[gallowsCalibrator has begun trolling carcinoGeneticist]
GC: TR33S 4R3 COLD
CG: WHAT THE FUCK
CG: WHAT KIND OF WAY TO START A FUCKING CONVERSATION IS THAT?
GC: 1LL B3 R1GHT B4CK 1M GO1NG TO S3T ON3 ON F1R3!
CG: WHAT THE FUCK? SINCE WHEN ARE YOU A PYRO?
GC: 1 4M NOT 4 PYRO! 1 ONLY BURN3D DOWN ON3 TR33! H3H3H3
GC: 4NYW4Y 1T H3LP3D
GC: 4ND 4S LONG 4S 1T DO3SNT SPR34D 1T 1S 4LL GOOD!
CG: FUCK
CG: JUST DON'T BURN YOUR HIVE DOWN OR ANYTHING
CG: THAT WOULD BE PRETTY FUCKING STUPID
CG: EVEN FOR YOU
GC: STUP1D STUP1D DUMB
CG: ARE YOU WARMER NOW?
GC: NOT 4S W4RM 4S C4NDY 4PPL3S! BUT ST1LL W4RM
CG: WELL I'M NOT FUCKING DOING ANYTHING IF YOU'RE STILL COLD LATER.
GC: OH?
CG: YEAH FUCKING OH.
GC: SO YOU 4RR3 GO1NG TO COM3 OV3R H3R3 TH3N?
CG: DO YOU WANT ME TO?
GC: M444YB3
CG: WELL THEN MAAAYBE I'LL MOVE MY ASS OVER THERE
GC: M444YB3 YOU SHOULD!
CG: FINE. JUST HOLD YOUR FUCKING CRAB SHIT WHILE I MAKE MY WAY OVER.
GC: H1S N4M3 1S S1R C4NDY MCGRUMP!
CG: RIGHT SORRY. COMPLETELY SLIPPED MY MIND.
GC: 1T SHOULDN'T 1 N4M3D H1M 4FT3R SOM3ON3 4M4Z1NG!
CG: I. UH. FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK DO I SAY TO THAT, TEREZI?
GC: 1T 1S N4M3D 4FT3R SOM3ON3 TH4T SM3LLS L1K3 C4NDY 4PPL3S 4ND H4S N1C3 3Y3S 4ND 1S FUN TO W4TCH RUN 4ROUND!
CG: I DON'T RUN AROUND.
GC: WHO S41D 1 W4S T4LK1NG 4BOUT YOU? H3H3H3
CG: TEREZI.
CG: SHIT.
CG: THAT. ARGH.
CG: WHY DO YOU FUCKING DO THIS?
GC: B3C4US3 YOU 4R3 4DORK4BL3 WH3N YOUR3 4NGRY
GC: DON'T WORRY NUBBY
GC: 1T 1S 4 CRABBY GRUMP 1T 1S OBVIOUSLY YOU!
CG: FUCK I AM NOT GOING OVER NOW.
CG: JUST KEEP YOUR DAMN CRAB.
CG: AND MAKE IT DANCE OR WHATEVER SHIT YOU DO WITH IT.
GC: 1 4M DO1NG TH4T R1GHT NOW!
GC: BUT NUBBY 1TS ST1LL COLD : (
CG: I WILL NOT BE SWAYED BY YOUR PUSSY ASS WIMPY TEMPERATURE ISSUES.
GC: 1 4M STRONG!
GC: 1 JUST DO NOT L1K3 WH3N TH3 FOR3ST G3TS COLD
GC: W3 DO NOT 4LL H4V3 B1G FUN LUS11 TO PL4Y W1TH WH3N 1T G3TS COLD!
CG: YOU ARE THE STRONGEST FUCKING TROLL EVER TEREZI YES.
CG: I'M SURE THIS HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
CG: BUT YOUR TEMPERATURE ISSUES ARE STILL WIMPY AND STUPID AND I AM NOT MOVED BY YOUR BACKWARDS PLEA FOR ME TO MOVE MY ASS OVER THERE.
GC: OK4Y 1 W1LL G1V3 UP
GC: HMMM
GC: P3RH4PS TH3 COOLK1D W1LL B3H4V3 D1FF3R3NTLY
GC: 1 H4V3 H34RD HUM4NS 4R3 V3RY W4RM!
CG: FUCK THE COOL KID.
CG: TEREZI.
