The irritated policemen in the school ushered the students to their next classes. Vriska's locker squeaked and refused to close. As of lately, the metal contraption has been giving her problems. With a final kick, the locker slam shut before one of the officers approached her with their detention slip at ready. She gave him the finger, refused to sign the paper, and dashed off to class. The officer, not willing to cross with a blueblood, tore up the slip and returned to his work. Just another day spent hating his job.

The lecture room was half full. Though there were seats at the front near the professor, Vriska chose to remain off the radars with the monstrous teacher and found a more suitable seat closer to the exit in the back.

Vriska fell into her seat and took out her notebook to take notes. As she spaced out waiting for the next bell to signal the start of class, her pen rolled off her desk and fell to the floor. With a displeased grunt, she bent down and wiggled her hand around to try and grasp the writing utensil, which was just out of her reach.

A gray hand extended and grabbed the pen, quickly replacing the pen onto the desk. Slightly surprised, Serket straightened herself and thanked the person. "Thanks, G-"

"No problem, Vvriska." Vriska was stunned to see the obnoxious tuft of purple hair and hipster glasses in her face. His lips puckered and he leaned in for a thank-you kiss. Vriska, offended beyond description, shoved away his face violently. "ERIDAN. WH- What are you doing here!? Don't you always kiss ass towards the front? And no, before you offer, mine is kiss-free."

Eridan gave the girl a sarcastic pout and threw his backpack to the floor, claiming the seat next to Vriska's as his. "No. Today, I felt like I should just sit back and wwatch the class next to a beautiful lady," he replied as he tried to tug his cape free from the back of the chair. Clearly, Vriska thought, you are trying way too hard, buddy.

While this encounter with Eridan was relatively normal, Vriska still did not want to be near her former suitor. She knew that was time passed, he would begin to egotistically talk about his successes in the class, which would lead to an unpleasant tour around his own ego, which was probably as big as Alternia itself. If that wasn't enough for him or if the clock did not free the girl from this social cage, he would probably go on to take about how stupid or 'wwasteful' the other students were. Something something purple bloods 'deservve' respect. Respect my ass, Eridork.

Despite having a prideful and dominant personality, Vriska didn't completely believe she was better than everyone else, so Eridan's egotistical acts always irked her. Learn to be humble sometimes. If the prideful Vriska thought that someone was going overboard with personal self-esteem inflation, they really were going over the top.

When she thought that she would have to sit next to Eridork for the rest of class, a savior appeared from the door. The boy in a black t-shirt and polka dotted pants trotted down the steps. His hunched posture mimicked how Vriska felt about the situation she was in now. In a quick dash, Vriska grabbed the strap of her backpack and jumped over the seat in front of her. Eridan called after the girl, "Vvriska, wwhere are you going?! Wwhat about me?"

"I'M SORRY. I'M NOT FEELING VERY HIPSTER-Y TODAY," she screamed as she dashed down the aisle. Just as the clown sat down, Vriska popped down into the seat next to him. With a look of genuine surprise, the boy stared wide-eyed at the girl; his eyes were clear, not drug-clouded or tired.

"G-Gamzee. Uh, hey." Vriska nervously stammered; in hindsight, she had overreacted just a little. Gamzee was right; he hadn't exactly lied to her, and it's not like she'd asked, but that little bit of information would have been useful. Just a little.

Perhaps the boy didn't know what to say, because he just stared at the spidergirl. "Look, I know I'm sorry about last time. I didn't mean to get all emotional like that. It wasn't really like me, and-" All of the words came out of the girl at top speed as if her time was about to end. "And I-"

Gamzee raised his hand and covered her mouth. His demeanor softened to his normal stoner face and he produced a bottle of cotton candy blue Faygo from his backpack. "Motherfucker, drink up and chill out."

In reality, and unbeknownst to anyone, Gamzee had felt absolutely regretful, but he was not going to break character now. He had decided that night after staring out his twelve-section window, waiting for his dad, that he was going to spend the rest of his time in Alternia in peace. He had taken into consideration Tavros' recent confession, amongst others, and concocted a plan: let's motherfucking chill. Since Goatdad did not look like he would return soon, there were only three people Gamzee would want to spend the rest of his time relaxing with: Tavbro, Karkat, and Motherfucking Vriska.

