I love you people. Like seriously, give me a hug. As of now, I have 36 reviews on my first fanfiction story ever. 36 reviews. I honesty never would have expected that when I'm only 5 chapters in. THANK YOU! Now, without further ado, chapter 6. c:
...
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you are trying to quell your nervousness.
For all you know, he could hate you now. Even if he does, when you got home yesterday, you still asked your mother about the party Sollux mentioned last night; it was perfectly okay with her. It's now Christmas morning. Most of what you got for Christmas is clothes and makeup; nothing really big. Christmas funds were tight this year.
You let the scene from last night tug on your thoughts, once again. You still can't believe you kissed him. You've never actually had a boyfriend, just a few crushes. But they came and went, this time it's different. You can't stop thinking about him. You get butterflies in your stomach every time you see him, or hear his lisp-filled voice. It's a strange feeling.
His reaction to your kiss is what's confusing you right now. On one hand, he tensed up, he seemed completely shocked, and he never spoke a word. On the other hand, he became bright red, he didn't push you away, and he didn't leave immediately afterwards; you saw him standing in the driveway from your bedroom window. You're honestly not sure what to think now. If he's upset, what are you going to do? What if he doesn't want to talk to you ever again? You get uneasy thinking about that. But, if he's not angry, what would that mean? Would he just be willing to forgive you, or could he actually.. Feel the same way?... You will never know until you talk to him. The problem is, you have no idea what to say.
You're seated on the couch downstairs, next to the Christmas tree, holding your cellphone in your palm. You have to call him, but you're scared. You try to calm yourself down, and prepare to start dialing, when the phone comes to life in your hand. You nearly drop it as you flinch from the sound of your ringtone. It takes a second for your brain to register that someone just called you. The caller ID lights up on the screen. You feel your chest flutter. Of course it's him, who else could it be? You suppose this is a good sign, if he's willing to speak with you. You press talk and raise the phone up to your ear.
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you wonder what you're about to hear...
...
Your name is Sollux Captor, and you woke up to a migraine.
You really should have gotten used to it by now, but you haven't. You held your eyes closed to the light pouring in from the window, and called for your dad; to let him know of the throbbing pain that was splitting your skull in half. He knew the routine better than the back of his own hand. He rushed upstairs to your room holding your migraine medication, and pulled down the blinds over the window, leaving it dark enough for you to open your eyes. You were starting to feel nauseous, but you swallowed the medicine without complaint. Your dad decided to go downstairs once again, having done all he could, while you waited for the pain to dissipate. God, you hate migraines.
It took around half an hour for you to be able to get up. You stretched your sore limbs, put on your glasses, and shuffled your feet down the stairs, one step at a time. You felt a pang of nervousness as you stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, but your migraine stayed painless, for now. Your dad was no where to be seen, but there was a box sitting on the table, covered in bright red wrapping paper. You and your father have a silent agreement that you don't need a Christmas tree, or want one. This is what you were expecting in terms of gifts. You averted your eyes from the present, choosing to drink some water before opening it. You drain the glass and set it down in the sink, wiping your wet hands over your pajama pants.
The gift box was only about the size of a small shoebox. You picked it up, testing its weight, then found a catch in the wrapping paper and started to tear it off. You peeled the tape away from the small cardboard box, and opened it slowly. When you realized what was inside, your heart stopped. You blindly reached out to find a chair, your eyes never leaving the contents of the box. You sat down shakily, setting the box on the table, as gently as someone would set down a newborn baby. Inside the box, was a photo album. It was smallish, but thick, like a large novel. You flipped through the pictures, turning each page in slow motion. In every picture was a sweet smiling face you missed with all of your heart and soul; your mother. In most of the images, she looked younger than you remembered her to be. In a vast majority of them, she stood next to your dad. There must have been at least a hundred pages, but you studied each picture for several minutes before moving on. You don't know how long you had been sitting there, once you finished the album, but you had failed to notice there were other things inside of the box. One of those things, to your surprise, was another box, and when you picked it up to look at the picture on this box, it finally clicked. Inside the second box, was a digital camera. You had to smile; dad really came through this time. You set it aside, and moved on. At the bottom of the box were two more things; a DVD in a clear plastic case, and an envelope. You chose to save the envelope for last. You popped open the case and shuffled over to the DVD player, checked the case for any information as to what the DVD was, then slid the disk inside and turned on the television. You took a seat on the couch, watching the T.V screen intently, waiting for the disk to load.
