Chapter 1: What can you do?
A/N: Hey everyone! This is Penny, the author! :D I'm really excited about this story, and I'm really terrible at updating, so sorry about that. I'm a slow writer. ANY HOW enjoy chapter one, 2 and 3 will be up in a matter of hours. PS, the original is in 2nd person, so that's why some of this stuff is super awkward to read. I had to change it for this site. :L I DO NOT OWN HOMESTUCK OR THE BEAUTIFUL CHARACTERS. Just the story. Shutting up now.
At this moment, Aradia Medigo was seventeen. She had recently graduated high school, and was starting college in the fall. She was interested in fossils, horror movies, and a particular boy by the name of Sollux Captor. The two met for the first time in the fifth grade, when he spilt his red and blue pencils all over her lap. He has been as painfully oblivious of the crush as Aradia has been painfully transparent about it. Right now though, she was beginning to have a bad feeling about her best friend, who was currently hiding under her blankets.
She spun away from her computer, slightly exasperated.
"Terezi, please get out of my bed." Aradia could barely see the blind girl under her red quilt. The bedspread moved as she buried herself deeper. Aradia just managed to duck as a black pillow was hurled unceremoniously at her head. "Tez…" she said.
Terezi's head poked out. Her black hair mussed by the pillows, and her red glasses sat askew on her nose.
"I hate everything in the world right now except for this bed. Please, allow me at least this." And with that, she dove back under the covers.
"You know, we can talk about it if you want…" Aradia suggested to the shifting mound of linens.
"I'll talk about it later," came the muffled response. She sighed for about the fifteenth time that day, and returned to her computer.
In another location at this moment, Sollux Captor sat at his desk. He was eighteen, and was also starting college in the fall. Sollux's interests included computer hacking, programming, and sets of two. Right now, he was in deep shit.
THUMP.
"SOLLUX MOTHERFUCKING CAPTOR!"
THUMP THUMP.
"HEY FUCKASS OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT FUCKING NOW, OR I SWEAR TO ALL THINGS HOLY YOU WILL NO LONGER HAVE A DOOR TO OPEN, OR OTHERWISE!"
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHU -
Sollux yanked the door open hastily. Glaring up at him was the surly face of his best friend, Karkat Vantas. Karkat's interests included romantic comedies, Terezi Pyrope, and shouting.
"You." He poked a finger into Sollux's chest. "YOU. Do I have a fucking bone to pick with you, you shit-licking son of a bitch!"
Karkat pushed past the taller boy and into the center of his cluttered room, where he whirled to face him.
"What the actual and literal fuck was all that?"
"All what, KK?" Sollux stammered, attempting a goofy grin. It came out sheepish and pained. Smooth, really smooth, he thought.
"ALL WHAT? ALL WHAT?" Karkat screeched. "ALL THAT WITH TEREZI, THAT'S FUCKING WHAT.
Terezi Pyrope, the previously mentioned object of Karkat's affections. They had been together for four months. Sollux had never given more pep talks in his life.
"I can assure you that I don't know what you're talking about."
Karkat took a deep breath, composed himself, and opened his mouth to speak.
"Do you remember the other day, when we had that talk?" The surly boy smiled.
"We talk everyday."
"THE ONE ABOUT TEREZI, FUCKTARD." He snapped, and then quickly returned to his composure. The sudden switch was actually quite frightening. "The talk, wherein, I told you that I was somewhat dissatisfied with my relationship?"
"Oh yeah. You said a whole bunch of shit about how Terezi should be more attached and less distant and—"
"So you remember this conversation." Karkat's eyes glinted murderously.
"Vaguely, yeah."
"So, do you remember when I told you NOT TO FUCKING TELL TEREZI EVERY GODDAMN WORD I SAID, YOU FUCKING INCOMPETENT ASSHOLE!"
Sollux would have really liked to roll over and die at this moment.
Aradia had begun to feel very, very uncomfortable.
Terezi was still hidden under the quilt. Aradia was halfheartedly playing Minecraft, but most of her attention was claimed by her devastated friend.
What could possibly be this bad? Aradia wondered.
"Aradia?" She jumped slightly at the sound of her name.
"Yeah?"
Terezi sat up in bed, her sightless, milky blue eyes staring at the wall dejectedly. There was always something sad and hopeless about her eyes.
That's probably why she covers them in those red-tinted glasses.
Terezi hated being pitied for her condition.
"Am I… cold?" The blind girl asked.
"Well, I don't see how you can be with all those blanket-"
"No," she interrupted, "I mean, emotionally cold. Distant. Unloving."
