A/N: A bit late, but here you go. Enjoy 38, and today I'm supposed to get 39 posted to catch up, and 40 to get on track. ;3; I LE FAIL, PLEASE FORGIVE ME DEAR READERS!
Some Celebratory Fun Is In Order
"Thank the gods in the Furthest Ring, I am so fucking done with these tests. Is this going to keep happening? Is this a thing that just perpetually continues to be in college?"
"Honk!"
"And here I am asking the only nook whiff on the planet who'd have less of a clue about this shit than I would."
Karkat stretched his arms as he walked, shifting his backpack off to one side as he'd been getting into a habit of doing recently. Gamzee had stopped bringing supplies of any sort to his classes about halfway through the semester, so he trekked alongside the Cancer empty handed. It was annoying; this asshole didn't seem to put any work into passing his classes, and yet he'd still probably somehow manage to pull it off. Meanwhile, Karkat had spent the last week of his life stressing and studying every fucking minute just to do well on these exams.
But now it was all over.
"Karbro, we should be like to making festivities over this shit," Gamzee drawled on, his head almost methodically shifting side to side to watch the world passing. "To celebrate the wicked mirth of school time's ending for now."
"Oh yeah? And what the fuck should we 'make festivities' to... do? Damn it, do you realize that half the things you say make no sense whatsoever?"
"Shit, if I could get all motherfuckers to be understanding the words that all others speak at each other, it'd be a miracle for the eyes of the mirthful messiahs to behold."
"Again with the miracles..."
"Seriously though, we should up and celebrate this bitch best friend!"
"Since you apparently disregarded the question the first time, I suppose there's no option left but to ask it again. However, since I don't speak dumbfuck clowny whimsical musclebeast shit, I'm just going to say it in plain English; what do you want to do? Tell you what, you answer that simple fucking question and we'll do it."
The two continued to walk on and Gamzee fell quiet, probably to think up a good response to Karkat's question. Pulling his hoodie closer to him, the nubby horned troll breathed out a white puff of water vapor into the air. The city had apparently had a 'cold snap' a few days ago, and he was freezing his vestigial leg slits off. On the news, predictions of winter's first snow continued to spew forth in thus far fruitless promises; it was just really cold and cloudy all the fucking time.
The matter of what exactly should be done to partake in Gamzee's suggested 'celebration' seemed to keep the tall troll's think pan busy for the majority of the walk back to the apartment-stem. In no time at all, Karkat was fishing his key out of his hoodie and opening the door to reveal four of the other assholes who lived here gathered around some pizzas. The Cancer decided to hold off on his complaints for a while, instead opting to salvage the comforting warmth that instantly flooded over him as he entered their heated apartment-stem.
"Motherfucking yum!" Gamzee said, honing in on the pizza boxes. "Something like this bro! We've all up and finished our tests, no better time for mirth!"
"Hello boys," Rose greeted. "Feel free to grab as much pizza as you'd like, we ordered plenty."
Karkat scoffed a bit, but said nothing as he made his way over to his and Gamzee's respiteblock. He wouldn't admit it, but he was actually feeling pretty hungry at the moment. Stressing all day long about his last exam had taken more out of his appetite than he would have thought. However, he wasn't about to sit there and be the only dumbass still wearing his backpack. Also, now that he was in this toasty apartment-stem, his hoodie was feeling almost unbearably warm.
"... Let me go put my shit away," the nubby horned troll finally responded, too hungry and warm to fight much.
"Man, it's all nice and cooking up in here... Guess I should probably be to ditching this sweet ass hoodie," Gamzee said, following after him.
"Oh, what do you guys want to drink?" Jade asked, already heading to the thermal hull.
"Reach up inside and pull me out a miracle Faygo," the Capricorn said first.
"Because that couldn't have been worded any better... just give me a water."
"Got it!"
The two trolls disappeared into the privacy of their respiteblock, and no sooner had Karkat set his backpack down when he was suddenly being pushed back onto the couch. Before he could protest, a pair of soft, warm lips pressed against his own and Gamzee's eager tongue was slipping into his mouth. Reflexively, the shorter troll wound his arms around the Capricorn's waist; pulling him closer to deepen their kisses. His own, shy smooches were quickly being swept up in the heat of his moirail-sprit's affections, and his body shivered at the feeling of Gamzee's hands running through his hair.
