Edit: So I added a bit more to Vriska's dialogue to make her more competition-oriented; I don't know if it clears anything up or whatnot. XD I was supposed to re-write it but unfortunately, I got lazy. XD add-ins, here we go! I may-or-may-not still rewrite it later, we'll see. XD
Hey guys! sorry it's been so long since my last update. School's been brutal. XD hopefully you all had a happy valentines day/singles awareness day! Remember- - -I still love all of you, even my silent readers. xD for this chapter I took advice from a review left by FishShips and realized I don't know how to Homestuck. XD Hopefully this chapter turned out ok because of it.
Read, enjoy, and don't forget to review!
XXXX
Tavros bounced a bit from his spot by Vriska, feeling a bit excited. They were walking to Sollux's house from school, since it was Monday and they decided on having an impromptu extra study session. The room that they were in was shared with the yearbook kids, though, and they had claimed the classroom for the day. Gamzee's house was also out, because his dad was having some sort of get together or meeting, and they couldn't be disrupted by guest noises while studying. After a few moments of intense debate, the team decided upon Sollux's house for the mere proximity of it; it was walking distance from the school, and his mother and brother would leave after he got home, which meant they would be alone in the house.
His phone went off and he stopped walking to pull it out, smiling when it read that he'd gotten a pester from Jade. Apparently, she used an app called "PesterChum" instead of "Trollian", which is what he and most of the Alternian team used, but they were compatible with each other enough that they could message each other whenever they wanted to. Which was relieving in terms of his own team; Karkat and Dave had gotten into plenty of fights because Dave wouldn't switch to Trollian. After all, Dave had stated explicitly that he would "never in his life even dream of downloading such a piece of crap like Trollian", and John had no room for both Trollian and PesterChum on his own phone.
AdiosToredor is being pestered by GardenGnostic:
GG: heya Tavros! :B
AT: hI, uH, jADE!
GG: you guys doing any studying?
GG: were just taking a break
GG: all we seem to do is study!
AT: nOT YET
AT: tHAT IS, uH, WE HAVENT STARTED STUDYING
AT: bUT THAT IS, a THING THAT, wE WILL BE DOING
AT: sOON.
While he waited for a response back, Tavros stepped quickly to catch up with Vriska, who had stopped to let him write out the message in peace. She didn't say anything, but there was a tension between them that appeared, so thick it was almost tangible. Tavros frowned and opened his mouth to question it, but Vriska spoke up before he could.
"That our glorious leader wondering where we are?" She questioned in a forcefully casual tone, her hands shoved deep in her pockets. Tavros shook his head, and Vriska snapped her teeth in annoyance. Tavros didn't seem to notice, but his phone had gone off once again and his attention had been redirected to the mobile device.
"No, it's Jade." Tavros responded absently. Jade had somehow gotten a hold of his Trollian handle, and had been messaging him on and off since Sunday afternoon after the scrimmage. He made a friend that wawn't particularly connected to Vriska, and she was much nicer than Tavros had hoped. It made butterflies flutter in his stomach whenever Jade messaged him, and after the third message even Nepeta had stopped trying to figure out who he was talking to.
"Look, Torasnore," Vriska snatched the phone away from him, holding it over her head with her left hand. Tavros jumped a bit, cursing his short stature when Vriska didn't even have to move to keep it out of his reach. She mock-yawned and continued like he hadn't even moved. "I'm glad I managed to catch you alone."
"You didn't, uh, catch me." Tavros contradicted; he placed his hand on her arm and jumped, trying to lower his phone with his body weight. Vriska switched hands and he grunted in annoyance, scowling weakly at her. "You cornered me, in my English class, and uh, wouldn't let me leave until now!"
"Details aren't important right now!" Vriska threw the phone up and Tavros felt his body freeze- - -she had a habit of 'forgetting' about the things she used to play catch, and he couldn't afford to get a new phone at the moment. It buzzed as she caught it, and she looked at it in disgust before stuffing it in her pocket.
"Hey!"
"Shut up, I'm trying to tell you something!" Serket snapped irritiably. "God, Tavros, you really know how to make a girl feel special by giving her your full attention. I mean, damn, could you be any more interested in what I fucking have to say?"
