Monday morning was genuinely considered to be a shit experience by most people's standards; but in the Captor household it was fairly functional and down to a routine. Mituna would wake up at 6AM and then proceed to burst into Sol or Almeis's room demanding they get up. Most people would find this daily experience unbearable or would seriously consider punching the brain-addled man in the face but Sollux was more than used to his unconventional alarm clock. In all honesty it worried him more when Mituna didn't come crashing into his room as it meant that his brother was probably sick and, oh god, was Mituna a sorry sight when he was ill. He supposed that it was for that reason he wasn't too bothered about being down in the kitchen this early in the morning.
"TOASTH."
"Yeah yeah, it's not going to be any quicker if you sit there stalking it. If anything it'll take longer because it's filing a restraining order against the drooling moron trying to watch it cook" Sollux muttered, glancing over to Mituna who was staring at the four slotted toaster with a look of deep set impatience. Why he chose to watch the object so intently, he would never know, though Sollux was not one to question the motivations of a man like Mituna. Doing so was a little like trying to piss it the wind: ill advisable and not something that should be attempted by anyone in their right mind.
"I'M SORRY" came the apologetic mumble over the clanking, whirring sound of the washing machine flooding the fresh morning air with a sickly sweet smell of detergent. It had started up like a strange morning chorus once Sol had finished loading it up with dark clothes, and his mind sluggishly racked through any chores he might have missed. All the tasks and housework were mostly done first thing in the morning and last thing at night so as to keep on top of it. To say each one of them did their fair share was something that Almeis in particular seemed to be very proud of, though if anyone cared to ask Sollux about the matter, he'd say he was the one begrudgingly left in charge of most the domestic work. Not surprising considering one brother was constantly working and the other was less than capable. He was fairly sure he'd have more luck getting Mituna to fly than getting him to do a half-decent job of housework.
The toaster popped out much to the delight of Mituna who burst into hysterical sniggers just as Almeis walked in, showered, mostly suited (he was missing his jacket) and looking weary as ever as he immediately set about sorting out Mituna's toast for him. Sollux had noticed long ago that their eldest brother seemed to know exactly what needed doing when and for whom. A little part of him wondered if this was the reason Almeis had gone into management.
"Good morning."
Looking over his shoulder, Sollux asked something of a rhetorical question as he'd already leant over to flick the kettle on, "S'up, tea?"
"Indeed, Sollux. Ah, a nice cup of tea would be fantastic. Mituna, would you please get on with the washing up after breakfast?"
"HOW ABOUTH A NICE CUP OF SUUUUUUUCKKKK MY DIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!"
This was naturally a bad choice in response on Mituna's part as Almeis swiftly decided that the toast he had initially been buttering for his sibling was now going to serve as punishment for his rudeness. With the butter seeping into the bread as it melted, he placed it on a plate and walked straight past Mituna."Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I am quite content with this toast you so kindly made for me. I shall devour it promptly and think fondly of your fuck up just now."
"FFFFFFFFFFFFUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKGGGOOOODDDD AlMEISYOU ASSHTTTTHOLLLE FUCKFUFKCING IDIOTIGH FUCKING GARBAGESD HUMPER!" seethed the younger of the two as he watched Almeis settle at the table with the toast he'd been so dearly looking forward too. This wasn't the first time this had happened, nor would it be the last. Sollux thought it was amusing nevertheless as he added some milk to the tea he'd been making. Yes, Mituna was brain damaged, but he wasn't immune from brotherly teasings or consequences for being purposefully rude to the head of the Captor household.
"Pipe down Mitz, there's poptarts on top of the fridge if you say sorry" Sollux said, running a hand through his dark hair as he went to take over the cups of tea and such before he sat himself besides Almeis. He was considering reading one of the many gaming magazines on the table when a message tone suddenly sounded shrilly throughout the room, making both him and Almeis jump a little. The culprit of such a noise seemed to be Mituna's phone as he was suddenly no longer interested about the loss of his toast and stuck his hands in the air as if to make an announcement.
"I HAVESTH...A MESSAGE!"
Running over to the table, Mituna scooped the little device up and started beaming a smile that made Sollux a little nervous. He didn't seem to be the only one to feel it either as his older brother spoke up about the matter.
"Care to tell us who it is from?" Almeis asked, voice toneless as ever and sipping his tea as he nodded towards the phone. Most might consider this prying but Mituna had once been on the receiving end of numerous hate messages when he had hurt Latula long ago. Whilst those close knew that sometimes Mituna lashed out without meaning to, the gossips and shit stirrers of the world painted a very different picture. It was yet another reason Mituna rarely left the house; the messages had crippled the poor lad's confidence for a while too. That smile though - there was something about it that Sollux certainly hadn't seen in Mituna before.
"ITHST ON MY TROLLIAN AND ITHST KURLTOZH" he stated, folding his arms as if to trap his phone against his chest for fear of having it taken away from him. Seeing the look of confusion and concern, Sollux felt the need to interject before Mituna lost more than just his toast this morning.