Those gentle lips broke away from Karkat's, and the taller troll looked into his eyes with all the longing and admiration that was always there just for him. The nubby horned troll felt as if his vascular pump skipped a beat, and he met the others gaze despite the dizzy feeling his think pan was now working through.
"Been wanting to do that all motherfucking day bro," the Capricorn cooed, placing another kiss on his forehead. "You've been all kinds of harsh stressed motherfucker... but you up and keep going at it, pretty much like you always do."
"The only reason I was so stressed is because I was so incompetent in the first place," Karkat mumbled, looking away only to have his chin lightly gripped and tilted to face Gamzee once more.
"No way bro," the taller troll went on, smiling that long, relaxed grin at him. "It's because you care about this shit. You work miracles to make important shit work... even hard shit like our quadrants."
A light blush was beginning to color Karkat's cheeks, but he couldn't quite bring himself to look away from his moirail-sprit's eyes. This felt strange; he wasn't used to being spontaneously complimented while being treated so lovingly. Despite the foreign nature of the situation, though, it felt kind of... pleasant.
"Yeah well... you aren't exactly the hardest troll to feel this way for," he murmured in response.
"Aww," Gamzee said, giving him one last kiss before getting back off the couch. "Flushed for you too bro."
Karkat sat up and took to peeling away his hoodie, unceremoniously chucking it to the side as he did so. He could properly put it away later, but the smell of pizza from the kitchenette was something that he couldn't ignore any longer.
"Come on, let's go get some food before those dipshits eat it all," the Cancer said, heading out of their respiteblock.
Gamzee followed after him, and in no time the two were sitting around with the others. Karkat was content with the two slices of cheese pizza, but his moirail-sprit had decided to make it his personal mission to finish off the first box of meat lover's pizza.
"Yeah, I totally failed by botany exam," John laughed, biting into another slice of pizza. "Whatever, that class was dumb anyway."
"What? No way!" Jade laughed. "That class was awesome, I'm definitely sticking with this major."
"Pardon, but what exactly is 'botany'?" Kanaya asked, leaning over to ask Rose.
"Botany is a study of plants and plant biology," the human replied, sipping a soda that Karkat hadn't even known she drank. "Personally, I'm more interested in some sort of English or Literature field myself."
Normally, Karkat would be making caustic comment after comment at the vapid pointlessness of all these classes and 'majors', but right now he was too busy trying to eat his entire first slice of pizza in one giant bite.
"We're back!" announced the voice of one Terezi Pyrope as she entered the apartment-stem.
"Sup nerds," Dave greeted, following in behind her and shutting the door. "Oh sweet, you guys got pizza."
The group greeted the two as they took up the remaining seats, and Karkat finally managed to finish stuffing his pizza down his throat.
"So," Terezi said, settling in her seat. "We're going out tonight."
"Whoop dee doo, who gives a lump squirting fuck?" Karkat grumbled, washing the pizza down with his water. "You two go out every night."
"Shut up Karkat, that's not what I mean," the Libra responded, chastising him with a quick drub.
"We're all going to go out," Dave went on, taking a sip of his apple juice. "You know that club up the road Rezi and I always hit up? Well, it's Friday night, exams are done and it's time to fucking party."
"Oh man, that's perfect!" John said with a big grin. "Count me in!"
"Me too," Jade chimed.
"May I go as well?" Kanaya inquired, earning an approving nod from Terezi. "Thank you, it does sound like it would be fun."
"Well, I certainly can't miss out on your first experience in a club," Rose said with a light giggle. "I'll go too. What about you Gamzee?"
"Sounds like a wicked motherfucker of a time to me," he answered. "That's with all that choice bass and motherfucking lights and shit right?"
"That's pretty much the gist of it," Terezi snickered. "Plus or minus some beverages of the alcoholic nature."
"Well, I don't know what that noise is at," Gamzee confessed. "But fuck yeah, I'm down!"
Karkat took another tentative bite of his pizza, looking away as the group chattered on excitedly about their stupid as fuck plans. The whole thing sounded like a terrible idea, and he silently hoped that they just wouldn't notice that he'd never answered the invitation.
