Happy Valentine's Day everyone! :D Now then, I have a question for you all. A couple of you have asked me on my tumblr (*cough* thebuzzingofabee(dot)tumblr(dot)com *cough* lol) whether or not I'll include any sex in this story. Now, I have kind of danced around the subject, questioning whether or not I should do it. So what do you guys think? Just let me know in the reviews/comments/whatever if you guys would actually like a little smut in the next chapter… So… yeah… ._. enjoy the gooeyness that is this chapter.


I awoke the next morning with bare legs sliding against my own. It took me a minute to remember my previous collapse from exhaustion after engaging in a drawn out cuddle fest with Karkat. My eyes peaked open, arms shifting. I felt one trapped under some sort of warmth, and the other was wrapped around the top of it. Lazily, I looked down. A fluff of chocolate hair met my face, soft breath pulsing against my neck. The warmth that enveloped my arms soon registered in my mind as Karkat. I wasn't quite sure when exactly he had curled up against me, but the smile on my face spoke force itself in saying that I didn't care at all. My hand moved, stopping to twiddle and twirl my fingers through his hair. After a momentary lapse of silence and gleaming sunlight, he stirred a little. A few incoherent grumbles leaked from his throat as his head tipped up. Eyes opened slowly. They lightened as soon as his pupils dilated and he focused on my face.

"Morning, princess." I said with only a slightly snarky tone.

He mumbled some harsh insult, but all I caught was the word ass at the end.

"Just couldn't keep away from me, could you?"

"What are you talking about?" He drawled, now rubbing his face.

"You being in my bed smart one."

Just then, his eyes flicked open completely and cheeks flushed red.

"Well, I- uh,"

A small peck to his lips shut him up rather quickly.

"Calm down." I breathed during a short chuckle. "It's not like I care."

Another moment of comfortable silence passed before he moved and sat up. Sweat shirt slipping off one of his shoulders, he let out a small, almost childish yawn. Before I had time to pull him back down, he was standing and walking off on bare feet.

"I'm showering." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Hey Kar!" I called after him as I propped myself up on my elbow. He turned around. "Can I join ya?" I teased with a sly wink and a grin.

Immediate blush. For that, I was met with a shrill 'fuck you' and a middle finger being forcefully shot at me. I merely chuckled to myself and watched him leave for the bathroom. Hearing the door shut, I slid out of bed and threw on some fresh clothes. Running a hand through my hair I decided that would suffice for now and I could shower later. I wrote a quick note and left it on the table.

Running some errands. Be back later. –Sollux

With that done, I grabbed my jacket and keys and left the apartment. I was already in a nearby drugstore when my mind clicked back into focus. Before me were shelves of cards each ornamented with their own shades of red, pink, and purple. Hearts placed everywhere they could and glitter splattered on every inch of the small paper. Each was filled with some sort of corny phrase or gooey message of already rehearsed words. Yet, even from the extreme selection, I couldn't find one that fitted. I was a little surprised to even be doing this. I was never much of the romantic, and this holiday seemed downright idiotic to me. But that didn't stop me. I knew that the one person in the world who would appreciate a stupid card and an overly priced flower that you could easily find in someone's yard was Karkat. And so, I had to do this. I had to suffer through the torment of this holiday before I left him with empty hopes and a somber mood for the next few weeks. My mind changed quickly however. I soon grabbed a card that was completely blank inside save the small heart in the top corner. Fuck, I felt like a girl doing this. Either way, I moved to the counter, but not without grabbing a small box of way too expensive chocolate and a fucking rose from a glass case. He better be over joyed from this. I was spending way too much money on this.

It's all for Karkat.

I told myself over and over again before I threw it all down and stormed out. I sure was tired of all the crowds. People buying last minute gifts because they had forgotten this damn holiday. Idiots. But hey, I was one of those idiots.

I quickly paid for the items after the lady behind the register made some comment about how lucky my lady must be. Ha. I let it slide with a small smile, a nod, and a half-hearted 'thank you'. I still had the feeling that I wanted to get home as soon as possible. And so I did. I climbed back in my truck and drove straight home making no stops. Upon arrival, I entered the apartment to find the bathroom door still shut. Steam poured out from under then door. As I crossed into the kitchen, the door opened and he stepped out. Towel wrapped around his waist, I let out a teasing whistle.

"Lookin' good Karkat."

"Fuck off Captor." He yelled back before slamming the door to our bedroom.

