You people reading this and enjoying it should feel special. This is the fastest I've ever updated a fic. Wow. anyways, that first chapter was an intro to the kids, now this one opens with an intro to the dancestors, or as they're referred to here, "the sbilings". They're all dead beats. Jeeze. Enjoy.
When Kankri dropped Karkat off at school on his first day of Senior year, the older boy had to sit in his car for a bit to collect his thoughts. His kid brother was a senior. Damn, Kankri felt kinda old. He shrugged it off and drove away, turning on the radio and sighing. He had all day to kill, might as well pick up Kurloz and see Mituna. The drive to the Makara household took a good ten minutes and Kankri parked in front, blinking at the black sports car in the drive way. Kurloz's dad was home. Great. Kankri heaved a sigh and fished out his phone, scrolling through his contacts before finding Kurloz's name and sending him a text.
'Y9u 6etter have y9ur cl9wn ass up. C9ome 9utside.'
There was an extended silence before his phone buzzed to life with Kurloz's reply.
'coming :o)'
Kankri rolled his eyes at the ridiculous clown face, putting his phone away. Kurloz came stumbling out the front door, black hair unbrushed and hanging in his face. He wore that sweater he's had since forever, the one with the skeletal design on it, and black, baggy jeans. He climbed into Kankri's beat up car, offering a smile and a wave. Kurloz had what they all knew as 'selective mutism', meaning...well, he didn't talk. Not usually. He spoke every now and again, when he had to or when he had something he really wanted to say. Which, wasn't always. Kankri was used to it, though. "Want to go pick up Mituna?"
Kurloz replied with a "Mhm," opening the window as Kankri started driving.
Kankri couldn't help but roll his eyes. Kurloz reeked of marijuana, though really it wasn't a surprise. Kankri turned the radio off as he glanced at the tanned man beside him. "Was Gamzee excited about senior year?"
Kurloz shook his head and gave a wheezy laugh, looking at Kankri with amusement swimming in his dark brown eyes. He looked ready to speak, wow that was a new record. "Scared shitless."
Kankri scoffed, shaking his head at the road. "Really? Gamzee's the smartest one in their group. I figured he'd breeze by."
Kurloz didn't reply with words, meaning he was waiting for Kankri to look at him. When they stopped at a stop light Kankri looked over, seeing Kurloz tapping the side of his head. Kankri nodded slowly. "His heads been a bother lately? What about his medicine?"
Kurloz rolled his eyes, making a very vague gesture that Kankri was able to read easily; His medicine's fine. It's dad that's freaking him out.
Kankri didn't push the subject any further than that. Kurloz hated talking about their dad more than anything so no one really urged him to do it. They drove in comfortable silence to Mituna's house, Kurloz humming every now and again as he let his hand dangle out the open window. When they pulled up to Mituna's house, a large two story with more windows than seemed normal, they both got out and made their way to the door. Kurloz knocked, loud and fast, stepping back and stretching his arms over his head.
"Cominnggggg!"
Mituna's voice rang out from the other side of the door, followed by a loud thud. Kankri winced and so did Kurloz, chuckling softly. The door flew open, Mituna's wild strawberry blonde hair in a mess as he smiled at them. "Hey! I was like, just about to call you two losers."
"Rude," Kankri huffed before snickering. "Have you even touched a brush yet this morning?"
"Hell no," Mituna scoffed. He pushed his hair out of his hazel eyes and smiled wider. "Come in, come in. Kurloz, buddy, you fucking stink."
Kurloz flipped the other off as they walked in, shoving past Mituna. Kankri followed and shut the door, letting Mituna lead them through the house to the kitchen. Mituna all but yanked the fridge open, sighing loudly. "Dudes, our brothers are seniors."
"And here we are, not even in college yet," Kankri murmured as he sat up on the counter.
Kurloz rolled his eyes and huffed, crossing his arms. Kurloz was in no rush to go to college, something that always seemed to set the boy's dad into a fit. He didn't care, though. Mituna wasn't in a rush either, but he had urged Kurloz to enroll next fall. Kankri, at least, was going to enroll in the spring. His dad would hit the roof if he waited any longer. "You're supposed to set an example for Karkat," He'd say.
"Screw college," Mituna muttered. Though his dad was probably pushing the issue, too. But they were all pushing twenty, Kurloz being almost twenty one. They'd all waited long enough. Mituna threw down a pizza box, smiling as he flipped it open. "Cold pizza, losers. Take it or leave it."
"I'll leave it," Kankri murmured, frowning in mild disgust. "Seriously, how do you eat it cold?"
"Ya get used to it," Mituna shrugged, biting into a cold slice of pepperoni pizza.
Kurloz took a slice too and leaned back, eating quietly. Kankri ran a hand through his dark brown hair and then picked at the sleeves of his red sweater. "Got any plans today, 'Tuna?"
Mituna shook his head. "Nah. Why, got something in mind?"
"Just thought we could all hang out," Kankri shrugged. "We can invite Latula too."
At the sound of his girlfriends name Mituna grinned. "Sweet. Yeah, let's do it. We can bring Meulin too."