Such a hope was in vain, though, for a few minutes later all eyes were locked expectantly on him.
"... No," he said tersely. "No fucking way, I'm not going."
"Aww, don't be that way Karkles!" Terezi teased.
"I'll be whatever way I want. Jumping around with you and a bunch of other assholes sounds like an awful way to spend the evening. Fuck that, go without me."
"Come on Karkat! It wouldn't be as much fun without you?"
"Want to bet?" Dave muttered under his breath, earning a sharp jab from Terezi and a subtle glare from Gamzee.
"You know Strider, usually I'd tell you to go fuck yourself, but for once I actually agree with you. Leave me out of your wiggler think panned ideas of fun."
"But bro," Gamzee said with a knowing smile. "It'd be like some sort of celebration shit."
Oh no.
Oh fucking hell, he remembered that conversation from earlier.
"Remember what you up and said bro?" the Capricorn said, playfully poking Karkat in the shoulder. "I all have a motherfucker's answer for how we're like to be getting our celebration on, and you said we'd do it."
"I didn't mean something like this!" the nubby horned troll protested, swatting Gamzee's hand away from him. "Pick something else!"
"Come on best friend, you gave your motherfucking word."
"He has a point you know," Rose said. "A verbal contract is a contract nonetheless. Wouldn't you agree, Terezi?"
"Oh yes. Your refusal to go now would be an unpardonable breech in the contract between you and Gamzee. His Honorable Tyranny would not be forgiving," Terezi said with her best shit eating grin. "Death by hanging would probably be the court mandated sentence."
The blind troll cackled and Karkat flipped her off with a growl; why the fuck did everyone want him to go so badly? He'd be stuck with all these idiots pretending like he wasn't having the shittiest time ever.
… But still.
He had told Gamzee that they could do something to celebrate the end of exams.
"... Fine! I'll fucking go!" he yelled, crossing his arms angrily. "Now all of you get off my nub!"
The group cheered and Karkat rolled his eyes at their juvenile excitement.
Whatever, maybe it wouldn't be that bad.
He was wrong.
This was a shitty idea.
The group of eight stood in line outside of the club, each wearing their own version of club attire underneath some form of coat or jacket. For Karkat, this consisted of his hoodie from earlier, a gray t-shirt he'd fished out of his drawers, and a pair of black jeans.
Gamzee stood next to him, fidgeting and shifting constantly to try and peer into the club's pulsing entrance. They weren't even inside yet and Karkat could already hear the music pretty clearly, so the night would probably end with some very annoying hearing damage.
"This is going to be so much fun," John said eagerly. "How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Chill Egbert," Dave said coolly, his arm wound loosely around Terezi's waist. "Shouldn't be much longer."
"Kanaya, I can't get over how pretty your outfit is," Jade said.
"Why thank you," the glowing troll said with a smile. "I did my best to prepare a proper ensemble for the evening."
The group continued to chatter amongst themselves, and Karkat tried his best to ignore them. It really wasn't that difficult; his thoughts was more preoccupied with how think pan numbingly cold it was outside. His hands were already stuffed deep into the pockets of his hoodie, and the sharp points of his teeth were lightly beginning to clack together with his slight shaking.
They'd already been waiting around out here for twenty minutes; how much longer were they just going to be fucking standing there?
The large male human standing at the front of the club tilted his head some, probably listening to something on the black ear bud he wore. Then, he pulled aside the velvet rope at the front of the line and waved for Karkat and the others to head inside.
"Cool," Dave said, strolling inside with Terezi.
"That wasn't too bad a wait," Rose commented, following with Kanaya and Jade at her heels.
"This is going to be so fun!" John said.
"Come on bro," Gamzee said excitedly, grabbing Karkat's wrist and pulling him into the club.
"Wait, hold on, what-" the Cancer tried to protest.
Karkat didn't manage to get more out than that, and he instantly felt overwhelmed by everything going on. The music was louder than it had seemed outside, much louder. Everything inside was pretty dark, and the only real illumination came from the number of colorful laser lights and strobes that seemed set in time to the beat of the music.
