A/N yeah I know I'm updating two things in one day. I'm just excited and actually writing a lot for once so yeah. Also, mild gore in the second half of this chapter.
The Signless grew up under constant supervision, The Countess visited him often, too often according to the young Signless. She would come every day at midnight and stay a few hours, sometimes longer until just before daybreak when she would leave to go check on other wrigglers she'd sponsored into the Cull System.
The Signless opened his hive door and glared up at the countess.
"Hello, Karkat, how have you been?"
He squinted his eyes at her, "You mean for the past 16 hours since you've shoved your nose in my life? Much better once you left."
The Countess frowned at him disapprovingly, "Karkat, what have I told you about being rude?"
He stared at his feet refusing to make eye contact with her, "You're not my custodian, Countess."
The Countess sighed in irritation, "Karkat, are you going to let me in?"
He opened the door a little wider and stepped out of the way, "Stop using my name, Countess."
She kneeled down in front of him, mussing with his hair, "Karkat it's my show of care for you."
He growled and shouted at her, "Get out of my life!"
She stopped and stared at him, "Karkat I-"
"Stop using my name, Kanaya! It's disrespectful and stupid. Use my goddamn title!"
"Karkat! Language!"
"You don't actually give a shit about me, you just want to send me away t-to one of those Cull Centers! You just want to kill Crabdad and send me away. Don't act like that's not what happens! I'm not a moron! I know where culled lusii go!"
The Signless paused for breath, turning red from his tantrum. The Countess stared at him before holding a hand to his cheek, "K- Signless, the Cull System is not a bad thing. It will make sure that you are safe. It's a place that you can go in order to escape discrimination. The Cull System has saved millions of lives."
The Signless looked up at The Countess and frowned, "What about Crabdad? They'll just feed him to Gl'bgolyb."
The Countess took The Signless's face in her hands, "Signless, Don't worry about your custodian. If you are accepted into the Cull System that's not a bad thing, it's for your own good. You'll be safe and happy there."
"How would you know what makes me happy? You don't know the first thing about me."
"I know that you want to be a leader. I know that you love people even when you act like you don't. I know that you have nightmares even when you sleep in your coon and I also know that you miss the Ψiioniic."
The Signless crossed his arms and glared at his feet.
"Can I get you anything to drink, Countess?" He spat.
She furrowed her eyebrows and frowned in hurt, "No thank you, K- Signless. I think… I think I'll leave now."
With that The Countess stood up, leaving the young troll standing in the doorway, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach.
The moment the door shut he ran up the stairs taking them two at a time, tripping over his stubby legs, "Crabdad!"
A familiar clicking sound emanated from Crabdad's respite block. The Signless ran to him, wrapping his arms around Crabdad's head, hugging him tightly and sighing as he felt one of his claws rest around his shoulders.
"I won't let them take you away."
Crabdad let out a series of clicks and nuzzled his head against The Signless's.
"You've kept me safe for sweeps. It's my turn now."
The Ψiioniic sat in his assigned block writing a letter in his nigh illegible handwriting. He huffed in frustration. The pen in his hand felt so awkward compared to the Keyboard he was so accustomed to.
Hey KK,
This place sucks ass so bad. They won't even let me use a goddamn husktop because it'll "expose me to negative outside influences."
I'm pretty sure they're gonna read your letter if you get this and reply. Hell I don't even know if this'll get through since I'm sitting here dissing the Cull System.
God I fucking want out. I'm going crazy. The headaches have been getting worse and worse and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's because there's NO FUCKING WAY FOR ME TO LET THE ENERGY OUT OF MY GODDAMN EYES! I swear two god, I'm gonna fucking explode. This is fucking painful.
God I miss you KK, but seriously, whatever you do. Do. Not. Get. Culled.
Now listen carefully because this is the only time you're going to hear… well read this I guess. I love you KK, be careful, kiddo.
-The Ψiioniic Sollux Captor
The Ψiioniic sighed and sat back in his chair, staring at the sterile white walls of his block. He closed his eyes, the white only making his headache worse. He rubbed at his temples wishing the voices would just go away. The pain had just kept building up over the two perigees he'd been in the Cull Center. He never got any visitors, The Signless was far too young to come her by himself and if he came with that jadeblood he'd probably just be swept into the system himself, and that was the last thing The Ψiioniic wanted.
The Signless was like him in that he hated confinement and coddling. That and the fact that so many of their basic rights would be suspended within this shithole made him hope that The Signless would never have to bear being culled, but there was a horrible selfish part of him that hoped The Signless would be culled and stay here with him. He was so lonely.
The door to his block opened and one of the many caretakers walked in.
"Good Evening, Sollux."
The Ψiioniic growled and his eyes flashed, "Get out."
The little tealblood girl sighed, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Is there any way I can be of service right now?"
"You can let me the fuck out of thith goddamn hellhole and let me go home, you imperial thcum."
She closed her eyes and just took all of the attacks, probably used to them by this point.
"That is another request that I cannot allow. Is there anything else I can do that is more reasonable or shall I escort you down to breakfast now?"
The Ψiioniic leaned forwards with his head in his hands as it throbbed painfully, "Just a th-thecond."
He reached over onto the desk and grabbed the letter he'd written before handing it to the girl, "Can you get that to The Th-Thignless? Please?"
He groaned as the pain in his head spiked again until he felt like vomiting. The girl took the letter, "I'll see what I can do."
"Tell me if it doethn't get thent or if KK rethpondth but the letter getth withheld or thomething," He glanced up at her as his headache plateaued out for a moment, "Oh don't look at me like that, I may be 'dithabled' but I'm not thtupid."
The girl sighed and nodded, "I suggested nothing of the sort."
The Ψiioniic leaned against his desk, "You were thinking it."
His eyes sparked again, letting out some of the built up energy.
"Get out."
"I'm sorry I cant-"
"GET OUT! Thith ith not a-" his eyes flashed again and he held his hands over his eyes, "Thith ithn't a requetht! Thith ith a 'if you value your life' thing! Get out for like… 5 thecondth!"
She hurried out the door shutting it behind her and the Ψiioniic let go, red and blue flashing at the door and blowing a hole through the wall as he screamed in pain.
When he looked up to see the wall blown out his eyes widened, "Oh no."
He stood up shaking and worked his way along the wall to find the tealblood girl singed and blackened, her flesh burned up and smoking, hair burned up at the edges filling the hallway with an unpleasant odor.
"Oh god."
He scrambled backwards into his block, "Oh shit shit shit hsit fuck fuck fuck shit shit fuck!"
An alarm sounded in the hallway outside his block and he huddled up in the corner of his block as security officers came running. He was in so much shit.