There was no trial.

Trolls lined the streets, jeering and calling. Flecks of red stained the stones, pooling in the cracks.

Terezi tried to fight the crowd, but laughing highbloods held her back, blocking her way. She tried to call out, but her voice made no sound.

Hushed silence.

A sickening thwok!

The smell of candy apples was everywhere.

x.x.x

Terezi inhaled sharply. A torrent of slime shot down her throat and she surfaced, coughing it back up roughly. Her head spun. She could still smell the candy apples, could steal feel her beatpump slamming against her chest. What was that? Terezi never had bad dreams. Ever.

She pushed herself out of the recuperacoon and slid to the floor, huddled in a slimy ball on the floor. She was being stupid. Stupid stupid dumb. Nothing had happened. All she had to do was clear her pan and everything would be perfect, like it always was. It was just a silly dream.

What if it had already happened?

Terezi coughed again, spitting out more sour apple. She rose and went to the water torrent, slipping and sliding as she went. Maybe a thorough hosing off would clear those idiot thoughts from her mind. After all, Nubby was the idiot—not her.

It hurt to think his name.

She shook her head. The water pelted down over her, washing off the slime. At least he wouldn't complain about that. This was stupid. Everything was stupid.

Terezi dried off and pulled on clean clothes, then went to her computer. The time didn't matter—Nubby barely slept anyway, the silly douche. She logged on to Trollian.

[gallowsCalibrator has begun trolling carcinoGeneticist]

GC: H3Y STUP1D

CG: THE SHIT YOU WANT SMELLY?

See? Ragey Von Assnubs was perfectly fine. There was nothing to be worrying about.

Why was she worrying, anyway? Life was life and death was death and she should be used to it by now. She wasn't a grub anymore. Hell, she had killed her own kismesis once without skipping a beat, and she was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen. In fact, it was kind of frowned upon in troll society.

GC: COM3 H3R3

CG: WHAT? YOU JUST SAW ME NOT THAT FUCKING LONG AGO

GC: OH YOU 4R3 R1GHT TH4T 1S D3F1N1T3LY TH3 S4M3 4S YOU B31NG H3R3 R1GHT NOW

GC: S1LLY M3

GC: F1N3 GO B4CK TO WR1T1NG V1RUS3S W1TH YOUR STUP1D FR13ND!

CG: FUCK OKAY FINE I'LL COME OVER.

CG: GOG TEREZI YOU SURE ARE NEEDY TODAY.

CG: LEMME JUST CANCEL EVERY FUCKING PLAN I HAVE TO TEND TO YOUR ASS GARBAGE.

GC: NO 1 CH4NG3D MY M1ND!

GC: GO DO YOUR STUP1D STUP1D DUMB TH1NGS!

GC: 1 W1LL H4V3 MY OWN FUN 4DV3NTUR3S

GC: W1THOUT YOU!

[gallowsCalibrator has ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist]

Terezi wrinkled her nose and glared sightlessly at the computer screen. She reached out and grabbed a nearby marmalade scalemate. She held it on her lap for a few minutes before she tore the head off and tossed the body across the room.

"The fuck is your problem?"

Terezi jumped, startled. How had she missed his entrance? She could smell him from a mile away! She gripped the snout of the disembodied head tighter. The scent of candy apples was still stuck in her nose, stuck in her pan—that was how.

Time to cover. "Why did you come? I was going to have lots of fun adventures without you!" She threw the head at him for good measure.

"What the shit? That was the worst weapon ever. And you asked me to come, you shitfuck."

Terezi felt her face contort into a snarl. "And then I said I changed my mind! I would think you could read, mighty leadertroll!"

"Yeah, well, I do what I want to. What the shit is going on with you?"

"…nothing. I am being silly." Terezi spun her chair around to face the computer again. Now that Nubby was actually in the room, she didn't know what to do.

"How stupid do you think I am, Terezi? Really? Something is pretty obviously going on here. Do you want to fucking talk about it or be a shit head?"