For a few moments, the nubby horned troll just stood there and looked around to get his bearings. The majority of the space was taken up by the enormous dance floor and DJ's booth, and off to one side was a bar that some of the club goers were drinking or just resting at.
It was a lot to take in.
"Holy shit," Karkat mumbled, unable to even hear himself over the sounds of the club. "Gamzee, I don't-"
The troll turned to look up at his moirail-sprit and was more than a little surprised to see he wasn't there. A feeling of panic swept over Karkat, and he turned this way and that to try and locate the taller troll.
Shit, Gamzee must have released his wrist when he stopped walking.
After a few seconds of looking, the nubby horned troll realized that he hadn't just lost Gamzee, he'd lost every one of the idiots he'd come here with.
"Kanaya?" he tried, still turning about. "Jade? John? Rose? Fuck, I'll even settle for Dave or Terezi."
No one answered him, though, and with his short stature he couldn't really see above any of the other patrons to look for them. Knowing Gamzee, he was probably flailing around somewhere in the crowd of idiots on the dance floor.
Well, there was going to be one way to find him then.
Bracing himself, the short troll started shoving his way through the groups of people and trolls. If anyone was getting annoyed with him for doing so, they didn't really seem to show it. More annoying than that, some people would even laugh and shove back like he was playing some shitty game with them. The Cancer rolled his eyes; he just wanted to find Gamzee and... and...
Okay, he didn't really know what he wanted to do.
Everything here was pretty much awful.
After a bit of searching, the long, lanky frame of Gamzee danced into view; if nothing else, he definitely seemed to be enjoying himself. His body swayed this way and that, bringing his head along with it, and his arms kept in time as they waved through the air with the beat. Though Karkat could clearly see him, there was still the last barrier of people to move through.
"Gamzee," he called out, his voice swallowed up by the music. "Gamzee!"
The Capricorn didn't seem to hear him, and with a new sense of determination the nubby horned troll shoved his way through and grabbed his shirt. Gamzee instantly noticed this, and he jumped a bit at the unexpected appearance of Karkat glaring up at him.
"Hey Karbro!" he shouted, his voice barely able to be heard even though they were right next to each other.
"Damn it Gamzee," the Cancer yelled back. "Don't just wander off like that!"
"Sorry motherfucker. Just got caught up and in that beat... Want to dance?"
Was he serious?
"No I don't want to fucking dance," Karkat snapped.
"What?" Gamzee called, the song changing again into one with a more driving beat.
"I said no!" Karkat said, louder this time.
"... Bro, I can't hear you over the music."
"Fuck it! I'll be at the bar," Karkat yelled, throwing his hands up in defeat.
"I'll catch up with you later motherfucker!"
The short troll rolled his eyes, making his way over to the bar where he could at least sit down. This was already turning out to be an awful time, but he wasn't about to drag Gamzee away; the Capricorn was clearly having a lot of fun. The bar was farther away from the speakers, so it was considerably less noisy there. Seeing John and Dave sitting at one end of the bar, Karkat spent a few minutes weighing whether he'd rather tolerate their company or sit alone. With a scowl, he found himself walking over to them.
"Well look who it is," Dave said as Karkat sat one seat down from John.
John turned around to look at him, and the nubby horned troll cringed as he smiled a big buck toothed grin.
"Hey Karkat!" the Heir greeted. "Are you having fun?"
The Cancer rolled his eyes, "How anyone could have fun in this shitfest is beyond me."
"Man, you are so lame," Dave scoffed.
"Fuck off."
"Oh, hey! Karkat, you should take shots with us."
What? Fucking hell, what was wrong with this kid?
"... As fascinating as your human immunization rituals are to me," the Cancer said sarcastically, looking at John like the idiot he was. "I think I'll pass."
"Haha, not those kinds of shots!"
"Come on dude, he can't handle those things. I doubt this grumpy asshole's ever even had a drop of alcohol before."
Oh... they were talking about that weird soporific beverage of theirs.
"Like I'd even want your shitty drinks," the troll huffed, crossing his arms.
"Aw, what's the matter?" Dave sneered. "Chicken?"
"Tch, as if comparing me to some cluckbeast is going to spontaneously make me-"
"Bawk, bawk bawk bawk," the Knight clucked softly, nudging John in the side as he did so. "Ba-gaaaawk."
