Pain. A four letter word. Used to describe an unpleasant sensation causing discomfort.
Oh, Karkat was in a shitload of pain. His legs, his throat, a weird knob in the pit of his stomach. They all hurt. He'd been slammed into walls, almost strangled to death, verbally abused, and nothing hurt more than this weird knob. Was it guilt? No. Too strong for guilt. Exhausted, Karkat collasped on the grassy floor beneath him, wanting nothing more than this feeling to stop. He curled his knees up to his chin, crammed his eyes shut, and waited for things to stop hurting. Of course, it was never that easy.
He lay there for ten minutes, completely restless, until he reached into his bag to get another sweater for a pillow. Paper scraped against his fingers, and he gave it a curious tug. Karkat had eaten all the chocolate bars, so what was it?
A pair of crinkled 3D glasses were in his hands.
Karkat let out a laugh, a weak and bitter sound, before placing those paper glasses right on the bridge of his nose. Staring blankly up at the now colourful sky, Karkat watched in silence, as if something exciting would happen. And as though on cue-
"Karkat!"
Shit. Someone had found him. They were going to take him back.
"Karkat!"
Holding his breath, Karkat did his best not to make a single sound. Maybe they'd avoid him? He only heard one voice.
"KK!"
No. Fucking. Way.
"KAAAAYYYYY-KAAAAAAYYYYYY!"
"SOLLUX FUCKING CAPTOR, WHAT THE HELL?!" Karkat shot upwards like a bullet, desprately scanning the field. There he was. Running right at him, a wide smile on his face.
"KK!" Sollux cried, engulfing Karkat in a giant hug. "What the fuck ith wrong with you?!"
Startled, Karkat held onto Sollux for dear life. "Fuck...fuck you..."
They stood like that for a long time, not saying anything. Just hanging onto the other like it was their only way to survive in that cold, empty field. No words were exchanged during that brief moment, but they both felt something. Eventually, Karkat let go.
"You know," Sollux said, "I'll come with you."
"You're crazy, you can't just drop everything and leave!" Karkat exclaimed, then he realised what he had just said and frowned.
"KK, how old are you?" Sollux asked, out of the blue.
"Seventeen, fuckass, I'm underaged."
Sollux tapped his chin, "When'th your birthday?"
"July sixteenth, why?" Karkat shrugged.
Sollux grinned, widely, and gathered Karkat into another hug. "KK! Today'th July twenty-third! You've been eighteen for an entire week!"
"Wait- Hold the fuck up!" Karkat's jaw dropped, "I missed my fucking birthday?!"
"You idiot!" Sollux clapped his hands on Karkat's cheeks, staring right at him. "You're not underaged! Kankri can't take you home, 'cauthe you're an adult!"
As the news settled in, Karkat's shocked expression melted into a smile.
"Are thothe my glatheth?" Sollux suddenly asked, hands falling back to his sides.
"Shut the fuck up," Karkat yelped. He gave them back to Sollux, who placed them on his face with a satisfied smirk. A pregnant silence followed.
"Let'th go back," Sollux finally sighed, picking up Karkat's backpack.
"We have to tell my fucking brother off," Karkat agreed, cheerful that his stomach no longer hurt. "The look onhis face will be priceless!"
It was, indeed, priceless.
Kankri's jaw dropped, closed, dropped again, until he finally let out an exaggerated gasp. "I'm so sorry, it must have been highly offending to forget the day of your birth! Please allow me to apologise, I refuse for it to happen ever again!"
Karkat chuckled, "Don't start, Kanny, I forgot my fucking birthday, too."
"This means you're of age, Karkat." Kankri said, as if he had just realised it. "We drove here to get you, and now look what we've got!"
"Vell, I'm sure Karkat vill get along svimmingly vith these people," Cronus seemed to be amused with the whole situation, "Come on, Kan, let's find a hotel."
A few more arguements, a quick and awkward hug, and a wave goodbye later, Meenah broke out a bottle of champaigne. "We're celebrating! Crabby is here to stay!"
"Until I find a better place," Karkat quipped, but was grinning nonetheless. Casting one sideways glance at Sollux, he didn't think he'd want to leave even if there was a better place.
...
Two weeks after the Kankri incident, Meenah was slightly annoyed. The Crab and Sollux knew how they felt, but apparently had no balls to actually admit it. Men. She decided there was only one thing left to do with the situation.
"You're going out, tonight!" Meenah nodded, handing two ticket looking things to Sollux.
"Thay what?" he raised an eyebrow, a peculiar sight with those 3D specs on.
Meenah crossed her arms, "I said, you and KK are getting your glubbing asses outta my house, and going to dinner at a fancy cabaret! I've got myself a membership for that place, but I ain't the one in denial."
"Denial...?" Sollux echoed, tilting his head to the side. Meenah promptly flicked his forehead. "You. KK. Have fun."
They did't have much of a choice in the matter, because Eridan was in on Meenah's little plan. He all but kidnapped Sollux, as Meenah sought out Karkat.
Sitting by the pool, dangling his feet in, Karkat found himself being hauled inside. "What the fuck?" He growled, lashing out his arms. Meenah threw him into her room, then ran for her closet. Karkat watched her, looking very angry, and was even more so when he got a tuxedo thrown right at his face. "Again, I'll ask, WHAT. THE. FUCK."
"You and Sollux are going on a date," Meenah hummed, "My treat."
Confused, Karkat stared down at the tuxedo in disgust. "Does Sollux know about this?"