Kurloz shook his head, tapping his wrist; Meulin was at work. Mituna nodded. "Right, right. Let me go throw on some clothes. Be back."
Mituna stormed up the stairs, leaving the other two in the kitchen. Kankri whipped out his phone and scrolled through it absently. "How's Meulin doing, by the way? I haven't seen her in a while." He looked up at Kurloz, waiting.
Kurloz shrugged lightly; she was fine. It was no secret that Meulin wasn't very fond of Kankri. The boys weren't really sure why and it kind of miffed Kankri off, but Kurloz had set lines a long time ago with Meulin. Regardless of her personal feelings, Kankri was a friend and he was staying that way. Mituna came barreling down the stairs after a while, dressed in his baggy jeans and his bright yellow sweater. Ugly color, seriously. "Ready? Already called Latula; she said she'd meet us at the park. She's got Meenah with her."
Kankri groaned. "Please tell me Cronus isn't tagging along."
Mituna chuckled, having the nerve to look sheepish. "Well...she was already at Cronus' house so...I mean..."
Kankri heaved a sigh. If there was one person he wasn't fond of, it was Cronus Ampora, Meenah's cousin. Cronus had graduated a year before Kankri had, and Kankri honestly hadn't seen that much of the other and he wanted to keep it that way. Really, the only time he saw Cronus was on the rare occasion he had to go shopping because Cronus worked at the shopping center.
"Don't look so thrilled," Mituna scoffed, pushing Kankri off of the counter. "Let's go!"
They all piled in Kankri's car, Kurloz shoving Mituna in the back when the blonde tried to steal the passenger seat. Kankri couldn't help but chuckle as the action caused Mituna to break into a rant, hands flying and voice rising. Kurloz paid no attention, leaning over to turn the radio on to drown out the other boy's voice. Sometimes Kankri had to wonder how the two became such good friends. They had been friends when Kankri first met them in seventh grade, back when Kurloz scared Kankri to no end. The tall, dark skinned quiet kid? Yeah, Kurloz was pretty scary and Mituna was...well, Mituna. Kankri's first friend had been Porrim Maryam, a kind girl back then. She was still kind, of course, but sometimes...
Latula and Meenah were already at the park when they got there. Latula was standing on top of the picnic table they had picked out, hands on her hips as the three boys came walking up. The black haired girl all but pounced into Mituna's arms, hugging him tightly. Mituna stumbled and laughed, leaving a sloppy kiss on the girl's cheek. "Sup."
"Bout time you guys got here," Latula huffed, looking at Kankri and Kurloz. She sniffed the air and then looked at Kurloz, pushing her red sun glasses down to gawk at him. "Dude, you reek like weed."
Kurloz shrugged as if to say 'And?' and walked over to sit across from Meenah. Meenah Peixes waved, examining her nails as Kankri came to sit next to Kurloz. "Bout glubbin' time." Sometimes, Kankri didn't miss the fish related puns the girl made. "The hell ya'll been?"
"Dude, it's only been like, ten minutes since I called you guys," Mituna muttered with a huff. He looked around, lifting an eyebrow. "Where's Cronus?"
"Bathroom," Meenah shrugged. Meenah was an intimidating person to anyone outside of their group. She was nearly six feet of dark skinned attitude, the complete opposite of her soft spoken girl friend, Aranea Serket. Nothing in their group made sense, though. "Cronus had a rough time, poor guppy."
"Rough night?" Kankri muttered, propping his chin in his palm. "What, he run out of hair gel?"
Meenah snickered and shook her head, braids swaying with the motion. "Nah, man. He got plastered. Been puking all night. Fucking nasty. Barely got him out of Tula's car in time."
Kankri frowned and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by an all too familiar voice. "Aw, come on Meenah. Don't talk about me if I ain't around."
Cronus Ampora was...well, most would say he was more than good looking. He was a good, solid six foot with dark skin, courtesy of his Italian roots just like his younger cousin, Eridan. Meenah and her young sister, Feferi, had the darkest skin in their family, though, but Cronus was...more of a happy medium. He was tanned and toned, something that made his life on the High School swim team nearly perfect. The girls, and quite a few guys, were always around to gawk at him and he knew it. He had short, jet black hair that he kept slicked back. Karkat had said once that Cronus looked like a 50's greaser ripped right out of a movie, and that was how everyone described him now. The Greaser. He was all smiles when he walked up, dressed in his tight fitting black jeans and his leather jacket over a tight fitting white Tee. His smile was shaky, though and he looked exhausted as he plopped down next to Meenah. Meenah smirked, elbowing the male in the ribs. "When you make a complete ass of yourself I can talk all the shit I want. Seriously, Eridan had to put your ass in bed."
Kankri frowned silently. Of all the reasons he disliked Cronus, the man's inability to set a good example had to be the worst. Kankri will admit that there was a huge difference in the way he and Cronus had been brought up; their father's were polar opposites. Kankri had grown up with his dad and Karkat, in a house that was always warm, supplied and comfortable. He had been raised to set an example and to do well. Cronus, from what Kankri had heard, was different. As soon as he had turned eighteen Cronus had moved out, taking his younger cousin Eridan with him. (Eridan had been adopted by Cronus' father at the age of three). From what Kankri was told, Cronus was the one that worked in the house, was the one that took care of Eridan alone. It was a nice gesture, but Cronus could hardly feed himself. As far as Kankri was concerned, Cronus had no place raising a kid. But, that was his opinion.