When the girl, shocked by the unexpected reaction, didn't take the bottle, Gamzee reached his other hand forward and twisted the bottle open. A large hiss echoed the room, and the sweet aroma of cotton candy rushed to Vriska. It reminded her of the day at the carnival, and…..

She grabbed the bottle and drank it all in one gulp; all of the feelings and soda went down roughly. When the final drop left the bottle, she gasped for air and let out an uncharacteristic, disgusting burp. Eridan could be heard nearby making audible sounds of discontent. Gamzee smiled to see that his moirail was at least functioning socially. He had no doubt that the strongest and toughest girl in the school could not handle a little – or big – slap to the face by life sometimes, but one could not be totally sure.

"Yo, Gamz. To repay you for this bottle, let's go watch a movie tonight." Serket stared intently at the boy. "Woah, motherfucker, calm yourself."

"I want to spend some more, um, quality time with you before you, you know, have to go."

Vriska looked away with a cobalt blush. It was obvious to both of them now that they had gone far beyond moirallegiance, but neither was going to speak of the situation to avoid awkwardness; they both just wanted to spend the next few weeks in peace. Just as friends. Really close, sporadic, random, sarcastic, tease-tastic friends.

The clown gave out a chuckle, which Vriska returned quietly since the professor was now angrily telling the students to quiet down. The two trolls sank into their seats and mocked the presentation. Occasionally Gamzee would tease Vriska about how she would fail the next test if she did not concentrate, but she'd return that jab by demanding that he tutor her again. The professor continued on with the lecture.

[+]

Gamzee arrived at the girl's house with relative ease. Vriska Serket was known for having one of the eeriest homes in the region, and if the dark shadow the building cast towards its surroundings did not hint to any curious trolls that they should leave the premises immediately, no one could ignore the periodic screams of her mother and her meals. The screeches echoed a couple yards and even the bravest fled.

Although the noise was unsettling, something about it excited Gamzee. He knocked on the door with extra energy and a couple seconds later, the blue lipped girl bounced the door open. Her usual punk jacket was now gone, along with her skinny jeans and other Vriska-ware. In their place were really baggy and loose pajama pants, and an oversized t-shirt.

Gamzee tugged at one end of the shirt. "Woah, bro. Motherfucker knows how to prepare for a date."

"Haha, you're lucky if you get a date with me."

"Oh? So you're just hiding your…. rolls?" Vriska gave him a playful punch and shut the door behind her. Apparently, the crazy spidergirl really was going to go out in public dressed as if she just got out of bed. Her cobalt eyes glowed in the little sun that penetrated the fortress of her house, which urged her friend to move along. "Come on, come on! That creepy movie is playing. I want to go see ittttt. Gamzeeeeeeee. Let's goooooooo."

The clown gave a defeated laugh and turned around to go, but stopped when he didn't hear the footsteps of his companion. She had remained rooted to the spot in front of her door with her arms dangling on the side. Knowing how stubborn the girl could be, Gamzee knew exactly what she wanted. He trudged back and bent over, allowing the girl to climb onto his back.

Vriska gave a playful, but suppressed, yelp and climbed onto his back. She jumped on and the mounds of extra fabric draped over her friend like a large blanket. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Gamzee, whispering that she'd choke him if he dared use her as a battering ram. Although the Capricorn wasn't the most muscular looking, he could miraculously carry Vriska far distances. For a while, Vriska had worried that she might have overdone her playfulness, but Gamzee didn't seem to strain too hard in lugging her around, so she rested her head on his shoulder and began to space out.

There were many sounds that occasionally penetrated her mind. The periodic 'honk's that escaped Gamzee were unmistakable. The sound of younger trolls and transportation devices popped up once in a while. Sometimes, people from their school gawked and spoke in hushed tones about how the school's succubus was now with the stoner; it was like a troll romance comedy come to life. The slow hushes of these random sounds lured Vriska into a sleep; the wind calmly soothed her and she fell into a soft nap.

