Well, sorry this came out a bit late, but the holidays kind of got in the way. Then again, I think I'm actually on time, so I shouldn't worry about it too much. Hopefully you weren't waiting long either way.

I do have something to add at the end of today's chapter, but it isn't too important, so don't feel obligated to look it over. I hope you enjoy the chapter either way!

Neither of them said anything for the longest time and it was positively killing Karkat the rest of the way through.

Feferi certainly didn't know what to say, because how could she? Karkat couldn't even guess what she was thinking, but it couldn't have been anything good. He desperately thought of something to say that could salvage this.

"…I'm possessed?"

…Well, shit. Feferi did not look impressed.

"I'm pretty sure ghosts can't turn into the people they're possessing. I'm not an expert, but still." Feferi was only being a little sarcastic, which meant the shock was starting to ebb away. "And a ghost wouldn't exactly tell me that either."

"Good job, you're already an expert!" Karkat threw his hands up in the air, turning to head towards the door. "You can expect a quiz to come later and if you pass, you're certified. Let's just head out so I can get that ready."

"Karkat, please." Feferi reached out to grab his arm, and he was so close to phasing through it. "I don't what I just saw, but I feel like I need to figure it out before the existential crisis sinks in. Which is already incoming, honestly."

Karkat really didn't want to explain anything, but this wasn't something he could ignore either. Considering she just saw him transform, she'd just keep asking until she finds someone else to find the answers for her. Which was ten times more dangerous.

"I'll- It's… We'll talk about it later. Today. We'll have it happen today." Karkat turned back around, mind going a mile a minute as he planned things out. He needed to make some calls. "I don't know when, but whatever works with you."

Karkat really didn't know whether he was breathing too fast or not. Or maybe it was the right amount for a human, and he was just panicking. Or self-conscious. Or both.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. How about we meet at the Nasty Burger in a couple of hours? Get a couple of shakes?" Feferi grabbed one of his hands. Karkat was really glad one of them was being calm about this. "We'll talk there. By ourselves, okay?"

"Yeah. That'll work." The halfa stilled, realizing that he was going to have to explain this shit to a fuck ton of people. "I'm going have to tell the others you know about this. Aradia and Sollux, I mean. Eridan- actually, let's just go find them before I pass out."

Telling her about Eridan would be a bad idea. At least, right now it would be. She already knew one person that she was friends with wasn't human anymore, telling her another one never would fuck things up more.

"That sounds good. See, was that so hard?" Feferi looked around, as if expecting to see somebody peeking in. "We should head out before they get worried. I don't know who might come in her either."

"Gotcha."

The two headed towards the bathroom door, and Karkat was already dreading the rest of the day. The next issue right now would be telling his friends in a way that wouldn't get too crazy.

"She saw what?!"

Karkat had too high hopes for someone who had shit happen to him all the time. They'd all decided to meet up near the Nasty Burger after the fiasco at the water park, and after explaining to all three of them what happened… well, it was mixed.

"Eridan, maybe calm down at little? I'm pretty sure there's an easy fix to all of this." Aradia was, of course, the only person trying to find a positive solution to this shit. "Maybe we can convince her not to say anything. Or convince her it was a dream."

"I am not going to calm down, Ara! You do realize this is a violation of Superhero 101, right?" Eridan waved his arms around. He was more panicked than angry, though it looked like the same thing from an outside perspective. "No one is supposed to know his secret identity. That's in literally every comic book I've ever read."

"First of all, ED, superhero's get their identities revealed all the time. It's usually a plot point whenever shit is about to go down." Sollux shrugged, still taking all of this seriously. In his own way, at least. "Or they usually lead to some kind of dramatic fake-out. Worst case scenario, we have a new member to the team."

"Are we all forgetting this isn't a comic book? I literally have a secret identity to keep here, guys." Karkat appreciated the levity, though it wasn't something they could keep up for long. "If Feferi decides she doesn't like any part of my story, we're as good as done depending on what she does next."

"You would probably get the governments attention. We can't really afford to let that happen, I guess." Sollux tapped his fingers on the table. It was an anxiety inducing thing for him too. "Can't imagine they'd be happy their grant money led to a person dying."