"Awfully quiet there, Kanny," Mituna spoke up.
Kankri blinked and then shrugged. Cronus met Kankri's gaze and smirked, tilting his head. "What, can't say hi to me, chief?"
"Hello, Cronus," Kankri muttered dully. "You reek almost as much as Kurloz."
Cronus laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Ouch, so mean, Kanny. I haven't seen you in like, weeks, and you treat me so coldly."
Kankri rolled his eyes. "Did you get Eridan to school on time?"
"He got picked up didn't he?" Cronus looked at Meenah with a small frown. "Didn't your sister come and get him?"
"Yeah, yeah, chill," Meenah wave the other off and stretched. "Fuck, I can't believe they're seniors this year. Time sure flies."
"Seems like only yesterday they were pathetic freshman begging us to take them home," Latula sighed wistfully. She leaned against Mituna and smiled. "They grow up so fast."
"Too fast," Kurloz murmured softly in his deep, eerie voice. "Motherfucking miracle, though."
"I heard Dirk's boyfriend is their teacher," Mituna muttered. "Didn't know Jake was a teacher."
"Duh, dude," Cronus scoffed. "He was studying to be one when I graduated, remember?"
"I'm fairly certain he was a teacher last year, too," Kankri nodded.
Mituna frowned in thought before shaking his head. "Shit, I didn't know."
"No surprise there," Meenah muttered with a small snicker.
They fell into light conversation, save for Kankri who listened and Cronus who laid his head down on the table. He probably had a killer headache; Kankri felt slightly bad. Meenah updated them on her online classes she had enrolled in over summer; she was almost done, this being her second year in college classes. She was probably going to transfer into Beforus University in the next fall term to wait for her girlfriend to catch up. She had a job now, too, apparently working as a bar tender in the club Dirk worked in at night. Latula told them about how she had dyed her sister's hair; "Seriously, it's bright freakin' red. Terezi loves it." Latula was never really up to much, but she had just recently enrolled in classes three days a week at their local community college. Kankri listened intently, smiling every so often.
Eventually Cronus sat up, rubbing his temples and looking at Meenah as the girl pulled out her phone. Meenah smiled brightly. "Yo, Rufioh and Horuss wanna meet up too. Ya'll up for it?"
"Count me out," Cronus muttered as he stood up. "As much as I love the two, my heads killin' me and I need to get some sleep before I go to work. "
"Thought you had Mondays off," Latula asked, pushing her glasses up again.
"Fillin' in for someone." Cronus replied as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweater. "Gets me extra cash. Anyways, be seein' ya."
"Bro, you're gonna walk?" Mituna scoffed. "Have fun. Try not to like, pass out or anything."
Let it be known that Kankri, sometimes, was too nice. While he most certainly wasn't fond of Cronus he wasn't cruel. He heaved a sigh and stood up. "I'll drive you home, Cronus. Anyone want me to pick something up? Drinks? Food?"
"Soda," Meenah muttered absently, texting away on her phone. "Not that diet shit. Wait...actually, yeah, pick me up some diet stuff. Aranea likes that and I'm seeing her later."
Kankri nodded and turned, making his way towards his car. Cronus followed close behind and when Kankri looked over his shoulder, the jerk was grinning at him. Kankri scoffed. "What?"
"Nothin," Cronus shrugged. He got into the car and leaned back, rubbing the side of his head. "Damn, don't drink Kanny. Just...don't."
"I don't," Kankri muttered as he started up the car. "Especially when I'm supposed to be watching a child at that."
Cronus had the audacity to roll his eyes. "Eridan was fine, chief. You think I wasn't keepin' an eye on him?"
"I'm not having this conversation with you, Cronus Ampora," Kankri stated sternly as they backed out of the parking lot.
Cronus chuckled but dropped the subject, gazing out the window as they drove off. "Your brother excited 'bout this year?"
"Not really," Kankri murmured. "He doesn't seem to have a solid opinion. He honestly just can't wait to graduate. He's going straight to Beforus after high school, along with most of his friends. He's been urging Kurloz's brother to do the same but I'm not so sure how well that's going."
"We're all going to be going to college with our little brothers and sisters." Cronus snickered lightly. "We suck."
"Speak for yourself," Kankri scoffed as the car turned a corner. He glanced at the other, took in the way Cronus had grown pale. "Don't you dare throw up in my car."
"Yeah, that's probably a major turn off, eh?" Cronus threw a light smirk at the other boy. "No worries, Chief; I'll keep it all down."
"I'd hope so," Kankri muttered. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he was alone with Cronus since...well, since the other male's senior year of high school. Back then they had Drama together and, for some reason still unknown to Kankri, were always partnered up They'd spent more than enough time alone back then. Now it was different though; they were adults and there were no school enforced rules to keep them in the same area. Strange how things work.
