AHAHAHA. Guys. I. Am. So. Sorry. ;_;
I'm moving out in a few days and then classes start. Normally this wouldn't be such a problem but between car troubles and essentially needing to go out and purchase an entire kitchen and file a crap-ton paperwork with my school and yada yada you get the point, I'm not going to be updating for 2-3 weeks. I really hate to take another hiatus so soon. It isn't fair to you but I am on the verge of tearing out my hair.
Trigger Warning: Homophobia. Also contains a hint of lemon. This chapter is one of the reasons this story is rated T.
I do not own Homestuck. To keep busy while I'm off trying not to commit homicide, see if you can find the reference in this chapter :D
"Hey, faggots."
It was amazing how those words could bring everything to a screeching halt. Dirk glared at the man who had been hateful enough to call them out. "What the fuck do you want?" he asked, straightening his posture.
"I want you two fucking homos to quit ruining my evening." The guy was clearly drunk.
"Maybe if you weren't so stupid as to come into our personal space, there wouldn't be a problem," Karkat hissed, letting go of Dirk and getting right up into the man's face.
The drunkard shifted back slightly and Dirk saw him pull his arm back. The Strider grabbed Vantas and pulled him back to keep him from being hit. "We'll go," he backed down. It rankled his pride and his sense of fairness and justice, but he honestly wasn't sure if the other patrons would step up and help him and Karkat or hold them down while they were beaten bloody.
Karkat started protesting but Dirk simply pushed him toward the stairs. The calls from the bastard and other patrons followed them all the way down. They were easily heard despite the loud, thrumming music. As soon as the pair reached the first floor Dirk led Karkat out the front door by grabbing his wrist.
"Why the fuck didn't you let me rip him a new one?" Karkat snarled as soon as they were out.
Dirk tightened his grip. The Alternian didn't even so much as flinch. "They could very well have killed us."
The younger relented, knowing he was right. That didn't mean he was happy about it, though.
"Hey," Roxy stumbled out of the bar, followed by a concerned looking Jane and Gamzee. "What happ'n'd? You looked like you'ere gonna murder someone."
"It's fine," Dirk said nonchalantly, still not letting go of Karkat who was starting to get a little pissed at having his wrist trapped. "I'm done for the night, though. I'm going to head back to the hotel."
Roxy made a humming noise. "I'll go too."
Jane looked between Karkat and Dirk. "I'll go as well." Dirk smiled. The Crocker girl was just trying to be a considerate sleuth. She would take care of Roxy so Karkat and Dirk could be alone.
"I might as well join you," Gamzee rasped. Dirk couldn't help but frown. It wasn't as though he was planning on sleeping with Karkat, but Gamzee apparently wanted to play cockblock anyway.
Karkat didn't even respond. He just started walking toward the parking lot, actually pulling Dirk for the first few steps until Dirk's longer legs brought them even to each other. As they walked, Dirk had to wonder how drunk Roxy was to not call them out when he finally let go of Karkat's wrist, but the boy's hand slipped into his larger one.
The short drive back to the hotel was filled mostly by Roxy's intoxicated giggles. At least Gamzee had relented and let Karkat take the front seat this time. Shortly after arriving at the hotel Dirk got another pleasant surprise from the Purple.
"I'll get Roxy to our room," Jane stated as soon as she was out of the car. She started helping the other girl out of the backseat when Makara intervened.
"Let me give you a hand there, Ms. Crocker," he rasped, helping Jane get Roxy on her feet.
Jane looked lost for words when Gamzee helped guide her inebriated friend in the direction of the girls' room. Jane simply walked by Roxy's other side, ready on the very slim chance that the large and physically capable Alternian couldn't keep Roxy completely upright. Since she said nothing, Gamzee continued. "You probably get this all the time, but would you mind if I asked if you're a relation to the Ms. Crocker?"
"I am, though it's a distant relation, obviously," Jane admitted, not commenting on the fact that she did get rather tired of hearing the question.
Gamzee laughed. "It's a motherfucking miracle." Normally this was the part where people would ask if they could get Betty's autograph, or if Jane would give them a secret recipe, or something of the like. But Makara clearly didn't go with the crowd. "Do you have any hobbies, Ms. Crocker?" he asked, trying to get Roxy moving away from the car where Dirk and Karkat stood feeling even more flummoxed than Jane.
"I… bake."
Instead of asking if she could make him something, as would have been par for the course, Gamzee responded, "Well I'll be! I like baking pies and cupcakes myself. Do you have a preference?"
To Dirk's knowledge, no one aside from Roxy had ever asked that question. Jane was equally surprised, and muttered some sort of reply as the trio finally got out of earshot of the pair of males. "I don't believe it. What the fuck?" Karkat half yelled, keeping just quiet enough that the other occupants of the hotel wouldn't be bothered.
"Should I be worried?" Dirk responded.
"You don't need to worry about Jane. Gamzee's fine when he's not talking about his stupid juggalo religion," Karkat dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I just want to know what the fuck his issue is. He kept telling me not to rush into anything, and then he goes and does that," he gestured in the direction the trio had gone.
Dirk shrugged. "Maybe he's had a change of heart."
"Whatever," the younger boy huffed. He glanced around awkwardly as though he wasn't sure where to go.
"I think Gamzee's going to be busy for a while. Do you want to come to my room for a while?" Dirk offered.
There was a beat of silence. Karkat watched him carefully, as though trying to decide if there was more to the question than was being said. His teeth closed around his lip ring. It was a nervous habit, apparently. The ring was toyed with for a moment before being released. "Okay." Whatever conclusion the Alternian had come to, he was clearly comfortable with it.
