The couches were soothingly soft and the ambiance comfortable in the student center, but that did little to ease Karkat's irritation.

Sollux looked over his shades at the code in front of him, trying his best to ignore the irate fidgeting to his left. "Welp, no wonder your code won't compile, KK," he pressed his finger to the laptop screen, "You've clogged this up with so much bullshit the compiler's falling asleep trying to wade through all this drivel."

Karkat snarled, leaning forward with his eyebrows furrowed, "Oh well pardon me oh wise fucking sage of the kingdom of hardware sorcery if my technique is too intricate for you and your professional ways!"

Sollux rolled his eyes and hunched over the laptop. It was weird, using someone else's computer; the mouse was all wrong, the resolution was weird, the keyboard just a little too small, and something about the color was just not quite right.

He scrolled through the text, line after line of over-complication on what was meant to be a fairly easy concept. "KK, you have easily eighty-two lines here you don't need for fucking anything. For somebody with so few working brain cells, you sure do draw this shit out waaaay more than you need to."

Karkat shoved Sollux back as he had been practically in his lap, "I didn't say you could hunch your slimy, greasy self over my fucking keyboard!"

"You wanted my help, you deal with it. And, you get me a Mountain Dew." Sollux jabbed a thumb towards the soda machine. "Chop chop, kohai, and I'll tell you the great secret to make your shitfest trainwreck of a coding assignment work."

Karkat yanked his laptop back, "Fat chance, weeb, I can get this shit done just fine on my own! Just because it takes me longer than five minutes to complete an assignment doesn't mean I'm entirely inept at any unspeakable terror I can dish out against the scourges of the internet!"

"Fine. Fail your assignment, and just watch me give a fuck. It won't compile no matter how many more lines you try to crowbar in, you know." Sollux pulled out his phone and fiddled with it.

"Bullshit!" Karkat mercilessly pounded at the keyboard, as if the hard strokes were enough to force the computer to do its bidding. A few moments later, though, Sollux was proven right, a fact made evident by how he stomped his foot in frustration.

"Ehehehehe, told you." Sollux leaned over, deliberately invading Karkat's personal space as much as possible. "How many lines did you add?"

Karkat shoved the computer in Sollux's direction, inching away and muttering, "Oh what, you can't tell from one glance of your fucking horseshit wizard eyes what I did wrong?"

Sollux grinned, not yet taking the laptop. "Sure I can. The software gods have not yet been given tribute, though, so there's pretty much fuck all I can do about it, though."

Karkat sighed deeply and got up without a word, eyebrows set in an angry downward slope as he walked off towards the vending machine.

"Code Red if they've got it!" Sollux called after him, making sure to draw as much attention as possible from the others in the student center.

Karkat arrived back a few minutes later, unceremoniously dropping the green bottle between Sollux's legs, "There, I've gone on the great quest for your fucking go-go juice, now fix my homework."

Sollux regarded the bottle and tapped the side, in case Karkat had shaken it, uncapped it, and took a swig. It tasted like smug victory. "Is that any way to talk to your sensei?"

"I was this close to getting a blue one to spite you and your smug fucking ways so don't push me, you got it?"

"Fine," he shrugged. "So, you want to know the big secret, huh? You're getting too complicated with it; this is seriously elementary-level stuff. Track it back and try it again."

Karkat sat in front of Sollux and yanked his computer back once again, typing furiously.

Sollux watched over his shoulder. "Nope. Delete that, you're just confusing it more. Track it back and try again."

Karkat's neck twitched as he did as he was told, focusing all his rage toward the computer.

Sollux folded his legs under him and took another drink. "Still not getting it right. Track it back and try again."

Karkat deleted all of it and typed it again, basically retyping exactly what he had before.

"Track it back and try it again," Sollux said, exasperation in his voice. As usual, Karkat was making things far more difficult for himself than they ever really needed to be.

"Well what the fuck am I doing wrong then, huh?!" Karkat threw his hands up, "Is there some mundane fucking trick that somehow passed by my razor sharp goddamn focus during class when I was right there and learning this that somehow isn't translating to your expertise?"

"Track it back and try again. Track it back and try again. Track it back and try again. Come on, KK, are you seriously too dense to figure out what I'm telling you? Track it back and try again."

"Just fucking say what you're trying to say, dunkass! I'm having aneurysm here and you're just getting all Karate Kid on me and it's not fucking helping!" Karkat was red in the face.

