A/N: Okie dokie! Thank all of you guys for reading, reviewing, following, etc. I am happy that y'all like it so far, even if the chapters are unbearably short!

Disclaimer: If you think I own Homestuck or its fabulous characters, your thinkpan is shit.

I love it when people tell me what I do right or wrong in my writing, so please, I beseech you! Review, my lovelies! I will love you ceaselessly hereafter!

Bullfuckery aside, I really do like hearing from you, my readers. Anyway, this chapter will again be third person omniscient because writing from John or Karkat's point of view at two o'clock in the fucking morning is not good for my thinkpan. I write third person much better. I think.

Welp, heeeeeeeere's Chapter Three!

Veins

Chapter Three:

Night Terrors and Thin Towels Abound

A backdrop of red pervaded Karkat's mind, slowly twining its way into the deepest crevices and the darkest fissures of the troll's thinkpan. The color red haunted him, even in his dreams it seemed. Everywhere he turned, that damned color was fucking there, taunting him.

He was slowly unraveling, thinking of his mutation and what suffering and fear it had brought him on Alternia. He was not even considered part of the hemospectrum. He was a disgusting thing to be hated and despised by every troll. But that was his life. It always would be, would it not?

The vermillion haze gave way to pitch-black dotted with small glittering specks. A blue and green planet was revealed as well, shocking the Cancer, who seemed to be suspended in the void. He stared in wonderment at the enchanting sight before him.

'Earth,' thought the nub-horned troll dully, 'It's beautiful…'

A malicious voice resonated through the black veil of space and stars, sundering Karkat's moment of serenity. It sounded so familiar, yet so foreign to him. Karkat trembled at the powerful voice.

'You're a damned mutant, you grotesque littl grub! You'll be accepted on this human planet, eh? Think again, you shitmuncher. Your mewling, miniscule being is not even worth keeping alive,' said the bodiless voice. Red tinted the corners of the view Karkat had of Earth.

'I-I am worth it! I am not a fucking grub, jackass! My blood is sludge and red and…but…but I…' Karkat trailed off as several figures began materializing, particle-by-particle before his red eyes.

They were his friends.

All eleven of them lined up, staring at him with deadened eyes.

And then there was the John Human among them, a twelfth.

It was his voice…

'Are you sure Karkat? Your 'friends' tell me that you're no good, that you aren't even considered a part of their hemospectrum. Are you even considered a troll? You shouldn't even exist. You should have been culled many sweeps ago, you pathetic creature! You worthless nooksucking grub! You sniveling excuse of an existence!' Shouted the apparition of John. His blue eyes were darkened with malice. This did not sound like the John he had just met….It couldn't be him…

The figures of his long-time friends melted away into swirls of their respective blood color, creating a perverse sort of rainbow. John was the only one still there to taunt him. His countenance was ugly and distorted with hatred.

That's what hurt the most; the look of cruelty in his eyes.

~O~

Karkat flailed maniacally and then fell out of his bed. He landed face-first, effectively waking the crabby troll from the demented nightmare.

"FUCK!" came a muffled curse as Karkat shakily lifted himself off of the floor. The small troll got to his feet and looked blankly at the sleeping form that was John as he clutched his face in agony. That had fucking hurt like a bitch. He was still shaken up after that nightmare, and now he had face full of pain, a mouth full of curses, and human to bitch at for no reason specified.

"God-fucking-dammit, I can't fucking sleep in these pieces of shit you humans call beds! Where's the sopor slime? I need a fucking recuperacoon, not this slab of fucking rock you think is supposed to be comfortable, you human FUCKWITS! I swear to Jegus, I will do a fucking acrobatic pirouette of off the motherfucking handle! My entire fucking life is one giant joke the universe pulled out of its ass!" ranted the troll, attempting to hide his fear from the night terror with the almighty force his inexhaustible rage.

John promptly awoke from his fitful sleep and slowly opened one eye to look at Karkat, and then added the second when he saw his expression.

"Heh, that thing about the handle reminds me of Dave," drawled John dreamily as he slowly stretched and sat up in his bed. His relaxed, serene expression melted into one of concern. His brows furrowed and he bit his bottom lip. Karkat got a full view of John's buckteeth when he did this.

"Karat? Are you okay? I heard you muttering in your sleep last night, and I heard a really loud thump and some obscene screeching earlier," said John worriedly.