Seriously?
Was he really doing this?
"Bawk bawk!" John laughed, joining in on the noises and even bending his elbows into wings.
Why the fuck had he thought this was a better alternative to sitting alone?
"Baaawk, bawk bawk."
"Shut up," the troll grumbled, gritting his teeth together.
"Bawk baaaawk bawk bawk."
"Seriously, people are starting to stare."
"Baaaawk."
"We've been here for like ten minutes! How much of that shit have you idiots already drank?"
"Sorry Karkat, bawk bawk," John answered, flapping his arms. "I don't speak chicken! Bawk!"
"You're already clucking like one you ignoramus!"
"Bawk bawk."
"Shut the fuck up!"
"... Ba-gawk."
"Alright! That's it!" Karkat yelled, slamming his hands down on the bartop. "I'll take your fucking stupid human shots!"
"Hooray!" John cheered.
"Atta boy. Three shots here," Dave called, motioning to the bartender with a slight smirk. "Four Horsemen."
Karkat rolled his eyes, still enraged over the entire idiocy of the situation. Here he was at this dumb club that he didn't want to be at, and now he'd been talked into drinking one of those weird smelling human sopor drinks. Gamzee was probably off somewhere having fun, and here he was being harassed into doing stupid shit with these two fuckwads.
The nubby horned troll's attention shifted back over to the crowded dance floor, but he was unable to see where the Capricorn had gotten off to. With a sigh, he quietly wondered if he'd soon be abandoned by Dave and John as well, left alone to be the wet blanket sitting away from everyone else. Karkat wanted to relax and have a good time, but everything about his surroundings right now was just so unfamiliar and chaotic; he didn't do well in new situations.
"Yo, midget," Dave called, causing Karkat to look back over. "Take your drink, we're going to knock these fuckers back faster than it takes you to start sobbing during one of your shitty chick flicks."
"... Karkat, those make you cry?" John asked, his own shot already in hand.
"No!" the Cancer defended himself, eying the tiny beverage suspiciously. "... Okay, well... sometimes. Fuck! Since when is it such a crime to feel some sort of emotion while watching such cinematic masterpieces? Not all of us can be a straight faced douchebag hiding behind aviator shades."
"Whatever man, you still suck. On three," Dave instructed. "One, two-"
"Wait, wait, what exactly do we do on three?"
"It's pretty easy," John said, placing the small glass into Karkat's hand. "When Dave counts to three, you have to drink the entire thing as fast as you can."
"Oh... so that must be why it's so little. Wow, that's pretty fucking stupid. 'Let's charge full price for about one swallow of beverage'. I guess it works on assholes like you two, though."
"Dude, quite stalling. We're doing this," Dave cut in. "One, two, three."
At once then, the two humans quickly brought the glass to their lips, hastily emptying its contents. Karkat was slow to the draw, and he watched them for a second before looking back down at his own shot.
This seemed like a bad idea.
… Fuck it, maybe it would help him loosen up and have some form of fun.
Without dwelling on the thought a minute longer, Karkat quickly dumped the the drink past his lips and instantly regretted doing so. It was the foulest thing he'd ever tasted, and he had to put a hand over his mouth just to keep from spitting it back out. He hesitated for a moment, his think pan torn with what to do now that this putrid liquid was sloshing around on his tongue.
Sweet blistering hell, it actually burned.
Faced with the option to either force himself to swallow or to spit the beverage out everywhere and be tormented the rest of the night, Karkat chose the former. It took all of his will power, but he managed to get the drink down and it felt like fire running all the way to his nutrition sack.
"What is wrong with you idiots?" the Cancer spluttered, looking around to try and find something to wash the taste out of his mouth.
John instantly started laughing, leaning back a little as he did so. Dave didn't seem all that fazed, and he motioned the bartender back over to them.
"No way, no more nasty drinks," Karkat insisted, his head already beginning to feel the effects of the awful thing.
"You really need to lighten up. We're at a club man, try to get the pole out of your ass," Dave said, abandoning his quest to get the bartender's attention.
"For your information-"
"Hello boys."
Terezi suddenly emerged from the crowd, much to the Cancer's dismay, and casually slid into the empty seat between Karkat and John.