"I'm sorry." Tavros glanced down, then immediately felt like slapping himself in the face. Dammit, he always fell for this! Vriska was always able to manipulate him the way she wanted him to, which was why she'd been able to pick on him for so long. Whenever he tried to stand up for himself, she either shot him down with her words, or manipulated him into feeling bad for trying to grow a backbone.
"Listen, buddy," Vriska wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling Tavros flushed against her side. His phone was still going off, and Tavros could feel it against his own leg, though Vriska ignored it. She shook him slightly, and he tilted his head awkwardly to look at her. "I'm just trying to pass on some friendly advice about your new pal, ok?"
"Your advice- - -"
"Is the best, I know." Vriska smiled smugly. "But that's beside the point. Tavros, you can't be fraternizing with the enemy, you know? That's just not how things are done here!"
"First Karkat, now you!" Tavros cried out, trying to pull away from Vriska and failing miserably. "What is it you guys have against Jade?"
"Nothing, of course!" Serket gasped, feigning innocence even with her tightening grip. "You can be best buddies with whichever lame-o can stand you the longest. The issue, Tav, comes from not Jade, but Prospit itself." She stopped them abruptly, placing both hands on his shoulders and leaning down to meet his eyes. "Would you really want to befriend someone from Prospit, of all places, even after you knew what kind of school it's like?"
"Jade's not like any of the rest of the team, or even the school!" Tavros fought against her, feeling anger stirring in his stomach. Picking on him was one thing, because that he didn't really mind so much, but being mean to Jade was uncalled for. Vriska knew nothing about her, and she shouldn't tease her just because she had been nice to him! "Jade is sweet and kind and- - -"
"Oh, you really believe that!" Vriska's voice turned soft and cooing, and she pulled Tavros against her again. He could feel her arms tighten around him, one around his waist and the other around his neck, her fingers stroking his mowhawk roughly. Though her voice was still pitying, Tavros could hear the undercurrent of cold steel in it when she spoke. "Tav, she's not really like that. Just because she had a few friendly words for you at the scrimmage doesn't mean she's suddenly your friend, you know. Harley's just as bad as Roxy, or Meenah." Tavros tried to pull away again, but Vrisks shooshed him roughly on the head, hitting Tavros hard enough to make him whine. "She's just using a different tactic against you. After all, Harley's in Prospit for a reason."
"It's not the same reason as Roxy or Meenah." He muttered rebelliously; he regretted it instantly when Vriska's fingers tightened in his hair and tugged on his mowhawk hard, making him yelp in pain.
"You don't know that." She snapped. "And to be honest, Tavros, we can't afford to let you have any distractions from the opposite team. The Varsity section is the one that makes or breaks our chances to get to State, and just because the Alpha team wants to use their newest member to prevent us from going doesn't mean that we have to fall for it!"Tavros frowned, opening his mouth to question whether the Prospitian team had really sabatoged the Alternian AcaDec team before, but he couldn't manage to get a word out. His phone went off again, having fallen silent when she hugged him, and Vriska yanked it out of her pocket with a scowl. "Dammit!"
"W-What are- - -" Tavros's eyes widened as he reached for his phone, knowing that Jade was probably still trying to reach him; Vriska danced out of his reach, snickering madly as her fingers flew over the key pad of his phone.
"Vriska!" Tavros gasped in horror as she threw his phone at him, grinning wickedly. With a sinking feeling, Tavros pulled open his Trollian app. He almost didn't want to; Vriska had the tendancy to be very cruel when she wanted to be, and it hadn't seemed like she was in much too friendly of a mood when she dragged him out from school by his collar. Being interrupted constantly by Jade wasn't helping her mood any, especially since it was her stand against Harley's offer of friendship Serket was ranting about, and it made Tavros worry about what she said to the Prospitian Varsity.
AT: fUcK off, if you d8nt mINNNNNNNND, pLEASE.
AT: nOOOOOOOObody actuALLY, uh, WANTS to talk tO yOUR STUPID, uh, 8uck-TEEth
GG: uh, Tavros? :(
AT: FUCK OFF.
AdiosToredore blocked GardenGnostic!
…well, it wasn't her absolute worst; if anything, Tavros could still salvage his friendship with Jade, if the Prospitian Varsity would listen to his explanation. Still, for an added testament of how unhappy he was at being forced to patch up a situation he didn't create for the sake of a stupid competition, the Nitram shot a wounded glare at his own teammate.
