~*~ Sorry it's a little short, and, the next chapter MIGHT be out on Sunday, the other author I do this with has been on hiatus with our RP for over a month, but, "lucky" for you, she said she'd be able to RP on Sunday, sooo... Yeah! Last chapter-spam for a bit. Also. Shh. If Roxy seems OOC it's because originally she wasn't supposed to BE Roxy, she was another original character (Named Kelsie) like Garrett, but I thought they were kind of alike, and I.. Kind of ship Gam/Rox, so... Shh... 3 Please Review or.. Follow. Follows make my heart flutter, reviews scare me when I see them in my email, I get nervous. Anyways. Sorry about the long Authors Note. ~*~
Tavros shook his head when Gamzee said he hoped he didn't mind. Getting picked up and carried by someone you have a crush on? No, he didn't mind that at all. He wish he had the nerve to actually tell Gamzee that, but even when the arms around him disappeared and he was back in his chair, Tavros remained silent. When Gamzee left him to walk by Eridan, his face fell a little. Nepeta came to take hold of the handles and push him into the lobby, bouncing the whole way.
"Shopping!" Nepeta squealed, looking to Terezi. The other girl laughed nodding but Eridan piped up.
"Maybe we could go get some fuckin' food first? Didn't you say there was a place around here you like, Tav?" His deep, almost purple eyes were situated on the younger boy and Tavros wrung his hands together nervously.
"There's, uh, a really good Mexican place further in the mall but...uh, not everyone likes Mexican food so we can, just, uh, g-go somewhere else...if...you guys...want." His sentence trailed off and Eridan rolled his eyes.
"That doesn't really tell us anything Tav. Where is this place, exactly?" He questioned, his tone not angry or rude, but still not quite polite. Nepeta frowned from behind her wheelchaired friend.
"He was just saying we don't have to go if you don't want to. Jeez Eridan, stop being such a jerkface." She bristled and Eridan looked caught off-guard.
"A...A what? What did you call me!?"
Tavros cleared his throat, his eyes on Gamzee for a moment before he spoke. "C'mon you guys, don't, uh, fight. Nep knows where it is, just follow her." He said with a small smile. He remembered the courtyard fight between his best friend and Eridan and how embarrassing it had been. Not to mention how uncomfortable Gamzee had looked. Obviously, it would be a good idea to keep Nepeta calm.
She brightened instantly, pushing Tavros ahead of her as she headed towards the restaurant.
"Follow me fussypants." She said to Eridan as she passed. The boy glowered, but remained silent as everyone walked behind the girl.
The restaurant was huge, but really happy and cozy. There were murals painted on the walls with bright colours, and even mariachi music playing in the background. Tavros' face brightened as soon as they entered and Nepeta yelled "Hola!" to the waitress waiting to seat their group. Obviously she and Tavros came here a lot.
Once everyone was seated and had ordered their drinks, they looked over the menu's.
"I can't pronounce half of this stuff..." Eridan muttered, flipping back and forth between the pages. "And there's no descriptions of what you're ordering. What the hell is a 'Sopaipillas'?" Eridan mangled the word, not really sure how to pronounce it. Tavros laughed.
"They're fried pastries with honey and cinnamon. You're looking at deserts Eridan." He said.
"How do you even know all this?" Eridan replied, flipping back over to what he hoped was the main course part of the menu.
"My, uh, my family makes a lot of this stuff...I grew up with it." Tavros returned, shyly. Nepeta giggled, leaning over to squish her cheek to Tavros and ruffle his mohawk.
"It's okay snootypants. Tavros had to help me with the menu at first too. Just ask him if you need anything translated."
Eridan growled at the nickname, but went back to eyeing the menu tentatively.
Gamzee started chewing on his lip slightly when they began arguing, but was slightly happy when Eridan didn't get too out of hand. He really saw to that. "I think it sounds pretty motherfucking good." Is the only real input the clown gave on getting food.