When the screen flickered to life, you let out a gasp. Your mother's face was framed in the screen. She looked bright-eyed, young, happy, and so.. Alive. She was smiling. You felt a pang of loneliness. Her lips parted, and she began to speak, in the singsong voice you thought you would never hear again. You hung on to every word:
"Hello sweetheart! So, I decided to make this, so I could give it to your father, and I told him to only give it to you when I'm.. Gone. I don't know when you will actually get to see this, so I don't know how old you are now, but today, you just became a year old!"
The camera turned, to show a little you, only a year old, sitting in a high-chair giggling.
" I know this may seem a little strange, because I can't actually know what you've been going through in your life, as of where you are. Maybe you just got to middle school, or maybe you have a job, or your own house, or your own children. But I want you to know I'm always there."
You touched your cheek, to find it wet with tears.
" I may be in heaven when you see this video, but I'm watching over you sweetie. I'll be with you every step of your life, and so will dad. Because that's our job, Sollux. We are your parents, before anything else, and you are the best gift I could ever have asked for."
Your vision was blurry, so you took your glasses off, letting yourself cry.
" We love you honey! I may not be there to give you a hug, but I love you so much, just the same. If your father keeps his promise, and you see this, just know that I would die 100 times if it meant keeping you alive... I felt like I had to do this for you Sollux, because my brother did the same for me, and I know how much it meant to me, for him to talk to me one last time..."
You rest your forehead in your hands, not even bothering to look up, just letting her voice reach your ears.
" I love you more than you will ever know, dear. Gosh, there's so much I want to say, but I don't know how to say it.. Sollux, I'm sorry if I caused you any pain, or any sadness. All I want is for you to be safe and happy, and if you're struggling with something in life right now, like an injury, or if you've made a mistake, or if you've fallen in love, I'm standing by whatever decision you chose to make."
You've started sobbing.
" I guess I'll just say one more thing. If whatever took me away from you, made you really upset, and if you feel like you can't go on, or you feel depressed, never give up, Sollux. Your father and I believe in you, and we will until the end of time. There's nothing that could ever make me stop loving you. Follow your heart, because it's the most precious part of you. Don't forget who you are.. I'll miss you sweet-pea. So, um.. I suppose that's it... I love you Sollux. Bye.."
You kept trying to dry your eyes, but the waterworks kept on coming. You held your shirt sleeve over your eyes, and just let it all out. You sat there for twenty minutes feeling like a total mess. Once you finally stopped sobbing, you tried to let some more air into your lungs, but you were still breathing in little gasps. You hated when you were like this. You always felt so stupid and weak when you cried, especially when you couldn't stop, just like today. You told yourself to calm down, and go see what was in the envelope, but when you attempted to stand you were way too shaky. It was hopeless. You sat back down to find the tears coming back. You were starting to wish you could claw your own eyes out.
You couldn't just sit on the couch forever. You tried to ignore the quivering of your limbs, and you actually managed to make it to the kitchen table. You balanced yourself by holding on to a dining chair with one hand. You picked up the envelope on the table, opening it with some difficulty. Then, realizing you forgot your glasses, you walked back to the couch. You put them back on, with a final dab at your red, irritated eyes. The envelope held a cheap Christmas card, with an absurd amount of written words on the inside. By some miracle though, you were still able to read it;
Sollux,
I think we can both agree that the past few Christmas day's were nothing too special. Since your mom has been gone, I've told myself that we would get over it; that we would forget and move on. But the truth is, ever since the first day I saw you in the hospital after the accident, I knew we would never be that same as we were. So, when I found the DVD your mother made on your first birthday, I had doubts that it would be a good thing to show you. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was just what you needed.
Because I was curious, I watched it myself. Something about it made me see things in a different light. I realized that I was so stuck in the past, I forgot that you were going through the same feeling. Every single thing she said in the video was absolutely true, son. Being a parent has to come first.
I love you Sollux, and I'm so proud of you. I'm so sorry for putting myself, before you. It was the worst mistake I have ever made, and I pray you can forgive me. I know for a fact that your mother would be proud of you too. You've grown up so much.
Have a merry Christmas Son, you deserve it more than anyone on Earth.
Love, Dad.