"Don't look at me like that, Tavvie!" Vriska cooed mockingly, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. Tavros tried to shove her hand off, but it didn't budge and he was stuck with her. "It's really for the best. You'll thank me later when we get to State, I promise. And besides, isn't it better that your true nature comes out now rather than later. After all, if she can't handle your true self and your true feelings, then she doesn't even deserve you as a friend, riiiiiiiight?"
"But, uh, that's not me." Tavros muttered under his breath. "That was all you."
"Them's the breaks, kid!" Serket said loudly, ignoring him completely and pounding his back for equal measure. "Focus now has to go fully on competition season so you can wipe the floor with Harley's smug-ass grin!"
"I don't actually want- - -"
"Toresnore, when you talk, no one can hear you!" Vriska sang, skipping and forcing Tavros to do an awkward run after her; she still hadn't removed her arm, making him just a little bit nervous. "You need to work on that to be honest. You can't go giving speeches when the judges can't even hear you, ya know! Talk about getting points docked off. All the judges are gonna give you zeros, and we'll never make it to State!"
"I'm getting better at that!" Tavros chimed in petulantly.
"Hey, John!" Vriska released Tavros mid-skip, making him skid a bit and fall forward. He landed hard on his elbows and forearms, stinging from the impact of the concrete. He let out a pathetic grunt of pain, muffled by his sweatshirt.
"Yo, is it comfortable down here on the floor?" Tavros lifted his head up with a small sigh, peering up into his reflection. Dave was crouched in front of him, hands on his knees, staring down at his fallen teammate. When Tavros didn't answer, he opened his mouth again. "Cause like, if it is, why don't ya scooch over a bit. Can't have you hogging all this sweet-ass comfiness all to yourself, right bro?" He made an impatient shooing gesture with his hand. "C'mon, man, we gotta get this party started asap, cause the sooner it starts, the less we'll have to fill our minds with the pointless garbage that is classified in our extremely long and absolutely astounding history as the fascinating Great Depression."
"Shut up, Dave." Tavros muttered, pushing himself to his knees with a wince. Something warm dripped down the inside of his sweater, staining the cloth. Tavros hadn't noticed it but Dave had; he grabbed a hold of Tavros's arm, yanking the sleeve up despite the Nitram's weak protests.
"Welp, you're dying." Dave said solemnly, dragging Tavros after him as he pushed between John and Vriska. Vriska stumbled back a bit from the force, but John just turned confused eyes on Dave. Strider answered his boyfriend's unanswered question with a slightly curt "Your spiderbitch is trying to kill our beloved little Tavros."
"Dave!" John admonished, but Tavros wasn't listening; Vriska was staring at his arms with a weird look in her eyes, and he wasn't sure how to take it. She didn't even react to Dave's nickname for her, which was odd. Serket never passed up an opportunity to bicker with her Scholastic teammate, a subtle hate constantly burning within her for whatever reason she had.
The moment was gone too quickly for Tavros to fully analyze it; before he knew it, Dave was pushing by Eridan to come to a stop next to Sollux as the Captor was trying to unlock his door.
"Dude," Dave pulled Tavros forward and displayed his arm. "Bandages, bro. We need them urgently, lest we lose a beloved Varsity to blood loss." He forced Tavros into a mock swoon, which made Sollux roll his eyes as he opened his door.
"In the kitchen, assholes." He told them, turning to address Eridan, Vriska, and John. "The rest of you can wait in the living room until everyone else shows up." Sollux then gestured for Dave and Tavros to follow him, leading them through the living room and into a fairly large-sized kitchen.
Dave pushed Tavros into a chair as Sollux disappeared through a door; the Strider wasted no time in yanking Tavros's sweater off, very nearly taking off his shirt underneath as well. Sollux came back to Dave sitting across from a pouting, flushing Tavros who was trying awkwardly to fix his shirt. Raising an eyebrow but making no comment, Sollux tossed a first aid kit at Dave and disappearing back into the living room.
They sat in silence as Dave disinfected Tavros's arms, listening as Eridan tried to put some moves on Sollux that the Captor denied and Vriska giggle about something John said.