"I'm telling you to use a loop, you insufferable twit!" Sollux waved at the screen vaguely, "You need to call back to a function, not just re-write the fucking thing eighteen times. Shit KK, you suck at this."

"And you suck at making any viable attempt in actually teaching someone how to actually do something they already know how to fucking do. Congratulations dipshit, you're so inept you make me fail at the simple task of recalling how to perform a simple fucking task." Karkat wrote the loop clumsily as he ranted.

"Wow, ungrateful as fuck, but fine. No, don't mind me, trying to help you figure shit out on your own. Clearly my assistance is wasted here." Sollux looked over at the screen, "And have fun with that, Big Chief Doesn't-Know-A-Colon-From-A-Semicolon."

Karkat quickly amended the error as though it were his intention all along, "There, is that shit satisfactory to you or do I have to grovel some more and get you some blood to snack on before the dawn rises on campus?"

"That joke doesn't work at two in the afternoon, you realize," Sollux took another drink and checked his phone, as Karkat assaulted his keyboard once more.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sollux spied a familiar figure in a cat-eared hoodie dancing along between the couches and chairs, totally absorbed in her iPod. "Hey KK, your girlfriend's here," he gestured towards Nepeta.

Karkat swiftly punched Sollux's shoulder, "Shut your fanged, lisping maw right now on the fucking 'girlfriend' bullshit."

Nepeta bobbed and twirled along, generally oblivious to strange and bemused looks, "Never did no harm, never did no harm; it's dare. It's coming up, it's coming up, it's coming up, it's-ooh! Hi!" She grinned, noticing the pair of them and waving as she pulled the earphones out.

Karkat waved, face seemingly frozen in half grimace and half begrudging amusement.

Close enough to an invitation. She bounced over, smiling brightly. "Hey guys, how's it going?"

"Not too shabby, NP, just schooling this loser here on how to not make an ass of himself in comp sci." He pointed a thumb at Karkat.

"Just because he's a shitsucking show-off he thinks he's adept at making me look like an idiot." He turned to Sollux and pointed, "Joke's on you! I already do that all by myself!"

Sollux shrugged, "I have literally nothing to add to that."

"Be nice!" Nepeta sat down on Karkat's other side, and Sollux pointed over Karkat's shoulder to one of the sewn-on ears of her calico hoodie.

"You just don't give up a theme, do you, NP?"

"Why should I? It's cute and soooo comfy!" She tugged her hood down and mewled. She waited a moment, hoping for some sign of confirmation, but when none came, she changed the topic. "Hey, what are you guys doing for Halloween?"

Karkat rose his head in surprise while Sollux remained neutral. Karkat thought for a moment before replying, "I don't know, probably whatever Sollux is doing."

"Then nothing then. I don't really do Halloween." Sollux replied coolly.

"Aw, that's no fun!" Nepeta pouted, kneeling on the couch to face the guys. "You guys gotta come to my friend's party. It's going to be soooooo much fun! Aradia and Equius are already going!"

Karkat looked over in confusion, "You have a whole fucking latex scientist get-up planned for a larping event and you don't fucking like halloween? The fuck kind of logic is that?"

"Don't blame me for your lack of preparation, asshat. Besides, FF's to blame; you want to talk five-foot-ten of high-pitched giggling out of her personal costume party? Go for it, I haven't figured out how."

Nepeta's ears perked up, "Costume party, you say?"

Karkat responded with a nod, "Oh yeah, big stupid superhero shindig bound to leave the quad looking like a fucking warzone. Meant to ask if you were interested in being on the side of victory."

Nepeta started to bounce on her knees, squealing, "Yes! When is it? Can we make up our own characters? What are you guys gonna be? How long do I have to get a costume ready? Can I bring Equius? How about Aradia?"

Karkat caught Sollux's exasperated gaze for a moment before responding, "I don't know anything about this fucktarded lawnscapade except that it's in April and my friends are trying to get as many weirdos involved as they can. Bring your whole fucking girlscout troop for all I care."

"Awesome!" She pulled out her phone, "Okay, I'm setting an alert for November first. There's no way I can handle it now, I have too much to do, but I want to hear ieverything/i afterwards, okay? And yes, sign me the heck up!"

Sollux nodded, "I guess FF'll be glad to have more heroes to pwn and skewer."

"FF?" Nepeta started, but stopped herself, holding up her hands, "Nope, nevermind. Tell me everything after Halloween. Oh, but I wish you guys would come to the party!"

Sollux subconsciously folded in on himself, as though ignoring the question.