Little droplets of water trailed down your cheeks, and fell onto the card. There was nothing more touching that your father could have written to you. He was proud of you, and that meant the world to you.
You left the Christmas card on the table, and stood leaning against the kitchen sink, drying off your face. You spied your cellphone lying on the counter, and started to relive the events of last night. Aradia kissed you. You don't know what to expect the next time you see her. Wait, didn't you invite her to John's party? You wondered if she still wanted to go with you... You picked up your phone, making up your mind, and dialed her number. You pressed talk. It started ringing, and you tried to swallow your fear. She answered on the second ring.
"hell0."
"hii.."
"whats up, s0llux?"
"can we ju2t talk for a biit?.."
"sure.."
"lii2ten, iim not mad about what happened ye2terday, not at all.. 2o.. ii wa2 wonderiing iif you 2tiill wanted two g-
"yes! i mean.. g0 t0 the christmas party? sure.."
You let out a sigh of relief.
"great. um, the party ii2 at three. ii gue22 we could ju2t walk there, iit2 pretty clo2e."
"0kay. ill see y0u then!"
"okay, talk two you later."
You hang up on the call with the press of a button.
Your name is Sollux Captor, and the things might be getting a bit better, for a change.
...
Your name is Aradia Megido, and 3:00 pm isn't coming fast enough.
You want to see him so badly, it's eating away at you. Even if he's not angry at you, you still want to apologize. You hope you're okay with just being friends, even though you wish for more...
You are dressed in a soft, dark red sweater, that used to be your mom's. You run your hands over your skinny jeans, and touch your golden necklace self consciously. You have your dark hair up in something that vaguely resembles a ponytail, but looks more like a giant mess of hair stuck to the back of your head. You don't look very Christmas-like, but you don't care; you had finally picked this outfit after an hour of fussing, and you weren't about to change your mind. You shouldn't feel like you need to impress someone, but you can't help it. You're going to see Sollux, that's reason enough for you.
Your head flicks to the left as the doorbell rings. You race over to answer it, and see Sollux standing in the snow on your doorstep, with rosy cheeks and a polite smile on his face. You smile back, reaching into the closet to pull out your coat and boots. You holler a goodbye to your mom, and she shouts it back. You finally open the door, slipping outside to stand face to face with Sollux.
"hii, ready two go?"
" yup."
You start the slow stroll down the driveway, feeling calm and content. You wait till you reach the sidewalk to say something.
"h0w far is j0hns h0use?"
"not far at all. iit2 liike fiive miinute2 from here."
"0kay, what d0es it l00k like?"
"iit2 2orta cream colored, and very biig."
You relax into a comfortable silence, just listening to your footsteps crunching in the snow, and feeling the frosty wind whip your hair around. It's Sollux who decides to end the calm.
"how wa2 your chrii2tma2 2o far?"
"pretty g00d, what ab0ut y0urs?"
He hesitates before muttering, "great."
"get any nice gifts?" You ask.
"a camera."
"what kind?"
"im not 2ure, 2ome kiind of diigiital one."
"s0unds c00l."
You flash him a smile, and his walking falters, Sollux being seemingly surprised by it. He recovers his pace, though his face burns a bit brighter. You switch your gaze to your boots, making an effort to match Sollux's footsteps. He gradually starts to slow down, and you lift your head up to see John's home. If you were to describe the house in one word, it would be comfortable. There were obvious signs of life, and of fond memories here. Multicolored lights were strung up around every window and wrapped around every single tree in the snow-covered yard, regardless of size. A Christmas wreath hung proudly on the front door, bright red ribbon and all.
Sollux walks up the driveway, then directs his path to the door. You follow after him, and he rings the doorbell. John answers the door with a lopsided, buck-toothed grin.
"hi guys! come on in."
You step inside the cozy home, and scan the living room with eager eyes. Most of the people you know from school are here, with the exception of Vriska, thank god, Tavros, and Kanaya. Sollux seems to have noticed a certain bully's absence as well; he becomes a bit more at ease, like someone undid a few knots here and there. You shrug off your jacket to hang it up on a hook on the wall, Sollux does the same. The living room alone has more Christmas decorations than you've had inside your house, for every single Christmas Day since the year you were born. Candles were lit, sitting on tables. Nearly one hundred Christmas cards were stood up on top of the fireplace. Holiday pictures in frames clung to the walls, and the tree was shining as bright as a lighthouse.