Cronus hadn't changed much since then either, but Kankri probably hadn't either. The only noticeable change when it came to Kankri was the extra two inches he had grown, but even that was hardly noticeable when standing next to the walking towers Kurloz and Rufioh. Cronus still dressed the same, still wore that weird half smirk. But he was quiet which was a change, though Kankri blamed the massive hang over.
They pulled up to Cronus' apartment complex and the other sighed, turning to smile at Kankri. "You're a life saver, Kanny."
"Don't get used to it," Kankri murmured with a half smile. "Drink lot's of water and take some pain medicine."
"Yeah, yeah," Cronus swung the door open and stepped out, wincing at the sun light. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up entirely, and ducked his head to peek back at Kankri. "Have fun with the others, chief."
Kankri nodded and waited until he knew Cronus was in his apartment before driving of. By the time he made it back to the park it was around eleven and the others had showed up. Rufioh Nitram was a tall and slightly intimidating guy with a bright red Mohawk that split down his head. He had been on the foot ball team back in their high school days,was now a computer geek in community college classes twice a week. He'd be going to Beforus in the spring like Kankri. His best friend was Horuss Zahhak, a quieter guy that could, without a doubt, throw Kankri across a foot ball field if he really wanted to. Horuss was a nice guy though and didn't particularly condone violence. He, too, would be joining them at Beforus in the spring. They had managed to drag Aranea with them, the poor girl.
Aranea Serket stood out quite a bit in their group of...well, ill-fitting characters. Aranea was soft spoken, wore light colored skirts and button up shirts that she made sure were buttoned all the way up. Every. Single. Button. Aranea, unlike her zealous sister, was content to spend most days indoors. It was still a mystery how Meenah had won the quiet girls heart but no one had the nerve to question it.
The only ones missing were Damara, Rufioh's damn near terrifying girlfriend, Cronus, Meulin and Porrim. Meulin and Porrim worked, however, and Damara was probably asleep at home. When Kankri walked up and set the grocery bags full of snack foods down he was crushed in a one armed hug by Rufioh who smiled brightly at his exasperated expression. "Kanny! I haven't seen you since June. Sup?"
Kankri always liked Rufioh, for some reason. He shrugged the others arm off of him and sat down, digging through one of the plastic bags. "Hello to you, too, Rufioh. I'm well. Aranea," He pulled out a diet soda, offering it to the girl seated in Meenah's lap. "Meenah made sure to remind me to pick one up for you."
Aranea smiled, brushing her brown hair behind her ear before taking the offered drink from the boy. "Thank you, Kankri."
"You spent money on all of us?" Mituna muttered as he all but dug through one of the bags. He let out a victorious yelp, yanking out the bag of potato chips and ripping them open. "Kankri, you're so nice!"
"I can pay ya back, dude," Meenah murmured, chin resting on Aranea's shoulder.
Kankri shrugged and shook his head. "That's alright." He looked over at Rufioh. "Where's Damara?"
Rufioh shrugged as he reached over to snatch the chips out of Mituna's hands. "She's sleeping. She's got a bunch of errands to run when Aradia gets home."
"She get that job she was telling us about?" Latula asked as she took the chips back, giving them to a very whiny Mituna.
Rufioh had to think for a second and then shrugged again. "She's got an interview on Friday, I think. She's really hopeful."
"She'll get it," Mituna stated through a mouthful of chips.
Kurloz made a disgusted face towards the blonde before looking away. Horuss let out a small chuckle and pulled up one of the plastic bags. He pulled out a box of cookies, gawking at Kankri. "You shouldn't have."
"Then give them back," Kankri murmured, gesturing to the cookies.
Horuss scoffed. "As if, short stack." He dove behind Rufioh and got to work opening the box, a self satisfied smile on his lips. "Hey, Kurloz, I ran into your girlfriend this morning."
Kurloz looked over and lifted an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"She was headed to work, told me to tell you to call her," Horuss shrugged, popping a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth.
Kurloz nodded once and Mituna squeaked out a laugh. "Whipped!"
Kurloz frowned towards the blonde and then looked at Latula, waiting. Latula sighed and elbowed Mituna none-too gently. "Tuna, be nice."
There was an ongoing joke between the group that Kurloz was, for lack of better word, whipped. Kurloz loathed the joked to no end and had nearly punched Mituna unconscious last year over it. Kankri had no part in the jokes, but Mituna never seemed to learn. The blonde was just lucky Kurloz was in no mood to move. Kankri tuned out of the conversations around him and settled for taking everything else out of the grocery bags. He had gotten several types of sodas along with chips, some god awful candy and cookies. He didn't really eat a lot of the crap he bought, but he did drink soda. He was half way through a sip when he heard Mituna shout out, "Kankri needs a girlfriend!"
Kankri choked, coughing and glaring as Kurloz patted his back comfortingly. Wiping his lips with the sleeve of his red sweater, Kankri stared at the blonde. The others around them had snickered. "No, I most certainly do not need a girl friend."
"Then...a boy friend?" Aranea suggested softly, obviously trying to be helpful. The poor dear.
"No," Kankri huffed again, taking a longer swig of his soda.
"He doesn't date, remember?" Meenah murmured with the smallest of eye rolls.
"What's with the attitude?" Kankri muttered bitterly. "Excuse me for having standards."
