Note: Wow, I'm sorry about the delay guys! I've been super busy. I will try and update as much as I can from now onwards. There won't be a pattern to it though, seeing as I don't know when I'll get time to write.
Also, notes about the actual story. I know Porrim is older in this (around 30 maybe?) and Meenah and Aranea are only slightly older than Dave, so obviously I'm not keeping to the timelines or anything at all.
On the subject of ages, Dave is nineteen and a half, and Karkat just turned nineteen.
Another thing; as you may have guessed, the person who Dave keeps mentioning but never names is Dirk, who, in this fanfiction, is his brother. Not his father. And what happened between the two of them, you ask? Well, wait and see! ;D
This is also going to be a longfic, since I keep having loads of ideas and plot twists and so on. So yeah, keep reading!
It was my third day in my new town, and I was pretty happy about my choice to leave. There was no more worrying about him, or being alone in the apartment all day. This was so much better, and I was the happiest I'd been in what seemed like years.
It was another bright morning, the light flooding through my spacey flat, bouncing off the white-washed walls. I stretched my arms up above my head and wandered towards the kitchen, it was time for breakfast.
I didn't notice it for a little while, but there were the hints of a smile dancing on my lips when I let my mind drift back towards the disheveled waiter at that cute little coffee shop. He had taken me aback, and now I couldn't stop thinking about him. Heh, how funny.
And then the phone rang, and I knew who it was before I even answered it.
"We're coming to visit in a couple of days." Came my sister's voice down the line. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"Already? I've only been here three days!"
"Yes, I know that, Dave. But Kanaya is eager to see her friend, and I am eager to see my brother. So we shall be coming down soon."
"And you didn't think to check it with me?" I huffed, plopping down on the sofa.
"No, I just assumed you would be okay with it." Rose replied, and if I could see her face, I just knew she'd be smirking in that evil way of hers.
I let out an annoyed growl. "Augh, okay fine. Whatever. I need to go now," I said curtly, getting ready to hang up.
"Okay then, until next time, dear brother." And she was gone, within an instant, like last time.
I sighed, leaving my phone on the sofa. I would have to prepare myself for a sisterly grilling from Rose when she arrived, but for now, I wanted to go back to that coffee shop.
Not for any particular reason. Not to see some hot waiter. Nah, not at all. I just wanted some coffee. Yeah, that was it.
Shuffling over to my room whilst pulling my jeans up on my hips, I grabbed a white t-shirt and pulled it on. Before I left the house, I checked my hair in the mirror, slid my shades up my nose and grabbed my large headphones and hung them around my neck. I was ready to go.
Smirking to myself, I headed toward the plaza.
"Hello dollface, got a smoke?"
I was sitting on one of the benches that surrounded the little fountain, watching the water as the sunlight danced upon it. Really, I was just pondering whether or not to enter Cherry. I was nervous. But why? I mean, I didn't have a crush on this guy, did I?
When someone sat down on the bench next to me, I ignored them. That was, until they spoke in a gravelly voice.
I turned my head towards them, revealing that the person was, in fact, a female. But not a particularly feminine one, at that.
"Nah, I don't smoke. Sorry." I hadn't smoked since him and that was only because it was a habit. I had quit pretty quickly though.
"Aw man, that sucks." The girl rolled her eyes, and I raised my eyebrow at her strong accent. I couldn't quite place it though.
Now that I looked at this girl, she sure did look rather unusual. She was wearing ripped black jeans, hefty blue Doc Martens, a tank top which revealed her large array of tattoos, and a leather jacket with lots of chains and safety pins added on to it. She was a punk, that was for sure. Her hair was slightly shaved on one side, and she had a huge, swept across fringe. And her hair was dark, very dark. It could even have been classed as black. Moreover, it looked natural.
I smirked, looking straight at her. She quirked a brow back at me, her eyes heavily made up with blue and black makeup. Now that I looked at her face, I could see many piercings. One of the left side of her lip, two on her right eyebrow, and three on her ear. The one ear that wasn't covered by the large sweep of hair, that was. Her arms were covered in tattoos. Mostly spiders and webs. Hm, interesting.
"Hey, you're pretty cute. What's your name, eh?" She grinned at me, flashing me a wink. It might have been sexy to some people but a) she wasn't my type and b) I was more than a little bit intimidated by her.
"Name's Dave Strider, I'm the new kid on the block." I replied, giving her a small salute and smirking. She did however, seem pretty badass. And I liked that.
