My dear love, that summer was so difficult for you. You would spend endless days by my side, watching me build my latest creation with a mild curiosity. Sometimes I would catch you humming softly to yourself, your tender alto voice rises and falls gracefully through the scales. I knew that even when you tried to put on a mask that you were so frightened and worried. No matter how hard I tried to brighten your day, you would smile for a moment and then it would falter and let out a nearly inaudible sigh.

"It will do you good if you were to get out of the house once in a while Nepeta." She stretches on my sofa and rubs her hand against her slightly swollen stomach.

"Not today, I'm not feeling up to do anything today." I set down my wrench and sit on the sofa next to her with a grim frown.

"You have said that for the past three days. You can't just sit around like this, it worries me immensely."

"Okay then, what do you want to do?"

"I received a text message from Karkat, he told me that there is going to be a bonfire for our class before everyone goes on their summer vacation." Nepeta shrugs and leans her head on my shoulder.

"I suppose we could go."

I remember that you tried to hide the excitement in your eyes, I knew that you were wary though. You were scared that everyone would see your swollen belly and your fears would come true, the school spreading around rumors that you were pregnant. I wish you did not worry as much as you did back then. Back when everything was so innocent and nothing could go wrong. I wish I knew what was going to happen. Perhaps if I had been there with you at the time, things would be so much more different, my dear Nepeta. That, however, is for a different time. Seeing as I only have a short amount of time to spend today with you. I'll finish this story. My apologies, but I have work today and I've called in sick far too many times already.

We sit in my car, you stare out the window towards the fire. You bite your lip and look back at me with large eyes.

"Are you sure that everything will be okay?" I put a reassuring hand on your thin shoulder and nod.

"Nepeta, I doubt much people are going to attend. It is a day before Fourth of July, everyone will be with their family at not at a school class gathering." We both step out of the car and walk towards the people gathered by the fire. Your friends, Jade and Terezi, rush over and begin talking to you. I leave so that you three can have privacy and I find Karkat and Dave sitting on the ground near the fire and roasting marshmallows.

"Sup?" Dave looks up at me and pats the ground next to him, I sit down cross-legged and he hands me his marshmallow. "Haven't heard from you since the beginning of time, what's up dude?"

"I have been working and hanging out with Nepeta."

"And I suppose that we are nothing but slimy, chopped up liver on top of shit to you?" Dave turns around to Karkat and shakes his head.

"Dude, why?"

"Want me to take a shit on the shit? Will that make it look better? Would you rather like it?"

"Vantas, you have some seriously fucked up obsession with shit. Is there something you're trying to tell us?" Karkat stays quiet for a moment and stares ominously into the fire.

"I'm allergic to Jazz." He whispers, Dave studies him before sighing and turns back to me.

"I think someone just blazed too much today." I crack a smile and eat the S'more I made while the two bickered. I finish eating it and I stare at Karkat, he catches my gaze and we have a long staring contest until he squints his eyes at me.

"What are you staring at Zahhak?"

"What did you do to Nepeta on Prom?" Karkat exhales through his nose and looks down at his hands.
"Fucked that one up majorly. His parents obviously never raised him to have fucking manners."

"Shut the fuck up Dave."

"Ohhh, someone is being all up and fiery today." I clear my throat.

"What did you do?" He leans back and stares at me, his unruly black hair falls into his slate grey eyes.

"It was a misunderstanding and I blew things way out of fucking proportion."I stay silent and wait for him to continue. "I shouldn't have let things go as far as they did. I knew that she liked me but I never tried to stop her or anything. Thought if I fucking ignored her and acted like a complete dickwad to her, she would stop liking me. I had a bit to drink with that idiot, Gamzee, before I went to Prom and I was a bit more asshole than I normally am.

"You see, she just kept flirting with me and I was starting to get annoyed with it and about halfway through Prom, I couldn't take it anymore and I pushed her away and told her I didn't like her like that and I never did. I asked her to Prom as a friend and I could never like her like that even if I tried with all my hardest and believed with all of my fucking heart because I like guys." I raise an eyebrow at him. Dave cracks his knuckles and pipes in.

"He wants the "D", can't get enough of it."Karkat reddens and glares at the other boy.

"Dave, I swear, I will destroy you."

"Oh will you? We'll see about that," Dave turns to me, "I went with Terezi because she isn't a fucking Tsundere and had the balls to ask me first so I decided that it would be for the greater good of Irony." I take a moment and study both of them before I shake my head.

"You two are so lewd, I cannot believe that you would play with her feelings like that Karkat. Sometimes, you disgust me. You could not tell her when you found out that she fancied you?" Nepeta comes up behind me, her face pale and she grabs hold of my arm.

"I think we should leave now." She points behind her and I see Cronus standing next to a tree, having a smoke. I nod and stand up, looking down at my two friends.

"I will talk to you later." Nepeta and I walk back to my car and we leave the bonfire. The fire and smoke fades into the distance and with it, a bit of Nepeta's confidence. However, I would not see this until months down the road.

Author's Note

Okay, I know I was a few days late to post this, I had a few days off from work and for some stupid reason I thought it was a good idea to get totally smashed. Needless to say, I would not have been able to get this chapter up no matter how hard I wanted to on Wednesday; it just would not have happened. For that I just want to say sorry. This is a bit of a shorter chapter and I know the writing style is a bit different but I know what I'm doing and it's supposed to look that way, it will make more sense at the end of the story. Speaking of the ending of this story, it's coming up! I normally aim for about ten chapters so there will be about six more chapters of this story, there could possibly be more. It really depends if I get off my lazy ass and actually get shit done. Until then, fairwinds.

P.S. I totally don't know how to spell lood? Is it lood or luod? Google wasn't exactly helpful, if any of you know the answer please tell me so I can fix it. Thank you!