Karkat, on the other hand, just ranted and raved about how Terezi wanted to go shopping, eat out, and fucking see a movie. He didn't have that much money already, but he'd brought enough to keep the girl happy.
Once they got there, Terezi was grinning, noting on the warm, savory aroma. Karkat thought of it as more stuffy and cramped. He didn't like it, but he was hungry, so he would settle.
Equius had only come here a few times with Tavros and Nepeta, but he usually was at work when they'd come here. He wasn't the biggest fan of mexican food anyways, though when offered, he didn't decline.
Once they sat down, it was close to the same seats they'd had picked at the cinema. Nepeta next to her brother and best friend, Gamzee next to both boys whom had a crush on him, Terezi next to Eridan and her boyfriend, whom she kept jabbing with a fork.
"Terezi, quit it." Karkats eye twitched as he tried to stay concentrated on his menu. "Fucking stop." She didn't until the waitress came over, ready to take drink orders.
When finding out they didn't have faygo, Gamzee settled for some Mtn Dew, which he did have on a few occasions, but never really was a fan of. His eyes trailed around the menu, trying to translate best he could himself, and although they were there to get actual food, the idea of a churro with raspberry filling sounded extremely good, maybe he'd get that and a meat taco.
Karkat had no idea what he was ordering, he had to ask Tavros a few of the items, but over all he and Terezi had decided to share some tamales together. It was cheap, and he knew it was something he could stomach. When Karkat was smaller, before Terezi had moved near him, there was a woman who came by, selling them fresh every weekend. And if his dad had enough money, they'd get a few.
"That's pretty neat, Tavbro." Gamzee grinned folding his menu back up and setting it down. When he still lived with his parents, his mom made a lot of cultured food. Mostly European things. Now it was whatever was on sale at Wal-Mart that took 10 minutes or less to cook. Gamzees smile faded for a moment. He missed family dinners. Him and Garrett hadn't even eaten together since they first moved in, and they spent that whole night watching scary movies.
His gaze went to Tavros and Nepeta, and it made him smile how close they were, how Nepeta squeezed up against him. Maybe they were an item? It seemed Equius wouldn't approve if they were, so they were just quiet about it? That made sense. The two of them seemed rather close, and it was cute. His phone buzzed in his pocket, as he pulled it out. It was a picture message from an old friend.
?: *picture sent*
?: i misssssssss u, game 333
?: gamzee*****
He cocked an eyebrow, silently opening the picture, the name rendered familiar, and... The picture did too.
His eyes widened as he let out a rather sharp noise, hiding his phone. Gamzee felt his cheeks and ears get hot. That was Roxy. Obviously Roxy with widespread legs and lacking panties.
"What is it?" Terezi inquired, index finger against her lip.
"A crazy fucking ex. If you could call her that." He muttered some more unpleasantries.
"Huh? What'd she do?"
Gamzee didn't hear her at first, he was too busy texting.
TC: YoU'rE mOtHeRfUckInG iNsAnE sIsTeR.
TC: cAnT SaY I mIsS yOu.
TC: Or cReEpY PiCtUrEs.
?: not creeyp. : ( u usde 2 send them 2.
?: used*** FUCK
TC: OnCe.
?: : pppp
Gamzee shook his head, stuffing the phone in his pocket and talking to his friends.
Eridan smirked.
"I think we've all had a few crazy ex's." He said, laughing a little. Karkat frowned.
"Do crazy fucking girlfriends count if you haven't broken up with them?" He asked through gritted teeth as Terezi cackled and pressed her nose against his cheek.
Nepeta took a sip of her cherry coke and giggled. "Equius takes care of any ex's that might try to bother me." She said, giving her brother a sweet smile before turning to Tavros.
"And Tav's pretty lucky since he doesn't really have to worry about that sort of thing."
Her face turned apologetic after the words tumbled out of her mouth and Tavros' face lit up.
"Oh...You've never had an ex, have you?" Eridan asked, his tone even but a large smirk on his face. Tavros sighed, a hand coming up to run nervously through his mohawk.