"I'm more worried about the legal stuff that might fall on us. I don't know where fighting ghosts lie, but I'm pretty sure we're vigilantes. At least technically." Aradia felt like that was a sticking point. They had also "stolen" Spade's inventions, though she doubted he'd actually charge them with that if he found out. "Hard to say if ghost criminals count, but the only legal authority we have is given by Redglare, which only works in the Ghost Zone."

"Feferi might figure out about me." Eridan seemed to realize this now, sitting back into his chair with a thump. He had a thousand-yard stare as he thought it over. "All of those years might be going down the drain."

"Yeah. That's why I wanted to get your opinions on this." Karkat rubbed his temples, sighing. "I'm going to tell the truth. I don't know what else, though."

"Honestly? Probably your best option here. I don't think she's the type to appreciate any lies about this stuff." Aradia bopped him on the nose, causing Karkat to flinch. "And really, possession? That was your first excuse."

"I think that would've worked on anyone dumber. Save it for later, though." Sollux could only shrug, leaning back into this seat. "It really is the only good idea, though. You could try and schmooze up to her, but that probably to her too."

"That actually might be a good idea. I think she might have a thing for you and while that bums me out, it could be something to use." Eridan blinked, eyes going wide as he realized what he said. "I was not supposed to say that. Please don't tell her I did."

"…This has been an enlightening, but I think I'm just gonna for it." Karkat got up, looking over at the Nasty Burger with trepidation. He could see Feferi heading in already and he still felt pretty unprepared. "Wish me luck. And no, I'm not going to flirt with her to keep her quiet."

Even if it did sound like fun for some reason.

Karkat made a beeline towards the restaurant, sighing as he made it to the doors. He went inside with little fuss. Tyzias was at the counter, as per usual, and looked like she needed another cup of coffee. Not unusual.

"You getting the usual again, Vantas?" Tyzias didn't even look up from the register, which was a little frightening. "Your usual seat is taken, so might need to pick another place."

"That's fine. And I think I'll have some extra fries today too." Karkat paid the money up front, looking towards Feferi's table. She noticed him quickly, giving him a small smile as he got into the seat in front of her. "…Hey."

"Hey." Feferi let out a breath, doing her best to relax. "I… I guess we're doing this."

Karkat gulped. "Where do you want me to start?"

Feferi tilted her head in thought before nodding, deciding on something.

"The beginning, please."

"Why are we spying on Fef and Kar again?"

"Because, ED, we need to make sure this goes smoothly. Karkat isn't socially inept, but that doesn't mean this is one hundred percent in the bag."

"I just want to see how embarrassed those two get."

The trio, after splitting up with Karkat, decided that as much hanging back was a good idea, maybe they could at least observe everything. It was just as much practicality as it was personal enjoyment, though.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Eridan squinted at the window, tapping his hands on the bench they'd been able to use. He'd turned them all invisible too, just in case. "I know what I said earlier, but that doesn't mean this isn't exactly the right time for it."

"No, it isn't, but maybe this might grease the wheels a bit. Or it could just stop it at friendship, which is also a good scenario." Aradia was practically dissecting the scene in real time, which would've freaked anyone out if they could see her expression. "I wonder if Karkat actually has any feeling for her, though. He hasn't mentioned anything to us."

"AA, last time he said anything about a crush to us, the entire school knew about it before the end of the day." Sollux rolled his eyes, distracting himself with his phone. "And remember, he watches romantic comedies all the time, so his perspective is probably skewed."

"Hey, we dealt with that when we were kids. Karkat knows better… usually." Aradia shrugged, leaning over to look at her friend's phone. "You're getting their conversation, right?"

"How would he get their conversations on his phone?" Eridan looked over himself, confusion turning into horror. "Did you bug his phone?!"

"I can bug everyone's phones. I don't actually use it a lot because it's creepy." Sollux shifted in his seat, frowning. "But considering the situation, I figured it would be good insurance."

"I'm pretty sure Kar's going to kill you later for that. Or he already knows." Eridan put his face into his hands, groaning. "How did you guys even become friends?"