"Having fun?" she asked.
"So much fun!" John beamed. "You just missed it, we got Karkat to take a shot!"
"Oh? Look who's finally grown out of the awkward stage of wiggler days."
"It was fucking disgusting," the shorter troll griped.
"Really?" Terezi asked, tilting her head. "What did you give him?"
"Four Horsemen," Dave answered with a smug sort of pride that made Karkat want to punch his teeth in.
"That's a rough one. Good job Karkles!"
"Good job? Oh yes, because it's such a fucking accomplishment to have this shitty taste in my mouth for the rest of the night."
"Exactly!" the Libra cackled. "Anyway, would you two mind of I steal my matesprit? I'm going to get him so pregnant out on that dance floor."
"Please," Karkat said.
"... Eww," John replied, now looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Let's go make that baby Terezi," Dave said as he got up from his seat.
The two walked off onto the dance floor and were soon swallowed up. Karkat was actually kind of glad Terezi had pulled the human away. All Dave had to do was tease him a bit and he'd be forcing himself to drink some other gross beverage.
"So..." John said after a bout of silence. "You're really not going to have anything else?"
"Don't tell me you actually enjoyed that shit!"
"Haha, no way, it was totally nasty. There's other drinks though... some of them are actually really good."
"Bullshit, I'm not falling for that Egbert! Drink all the horrible 'alcohol' you want, I'm not submitting my nutrition sack to another round of that."
"Okay, wait, hear me out," John insisted. "You like sweet things, right? So like, they have drinks like that! Hold on, I'll get you one."
"John, no. I don't want-"
"Bartender!" the human yelled, flailing his arms like an imbecile. "I want to get a drink for my friend here!"
John was clearly feeling the soporific effects.
"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"Give me a Long Island Iced Tea... and a Cosmopolitan for Karkat."
The bartender left to prepare the drinks, and in the time that he was gone the nubby horned troll had to listen to a decently intoxicated John babble on about 'how much he was going to like this'. He'd say this and then giggle inanely as if he'd just told some hilarious joke. Finally, the bartender returned with their drinks and unceremoniously set them down.
Karkat hadn't really been expecting how... feminine his looked.
"... Why do I have a sissy pink beverage in front of me?"
"You'll like it, trust me," John said, taking a long sip from his own drink. "It's really sweet."
The Cancer wasn't about to fall for any lame ass pranks the human could be trying to pull, so he cautiously leaned over to sniff the pink liquid. Surprisingly enough, John seemed to be telling the truth; it had a pleasant, fruity aroma.
"... I don't have to drink it all at once, do I?" the troll asked, noting that this drink was quite a bit larger than the last.
"Nah, you can drink it at your own pace."
"Since when do you know all about this kind of stuff anyway?"
"I really don't know that much I guess, but... Well, remember that one time when all of us went to the club and you and Gamzee stayed home?"
"I guess?"
"Dave told me to get a Long Island Iced Tea. I liked it so I just always kind of get that now."
"Okay, that makes sense... but what about my drink? This isn't some sort of weird experiment is it?"
"Uh... not exactly."
"Damn it, what do you mean 'not exactly'?"
"Well... this was the drink that Jade had ended up getting."
Karkat groaned.
"She said it was really good though! Come on dude, just try it!"
The nubby horned troll continued to stare his drink down for a few more minutes until he tentatively leaned over and took a small sip.
Oh.
That was actually not terrible.
Karkat contentedly took another sip, and John almost seemed more excited than he was over the fact that it wasn't making him retch. On top of that, the drink was washing that horrible taste from earlier out of his mouth.
Yeah... this was pretty good.
"Wow Egbert, you managed to not fuck something up."
"I knew you'd like it!"
Karkat fell silent, satisfied enough to just sit and enjoy his beverage in this little spot away from the craziness of the club, but John was soon babbling on about some scene in a movie the troll would never see. Normally, the Cancer knew he would have been annoyed with the human or telling him to fuck off, but for some reason it didn't really bother him that much right now.
Actually, he was feeling kind of happy.
The club really wasn't that bad; the music even sounded like it'd gotten better.