CG: SHIT YOU ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT DON'T YOU?
GC: Y3S 1 4M TH3 S33R OF M1ND
GC: 1T H4S 1TS P3RKS
CG: FUCK. YOU FUCKING OWE ME. THAT DANCING CRAB BETTER BE FUCKING IMPRESSIVE.
GC: 1T 1S V3RY FUN! BUT 1 DON'T KNOW HOW 1T LOOKS.
CG: I'LL LET YOU KNOW
GC: H3H3H3 TH4NK YOU NUBBY
CG: HEY I'LL BE THERE SHORTLY
GC: R34LLY?
CG: I JUST HAVE SOME SHIT TO CLEAN UP HERE.
GC: OK4Y WORK H4RD NUBBY
CG: DO YOU UH. WANT ME TO BRING ANYTHING?
GC: HMMM L1K3 WH4T?
CG: I DON'T FUCKING KNOW. HENCE THE QUESTION.
GC: 1 THOUGHT 1T W4S SOM3 CH33SY S1LLY STUP1D ROM TH1NG YOU M34NT! SO NO DONT BOTH3R
GC: JUST BR1NG YOU! H3H3H3
CG: I CAN BRING YOU A FUCKING SWEATER TOO IF YOU WANT. MIGHT HELP YOU WITH YOUR PANSY ASS COLDNESS.
GC: 1S 1T YOUR SW34T3R?
CG: WHY THE FUCK WOULD I GIVE YOU SOMEONE ELSE'S SWEATER?
CG: JUST GO OUT AND MUG A WRIGGLER FOR ONE?
GC: 1 W4NT 1T!
GC: W1TH YOUR S1GN 4ND 3V34YTH1NG R1GHT?
GC: H3H3H3
CG: YES TEREZI THAT IS GENERALLY THE IDEA OF IT BEING MY SWEATER
CG: IT HAS MY FUCKING SIGN
GC: SHOOOSHHH NUBBY
GC: L3T M3 3NJOY TH1S H3H3H3
CG: TEREZI YOU ENJOY THINGS REGARDLESS OF WHAT I SAY
GC: H3H3H3 TH1S 1S TRU3
CG: ALRIGHT I'M COMING
He grabbed the sweater from the drawer. Stupid Terezi being cold. Stupid needy blind girl. Karkat couldn't believe how easily he had been swayed.
He stepped on the transporter and ended up in her hive. She was sitting at her computer still, probably typing something stupid to him.
"Fuck, Terezi. Look. I'm here now, okay? In your colourful ass vomit hive. Take the gogdamn sweater."
She spun around as he crossed the room, and he stuffed the sweater against her chest. Terezi grinned, of course. She unfolded it and pulled it over her head. It was adorably stupid.
"Hehehe," she laughed, giving herself a hug. "It smells good."
"I fucking bet it does," Karkat scowled. She must be teasing. She hated grey. But it still made him a bit happy.
"It is nice and warm! Thank you, Nubby."
"Anytime."
He felt his face warm up. Shit. Shit, he couldn't do this now. He shuffled on his feet, scowling a bit. This was bulge ass stupid.
"Oh, it smells like cotton candy in here again!"
Shit, she noticed.
"Fuck off," it was an automatic reply. He rubbed at his cheeks a bit. Fuck, this wasn't really what he wanted to happen.
"I want to taste it!"
No, he knew what was coming next. He had to protest it. "Terezi, don't you dar-"
She was out of her chair in an instant, grabbing his arms roughly and awkwardly. "Too late!"
There was nothing he could do but let her press her mouth against his face. It was bulge ass shithole monger and he wanted to make her stop. Kind of. She laughed again, and he felt her tongue brush his skin.
"Argh, shit, Terezi! Don't fucking lick my face!" he struggled to get out of her grip. It was annoying how strong she was.
"But I always get what I want! You said that, remember?"
Why had he said that? "You are frustrating."
"And you are silly!"
Finally, she stepped back. He rubbed his one arm a bit, looking over the female troll. The sweater was still cute on her and she had a big smile on her face. He felt something stir inside him. Fuck, he didn't want to have another pointless discussion about his feelings.
"Whatever. Let's see this fucking crab dance."
Changing the topic seemed to work. Terezi grabbed the crab, held it up, and flailed it around. It looked stupid. "Look nubby! It dances like you?"
