By somewhat-popular-but-not-really demand, another Apocalisp fanfic. It's just another drabble ^.^

These two cuties will be the death of me, I swear.

Thanks to everyone so far who's reviewed, favorited and commented- I'm flushed for you all ^/^

I don't own Homestuck, I'm not Andrew Hussie, etc. etc.

I'd make like Kankri and tag any triggers, but there really aren't any XD

Enjoy~!

X

Castles were officially the best things ever.
At least that's what Aradia thought as she ran through the vast stone palace, laughing gleefully at everything she saw. Her (extended) cousin (by marriage) was hosting a party with her matesprit/kismesis. He was some upper-classed gentleman with lots of old money to spare on parties. She was in an uncomfortably warm climate, to be sure, but it was still the best thing she could imagine, to be running through this castle, looking at the architecture she knew for a fact was a technique from over 300 sweeps ago, making this castle something cool indeed, something cool and old that had withstood time and the death of its makers. She hoped she'd make something like that, one day.
Whistling happily as she went along the sprawling mansion, she idly wondered what (new) new life Damara had ahead of her. 'I suppose I'm happy she's together with a highblood... though how they got together without wanting to kill each other is a mystery... I wonder if it hurts when they kiss, since he has such sharp teeth...? Or maybe that's the point since they're caliginous for one another, too?...' Her thoughts continued to ramble on senselessly as she slowed down, walking rather leisurely as she idly wondered what time it was- not that her lusus would care- and what time she would have to be back to the party to not be stuck here all night- not that she would mind. But the thought of some highblood randomly stumbling upon her in one of the hundreds of bedrooms or on the floor in the hallway was not one she wanted to meet anytime soon- though she supposed she could say she was a maid. Would she make a good maid? Or a good pretend maid, at least? Did highbloods know their maids very well? If so, how many did they usually have? And would she be able to outrun them if worst comes to worst? Her thoughts continued rambling in a way she hoped wasn't annoying- but she had grown accustomed to rambling in her head, in hopes of drowning out any unwanted conversation.
Continuing down the stone passageway, she idly regarded how cold it was getting with growing distaste- she'd taken off her shoes and been carrying them ever since she turned a corner out of sight of everyone at the party, because she was just that devoted to public appearance. Her cousin-in-law would be so proud. Gritting her flat teeth when rounding a corner obviously out of use from the lack of warmth in the stone floor, she swore herself three more corridors and then to go back to the party whenever she, it a stunning move of grace including the classic turning the corner and then looking out the window, slammed straight into someone and fell backwards onto the rough stone.
"Damnit watch where you're going oh thit I mean I'm sorry but-" She looked up, startled, and felt a faint blush rush to her cheeks as she frantically scrambled backwards, adjusting her legs so as to not let him get an eyeful of what was under her burgandy party dress. 'Oh no he's hot. He's really hot. He also sounds somewhat like a douchebag at the moment, but then again I did just run into him oh no he's hot' She looked at the yellow-blood just getting to his feet, and took in his somewhat-odd appearance- not that it phased her in the slightest. Grinning, she happily took his outstretched hand and was hauled to her feet, and her shoes (which had scattered themselves after she let go of them in fear of cracking her head against the floor) were returned to her via psiionic energy. She gently took them from the air where they hovered before her at her shoulder-level before turning her (full) attention back to the troll she'd unfortunately just body-slammed.
"Sorry about that!" Aradia chirped brightly, beaming at him with her eyes closed. He looked right back at her until she opened her eyes and begrudgingly nodded at her a few times before smirking slightly.
"That'th okay I wathnt looking where I was going either." Aradia smiled more, showing off her sparkling flat teeth while blushing more and asking hesitantly what his name was.
"I'm Thollux Captor" he replied, and inquired as to what her own name was.
"Aradia Megido, pleased to meet you."
A small silence followed with both not knowing what to say before Aradia went first.
"So then why are you here?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side in inquisition.
"Thame ath you, I thuppoth. Here for the party. I'm in charge of the technical work and lighting." He grinned sheepishly and put one hand behind his head, tousling his hair uncertainly. "I kinda have a thoftware run to do that while I check out the rest of the manthon but then I kinda got lotht. It'th really cool, they're really decking it out in red and blue and even the huthktops are-" he rambled on more about coding and a lot of other things Aradia didn't quite catch before he was interrupted by her grabbing his hand, turning around and running back through the passages.
"What the hell?!"