"I...uh, I just haven't...really...thought about, uhm, dating..." Tavros muttered. He glanced nervously toward Nepeta, who looked like she could kill herself. She mouthed the word 'sorry' but Tavros merely shrugged, wishing the food would arrive or someone would change the subject. To his surprise, it was Eridan that came to his rescue.
"So what'd your ex say? Don't tell me she's still stalking you even after you moved." He said to Gamzee, general curiosity in his voice. He already had to compete with awkward on wheels over there, he didn't want competition with an ex-flame also.
Equius had a simper expression, giving his sister a half-hug for a moment. It was true. She made it sound a bit better than it was though, he'd deal with a bit more then just 'exes'. In all honesty, he was surprised she didn't hate him for it, chasing off any boys that tried to get close to her, aside from Nitram. But he was almost Equius's friend as well.
Almost.
Now that he had the idea that him and Nepeta were a pair, Gamzee couldn't help but feel like he was just lying, and it made him grin like an idiot. But, if he was wrong, Tavros was still adorable, not having dated anyone. The train of thoughts he had went off the tracks when Eridan asked what she had done. He laughed a bit nervously, pulling out his phone, and opening the picture, showing it to Eridan.
"What is it?" Karkat asked, ready to lean over the table. But, Gamzee lifted the phone, showing him. Karkats eyes just widened, pushing the phone away. "Not sure if this affects my appetite." He grunted, sipping his diet pepsi.
Equius had snuck a glance at the picture, and edged Nepeta away from the phone so she couldn't catch a small look at it either. That was disgusting.
"Why is it you decided to date her?"
"She's a motherfucking insane sister. I mean, at first, Roxy was kind of cute, y'know a little clingy, but it was really goddamn cute. Then one day she gets off her thinker, and tries to get pregnant, we break it off, and she still all up and obsesses with me." He shook his head, biting his lip and sticking the phone in his pocket. Gamzee stretched a bit, but before the conversation could go much further, their food arrived.
Eridan laughed at the picture and Karkat's comments, shaking his head a little.
"Women are crazy. No offense ladies, " he added from the look Nepeta and Terezi gave him, "but there's a reason I try to stay away from them lately."
Tavros had seen a glimpse of the picture, and that was all he really wanted to see. Gamzee had already sent him a picture of a random girls...area. He didn't need to see it again. He was almost inclined to agree with Eridan, except, well, he didn't really have the experience to back it up. Having never dated anyone, it was hard for him to pick one gender over the other. Tavros wasn't sure about the whole "sexuality" issue, all he really knew was...If Gamzee were a girl, he'd probably still like him. Er, her. Whatever.
He frowned when Gamzee called the girl 'cute', a little jealous that she had probably seen Gamzee in intimate ways that Tav could only dream about. Not that he did. Dream about them, that is. But Gamzee had a whole other life back wherever he had moved from. Tavros muttered,
"Sorry you have to put up with that..." before stuffing his mouth full of his encarnata.
Nepeta nodded sympathetically.
"Who tries to trap someone like that? She sounds way crazy. Don't worry about her Gamzee, there are plenty of sweet people around here you can date that won't turn out to be insane!" She smiled at Tavros, who just kept his eyes glued on his plate.
"Exactly." Eridan added. He dug into the chicken quesadilla he'd ordered, making a pleased sound after his first bite.
"This is actually quite good." He muttered, looking at Tavros who smiled a little proudly.
"Told you." Was all the younger boy said.
Gamzee shrugged slightly, deleting the picture from his phone. "I don't know, my first girlfriend was sweeter, like.. A little high and mighty, but she was cool. My only boyfriend.. God, surprised I still count him, what'd we date, like, a week?" He cut himself off, "Sorry, don't mean to vent about that stuff you all."
"No, no, I enjoy eating my goddamn food and listening about your love life. Maybe we could get some icecream and cheap chick-flicks well were at it?" Karkat rolled his eyes, Terezi hit him on the arm for being rude, but cackled.