"Hey Strider, my name's Vriska Serket, the old kid on the block." She snickered a little at her own joke, and I raised my eyebrow again.
"Pleased to meet you, Serket." I said, wondering if she too knew Sollux. It seemed like everyone knew that guy. No harm in asking, I suppose.
"Do you know Sollux Captor?"
"Craptor? Yeah, 'course I do!" Vriska let out a short, mean laugh, tilting her head back a little. Maybe I was watching her too intently.
"You even have a nickname for him," I snorted rather unattractively, my thoughts drifting back to the small coffee shop. I had finally worked up enough courage to go in.
Before I could bid farewell to my new acquaintance, she stood up.
"Well, I'll be off now. See you around, Strider." She drawled, walking away and giving me a short wave. Hm, people didn't hang around, did they?
Not long afterwards, I stood up myself and headed towards the quaint little coffee shop.
"Just couldn't keep your eyes off me, could you?" A voice said from in front of where I sat, reading a magazine that I had picked off the stack in front of me. I found a table at the back, akin to last time, and settled down there. I studied the flowers out of the window for a little, before picking up a magazine and thumbing through it.
And now, there he stood. The boy I had originally come here to see. But what I wanted to know, was how the fuck he has guessed that?
I was stumped. Now what?
But then I looked up at him, and I saw the teasing glint in his dark amber eyes and I let out an inward sigh of relief. He wasn't being serious, he hadn't actually figured out that I had come to watch him. I was so glad.
"No, not really." I shot back with a smirk, placing my magazine back down on the table.
The boy rolled his eyes, pulling out a little notepad.
"Can I take your order?" He asked, voice dripping with annoyance. Pfft, wasn't he a bipolar little fellow?
"Depends on what's on the menu." I flashed him a coy smile, hoping he would pick up on the obvious innuendo.
"I should ask my boss about putting up a fucking 'don't flirt with the staff' sign, especially over by this table, you moron."
A sudden thought popped into my head.
His name had been Karkat, hadn't it. How could I have forgotten?
"That wouldn't stop me, Karkat." I laughed in an offhand way.
"Anyway, what brings you to our humble little café, sir? Or was it Dave? Your name seems to have slipped my mind, I do apologise." The teen placed a finger on his cheek in an exaggerated, sarcastic manner, and I chuckled. He was truly amusing to watch.
"Yeah, Dave Strider." I replied, introducing myself for the second time today. Or was it the third? I had no idea.
"Well, Dave Strider, are you going to answer my question?" He placed a hand on his hip, and I couldn't help but think how sassy he looked. Damn, this was moving fast. I already had that longing feeling just below my naval. As I had with him, at first. But not anymore. Oh shit, now I was thinking about my past. No, this wasn't the time. I had moved to get away from all that, and I wasn't going to let it follow me. Not this time.
"All in good time-" but I was broken off by a smooth-as-honey voice coming from behind Karkat.
Holy shit, who was she?
I thought I had started to embrace my homosexuality, but this girl was so hot.
"Is everything okay, Vantas? I do hope so, because we do not have time for idle chit-chat, even if some of the customers are your friends. You are working, Karkat. I just thought I should remind you." Her voice was cold and smooth, and I was still in too much of a daze to register what was going on.
Karkat looked over at me and immediately read the emotions that were clear on my face. He rolled his eyes. This obviously happened a lot.
"I'm sorry, Maryam. I was just trying to get his order. I hardly know him, but he's acting like we're old friends. I'll get back to work straight away." He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
The woman looked down at where I sat, and I instantly snapped out of my trance. Okay, so there was no point having a crush on her, because she was obviously out of my league. And way older than me. She was thirty, at the oldest. Or she just looked really good for her age.
Her arms and chest were covered in winding black tattoos that peeked out of her green and black dress. I blinked, staring at her through my shades, glad for once that I had them on. My eyes glided up towards her face, noticing a gold lip ring, and two other rings on each eyebrow. She seemed to like green, as her pale face and dark eyes were painted with makeup of said colour. Her hair fell down her back in thick, black waves.
I shook my head and returned to the land of the living, only to see the woman gliding away.
"She's married, and her daughter used to be one of my best friends." Karkat said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.
I cleared my throat, flicking my fringe to the side and looking up at him.
"Don't be jealous," I said, returning to my usual, teasing ways. "I have someone else in my sights."
