Author's Note (I think this is where they go haha): So for some odd reason, and I don't know if this is happening to anyone else, but I can't seem to go into the tab "Manage Stories". I feel like I've done something wrong? But yes. Now I can't edit over the previous draft of the story I started before. That probably didn't make much sense, but it doesn't matter too much. However, since a good number of people were actually interested in it, I will make a well thought out and planned story. I hope they're not too mad at me. However, for the ones that haven't read it...please enjoy!

Chapter 1
Eye Before the Storm

His vision faded then slowly reappeared. Faded, swayed slightly, and then slowly reappeared. Faded; the room's colors swirled and he found himself blinded by bright lights. He groaned in irritation, his hand lifting to cover his reddened eyes and painted face.

"Gamzee!"

The sudden call jolted his body and caused him to snap from his sleepy daze. He looked at himself slouched in his chair and felt the tentative eyes on him. He sat up and coughed nervously into a balled fist, nodding at the woman. She sighed impatiently, drumming her fingers on the wooden podium irritably as she shook her head.
"Gamzee," she said with as much kindness to her voice as she could façade, "If you don't want to be here, you don't have to." She pointed to the back. "The door is only ten steps behind you, sir."
He chuckled, a lazy smile spreading across his face as he looked up at the woman sharply.

"Non can do miss. I won't let it happen again." His southern voice was over powered by a thick and low raspy accent.

The woman nodded and continued her speech about how to cope with being clean from drugs and starting on a new path to a healthy diet.
Gamzee rolled his eyes, his smile dropped as he glanced at the clock. Only thirty minutes left until he could leave. He mumbled gruffly under his breath.

The door to apartment 413 was opened. A 5"2 man stepped inside, throwing his bag on the floor. His name was Karkat Vantas.

Karkat wasn't but nineteen years old and starting his first year in college. The stress that college usually brought showed clearly on his face. His crimson eyes were blood shot and carried bags, his hair was always a mess of brown locks that shaped his face, and his skin was pale from lack of time he spent outside. To add, his temper wasn't much better either.

A vibration sent him patting himself down and cursing. Once he retrieved his ancient flip phone from his pocket, he yawned into the receiver.
"Hello?" His voice was abnormally loud and also, due to a late start in puberty, was higher as well. The voice that greeted him back was much more relaxed and straight to the point. A lisp staining his words as he spoke.
"Hey, Karkat, I need the notes you guys took today in Home Ed."
Karkat's brow twitched and his grip on the phone tightened. "Dammit, Sollux, I just got inside. You want me to march my ass back up to the campus in the fucking cold to deliver notes to you?"
There was a pause.
"Please?"
"Fuck you."
Static crackled through the speaker as an obvious means of a sigh.
"C'mon, kk. I wouldn't be taking the shitty class if I didn't have to. I mean I'm a hacker for fuck's sake! I don't want to waste my time on Home Ed, but I have to. Just spare me this once."
It was Karkat's turn to sigh as he picked up his bag and opened the door.

"Be outside when I get there, asshole."

He snapped the phone shut in the middle of the other's thanks and the door slammed shut, leaving an audible echo throughout the house.

It was almost ten at night when the door opened once again. It was dark by then and the only light was the one coming from the phone illuminating Karkat's face. His brows knitted together in confusion.

"It's ten and his sessions end at nine."

He kicked the door closed with his foot and dropped his bag on the floor as he crossed the room to sit on the couch. He texted furiously on his phone and leaned back, huffing.

"Why aren't you answering my fucking texts, douchebag?" He muttered to himself as the clicking of his phone's keyboard continued.

After another five minutes, four tried calls, and one more text, Karkat stood. He shoved his phone into his pocket, anger bubbling in him. He reached for the doorknob and threw the door open.

Indigo eyes widened and locked with his in surprise. Karkat's eyes burned a hole into him as he threw his hands up in fury.

"Where the hell were you, Gamzee?! You were supposed to be here a fucking hour ago!"

The brown bags the other was struggling to carry lowered enough for the clown's lazy face to show completely. Gamzee Makara frowned apologetically, brushing pass him.

"Sorry, karbro." He set the bags down on the counter and turned to face him. "We got finished kind of early so a motherfucker decided to pull together some money to go get some grub for the month."
"A fucking hour though?" Karkat growled, however his glare much softer now.
Gamzee nodded. "Well, I went downtown to get them. A motherfucker was all up and thinking the lines wouldn't be stretching for miles, but I couldn't have been more fooled. I chilled in line for a good thirty minutes just getting my wait on."

