"Signless, are you in there?"
A calm voice said from outside. Signless walked over to the door and opened it.
Karkat, peaking from the middle of the stairs, watched as Dolorosa and her two daughters spilled into the room. His dad hugged her, and pointed towards the kitchen.
"Kankri and I made cookies and cinnamon rolls. I have some great stories too. Christmas is such a peaceful holiday." He said. Dolorosa nodded, her green eyes scanning the room.
"You can take a seat here if you'd like." Signless said, pointing to their couch. Dolorosa sat down, nearly sinking into the tattered couch. She reached out for the radio and began to play with the tuners, static being the default station. After twisting it all sorts of ways, the sound of Christmas began to leak out.
"Karkat, Porrim said you'd be here."
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed Kanaya sitting on the stairs beside him.
"Don't... don't fucking do that." He breathed.
She smiled. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you." Kanaya rubbed her eyes. "I was up all night working on Christmas sweaters... ugly Christmas sweaters might I add. I don't know why I had to be the one to make them, they are absolutely awful." She sighed and leaned back against the wall.
"Why would you waste your time doing something like that?!" Karkat asked. He had silently been wishing his Dad would hurry up and start decorating so he could get over Kanaya seeing his house sooner.
"It's.." She fell silent, her eyes dating away from his. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it- nothing peculiar going on over here!" A slight chuckle shook its way through her voice.
"Okay?" Karkat said.
The smell of vanilla and oh-my-god-get-the-ear-blockers accompanied the sound of footsteps behind them.
"Porrim, glad to see you are here. I have some more topics I would like to discuss with you about the group."
Porrim's pierced eyebrow was shot up as her eyes watched Kankri descend from the stairs.
"What group?"
"I have decided that you and I, and anyone else who wishes to join, can attend a new group as opposed to your gender-shaming ensemble. This group will provide snacks, and will remain completely unbiased towards any group of people." Kankri said.
"I BURNT THE COOKIES!" Their dad roared from the kitchen.
"Kankri, I am keeping my group, quit turning the situation into a completely different subject than what it already is." Porrim said.
"NEVERMIND, I'VE FORGOTTEN THEY'RE FUDGE, THE COOKIES ARE OKAY!"
"Kanny, have you eaten lately? You're going to shrivel up." Porrim crossed her arms, a green silk scarf cascading over her.
"Porrim I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And will you please quit calling me that?!"
"And why are you wearing short sleeves when it's so cold outside?"
"Will you stop?! I have everything under control!"
"COOKIES ARE READY!"
At the sound of their dad's announcement, everyone began to walk towards the kitchen.
"This is so ridiculous." Karkat muttered under his breath as he followed behind everyone else. Kanaya paused to let him catch up with her. Now she would see his kitchen and just how much of a wreck it was. They might as well be walking room to room in a house titled "Karkat's Everlasting Doom Hole"
The floors were black cement, olive walls housing the wires that stuck out and twisted their way around the interior. Their table, large enough to have only three chairs, was pushed far to the side.
Their stove was ancient and large, but their dad knew how to work it, his cooking still being very good. There were no counters, and the cast iron Monel sink was stuffed into a corner beside a small side stand that held a toaster oven.
Cabinets lined the upper walls, some of them crooked due to years without repair.
Outside, it was only beginning to get brighter, the suns weak rays attempting to get past the thick yellow curtains above the stand. His dad had this weird habit of buying solar powered flip flap flowers and putting them on the sill. They danced less frequently now that winter had spread its arms open to scoop up the happiness from everyone.
Karkat looked away from Kanaya, he didn't want to see the look she'd give the room.
"Look at your boys!" Dolorosa said. "Karkat and Kanny, how precious! Kanny, you'd probably feel better if you'd put something warmer on... it's colder in here than it is out there!"
Karkat peered up to see Kankri shoot Dolorosa a look. Porrim placed a hand on his shoulders.
"I'll walk Kanny up to his room to get a jacket."
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Kankri's voice made his dad nearly drop the plate of cookies he was holding. "I will go upstairs by myself."
As he stomped off, their dad groaned.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that Dolorosa."
She gave him a half smile. "It's fine. You were never like that when you were younger. Is he doing okay?"
"He's Kankri." Porrim interrupted. "He's always going to be like that."
Signless set the plate of cookies on the table. Kanaya took her hands out of her warmers and grabbed one.
"He's doing fine as far as I'm aware. He's been acting like that for a long time. We have to listen to him preach every night. He's running for school president so that might give him something to do."
"He's running for school president?" Dolorosa said. "That sounds like a good idea, you must be proud."
Their dad nodded. "I'm proud of both my boys, although Karkat could try and do a little better in school. Maybe do something extracurricular?" He looked at Karkat who rolled his eyes. He had been hearing this conversation too many times to count.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Karkat crossed his arms as a smile began to creep up on Kanaya's face.
"I've actually been looking for someone who could possibly be in my recent play! It's going to have Vampires in it."
He looked up at his dad who began to nod.
"You can't be serious."
"You have to do something!"
Karkat threw his arms in the air. "I am doing something! I've been organizing a team of people, who hardly listen to me, to play the school game!"
"You don't have to if you don't want to... sorry, I guess it was a bit of a silly idea anyway. It probably won't even turn out the way I want it to. Most of the people in the class are just in there for the Easy A anyway."
Karkat studied her, as she continued to eat a cookie.
"Look, if I have some free time I might, and that's a HUGE might, join your play."
Kanaya smiled.
"I really hope you do, but again, if you don't I suppose I understand."
Porrim moved towards the living room.
"I'm going to go see if Kankri is ever coming back down."
"Be careful," Their dad began. "make sure you knock on his door, state who you are, and your purpose."
Porrim nodded.
"Wait! Please don't barge in on him unless you want to get an entire speech on why he dislikes it." Signless added.