Karkat huffed, but I detected a faint blush dusting those cute little cheeks of his.
"Don't try it," he replied, turning away.
"Wait," I jumped up, grabbing the corner of his apron. "I'll see you tomorrow night, right?" Obviously startled by our closeness, Karkat stumbled backwards, grasping his little notepad.
He wrinkled his nose and lifted his chin in defiance. "Yeah, but I don't know why you'd give a fuck." And then he vanished between the swinging doors of the kitchen, leaving me alone again. I breathed out, and realised I was smiling. Hah, what that boy did to me. And I had only met him yesterday!
The next day or so flew by. In the rush of excitement leading up to Ampora's party, I hadn't got much done. I didn't even know why I was so excited. This was extremely unlike the usual me, but it wasn't bad. It was just... different. This new town, and the people within it, were opening me up, and it was a nice change.
When Saturday night came around, I picked out some of my nicest clothes - a black short-sleeved top, my favourite red hoodie with clockwork symbols on the shoulders, jeans, and my checked Vans - and lay them out on the bed. I took a shower, shaved my face, and blow dried my hair. Why I was making such an effort, I did not know. But I suppose I wanted to make a good first impression on who every was going to be there. And Karkat, of course. I wanted to impress him the most.
As I sorted out my messy hair, I found myself thinking about Karkat again. Okay, so I was obviously developing a crush. Did that mean I was gay? Well, vaginas scared me, to say the least. And the thought of having a steady girlfriend made me more nervous than you could ever imagine.
But guys? It just felt natural. And they didn't have vaginas, so that was all cool.
I smirked to myself. Huh, the things I think about sometimes. All talk of female genitals aside, I was pretty sure I was bisexual, at least. I'd never even kissed a girl before, but I didn't want to rule out attraction to the opposite gender just yet.
Once my hair was fixed, I kicked my towel aside and starting getting dressed. When I had finished, I struck a pose in the mirror and grinned. There, that was better. I looked pretty fine, if I did say so myself. I walked over to the kitchen to get some juice, only to see my phone flashing. I had a text.
the party ha2 2tarted! where are you, a22hole?
Who the fuck was this, and why were they random 2s where the 's' should be? And how did this person get my number? I frowned, looking down at it. It must be either Karkat and Sollux, or a text sent to me by accident. Still, how did they get my number?
Thoroughly confused, I pocketed my phone and chugged back the glass of apple juice in my hand. Swiping the back of my hand over my mouth, I picked up my glasses. Before putting them on, I looked in the mirror. They were red, so red. And they always had been, according to him. I don't know why I wore glasses. They were a safety thing for me, just like little kids had a blanket or a stuffed toy. If I didn't have them, I felt exposed. And that was something I didn't like. They were a shield.
Pushing all of this, I pushed them up my nose, and the world became a little darker.
I zipped up my hoodie halfway, so it just showed the faded band logo on my t-shirt, and then unlocked the door and ventured out into the darkening Summer night.
After leaving Cherry, a couple of days ago, I had walked around town a little, realising I still didn't know where Ampora's house was. By chance, I had seen a rather flustered Eridan waving at a black car, as it drove away from the large, white and brown house that he was standing on the porch of. I caught him flash an evil grin at the back of the car, and walk back inside.
And that was how I had found the destination of the party.
Now, I was standing at the door of that same house, about to knock. From inside, I could hear loud music and people's raised voices talking above it.
I gave two sharp knocks on the large brown door, and immediately it was opened.
I did not know the girl in front of me, but she didn't look very much older than me. Her skin was brown, and her she had short black hair, with two thin braids that almost reached the floor, coming from the back of her head. She was wearing black cargo shorts and a short, dark pink baggy top with a black shirt underneath it. On her wrists, she wore two large gold bangles, adorned with tiny jewels. She was holding a can of beer up over her head, as she looked at me through unusual pink glasses.
"'Ey, I've never met you, an' this is - hic - crazy, but here's my-" She slurred, only to be pushed aside by a more sober-looking girl in a blue dress.
"Meenah, I think you've had enough of this." She frowned, grabbing the can of beer from the girl, and looking over at me. "I'm sorry about her, she-"
"Aranea, I love you so much!" The girl in pink declared, grabbing the other girl and rubbing her cheeks against Aranea's. In reply, Aranea looked over at me apologetically.