"Standards?" Meenah scoffed, frowning. "Kankri you're standards are as high as Kurloz."
Kurloz blinked a few times, letting the comment settle in. He frowned and then actually had the nerve to chuckle. "Well-"
"Oh shut up," Kankri muttered. He sighed and looked away. "I'm not interested in dating. I don't see the big deal, that's all."
The rest of their group all hesitated, looking between each other as if expecting one another to explain. Mituna was the one who spoke up; no surprise there. "Its just like, nice you know? It's like having a best friend that you can kiss and do shit with!"
Kankri gave a humorless smile. "Sounds so fun." He drawled.
"You gotta lighten up," Latula muttered as she stood up. She stretched, running a hand through her hair. "Have fun once in a while?"
Kankri held up a hand. "I'm not having this conversation with any of you."
"Aw, come on," Rufioh laughed. "We're just looking out for you."
Kankri frowned but didn't reply, propping his chin up in his palm. The rest of the time spent with his friends was blocked out, Kankri not willing to pay much attention. He wasn't mad exactly, though he was a bit irritated. Kurloz seemed to take notice, nudging the shorter male with his leg to get his attention. Kurloz gave him a side way grin and gestured to his phone which he had slid over to Kankri. Kankri picked it up, reading what was typed out on the screen.
'Wanna up and leave?'
Leave it to Kurloz to come to Kankri's rescue. Kankri couldn't help but smile a little as he started typing away on the other's phone. Once upon a time, Kankri would have admitted to having a crush on the lumbering idiot. That was back in freshman year though, before Kurloz hooked up with Meulin. Of course Kankri had been a little upset but he got over it fairly quick; now Kurloz was just that one person that Kankri would trust with his life. He was overly fond of him, was all. He slid the phone back to Kurloz.
'We can stay if y9u want. I d9n't mind.'
Kurloz wasn't buying it.
'They made you mad, bro.'
Kankri rolled his eyes.
'Then what d9 y9u suggest we d9?'
Kurloz seemed to actually consider it for a long minute.
'I don't up and know.'
Kankri couldn't help but laugh and gave the other his phone back. "Thank you but Ill have to decline." He stood up, catching everyone else's attention. "I think I'm going to go home and clean up before I have to pick up Karkat."
"Aw, Kanny!" Meenah reached out to grab the boy's sleeve. "We make you mad?"
"Course we did," Horuss snickered, finishing off the last of the cookies. "He's sensitive, remember?"
Kankri didn't miss the way Horuss said it, as if the other was actually trying to hurt his feelings, and nodded stiffly. "Unlike you people, I have things to do and people to see. Good day."
Kankri walked away, feeling Kurloz and Mituna staring at him as he went. He was bound to get a crap ton of apology texts from Mituna later, and maybe a weird video emailed to him from Kurloz as the guy's weird way of apologizing, but he didn't really care at that moment. Once Kankri was safe in his car he whipped out his phone and dialed a quick number, waiting for the other to pick up.
"Yes, Kanny?" Porrim purred through the other line.
"Are you busy?" Kankri murmured.
"Just working," Porrim laughed. "But it's a slow day. Why? Did you want to see me?"
"A little bit," Kankri admitted as he smiled to himself. "If you're not busy."
"Meet me at Starbucks by my job in twenty minutes," Porrim replied before hanging up.
Porrim was a good friend, one of his best friends. If Mituna and Kurloz couldn't ease his nerves, Porrim could without breaking a sweat. It had to be in her blood or something, the way she could be such a mother when it came to Kankri. Though it helped a lot, not that Kankri would ever admit it. He drove off and heaved a sigh, waving through the window when he saw Mituna waving frantically at him. "Mituna, Mituna..."
When he found Porrim twenty minutes later the woman was already waiting, sipping from her iced coffee. She lifted her head to smile charmingly at Kankri, pushing an identical iced coffee towards the boy as he sat down. Her hair tumbled past her shoulders in curled ringlets today and she wore her crisp, white dress shirt with a black skirt. She tilted her head, speaking softly in that calming voice. "What's bothering my little Kanny today?"
Kankri rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the chair he sat in. "Nothing, really. How's your sister?"
"Entirely thrilled about senior year," Porrim's voice dripped with sarcasm and she smiled wider. "She's alright, though. How's Karkat?"
Kankri shrugged. "Same as always. Can't wait to get out of Alternia."
Porrim chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, that's what we expected though. But seriously Kankri, what's up? You look irritated. And don't you lie to me or I'll break your nose."
It was an empty threat, though Kankri still nodded. "Just irritated with the others. I mean, must they feel the need to torment me?"
Porrim's smile faltered for a second. "They made fun of you again, didn't they?"
"I don't think they were intending to hurt my feelings," Kankri admitted with a small roll of his shoulders. "It just bothers me. They always feel the need to poke fun at my life choices."
"Screw them," Porrim hissed out, leaning back. "If they've got a problem then screw them. It's not their choice anyways."
Kankri cracked a small smile, finally taking a drink of his coffee. "Don't get so worked up."
Porrim arched an eyebrow. "Hush and drink your coffee."