Terezi pulled her legs to her chest and waited for a moment. She was at a loss. What should she do? She almost never felt so unsure. It was an uncomfortable, horrible feeling. She wanted it to end. "Nubby, come here."

And then he was standing beside her. She reached out and took hold of his sleeve. "Be more careful."

"Huh? I mean, I am always fucking careful. The shit?"

"Just do it more! It is not that hard to understand!" she snapped. Why was she so irritated? This felt so bizarre. She gripped the sleeve harder and grit her teeth. Was this what Nubby always felt? Was this why he was always so grumpy? No, that was stupid. Nubby was too stupid for something so uncomfortable.

"How much more do you want? I haven't even been outside in—no, fuck, never mind. What is happening, Terezi?" Nubby sounded concerned. It made her want to cry. Terezi never cried. She was a strong troll. She was powerful and brilliant and amazing. She didn't cry, so she promised herself she wouldn't.

"I am being silly," she said, standing up at last. She stood there for a minute, hand still dangling at his sleeve, then leaned in. Her nose brushed his neck. These candy apples smelled better.

Fresh was always better.

"Terezi? Hey, uh, fuck. Look, you're not being silly. And, sometimes it helps to just, uh, talk about this shit, okay?"

Terezi rested her hands lightly against his chest. "No. I am fine." She closed her eyes and breathed in. She could smell the candy apples just below the surface of his skin, fresh and alive. Much better. She could barely remember the other smell now, the terrible smell. She pressed closer and he put his arms around her. His warmth was soothing; it took everything she had not to just fall asleep right then.

"No, you fucking aren't. Shit, I'm not going to think any less of you if you just tell me, Terezi." He squeezed her tighter.

"I am all better now," she muttered. "Just don't go away, stupid Nubby."

"You're infuriating," he grumbled. Terezi could feel his throat vibrate with his words and smiled a little. "But don't be a fuck, Terezi, I'm not going to leave."

She slid her hands from his chest up his throat and to his face. He wouldn't object now, she thought. Not like this.

He squirmed slightly as she ran her fingers over his features, sharpening her mental image of him. Forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, lips… Everything was how she remembered.

But different.

They were getting older. She could smell the cotton candy starting to even out. Maybe that was why her pan had showed her that…that dream. That nightmare.

She just hoped it wasn't a prophecy.

Terezi gripped his face between her hands and pulled him to her, pressing her lips to his. Her pan was conflicted—part of her wanted to give him a nice little bite, part of her didn't want to deal with the flowing candy apples so soon. This is different, she told herself. You are being silly. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She released him and stepped back. "Sorry, Nubby. I may have gotten a little carried away. Hehehe."

"It's fine. I guess I can fucking forgive you."

"Good Nubby. Good huntbeast," she said, but the words felt hollow. Terezi stepped forward and slid her arms around him again. Karkat returned the embrace. Better. As long as she could smell fresh candy apples, she would go back to normal.

Hopefully.

"Nubby, I'm tired," she murmured.

"So I'm never gonna know, huh?"

She listened to the rumble of his voice. She wondered if she could trick him into telling her a story as she went to sleep. No, that was stupid. She wasn't a grub. She wasn't even a wriggler! Stories were stupid. Unless they were about justice, of course. But she didn't think he knew any stories about justice. "Pretty much! It is not something you need to worry about. I am going to sleep now, but if you leave I will file off those nubby horns of yours when you are not looking!"

"Fuck, Terezi, how much of an asshole do you think I'm going to be today?"

She shrugged. "It is just a friendly warning." Friendly, of course, being very close in meaning to threatening in the language of trolls.

Karkat just grunted, pulling her to the bed. She wondered if he was happy that she had washed the slimed-up blankets. He had been such a wriggler about the whole slime thing!

Nevertheless, she allowed him to lead her there and even lie down beside her. She was being very gracious!

But when she curled up beside him, tucked neatly in the crook of his arm, she knew he was the kind one in this situation.

After all, in about ten minutes, his arm would fall asleep. And then he'd be stuck.

She grinned, then let herself be lulled into funnier dreams.