"I put that on there for him. It's basically an improved version of SMS where you give out a username instead of your number. Actually, I'm surprised you don't have it on your phone, considering it's linked to SBURB as well. It'll have the same username as your SBURB handle... In fact, it actually installs with the game, so you must have missed that programme entirely." He frowned. It seemed strange as Almeis was glued to his phone, considering the amount of texts and calls he took for work. That, and the fact eldest Captor also played the worlds most popular MMO like the rest of the house, though Almeis was not really the best with computers and he'd made novice mistakes like this in the past.
"I'm aware of what it is. I didn't see the need for it and it had slipped my mind somewhat..." Almeis muttered with an air of disinterest that Sollux saw right through.
"Yeah sure, you didn't know a thing about it, did you? Shit, Almeis, how long have you been playing SBURB?" snorted Sollux, sipping at his own tea as he eyed the way that Mituna seemed to be beaming whilst tapping away on his battered phone. He should have probably been paying more attention to Almeis as he cooly set down his cup and removed his own phone from his pocket.
"Considering the amount I work and the amount of time I spend pratting about trying to get you two and the house's finances into some fathomable sense of order, I have little time for anything else. Naturally though, you can always opt to take some of my housework if you feel that I should be paying more attention to the video games I rarely get a chance to play?"
"What- no, Almeis don't be a fucking dick-"
"I will stop being a dick when you convince me you're able to bite that tongue of yours it really does not do you any favours to spew the sort of nonsense that you do. I really thought Mituna was supposed to be the less eloquent of the two of you...really… 'Stop being a fucking dick.' The entire English language at your disposal and that's what you choose to lisp out?"
"Almeis, I swear to-"
"Anyway, before you further embarrass yourself, let us return to the topic at hand. Naturally, as you do not seem to wish to add any more chores to what will surely end up being a growing list at this rate, I suggest you do the helpful thing of setting that Trollfian-"
"It's called Trollian you f-"
"-Trollian thing on my phone and exchange our user names and such… I also suggest you flip through the dictionary at some point. 'Don't be a fucking dick.' Really… Tsk" Almeis muttered, picking up one of the gaming magazines to flip through. If this wasn't the sort of shit he had to put up with all his life, he'd be ready to scream. Though, admittedly, he wasn't far off doing just that.
Giving something of a quiet growl, Sol was seething besides his older brother with full intent to smack Almeis upside the head; however, his target of choice changed when Mituna piped up like some shitty wrestling commentator with an unwanted opinion.
"DING DING! I THNKTHG YOU'RE BOTH DICKTS."
Finally finding his patience had snapped, Sollux quickly necked the rest of his cooled tea and got straight up from his seat, ignoring Almeis's phone altogether and heading out the room as he spoke. "That's it. I'm done. I'm going. Fuck you both. No one deserves this shit at 7.30AM."
"WAIT."
Sollux stopped dead in his tracks as if some invisible wall had just dropped in front of him out of nowhere. This usually happened whenever Mituna had something to say. A lot of people mistook it for kindness and patience, when really it was because Mituna would fucking follow him down the street and all the way to college if Sollux refused to listen. The worst part is it'd happened four times in the past before Sollux had learnt to just stop and listen to whatever his eccentric brother had to say for himself.
"What is it?" he asked begrudgingly, rubbing his temples in annoyance.
"KURLOTHS SAYSTH THAT GAMZEETH ITHS OUTSIDEH OUR HOUSE!"
"Whatever." He shrugged, figuring this was a shit attempt at a trick. Or at least he would have if he hadn't heard a tooty horn sounding outside the door. "... You have got to be fucking kidding me."
-twistedAffliction [TA] began trolling taciturnClown [TC] at 07:43 -
TA: 1 T0LDED HG1M
TC: GOOD MOTHERFUCKING JOB :o)
TC: I HAVE A MESSAGE TO BE PASSED TO THE HEAD OF YOUR WICKED HOUSEHOLD
TA: N0
TC: YES
TA: N0 7H47 CUN7H 5M34R 700KH MY 704567
TC: BROTHER, THIS HOMIE WILL RAIN DOWN A FUCKING PARADE OF TOAST FOR YOUR SULKING LITTLE ASS IF YOU GO PUT THE RIGHT MACHINATIONS IN PLACE AND GIVE THIS USERNAME OVER TO YOUR BRO
TA: WHY 50 W17H 7H3 81G W0RD5
TC: BECAUSE YOU DO A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN JOB OF SCHOOLING ME IN THE ART OF PATIENCE SO I'M RETURNING THE FAVOR
TC: tenebrousCarnival
TC: THAT'S THE WICKED NAME YOUR BIG BRO NEEDS TO BE INPUTTING INTO A TROLLIAN ACCOUNT
TA: 1 D1D 17
TC: :o)
TC: FUCK YES
TA: 1 G7G P511 157H G01GN 1LL 7XC7L875H
TC: WORD
-taciturnClown [TC] ceased trolling twistedAffliction [TA] at 07:50 -
Once Sollux had gotten over the shock of finding Gamzee stood outside his door (and once he'd given a harsh scolding about 'stalker type behavior',) he'd soon found himself walking to college side by side with the lanky juggalo through the quiet inner city suburbia. Admittedly, their walk had started off with him being in a very bad mood that Gamzee would just turn up out of the blue looking like the lovechild of a clown and a drug addict (little did he realize he'd hit the nail on the head.) Time is a healer though, even in small doses, and after a good 15 minutes of nothing but the echo of their footsteps through the sleepy streets and the rumble of traffic, Sollux looked at Gamzee's painted face and finally spoke up.