For the longest time, back when Kankri still hadn't talked to most of the group, everyone assumed he was head over heels for Porrim. They were way off base, Kankri not even into girls at that time. If anything Porrim was, quite simply, a mother/sister figure. Kankri and Karkat grew up without a solid woman in their life, their mother dying when Karkat was just a toddler and their dad never having the heart to move on. They had no sisters either, which really left them to themselves. Porrim was...brash at times, didn't seem to care much what others thought. She had scared Kankri half to death in middle school when he was new but after some time, the girl proved to be one of his best friends. As far as Kankri was concerned, there were just some things that Mituna and Kurloz couldn't help with.
They drank their coffee and talked lightly; Porrim's mother was rolling back into town in a week or so, finally done with an exhausting business trip. She said Kankri would have to come in visit because her mother simple adored him...although they were both pretty sure Porrim's mother had a thing for Kankri's dad. Not that they would ever say that around either parent.
When Porrim had to go back to work, she gave Kankri a tight hug and smiled. "Tell those others that I'll kick their asses if they start picking on you again. Meenah included."
Kankri laughed, nodded, and made his way back to his car. He spent the next few hours at home, washing dishes and vacuuming before it was time to pick up Karkat. As he waited at the front of the school, he waved to the kids he knew; Karkat's friends. A lot of them were carrying what...looked like baby dolls? Kankri frowned, turning and watching as he saw Karkat emerge from the crowd. He was with Gamzee, the taller teen's hands shoved in his pockets as he walked. Karkat was holding one of those babies too, his wrapped in pink. Kankri raised an eyebrow as his brother and Gamzee stopped by the car. "What's with the doll, Karkat?"
"It's Jake's stupid fucking project," Karkat grunted. "Hey, can we give Gamzee a ride home?"
Kankri nodded. "Yeah, sure."
Gamzee flashed a wide grin and climbed into the back seat. Karkat buckled up and adjusted the baby in his lap. At Kankri's still questioning look he groaned. "Jake said we all have to be parents. Gamzee and I got paired up and this god forsaken thing is our child. It's a year long project and we won't graduate if we fail."
"Wow, Jake really pulled out the big guns on all of you," Kankri snickered. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "How was your first day as a senior, Gamzee?"
"It was alright," The boy drawled, shrugging. "All those classes were so motherfucking boring, man."
Kankri chuckled. "I'm not sure if your brother is home yet. I haven't seen him since about noon."
Gamzee shifted and gazed out the window as they drove away from the school. They passed Tavros who was waiting for Rufioh and Gamzee waved. "That's alright. Dad's home."
Kankri frowned a bit. "How long is your father home for?"
"Till like...Friday," Gamzee muttered, though he didn't sound very sure of his answer. "I dunno, man."
"Can Gamzee come over Friday night?" Karkat asked as he looked over at his brother.
"You don't have to ask." Kankri murmured back with a small smile. "Gamzee's welcome to show up whenever he likes."
Sometimes, Karkat was glad that Gamzee's older brother was best friends with his older brother. Kankri was always overly lenient when the situation involved Gamzee and Karkat was inwardly grateful; it meant he was able to get Gamzee out of his house when he needed to. Kankri was understanding, at least.
"So, you and Gamzee are parents?" Kankri spoke up, chuckling to himself. "Interesting. Does the baby cry?"
"Jake said it does," Karkat muttered. "Ours hasn't yet though."
"You're terrible with children," Kankri snickered. "I can't wait to see how this goes down."
"Karbro can do it," Gamzee smiled, chuckling that deep laugh. "He's gonna be all motherfucking mother-like."
"Why am I the mom?!" Karkat hissed, twisting in his seat to glare at the boy in the back seat. "What the fuck, Gamzee?"
"I can't be the motherfucking mom," Gamzee replied, his eyes wide, as if the fate of the world was depending on his argument. "I ain't mom material, bro."
"Well neither am I!" Karkat snapped back. "You be the mom!"
"No motherfucking way," Gamzee cackled, shaking his head a few times. "I'm the dad."
"Screw you," Karkat hissed, facing forward again.
Kankri chuckled and shook his head. "Be nice you two. Karkat, face it; Gamzee's the dad."
The rest of the ride to Gamzee's house was spent listening to Karkat's yelling, the boy's arms thrashing around in a violent display of his irritation. When they stopped in front of Gamzee's house Kankri turned to look at the boy. "Be seeing you later. Have a good night, Gamzee."
"You too, bro," Gamzee stepped out of the car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He stopped by the passenger seat, ducking his head and grinning at Karkat. "See ya tomorrow, Karkat."
Karkat rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah...call me if you need to."
Gamzee nodded. "Take care of our baby."
Gamzee strolled up the drive way, lingering by his front door until he was sure Karkat and Kankri had driven down the road. His goofy grin faltered and he frowned, pushing open his front door. "I'm home."
