She stared out her cave's opening, looking out at her forest. She heard a bing from her computer and turned back to where her lusus used to lay and sleep. She leaned against her shipping wall and looked down her at troll chat log.

"CT: D Hello Nepeta."

Equius had been trying to contact her for the last few days. He probably knew she wasn't in her cave. He knew how it felt to lose your lusus.

"AC: hi

CT: D How are you feeling?

AC: i've been better

CT: D I have a proposition for you.

AC: and what is that

CT: D Please visit me at my hive.

AC: …"

Nepeta looked up from her computer and stared out of the opening of the cave. It was raining. It had been raining since the day her lusus died, as if the weather was sharing her emotions.

"CT: D Nepeta?

AC: sure

CT: D Grand.

CT: D See you tomorrow.

- CT ceased trolling AC -"

Nepeta curled up against her wall. She didn't sleep that night.

Nepeta knocked on Equius's door. She only waited a few seconds before he answered. He had a towel thrown across his right shoulder. He was sweating a small amount compared to his usual perspiration.

"Welcome," he said as he moved out of the way so she could enter.

"Thanks," she replied barley above a whisper as she entered the hive. She found a room full of destroyed robots lying around.

"Sorry. I'll clean up," he said, sweating nervously, embarrassed by his inability to keep his establishment clean.

"Don't worry about it," she replied. She hadn't truly cared about much for the fast few days. "So why'd you ask me to come over?"

"Follow me," he began to walk to separate room, easily moving robot pieces out of his way.

Nepeta followed. Her face had no emotion, though a week ago she would have pounced on him upon entrance of his hive. Then again, a week ago he was much like her, though he was taking it out on his creations.

"This is why I requested your presence in my hive," he swung open a door, opening up to a room much similar to a cave, though slightly altered with a bed placed against the far wall. Each wall was left bear, spare a few boulders. The farthest wall, placed right next to the bed, was smooth and boulder-less. A box of chalk with assorted colors was placed in front of the wall.

"This looks…" she trailed off, though she had no real reason to finish her sentence. Equius had known what he was trying to do.

"I thought this was a better situation for you than staying in that freezing cave," he explained. "I ask that you stay here, with me."

"But…" she began. The tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat stopped her. She pulled her sleeve covered hand to her face and she fell to her knees. The tears that were at first in her eyes were know falling down the side of her face.

"Are you okay, Nepeta?" Equius was on his knees next to her, his arm hovering above her. He was too afraid to touch her, in fear he'd harm her. "I'm sorry. I never meant to—"

She cut him off with a hug around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her gently, sweating a bit more due to how much effort it took for him to keep from breaking her.

"It's w-wonderfurr," she choked out between her tears. "Mew are the best meowrial efurr!"

He blushed slightly, though she didn't notice through her tears.

She slept well that night. She woke up the next day confused, but then quickly remembered the day before. She stared at her blank wall, ready for shippings to be drawn all over it. She slumped out of her new, warm bed and began her work.

Later in the day, Equius came down and checked on her. He knocked on the door. She opened it almost immediately and grabbed his arm, pulling him over to her wall.

"What do mew think!?" she was smiling gleefully, bouncing on her heels.

"Uh…" he looked over the multiple drawings, and finally stopped with the biggest one, nearest to the bottom. A sketch of him and Nepeta was shown in detail with a large, pale red diamond set between them. He blushed a pale blue, and then began to wipe his face of sweat with his towel. "It's great…"

"Huh?" Equius pulled away his arm and had turned and left the room. She turned back to her wall and looked over her drawings. She couldn't figure out where she had gone wrong. He had seen these drawings before. Had something changed since she last saw him?

Equius sat in his room, across from his computer. He heard a sound and looked up at his screen.

"GA: How Have You Been?"

He didn't know how to answer Kanaya. He was happy to have Nepeta with him, but he couldn't help but feel conflicted with his standings with her.

"CT: D I have been better.

GA: Is Something Bothering You?

CT: D Nepeta has joined me in my hive.

GA: That's Wonderful. That Is What You Have Been Wanting For A Long Time Now.

CT: D I know.

CT: D But I can't help but feel…

GA: Oddly Conflicted?"

How did she always know? She can always tell what's going on with Equius.

"CT: D Yeah

CT: D I cannot get my head around it.

CT: D We're meowrials.

CT: D I mean morials.

CT: D She has red feelings for Karkat.

CT: D Not me.

GA: Who Knows If She Does If You Do Not Ask?"

Once again she was correct. How could he truly know how Nepeta felt if he never asked her? But how could he ask her?

"CT: D But what if I offend her?

GA: You're Morials. Nothing Can Change That."

Nepeta sat in front of her wall, looking over her shippings. What was it? She didn't want to upset her meowrial, especially not after he made her this new home inside his home. Before she could ponder over it more though, Equius entered the room. It had been a day since they had spoken.

The little kitty girl looked up at Equius, afraid he was angry. Equius sat next to her and looked over her wall, blank faced.

"You're a good artist," Equius finally said after many moments of awkward silence.

Had that been it? Was Equius jealous of her art? Nepeta couldn't come to agree with that thought.

"Equius," Nepeta said, unable to look at him. She stared down at the chalk at her feet.

"Yes Nepeta?" he couldn't come to look at her either. His eyes had stopped and paused over the Gamzee and Karkat shipping.

"I'm sorry," she said barley above a whisper.

"For what?" he looked over to her. She had wet, green tears rolling down her cheeks. He began to reach his arm out to console her, but she pushed it away.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you," her voice was clear even though she was crying. To be honest, she hadn't cried when she was at home. She didn't cry when her lusus died. When Equius showed her the room he made for her was the first time she had cried for a long time until now.

"You didn't upset me," he tried to say softly.

"Yes I did! You left the room all sweaty and angrily!" she protested. She was looking up at him now; she had a mix of anger and fear in her eyes.

"I was just…" he wanted to yell about how much he cared for her, about how he was scared she'd never have the same red feelings for him as he did for her. "I was taken aback…" he hated lying to her.

"By what?" her tears were slowing slightly.

"By how well you draw," he knew he couldn't hide it. He knew she knew he was lying.

"Equius…" she didn't know how to say it, but she did anyways. "What is it really?"

It hit him harder than he thought it would, to see the disappointment and sadness in her eyes. He began to cry. Soft blue tears rolling down his face. Nepeta had never seen him cry before. She had no idea how to go about this.

"Equius I—"he pulled her into a kiss before she could finish.

When they pulled apart, she stared at him, her emotions unreadable. He held onto her forearms, he had no idea what to do now. She knew. There was no going around this. Thoughts of her moving out and not talking to him ever again crossed his mind. He bit his lip, trying not to cry even more.

Nepeta got her arms free and turned back towards her wall. She grabbed her deep red colored chalk and drew a little heart in the middle of the diamond between her drawing of them. Equius watched her every movement and turned back to her when she stopped drawing.

She turned back to him and removed his glasses, his eyes still full of tears. She leaned in and kissed him.