I laughed, moving over to the table and sitting down. From the bag now sitting across the table from me I pulled the card out. I opened it and stared down at the blank paper. Pencil readied, my hand hovered over it. I hesitated to start writing, but I thought now would be a perfect time to become the sappy and vulnerable guy that usually only came out when I was drunk or really pissed off. Since neither of these was going to happen any time soon, I hoped, than I would have to force it out. Lead made contact to paper, and the words began to fly out. It went smoother than I thought. Once I had begun, they fell effortlessly. Coming straight from my heart, to my brain, then out through my hand. It took quite some time to finish. I had to pause every now and then to make sure I worded things correctly and actually got what I wanted out of it. With that done, I closed the car back, stuck it in the red envelope, and sealed it with a lick. I shoved it back in the bag and quickly moved to hide it in an empty cabinet. Just in time too, for right then, Karkat stepped back out of our room. Wet hair stuck up in different directions, but he was finally back in his jeans and his own, right fully sized shirt. I walked over, arms already moving to wrap around him. Once in place, I began to twist lightly from side to side.

"What're you doing tonight?" I asked leaned over, chin on top of his head.

"It's fucking Valentine's Day. What do you think I'm doing?" His tone came out a little harsh, but never actually angry.

"Probably going on a date with some hot babe."

"Nah, just a skinny as fuck loser." He snorted, arms rising to wind around me.

I pulled back, grinning down at him. "Who ever said I was taking you on a date?"

"You better be." He replied with a rather blank expression. "Or I'll dump your ass."

"So be it." I said, giving a nonchalant shrug. "Given I never asked you out in the first place. Can't dump something you don't have."

Sudden realization of my words washed a pink glow over his cheeks. "You're an ass."

I laughed and pulled out of his grasp, practically skipping down the hall. "Yeah. You too babe."

Just before he could rebut, I stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. I heard a small sigh as he passed back into the bedroom. I wiped the condensation away from the fogged mirror and actually smiled at my reflection. I didn't have any bag under my eyes anymore. They didn't look as tired any more, and the lines from constantly frowning had faded to normal creases from smiles instead. A short shower followed my brief stoic position. Once I was fully clean and primped, I excited the bathroom and headed across the hall. Karkat had made his way into the living room now. He was watching some shitty movie, so I shut the door and dropped my towel. I quickly found a pair of black boxers with yellow stripes. Fuck yeah. Then came a simple pair of jeans and a long sleeved navy shirt. Running a towel through my hair was enough to dry it almost completely. I slung my bag over my shoulder and went to retrieve my shoes. Pulling one on, Karkat glanced up at me with a puzzled expression.

"You have class?" He asked, turning the volume on the t.v. down a little.

I nodded, finding the other shoe. "Yeah."

"It's Saturday."

"Have to make up for the day I was out because of my arm. Time to take a test." I added a little grouchily.

He hopped up from his seat, rushing up behind me as I had already made it to the door. Pulling me back around by my shoulder, he placed a small kiss on my cheek.

"Good luck." He whispered before smiling and taking his place back on the couch.

I stepped out the door before shutting it behind me and leaning up against it. My hand rose to my cheek to lightly brush the place he kissed. Even if he had done it so many times before, now that it was such a normal thing, it became almost abnormal.

It was so great.

Pushing off, I walked down to my truck and off to class. It was boring as ever, and it didn't help that I couldn't pay the least bit attention. I had already decided where I'd take Karkat tonight. Now my mind was focused on having night come quickly so I could get home and to the important stuff. It took a few hours for me to actually finish the test. Yes, I zoned out every now and then, but I mostly tried to finish it the best I could. By the time I had finished, grabbed lunch, and made it back home it was already four. Coming back into my apartment, Karkat was in the same spot just with a different movie.

"Hey Karkat," I began, dropping my bag to the floor. "Get ready."

"For what?"

"Have you completely forgotten our conversation this morning?"

"Yeah." He replied bluntly.

I sighed, shaking my head lightly. "I'm taking you out tonight, so look nice." I began to walk away, but then turned back around. "Really nice." I added before heading back into our room.

I was actually going try and look presentable tonight. And so, I spent more time than I wanted on my hair. Trying to tame the wild mess that it was, I managed to get most of it to stay in the right spot. It still spiked up in either side of my head and awkwardly in the back, but it still looked better than when I didn't try. Next came the clothes. I tossed my shirt aside and rummaged through my closet. There I found a nice black polo to which I tore from the hanger and slipped on. Buttoning it up, I kicked off my shoes. Pants on the ground, I replaced them with a dressier pair. I acquired a red tie after a little more searching and skillfully tied it around my neck. With a final glance down at myself, I smiled and opened the door back. It had only taken about thirty minutes, so there Karkat sat in the same spot. It took his a moment to register my presence, but once he did, he couldn't stop staring.

