Winning chapter:

Sollux: interrupt and drag em upstairs for serious talk time.

Karkat grins flashing fangs and opens the car door in childish excitement. "Fuck yeah I wanna ride in this thing!"

Knowing the danger in leaving anyone's life in the hands of the completely uncontrolled driving skills of the speed demon, especially Karkat who was no longer immortal, Sollux quickly rushes up and grabs a hold of Karkat's wrist before he can even step one foot into the car. "I think we thould go inthide for a talk inthead."

Tavros puffs out his cheeks and quivers his lip in a sarcastic pout in Sollux's direction before dramatically shutting his car off. Karkat stares down at the hand on his wrist for a moment. Slowly he follows the arm up until he meets with the two-toned eyes he still dreams about. With an angry scowl he rips his wrist away and slams the door shut. With a loud exasperated huff he storms up the steps and unlocks the door to his apartment disappearing inside. The red door left wide open.

Tavros sends a vicious glare in Sollux's direction carefully checking that his car was okay after the angry slam. With a snort he stomps past Sollux and up the steps into the apartment, barely resisting the urge to slam the door shut behind him. Sollux sighs and stuffs his fang into his pocket following the two angry boys into the apartment and shutting the door softly behind him.

Sollux looks around the apartment, simple white walls decorated with posters from various different human movies, mostly romance from the look of it, tables littered with unorganized movie cases, shelves packed full of DVD's and VHS. Four fish tanks varying in size take up what little space isn't occupied with movies. Tavros leans over one of the larger tanks with a huge grin splitting his face.

Karkat storms into the room holding three plastic cups filled with clear red liquid. He stomps across the room an slams them down on the table in front of the couch causing one to splash a bit onto the table. With a loud curse he storms off into the kitchen for paper towels. Sollux sighs and shakes his head as he walks over to the smallest of the tanks and peeks inside. A few over decorated shells scatter across a sand filled bottom, a small hermit crab peeking out of one at him.

A smile spreads across Sollux's face shortly followed by a flinch of pain from the reminder that, yes his cheek was in fact quite swollen and painful right now from its lovely meeting with Karkat's fist. He puts his hand on his cheek rubbing it gently as he scoots over to glance into the next tank. This tank was filled with crystal clear water. Coral taking up a vast majority of it. Three red and white spotted crabs randomly scuttle across the coral.

Arguments of the past cloud his mind as Sollux watches the crabs move about the tank. Karkat getting sick on their group trip to Disney world thanks to Tavros's maniac obsession with making everything go fast. Going to buy a water and seeing the small display of key chains by the register. Picking up the red crab one with excitement and forking over way too much money for it. Pressing the cold bottle of water against his neck and dangling the key chain in front of his face. Watching sick red eyes morph in fury and hearing him ask why the fuck you would buy something so completely and utterly stupid like a stupid generic crab key chain. Laughing and telling him it's because he's always so crabby that it fits him perfectly. Grinning like a cat with a canary as he calls you every name in the book, and some you think he made up on the spot. Leaning over and cutting him off mid insult with the hard press of your lips against his. The foul taste that comes with it. Your first kiss really would have been more romantic if he hadn't been vomiting so much just moments before.

A loud squalk of shock snaps him out of his memories causing him to jump and look wide eyed at Tavros. He's still standing at the biggest tank, his back to it and one hand behind his back. He looks over at Sollux with wide eyes. Then jerks his head over to Karkat who stands bent over the table cleaning up the mess glaring up at him. A completely childish guilty smile spreading across Tavros's lips as he tries to play it innocent.

Karkat's scowl deepens and he stands up straight. "What the fuck did you do!?"

Tavros's grin gets nervous, twitchy. "Nothing?"

Sollux and Karkat turn in unison to give each other a highly unbelieving look before turning back to stare at Tavros.

Tavros laughs, a slight copper blush spreading across his cheeks as he moves to run his hand through his hair in his common nervous twitch. Obviously forgetting why he was nervous to begin with when he comes face to face with the angry fiddler crab latched on to his index finger. Brown eyes widen and he screeches like a girl as the smaller of the crabs claws reaches out in an attempt to grip his nose. He jerks back smacking into the tank.