There wasn't an immediate response but that was expected. He could hear his dad on his phone in his room, talking loudly about something Gamzee really didn't care about. He stopped in the kitchen, retrieving a Faygo from the fridge before making his way towards his room. He stopped to peer into Kurloz's room, seeing it empty and he frowned. He wandered into his own room and plopped down at his computer desk, opening his Faygo and taking a long drink. His room was quiet, too quiet, and he quickly flipped open his laptop to turn on his music. For a while he just listened to his music, sipping on his Faygo while he got to work on his homework. He really didn't have that much; he'd done most of it in class already. All he had left was a page of math and a few English notes to look over. Easy stuff, really.
He was just finishing his math when he heard his dad hang up his phone. Gamzee was quick to shut off his music, listening to the footsteps that made their way down the hall. His fingers drummed against his thigh and then he jerked in surprise when his dad's voice cut into the silence. "How was school?"
Gamzee swiveled his chair around to face his dad. Mr. Makara was a monster of a man, a full fix foot six with long black hair he kept tied back. His eyes were the darkest shade of brown, nearly black, and he had broad shoulders that led to thick arms. He was...well, intimidating at best. Gamzee shrugged. "Was fine. Got a project."
Mr. Makara nodded. "Good, good. Where's Kurloz?"
"Uh," Gamzee's mind blanked out for a second and then he shrugged again. "Dunno...want me to call him?"
"Yeah, I'm going to make dinner," His dad replied. He turned to leave and then paused, as if remembering something. "Your doctor called me."
Gamzee stiffened and then turned back to his home work. "For what?" To keep his hands from shaking, he picked up his pencil again.
"He wanted to make another appointment," His father replied, leaning against the door frame. "I told him you didn't need one."
"When I obviously do," Gamzee muttered, looking over his shoulder.
His father's eyes narrowed as he arched an eyebrow. "You're going to pull that on me again, Gamzee? I don't have time to listen to your idiotic drama. Call your brother."
Gamzee listened, counting the man's foot steps as he walked away.
One...
Two..
Three...
Four...
When he couldn't hear them anymore, he stood up and shut his door, sliding down to sit on the floor. He fished out his phone and sent a quick text to his absent brother.
'CoMe HoMe. DaD sAyS. gOtTa TaLk To YoU tOo."
Kurloz replied almost instantly.
'Coming. U ok?'
Gamzee didn't respond, scrolling through his contacts until he found Karkat's name. He stared at the screen, part of him wanting to text his best friend, but eventually he threw his phone to the side altogether. No use bothering Karkat. From across the room his computer made a noise, signalling that someone was messaging him. He stood up and walked over, opening the chat room window.
-adiosToreador began trolling terminallyCapricious[TC]
AT: hEY gAMZEE.
TC: SuP tAvBrO?
TC: HoWs YoUr BaBy?
AT: hAHAHA. vERY FUNNY.
AT: aT LEAST YOU GOT A PARTNER YOU CAN DEAL WITH.
TC: KaRbRo DiDn'T sEeM vErY hApPy AbOuT iT.
AT: i'M SURE HE DOESN'T MIND. aNYWAYS, MY BABYS FINE.
AT: vRISKA'S GONNA DRIVE ME CRAZY.
TC: CaN't Be ThAt BaD bRo
TC: At LeAsT yOu KnOw EaCh OtHeR wElL.
AT: gAMZEE.
AT: sHE MAKES ME WANT TO SUFFOCATE MYSELF.
TC: ChIlL bRo.
TC: iT's JuSt A pRoJeCt.
AT: tHE FACT THAT MY GRADE DEPENDS ON MY ABILITY TO GET ALONG WITH MY EX IS HIGHLY TERRIFYING.
AT: aT LEAST YOU'RE WITH YOUR CRUSH.
TC:...
AT:...
AT: sORRY.
TC: NaH mAn It's FiNe
TC: BrOtHeR's HoMe. SeE YoU aT sChOoL.
-terminallyCapricious[TC] ceased trolling adiosToreador[AT}-
Gamzee pushed his chair away from his desk as he heard the front door open. There was a muffled conversation between Kurloz and their dad before foot steps made their way towards his room. Gamzee's door opened and Kurloz stepped in, shutting the door behind him. Gamzee waved and leaned back, looking down to toy with the hem of his T-shirt. Kurloz tilted his head to the side. "Gamzee?"
Gamzee looked up. "Motherfucking doctor called dad."
Kurloz almost sighed. He stared, waiting for Gamzee to continue. Gamzee frowned. "Dad said I don't up and need any more appointments. He got fucking mad and...bro, my medicine's running low and I can't go to school if I don't take it and it's senior year and-"
"Stop," Kurloz held up a hand to silence his brother. He sighed softly before speaking again. "I'll get your refill for your meds, bro. Meulin said she'd pay for it."
Gamzee frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "Motherfucker...I still need an appointment."
"You take your medicine this morning?" Kurloz asked suddenly, frowning.
Gamzee frowned back at him and then looked away. "...I forgot."
Kurloz exhaled loudly but nodded slowly. That explained why Gamzee was so worked up. He held up a hand and left the room, coming back a minute later with a little lime green pill. He held it out to Gamzee and frowned. "Take it."
Gamzee didn't argue, as much as he wanted to, and took the pill. He swallowed it with some Faygo and then frowned. Kurloz was still staring at him, watching him, before pulling out the entire pill bottle and tossing it into Gamzee's lap. "Take it with you. Don't want dad seeing it. You've got enough for the rest of the week."