"You really do mean nice." He said quietly, eyes flicking up and down.

"You like this?" I asked with a light smirk.

"Can't say I don't." He replied, grinning. He then hopped up and began walking past me. "Well, guess I should get ready too."

I nodded even if he was gone and took my time to wander about before sitting on the couch. Not feeling like finding the remote, I just watched whatever Karkat had left on. A sappy movie as usual. After what seemed like an eternity later, I heard the bedroom door open. I glanced up to find Karkat walking down the hall. He stopped a few feet away, eyes locked on the floor. I stood up and-

God, he looked so handsome.

With his white shirt and black vest and tie, I couldn't break my eyes away. His foot twisted on the ground, anxiously waiting.

"Well…?" He spoke after another moment.

"Well what?" I exhaled, still staring at him.

He looked up, but meeting my eyes, immediately looked away again.

"How do I look?" He muttered through his teeth that were biting his lip.

I stepped forward, hand cupping his cheek and bringing his face to look at me.

"Amazing." I whispered before locking our lips together.

His muscles went completely limp until a pushed me back.

"We should get going."

I nodded, hand slipping from his face only to be caught by his own. I glanced down to them, but just smiled and flicked the t.v. off. I walked towards the door. Opening it, he walked out before I did, and I shut it behind us.


Later that night I found myself sitting in a dimly lit room. My mind hand been racing with my heart- hell knows why. I couldn't possibly be nervous. Not about something as girly as fucking butterflies in my stomach. A candle flicked between us as Karkat gazed at me with those wide eyes.

"Here," I started, reaching down. "I have some things for you."

I lifted the small box and rose out of the bag, holding them across the table.

"Happy Valentine's Day, er- whatever." It came out as an almost mumble as I tried to keep my nerves at bay.

He took them from my hands with a small smile.

"Thanks." He said quietly, setting them on the table.

"And, uh, this." I continued, handing him the card.

With the sound of the envelope tearing, my gaze fell to my folded hands in my lap. He opened the card as I waited patiently. I began to replay what I wrote in my head. It only made them time I waited more agonizing.

Dear Karkat,

Well, this is going to be awful. You know how shitty I am at this whole feelings thing. Shit, what am I supposed to say? Alright, so I'm just going to come out and say how many stupid feelings I have right now. And all of them are tied up in this one knot that has settled itself in the pit of my stomach. And your name is written all over them. You ass. Making me become this frazzled idiot that doesn't know what to do every time you just fucking smile. Every time you laugh, I can't breathe. It hurts, but at the same time it's the best feeling in the world. Is it bad that if I could spend every moment of my life right beside you, I'd do it in a heartbeat? It can't be wrong. It feels too right. All this feels way too right. Okay, I'm rambling now. God, this is harder than I thought. Fuck man. You just mean a whole lot to me. You always have. No matter what kind of shitty thing I do, just don't forget how important you are to me. You're my best friend, and I care about you more than anyone. So, Happy Valentine's Day Kar.

After a moment, I glanced back up to find Karkat staring at me with the softest smile.

"You don't know how much this means to me." He said quietly, setting the card down on the table. "I know that must've been hard to write."

I reached across the table to grab his hand and rub my thumb against the back of it. "It's worth it if it makes you smile like that."

When did become so sappy? This holiday was going to be the end of me. But all those thoughts disappeared when he blushed so carelessly. He didn't care if I saw anymore. In fact, at this moment I think he almost wanted me to know how much he enjoyed this.

Our food came shortly and we ate making silly conversation and laughing we were childhood crushes. When we were done, I paid our check and we walked out. I held his hand as his other was occupied by the rose.

"Thank you." He spoke, head resting against my arm.

"There's nothing to apologize for. I do it because I care about you."

He squeezed my hand a little and I glanced down to find him smiling again.

"I do too."

The night was quiet, and even though the air was chilly, I couldn't shake this warm feeling that was around me. It was so comforting and I loved it. I think, just maybe, I loved him. Did that really just happen? It was such a big thought that it freaked me out a little, but I wouldn't dare run from it. I wanted to tell him not hide it from him. Love. It was something that had felt so far away recently. Something I didn't dare say to someone. I may have had flings here and there, but I was still a little reserved when it came to love. But now, it was right beside me. Fingers casually but carefully tied up in mine. Happiness washed over me and all other thoughts fell to the back of my mind.

Maybe this holiday wasn't so bad after all.