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you hope this Christmas party will be a good one.
...
Your name is Sollux Captor, and you can't believe you're actually here with her.
Aradia seems to be having a good time thus far. She just walked over to chat with Nepeta, who was standing next to a nervous and sweaty Equius. He keeps picking up napkins to dab at his face, but it doesn't appear to be helping much. Yuck. You turn your attention to Eridan hopelessly trying to flirt with Feferi, unsuccessfully. She looks bored out of her mind, until she spots you and gives an excited wave. You wave back, and she grins. Eridan gives you a look of pure disgust, as if you were a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe. You kindly show him what your middle finger looks like. You turn to look at Karkat and Terezi, who are seated on the couch. Karkat is wearing the most ridiculous Christmas sweater you have ever seen. You stifle a snort, and walk closer to catch what they're saying.
"I NEVER AGREED TO THIS."
"YOU N3V3R OPPOS3D."
"YES I DID. VOILENTLY."
"H3H3H3H3!"
"GET THIS FUCKING PIECE OF REVOLTING COLOR VOMIT OFF OF ME, BEFORE I SHIT IN YOUR CUNTSUCKING MOUTH, YOU LITTLE-"
"4WW, COM3 ON K4RKL3S, YOU LOOK SO 4DOR4BL3! ;] "
"IM. NOT. FUCKING. ADORABLE. I-"
Whatever KK was going to say wasn't said, because Terezi decided to give him a kiss. He turns red, and starts stuttering out loud complaints, but both you and Terezi know that the battle is already won. These days, Terezi is the only one who can ever shut him up. You can't remember when exactly the two started dating, but you do recall that it took a long time for Karkat to stop using sarcasm when calling TZ his girlfriend. Terezi is pretty cool, and you suppose she's good for him; it does him well to shut his trap more often.
You take note of what everyone else is doing: Gamzee is chilling in the kitchen, while sipping some eggnog out of the carton. Meanwhile, Dave is wearing an ugly Christmas sweater "ironically", and trying to bother Rose, while she burrows her nose is some kind of book, ignoring him. Jade just came downstairs wearing a Santa hat, and John is talking to his dad, begging him not to bake another cake today. Everything seems fine; christmas songs are playing on the radio, there's a tray of food, and a punch bowl of some beverage on the table. Next to that, sits a few cheap Styrofoam cups. There is only two left.
Everything is fine, until Jade politely asks you to get some extra cups from John's room upstairs.
Your name is Sollux Captor, and you should have known it wouldn't be that simple.
...
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you guess now is as good a time as any.
You have to speak to Sollux about what happened yesterday. You spin on your heels, to see Jade asking him something. You carefully slide across the room until you face him.
"s0llux, can we talk?"
"about what?.."
There's a nervous edge to his voice. Before you can respond to his question, you hear a yell from the other side of the room.
"HEY ASSHOLE."
Sollux turns his head, and so do you. Karkat is still seated on the couch, but his face is twisted in a small smirk, as he points to a spot on the ceiling directly above the both of you. Sollux gets the message first and tilts his head up. His face drains of color. What is he looking at? Your eyes drift upwards, and everything clicks into place.
Oh no.
You stare at the piece of greenery that could ruin your life today.
A small piece of mistletoe.
You open your mouth to say something, though you don't know what, but it's too late to even try. Sollux grabs his jacket, hops into his boots and bolts out the door, slamming it shut. All eyes are on you, but nobody says a thing. You glance back at Karkat, to see the smirk is wiped off his face. His glance is probably the most worried look he could ever let anyone see. You can't help but wonder what he thought was going to happen.
Everyone still stares at you.
Everyone is watching as your heart breaks in half.
Your name is Aradia Megido, and Sollux is gone...
..maybe, forever.
...
Well, did someone say cliffhanger? c;
Gosh, I'm such a poo to you guys. Why don't I ever update when I want to. Y ME SO LAZY? ;A; In my defense, I spent most of the month of November in the hospital. Long story short, I have a heart condition. It's called Super Ventricular Tachycardia, in case ya feel like Googling it. It's basically an abnormally fast heart rate, and the doctors wanted more data, so I wore a heart monitor for two weeks, bluh de bluh de bluh... Yeah, I'll just keep writing. Expect the next chapter sometime during the Christmas vacation, (hopefully, fingers crossed.) See ya! :3