His think pan drifted for a moment to thoughts of Gamzee and wondering if he was still out there thrashing about. The corner of his lip turned up into a snicker, and the thought of his moirail-sprit dancing like an idiot now struck him as hilarious. Fighting back his giggles, Karkat noted with a bit of disappointment that his... what had John called it? 'Cosmopolitan'. His Cosmopolitan was already half gone; if he wasn't careful, the rest of it would be gone and then he wouldn't have it to drink anymore.
"Hey John! Hey Karkat!"
The short troll regarded his drink with a bit of confusion; it had almost sounded like Jade.
"Um... Karkat?"
"Don't worry about him," John answered, turned around in his barstool for some reason. "I think he might be a bit drunk... What's up Jade?"
Karkat turned to face the same direction John was, and upon seeing Jade he realized that his beverage hadn't really been the one talking to him.
Okay, maybe that was enough of this soporific human stuff.
"Have either of you seen Rose or Kanaya?" the Witch asked. "I lost them about twenty minutes ago, and now I can't seem to find them again."
"Twenty minutes?" Karkat asked in disbelief, his train of thought a bit muddied by his current state. "But... fuck, didn't we just get here?"
"Um... Karkat, we've been here for like two hours now."
"Holy shit, really?" he asked.
"Did you check the girl's bathroom?" John queried, ignoring Karkat's confusion.
"Yes, but they weren't in there."
The two continued back and forth with guesses as to where Rose and Kanaya might have gotten off to, and Karkat was soon tuning them out. He didn't really care where those two were; in fact, he didn't really care about much of anything right now.
The music's beat was starting to sound pretty tempting, though.
Karkat subtly nodded his head in time, staring out into the crowd of trolls and people alike. Somewhere out there, Gamzee was dancing his vascular pump out.
As if that mere thought was enough to magically summon him, the taller troll was suddenly squeezing off of the dance floor, making his way over to Karkat with a giant smile on his face. He looked really happy, and the nubby horned troll couldn't help but smile back in response.
"Hey motherfucker," the Capricorn said, standing in front of him. "Well if that ain't just the cutest little miracle the mirthful messiahs ever got their whimsy to pull."
"Huh?" Karkat asked, his think pan still very much in a haze.
"Just talking about that happy little face you're like to be making at me."
Was he still smiling?
The Cancer shook his head some, trying in vain to restore his thoughts to their prior state of coherency and orderliness. This didn't work, of course, and the dull stupor he had continued to deny his intellect.
Instead, he found himself saying this.
"I want to dance."
Gamzee didn't answer him right away, and he looked a bit surprise to hear the request. Now that he thought about it, Karkat was also surprised he'd even asked it.
He did though.
He really wanted to dance right now.
"Oh... yeah! Yeah, sure thing bro," the Capricorn said happily, extending a hand to the nubby horned troll. "Let's crack this floor right the fuck open."
Karkat eagerly accepted Gamzee's hand, using it to balance himself as he got up from the barstool. When he started moving, the club and all its colorful lights seemed to move with him, but only for a second before falling back into place.
He felt a bit weird; dizzy, but without being sick.
"Whoa," he mumbled, clinging onto the taller troll.
"You got this bro?" Gamzee asked, winding an arm around his shoulders.
"Uh..."
Karkat blinked for a few minutes, wondering if he actually would be able to dance. He really wanted to, and now that he was actually standing, he didn't feel as lost as when he'd first gotten up.
"... Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, let's dance."
Now aware that Gamzee's arm was still draped over him, the nubby horned troll shirked it off and got the feel for standing on his own. He smiled to himself at his accomplishment, then looked up to the Capricorn who was grinning ear to ear.
What was he so smiley about?
Karkat disregarded his moirail-sprit's behavior and instead started making his way out onto the dance floor. The music was still going full force, and it seemed as if he'd managed to get out there right as the song was beginning to change. Gamzee was right behind him, and he was the first to take to the new beat and start dancing. The Cancer watched him for a while, and before he knew it he was shaking his hips and moving in time to the music.
Shit, this was actually really fun.
The short troll laughed suddenly, earning a chuckle from Gamzee in response, and he looked up to meet his moirail-sprit's gaze as they danced together, probably for the first time ever.
Was it?