Sollux rushes forward barely catching the tank before it tips over onto the floor. Karkat dashes over snatching Tavros's wrist before he can shake it and send his beloved pet flying across the apartment. With soft chirps Karkat pets the angry crab holding his hand out to catch it when it calms down and releases the now bloody finger. "WHAT THE UNLOVING FUCK TAVROS!? WHY WOULD YOU STICK YOUR FUCKING FINGER IN A FISH TANK FULL OF CRABS!? WHAT KIND OF STUPID THOUGHTS WERE RUNNING THROUGH YOUR MIND THAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK THAT IT WAS A FUCKING GOOD IDEA!?"

Tavros gulps and looks to the side in shame. "Well... I just uh... thought I could pet it?"

Karkat grumbles and carefully sets the poor terrified crab into the tank, assuring that all five fiddler crabs are there and accounted for he proceeds to help Sollux push the tank back in it's proper position on the table. He jerks around glareing daggers at Tavros who simply grins and walks over flopping down on the couch, grabbing a glass and downing the content. "Oh! It's Kool Aid!" he chimes with excitement.

Sollux looks down at the obviously well loved crabs, noting that they'd all calmed down with Karkat's earlier chirps and now just scuttled about calmly. He smiles and glances up at Karkat catching his red eyes and the red blush that creeps across his face. With a smirk he moves to sit on the couch next to Tavros, Karkat following.

"Tho, thith talk." He starts out picking up a glass of Kool Aid and sipping it. "Leth thart with the moth important part. Where the hell have you been and why didn't you contact me!?"

Karkat looks down at his hands, shame barely showing on his face. "Around. Here and there. Being mortal, doing my human thing. Living out my fucking life sentence like a man."

"Have you even TRIED to get your godhead back!?" Sollux sounds hurt as he watches the smaller god fidget nervously with his hands. "That boy. The one you were supposed to kill that night. IF you kill him, they'll let you come back. You'll get your powers back. You can come back home."

Karkat turns a vicious glare up at Sollux. "WHO THE FUCK SAID I WANTED TO GET MY GODHEAD BACK!? ALL OF THE FUCKING RULES I HAD TO FOLLOW. THE FUCKING TERROR OF LIVING UNDER THAT STUPID FISH BITCH'S RULE. FUCK THAT! MAYBE I'M HAPPY HERE! MAYBE I ENJOY BEING A FUCKING MORTAL! MAYBE THE THOUGHT OF LIVING A MORTAL LIFE AND DYING AN OLD FUCKING MAN MAKES ME HAPPY! MAYBE I'LL GET A HUMAN WIFE AND HAVE MILLIONS OF FUCKING CHILDREN AND LIVE A HAPPY FUCKING LIFE WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT ALL THE STUPID SHIT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO BE A FUCKING GOD!"

Sollux glares back, squeezing the cup tightly in his hands. "Tho you're just going to give up? On being a god? On coming back home? On your friends and family? On US!?"

Tavros casually clears his throat setting the empty glass down on the table and turning to face the other two. "Um... Sollux. Didn't you already give up? After all, you're mated with my sister. And that was YOUR choice... wasn't it?"

Karkat's eyes widen. He stares at Tavros in disbelief. When no objection follows he slowly turns to stare into Sollux's pale face, watching as he worries his lip with his fangs.

Sollux gulps and digs his claws into his palms. Wincing when the biting on his lip causes him to remember his earlier injury. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Then turns sad desperate eyes to Karkat. "I have my reathonth for mating with Aradia. You know I-"

Karkat shoves himself up and stomps across the apartment to the door. He yanks it open and presses his face against it whispering. "Get out."

Sollux stands up and moves over to Karkat, holding his hand out in hopes of grabbing his arm. "Lithen to me KK! I-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT! BOTH OF YOU! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING HUMAN LIFE! FOREVER!"

Tavros stands up and walks to the door. He grabs Sollux by the back of his shirt and pulls him out of the apartment. The red door slams shut behind them, paint sprinkling down from the impact. Yellow tears well up in bi-colored eyes as Sollux jerks his furious gaze to Tavros. "Why would you thay that!?"

Tavros gives an equally vicious glare back down at the four horned god. "Because... You need to remember who your mate is."

Sollux's hand moves quickly cracking against Tavros's cheek with a loud crack. Growling he turns away. "How could i forget. The thaved my heart."

Karkat stands on the other side of the door listening. HIs forehead pressed against the worn red wood. Red tears streaking down his cheeks as his legs give out. He slides down the door, his claws digging into the abused wood and starts to sob.

Next chapters?

NEW DAY!
John: Meet up with your new friend at the movies

Dave: be cool with the goddess of cool

Tavros: report to your big sister.