"Why do you let her do this to you?" Dave asked quietly.
"It's not like it's by choice." Tavros muttered sullenly, wincing every now and then. The disinfectant stung his elbows, especially where he was bleeding, but Nitram knew better; his father would tell him, when he was younger, the more it stung the more the disinfectant was doing its job. It never made him feel better, but right now it gave him something to focus on.
"You gotta get better at defending yourself, bro." Dave told him as he began placing bandages on the cuts. Tavros let out an irritated breath through his nose, which made Dave's eyebrow raise behind his shades.
"I know that already." He said shortly, making Dave scoot back a bit and mockingly put his hands up. A shot of anger spiked through Tavros at his actions, and he scowled weakly at the Strider. "I'm obviously not very good at it."
"Whoa, bro, don't shoot the messenger knight." The Scholastic leaned forward again. "After all, what kinda knight would let himself be shot by a fucking page, am I right?" He waited a beat, but when Tavros didn't do much more than stare, Dave cleared his throat and focused on his arm. "I mean, maybe I should be all chill like an actual knight and take you under my knighthoodness and shit. Could give you a shit ton of lessons for shit, help you advance your echeladder to become your own bad ass knight just to be able to care for your own well being, ya hear?"
"I have, no idea what you're talking about, um, to be honest." Tavros admitted. Strider had lost him somewhere around 'messenger knight', and Tavros hadn't known whether to interrupt him or not. He ended up letting Dave keep talking, but the Scholastic had never gotten back on track and Tavros gave up on understanding him.
"Oh, hi boys!" A tired but cheerful voice came from behind Tavros, making the Varsity turn awkwardly to see Sollux's mom enter the kitchen.
"Hi." Tavros waved sheepishly with his bandaged arm as Dave worked silently on his other arm.
"How're your arms, hon?" Captor's mother 'tsk'ed in worry when she walked past, her brows furrowing a bit. She was pretty, with long blonde hair that was tied in a thick braid. She shared Sollux's heterochromia, though she was also more patient than the other Varsity; her touch was gentle as her hands ruffled Tavros's mowhawk. He wasn't given a chance to answer her before she continued with, "Boys, honestly. You need to be more careful, dear, else- - -"
A loud screech interrupted her, making the two boys jump in shock. Dave accidentally knocked over the bottle of disinfectant, but Sollux's mom groaned in frustration. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked into the hallway behind the kitchen door. Sollux followed seconds later without a word.
"Welp, you're finished." Dave cleared his throat awkwardly, and even Tavros found himself at a loss with what to say. He never really spoke to Dave, preferring John over his musically-inclined boyfriend. The Strider seemed to have joined the team for the sole purpose of being near his boyfriend; he picked fights with Karkat, Gamzee and Vriska, he completely ignored Equius, Nepeta and the Nitram, he was on ok terms with Feferi, Eridan and Sollux due to the similarities between the Captor and himself. The only people Dave really got along well with were Rose, Terezi and John, which made any other interaction with the Scholastic completely awkward.
Tavros was saved from haing to say anything to Dave by Gamzee throwing the door open, worry on his face and Karkat hanging off of his arm. The Makara seemed to caln down a bit when he saw Tavros, but a weird look crossed his face when he saw the large band aids on the Varsity's arms. Without much prompting from Karkat, unlike the last time, the Honors student produced a rolled up paper from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth.
"Ya all up and motherfucking all right, Tavbro?" With nimble fingers, Gamzee pulled out an indigo lighter and lit up, inhaling deeply so that the smoke entered his lungs. Almost immediately, the weird smell of weed filled the kitchen, and Tavros felt his nose wrinkle in distaste. Rufio had the habit of smoking weed now and then, but he always did it when he wasn't home; the stench still clung to his clothes, and since their room was small it filled the space quickly. Tavros hated the smell.
"He's fine, oh wonderous Grand Highblood." Dave snapped sarcastically, prompting Gamzee's eyes to dart to him briefly before returning to Tavros. The Scholastic snapped the first aid kit shut, purposefully getting between Tavros and Gamzee. He bent down so that his shades filled the Varsity's vision, mouth quirked in a smirk. Muttering so that only Tavros could hear his words but loud enough that Gamzee could hear that something was being said, Dave told the Nitram, "Be sure to hit me up if you want an advancement on your echeladder, got it, Page?"
