Terezi hummed tonelessly to herself as she sniffed around Karkat's hive, looking for all the squashiest of squashy things. She frowned slightly as she picked up yet another grey pillow. Did Karkat have some sort of grudge against colours?

Knowing him, probably.

Because of this, Terezi made it a point to comment on every pillow and blanket that fell outside the realm of black, white or grey.

"This one smells really good," she said, holding up a sour apple blanket.

"Whatever."

Terezi scowled. Nubby wasn't being any fun. Here she was, going to all this work to make a super fun nest and he was just sitting there like a stupid lazy chairslug! She chose to ignore him and go back to collecting more squish.

There wasn't enough red. Not by a long shot. She sniffed.

He didn't have a single red thing in the hive, did he? Well, that would have to be fixed. Terezi decided to buy at least ten red scalemates to give to him the next time she came over—forcibly, if necessary. This made her grin again.

"Shit, Terezi. Really. Why are you doing this."

"I told you, Nubby! We will sleep on squishy things to match your squishy, squishy red feelings!" Terezi turned to him, grinning. "Hehehe."

Karkat made a weird noise and she twitched her nose. "Fuck, Terezi. This is fucking stupid."

No it wasn't. It was awesome. Terezi knew that. Nubby was just too stupid to realize what an awesome thing she was doing. That was okay, though. He would. And it would be entertaining getting there, at any rate.

"Hehehe. Nubby, this one smells like stenchblossoms!"

"That's fucking specific."

"You know, the ones that smell like this!"

Karkat made another weird noise. "Are you done tearing apart my house?"

"What—aren't you excited to be spending the night with me, Pupa?"

"Shit, I didn't say that!" Karkat spluttered. She tapped her way over to him, grinning all the way.

"Oh?" She leaned towards him, pointed teeth in full display. "So you are excited?"

"Fuck. You like setting these traps, don't you?"

"Maybe!" she allowed. "Come on, Grumpybulge, it's time to sleep!" Terezi shot her hand down and grabbed his wrist, pulling him from the chair. It was fortunate she hadn't missed—she had tried this stunt before with less promising results. She briefly wondered if the troll had ever learned to get used to only seeing out of one eye. Oh well! One is better than none! Unless you're Terezi, of course.

"Damned fucking bulgetouching assdouche wrigglerpokers," Karkat spouted. "Fuckass douchenozzle pandangling bulgecracker."

Terezi stepped closer and he stopped suddenly. She grinned, put her hands gently on his chest, then shoved him full force into the colourful pile she had collected.

"Fuckdangnit!" Karkat said into a faceful of pillow. Terezi chuckled. He was starting to mix up his curses, though it was often difficult to differentiate.

She pulled off her glases, folded them neatly, placed them on the desk and then jumped into the pile herself. It smelled so good! But Karkat was the best. He smelled like a carnival of candy apples and candy corn and black liquorice. She grinned at him.

"Comfy, Nubby?'

"This is a fucking mess."

"Hehehe."

"Terezi?"

She shifted in the pile. "Yeah?"

"I don't sleep well."

Terezi almost frowned. She wanted to ruffle his liquorice hair. "I know, Nubby. I know."

Something in the back of her chest told her to talk to him, to make him feel better. But how? All she could do was bother him until he was too distracted to think of it. She closed her eyes and folded her arms close to her body. Why was she so tired?

That's a stupid question, she scolded herself. She always got tired when she explored too much. And she had explored every cranny of Karkat's hive, mapping it out in her mind. Memorizing it.

She sank into the pillows and then there was nothing.

.X.X.X.

Terezi was suddenly very aware of the sound of breathing. Panicked breathing. She felt the pile moving off at the side. Karkat was twitching like a dreaming huntbeast! But it wasn't cute. It was worrying.

She reached over and pulled his arm. He panicked more. She pulled him closer. "Nubby, calm down."

His breathing was short and terrified, but it seemed to slow a little. "Shit. Terezi, I—"

"Shoosh!' She pap'd him on the forehead. "It's okay. I will be your saviour from your dreams! Hehehe." That's right, Nubby. Calm down.

She felt him grab at her shirt and sink into her embrace, hiding his face. He was trembling all over.

"Shoosh," she repeated, though softer this time. She patted his head. Like a huntbeast. The comparison was ridiculous and she couldn't help but chuckle. "You don't have to worry. I will look after our great leader troll! I can't let anything happen to you, after all."

"I can look after myself. It was just a fucking dream." But his voice betrayed the bluff. It sounded hoarse and cracked mid-sentence. "Shit. Shit fucking bulges, Terezi, I can't do this."

Terezi breathed out. "I know, Nubby. That's why I'm here." She felt him sliding his arms around her and holding her tight, burying his face deeper into her shirt. One of his nubby little horns was prodding her uncomfortably, but she graciously ignored it.

"Stupid. You could have just asked in the first place."

"Fuck off."

She laughed quietly to herself. That was the Karkat she knew. She brushed his liquorice hair with her fingers. She paused, then started humming a faint song she had learned a long time ago. It was a very old song, one people didn't sing much anymore. She couldn't remember the words, but she remembered she liked it. Something about red and swearing and rebellion and justice. All of those fun things.

"Maybe there was a huntbeast there, too…?" she muttered under her breath as she relaxed. "But that would…be stu…pid…"

Nothingness.