Sailorstuck! Collision Of Fates

This is a wonderful sort of dream you're having right now.

Everything is bright and rosy, instead of the dull, drab gray of reality (actually, everything is in accordance to some of your tastes, but you will adamantly deny it to anybody who asks). Your body feels so light and gleefully dizzy, like you're dancing, maybe? Your suddenly-there partner, clad in sweeps of black and gold, catches your attention by the wrist and spins you across the floor. Is there even a floor? It's all haze to you. It is pretty, though.

There aren't any distinguishing features you can pick out of the dream fog, aside from that they have a lot of height on you, and that they're wearing red gloves, as red as your unusual freak-blood. Strong hands and slender, artist fingers cradle your own; carefully and firmly, as if you were something precious, somebody to be held and cherished; perhaps your subconscious is trying to play out one of your fantasies? This is one of the many romantic tropes that you adore, you being a self-acclaimed connoisseur of affairs of the heart, and why should anybody judge you on things that you crave? In a dream no less.

In fact, it has your pusher pounding, and even though you can't see their face, the feeling of being gazed at, not just staring, but gazing, with complete and absolute adoration, oh gods, your body shivers (it's a little bit like when you’re really getting into one of your cheaply over-written, over-descriptive novels). For once, that you can even think of, you smile without even an ounce of disdain.

They glide you smoothly across pearlescent marble as if you were actually as graceful as you feel. As if you could ever dance like this without tripping (because you're still waiting for that bump at the front of your shoes that means the world is about to tip you over). The two of you move fluidly in between the nonexistent crowd, faces that are almost there, but you just can't recall them, like your partner. You know them, you're sure you do, but you just...don't...Nothing clicks. (Right now, at least.)

If only you could just remember where this is, because this is one hell of a case of deja vu. It feels so natural, but so far away, too. Like it's something important but it's just not there anymore.

But this feeling! This thrill, to be dancing with them, they meant so much to you. Mean so much to you. Their whole, complete attention is on you and only you, as if you two are the only people in the room, in the world. Just like something out of a book. Like you've always wanted, but won't ever say. The feeling leaves you literally breathless. 

And when those lovely hands slide up your arms and rest on the small of your back, instead of feeling prickly and hypersensitive, you feel safe, secured, important. Treasured. Loved. Your chest burns with the sincerity of your partner, as if they truly care for you, like in some of those silly types of loves that the humans like to believe in, the kind that is supposed to transcend all there is to quadrants and triumph every blade of antagonism that ever has and ever will be swung. Tch, puh-lease...Oh, please... The way you feel for them right now, this mustbe it.

They draw you closer, and it's such a shame that your dream seems intent on keeping things blurry, because those lips are getting nearer, such deep, deep red eyes holding to you like you're the center of the universe, and, oh my have you stopped dancing? The world seems to shift. Are you being dipped? Your lips have parted in anticipation, caught up in the moment. That's a hand on your neck, fingers lightly massaging familiar but somehow forgotten intimate patterns on your skin, gently keeping you in place while your bodies seem to close the distance on their own. You'd be allowed to escape if you really wanted, not that you do.

So close. So close, oh so close, you shut your eyes. It's everything you've dreamed about, everything you've longed for, everything that stirs up some ancient, long-forgotten burning ache deep inside you. Your heart is about to short circuit. It all feels so perfect.

(So close you think you can even see the red strings that connect you to each other and everyone else who has ever had any sort of meaning to you.)

If it wasn't a dream, you'd want for this feeling to last forever.

But, as it happens, this dreamland has other plans for you, and as usual, you don't get the ending you want. Were you so terrible in a previous life that karma would follow you even into your dreams?

An ugly darkness consumes your beautiful rose-colored dream, withering quickly into a land of nightmares. The floor clouds over, the whole room wilts, warping into a cruelly twisted mock of the scene before. Things thrust upward from the ground, breaking through the marbled fog, horrid and terrible and jagged; piercingly cold and slick like the crudest slime, latching harshly to your body, leeching all of that previous warmth you were feeling only mere moments ago. It's so cold, so excruciatingly cold; why is everything going so dark, why are you afraid? Are you afraid for them? Or for you? What is this pain, this terrible, crippling pain that crushes your heart? They rend you and your lover apart, barely clinging on by the fingers.

"KARKAT!!"

You hear them, but it's like you're listening through cotton, and somehow you immediately forget how their voice sounds. One of those disgusting shadows constricts around your neck, while you're screaming out that person's name. You know you are, over and over, until your throat hurts something raw, but it's as if your voice has gone silent, and you can't even recall the name you're shouting.

More and more of that wicked dark oozes out, further enveloping you, until it finally rips you away from your partner's desperate grasp, the two of you reaching for each other uselessly, agony in your voices.

You need to get to them, you need to help. You need to protect them. 

With that last slip of energy, you let out your final cry that suddenly is powerful and aural-splitting, even as your sight is devoured by this voracious dark, the red string severed--

.

✮☆★♋★☆✮

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The intense shrill of the alarm grub has you snapping awake, breathing harsh and covered in sweat, terror easing itself out of your head-space. It was just a dream.

"...stupid, shit-fucking dreams, goddammit...," you groan, hard claws scratching over your scalp, bumping at a pair of too-small horns. What the hell was that? How many times is that now?

Why?

It's happened often enough to be memorized, though admittedly the first time it wasn't even that memorable until it happened again when you'd next gone to sleep. It's always so very beautiful, and somebody is always there with you, whether it's just that one person or an indefinite crowd that you've never been able to recognize. And always, always, that dark nightmare eats it all away and swallows you up along with it.