"Eridan is getting him pampered as we speak." Meenah cackled, pulling at Karkat's borrowed T-shirt. With much effort, much swearing, and a little too much naked Karkat for her liking, Meenah got the kid into the suit. "Well, you look dashing!"
"I feel like dashing. Right out of this place." Karkat grumbled, accidentally misplacing a button and having to re-do the entire thing. Meenah snorted at him, only to be glared at in return.
"You might like it," she smiled, "It's a great place, just say you know Meenah and they'll hook you up with a great seat!"
"Why would they do that?" Karkat asked, adjusting his shirt collar.
"I'm best friends with the owner, Aranea." Meenah answered, "She and I go way back."
Karkat just nodded, expression impassive. The information of the fact he'd be alone with Sollux at a restaurant seemed to have just sunken in, and boy, he was taking it in the 'oh shit, what the fuck do I do?' kind of way. "Oh shit, what the fuck do I do?"
Meenah shook her head, braids flying everywhere as a result and she smiled. "I'mma pull as cheesy one on you, just be yourself, (only less explicit with language)!"
"I don't even know who that is!" Karkat whined, running a hand through his tangled hair.
These boys were both so similair, Meenah had to laugh. "Come on, lt's go see if your date's ready!" she grinned, ushering Karkat out the door.
Sollux and Eridan stood in the living room, Eridan looking extremely proud of himself, Sollux looking...wow. He was in a plain, black suit, no tie, and one button undone at the collar of his white dress shirt, throw it in with his handsome face, no 3D glasses, and bam! Sexy. Meenah fanned herself with a loud compliment, and Karkat just looked embarrassed, self consicous, and adorable.
"You look nice," Sollux mumbled, smiling shyly.
"You look like you belong in a magazine," Karkat shot back, blushing.
With a wide grin, Meenah tossed them the keys to her car and shooed them out the door. With luck, they would come back holding hands. She didn't want to consider the other option. "Ah, kids grow up so fast!"
"Yeah," Eridan wiped away mock tears.
It was then Feferi came through the door asking why Sollux and Karkat where speeding away in Meenah's car in suits like action movie heroes.
...
"You, sir, are a fucking genius!" Karkat laughed, following Sollux into the store. "Meenah'll never know because she didn't book reservations or anything!"
"Ath much ath I'd love a romantic dinner with you," Sollux smiled at him, "I think our firtht date thould be thomething we weren't forced into."
"I couldn't agree more." Karkat smirked, heading down the clothing aisle. Using Meenah's expensive-dinner money, they bought themselves each a pair of jeans, Karkat then got a black undershirt and hoodie, Sollux only grabbing a random striped polo shirt, before they ran off to the nearest fast-food joint.
"Erm, I have no idea how to act on dates." Karkat confessed, sitting down at one of the booths. Sollux just chuckled, "Neither do I." They ate in companiable silence, then Karkat decided to strike up a conversation. It didn't really go anywhere, they just laughed, talked, ate, and stared at each other. It was all very nice.
"I have an idea!" Sollux exclaimed when they'd finished their 'meal'.
"Lay it on me," Karkat said, curiously.
"Nope, itth a thurprithe!" Sollux chided, taking Karkat's wrist and leading him back to the car. The drive lasted quite a while, and by then, the sun was setting, a pleasant pink and gold hue across the horizon. That's when Karkat noticed where they were going.
"The beach?" he raised his eyebrows, peering out at the ocean a few roads away. Sollux nodded, speeding the car so they were closer to their destination.
"I've never actually been to the ocean," Karkat mumbled, "Only pools and lakes."
"Today ith your lucky day, then!" Sollux was absolutely eccentric, holding out his hand as Karkat got out of the car. Bashfully, the other boy took it, and then they were running. Their shoes were kicked off, along with their socks, hot sand reaching for toes and feet with a strange sense of hope. Sollux saw no point in keeping the newly bought clothes dry, apparently, and ran knee deep into the water, Karkat at his side.
Splashing War: Round Two.
It was so much fun, more fun then Karkat had ever had. He was happy, he was light, and smiling. A forceful splash sent him backwards into the water, to which he reacted by giggling in place of angry swear words. Turning into a fluffy marshmallow around Sollux was proving to not be so bad. "KK, are you okay?" Sollux asked, clapping a hand over his mouth to bite back laughter. Karkat replied by gripping onto Sollux's ankle and pulling him down. Both young men laughed, getting mouthfuls of salt flavored water.
"Ugh, now you can say you got me all wet." Karkat grumbled, sitting up. That was a mistake, seeing as waves liked to send people under. Smacking into Sollux, the two boys were awkwardly shoved to the shore by an irritating current.
"Thith feelth like the little mermaid," Sollux chuckled.
"Oh, hell no, I am not Ariel!" Karkat complained, straightening up to glare at Sollux, but a little. "If anything, Fefri is Ariel."
"You're right, how thilly of me, you're thebathian the crab." Sollux rolled his eyes.
"What, does that make you flounder?" Karkat teased, poking Sollux's shoulder.
"Nah, I'm Urthula." Sollux proclaimed.
"Does that mean I'm on a date with a sea witch?" Karkat asked, sitting up. Sollux seemed to think about this, sat up, and then shook his head.
"Nah, you're jutht on a date with me." he murmured, smiling.
"Obviously," Karkat said, watching the waves tumble out in the distance. "It's getting kind of dark, maybe we should start heading back."
"Okay," Sollux nodded, standing up. He stretched out his hand without hesitation, and Karkat gratefully took it.
They debated on what Disney movie resembled their lives the entire drive home.