"You could've just texted me."
The clown stopped in his tracks for a moment as if he had to physically cease all movement in order to process what had just been said to him before he chuckled and gave Sollux a little nudge. "Shit brother, don't you up and think that nonsense crossed this joker's pan? Nah, bro, I got my fingers itching to text you all weekend and when it came to it, it didn't work. I was like 'Awh hell no!' I thought your ass was ignoring mine, but it looks like I saved your digits all sorts of wrong after Kurloz took a look at it." Gamzee hummed, swaying his head of dyed dark purple hair side to side as he resumed walking. How it was possible for someone sober to walk like a drunk at 4AM at this time of day was beyond reason (although Sollux had his doubts about Gamzee's sobriety.) Still, it was a bit surprising to hear that Gamzee had been actively trying to get in contact with him during their short stint apart. He would've scoffed that it was a little needy if he didn't realise that he'd made no such effort at all and had probably come across as an ignorant prick. Fuck.
"It's not like I would've replied. I generally stick with Trollian." He shrugged before mentally smacking himself for the idiocy of saying that. If Gamzee didn't think he was a prick before, he probably did now. To his surprise though, the other teen's smile grew wider and his arm flopped around Sollux's shoulders, making him stagger a little as they walked. He was considering shoving Gamzee off of him when he heard something that struck a chord of unexpected interest.
"You should've given over your handle instead then. Fuck I've been on some bitchin' adventures on that SBURB thing recently and that Trollian shit that came with it is fucking dope."
"Wait, you play SBURB?"
"Yeah man. Who the fuck doesn't? Motherfuck, that shit's awesome! I got my god tier going and everything!" Gamzee grinned, seeming to boast a little about the matter, and Sollux wondered if this was some attempt to try and impress him. If he was honest with himself, it had worked, because one: he had not expected Gamzee to be capable of using a computer, and two: he'd only got his god tier after a lot of hard work and late nights. To think that a dolt like Gamzee could get it so easily... Well, it both impressed and irked him in equal measures.
"The recent patch must've made it easier for new players, and by easier, I mean you can just mash your face into the keyboard and somehow achieve god tier. I remember when the game required actual skill to get ascension." He scoffed, folding his arms a little and noticing the tart hint of weed that seemed to be coming from Gamzee. This was nothing new; he'd smelt it on the clown the last time they'd met, but it was a little more diluted this time, and he thought back to their time in the trailer and their small goodbye to one another. It'd been simple enough: an awkward exchange of numbers and a small kiss on the mouth. A lot of people expected Sollux to be totally reluctant to go into any sort of relationship, but he was human at the end of the day, and the circus performer had caught his eye.
He didn't know if it was the strange way he spoke or the unpredictability of him, but something peaked his interest. Frankly he was oddly attracted whilst being grossed out at the same time - if that was even possible. It was a strange and unusual crush, he knew that much, but this was a world where people could meet at a bar, fuck and form a relationship after knowing one another less than 3 hours.
Wait, why was he even thinking this at all?
Something said that he was trying to convince himself of these things more than anyone else. Had he really been so far into that self-loathing shit? He couldn't make up his mind, nor would he have a chance to as Gamzee pulled him out of his haze.
"I ain't got much of a clue what the shit you're on about Solbro, but if you say that shit's easy then you gotta be a motherfucking pro player or some shit cos... Yooooooooooo, Solbro… You look all sorts of vacant motherfucker."
They'd come to another stop and Sollux realized he'd been caught up in the conflict in his head. Once again, he had managed to make himself look like a twat, and he considered cursing himself out for it mentally until he looked at the painted face that was looking down at him. When the hell did he get so close? Regardless, there was a slight warmth to that dopey expression that otherwise seemed plastered on as thickly as his greasepaint. He wasn't stupid. He knew that smile Gamzee always had was very superficial in the sense that it hid whatever was going on in the other's mind (though a small part of him wondered if he was really that vacant all the time,) but still, there was something far more genuine than the last time he'd seen Gamzee and Sollux pushed his glasses up his nose to get a better look, frowning a little.
"What?" The response was a little too blunt for what he'd intended and it made him redden slightly. He was already feeling moronic for coming off as an asshole, and that was without Gamzee just smiling down at him like that, especially with the weird prickle he could feel on his own face- Wait, was he leaning in closer? He had gotten so caught up in that burning feeling on his face along with the mental scolding of himself that he'd failed to notice Gamzee leaning in towards him.