"Convenience, mostly." Aradia didn't take any offense from the question. They were a pretty mismatched group. "Though, if this does turn out well- and I mean really well- how are you going to be if they start dating?"

"You're acting like that's a distinct possibility. We don't have any idea how she's going to react in there." Eridan deflected. He honestly didn't mind the thought, but it wasn't one he wanted to actively think about. "He still hasn't gone through the whole story anyway."

"You're right, but the tinge of jealousy is counting against you." Sollux dodged a swipe from Eridan, chuckling. "Nice try. If it does happen, though, I really hope he gets to loosen up a bit. Dude's stressed all to hell."

"I'm starting to think you're channeling this Nepeta person too much." Eridan rolled his eyes, getting back to watching the two. "Or you just want another couple so you can double date."

Eridan would find this was one of the few times he could get both of them to joke in indignation. At least, the only time without consequences.

Karkat munched on his meal, keeping his eyes on Feferi as she digested the information. The Nasty Burger at least had some good food so he could force the word vomit down.

He'd gone with the whole origin story and kept as true to it as they can, with some details omitted for the sake of time. It wasn't like any of it was too bad, all considering. Though, explaining his death to someone like this felt… strange.

To Feferi's credit, she didn't seem to outright deny anything. She didn't have a choice, honestly. She was kind of staring at her food, blinking occasionally, which was better than what he thought she'd do. Most of which involved kicking and screaming.

"…I'm not going to lie to you; this all sounds like an insane comic book to me." Feferi put down her shake, having it finished it off long ago. She had kept holding onto it since she got it. "Not what I expected to deal with today. Or ever."

"The undead walk among us, so I can't say it's that surprising." Karkat was still waiting for the screaming to start. "You at least have answers now, right? All I'm asking here is you don't tell anyone else. At least, not the government."

Yeah, that was kind of the sticking point here. To his relief, she shook her head, offended by the insinuation.

"Karkat, I'd say you don't really deserve to be put under the knife if this is what you've been doing." Feferi fiddled with her cup before putting it down, not looking directly at him. "Don't get me wrong, it's a lot different then what I thought it would be, but at least you're helping."

"Yeah. Whether that's me or my obsession." Karkat sighed. He looked her in the eyes, doing his best to show he was sincere. "But seriously…"

"I won't say anything." Feferi zipped her mouth shut, throwing away the key right after. "Not a word leaves this booth."

Karkat did relax afterwards, only taking a brief look outside to see if his friends were keeping an eye on them. He was pretty sure Sollux bugged his phone at some point, so they could at least hear this too.

It was a silent for a few moments as they ate, but it was filled with some wonder instead of tension. It could almost be considered a normal meal between friends if you looked at it from an outside perspective.

"I, uh," Feferi started, frowning a bit. "I think I actually do have one question. If you don't mind answering, that is."

"Shoot." Karkat was thankful for the distraction. Questions were a good thing, as far as he was concerned. "We got all day if you need it."

"Do you like your powers?"

That… threw him off a bit.

"What do you mean?" Karkat raised an eyebrow. This wasn't what he expected to hear.

"I asked if you liked your powers. You know, you actually enjoy having them or not." Feferi waved her hand a bit, as if it made the point clearer. "While you were telling me everything, it didn't exactly sound like it. I don't think you hate them, but still."

"I don't. I mean, I don't hate them, but it's not like I got them in a really good way." Karkat really didn't know how this came about. But it wasn't like she was questioning his humanity, at least. "I've met some cool people and I know a lot of new things now, but that doesn't mean it was a pleasant transition."

"…Maybe we could change that then." Feferi stood up, grabbing at one of Karkat's hands. "I really want to understand how your powers work and I think maybe you need to start using them for fun. I don't think it's a good thing."

"I don't- Feferi, I can't just do things with my powers. Sure, I've used them for the occasional prank on Tethis, but it's not usually a good idea." Karkat did love flying sometimes and intangibility was good when he needed shit not to touch him, but not for much else. "Plus, I've seen what some people could do if they aren't careful. It usually isn't pretty."

"Oh come on. I do believe you haven't used your powers to peep one people in the locker rooms or something, but there's got to be something you can use it for outside of fighting." Feferi ignored the choked denial coming from Karkat about the locker room thing, leaning in close. "Think of this has payment for me keeping your secret or something. Use your powers for fun and we can talk more about it later."

