Relearning to Breath chapter 4

Same disclaimers blah blah blah

Learning Curve

000

Hope curled her feet under her and leaned forward "Karkat?" she finally asked as the silence stretched. It wasn't uncomfortable, but he was still very much bothered and not talking.

He glanced at her over his teacup looking a little irritated. She just pointed to the wall and the crack down the wall "Just what happened this morning? Scared the shit out of me."

Karkat blinked at the wall and sighed rubbing his face "Gamzee decided it was a good idea to try putting his dresser through the wall. It kept leaning too far forward for his tastes."

Suddenly she snickered "that's so likely coming out of his deposit." She responded.

Karkat suddenly chuckled caught off guard by the comment, he almost smiled. "Very likely" he agreed. He finished the tea and set the cup down next to the plate "I should get going."

She nodded. "S'kay, if you need anything just " she paused, she almost said 'just call' but remembered she disconnected her phone. She was going to have to plug that back in soon.

"I'll knock" he said with amusement in his voice. Then he left.

Hope locked the door behind him and sat down, trying to sort out of her head and everything going on around her. Why did life decided to get complicated now?

000

It was pretty quiet for the next few days. Hope spent her time glued to her laptop writing articles and editing finished ones. She'd ordered a couple pizzas and been leaving off the remains aside for a couple sodas. Rereading her latest piece about collar training in dogs she chewed her thumbnail ragged as she looked for errors.

It was looking good, and might actually be done, and ahead of time for once. She stretched. Back popping and closed her eyes. She could feel the bags under her lids. Tired and stressed from the last few days. The writing at least let her forget, and as Karkat suggested, it also let her avoid her neighbor. She heard them sometimes. Seemed Gamzee was still redecorating. She felt sorry for the apartment complex, they were going to have to fix the mess he made over there.

But a set of headphones and a playlist set up on youtube and she could block out most sounds, except the period bang when someone decided to throw something against the wall connecting their apartment.

Hope removed the headphones from her head and finished off her mountain dew. She paused her head tilted feeling a bit confused for a moment. There was a scratching. At first she thought it was from the wall, but realized it was her front window. Standing she padded over barefooted, dressed in pj bottoms and a wife beater shirt. Parting the blinds she blinked.

It was still early evening and she saw Gamzee looking up from where he couched and scratched and tapped at her window. Seeing her peek out he broke into a large smile.

His eyes, where oddly dilated. The centers very wide and incredibly deep purple.

She swallowed hard "Gamzee?" she questioned.

He suddenly held up an empty coffee cup "Can I barrow some sugar?" he asked overly innocently.

She paused and then stared. He… just… used the CORNIEST line ever invented, and she had to admit. Pulled it off brilliantly. She suddenly cracked up and with a sigh went and opened the door. He was still crouched next to her window and tilted his head back. He looked like he was beyond wasted. What on earth was he on? She thought Karkat said he was going sober?

"Where's Karkat?" she asked him. Crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. He stood up and towered over her. Not slouching but he loomed over her.

OK, she was slowly figuring this out. At the moment keep things friendly and impersonal. Perhaps he would give up or his feelings might pale to something a little less, intense. But don't let him try to bully her into something that was familiar to him. Keep it friendly, not uncivil, she could do this.

As he leaned a bit closer to her she felt herself unconsciously backing up. Not quite so sure she could be as brave as she was mentally telling herself to be.

"Mother fucking bro is away." He said.

Oh, meant likely Karkat was at work. The guy had to have a life elsewhere.

"Ah, well. Still want that sugar?"

He was nearly nose to nose with her and just smiling widely.

She was forced to back up despite feeling like that was a bad idea.

She turned and quickly went to the kitchen grabbing the whole bag of sugar off the shelf and bringing it back before he could get any ideas.

She held it out to him. The taller troll leaning against her door jam and into the room. He was looking about and not at the bag she held out "Nice mother fucking digs" he said.

"Um, yes, sugar?" she asked.

"Aw, you don't have to get all mother fucking sentimental sister." He said and it took a moment for her register what he likely meant.

She gave a sigh "You said you wanted sugar." She shook the bag.

He just hummed and then one foot moved into her apartment, followed by the other. "So I mother fucking did."

She stared at the ceiling and wonder how she just walked into a horribly BAD pun. "OH SERIOUSLY!" she said and before he could react she shoved the bag into his arms and then with a sweet smile.

Shoved him out the door. She slammed it closed before he could react.

Hope bit her lip and really hoped he didn't react badly out there. Leaning against the door she heard a low chuckle that turned into a full throated roar.

Ok, he was laughing. Why did that not make her feel any better? There was a soft knocking and she groaned "Seriously, I'm busy!" she said and made sure the door was locked before she went and put on her headphones and got back to her work.

000

He had been knocking for 3 hours strait. A constant drumming that was beginning to get on her last remaining nerve. She'd taken a shower, and could still hear it over the water. She was now dressed in jeans, a game shirt and fuzzy domo slippers.