Aromas of weed, greasepaint and something salty filled his nose, silencing all negative thought as this clown's mouth was barely millimeters away from his own. He wasn't frozen up, but he wasn't relaxed either. Rather, he was in some sort of adrenaline fuelled stupor, his chest was thumping a bit harder than it should be and his breath seemed to suddenly seem incredibly loud from the seemingly sudden silence of the world around them (brilliant, just what he wanted. Awkward, heavy breathing.)
"Figured that'd get your motherfucking attention. Get focusing outside of your head brother or you'll miss all sorts of miraculous shit." Gamzee grinned.
There was serious consideration to tell Gamzee to go fuck himself, but Sollux opted to do the total opposite instead. Taking a second to judge what he was about to do (and then dismissing it,) he leant forward and kissed the other's mouth. There was only a small moment of contact between the two of them and It wasn't a huge, sloppy or passionate first kiss either. To him, that was fine because Sollux wanted to 'test the water', so to speak. That, and this wasn't even their first kiss, as they'd shared a small peck when Sollux had left the carnival ("Hey motherfucker, you ain't up and leaving without sealing the deal, are you?")
A slight intake of air through Gamzee's nose told him that the juggalo was surprised that Sollux had been bold enough to do this, and that pissed the Gemini off slightly. People either expected him to do all the chasing or to just kick back and make no moves at all, when, in reality, he liked a good mix of the two. Aradia had been the passive type who would just wait and see whatever happened, whilst Feferi was constantly organizing things like dates and meet ups, as well as being the one making romantic gestures. Both had become ex-girlfriends for those reasons; that, and because their relationship had become predictable and dull in his eyes. That probably made him a bit of an asshole in most people's eyes (in fact, it did,) but the way he saw it, he had every right to leave a relationship that he was unhappy in...especially after what Almeis had been through.
Pulling back, there was a slightly silken and chalky feeling on his lips that told him there was some grease paint left behind, and he was about to wipe it away when Gamzee's thumb swept slowly across his lip to do the job for him. "Heh, aren't you full of motherfucking surprises brother? Wanna get your meet on for lunch? I only got one lesson to be hauling my ass off to."
"Same."
"Alright then, gimme your handle on Trollian and we'll take a stroll back this mirthful way. Man, I just knew this day was gonna be fucking full of miracles!" Gamzee grinned.
"Are you some sort of shitty psychic on top of being a juggalo?" he asked. The only reply he got was a slight smirk before his boyfriend gave a slight chuckle.
"Yeah bro, don't you know a mystical guide when you see one? Stop walking a second."
Gamzee came to a stop, looking left and right before turning to face Sollux, wagging his hand as if to give a wave in greeting. "Hold the motherfuck up, I'd like to be your guide through this weird ass land brother. Wanna take me up on this dope ass offer?"
"I will - if you promise to cut that shit out. I'm a nerd, but I'm not lame enough that I need to resort to LARPing," he sniggered, shoving Gamzee a little before his 'guide' slung his arm around his shoulder again. It was hard not to smile just a little; that dopey cheer was sort of infectious and he felt in a good mood about heading to college for once. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all.
-telekineticAnnihilation [TA] began trolling tenebrousCarnival [TC] at 11:16 -
TA: mIIght II ask as to why you wIIshed to have your username passed onto me? IIt was rather IIrrIItatIIng to have to IInstall thIIs program on my phone.
TC: :O( AIN'T MANY MOTHERFUCKERS WITH THE SURNAME "CAPTOR" KNOCKING ABOUT THIS SHIT HOLE BUT THERE IS ONE I WANTED TO KEEP AN EYE ON.
TA: and a very good mornIIng to you too NashIIr. II should have suspected that IIt would be you. alas, my work lIIfe seems to have hIIndered my abIIlIIty to predIIct the sort of shIIt you lIIke to pull such as thIIs.
TC: :O( THERE'S NOTHING SHIT ABOUT IT. I NEED TO BE IN THE KNOW OF WHAT LITTLE FUCK UPS HAVE BEEN STOMPING ABOUT ON MY HOME TURF. SO WHERE BETTER TO GET SOME BITCHIN INFO THAN FROM ONE OF THE SUITS AT THE BIGGEST CLUB IN NEWARK? YOUR TRASHY LITTLE FUCKING ESTABLISHMENT ATTRACTS SCUM LIKE HUNGRY DOGS TO A BONE.
TA: you are aware that IIt IIs beyond unlIIkely that II wIIll dIIvulge such IInformatIIon to you. you were present at the pubwatch so you will have all the information you need. frankly II am somewhat IInsulted that you would expect me to have an IInterest IIn such trIIvIIal goIIngs on when a mIInd such as mIIne IIs focused on other thIIngs.
TC: :O( LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE STUCK THAT THESAURUS FURTHER UP YOUR ASS SINCE THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU MOTHERFUCKER. HOW ABOUT FOCUSING THAT MIND BACK ON THIS MIRTHFUL REUNION WE SEEM TO HAVE BEEN THROWN THE FUCK BACK INTO?