Karkat snorted, "Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which fills up first."

Sollux looked over, "...The fuck?"

"Old Wilkinson family saying," grinned Nepeta.

Karkat glanced at her with an approving smirk.

Sollux looked between the both of them, "And when the world falls and I'm left with you two for company, I'll promptly hang myself."

"Noooo, no need for hanging, you can go adventuring with us! With society in ruins, the only thing to do is band together, hotwire a jeep, and go seeking peril and/or shenanigans. Don't you watch movies?"

Sollux shook his head, focus still at his computer screen, "Not really. KK over there does though."

Karkat responded with a hurried wave of his head, "Yeah yeah, she knows. There's a reason we hang out other than my roguish charm and pulchritudinous nature."

Nepeta giggled, "I collect those, actually! Pressurized potions of pulchritude, to be specific." She looked back and forth between blank stares, "Kingdom of Loathing? You guys don't play?"

Karkat shook his head in confusion while Sollux said, "Nope, isn't really my style."

Karkat asked, "Well what is it?"

Nepeta jumped up, waving her arms, "Only the best game! You gotta try it! The currency is meat, I get to play as a Seal Clubber, and I have a huuuuge collection of Disturbing Fanfics and Cheezburgers."

Karkat's face twisted in a grimace, "How does that even work? How can a society run on a currency based on meat?"

"Pshht, it's parody! I'll email you later, we'll have you beating up war hippies in no time."

Sollux rolled his eyes. He'd gotten this spiel before, around when Aradia had been drafted into the stupid game; he was only thankful when his phone rang. He stuck a finger in one ear, put the phone up to the other.

"Yo, KN, what's broken? Why else would you call? Did you try restart-Okay! Okay! Shit, woman, how am I supposed to know? No. Yeah, I guess...I didn't say-! Ugh, FINE. I'll be over in a sec."

He hung up and began to pack up his bag, much to Karkat's dismay, "Where do you think you're going?"

"FF suspects Kanaya broke something on her computer and I have to fix it."

"Right now?" Karkat's glare was molten.

Sollux shrugged, "It's my duty."

"Duty my ass!" Karkat twitched, looking back at Nepeta.

Nepeta glanced between the two of them, "Duty?"

"I've been reduced to go-to tech sap for KK's friends because obviously I have nothing better to do." Sollux zipped one final zipper.

"...Is that a bad thing?" Nepeta looked at Sollux, confused.

Sollux thought on it for a moment before he shrugged a shoulder, "I'm the only one who can prevent less disasters on this campus."

As Sollux turned to leave, Nepeta plopped back down on the couch beside Karkat. "You sure you can't make the Halloween party? I want my bestest buds here and Aradia and Equius are already going!"

Sollux answered noncommittally, "I'll see what I can do."

"Yeah I'm sure you will." Karkat responded as Sollux left.

Nepeta huffed, and fussed with her bag. "I still gotta finish their costumes, though. Man! It could've been soooo easy, but no, people always gotta complicate things..."

Karkat looked over, "Why couldn't they come up with their own damn costumes?"

"Well, Aradia asked me to help, and it's not like I was gonna say no! She helps with my cosplay photoshoots all the time. Anyway, she's the easy one. Mr. 'No I won't go as Tarzan that's lewd' Fussypants is the problem." She flopped back against the couch, her bag in her lap. "Seriously. Tarzan and Jane. It would've been great! But nooooo, he needs something with pants. Picky, picky, picky."

Disinterested but pseudo-polite, Karkat shrugged, only half-listening as he went back to his code. "What'd you finally wrangle him into, and did it take a choke hold or a half-nelson to get him to eventually agree to it?" he asked, as he tried to set up the compiler.

"Zorro. Can you believe that?" Nepeta grumbled quietly, something about no imagination and no ability to even compromise on an open-shirt design. She perked, "Me and Aradia are gonna be fairies. Pretty fairies! I'll be a green fairy—think Disney Tinkerbell—and Aradia's going to be a red one. The paint should be dry on the wings by tomorrow but I could show you now if you'd like to see…?"

"YES!" Karkat shouted, triumphantly as his program finally, ifinally/i gave him the expected output.

"Really?" Nepeta beamed, bouncing eagerly in her seat.

"Sorry, what?" Karkat did not turn to her, but waved at his laptop, "No, this cockscraping code finally fucking worked. What were you saying? About bells?"

Nepeta drooped, but she just smiled politely, "Nothing important."