Karkat frowned, but a squeeze of his hands caused him to pause. Maybe this was her way of trying to cope with this and she wanted to see what he could do. Plus, as long as they kept things quiet, it should be fine.

"I'll see what I can do with some of the less destructive powers." Karkat got up. They were pretty much done with their food, and they'd paid already, which prompted him to look around. "If you're this eager, how about I try this?"

And with a flick of his finger, they were gone.

Oberon was starting to become very disappointed by the performance of these two punk ghosts, and he was intending to do something about it.

It wasn't like they hadn't caused some trouble like he aimed, but the apparent lack of it after their initial attack was starting to wear down on him. He would've thought that after they separated, they'd be causing twice the trouble, not completely stop it dead.

Which was why he was stalking the boy (13, which honestly showed he was trying too hard), keeping track of his every move. The child didn't seem to be doing much other than searching for something or another, causing the man to growl. He didn't risk his hide to let him escape, just to dawdle.

"Shadow! You find her anywhere?" Johnny talked to his pet. Or was it a partner? It was hard to tell, especially since the thing was mostly a construct. "If you do, actually say something. I don't pay you to laze about."

A screech came from the creature, something close to indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, I don't pay you at all. But you know what I'm talking about."

…Oberon was going to stop this foolishness right now. He couldn't afford to have this idiot not doing his purpose.

Oberon set off a blast of light that dissipated Shadow instantly, moving quickly to detain the boy. He had a hand clasped around his head, causing Johnny to stop moving immediately.

"You know, when I do a favor for someone, I usually expect it to get repaid fairly fast. And considering your part of the deal was to simply cause chaos," Oberon squeezed the punks head, barely letting his claws dig into him. "I'm a little disappointed in your performance."

"I-I'm doing my best here, man! I'm just trying to find my girl before I do anything too crazy." Johnny didn't bother struggling. It would be suicidal at this point. "She disappeared sometime after we got out and I'm making sure she didn't get put in the thermos yet."

"I'm not entirely sure if I care, 13. Your relationship troubles don't exactly matter much to me." Oberon showed his teeth, an aura of light settling around him. "I would suggest figuring out what you did and apologize soon enough. Or at the very least, do something. Redglare's prison can't be infiltrated the same way twice."

"Okay, okay! I'm just being thorough, man!" Johnny debated whether he could outrun the guy but squashed it. He still had to find Kitty before he did anything too rash. "I'll find her, and we'll attack the zoo or something. Just let me go!"

Oberon didn't do anything for a little while, making Johnny wonder if this was going to be the last day of his afterlife. Eventually, the halfa grunted before letting him go.

"I wouldn't disappoint me further, 13." Oberon slowly disappeared, hoping to get his point across. "Disappointments never make it far."

Johnny didn't bother to stick around after the man disappeared from view. He had to find Kitty and fast.

Karkat figured that flying would be a good start. He absolutely forgot some people weren't a fan of heights.

"I did not know that seeing the tops of cars could be this terrifying." Feferi was holding onto his back tightly, which didn't affect him much since he didn't really need to breath. "How fast are we going?"

"Not as fast as I could be." Karkat figured they were going ten miles an hour at most. Anything faster and he probably would've dropped her. "Other than the hover car, how do you like getting your first birds eye view?"

"Amazed and wondering if I'm getting flight sickness. At least I know how you can lift me up." Feferi's death grip got tighter for a second. "As awesome as this is, maybe we can touch down somewhere? I'd really like to sit down for a second."

"Yeah, let me find a place first." Karkat scoured the town before slowing as he saw a place. "Perfect. Alright, hold on tight. Intangibility can feel really weird at first."

Karkat and Feferi slipped through the building, and the former feeling the latter shiver. The room they appeared in was the empty space of the local movie theater, which had been closed for the time. He moved them both to a seat, looking around to find that not even the janitor was here.

"You took us here? Place looks closed." Feferi giggled, swatting at his hands as he put her into a chair. "Are you trying to get me alone? Because I'll admit, this is a good place to start."