TA: II wIIll do when you stop usIIng that rIIdIIculous prefIIx you IInsIIst on startIIng your replIIes wIIth.
TC: :O( THIS SHITS STAYING FUCKING PUT.
TC: :O( AINT NO MOTHERFUCKER GONNA FUCK WITH THAT CLOWN ANGER RIGHT THERE.
TC: :O( BESIDES I AIN'T THE ONE WHO IS USING THAT FUCKING DOUBLE I NONSENSE.
TA: IIt IIs somethIIng II merely put IIn place to dIIfferentIIate myself from the moronIIc quIIrks my younger sIIblIIngs have IIn place. one of whIIch IIs practIIcally unreadable unless you are aquaIInted wIIth the IIdIIocy that IIs "leet speak," whatever the fuck that IIs. anyway, thIIs does not change the fact that II am stIIll waIItIIng on the real reason as to why you have contacted me.
TC: :O( AND WHY THE SHIT DO I NEED A REASON TO CONTACT YOU?
TA: because rather than waIItIIng untIIl II am at home, you have opted to contact me durIIng my workIIng hours when surprIIsIIngly enough II'm supposed to be fuckIIng workIIng.
TC: :O( HOW THE MOTHERFUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHEN YOU ARE AND AREN'T WORKING? YOU GOT ME DOWN AS THE FUCKING STALKING TYPE?
TA: stalkIIng doesn't even cover IIt you ghastly paIInted bastard. do not thIInk II do not recall what IInformatIIon IIs avalIIble to you or how you "mIIraculously" managed to "accIIdently bump IInto me" on repeated occasIIons to further your IInfestatIIon of my lIIfe.
TC: :O( "INFESTATION?" THOSE AIN'T YOUR FUCKING WORDS SPEAKING THERE BROTHER.
TC: :O( THAT BITCH REALLY FUCKING SANK INTO YOUR MOTHERFUCKING BRAIN DIDN'T SHE?
TA: II do not want to speak about that.
TC: :O( HOW ABOUT WE TALK ABOUT YOU BUSTING MY FUCKING CAR WINDOW BACK THEN TO GET BACK INTO MY DEBT? YOU HAD SOME FUCKING LIFE IN YOU THEN. YOU REMEMBER THAT MOTHERFUCKING AFTERNOON I KNOW YOU DO.
TA: II recall IIt as well as II recall your markIIngs.
TC: :O( YOU SAVED SPACE IN THAT CLOSED UP FUCKING HEAD OF YOURS FOR THAT IN PARTICULAR BROTHER?
TA: your skIIn IIs memorIIzed IInto my mIInd as IIf IIt were my favorIIte pIIece of scrIIpture. ah, II do remember that whIIlst you are lIImIIted on words yourself, that you were always one for such verbal teasIIngs. how amused am II to thIInk that to thIIs day that thIIs mIIght stIIll be the case?
TC: :O( DON'T FUCK WITH ME ALMEIS, I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE ASSHOLE.
TA: do you mIIss me?
TA: ...well?
TC: :O( HOLD UP I'M FUCKING THINKING!
TA: rather the opposIIte of my IIntentIIons but II am rather glad to see my former persuIIts of you were not IIn vaIIn, even IIf you are stIIll a vulgar cretIIn. II must return to workIIng before II am chastIIsed for tIIme wastIIng. good day, nashIIr.
TC: :O( MOTHERFUCKER.
-telekineticAnnihilation [TA] ceased trolling tenebrousCarnival [TC] at 12:21 -
The bridge that crossed over a small canal to lead people to the college was something of a meeting point for all sorts of folk, from what Gamzee could see. There were students of all shapes and sizes, a few locals and even a couple of suited beings from the Newark Echo building across the road (Newark's most popular newspaper!) All in all, he could see why Sollux would choose this place to meet up and also why Tavros figured it would be a good place to spy out his crush.
"Who the motherfuck we even shining our peepers at anyway?"
"It's okay if you forgot. It's the blonde with the eyepatch" Tavros said, his Australian accent thick and as warm as his tanned skin. The two had made friends earlier on in the day, as they were both retaking their GCSEs, and seemed to share a fairly chilled out attitude. From what Gamzee had gathered, Tavros was staying in one of the nearby RAF bases that surrounded Newark whilst his oldest brother was serving there. There was also another Nitram by the name of Rufioh that Tavros spoke endlessly about, though not half as much as he had spoken about his crush. The way he spoke about her gave the impression that she was some sort of rich bitch that had bullied him during the summer holidays (though he was insistent that there was more to it than that.) Even so, Tavros was a good guy and Gamzee was pretty pleased he'd made a friend on the first day, especially one who was happy to listen to him rap and point out when he was fucking up his classwork. Giving a slight jump, Gamzee found that Tavros had whacked his arm fairly hard and he was about to repay his friend with a bop to the head when he noticed that the mohawked Australian was nodding towards something. "Hey, there she is! Later Gamzee. Uh, I'll add you on Trollian later."