I blinked, nodding towards the girl in the blue dress, and shifting past them, into the hallway, where lots of other drunken teenagers were talking in groups. Judging by the noise, most of the people were in the room to my left.
Squeezing past a couple making out, I entered the spacious room. Immediately, I spotted Karkat, sitting alone on a sofa, wearing a blazer which was rolled up at the sleeves.
I never thought I would say this, but he looked extremely sexy, with his face slightly flushed from the alcohol he had been drinking, and his slightly messy hair.
That was it, I was done for.
I sauntered over to where he sat, hoping to be as illusive and possible. To my disappointment, he spotted me before I could jump out and scare him.
"Dave, you made it." He said in a rather monotone voice.
"'Couldn't pass off an opportunity to see you again, could I?" I was being daring, but it was worth it to see Karkat's face. For a moment, it seemed he was completely stumped. Then he turned pink, and then he frowned and crossed his arms.
"Usually I'd have a whole, long-winded retort to that, but this time I don't," he said, looking slightly annoyed. "Douchebag."
He sure did have a foul mouth, but that didn't matter. So did I.
Instead of replying, I went to sit down next to him.
Karkat looked over to me and opened his mouth, about to say something. But, he was, and quite rudely, if I might add, interupted by the lisping voice of Sollux.
"You guys sure seem to be getting cosy over there. Glad you could make it, dude. Did you get my text?" He smirked, revealing two pointed teeth that looked rather menacing.
"Yeah, I did. How did you get my number?" I asked.
"My hacking skills know no limits!" He said proudly, handing me a can of beer.
I laughed, leaning back into the plumpness of the couch and opening the can with a 'ptssh'.
"Hey douchecanoe, what are you doing here? And we are not 'getting cosy', thank you very much!" Karkat butted in, glaring at Sollux angrily.
The taller boy rolled his eyes.
"Wow KK, you really can't take a joke, can you?" He sighed, looking over at me. "And anyway, you always complain about wanting a relationship. Do you remember last year, at ED's Christmas party, when you tried to get off with-" Karkat shot to his feet, and clamped his hand over Sollux's mouth. It was all very cliché, but I laughed anyway.
"Anyway Strider, what brings you to our boring little town?" Karkat said, delivering a swift subject change, in an all very overly enthusiastic manner.
"Just needed a change, no biggie." I replied smoothly, lying through my teeth. But they didn't need to know that.
"Heh, I'll see you two love birds later," Sollux piped up, having freed himself from the other boy's grasp. Karkat didn't hesitate to flip him off. "Oh, and don't forget. We're playing spin the bottle later. You should totally join in." He grinned, and then walked off towards a tall boy in a purple beanie.
"Holy mother of Jesus, that guy is so fucking annoying. Why am I friends with him? Why am I friends with any of these people?" Karkat muttered darkly, making a large hand gesture to indicate everyone in the room around us.
"Spin the bottle, huh?" I said, changing the subject again. "I haven't played that since I was fourteen."
"Me neither, and I plan to keep it that way. Spin the bottle memories still haunt my dreams." He mock-shivered, making me laugh loudly.
At this, the boy seemed to brighten up a little. He smiled shyly, looking over at me sideways. It was as if something had shifted.
But soon, he was back to his grumpy self.
A little later on, and the party was in full swing. There were people all over the place. This Ampora dude sure had contacts.
Every now and then, I would catch a glimpse of someone I had seen before. That punky girl from the fountain, the blind girl in red that I saw in the supermarket with her cane, and Ampora himself.
In just this amount of time, I had met so many people.
I, however, was still sitting with Karkat. Surprisingly, it wasn't at all awkward. It was fun, and the conversation was smooth and easy. The night was ticking by, and before we knew it, we were tipsy and somehow roped into a game of spin the bottle.
The game started up, and there were people kissing all over the place. At one point, Sollux got really into a kiss with the blonde girl from the café, until Eridan got so pissed off and wrenched them apart.
And then, the bottle pointed at me. Karkat laughed meanly, Sollux raised his eyebrows, and the girl in red - who had somehow known it had landed on me - cackled.
I swallowed, hoping, at least, it wouldn't be a complete stranger.
"I'm betting on Karkat!" Sollux laughed when he reached to spin the empty soda bottle again.
And sure enough, it landed on the dark auburn-haired boy sitting beside me.
Shit, I had to kiss Karkat.
Note: A cliffie, I do apologise everyone!
Review and I'll update faster!