"Ha ha, real funny Peixes. I figured this place would be a safe space to hang out. Apparently due to the ghost stuff, the management closed the place down until they can get somethings non-horror related." Karkat started to fly back up, heading towards the projector. "Let me put something on. Aradia used to work here over the summer, and I know how to mess with some of these things."

Karkat was able to wrestle the projector into working, grabbing a random movie from the pile. It was one of the horror ones they were planning to throw away, something about ghosts. He figured it would be good for a laugh. When he finally got it done, he moved back to where Feferi was, settling into the seat next to her.

"A horror movie? I would've thought you'd avoid something like this." Feferi leaned onto his shoulder, causing the halfa to stiffen. "Then again, life is already a big enough horror movie, right?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to make fun of this." Karkat gulped, letting Feferi cuddle into his arm. He honestly didn't get where this was coming from, but he couldn't find it in him to complain. "So, how's this for trying to have fun with my powers?"

"A good start, but I think you can go a little bigger. Seems like you'll have a ton to play with soon enough." Feferi let out a breath, relaxing. "Though, let's take a break for now. I think you've earned it."

The movie played on screen, though Karkat found it hard to focus. The mix of cheesiness of the special effects and the fact Feferi was just… laying on his arm like this was sending a lot of signals to his brain, usually canceling each other out. He honestly wasn't sure what to make of it right now.

Did Feferi have a crush on him? Karkat figured that couldn't be it. Nobody's had a crush on him before, being the ghost hunter's kid. He's had plenty himself, but the fact they weren't usually reciprocated. Shit, did he have a crush on her? He wouldn't say he had a type, but maybe she wasn't far off from it. Was it even appropriate to think of this, especially since they both had a power imbalance when it comes to secrets and that shit?

"Karkat, you're breaking the seat handles."

Ah, so he was. He forced himself to relax, and definitely making sure not to focus on how she smelled like sea salt taffy. And the fact she was looking at him all questioningly right now.

"Hey. Is it alright if I do something crazy?" Feferi's hand was creeping up towards his shoulder, and Karkat was starting to have some things confirmed. "Just this once?"

"Depends on what you mean by crazy." That phrase sounded a lot more confident in Karkat's head, but the fact he only stuttered once was a miracle. When she leaned forward, he wondered if that miracle could've been spent better. "F-Feferi?"

She laughed breathily and leaned forward a bit more, causing him to lean back. A part of him actually couldn't help but wonder how he felt about this, and while it wasn't a bad thing, something in him resisted.

Then again, this was also… really nice. Fuck had he brought her on a date? Shit, he hadn't meant to, but God did it seem like it. Lunch, a movie, and maybe he should pay attention to what's happening in front of him.

"Come on, Karkat." Feferi tugged at this jacket, green eyes gleaming. "Isn't this what you brought me here for?"

Karkat was about to protest, because that would be one hell of a creepy move and… and…

"Feferi?" Karkat grabbed her hands, something dawning on him. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. I'd say I'm certainly feeling a lot better compared to earlier." She giggled and the halfa focused on her eyes. Really, really focused on them. She seemed to catch on that something was wrong. "You're tense. Is there a ghost nearby?"

"…Yeah. There is." Karkat felt his good mood drain, a scowl moving onto his face. "They should also realize that Feferi's eyes aren't green either."

Feferi actually froze at that, blinking. The green slipped away, and her normal eye color returned, though the girl immediately shrank back, pouting.

"Damn it. I was actually doing a pretty good job there." Feferi- no, Kitty- said despondently. "And just when you were getting in the mood."

Karkat knew this had been too good to be true.

Alright, I hope that didn't hurt the shippers too much. Don't worry, this isn't a ship sinking moment. I am still holding my cards close, though, so no spoilers... unless you're nice to me. I might say something then.

Okay, the things I wanted to ask people is this; when this fic is over (which won't be a for a long time) what should I write next for Homestuck? My two main ideas are Fallout: New Vegas and SCP, and while I was married to the former first, the second one appeals to me. Either way, I think I'd like both. I'm already working on first chapters for both in the meantime just to get the feeling right, same for some other fics I got planned.

Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!