With that, Tavros scarpered off to go and follow after the eye patched blonde and Gamzee gave a slight wave. He was a little amused to see the two walking off together as she was clearly walking a little closer to him, regardless of the middle finger she'd put up in his face. Something told him that Tav's affections were returned, but he wasn't one to judge, especially as his mind was now starting to wonder off to thoughts of his own boyfriend. Where was that guy anyway? Gamzee did not need to wait too long to find out, as he noticed that some passers-by were starting to stare and glance over their shoulders at the sight of a hipster with a purple streak in his hair. The expression on his face was a smug sneer, as if he was looking down at everyone. Gamzee didn't like it one bit and it pissed him off a little. One girl to Gamzee's left in a jade green sari rolled her eyes and tutted.
"Another round of Ampora versus Captor by the looks of things."
Wait, Captor? That wasn't something he'd expected to hear, and his pale blue eyes scanned the scene for any signs of Sollux, before finding the familiar face of his boyfriend was already walking towards him, looking cold and annoyed. Whatever had happened, it was apparent that Sollux was not the victor. "Yo, s'up, motherfucker? What's gone the fuck on?"
"Nothing. Let's just go."
"Sure thing, brother." Gamzee smiled, wrapping an arm around Sollux's shoulders as if nothing had gone on at all. Heck, if Sol wasn't in the mood for a feels jam, then Gamzee wasn't going to try and pry it out of him. Besides, he'd noticed that the other teen had moods that changed more often than the school nurse changed underwear (that rumour had been one of the first he'd heard.) Still, he decided to let Sollux know about his day so far as the two of them started to walk. That'd totally take his mind off things, he expected. Heh, he was a motherfucking genius. Good going, Gamzee, time to fill his lover in on the day's events. Or at least he would have done if the nudge in his ribs hadn't caught his attention instead. There was a grunt of discomfort before he looked down at the culprit.
"Honk."
"Honk? What sort of bullshit is- Whatever. I'm sorry" Sollux muttered. It seemed like it took a bit of effort for him to apologise as he didn't actually look at Gamzee when he said it; rather, he pushed his glasses further up his nose as if to conceal himself more.
"Yeah? What the shit is the deal with you at the moment? You're all sorts of gloomy-looking and that ain't motherfucking cool at all."
"Thank you for that flattering observation about my face. Just what I need to make me feel infinitely better about getting my ass handed to me by a stuck-up prick."
The reply had been dripping with sarcasm but it didn't really bother Gamzee all that much, as he was pretty thick skinned (or thick headed, it was impossible to tell.) Regardless of that though, he still felt a little concerned about what had gone on to put Sollux in such a foul mood. That hipster with the stupid hair streak probably had something to do with it.
"That Ampora guy, right?" he asked, frowning a little bit as he did. He wasn't sure if that was the guy's name or not, but he could imagine that it was likely considering what the girl had said and the way that snooty looking teen had worn that smug look like a gold star. Sollux nodded in response and pushed his glasses up his nose once again as he spoke.
"Yes. For some reason he's endlessly pissed about my existence as a whole. I think the fact I got into this college on talent alone as well as the fact I boned his girlfriend before he did puts something of a proverbial thorn right into his fucking ass."
"Ain't no motherfucking flame without the miraculous sparks flying the fuck out first." He knew that he had a point and Sollux did as well, judging by the way he tutted in annoyance.
"Maybe. I'll stop giving him shit when he admits that he's no better than the rest of us - and when he stops bringing up Mituna. Whatever. It's my free time now and I'd rather not spend it wasting my breath on that prick."
A subject change seemed like something of a good idea, and one thing that Gamzee knew was always good to talk about was food. Who the fuck didn't like themselves some tasty grub? He always thought there was something a bit strange about people who didn't eat or who didn't enjoy the miracles of taste and texture from a well-made meal. Just thinking about one of his favorite hobbies made his grin widen and his mouth water a little.
"You always take a walk home for lunch Sol? Seems like a fucking trek and a half for some righteous munches…" he asked, pulling a rolled-up cigarette from behind his ear and smelling the slight scent of tobacco as he pressed it to his lips.
"No. Usually, I get a drink from the canteen, but that stuff is so overpriced, I'd have to take a loan out if I wanted to eat there every day. I just skip lunch and wait till I get home." Sollux shrugged, looking somewhat confused as to why his juggalo boyfriend was now stood there looking like he'd just been told ICP were going to be collaborating with Justin Bieber.
"That is most un-motherfucking-cool! Nah, bro, this shit is not swinging at all. I'm gonna get my bake on when we hit your pad sometime and show you some real good shit! Can't let my boyfriend go without a full belly." Gamzee grinned. He gave a slight chuckle as he set about lighting his cigarette with a purple zippo lighter that gave off that tell tale smell of lighter fluid Zippo lighters were known for. As he was about to take a drag, he was fondly reminded of when him and Sollux had shared that joint in his trailer. Damn, that night was just one huge miracle and he was about to enjoy a daydream about the occasion when he was nudged sharply in the ribs.
