The sun was already setting when me and Gamzee got to my house, I knew my brother wouldn't be back for a long while so I asked Gamzee if he wanted to hang out and just walk around. The first thing I did was walk into my house was go check my cut in the bathroom mirror, it wasn't that big but it was starting to bruise a little around the cut. I sighed as I walked out
oH MAN IF RUFIOH SEES THIS HES GOING TO GO CRAZY,,,
I walked into my room and Gamzee is already on my bed stringing his guitar
iS THERE A DAY HE DOESN'T TAKE THAT ANYWERE HE GOES,,
I smiled at the thought, I have heard him play it a couple of times and I have seen him play with a band him and a couple of other guys made but sometimes he likes to play alone in the park or wherever there's someone to listen. Then I remembered that was the reason we met, it was winter break and I was walking in the park (my brother was in jail at the time and I didn't like being all alone by myself at the house, so I just walked around or hung out with Karkat and his sister) I had my rust orange jacket on zipped up all the way, I was covering my face with my hood and had my hands in my pockets (I didn't really like the cold weather even though I did enjoy the snow) when I walked into the center of the park I sat under the giant oak tree that was right in the center of the park. All I did was close my eyes and listen as people walked by, the chattering of birds, the honking of geese, until I heard a beautiful melody that could only be made from a guitar, with that melody sang a beautiful voice singing 'Chasing Cars' by Snow Patrol (it was a recent song) I looked over to see a tall boy sitting Indian style on a bench. He had an indigo guitar case next to the bench and people threw in a coin or a dollar when they walked by, he wore a purple beanie and a baggy black jacket, he had torn dark blue jeans and purple converse, his face was painted like a clown. I slowly got up and walked over, he looked up at me as he continues to sing, I couldn't help but smile, he gestured his hand to let me sit next to him as he continues to sing. When I sat next to him he turned to me
"if I lay here…if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?"
I couldn't help but clap as I smiled "wow, uhh, you have a really nice, uh, voice" I comment, he just smirks at me before he paces his guitar back in the case not even noticing the money in there. "Thanks brotha' I try my best to please whoever wants this motherfucker's attention." He reaches out his hand to me "I'm Gamzee, Gamzee motherfucking Makara." I reached out to shake his hand "I'm Tavros, uhh, Tavros Nitram." "Well nice too meet you Tavbro, so what are you doing in this part of town? You don't really look like..One of those guys." He says trying not to sound offensive "you mean a Hood? Unfortunately I am, my brother is and so was my dad so now I have to be one of them, what about you? You look like a Hood to me." He laughs "nah bro I'm one of those what you guys call 'snobs'." I looked at him with a confused expression "Really? Because you look like a Hood to me." He smirks "And you look like an Upperclassmen." I just laughed "nope I'm a Hood, well I don't want to be one, I hate the ongoing war, the hate crimes, well pretty much all of it." He sighs "yeah I feel you brother, I hate this unmiraculious war." He sighs "I never knew a Hood would think the same thing." He says as he looks me in the eyes, I smirked at him "And I never knew a 'snob' would think that too." I giggle. "Hey man, don't we go to the same school or something? I know I recognize this motherfucker from somewhere." He asks "yeah we go to the same school, I've seen you around the halls but hey who wouldn't notice someone with a purple guitar case on their back." I answer. "Well these two motherfuckers should hang out more; you seem like a cool guy." He says eying me, I instantly blush and turn my head down and look at his guitar case "uhh, you seem cool t-too, but I don't think you would want to be branded a traitor, everyone knows what happens to someone hanging out with another guy from you know…another gang." (He was an Upperclassmen so he out of all people should know that anyone branded would be shunned and beaten) he sighs as he scratches the back of his head "yeah I know, and I also know my pops would kill me if he knew I was friends with a Hood." I shoot my gaze back at him "f-friends? We're friends?" I ask he just laughs "Well hells yeah were friends! We have some shit in common, and you seem to be harmless." He pulls out a switchblade and shows it to me; I instantly flinch and shut my eyes "See? If you were as bad as those Hoods you would have pulled a blade or gun out instantly." I slowly open my eyes as he retracts the blade and puts it back in his pocket "besides I only carry that miracle because my pops makes me." He looks me in the eyes, I'm still looked spooked "Besides I wouldn't hurt someone as innocent looking as you." He laughs and stands up, "come on, let's go grab some coffee or something before we both freeze our asses off." I instantly stand up "o-Okay." I stuttered out, we walk out of the park just talking to each other about random things.
I finally come back to reality when I hear him start playing his guitar; he turns his head towards the window as he starts to sing
"looking out, across the night-time. The city winks a sleepless eye, hear her voice, shakes my window…Sweet seducing sighs."
I sit next to him as he goes on.