"It was nothing, fuckwit, I just fell out of the damnable contraption you call a bed," said Karkat in his usual husky voice.

"If you say so…" replied the derpy boy skeptically.

Karkat glanced down at himself and took in his appearance; he was bedraggled and he donned the same clothes as he did the night before. He was so tired, he did not even change into his pajamas, or whatever those sick human bastards called them. A full-length mirror was propped against the wall in front of the foot of John and Karkat's beds. The troll glanced at it, confirming his suspicions that he looked like a hoofbeast shit on him and then trampled him mercilessly. Damn it, Equius and his damned hoofbeast nonsense were getting to his thinkpan.

His hair was sticking in every direction in wild tangles and his clothes were rumpled and misshapen on his thin frame. The Cancer shuffled his way to the closet he and John shared, and he pulled a shirt out exactly like the one he was currently wearing and a pair of gray skinny jeans resembling his pants from the day before. He stepped back into the room, went over to the small chest of drawers in the corner, and selected a pair of boxers. With this done, he collected his toiletries from his bag and headed to the bathroom without another word to the blue-eyed boy staring after him.

The troll shoved all of his shit on the counter and began his morning rituals of brushing his pointed incisors, making use of the load gaper, and taking a 'shower' in the ablution trap. Jegus, it was freezing. Karkat took his shower at the speed of motherfucking light and got the hell out. The small troll quickly grabbed a towel hanging limply on the towel rack, and he dried off. Once done, he wrapped the towel loosely around his waist and walked up to the counter to examine his appearance now. He winced when he saw himself.

A skinny, scowling troll stared back at him, his teeth slightly bared, a growl rising in his throat. His eyes were candy-fucking-red as usual, but he had never noticed how angular and strong his jaw had become. His chest was bare and smooth; there were no nipples, unlike humans, and he also lacked a bellybutton. Trolls were clearly not born like humans were, so why the hell would they have the same anatomy? He did have well-toned abs, though. His arms were lithe and thin, yet well muscled. Peering at his abdomen, the troll realized just how underweight he was, for his ribs were greatly defined and his stomach was flat as a board. All in all, Karkat though he looked like an undesirable tool, and he hated himself for it.

As he was turning around to change, John walked into the bathroom, but stopped abruptly at the sight before him; Karkat staring wide-eyed at him with only a thin red towel slung dangerously low on his hips. John snapped his wandering eyes away from the lower regions of the troll's sinuous body with a light blush tinting his freckled cheeks. He blamed his traitorous eyes' behavior on scientific curiosity. He instead took in Karkat's bare, featureless torso. Karkat's jaw went slack for a brief moment before he regained his composure.

"What the hell, Egbert? Ever heard of knocking? Of all the nooksniffers here, I got you as my detestable blockmate who seems intent on embarrassing the living shit out of me," said the startled Cancer. John backtracked through the doorway and wheeled around, making a beeline for the opposite side of the bedroom. He did not even question the lack of nipples and a bellybutton; he just went with it. The troll slammed the door shut and swiftly got dressed. He ran his long, clawed fingers through his still drying messy raven locks before opening the door and speed walking to his bed and plopping down.

John was turned away, sorting his vast collection of movies and whatnot. The Cancer only watched him, wondering if John had seen his body.… If so, was he disgusted? John was not showing any signs of repulsion. Karkat checked himself; why would he care what a human thought anyway? He wrinkled his nose at the thought.

The derp finally turned back to the smaller boy and smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything. I'm sorry about that, though. I, er, apologize for all that," said John diplomatically. It had, in truth, been super weird, but John merely brushed off the debacle.

Karkat glanced away, red visible on his face. "Whatever, fuckass, just knock next time, will you?"

"Okay, buddy, whatever you say," replied the amused human. John spun on his heel, whistling a tune, and he finished sorting his collection.

With that, the odd duo got ready to head out across campus in search of their friends, John's group, and then Karkat's respectively.

John grabbed his backpack with who-knows-what in there, shouldered it, and beckoned Karkat to follow suit. The troll obliged grudgingly, still pissed about earlier, and grabbed his messenger bag. He slung it over his shoulder carelessly, and followed John out the door, but not before flipping him off and growling inaudibly.

yay! Another short, useless chapter! :] Let me know what y'all think!