Karkat relaxed and came to stand in front of him, tipping his head back slightly to look at him. With the two standing next to each other, it was quite easy to tell the many differences that stood out between them. Their heights being the first thing. Gamzee was about 6"2 while Karkat only stood less than a shoulder against him. Gamzee was muscular, lean, and had a caramel complexion while Karkat was a bit curvy and had a pale snow white glow. Gamzee's hair was black, thick, and untamed while Karkat at least gave his thin locks a good brush before he left every morning. They were often mistaken as a couple with Karkat's minor girly features and the fact that most mornings he stole away with Gamzee's jacket when he didn't have time to get his own.

Their personalities were different as well, which threw a lot of people off when they got together. Karkat was always a ball of fury waiting to explode, but Gamzee was very chilled and easy going. Most assumed the two would be the most incompatible people on Earth, but there they were under the same roof. Actually getting along. It wasn't long until people finally gave up trying to understand them and left the secrets of their functioning relationship to them. And in reply, they were fine with it like that.

Karkat looked him up and down before punching his chest. Gamzee gave a grunt in return, smiling slightly.

"Answer my fucking texts next time, dick."

He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. His hand came down on Karkat's head and rubbed the chocolate locks out of place.
"I will, but a motherfucker had his hands kind of full at the moment."

Karkat blushed lightly and quickly swatted his hand away, taking groceries out of the bags. Gamzee let out a lazy chuckle watching him through narrowed slits. He loved how much Karkat's guard let up from a simple touch and it showed so evidently. Of course the little hot head would furiously deny it, only to making it worse on himself. He'd become a stuttering mess and his cheeks would flush to the prettiest red he had ever seen. It made his chest tighten and he couldn't help, but admire it. With one last chuckle, he turned on heel and dragged his feet over to their bathroom. He flicked the light on and opened the medicine cabinet.

Karkat began to put away the food and it suddenly clicked as to what it was he was putting away. He looked down in his hands and saw frozen berries and pie crusts. He glanced back at the food on the counter and saw milk, eggs, different meats, different vegetables, and oranges. His brow raised.
"What happened to instant noodles and T.V dinners, Gam?" He called out.
"You can't always be up and eating that brain rotting shit." He called back. "And I wanted to make my motherfucking wicked pies this week. You love my pies."
Karkat shrugged and put the stuff away without question. He knew doubting the guy's logic would end in thoughtless slurs of poetry and talks about the "mirthless messiahs" he worshipped so.

It wasn't too long after the groceries were put away that Gamzee emerged from the bathroom shirtless and his face cleaned of paint.
"Karkat." His voice was gruff.

The chocolate waves turned from the fridge to meet him and his eyes couldn't help, but fall on the toned muscles Gamzee had as he leaned against the wall. Every curve and every line had him blushing like a little school girl. Seeing his face naked of paint made it worse as he got a clear look at his sharp jaw line and features.
"Karkat."
"What?!" He groaned, his eyes snapping to his.

"I ran out of pills. I need the motherfuckin recharge quick." He threw an empty orange bottle to him and Karkat flimsily caught it. He examined the bottle and sighed.
"You're really running through these, Gamzee. Are you seriously taking two a day like the doctor prescribed?"

He shrugged in reply and scratched his chest. "Does it really even matter, Karbro? I mean the chiller I am the brighter the motherfuckin sun will shine, right?"
Karkat stood on that notion and rubbed his neck. "No, Gamzee, not right. The amount is there for a fucking reason. So you don't overdose, dumbass."

"Yeah, well, I'm empty," he shrugged. "Since you don't like it when I'm a motherfucking woman on her period pmsing ready to sling the mighty blade of judgment on people might as well refill them."

Karkat's eyes glanced up at his and he caught the other's smirk. He growled and looked away, setting the bottle on the counter. He would've had more to say if it were true that Gamzee was only a woman on her period, pmsing. However, it was worse than that and knowing it made him feel obligated to do something.

"Fine. We'll go first thing in the morning."

Gamzee chuckled and as he turned, he said lazily, "That's a trooper."

Karkat smiled slightly as Gamzee walked away. For the guy being ditzy, zoned out most of the time, and overall annoying, he couldn't help, but admit that he had at least a sliver of admiration for him. But only a sliver.