"get me out, into the night-time…four walls won't hold me tonight,"
he turns to look me in the eyes
"if this town…is just an apple, then let me take a bite, if they say why, why, tell them that it is human nature, why, why…does he do me that way?"
I knew this song by heart; he knows it's one of my favorites, so I start to sing along.
"If they say why, why tell 'em its just human nature, why, why, does he do me that way?"
"Reaching out, to touch a stranger, electric eyes everywhere." He looks me in the eye "see that boy, he knows I'm watching, he likes the way I stare,"
Before either of us could continue I hear the front door slam open and the sound of boots awkwardly stumbling towards my room. My brother walks in with a beer in his hand. His face was bruised and bloodied, his black sweat shirt covered in beer and blood stains, and his knuckles were bleeding and swollen. "Hey bro" he slurs out holding on to the door to keep balanced "who's…who's yo friend there." He slurs. I look at Gamzee barley realizing I was leaning on his shoulder. I quickly sit up straight and look at my inebriated brother "Bro did you get in a bar fight again?" I ask changing the subject, he laughs "you know it brother, you should see the loser." He slurs again nearly falling to the floor. He takes gulp of the beer he had in his hand and looks back at me and Gamzee "When did the circus come to town?" he slurs out looking at Gamzee's face. He was obviously too drunk to remember his and Gamzee's encounter this morning. I turned to Gamzee who is trying to hold back from laughing, he never took offense whenever someone commented on his face paint, and I guess he finds it hilarious to have a drunken person's reaction. Rufioh didn't even wait for an answer then he said "just don't stay up late, and tell him the drill." He stumbles out of my room into the hallway to his room; I turned my gaze to Gamzee who just looked confused at the last remark from my brother. "Drill?" he asks "yeah, uhh, my brother, likes to sleep all natural, uhh, if you get what I mean." He stares at me before the throws his head back laughing "oh man! That is wicked!" He laughs out "I should try that some time." He laughs; I looked down blushing trying to keep the thought of Gamzee like that out of my head. "Well," Gamzee stands up "I guess I can crash on the couch or something, my old man is out on a business trip, won't be back till next week." He walks out of my room then turns back to me "wait, it's cool if I crash here tonight right?" "Of course bro, you're always welcome here 'mi casa es su casa' is something my dad would always say." He smiles as he takes off his jacket "cool bro." he walks over to the living room and I follow "uhh, you don't have to sleep on the couch, when my sisters left with my mom they left most of their things you know, like their beds and stuff; I think I have an extra blanket in my closet." I tell him, he turns to me "well if you insist bro." we both walk down the hall passing my brothers room, I quickly gaze in; he's already passed out on the bed. When I get to the last room down the hall I turn on the light switch. All there is in the room is the bed and a pillow, he walks over and jumps on the bed "Yeah I can chill here." He says as he keeps bouncing on the edge of the bed. I walked over and see something written on the wall of the closet in light blue, I walked over to get another look (after my sisters left I never went into their rooms.) when I get a closer look 'Damn Hoods' was written in blue spray paint. I sigh of course this was from Vriska (she never accepted that she was part Hood, she thought she was as much as an Upperclassmen as our mother and that's why she hated and tortured me when we were younger, because she thought I were nothing but a Hood) I looked down, I felt sick to my stomach, I didn't want to look at it again. I didn't even notice Gamzee walk up to me and put his hand on my shoulders "one of your sisters?" he asks, I look over my shoulder trying to fight back tears "yeah, my twin, she…she always thought Rufioh and I were good for nothing Hoods. She hated both of us, and she would always torture me and get me into trouble when we were younger." He reaches out and closes the closet door "Well she sounds like a heartless bitch." He whispers "Yeah she is, she made my life a living hell," I sighed "even when she isn't here she still makes it one." Gamzee pauses for a moment before turning me around and holding on to me tight. I start to blush again, "Well you know you're not one of them, and I know you are not one of them, if it's not true then don't let it get to you." He holds me tighter, "go get some sleep man, tomorrow we can go somewhere miraculous afterschool." Then it hits me, what happened a while back, he fought one of his own to protect me, and he let him get away, that guy is going to tell everyone what happened. "You're branded…" I whisper, he lets go of me and looks me in the eye, he pauses for a moment "yeah, I guess I am." He smiles "but it was worth it, if only to know my favorite motherfucker is alright." His smiling face quickly turns to concern "doesn't that mean you are too?" I look down at his indigo shirt
hE SAVED ME,,, hE TOLLED THAT UPPERCLASSMEN THAT I WAS HIS FRIEND,,, bUT,,,iF HE DIDN'T SAVE ME I WOULD HAVE BEEN AS GOOD AS DEAD,,, i GUESS IT WAS WORTH IT,,,
I hugged him, tucking my head under his chin "worth it." I whispered.