This is a story based off a comic by loliyanderesha on tumblr. This is my first time writing from Jake's perspective, and I don't think I did too bad.

This is also going to be part of a series of one-shots called 'Trickster's Pain'. This is Jake's short story, and upcoming ones will feature Roxy, Jane, and Dirk. Depending on the amount of free-time I have I might do the Beta Kids and all the trolls and make up stuff for them, but it depends on my schedule. College classes and work have been wreaking havoc on my schedule and most times I'm working on papers not short things like these.

But, still, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck.

Why?

You're confused. You feel disjointed, and your head hurts like the dickens. You try remembering what had happened. Hmmm. What did happen?

Oh! That's right- Jane had shown up for a visit. But she had been acting… well, she had been acting different! Not that that was necessarily a bad thing of course- good ole Janey had been acting right chipper, and that was an improvement from when you had last chatted- well, with a response from her side anyways. She had seemed madder than the dickens, though it seemed right seeing as you had gone and forgotten her birthday and all.

What happened after that, though…? Yes, that was it! Jane had taken that sucker she had with her and had given you a firm slap with it, knocking you off that cliff you had been standing by.

Oh.

Oh, this couldn't be good! You don't feel pain currently, nothing is crying out at you yet, but you know very well from grandmum's field training for first-aid that you could very well have some grievous injuries and just not know yet.

You carefully crane your head up to look, and… you roll over?

Well that can't be good. Now you're facing the… what? You should be facing the ground now, but all you see is black. True, Janey did slap the glasses right off your face when she hit you with that sucker, but you hadn't thought your eyesight was that bad. Or, could it be, that you got a concussion and you're temporarily blinded? That was even worse- you didn't know the first thing about being blind!

You groan and slap your hands on your face, covering your eyes. You truly have all the bloody luck, don't- what in tarnation? If you were on the ground- face down on the ground for that matter, it really shouldn't have been that easy to cover your face with your hands. Not only that, but you could very clearly see your hands as you brought them up, so that extricated the possibility of you being blind.

You suppose that that is a good thing, then, not being blind. But that doesn't explain why everything here is so gosh darned pitcher than pitch. You don't remember there being any sort of places this dark on the LoMaX. You sit up (though it is a right bad idea with you not knowing how hurt you are, but you feel it doesn't matter at this point) and take a swivel left and a swivel right to examine your surroundings.

There is black surrounding you from all around, and you can't see more than three feet in front of you. A quick survey of your inventory tells you that your Sylladex and Specibus are both gone- no weapons for any possible encounters, and no incidentals that could be used as projectiles in a dangerous situation. This isn't very good.

Still, you have to get walking. You aren't going to figure out where you are or find Jane again by lazing about all day! Or night, you can't really tell what time of day it is here. Not that it really matters of course. At this moment, anyways.

So you settle yourself for an indeterminate bout of hiking and get going. After all, you really don't want to miss Jane's birthday for real (though you might have already but you choose to ignore that possibility momentarily) and you chaps do have a game to get on with as well.

You aren't sure of how long you've been hiking when suddenly the floor drops out beneath you with your next step. You stumble, but manage not to send yourself down another cliff side this time. You attempt to go a different direction, but everyway sends you to a cliff side. Even when you try going back the way you came there is a cliff! You sure are in a right pickle now, aren't you? It seems that the only way to continue is to go down the cliff.

You attempt to locate a safe way to climb down the apparent cliff, but there seems to be no designated safe way. No way to easily lower yourself down, and no subsequent handholds either. It appears the only way to get down is to either walk right off the cliff or take a leap of faith and Hope that there is something that is on the other side of the cliff. Like another patch of ground, that isn't too far away from your patch of ground.

Hesitant for but a moment, you decide to take the leap of faith and trust that there is something on the other side waiting for you. Taking a deep breath, you jump, letting out quite the ferocious battle cry as you flail through the air until your foot catches on something. Another stretch of land, you think, but you are tumbling forward even as you think it.

You brace yourself for a kiss with the ground, but it never happens.

Instead, you continue somersaulting through the air like you are in an out of control hamster wheel. When you finally stop, everything is spinning and your head is dizzying. But there's no more darkness! The blackness has fled to other parts, you suppose, and you are somewhere else now. If only your head now would stop spinning long enough to figure where you are.

"Where am I?" Falls out of your mouth before you can really take in your surroundings. Once your head stops its dizzying waltz it is quite obvious where you are. You could recognize these surroundings any day- high buildings, bleak sky, it is quite obviously LoTaK. However, before you can really consider why you would be on LoTak, something catches your eye.

It's a dashing fellow decked out in striped green and orange tights and red suspenders over a green top. His hair even matches the shirt he's wearing. Save the hair color, it seems like a jolly good outfit and something that you would probably enjoy wearing if things were a bit more lightheart- what?

"That's… my body?" The fellow finally spiraled so you could see him, and while you noticed the pumpkin in his hair, you also noticed right quick that that was your body that that chap was using. But it didn't make quite much sense, as you were pretty sure that this was your body, the one that you were using this moment. Wasn't it?

You try and walk closer, but you don't really manage walking and instead sort of chicken flail through the air to get closer. As you get closer, you notice the others.

There's Jane off to the side, looking how she did prior to slapping you with that sucker, and Roxy's there too, looking all sugarified, like Jane and apparently himself.

Dirk's there as we-

"What are they doing?" Roxy was getting closer to Dirk, and not just simply in the friendly just-friends way.

"No… way…" You are at a loss- it certainly looked as if they were going to… well, you know, but that couldn't be. Yes, you and Dirk were currently having some troubles with their relationship, but that didn't mean that he was on the market!

Dirk loved- loves -you, and you love him as well!

"Dirk, no!" You cry out, reaching out a hand towards him as if it will somehow reach him, somehow stop him, but it does nothing but make you look pathetic. Make you feel pathetic.

There's a warm wetness sliding down your cheeks, and maybe your vision is blurring a tad more than per usual.

You… can't believe it.

"No…" You try to deny it to yourself, but aren't very successful as the tears continue. You slowly retract your hand, and pretend to not see the quaking that rips from your shoulder up your arm and down the rest of your body.

"Dirk… Why…?" It had just been a bout of relationship trouble. They were going to get it figured out! He didn't really need to do this!

"Why…"

It was just a bout of relationship trouble, you had been sure of that. But… But why then? Why?

Why is he kissing Roxy?

This time, when darkness surrounds you, you welcome it, and the numbness that it brings you.

Because you would rather feel nothing than what you feel now.

~~End~~

I can't guarantee when the next part will come, but the next one should feature Roxy.

Thanks for reading, and see y'all next time!