A silvery orb hung high in the night air, its bright glow reflecting off the glass window pane of a small cottage, a ways in the woods stifled from society as one of the inhabitants despised the idea of living with neighbors on either side of his property.
The glow disappeared, the moon now covered by clouds as dark as a flying crows wing, and soft white flakes began to flutter down from the dark mass. The snow rested on the frozen ground, the air being far too cold for it to melt on contact.
Inside the cottage, a newly married couple sat around the Christmas tree, finally exchanging the wrapped boxes that had been taunting them, begging to be opened, the couple had been eagerly awaiting discovering what lay in their depths. Well, one of them was excited, while the other claimed he "gave zero fucks" about the presents.
Terezi Pyrope-Vantas could hardly contain herself while she waited for her new husband to pick out box marked for him underneath the tree.
Karkat really couldn't care less about the stupid tradition of exchanging gifts, and he wouldn't have participated if it wasn't their first Christmas together. It had taken him for-fucking-ever to find a decent gift for Terezi. His wife was always quite strange, so any normal item would not be sufficient.
She finally grew tired of Karkat's inability to pick a box, so she let out a frustrated sigh and chose for him, reaching out a snatching up the nearest box and throwing it at him. Unlike Karkat, Terezi had collected a ton of presents for her partner, and she hadn't had to pay a cent for each one.
"Open yours first." She smiled at him, flashing her abnormally sharp teeth. Karkat rolled his eyes and complied, ripping the paper off to reveal a plain rectangular box. Terezi could hear the wrapping paper being removed, and her grin widened in excitement.
Karkat slid his pale fingers under the lid and lifted, and his vision was held captive by vivid colors.
He held a sheet of paper in his hand and he furrowed his eyebrows a bit, studying the content. Terezi had drawn a picture of them in what assumedly was supposed to be a meadow holding hands. Karkat's eyes widened and he grabbed the rest of the paper in the box. There were at least one hundred sheets.
Karkat could picture Terezi home all alone while he was at work, her blindness rendering her unable to find a job, sprawled out on the floor with crayons scattered every which way, scribbling furiously as she attempted to draw, something she had loved and been so talented at before she lost her sight.
He opened his mouth to thank her, but was interrupted by a banging on the door.
Terezi shot up from her position on the floor, her present sliding out of her lap and thumping down on the hardwood tiling, "Coming!" she called out, racing to where she knew the front door was.
Karkat sighed and followed after her, wondering who the hell would bother coming all the way out here so late, and on Christmas Eve.
They had decided to open presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas morning because they wouldn't have any time for gift exchanging in the morning, as they already had to get up early to go visit Terezi's parents a few towns over. After them, they would go visit their old friends that lived in the neighboring city; John (though Karkat refused to call him a friend), Dave (who Karkat claimed he detested), Kanaya, Rose, and finally Vriska. They would end Christmas by returning back to town to see the rest of the gang that they had hung out with as children.
It was going to be a fast paced busy day, and Karkat was not looking forward to it.
Terezi wrenched open the wooden door, the wind blowing into the once warm cottage and letting a few snowflakes drift inside. Her sightless eyes were level with a pair of smaller blue ones.
Terezi scrunched up her nose and shivered slightly from the air, "What is that smell?" she wondered, not being able to place exactly what it reminded her of.
On the other hand, Karkat stood behind her, eyes wide as he stared over his shoulder at his best friend Gamzee standing out in the snow, holding an unmistakable object out to Terezi.
A kitten.
Karkat suddenly caught on, let out a groan, and banged his head into the door frame.
Gamzee gave them a half smile, stretching his arms out even further, dangling the kitten right in front of Terezi, "Hey sis. Merry motherfucking Christmas." He spoke softly, his eyes half lidded.
Terezi blinked from behind her glasses. She could hear a distinct purring only inches in front of her face, and she reached out carefully until her fingers met a furry resistance. Her fingers slipped under Gamzee's calloused ones and she removed the kitten from his grip, bringing it closer to her and cradling it against her chest.
Karkat groaned again, "Fuck, no, Gamzee. Take it back."
They had already decided that they weren't ready for kids yet, and a kitten was just as bad. It would cry, beg for attention, demand food, and tear up the furniture. Karkat wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.
Terezi beamed as the kitten snuggled closer to her, the purring growing in volume. She could feel the vibrations spreading through her body and she began to feel a glowing warmth deep inside her. She gently stroked it, her fingers rising up to the kitten's neck, brushing over what she assumed to be a ribbon tied into a bow. A tiny thumping made itself known, and Terezi was in complete awe that something so small, so fragile, could have such a strong heart. And she was holding this miraculous creature in her arms.
Karkat watched her closely, he eyes frozen on her face. She appeared to be in pure bliss, her eyes open wide and cheeks dusted with a light pink. He couldn't tell if it was from the happiness or the cold air from outside. Peeking out from behind her glasses was the milky blue of her eyes, filled to the brim with what Karkat could tell was glee.