"HONK!"
Sollux looked a little perplexed that 'HONK' had been Gamzee's initial reaction to being startled, and the clown himself felt a little bit awkward about that fuck up. That negative feeling vanished, however, when he noticed the way the other's lip curved ever so slightly before blossoming into an amused smile. Such a small thing was not without its impact as he felt a bit of a tightening in his chest at the sight of it. Maybe he'd inhaled that smoke a little too hard? "Sorry, motherfucker, did you say something? Got all sorts of zoned out…uh… Wanna toke on this roll up?"
"I said, so long as you don't spike it with weed or anything, then whatever... And sure" Sol replied, turning to face the taller of the two of them. Should he just reach over and place it in Sol's mouth? Yeah, okay, he was gonna do that. It'd be more than cool because his boyfriend was totally chill with him, right? Gamzee did just that and was happy to find that Sollux allowed it, giving him something of a guilty pleasure in being able to press his fingers against the other's mouth, even if it was just for a small moment. Nimble looking hands were placed against his own to move it away so that Sollux could breathe out and he watched as the smoke was spirited away by the slight cool breeze that was blowing through this dull suburbia.
"You know, I can always roll you one of these bad boys. There ain't any miraculous shit in them or anything though."
"I don't smoke. You dawdle so much you might as well go the whole fucking way and be wearing clown shoes, considering how long this is taking."
"But you just fucking toked that sh-" He was interrupted by another nudge to the ribs, causing yet another yelp (or rather a 'HONK!') Damn, this lover of his was full of all sorts of contradictions and conflicts...and, motherfuck, did he love it. Nudging a sniggering Sollux right back, they continued the rest of the walk with talk about SBURB and why Zippo lighters seemed to make cigarettes taste better.
It was about this time of day when the school hours were close to ending or when those working the day shift would look longingly at the nearest timepiece to wonder how much more they had to endure of whatever job they were doing. Kurloz himself was currently checking the time, but it was simply from curiosity more than anything else, as the Dark Carnival was both his work and his home. Such a thing was genuinely one of the many wonderful miracles in his life. What wasn't to enjoy about the fact he was able to sit outside his trailer in the autumn sun and take his sweet time with his work? Work currently being a stack of broken seats in dire need of repair. Nashir might have run the carnival from behind the scenes, but Kurloz knew who the true ringmaster was. Not that his 'Daddy's' machinations were not appreciated. The fact that he did all that paperwork and such saved Kurloz a great deal of stress and time, meaning that he could concentrate on important things like repairs, checking safety equipment, orchestrating performances and the general running of the circus. Many, many things really...including dealing with troublemakers or people whom had messed with their other "trade."
Putting down his screw driver, he wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand (not wearing his greasepaint for once as his skin needed some fresh air,) and checked his phone for any messages. It was the best way for people to communicate with him and he even managed phone calls with the assistance of a tooty horn. Once for yes, twice for no, abrupt hang up for 'Fuck you.' It was a simple (if not slightly ridiculous,) system and had proven effective in making sure that his fellow performers were able to get their questions answered, though most of them simply used text.
Speaking of text messages, his phone had been absent of messages from Mituna for the last hour or so, and Kurloz was a little curious as to what the other might be up to that would keep him so quiet. Yes, it had only been two days since their meeting, but Mituna had text him fairly frequently with strange and short updates about anything and everything. Most notably, a message at 4AM, stating that he had filled the bathroom sink with lemonade. Whilst most people would find this amusing or outright stupid, Kurloz saw it that Mituna was in dire need of something other than video games and skateboarding in his garden to fulfill him. Boredom could manifest itself in such destructive ways that he did wonder what else he was driven to.
The sudden sound of ICP's 'Hokus Pokus' that shattered the calm atmosphere of the carnival camp startled him a little. What unruly nonsense was this about? Rather than checking who it was, he simply reached down and grabbed the clown horn he had nearby for such occasions. If it was a telemarketer he could simply hang up otherwise he expected that the call had purpose, as it wasn't like anyone ever called for conversation. At least, not until now.
After pressing the answer icon on his screen, he placed the phone against his ear and immediately recognised the lisping voice on the other end that was causing his stitched mouth to smile so widely.
"HELLO KURLOTHST ITHST MITUA…MITUNA. CAN YOU HEAREDH ME?"
If he could talk, he would have said he could hear him just fine, and that Mituna's neighbours could probably hear him pretty clearly too, judging by the volume of noise coming from his phone. Obviously, he was unable to say such things, so he settled for his usual practise of using the horn and gave it a single squeeze.
Honk.
"OKAYSHT COOL. HELLO KURLTOHZ HOWSH SHIT HANNGIN BRO?"
He was a little surprised that Mituna had taken that to mean 'yes', and he frowned a little in wonder at how Mituna had known such a thing before he recalled that he had taken a phone call the night he'd had the other in his trailer. Now, that went some way to explain why Mituna had bothered ringing him in the first place.
Honk.