And currently pacing in front of her door. She really did not want to open it. After a call to information she managed to get Karkat's number and left him a message as he did not answer his phone.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" She screamed at the door finally.

There was a pause then the knocking started again. She could hear him laughing as well and it was not a sane sound.

Hope was feeling honestly freaked out. She didn't know if she should call the cops. She didn't want to get him shot, but if he was out of it enough to attack the officers. She dialed Karkat again. After a few rings he picked up.

"What the fuck is going on over there?" he demanded.

"He's knocking, he won't stop, he's laughing now and it's honestly starting to scare me."

"Fuck…." There was a sigh and she could picture Karkat leaning against a wall and rubbing his face. Someone said something and she heard him respond "Nothing, just a friend being a fuckass." He said and then his voice returned to her "Hope? Look, just, calm him down. He likes physical contact. I can't get there for a couple hours at least."

"Physical contact is kinda what I'm a bit afraid of." She responded sarcastically.

"No seriously, he's just a cuddlier. Put something bright and shiny on TV, he should get distracted."

Bright and shiny? She glanced at her movie collection, all stacked on a couple shelves by her TV. Well, she could do bright and shiny. "Seriously, if he kills me I swear I will haunt your ass." She told Karkat.

The other chuckled "Making jokes, good. Now I'll get there as soon as I can."

She didn't bother saying anything, just hung up on him. Her, cuddling? With her psycho neighbor who wanted to get into her pants worse than her last high school boyfriend?

She closed her laptop, went through the movies for a couple oldies in the animation department. Remaining relics of a bygone age of animation. She put in the Last Unicorn and opened the door.

She ended up with a knock on the head as he was still knocking in the same spot on her door even after she opened it.

"Ow" she blinked. Reaching up and realizing that the idiot had left something wet, her fingers came back with purple smears. She looked at her door and saw the purple smear of where he beat his knuckles raw on her door.

The opening music of the movie started behind her and she heard a, squeal. She turned disbelieving eyes onto the psycho-asshole and before she could open her mouth he had flopped himself bloody knuckles and all onto her beanbag chair staring captivated at the TV. "Come in why don't you?" she said and saw her sugar and his cup still by the doorway, so she picked that up and closed the door.

The sound of the door closing got his attention, and before she got more than a couple steps she found herself snagged and bundled between his long legs wrapped up in his arms and his chin resting on the top of her head.

She froze wide eyed. OK, Karkat was serious about his crazy friend's tendencies.

Crazy ones, she is getting the crazy ones.

Fucking fantastic.

000

Karkat managed to get himself out of work early. Rushing through traffic as fast as he could manage without getting himself pulled over for 'friendly advice' from the local police. He stopped in the parking lot and did not even bother locking his car as he rushed around to the apartment.

He had several real horrifying fears. His advice to her over the phone had mostly been guess work and bravado. Tell her to stop being afraid and Gamzee would stop treating her like prey.

He hoped.

Right now he was hoping he didn't come to find red painted walls or worse. He had just been going on how Gamzee would treat him some days when he was feeling particularly fuckass-ish. He got to her door and reached up, he saw the drying purple blood on it and knew that would have to be cleaned up.

Baring there wasn't more inside.

He grabbed the door knob, it turned and the door opened. He peeked in. At first all he saw was the back of Gamzee's head. There was the end credits of some film showing on the TV and peeking around he saw a very irritated young human huddled in the hallow cage Gamzee had made with his limbs.

Though that was very likely not why she was looking irritated. No, the irritation was because said troll was sound asleep.

And drooling.

Into her hair.

Karkat fought down a smile. She glared up at him like a baleful wet feline creature he'd seen outside his window once, fur all plastered from the rain. "I blame you." She hissed at him.

And Karkat sat down on the floor hiding his face in the folds of his knees as he tried NOT to laugh outright. Relief mixed with the crash of adrenaline. All that rushing for something so anticlimactic.

"Get me out doofis!" she complained at him.

Karkat lifted his head, tears dripping down his face and she glared ever more darkly at him. Which sent him into further epileptic convulsions.

000

Author's notes: If it's not already clear this takes place a few years in the future… If you figure most the cast to be between 21-28. Starting from Sept 11, 2001 21 years in the future would be 2022. The Trolls came to land on Earth about 2-3 years prior with the first ships coming and more following. They traveled a long way but basically figuring they are using a sort of stable wormhole or folded space tech letting them cover greater distances that are currently impossible. But they had still been on the ships a long time. Karkat and Gamzee likely started at about 6 or 7 sweeps and now they are like 12-13 sweeps. Putting them in their mid twenties by human years. Likely should have made it clear in the first chap, but thought with the ideas of ages and dates I was giving this would be clear.

OK this chapter a little shorter than the others. But I think I'm finally getting tired enough to sleep..WEE! What is this sleep you complain of mortals? Karkat has ordered we never sleep!