Alternia...she was crashing down around them. Tavros marched on, occasionally flinching at the falling rock and rubble, all part of the plan enacted upon them by their own kind...by Gamzee. He carried with him naught but his lance and the dirtied photograph crumpled in his fist, faded and worn by time and struggle. He had to end this. Karkat was gone now. Equius, Eridan, Terezi...all but he and the shadow he'd refused to face. The idle breeze whipped about his dirt-smudged face, ruffling his hair and scattering sand-like particles on its gusts.
I sense there's something in the wind
That feels like tragedy's at hand
It was a long walk, but his rusting legs did not tire. With Equius long gone, Tavros had fallen into a state of disrepair, held together by his minor knowledge of his own upkeep. The discoloration of rust was beginning to form at his joints and made a hushed noise of friction at every step. He felt as if he were sending his own battle melody onto the wind as he neared the carnage, the very start of a bloodied ground. Gamzee's old hive, a place Tavros had always loved to set in his sights, was now strewn with the stolen possessions of the 10 other trolls, now deceased.
And though I'd like to stand by him
Can't shake this feeling that I have
What sickened Tavros was the casual air at which Gamzee had decorated. Karkat's ill-used husktop had somehow been impaled with Terezi's cane, then left like a warning by the door, sticking up from the soil, smeared with the rainbow gore that lingered always on Gamzee's hands. The bodies as well. Tavros had to look away from the severed hand of what he was sure was Kanaya, also protruding from the soil like a grotesque flower. Eridan's headless torso hung from the rooftop, drained of it's blood for Gamzee's crude coloring. Karkat was missing from the scene, however. He'd been the latest, and Tavros was sure Gamzee would have gone straight to setting his carcass up on display. He braved his way past Nepeta's corpse, nearly beaten flat by the two clubs that lied beside her, and grasped the knob of the ajar door. A raspy chuckle reached his ears as Tavros pushed it open further, stepping inside without fear.
The worst is just around the bend
"MY LOVE!" Gamzee called from deep within the hive. "You've come back to me..." Tavros shouldered his lance, trying to follow the sound of the harsh whisper he'd heard. "I-I'm here, Gamzee. But n-not for the reason you m-may think." "DON'T BE SILLY! You've come back, and now we can be together again...AND LOOK! I even have Karkat here with us..." Still unable to place the voice, Tavros peered around the corner to glance into the bedroom, covered in wall art of blood in all their colors. "Karkat's d-dead, Gamzee." "NO, YOU'RE FUCKING LYING! He's on the couch..." Tavros was about to give up his search, simply wait, until there was a loud thump right by his head. Gamzee had slammed his hand on the door frame as he leaned out of the living room to peer at Tavros, only a foot away in the hall. An eerie smile under crazed eyes, pupils blown wide and skittering in insanity. "COME!" he called happily, stained teeth visible in his wide grin. "Come sit with us..."
And does he notice my feelings for him?
And will he see how much he means to me?
I think it's not to be...
Tavros had no choice but to follow, cringing as Gamzee took his hand with clawed nails, grown from misuse, and allowed himself to be led into the room. Sure enough, Karkat had been lied pellmell on the couch, his head at an odd angle from the severed bone that held it. "SEE? I told you he was here..." Gamzee said cheerfully, his breathing ragged. "IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE ALL HUNG OUT LIKE BEST MOTHERFUCKERS!"
What will become of my dear friend?
Where will his actions lead us then?
Tavros gazed for a long time at Karkat, looking him over. The rot had yet to set in, but small bruises were beginning to form from the settled blood in his veins. "It's going to be fun..." Gamzee whispered brokenly, rushing to upright Karkat to make room for Tavros on the couch. His thinning body struggled under the dead weight of the smaller deceased troll, his body weak from lack of nourishment and near constant strain and stress. "Are you feeling w-well?" Tavros asked calmly, to which Gamzee huffed, as if he could be anything but. "OF COURSE!" He finally shoved the body onto one side of the couch, head lolling brokenly. "Sit..." Gamzee ordered, reaching out to take the lance from Tavros, who pulled away quickly. Staring at him, eyes flashing in a sudden anger, Gamzee paused, hand still raised. Tavros drew back farther in fright, almost shielding his weapon. The older troll only looked after him steadily, indigo irises flickering slightly in an almost involuntary manner, watching everything around Tavros with suspicion. "GIVE IT," he growled, waiting, arm outstretched, as Tavros handed the lance over hesitantly. The photo, however, remained in his hand. "You're not here to take me back, are you...?" Gamzee asked softly, to which Tavros shook his head. Gamzee seemed to understand slowly, that spark of happiness leaving him, followed by the anger of Tavros' rebellion. He turned quietly, placing Tavros' lance beside the door as he left for the kitchen. "Where are y-you going?" "TO GET YOU A DRINK!" he called back from the kitchen, leaving Tavros with no other option than to sit by Karkat's corpse.
Although I'd like to join the crowd
He watched the cadaver slowly, as if expecting him to have faked the broken neck and whisper some spectacular get away plan peppered with insults. But when none came, Tavros covered the cold hand in his, an apology of sorts. He pulled back quickly, busying himself with smoothing out the photo and looking down at it fondly. "Orange, right...?" Gamzee whispered, entering the room once more with two Faygos. "Yes, t-thank you." Handing it over, Gamzee sat between Tavros and Karkat, the weight causing Karkat's head to loll to the side. "NO PROBLEM!" he said enthusiastically. "Nothing wrong with a drink before I die..."
In their enthusiastic cloud
"Nothing w-wrong with it at all." Tavros murmured, drinking from his own glass. Gamzee nodded, mirroring him. "I h-hate to do this to y-you." "KILL ME?" "Y-yes," Tavros murmured, flinching a little at the sudden volume. "K-k-kill you." "I still love you, though..." "...I know...I do too..."
Try as I may, it doesn't last
"THAT'S WHY I HATE TO DO THIS." Gamzee growled, staring into his own drink. Tavros stopped cold, a chill running up him. "D-do w-what?" Gamzee only frowned at his orange-tinted reflection. "I've tainted your drink..." he rasped, and Tavros' hand went numb on his glass. "DON'T BE SCARED. It'll be quick...IT WAS THE SAME POISON ERIDAN USED ON HIS HARPOON TO KILL MY LUSUS. You'll fall asleep quick, don't worry..."
And will we ever...
Tavros felt tears well up in his brown eyes. "P-please, Gamzee..." "TAVROS. Don't worry, it's painless..." "I d-don't want to die." "YOU WON'T. I'll keep you here, with me and Karkat..." "I w-was supposed to k-kill you, to end it!" "YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE."
...end up together?
Tavros sobbed brokenly, the glass falling forgotten to the floor, where it chipped slightly and rolled slightly across the floor. "Don't cry, my love..." Gamzee whispered, pulling Tavros close, ecstatic that he didn't fight it. "YOU'LL SEE. I can make this better, now that you'll stay..."
No, I think not...
Tavros' hand went slack in his, releasing the picture as Tavros sighed his last, going limp against Gamzee's chest. The insane troll smiled happily, lovingly stroking Tavros' hair as he looked down at the picture. He froze almost instantly, licking his parched lips. Happiness shone in the photograph, days of their youth past. When their love was simple...when Gamzee was sane...and the note scritched at the bottom of the picture in Tavros' pleasant script...
It's never to become...
I need this again.
...for I am not the one.