"I know where I'm going, don't worry!" She called out cheerfully, following the chalk marks she'd left on the left-but-now-right side of the hall in anticipation of getting lost in the labyrinth of servant's corridors and hallways and secret passages. Rounding a final corner, she dragged him to a great alcoved window done in paned glass overlooking the gardens. There, in the late moonlight, intricate and gossamer webs of flowers bloomed, and there was a white, gingerbread-trimmed gazebo in the courtyard. Fireflies twinkled softly in the summer night, and tiny tea candles illuminated the faint, dark outlines of bushes around it. Aradia turned to Sollux and grinned, tilting her head to the picturesque sight as if to say, "Eh?"
His short silence was occupied by a faint crescendo of music from the party- they must be somewhere close to above the ballroom- but he finally grinned back, a wickedly mischievous streak gleaming in his covered eyes, and asked the most obvious question.
"How do you thuppoth we get down there, then?"
With no small amount of pride, Aradia plucked out two hairpins from her nearly-unmanageable hair, releasing a few wispy strands that fell most annoyingly in her eyes. She deftly placed one into the lock, holding it near the bottom as she used the other to toggle the deadlock cylinder before turning both the hairpins and the lock with a satisfying click from the tumbler. Resisting the urge to grin, Aradia threw up the sash and finally turned to face Sollux, at which point she failed repressing a grin that matched the cantankerous enthusiasm of his own. He leaned out the window and gazed down at the trellis of ivy before turning to her and gesturing out the window.
"Ladieth firtht, then?"
Making certain the ridiculously puffy tulle skirt of her red dress didn't ride up to her thighs, Aradia navigated the trellis one-handed, the other still holding her shoes, and made it safely to the ground. After calling up to Sollux, she took careful notes on her surroundings. The noise of the party was louder here, but still muffled. The trees whispered a sigh against the late-evening sky of Alternia, and a small stone-and-moss path led to the beckoning gazebo. The air was fresh and damp, made so by a past week of rain, and she could taste the old, turned-up soil in the air.
Fireflies continued to fade in-and-out, and she entertained the thought of them blinking in morse-code to each other before her thoughts were captured by the slight thump of Sollux touching ground safely behind her. She felt a slight disturbance in her hair and turned to him, seeing the spare ivy leaf between his two fingers he must ahve plucked from her curved horns. She felt herself blush slightly and smiled.
"Tho... now what?"
And so they talked. And they talked. And they talked.
They talked about old things and new things a Troll Indiana Jones and FLARPING. They talked about voices of the dead and the apocalypse and their lusi. They joked and laughed and talked some more, and they confided and teased and shared and grieved and talked. And when the conversation paused the silence was full of warmth and secrets, and together they created something only the fireflies witnessed and knew of, and even then they were the only two to understand, and even then just barely.
Just enough to know it was definitely something red.
At one of the longer silences in the conversation, Sollux tilted his head, listening before turning back to her with a scowl.
"The last thong of the night'th about to play."
For the faintest second her chest cavity plunged, a cold sadness swelling in her, but she brushed it away and stood.
The first chords of the song rang loud, even where they were, and during them she walked over to where he rest (when and how they'd ended up in the gazebo was lost to her) and bowed somewhat mockingly, extending a hand in invitation.
"I assume you weren't saving the last dance for anyone anyone else?"
He gave a sideways grin before taking her hand.
"Hey, for all you know there'th a very dithapointed and dithtinguithed highblood in that ballroom looking for me right now."
"Then aren't I lucky they're there and you're here?"
Their feet echoed softly in their waltz, the whisper of her skirts and the music the only noise to accompany it as their half-hearted banter died down. She leaned in and rested her chin on his shoulder, tilting her head into his neck and closing her eyes. Later she would get a music box that played this exact song, and she'd play it when lonely or sad. Later, she would miss this boy so much she felt sick and empty. Later, she would cry for all her heartaches and doubts and worries over him.
But later could wait.
The song ended.
They both reluctantly half-pulled away, looking at each-other with the same question shining fearfully in their eyes; "Now what?"
Aradia smiled first, tentatively, and hugged him again. When they finally pulled away, however, it was Sollux who first asked; "Do you have a trollian handle?"
And they giggled like the nerds they were at their similarities- apocalypseArisen and twinArmegeddons- before Aradia was yelled at in Japanese something quite demanding and unsavory. Grinning, Aradia used Sollux's shoulder for balance while slipping on her shoes. She hugged him one more time (and kissed him on the cheek for good measure) before running to the angry redblood, cheerfully turning and waving at Sollux one last time before being dragged away.
She vowed to see him again.