DuoXKouga: HELLO, EVERYBODY! It's so good to finally back with a new chapter and more story! I do want to apologize about this chapter taking so long. Unfortunately, I fell into a rabbit hole of writer's block and I just couldn't get the chapter how I wanted and I was just so very frustrated by that.

So I am beyond happy that I was able to officially work on this chapter after a month or so with more ease and I am quite happy with how it turned out. All the pairings are outlined in the official first chapter along with some details so please look at that for any questions on stuff. If you don't see something you're curious about, please please let me know and I'll answer it as soon as I can.

I hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter 2: Setting Off!

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Gamzee did a mental check as he went over all the assignments he turned in for the classes he would miss. His history essay was turned in, his math packet was done, he didn't have anything for P.E., and his book essay was also done. He also did a mental go over for everything he had packed and he was reassured that he had everything he needed for this trip.

He stopped by his locker to put his textbooks away and he made his way down the hall towards where the buses would be for their trip. There was going to be about three buses all together for this trip taking on about three or four separate classes.

Gamzee gave a small smile when he saw Equius waiting by one of the buses for him and he hurried towards him. Equius was wearing a simple v-neck dark grey shirt with a nice pair of black jean shorts. He wore black socks with grey shoes and had his hair pulled into a low ponytail. He wore a pair of sunglasses and a black ball cap to keep the sun out of his eyes. Gamzee gave him a side hug.

"I was worried that you were going to be late, my friend!" Equius speaks to him as they make sure their bags are loaded below the bus before they climbed the stairs to the bus. Gamzee was surprised by the rows of seats with tables in front and he let his friend lead him towards the back of the bus where the rest of their group of friends were and Gamzee was surprised to see beds too.

(SLEEPING AREA OF THE BUS)

(SEATING AREA OF THE BUS)

Karkat was grumbling under his breath at Eridan who was currently talking about something that concerns his cousin, Fefari, who was going to be on a seperate bus. He was obviously upset about it from what Gamzee could tell. Gamzee gave a wave to Sollux who had settled down into a seat with one of his many portable game consoles and headphones.

His friends were respectively dressed very similiar to Equius. Gamzee stretched a bit before he took a spot on one of the several beds that were available. He was still pretty tired and maybe, now that he could focus on just this trip, just maybe he could get some sleep on the way there.

Equius took his spot next to Karkat who immediately moved closer to his taller boyfriend so he could lean against him. Equius smiled at him and wrapped an arm around him, bringing the smaller male closer and Karkat grumbled a bit more.

"Do we know who the chaperones are for this bus?" Sollux asks as he takes off his headphones for a moment to look at his friends.

Equius gave a small nod, directing his focus on his friends. "It's my older brother, Horuss, and his boyfriend Rufioh, Tavros' older cousin. Along with Mr. Swiss, the Geometry teacher," Equius says and Sollux nods his head in understanding.

Gamzee gave a soft sigh before turning on his side, his thoughts drifting to Tavros who he knows would be on this particular bus due to his cousin being one of the chaperones. He closes his eyes, trying to put the other boy in the back of his mind as he tries to relax. Before he knows it, he's fast asleep.

/

He's running through the dense forest as he pants heavily, constantly glancing over his shoulder as he tries to see what's chasing after him. He weaves between the trees as he struggles to figure out which way is safe for him before he slams into a solid form and Gamzee snaps his head up to look at glowing, violet eyes that seem to see right through him.

He sees the shadows moving closer...

"NO!" Gamzee shoots up, his eyes wide in horror as the dream fades from his mind as he wakes up from his dream. He pants, his chest heaving as he gulps air into his lungs. He feels so cold as he remembers just the eyes of whoever or whatever was there. He sighs and buries his face into his hands in frustration before he glances around the area.

It looks like the bus is at a stop as Gamzee realizes he's alone. He gets up, stretching as he goes. He looks out one of the windows and sees that they've stopped at a rest stop. He sees his friends getting food and Gamzee's stomach growls as he decides he needs to get something to eat too.

He heads out of the bus, waving at his friends who look up from their meal and wave back at him. He grabs a few snacks and two drinks before he's heading towards the counter to pay for his items. He rubs at his eye again, feeling pretty tired still. He really hopes that these dreams just end soon because he wants a good night's sleep.

He yawns as he puts his items on the counter before he pays for them with a $10 bill, collecting his change from the cashier before he heads back towards the bus. His friends watch, somewhat concerned about him before they return to eating their meals. Gamzee makes his way back towards where he's been resting when he hears several footsteps behind him and he's surprised to see his friends bringing their food onto the bus to join him.

Gamzee gives them a small smile before they all settle around their area and Gamzee appreciates their silent support. Karkat watches Gamzee out of the corner of his eye, knowing something is wrong with their friend, but unsure how to really breach the subject.

When the group goes to throw away their trash, Gamzee is stopped by a hand that taps his shoulder and he turns around to see Tavros standing behind him looking nervous. Gamzee tosses his trash before he looks at Tavros with a awkward smile.

Gamzee nods at the others to go ahead and get on before he prepares himself for this overdue conversation.

"Gamzee, I'm..I'm not sure how to really start this.." Tavros nervously begins and Gamzee is startled when a set of arms wrap around him in an embrace. Gamzee's arms automatically wrap around Tavros to return the embrace. "I'm so sorry for being the worst friend to you. I'm so sorry.."

Gamzee can feel Tavros' tears falling onto his shirt and he hugs the smaller a little tighter. He couldn't be too angry with Tavros because of Vriska's manipulation. Yeah, it hurt and sucked like hell that Tavros stopped talking to him and being his friend over the summer, but Tavros has always been special to Gamzee and no matter how hard Gamzee wanted to hold onto this grudge, he couldn't bring himself to do so.

"It's okay, Tavros.." Gamzee rubs his back gently with one of his hands and he waits until Tavros has stopped his tears. "I accept your apology and I'm sorry, too, for outburst in public. That must have been humiliating for you to go through and I should have respected you more than that. Friends?"

Tavros looks at the taller male with a smile before the two of them link their pinky fingers together as a promise like they did when they were kids. Gamzee goes to join the rest of his friends and Tavros goes to sit with his cousin.

"You okay?" Karkat asks as Gamzee laid back down in the spot near their group.

"Yeah, me and Tav are all good now." Gamzee replies and Karkat makes a mental note to keep an eye on how things progress between the two because none of them want a repeat of last summer.

Gamzee slips his headphones over his head as he selects music to listen to as the rest of the teenagers and the adults gather back on the bus before the bus pulls away from the rest stop. Gamzee yawns, his eyelids drooping as he prays for a dreamless sleep this time around.

-Chapter 2 END-

DuoXKouga: Whew! There's chapter 2 at last. Unfortunately I spent alot of the time rewriting the scene between Gamzee and Tavros over and over because I didn't like it. I just had to suck it up and move on and I'm still not overly happy with it, but oh well. I'm working on the next chapter and I'll be working hard on getting more chapters released soon. Thanks for all the support and I'll see you all in the next chapter!