirt and sigh resignedly. You know this is the most presentable you can look, you even have new black jeans on and so fucking what if you cleaned your nicest red converses for this, who the fuck's going to notice that?
You debate grabbing your bag but decide against it; this is only a little trip two towns over. You grab your wallet, spare set of keys and your phone and head out the door, ignoring your mother calling after you to have fun with your friends. She doesn't know. She can't ever know.
You soon find yourself holding a cup of too-hot coffee while sat impatiently on the train. You watch the buildings fly past you but you're not really paying attention, chewing absently on your lipring and ignoring the angry flash of your eyes in the window as you wonder what they all look like, now.
Maybe the humans will look the same? You hope so, you don't think you'd be able to manage if there isn't at least one recognisable face there. The train comes to a slow stop and you reluctantly stand up, feeling your blood pulse through your veins far too quickly and your legs go hollow, thudding painfully as you step onto the platform.
You check your watch; ten minutes.
You pull up your hood to cover the fact your roots are starting to show through and sip carefully at your coffee as you make your way to the park where Sollux said everyone should meet. Most of them live around the surrounding areas and the ones that don't live nearby have phones, so everyone should be on time.
You check your watch as you near the park, one minute until you're officially late. You can hear voices as you get closer, familiar voices over the noise of passing pedestrians going about their day. It's a quiet town, and the wind carries conversations over to you as you turn the corner.
There is a small crowd of people stood there, right in the center of the park, surrounding the swingset, only about five of them now. There's alot of animated conversation going on.
You throw your now-empty coffee cup away as you pass the trash can, you can hear words, now, as opposed to just generic noise.
"Ah, there he is now." You look up. Blonde female, warm smile, black lipstick. Rose. She looks exactly the same.
"Am I late?" You ask cautiously, trying not to look around at everyone too quickly for fear of passing out.
"Precisely on time." Rose smiles, and you can tell she's just as excited as you are.
You look around, now, and are surprised to see you can tell who the ex-trolls are. Rose and Jade are there, along with Kanaya, Sollux and Tavros. Tavros has legs that work. You almost grin.
You excange 'hello's and 'how are you's with everyone there, but only Jade tries to hug you. You're glad of that. Hugs might kill you at this moment.
"Everyone elth thould be here thoon." Sollux says, his lisp still present and unwavering despite the lack of fangs to influence the noise. You stand between him and Kanaya and contemplate running for it. You're terrified. You're terrified because they didn't seem that excited to see you and you were shitting yourself the entire way here about being the best fucking Karkat they've ever seen.
You guess old habits die hard, because your scowl is back and you're staring as far and hard into the other end of the park as you can.
A honk in the distance, followed by a scream, and everyone in the current group loses their cool for a grand total of three seconds while you look over, wide eyed, to see a tall young man laughing too loudly and helping an angry looking girl off the floor.
"Gamzee!" You shout, ignoring how loud you are and how Sollux tells you to shut the fuck up, "Vriska!"
They both turn to you, then, Gamzee still holding Vriska's arm after helping her off the floor, and they break into a run towards the group.
You don't mind that Gamzee crushes the air out of you, or that once Vriska reached the group she realised she didn't really have anyone to hug, so settled for Tavros.
"How the fuck are you, motherfucker?" Gamzee asks, and you both proceed to have the lamest apology-session ever concieved, and you shoosh him, because that was in the past in a different life and you can be friends again now because seriously, it'd be stupid not to.
The rest of the trolls follow shortly, Sollux telling every one of them they're late, causing Equius to flinch slightly and apologise profusely for his behaviour, which grosses you out in the best way because they're here. They're all here.
"Where are John and Dave?" Comes a quiet voice from the other side of the mass of bodies in the small park. You see a glint of red-framed glasses and realise Terezi's looking around for them, confused. She isn't blind, now, which troubles you slightly in ways you can't explain.
"Dave texted me saying he'd be a little late, but he didn't specify why. John's probably with him." Rose calls out. You shrug your hoodie up further and tune out of the conversation, edging back out of the group to get some air because okay, you'd forgotten about those two.
About ten minutes pass before Terezi calls out a shriek of glee and you see two more people making their way over to the group. A flash of a blue hoodie on one side and the glint of mirror-shades on the other. You are not standing on your tiptoes to see and you are not disappointed when they don't see you and move into the rest of the group.
The crowd disperses, sixteen people all looking the same, four as originals and twelve without fangs or horns, and skin colours varying from your palest white to Feferi's dark skin, with almost all the colours between. You sit yourself on the back of a bench, your feet resting on the flat boards as you pull your cigarettes out of your pocket and light one, surveying the area. A few ex-trolls come over to high-five you and congratulate you on not flipping your shit. You laugh halfheartedly.
"Vantas, man, you're still short as hell."
You look up, cigarette at the side of your mouth opposite your lipring, to see large shades on an expressionless face, and you smirk.
"And you're still ugly as sin, Strider. Good job you kept the shades, I think the full impact of your face would have led to a mass-suicide in this park. They would have thought we were a cult." You say, voice calm and unwavering. You find you're better at talking this way than how you were talking to the others.
"Wow, your rudeness transcends universes, too? And what is that, eyeliner?"
You look him in the eyes, then, and you can just about see their outline underneath the partially-reflective black, and you see them widen as he meets your own, unblinking, crimson irises, ringed with dark black eyeliner.
You lower your hood and look up again, the white-blonde teen looking back at you, his smirk faltering.
"I figured you'd understand. Rudeness comes naturally when it's the best defense against assholes."
"Nice roots Vantas. I am so glad you dye your hair though, I don't think I could handle you as a blonde."
"Don't flatter yourself, that's not blonde."
Dave actually laughs, then, shoving you a little as he walks away. You pull your hood back over your near-white roots and toss away your spent cigarette, making your way after him and back towards the group.