It danced like someone had stuffed a snake down its pants and then forced it to walk on fucking coals. Karkat knew he did not dance that poorly.
"You have never seen me dance," he remarked angrily. "And not because you're blind, before you say anything."
"Aw, you got there before me."
She let out a laugh, playing with the crab some more. In a moment of stupidity, he was glad he had won it.
"Then dance for me, Nubby. Prove it!"
"No, that's stupid."
"No, it is awesome!"
Terezi didn't know fucking shit, but there was no way her was letting her think he danced like some kind of blubbering ass licking urchin.
"Fine. Come on, Terezi, let's fucking dance."
With a movement, he took the crab from her hands. He placed it on the desk nearby, as Terezi flailed around like a wriggler looking for it. She was stupid.
"Oh, me too?" she questioned, as Karkat grabbed her hands. He escorted her a short distance away from the computer.
"Obviously."
"Okay, I will dance! I am a good dancer!"
Karkat scowled a bit. "I bet you are. You're a fucking troll ballerina."
"I am very much!"
She began flailing around. It was cute, in the kind of way an assmuncher was. For a bit, they did their own thing. She crushed his feet a few times, but he refrained from cussing her out. Karkat had to admit he was worried when she tripped in her own damn room. Idiot. She should know the layout of this fucking hive.
Slowly they got closer together, until they were dancing very slow and very close. Fuck. He had always wanted to slow dance with someone.
"Hey, Terezi?"
"Yeah, Nubbynubs?"
Her head rested against his neck. Shit. He wanted to do this forever.
"Fuck. I just. I like this."
She giggled against him, and he felt her breath. It was a bit weird. "You are silly. But...it is kind of fun."
His heart skipped.
"It feels like you dance better than I had thought. Hehehe."
He curled his fingers into her shirt, pulling her a bit closer. "I am always more awesome than you think. It is how I fucking operate."
Karkat almost wanted to try and explain himself again. There had to be some way she was feeling what he was. Or some way he could express it. Maybe...maybe doing this would make her understand.
"It is a pleasant surprise," she conceded.
"Good."
They continued to dance for a few moments. He felt her lean in closer, which made him puzzled.
"Hey, nubby."
He scowled. He didn't want to talk. "What?"
"Are you scared?"
He stopped moving. He wasn't scared. There was nothing he had done so far to give that kind of impression, was there? "What? Where the fuck did that come from?"
"Because...I smell cotton candy all the time when I'm with you. But only recently."
"Fuck off," he said. He started dancing with her again. So what if he got a bit more embarrassed lately? "That doesn't mean I'm scared at all."
Terezi shook her head against him. "No, nubby. Think harder. I mean all the time."
Well, that still didn't clear up any fucking thing. It was like she was just fucking mocking him. That wouldn't be that surprising, actually. Terezi's body shifted, and she rested her forehead against his neck again.
"I think soon it will smell like candy apples instead."
Oh.
Oh fucking shit.
Karkat froze in place. His eyes. She meant his eyes. Of course, he was the right age. He hadn't checked in a while. Fuck, the blood was starting to show through. With a small movement, he reached around and grabbed Terezi's hand. He needed something to hold onto.
"You can't fucking tell anyone."
"I won't nubby." She paused. "I won't need to..."
Fuck, of course she wouldn't, it was going to be really fucking obvious in however long. "I know. Fuck, Terezi. I fucking know, okay?"
He dropped her hand, and stepped back. Shit. He was petrified. He was a mutant. Why was he even here? Why was he holding her like that?
"Come here, nubby," she called. He watched her gesture to him as well. Fuck. He didn't deserve her or anything here. Karkat hated being a mutant.
"I don't know what I'm going to fucking do. Shit. Shit. Terezi, just. It's all shit. All this blood and colours and eyes and shit is just completely fucking crap. I hate it."
"Shooosh, nubby. Shoosh. We will fix this."
Fuck. No, they couldn't fix it. There was nothing that could fix this short of changing how trolls lived, and Karkat didn't think he was up to the challenge. He was petrified of showing anyone.
"Terezi?" he called. He sounded awful.
"Yeah, nubby?"
"I...am scared."
Her face wore a deep frown. With a step forward, she wrapped her arms around him. It made him nervous with his eyes. "I know, nubby," she said quietly. "You're shaking."
He was. He was too scared and worried to do anything else.
"Fuck. You'll stay, right?"