Gamzee had noticed that Vriska's breathing had become more controlled and rhythmic, so he guessed that she had fallen asleep on him. He had wondered how many more times he'd be next to her while she slept – despite how creepy this sounded – before he had to go. So many things are now numbered; the number of days left in school, the number of miraculous nights with Tavbro; the number of "FFFUUUCCKKK"s that Karkat would say to Gamzee; all of them were numbered. He took this moment to be special and began to hum a mirthful tone. The wind occasionally blew Vriska's hair partly into his face. It didn't smell like the fruits and grub-snacks that most girls' hair smelled like; it smelled damp, but not the bad kind of damp. It faintly reminded him of the caves and forests he used to visit with Goatdad when he was little.

"Hey, Vriska. Motherfucker. You smell like the motherfucking amazing seas my father used to take me. But, we stopped when I almost drowned once. Goatdad was disappointed in me, but I kept laughing it off, saying how fucking miraculous it was that I survived. Miracles." Gamzee continued to whisper random childhood stories to the Vriska; he wasn't sure if she could hear him or not, but he wasn't the clown to care. He'll be as sporadic as he pleased. "And now, I'm motherfucking terrified of the water. It's kind of motherfucking funny that my dad loves it. Maybe that's why we don't get along."

Vriska stirred slightly on Gamzee's back and her lip rested on his neck. The warmth of her mouth gave Gamzee a slight shiver and he did not dare move her in the slightest in case her smooth lips would part from him.

The walk continued in the same fashion until they got to the theatre. If common sense didn't speak, the clock plainly told the pair that they were late; of course at the speed they were going at, they were going to miss the movie regardless. The Capricorn shook the Scorpio slightly and she gave a small moan. "Wh- where are we?"

Vriska had realized that they were late, but she didn't seem taken back. "I sort of guessed this would happen. Well, Plan B. We rent a movie and watch it at your place." This was a plan Gamzee would definitely not reject. A smile crept onto his face and Vriska caught a small glimpse. Her stomach gave into a wave of butterflies at the thought of him being pleased that they'd spend time closer together, but to retrieve her dignity, she suddenly toughened up.

Serket wrapped her arms around Gamzee's waist and tried to hoist him up, but failed miserably. "HAHAHA MOTHERFUCKER, what are you doing!?" "Returning the favour. I'll carry you now."

Her attempt was so awful that Gamzee fell to the floor laughing. Vriska pouted and began to walk towards his house, so Gamzee got up from the floor, patted some debris off, and followed her. "Come on, motherfucker can't get a motherfucking laugh?"

"Hmph!"

"Come here, mother-" "Vriska." "What?" "My name is Vriska Serket. There's no 'm' or 'u' or anything from your crude vocabulary in there!" "You realize if I take out all of the motherfucking letters in 'mother fucker', your name would be Visa S. Visas. Visas. s."

Vriska tried to come up with a quick retort, but she couldn't. Their war of upperhanded retorts had resumed. She remained silent and kept walking, half pouting and half smirking at how quickly their relationship had healed. Relationship. I suppose we are in a relationship, she thought.

Gamzee reached his hand down and snaked his fingers between Vriska's. Vriska, who was deep in thought about what quadrant – if any – that her and Gamzee was in, did not expect the sudden contact and gave a loud "BLAAHHH!" but Gamzee kept his firm grip.

Her eyes narrowed and gave darted looks at Gamzee, as if saying "I know what you're up to" or "I'm watching you, buddy boy", but Gamzee knew better than her that she was merely pouting to get more of his attention. Vriska liked the feeling of Gamzee's hand in her's; they were slightly rough but the touch was soft. There were so gentle, unlike previous dominant significant others. Of course, Vriska always came up on top as the alpha significant other, but there's only so much of that aggressive tug-of-war in a relationship that she can take. Vriska was not meant to hate; she would pretend to hate and be strong, but it was all an act.

Gamzee's hands were intensely warm; Vriska half guessed that it was because he was a naturally warm troll and half guessed it was because he, too, was flustered. This was the first moment of intimacy, if you could call it that. The clown's giant palms enveloped the girl's, leaving her feeling rather protected and safe. Vriska leaned slightly into Gamzee and walked forward.

In front of them, a shadow loomed.