He sighed, knowing that it was a war lost before the first battle, and turned back to Gamzee. Only Gamzee was no longer there, having taken off as soon as the first chance presented itself. Karkat rolled her eyes, wrapping his arm around Terezi's waist and dragging her out of the doorway enough so he could shut the door, they were wasting the hot air.
Terezi automatically went over to the couch and plopped down, never relinquishing her hold on the kitten, the rest of the gifts laying forgotten on the ground near the fireplace, lit for the first time because Terezi had thought it'd "set the mood". The crackling of the flames was the sound provided during this time.
She called to Karkat from her place, "He's so cute," she cooed, "he's like our first baby!"
Exactly what Karkat did not want in this very moment.
Karkat reluctantly took his spot beside Terezi, where she had always said he belonged. The white ball of fluff's gaze went from staring up at Terezi to watching Karkat curiously. Its eyes held such innocence that Karkat couldn't resist a small smile appearing on his face, and he reached out the stroke the kitten a bit.
As fate would have it, the second his hand was anywhere near the kitten it swiped at his hand, leaving noticeable scratch marks on the back, beads of blood already appearing.
"Fuck!" Karkat jumped, not exactly expecting the kitten's sudden attack. Terezi frowned, glancing to where Karkat's voice came from.
She sniffed a bit, "Are you bleeding, Karkles?" The concern in her voice was prominent, and she reached out, taking Karkat's hand in her own and running her thumb over the cut, spreading the blood a smidge. She could feel the wetness on her finger pad, so she quickly lifted the kitten out of her lap and placed him on the couch while she got up and dragged Karkat to the kitchen, where she ran her fingers along the cabinets trying to remember which one held the first aid kit.
"I'm fine Terezi, it's just a damn scratch." He said, rolling his eyes, "Fuckin' cat…" he mumbled, trying to stay low enough so that Terezi wouldn't hear him.
Not low enough, because she gave a slight smile and pulled out the kit from an open cabinet and opened it, searching for the disinfectant and band-aids. She managed to locate both and demanded Karkat let her help him. She rubbed in the disinfectant and removed a bright pink band-aid with a dragon on it and stuck it right on the scratch. With a smile on her face, she pressed her lips to the band-aid. "Kisses make boo-boos better!"
Later that night, Karkat and Terezi were lounging on the couch, Karkat holding Terezi close to him while the ending credits of "All I Want for Christmas" played. It was late, way later then they had originally planned on staying up, and Terezi was already asleep, her hand still gripping Karkat's.
The kitten that still remained nameless (Karkat referred to it as the Devil's Spawn) was curled up against Terezi's stomach, purring, as per usual. Occasionally, it would appear to glare at Karkat, mustering up all the hate it could harbor in its little body.
Karkat sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night, and removed his other arm from under Terezi, bringing it up to stroke her hair.
He ran his fingers through the auburn strands, wondering how she kept them so soft. They used the exact same shampoo, so why wasn't his like hers? This simple motion was enough to stir Terezi from her sleep, and she looked around in a dazed fashion, her fingers tensing then relaxing until she finally remembered where she was.
She looked up at where she knew Karkat was, smiling in his direction over her shoulder slightly.
Karkat smiled at her fondly, he noticed that he always acted like a different person when he was alone with Terezi. More calm, and kind, though he would never admit this aloud. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, softly murmuring "Let's go to bed, you're going to have to walk, I don't want to carry you."
Terezi yawned, releasing Karkat's hand and stretching slightly. Before getting up, she leaned in towards Karkat, silently requesting a quick peck.
He complied, leaning in closer—
And was immediately attacked by the psycho cat.
"Shit!" he cried this time, clutching the side of his face, glaring bullets at the kitten, who just stared back, attempting to appear innocent.
Terezi only laughed this time, "He reminds me of you…" she said, ignoring Karkat's sputtered objections.
The clock on top of the fireplace rang midnight, signaling the start of a new day.
Terezi glanced over momentarily, before quickly turning back and pressing her lips to Karkat's, only holding the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away slightly, resting her forehead on her husband's.
"Merry Christmas, Karkat." She whispered, "I love you." She began to giggle a bit, feeling like she just stepped out of one of Karkat's favorite romcoms.
He smiled too, "Merry Christmas, Terezi." And staring directly into her blind eyes, he restated something that's been said many times, and has been known for many, many years.
"I love you, too."
Shit man, did I feel cheesy writing that.
This was my first time ever writing something fully like this, so I apologize if it sucked, which it probably did because I only had one day to work on it.
Happy Karezi day~!
This was a collab fic with me and my good friend on here, I'd tell you who she is but I can't remember her FF name, I think it's like Missykills or something.
Second Homestuck fic, woo!
Probably a lot of errors btw, sorry.
~Ayai