He straightened and, with a careless smirk at Gamzee, strode after Sollux and his mother.
"The fuck happened to you?" Karkat snapped irritably.
"Vriska dropped me on the floor." Tavros admitted to them as he got up and approached the two of them. Gamzee immediately began fussing over him, wrapping a long arm around Tavros and pulling him into the Honors student's torso protectively. Karkat made a scathing remark that went unnoticed as Tavros closed his eyes and leaned a bit more on Gamzee. He had held onto this unconscious hope that Gamzee would protect him from Vriska, and was more than pleased that the Makara was there. They walked into the living room, where the rest of the team was gathered. Gamzee led Tavros to the sofa, Karkat yelling at John about wrestling playfully with Vriska.
"I've been called in for an extra shift, Sol, and your brother is having a bit of a bad day." Sollux's mother said apologetically, walking through the door into the kitchen. The walls were really thin, because the team fell silent and she was heard as clearly as if she had been standing amongst them. There was another set of footsteps as Sollux followed her, and they heard his voice through the walls.
"What's that thuppothed to mean?" Eridan groaned a bit when his lisp came out, and Karkat began seating them around the living room in an attempt to block out Sollux's voice. Eridan and Gamzee sat on the couch, which was big enough for at least four people; Tavros was pushed down into a seat by Gamzee, who wrapped his arm around the Varsity's shoulders, and Vriska seemed content enough to sit on the arm of the worn couch by Tavros. Dave claimed a spot on the floor, pulling John to sit next to him, and Equius sat down on the other side of a glass coffee table by Eridan's feet. Karkat sat in front of the television, scowling darkly when Sollux and his mother came back into the living room.
"C'mon, Mom, he can't be in the house!" Sollux whined at her. His mother was half ready, a jacket hanging off one arm and a shoe in her hand. She looked hassled and slightly preoccupied, searching frantically and clearly losing patience with her son.
"Sollux Captor, your brother isn't feeling well today." She snapped authoritively. Her tone was slightly distracted, and she gave Tavros a warm smile when he held out a shoe that had been hiding under his feet. "I can't bring him in with me when he's like this, and you know that damn well. You'll just have to figure out a way to get your studying done with him here."
"That'th all but impothible, Mom, pleathe, can't he thay with- - -"
"He's staying home and that's final, Sollux!" Tavros winced at how stern she sounded, like she was already fed up with the argument and just wanted to get going; it sounded just like his dad when he and Rufio fought over colleges. When she spoke again, her voice was closer to the door to the living room; to Tavros's relief, she sounded a bit more relaxed. "I should be home by ten or eleven. Make sure you and your brother eat; your friends, too, if some stay that late. All right?"
"Yeth, Mom." Sollux sounded resigned, and his expression mirrored the feeling as they stepped into the living room. His mother pressed a quick kiss to the side of his head, having to lean up a bit to do so, and Sollux mimicked the action automatically. His ears turned crimson under Vriska and Eridan's teasing looks and comments, but he didn't rise to the bait while his mom was around.
"It was lovely seeing you all." She waved at them as she grabbed her purse and a jacket. "Have fun studying!"
They all said their variations of goodbye as she closed the door behind her, leaving them in a semi-awkward silence as they sat in a circle around the living room.
"We thould head up to my room." Sollux said after a long while. "There'th more room, kind of, and I can get to my brother quicker if we're clother."
"Lead the way, then, Captor." Vriska stood quickly, sliding gracefully off the arm of the couch with an almost practiced ease; Dave and John followed behind, though Dave grumbled a bit about having to move just as he sat down.
Sollux's house was much bigger than it looked. It was only a single story, but it had been remodeled shortly before they moved in. It had five rooms, a kitchen, three bathrooms, as well as the living room. The living room and hallway to the bedrooms were connected to the kitchen; the first bedroom was the master, which belonged to Sollux's mom. The room directly across from it was an office space that went largely unused, mainly because it had belonged to the man who had fathered Sollux and Mituna before he split.
The room beside it was a guest bedroom, one that Sollux refused to open after a quick glance at Karkat's flushed face.