"Of course I will. You smell like delicious candy apples!" she replied. "I will help you. I will save you."
"Terezi. Fuck. What the fuck would I do without you?" He reached his arms around her, pulling her against him again. He just wanted to hold her. There was something simple in that. It made him less scared.
"Suffer endlessly," she grinned against him, and then began to laugh.
"Probably," he agreed quietly.
"Definitely!" Terezi squeezed him. He smiled a bit. Fuck, she made him happy.
Meanwhile, the female troll was shifting around. She was offering him her glasses, oddly enough. It wasn't something he was expecting.
"Here, nubby. Put these on."
"Terezi? What the fuck?" he took them, examining them in his hand for a moment. He proceeded to stare at her eyes, distracted by them. They were red too.
"Nubby, if you wear those, no one will know."
"Yeah...you're right."
He slid them on. Everything took on a red hue. It was a bit freaky, but it meant that he was safe. "Terezi, thanks. Maybe I'll take you up on this if we go out again or something."
He pulled off the glasses. There was something else that had crossed his mind. "Fucking shit. I cannot believe I am saying this."
"Say it anyway."
"If it's alright...I'd rather not wear them around you."
He trusted Terezi. He wanted her to see his eyes. Karkat hadn't really thought about it before, but she knew and probably didn't care he was a mutant. It was the least he could do in return.
"Hehehe, good! I wouldn't want you to." There was a pause, and then she continued. "Just don't break them! They are very, very important to me!"
He looked at her face. He could see it clearly. "I know, Terezi. Thanks."
"Yes! I am a genius. So I will lend them to you. And whenever you are with me, you can give them back. Thay way, you can never leave!" she finished her speech off with a giggle. He, however, was a bit puzzled.
"Why the fuck would I leave with your glasses?"
"You will have to keep coming back," she stated.
"Of course I will come back." That was fucking obvious. He was standing there ridiculously close to her. She was everything for him. "Why the fuck would I leave you? Who the fuck else is with me right now? Who the fuck else knows about my blood?"
Shit, he was going too far. He bit his tongue lightly to keep from gushing his hideous red rom feelings at her.
"Hey, nubby?"
She sounded funny. "What?"
"Is that...is that the only reason you like me?"
His reaction was instantaneous. "What? No."
"So you are not just with me because I am the only one that doesn't mind? I am not so sure."
How could she not be sure? He would do anything for her. Fuck, he must have been failing at everything if she didn't understand that one fact. He was with her because she was perfect.
"That is fucking stupid."
It had been the wrong thing to say. Her face shifted into something that he could only describe as sheer rage. He was terrified for an instant. "It is not stupid!"
"Sorry," Karkat apologized. She returned to normal, but it wasn't something he ever wanted to make her look like again. "Terezi, fuck. Look. There is nothing about you that makes me want to leave you. Ever. Alright?"
He pulled her slightly closer. Karkat wanted more than anything, at that moment, to try and get this across. "You mean a lot to me regardless of my fucking mutant blood."
Terezi took a breath. "Mm...well. You smell genuine."
"Of course I'm fucking genuine. Why would I lie to you about shit like that? Fuck."
The only thing left to do was keep dancing. He could move on from this. She had her glasses back, and he had eyes that were slowly going to get him killed. He could at least hold her close.
"Nubby...I think...I may sometimes understand what you meant. But only a little."
It was all he could do not to pick her up off her feet that moment. He smiled. There was nothing better she could have told him.
"...yeah," he heard himself saying. He nodded. "That's alright. Thanks, Terezi."
"Maybe one day I will really understand." She laughed. "But you are the feelings expert!"
"Fucking shut up, no I'm not," he denied. Karkat knew he was. "And...I'd like that."
"Well, I suppose I owe you that. Since the carnival helped you understand me." Terezi squeezed his hand. Karkat had no idea if they had been holding hands that whole time, or if she had grabbed it again. It didn't matter. "If only a little bit."
Karkat wanted to think so. He decided to tell her.
"I hope it did."
It was relaxing. He liked dancing with her. He could do it forever. Terezi made him feel safe, even with his fucking eyes. Shit, it was amazing.
"Terezi, thanks for making me get off my ass and come over."
"And thank you for the sweater!"
She kissed his cheek. He was stunned. "You are never getting it back!" she breathed in his ear.
He didn't want it back. It belonged on her.
"Whatever," he muttered. "Keep it."
So long as he could stay.