Gamzee nodded a little and looked away. It wasn't like he was trying to be angry at his brother. No, of course not. Kurloz was the one who took care of him, got him to doctors appointments and dealt with him when everything in his head got all jumbled up. Gamzee's head wasn't all there, something he didn't tell any of their friends. Tavros knew but that had been an accident, one bad break down when the poor kid was sleeping over in sophomore year. He hadn't told, or at least Gamzee was pretty sure he hadn't and Gamzee wanted to keep it that way. Schizophrenia wasn't something people liked to hear about anyways.
Kurloz ruffled Gamzee's hair, speaking in that deep and gruff voice. "Relax, little bro. Finish your home work. Don't let that head get all up and wrong."
Of course that was easier said than done...
Jake wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea of walking through his front door. One the plus side, Dirk was probably awake by now and waiting for him. On the down side...Dave was, without a doubt, also waiting for him. Quite the predicament. He heaved a sigh and opened the front door, kicking off his shoes as he shut it. "I'm home, lads."
"About time," Dave was in the kitchen, glaring from the bar counter that was the only thing separating the living room from the kitchen. He had his shades on still, the house lights probably causing irritation again. He crossed his arms, huffing. "Explain yourself, you douche canoe."
Jake set his bags down by the door and smirked a bit. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, David."
"Do not call me that," Dave hissed. He stood up from the chair he was seated on and walked over to stand directly in front of the older male. "Seriously dude, what the hell? Do you hate me? You must hate me. Is it because I totally cock blocked you a few weeks ago because really that's not my-"
"Oh my god, he's rambling," Dirk emerged from the hall way, clad in only a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet from his shower, his orange eyes curious as he smiled at Jake. "What'd you do this time, Jake?"
Jake shrugged as he walked past Dave to kiss Dirk quickly. Dave made a face and then threw his hands up. "Your boyfriend wants me to fail! I'm going to have to drop out of high school and live on your couch for the rest of my life, bro."
"Funny," Dirk muttered, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, what's got your knickers in a bunch, princess?"
Dave sighed finally and walked over to plop on one of the couches. He pulled his shades off, wincing in the light, and stared at Dirk. "He paired me up with John for his stupid project."
"Well yeah, I know." Dirk nodded. He moved away from Jake and into the kitchen, pulling out things for dinner. "What's the big deal? Thought you and John were like, joined at the hip."
"That's the problem," Dave muttered bitterly. "It's a year long thing...I'm going to have to be with him like, all the fucking time. Do you understand how hard that's gonna be?"
"Well, maybe you'll man up and tell him how you feel," Dirk suggested lightly. He looked towards Dave with a small smile. "Might as well make it worth it."
Dave frowned and looked away, picking up a remote and turning on the TV. "He's straight, asshole."
Jake smiled a little and came to sit by Dave, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "Lighten up. I didn't pair you two up to be cruel. Maybe something good will happen. The only two I paired up out of sure meanness were Eridan and Sollux."
Dave blinked and looked at the British man with a small smirk/ "I knew it. That's ice cold, dude."
The three guys all laughed then, Dave relaxing a little as he leaned back into the couch. "Yo, Bro, did you pick me up more eye drops?"
"Wasn't able to today little man," Dirk said as he ran a hand through his damn hair. "Did you run out?"
"I've got enough for tomorrow," Dave replied. "But that's all."
"I'll try to get some for you tomorrow," Dirk assured. "If not, Jake could you pick some up? He's got a refill at the pharmacy already I just have a shit ton of errands to run lately."
"Of course I'll pick them up," Jake nodded with a smile.
"You're a life saver babe," Dirk grinned.
"I try," Jake shrugged.
Dave smiled a bit as he watched Dirk and Jake interact. After a bit Jake had moved into the kitchen, helping Dirk with dinner as they spoke quietly with each other. This was their normal evening routine. Dave came home, Dirk woke up, Jake got home, they had dinner and then Dirk got ready for work. His brother working nights was a bit of a bummer but Dave had Jake around, so at least he was never lonely. Jake and him would watch movies, play video games, sometimes even order a pizza on those nights Dave couldn't sleep and Jake didn't want to leave him alone. It was a comfortable week night routine, and John would usually text or message him at some point during the night. That was always the best part of Dave's night; talking to John. Wow, that sounded cliche as fuck when Dave thought about it. Not that it mattered anyways.
...Holy shit this chapter was 8 thousand words. That's the most I've ever written in a short amount of time. Well, there you go! So if it wasn't clear, Kankri's got issues he doesn't talk about, Cronus likes to goof off and it pisses Kankri off. Kurloz doesn't talk much, Horuss is a bit of an ass and Meenah goes along with it. Gamzee's got Schizophrenia that his dad refuses to acknowledge and Kurloz tries to help with, Karkat's an angry little shit and Dave's hella gay for the straight kid. How Ironic. That everything? Oh, and Kankri probably knows more about Gamzee's home life than Karkat does. Wonder how that'll play out. More kids later. I'm gonna try to have Vriska in the next chapter a lot. And the others. there's just a lot. Reviews? Pretty pleasee?