Who cares? He'd figure it out in the morning.
"Damn, four in the morning," Dave said, leaning against the wall outside as they waited for their cab. "Not too bad."
"That was so awesome," John said in awe, sitting on the curb next to Jade.
Terezi was curled up into her matesprit as she stood, looking barely conscious at this point, and Rose was completely knocked out on Jade's lap. Kanaya was standing off a bit awkwardly on the side, and she hadn't really said much to any of them now that they were outside. Taking a deep breath, Karkat took stock for a moment to how much his think pan was returning to its former functionality. His body was starting to ache, and the beginnings of a headache could be felt creeping dully up the base of his neck.
He was too tired to complain though.
The nubby horned troll was still very bitter over the whole situation; despite himself, he'd had fun at this stupid club. Hell, he'd even managed to make a fool of himself by dancing around like a dumbass for half an hour.
All he really wanted to do now was go home and get some sleep.
Gamzee, on the other hand, still looked to be just as energetic and awake as he had been when they'd first gotten there. He must have been burning some of that excess energy that trolls of his blood color had; Karkat would have to keep that in mind for later. However, the Cancer sure as fuck wasn't about to do this every night just to keep the taller troll stable.
Still, it was a start.
"Ugh, my feet hurt," Jade said. "How much longer till that taxi gets here?"
"Shouldn't be much longer," Dave answered. "I called them sixteen minutes and thirty seven seconds ago."
Terezi snickered a bit at his side, and Karkat was frankly too tired to even wonder why. Gamzee walked over and sat down next to him, and he tilted his head to better look at him.
"You going to be okay in the taxi?" the Cancer asked.
The taller troll looked a bit unsure, and he glanced down the street before giving a bit of a half-smile.
"A motherfucker could probably be to dealing with it I guess."
Karkat sighed; Gamzee was probably stable enough that he could handle the drive back, but he'd likely be uncomfortable and claustrophobic the whole way. The Cancer's feet hurt, and it was probably even colder now out here than it had been before, but the walk back wasn't too ridiculously far.
"We're walking," he decided with an air of finality.
"... Thanks bro."
A yellow taxi van suddenly pulled up into view, and Kanaya and Jade were quick to helping an unconscious Rose inside. John went after them, followed by Dave and Terezi until all six of them were comfortably inside.
"You sure you'd rather walk Karkles?" Terezi asked. "It's a bit far."
"Yeah, we'll be fine. Just go already."
The blind troll shut the door, and in moments the four wheeled beast was driving away. Gamzee and Karkat silently watched until it was out of sight, and then began walking off themselves. Leading the way, the nubby horned troll flinched a bit as he suddenly felt the taller troll's fingers slipping between his own. The Cancer looked up to him, but decided to let this little public display of affection slide; after all, it was really early in the morning, and he doubted anyone would be around to see it.
"I'm glad you had fun Karbro," Gamzee said as they walked along.
"Whatever... I guess it wasn't that bad."
The Capricorn leaned over then, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Karkat smiled to himself, squeezing his moirail-sprit's hand. Suddenly, though, the nubby horned troll felt something on his head. With a bit of confusion, he ran his free hand through his hair to try and feel what it was. As he did this he felt the same sensation, but this time on the back of his hand.
It was cold.
… And then wet?"
Karkat stopped walking and craned his neck up to the sky, hoping to see some sort of explanation for what was going on. It took him a moment, but a half smile crossed his face as he realized what it was. Unlike weird pink drinks or blaring 'clubs', he knew exactly what this was.
"Oh shit," Gamzee said, smiling up at the sky. "Are those snowflakes?"
"Yeah," Karkat murmured, feeling strangely at peace as the snow began its descent. "It is."
Oh no.
No, this was not good.
Rose was asleep now, but soon she'd wake up and remember.
Kanaya paced her block, wanting to go to sleep but too anxious to. The night's events continued to replay in her mind. Talking, dancing, drinking...
And kissing.
Lots of kissing.
The Virgo buried her face in her hands, trying her best to calm down and figure out what she was going to do about this. As if things right now weren't crazy enough, she'd succumbed to the soporific effects of those human beverages.
She just hoped that in the morning, Rose wouldn't remember a thing.