Gamzee couldn't help but add a small laugh, looking up at the others. When Tavros made his comment, He simply gave him a smirk, listening to Nepeta. He bit his bottom lip for a moment, before taking a bit of his food.
"Eh, no need to all up and rush things you know, Nepsis?" He had a few more comments, like how Garrett was trying to make him pay attention on other things rather getting people in his pants. Or how he'd block Roxys number later, but he kept them to himself, eating his cinnamon-covered snack. It was delicious, but not wanting to smear his make-up badly, he had to lift it up slightly.
This created a slightly inappropriate picture to those with an immature mind. Karkat, being one of those people, shook his head, unwrapping another tamale.
Tavros blushed at the sight, his mind bordering on immature, but he merely concentrated on the plate before him and tried to block it out. This food was so interesting. His plate was so interesting. Gamzee eating something suggestively hadn't happened, there was no need to think about that.
Eridan merely smirked, leaning over to wipe a little of the food carefully from the side of Gamzee's lip.
"Careful with your makeup." He added, licking his finger clean. As much as he'd prefer to see the taller boy without his face painted up, Gamzee obviously wasn't ready to show that side off yet.
Nepeta pouted.
"I'm not saying you have to date the /first person that comes along/." She said, eying Eridan angrily. "I'm just saying, I'm sure no one here will threaten pregnancy and stalk you."
"Boys can't even get pregnant." Tavros muttered distractedly, obviously not intending for it to be heard by everyone. His eyes slowly moved up from the plate and he laughed a little nervously. "Just, uh, kidding...I was just...I didn't mean you should date a...boy, I mean...It's okay if you, uh, do...I was just..." He sort of trailed off, his face a brilliant pink from his nose all the way to the tips of his ears.
Nepeta shook her head and jumped in to save her friend, as best as she could anyway.
"SO." She started, trying to take everyone's attention of Tavros' awkward statement. "I was thinking after we leave here we could go look around at some of the clothing stores! Tav and Equius like bookstores, so we could go there too! Where do you guys want to go?"
Gamzee's thick make up hid the small red tinge that crossed his cheeks when Eridan touched his lips. His fang dug in to the inside of his bottom lip. So.. He felt pretty much like a homosexual at the moment. Which was absolutely fine, but, he also felt a little awkward too, flirting with others around. Gamzee just smiled, "Yeah, I... Motherfucking should do that.." He groaned, taking a drink of his beverage. Flirting, though fun, was kind of odd when you weren't sure if you liked the other person, and, again, with everyone watching.
Equius hit Nepeta lightly on the shoulder. "Be nice," He tilted his head forward a bit, before she could reply, Gamzee piped in. "Yeah, I think she's a one of a kind, though. Gotta' love that miracle." He swallowed the last bit of his snack, but laughed at Tavros's comment, giving him a toothy grin. That was a valid point. He was going to make a comment about the two of them, and him intending something, but Nepeta had interrupted.
Equius swallowed hard, Nepeta was burning through his paycheck fast. Luckily she'd only gotten a small meal, and this place was surprisingly cheap.
"I suppose, perhaps we can each go shopping for awhile..." That was the one time Tavros and Equius were ever alone together, at the bookstore. And there, it was different between them. They had a lot of similar interests in books, so Equius never minded the time. Karkat pulled out his flip-phone, checking the time.
"It's fucking five.. I have to go soon." He grunted, sticking it back in his pocket.
"Can we go shopping for a litttttttttttle while, Karkles?"
"Fine. No spending three hours in one store though."
"No complaining the whole time then!"
"Don't push it, goddammit." He folded his arms, rolling his eyes. Terezi stuck herr tongue out at him, finishing up her food, making a "mmm" sound.
Gamzee didn't really care, he didn't have all that much money to use, but he didn't mind hanging out with the others a little more. Especially since him and Eridan were hanging out later.. He was fine with whatever