They walked quietly, keeping their hands to themselves this time even after Dirk opened the door. The empty room seemed too small despite having room for four people. And yet as they sat down, on the bed of all places, Dirk couldn't help but feel it was too big, allowing too much space between them.
"So how…" Karkat trailed off, biting his ring yet again. "How does this work?"
Dirk wasn't quite sure he understood. "How does what work?" he asked for clarification.
Karkat glanced at him briefly. Sitting side by side prevented too much eye contact. "This," he threw his arms wide, gesturing to everything.
"You're going to have to be a little more specific, Kar."
There was no way to tell if it was the request for specifics or the nickname, but Dirk couldn't help but feel pleased when Karkat blushed. "I don't know how to have a relationship with a guy, obviously. I don't know what to expect. I don't know what you're expecting. Fuck, I don't even know you!" The boy blurted. Judging by the way he clammed up immediately afterward, he had said more than he intended.
They were legitimate concerns though. Dirk took the smaller hand in his for the second time that night. "I write software and build robots," he stated, earning a confused glare from Karkat. "I have a puppet named Lil' Cal and I sew outfits for him, I'm obsessed with katanas, my parents died when I was eighteen, I sing in the shower, and I'm emotionally needy." Once he finished with the list, he waited for Karkat to respond.
"I…" he hesitated again, biting his lip. Dirk's eyes flew to the ring immediately as soon as it was released. "I wish I could write software. My major is Information Technologies but also have a passion for history and culture studies, so I minor in those. I love shitty romcoms. I came to the US because my older brother Kankri was supposed to leave through an exchange program, but gave his spot to me so I wouldn't have to stay. I'm angsty, and probably just as needy as you, but I won't hesitate to tell you off if you're smothering me," the last part, despite being a threat, made Dirk smile. Karkat really wouldn't hesitate to let Dirk know if he was doing something wrong.
The older boy moved closer. The Alternian leaned back slightly, but instead of trying to follow him, Dirk lifted their interlocked hands. He kissed the red-eyed teen's knuckles. Karkat made a noise somewhere between a disgusted snort and a breathless gasp. "I thought you liked shitty romcoms," Dirk teased, though he was a little worried. The uncertainty of whether or not Karkat actually appreciated the gesture somehow made it into his tone, and the other boy picked up on it easily.
"I guess this is the part where I whisper your name and we start the sloppy makeout session," Karkat played along, trying to relieve some of the sudden tension caused by hesitation and nerves.
Dirk managed a smirk, some of his old confidence returning. "I don't know about sloppy makeouts. I am a pretty damn good kisser."
"Arrogant bastard," Karkat muttered, but he didn't pull away when Dirk leaned over. In fact, he leaned in as well. It probably wasn't the best idea, as they almost bumped noses. After a moment they figured it out and managed to press their lips together.
It wasn't quite what Dirk expected. Karkat's lips were thin, probably from all the frowning he did. At least they were fairly soft. The metal of the ring, warm from the heat of Karkat's mouth, was also a rather unusual sensation.
Pretty soon he decided to press his luck and lick the other boy's lips. Karkat kept quiet but didn't protest. Instead he opened his mouth. It was then that things started getting interesting.
At first it was slow and careful. Dirk wasn't sure how sensitive the piercing was, so he did his best to ignore it as he slid his tongue across Karkat's. He felt a small indentation in the muscle for a moment, but before he could put much thought into what had caused it the other tongue was pushing back against his. Suddenly it was a match for dominance.
It didn't last long. They were both doing their best to seduce the other when Karkat's ring briefly caught Dirk's lip. The older boy jerked away with a curse, shaking from the force of arousal that had hit him like a fucking meteorite.
"Did it hurt you?" Karkat asked, genuinely concerned despite the fact that he was trying to catch his breath and wipe a small trail of drool off of his chin at the same time.
Dirk ran shaky fingers through his hair. "No. It was just a really fucking inconvenient time to figure out I have a kink for mouth piercings." He didn't even bother to try to hide his erection when Karkat instinctively glanced at his crotch.
"Fuck," the Alternian muttered, covering his mouth and the 'offending' piece of jewelry. "I, uh, could-"
"No," Dirk cut him off. "You don't have to. Tonight is our first date, after all." He flopped backwards onto the bed. "Just give me a moment to calm down."
Karkat looked uncertain for a moment, but then laid on his stomach beside the painfully aroused Strider. "Try to imagine Gamzee in a codpiece."
Dirk scrunched up his face and placed his palm on the center of his forehead. "I wanted a boner-killer, not mentally scarring images that will no doubt haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life."
Vantas snorted. "You're imagining it; I had to fucking see it last year after he lost a bet with Zahaak!"
"I am so sorry," the older boy replied, genuinely sympathetic. He turned his head to get a better look at Karkat, who was resting his own head on folded arms.
"Do you ever take off the glasses?" Karkat asked.
"Not usually," Dirk replied. "Did you want me to?"
Karkat stayed quiet. Slowly he reached out, giving Dirk plenty of time to push his hand away if he wanted. Instead he allowed the younger male to remove his shades and place them on the nightstand. "They're so orange!" Karkat mumbled into his forearms.
They stayed like that for a while, only bothering to move when they heard voices coming down the hall that were unmistakably their friends. Karkat slipped off the bed slowly. It was clear he was in no rush, but eventually he walked out the door. Dirk heard him exchange some words with Jake on the other side of the door, but the voices were too low for him to hear. He closed his bright orange eyes. He felt too tired to bother changing out of his jeans. It was easier to just scoot up the bed and bury his face in a pillow. He didn't want Jake, or even Sollux or Equius, to see him grinning like a lovestuck fool.