Mituna's room was right after it, the door closed and loud music audible through the wall and the door. Sollux refused to open this door as well, but it was more because he didn't want to disturb his brother if he didn't have to.
A bathroom was at the end of the hallway, and Sollux opened the door that was adjacent to Mituna's.
"Make yourselves comfortable." He said. "I have to check on my brother before we get started, so I'll be back in a bit." He vanished and they all looked around uncomfortably. Tavros shifted a bit nervously before leaning against the door to what he presumed was the closet, sliding down until he was sitting with his legs crossed.
It prompted everyone else to follow his example, much to his surprise. Karkat strode over and sat by Sollux's door, close enough to Tavros to be in a small group. Vriska, Equius and Dave sat by the foot of Sollux's bed, the two giving the Zahhak a wide berth. Eridan sat by Sollux's side table by the head of the bed, Gamzee sprawling on the floor beside him and John huddled up by Vriska. Just as they got comfortable, Sollux appeared with an irritated look on his face. His brother's music was much louder, audible even through the closed doors of both boys.
"Let's get started guys." He muttered. Dragging a small side table to the middle of the room, Sollux tossed his phone down in the middle of it. "Deposit cell phones so that we can get shit done." Tavros, Gamzee and John did so without complaint, though Karkat and Eridan grumbled a lot as they followed suit. Vriska's phone was wrestled away from her by Dave, who then calmly placed the mobile devices on the table and ignored Vriska's screeching. Gamzee had to order Equius to add his phone to the growing pile, which the Scholastic did after Makara blew a weed-filled puff of smoke in his direction. Sollux let out a groan and threw both windows to his room open with a dark glower at the Honors student.
They had only been studying for ten minutes when Sollux's phone went off due to a text message. The sound made them all look at the table, but when it went off a fourth time they turned their gaze to their host. He ignored it, turning the page of The Grapes of Wrath, but after that it turned into a constant stream of vibrations. Sollux gripped the corner of his book, a scowl forming on his face as his phone continued going off. Nobody was even studying anymore, just staring at his shitty phone dance around the table because of the constant vibrations. Just as Sollux reached for it, presumably to throw it somewhere were it wouldn't bother them anymore, it stopped. Tension seemed to leave Sollux, and he sat back in a sort of suspicious relief.
"STHOLLUTH!" The door was thrown open, the handle bouncing off the wall opposite of it. Someone stood in place for a moment before flying forward and wrapping his arms around Sollux's waist, whining and jabbering incomprehensibly.
"Fucking, get- - -Mituna, thit!" Sollux struggled to get the other off of him, resorting to slamming a fist into the other's lower back. Mituna whimpered with each hit, clinging tighter instead of releasing like Sollux wanted him to. Karkat grabbed Sollux's hand as it went up again, and the Captor shot him a furious look for only a moment; the tension left his body a second time and as Karkat released his hand, he twisted around to settle comfortably.
With an irritated sigh, he switched the book to his other hand and maneuvered his brother so that he wasn't pressed into his back. Mituna sighed happily for a moment, willing to relax against his brother.
"For those who don't know- - -"
"Which is pretty much fucking all of you."
"This is my twin, Mituna." Sollux went on with an irritated voice, though Tavros couldn't tell if he was annoyed with Karkat's interruption or the fact that his brother had crashed their study session even though he wasn't supposed to. "Tuna." He shook his twin's arm, and the same dual-colored eyes as Sollux's peered up from his arm, landing first on Karkat. Mituna smiled and used one hand to wave excitedly at the Vantas, who rolled his eyes and waved half-heartedly back. Sollux shook him again and pointed at his other Varsity teammate. "You know Karkat already, dumbass. That's Tavros."
"Hi, Tav-ros!" Mituna exclaimed excitedly, splitiing the Nitram's name into its two distinct syllables; it sounded weird, with a sort of accented 'a' and slightly deeper tone to the last three letters. Still, his enthusiasm brought a smile to the Varsity's face and he waved back shyly. Mituna was suddenly much more interested in listening to his brother, as he cut his own wave short that time and looked up at his brother with eager eyes.