"ME TOO. I DISNTHST FUCKING THISNK I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D TALK TO ME BECAUSE YOU DONTH HAVES A VOICE THATSH'S PREETTYY SHITTY BUTHST I TRIED ANWYAY BUT CHEKDSH THIS FUCING NOISE OUT YOU GOT. I SAW YOU DO IT WHEN I SLEPT OVER. REMEBERB THAT?"
Honk. At least his assumption had been correct. That thick, lisping and drooling nonsensical way that Mituna spoke was difficult enough in person, but over the phone, it was outright incomprehensible. Never the less, Kurloz listened on and gave his full attention. It made enough sense to him that he could understand most of what was being babbled into his ear even if it was mentioning his lack of vocals. Most tended to skim over that entirely but Mituna wasn't really the type to have a filter or the sense to omit that out. Not that he could give a flying fuck.
"YESHT, THATHS WAS FUCKINGGG COOL. EWHAT WASTTHE...FUCKING...I DON'T...I'D OTNBSH...ONE...ONE HONK ITHST..YES?"
Honk.
"HELLLSTHS YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS EHAHAHAHA. OHH...OH KURLOZ...I WASTHD THE NEWS. COS I WANTHED TO SHOWED OFF MY FUCKIGN BITCHIN MOVESH ON MY BOARD BUTH ITS RAINING TWOMORRO"
Honk honk. That was wrong. He checked the weather pretty religiously, considering that rain could cause all sorts of problems in his line of work (leaking tents for one.) Kurloz knew for a fact that there was rain due on Wednesday, rather than tomorrow so Mituna had probably gotten the days mixed up.
"ITH IS."
Honk honk. Really? He was going to argue with him? That stubbornness was somewhat endearing, he thought.
"YETH."
Honk honk.
"SO ITHST...NO RAIN?"
Honk.
"FFFFCUKFING TV GOTHT THERI SHIT FUCKING WRONG THFUCK ASSHOLESTH!"
Honk. There was a silent chuckle rumbling in his chest as he listened to Mituna blaming the TV for getting it wrong. He wasn't going to correct him either (not that he could.)
"ARE WESTILL HANGING OUT?"
Honk.
"YORUS SHITHS ATH PHONECALLS MOTHERUCKED BUT IT'S COOL I LIKEHS TALKING TO HONKTH. HURTNSTH MY FUCKING EARS."
Oh hell no, he did not just come out with that! Grinning widely, he decided time to make some proper noise and he squeezed the horn repeatedly. That would give him something to complain about.
Honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk honk!
"FFFFFFFFFFFUCKING SHUTS THU FUCK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPP DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. EHAHAHAHA NOISYH ASSHOLE."
Honk honk.
"YESTH. I AM GOING NOW."
There was a moment of silence where Kurloz simply listened to the sound of a computer starting up and some strange mutterings from Mituna that were impossible to decipher before the other finally spoke to him again, though the tone sounded a little reluctant.
"OK. I AM FUCKINGH OFF NOW… BYE BUDDDYYYYYYYY DO THE TEXTING THING."
If he was honest with himself, he was happy to spend hours on the phone like this. It'd been great so far, but that would not do their phone bills any good. Besides, there were things to be repaired and it was his turn to cook tonight.
Honk.
If that final squeeze of the horn was heard or not, he did not know, but he held onto the phone and listened to the sound of silence. Mituna had still not hung up and Kurloz jumped a bit as the sound of Mituna dropping the phone to the floor caused it to clatter a little. Well, by the sounds of things, the phone had simply been discarded and Kurloz was about to hang up until he heard the occasional button on a keyboard being hit along with quiet mutters. From what he could make out, Mituna was saying 'one for yes, two for no,' over and over again as if trying to imprint it permanently into his head. Was it creepy to just sit there and listen in like that? Probably. But Kurloz decided everything could wait for a small while for once. So, he spent the next 20 minutes leant back in his chair listening to the sound of cussing and typing whilst he closed his eyes and relaxed. The chairs could be repaired later, and the unfortunate victim in his trailer could enjoy his life for just a little longer before Kurloz guided him into the cold embrace of death.
AN: Sorry for this being overdue! I've set a tag up for those of you that wish to ask questions or leave reviews and make suggestions. so track #blackeyedfic for updates, arts and such and you're also welcome to drop me any questions you have. You can also tag any artings or such you have :)
This is simply because you have all been so kind as to leave me reviews and such and I can't always get to replying to them ;_; so now you all have the option of dropping in some asks about the story and characters (tumblr url is xchrononautx-writes.)
The next chapter is likely due in november simply because I have weddings/family events/comic con over the next two months so progress will be a little slow.
A note on the story in general; Some things in regards to each pairing's relationships will be quicker than others. For instance two hormonal teenagers are going to be going at breakneck speed whereas their older siblings kurloz and mituna will take some time. Every relationship is different in real life and there is no right or wrong as to how fast you dive into something or not.
NOTE: the ghb's prefix was fucked up by the incredibly shitty formatting options Fanfic net has X( so its missing the angry eyebrows X( ...