"What! Who the hell told you that?" Aradia couldn't help but be surprised. Terezi was usually faulted for being overzealous- too affectionate.
"Sollux did," she said, her face twisted into a mournful expression, which was not one she commonly wore.
"S-Sollux? Sollux told you that?" the other girl blurted out. "Well, Sollux is an asshole and you shouldn't listen to him."
I'm sorry Sollux you're perfect.
"No, sorry. That was unclear. Sollux told me that Karkat thinks I'm cold."
"Oh… so that's why you're upset." Aradia said quietly.
"No, I stepped on some gum earlier today and spiraled into a pit of depression," Terezi deadpanned. Her eyes were filled with something that looked suspiciously like tears. She blinked vehemently. Aradia got up and sat next to her on the bed, rubbing her shoulder.
"Well, that's not true. It just isn't. Karkat just has a stick up his ass. As usual," she said. Terezi's lip quivered dangerously.
"But Karkat is right…" She sobbed, flinging her head into her friend's lap, cries finally escaping her throat. Aradia wordlessly stroked her hair.
"I just don't know what do to with him," she said quietly, between sobs.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, when we're together." She sat up, wiping at her tear-stained face. Araida shifted awkwardly on the bed.
"Like, together, or together?" she asked uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what came next.
"Together together."
Oh gosh.
"Well, have you, uh…" She fiddled with the bedspread.
"No! no…" Terezi said quickly. "I mean, we kiss all the time. And he's a really great kisser. But sometimes, he gets really into it, like he wants to… and I have to make him stop, because I don't know what to do next. Like, I physically don't. Know. And he doesn't know that I've never done anything like this before" she laughed bitterly. "No one does."
What?
Aradia almost couldn't believe that Terezi was inexperienced. She carried herself like she knew what she was doing, and not only that, but she could do it better than you.
"And I'm scared if I tell him," she continued, "he'll think less of me." Her eyes began to water again.
"Why do you think that? He'd be crazy to think less of you for any reason! And even if he did, it's still important to tell people things in a relationship."
What do you know, a voice in Aradia's head quipped.
Terezi just shrugged, her eyes brimming over again. Aradia gently pulled her back into her lap as a new wave of sobs began.
Sollux was pretty close to losing his shit.
"She would have found out anyway." he said hotly.
"No she fucking wouldn't have, Sollux! NO!" Karkat shouted back.
"Yes, she SO would have! I actually think I did you a favor!"
"Well, I'm sorry if I didn't notice that, because the last time I saw Terezi, she fucking slapped me across the goddamn face." He gestured angrily to a red mark that was quickly turning blue on his jaw line. "Y'know, for a blind chick, she hits PRETTY FUCKING WELL."
"Look, man, I did you a fucking favor." Sollux shrugged. "If she hadn't found out until later, it would be ten times worse and it would have blown up in all our faces. At least now you have a chance to work it out with her!"
"And why do you care so much!" Karkat snarled.
"Because I don't feel like seeing you treat another girl like shit! And more importantly, I don't want to have to deal with all the goddamn aftermath."
"BULLSHIT!" Karkat screamed. "Bullshit you do, you're just trying to screw me over!"
"Alright. You got me. I'm actually doing this because deep down a have an issue. I can't stand seeing you with all these girls because I want you for myself!" Sollux mimed a swoon. "Oh Karkat!" He laughed brashly.
"Fuck you! Why are you really doing this?" he demanded, folding his arms over his chest.
"I'm doing this because I think you actually like this girl, and as a result, you have no clue how to treat her."
"Yes I fucking do!" Karkat shrieked.
"Evidently not," The other boy said curtly. "Now kindly get the fuck out of my house before I lose my shit on you. For real." Karkat stood there, fuming.
"GO!" Sollux watched his best friend storm out of his room. The door slammed, but not five seconds later, the door was thrust open again.
"What now, KK?" Sollux snapped.
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say FUCK YOU FOR RUINING EVERYTHING."
"What?"
"WITH TEREZI!" Karkat stalked back down the hallway, away from his best friend's room.
"Seems like you did a superb job of that yourself!" Sollux called after him.
"THUBERB!" He mimicked over his shoulder.
"You're a real shitheel, y'know that, KK?"
"FUCK YOU." Came the heated response.
Well, that's enough angst for now. Let's try something different.
At this moment, The Boy With The Plan was feeling pretty good.
He sat back, completely relaxed. The room was dark, as always, but that was okay, because he had a plan.
HE HAd A PLAN.
He had a motherfucking plan.