"That's Dave." The Strider saluted, which Mituna seemed to think was hilarious; he burst into childish giggles that lit up his face with delight. Sollux nudged him a bit. "And Equius." Mituna's giggles died down as he stared at the other Scholastic before attempting to imitate his stern face. His attempt made Equius sweat, which made Vriska and Dave scoot over with disgusted noises. Sollux rolled his eyes, trying to turn Mituna's attention to John, but the other Captor tugged the bottom of his shirt.
"Who'th the?" He asked innocently, pointing at Vriska. Her face fell slightly, a confused look creeping on it as she realized that Mituna didn't know her.
"I'm Vriska." She stated, like it was information that should mean something to him. Automatically, she turned to Sollux with a laugh. "This is your brother? Damn, Captor, we should've recruited you earlier in that- - -" Vriska trailed off when she saw Mituna's reaction to her. "What the hell." Her tone didn't seem to register in his mind, and when he waved at her like he had Tavros, she actually scowled. "Serket, you blithering idiot. Vriska Serket. You know me, asswipe, we met last year for competition!"
Mituna continued looking confused, and the confusion did nothing but enrage Vriska even more.
"Look at me!" She snapped, making him wimper slightly. Vriska kneeled on one knee, gestures getting wilder and wilder as she spoke. "You know me, dammit, think!"
"His think pan's screwed." Sollux said quietly, cutting across her. Vriska's body seemed to lose its anger, and she sat back against the bed with a stunned look on her face. While she dwelled on that bit of information, Sollux cleared his throat and continued. "That's John, and Gamzee, and that one there is Eridan." John waved a bit uncertainly, blue eyes glancing between Sollux and his brother. Gamzee easily crossed the room without getting up from his spot, ruffling the blonde strands of hair that blocked Mituna's eyes. It made him giggle, and it was with giggles still on his face that he turned to Eridan.
He cowered back a bit before letting out an enraged cry. Eridan had only a few seconds warnng before Mituna lunged forward, teeth bared. He let out a yelp, though, when he was suddenly knocked back into the dresser behind him. His head was audibly hitting the drawer as he struggled with Mituna.
"FUCKING AMPORA!"
"TUNA!" Sollux roared, lunging after his brother. Tavros was eerily reminded of a similar situation only a few weeks ago, with Vriska instead of Mituna. He wondered, even huddled against the closet like he was, why everyone seemed to be able to get the jump on Eridan and go after him.
"BLUGE-SMEIKING NO-GOOD SHIOT-STRAINED FOTHERMUCKING- - -"
"TUNA, WHAT THE HELL?" Sollux managed to pry his brother off of Eridan, though it was with some difficulty; Mituna was straining towards Ampora, garbled insults falling from his mouth as Sollux yanked him back. Mituna fought fiercely, and Sollux pulled him kicking and screaming from the room. They could hear him as Sollux took him back to his own room, still cursing Eridan and banging things against the walls.
Vriska sat back, stunned and looking slightly hurt for only a moment before she rounded on Eridan. A furious look twisted her features, and her body was trembling in barely-controlled rage.
"What the fuck did you do, Ampora?" She growled through clenched teeth. John made a half-hearted attempt to get between her and Eridan, one that was thwarted when she pushed him out of the way without a second thought.
"Nothing, I sw-wear!" Eridan muttered thickly. He rubbed at his jaw, working it with his fingers. "Christ, can that kid hit."
"Must've done something to him, bro." Dave muttered suspiciously.
"W-Why dontcha come an say that to my face, Strider!" The Ampora growled fiercely, moving to get up. John tried to hold him down, but he wasn't strong enough to keep the other Honors student down. Tavros squeaked, but reached out and grabbed a hold of Dave's ankle when the Strider got to his feet.
"Let's not fight any more, please." He pleaded. Dave stared at him impassively, and Tavros was struck with the sudden fear that he wouldn't listen to him. He tightened his grip in response, though neither boy backed down until Sollux reappeared in his room. His lip was bloodied and one of his lenses was cracked, but the Captor looked no worse for wear.
"So maybe today wasn't the best day." He muttered, shaking his head. "Let's just get back to studying guys, ok?" Sollux sat by Karkat, picking up his book resolutely and burying his face in it. After a long moment, Eridan and Dave sat back down, Strider kicking Tavros's hand off of him. Tavros watched with slightly bated breath before sharing an uneasy smile with Gamzee, who had been looking out the window.
With a sigh, Tavros picked up his study guide again
