Author's Note: This is a collection of thirty one-shots all set in the Homestuck-verse. They might contradict each other, since, unless otherwise noted, they aren't directly related to each other.
Prompt: "The simple ones aren't simple. The broken ones aren't broken."-Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
Summary: Tavros hordes his victories in preparation for his last failure.
Character(s): Tavros Nitram
Spoilers: Through a significant part of Act 5 Part 2, but if you're anywhere near current then none.
Everyone writes Tavros off after the FLARP accident. He's confined to a wheelchair, after all, so there's no way he'll get a matesprit (although Vriska may be his kismesis). He'll be culled at adulthood or earlier, especially since he's just an orange-blood.
Or so everyone says; even the trolls Tavros considers frenemies.
But Tavros isn't culled. No blue-blood comes knocking to put him out of his misery, no purple-blooded Subjuggulator paints his hive walls with his blood, and no Imperial Drone ever comes knocking at his door. Admittedly, that last one is because of the game he and the other eleven play, but Tavros still counts it as a victory.
And then Tavros racks up points and boonbucks like no one other than Vriska. He doesn't get any levels because he befriends the monsters instead of killing them, but he's okay with that. And okay, so Vriska helps him get the treasure, but Tavros still did it. Not many of the others can say that they did as much as him, even if they all did quite a bit.
When Tavros realizes what Vriska is planning in regards to the demon, he knows he has to stop her. Well, he has to try. He's fairly certain he won't be able to beat her. She's the Light player, after all. But he has to do what he can, because no one else will.
Tavros suits up and goes to meet his death. After everything they have been through, the least he can do is try.