The alarm rings again, signaling the end of your five-minute reprieve. It's ten minutes to six. In irritation you swipe at it hastily, knocking the stupid thing to the floor where it clicks itself off, and nothing more, thank god that's the fifth one this month. You slide off the bed (Terranw trolls don't sleep in sopor slime anymore, the substance was limited to medical use ages before you were hatched, and had actually been tested to be dangerously harmful in uncontrolled quantities, whether in or out of the hands of ignorant masses) and reluctantly trudge a path to the ablution block; don't want to risk being marked as tardy. Managed so far to have a perfect attendance record and nothing is going to ruin that, not even dreams of wishful thinking.

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★♋★

.

Karkat Vantas, that's you, is sixteen years old by Terran standards and probably seven-point-six sweeps by Alternian standards (look at you, knowing about your home planet time measurement, smarty)? Spring is starting to transition into summer, which means that soon the school year will be over. Which means vacation. Which will also mean another year of public schooling for the surviving adolescents. What joy. At least your wriggling day is coming up. But only in a couple of months, damn it.

Luckily you managed to escape the morning nag-screeching of Crabdad, probably just by luck of the roe cubes that'd been set out for him. Honestly, you could sign up for homeschool, but the prospect of being at home all the time sounds like both a blessing and a curse. A rumbling sounds that signifies a certain digestive sac being agitated at it's owner from lack of nourishment as you make your way out. Cursing your own forgetfulness while remembering your carefully (caringly) packed lunch bag sitting on the table at home. You'd even packed extra for Gamzee since he's been forgetting to feed himself lately. Not that there was anything between the two you, no pale feelings at all. Who spread such a baseless rumor? No, you're just worried over your friend, as pathetic as that gangly clown is and...and... It's quite obvious that you've been harboring a pale crush on your long-time friend. Have been ever since you met on the park playground and then later realized you attended the same elementary school, what could be a better relationship backstory set up than being young childhood friends? But, alas, you resign to just picking something up on the way to school from the corner store because you sure as hell aren't going back to your house now. It's quite obviously apparent how this day is going to go.

 .

★♋★

 .

"Hey, hold it's legs down!"

"You try it then!! Stupid thing's scratching at me!"

"Hee, make it bark!"

'What the hell.' As you pass by, there's a commotion going on a little ways from the sidewalk, and you find it to be just a few kids crouching in an empty lot, a couple of them human and the other a troll just as small. There's a lot of spitting and yowling from whatever's between them. You almost keeps walking, since really, it has nothing to do with you. Then there's that dumb twang of guilt that makes you huff, your own head shaming you for your inaction.

"Oh fuck it...," You mutters under his breath as he turns around and pushes over to the fenced area, "HEY!! YOU LITTLE TURDS, QUIT IT!!"

All it takes is for the little troll kid to see you, and though you're not much bigger than them, that's all it takes for him to close up their shenanigans and get that scram instinct. There's a little black lump of shape left on the ground, which upon closer inspection actually turns out to be a cat.

'The poor thing.'  It won't even move now that it's attackers have finally left it alone, heavily puffing it's lungs in exhaustion. Shit, they've even gone and stuck duct tape in its fur. At the sight, you're reminded of Nepeta, and how she would have skinned these kids alive had she seen what was going on. But for now the cat just seems to want to curl in pathetically on itself, too hurt to move away from you. Might as well get it loose of the sticky stuff, at the very least it won't suffer having to move later with all of that gunk stuck to it.

"They really did a number on you, huh...," you sigh with exasperation, trying to carefully pick off the tape without ripping out its fur. "Poor wretched thing, you shouldn't have gotten caught in the first place." Welp, this counts as yuor good deed for the day, you suppose-- well, aside from the other good deeds you do on the daily It takes some time, but there's soon a nice wad of tape next to you and minimal fur damage for the cat, hopefully. With the last bit finally eased off, you can now get a good look at the silvery striping along the stray's raven head, streaming down the back of it's sleek body. All in all, it is a beautiful stray.

As soon as it's free, though, it decides that it's suddenly perfectly fine and with a quiet mrr, leaps out of his grasp, high up onto a neatly stacked pile of bricks. When you standto your feet it's about level with with your head on it's new perch, staring intently with slitted blue eyes. Now you've seen some cats with blue eyes, all very adorable, but damn those are just creepy and far from cute. Finally, your own instincts kick in and get your ass moving the fuck away as it steps forward, forcing annoyance to cover the mounting uneasiness curling in your gut.

"I don't have time for this...," you groan out, turning around and dusting off the pants of uniform. Truly, you've wasted some very precious time here and if your don't hurry now you'll probably be late!

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★♋★

.

You sure are one lucky motherfucker. Just barely in the door before the bell, and with at least five minutes or so to breathe until the homeroom teacher shows up. You've got your food, your homework, Sollux's notes, not that the guy even needs them since he somehow got his hands on the whole lesson plan for the year, and you even bought him a honey bar to thank him (look at you, being so nice). In general, you're pretty much set to put your head down for the next few minutes. Damn, but wow are you tired, curse those stupid reoccurring dreams, fucking up your sleep schedule and shit...

Perhaps you should consider switching to a nocturnal schedule?

"Mornin' punks!"

 Welp, nevermind.

 Somebody has the nerve to shout, "C'mon man, where's Miss Paint?"

"Yeah, where's Miss Paint?"

"I'd rather look at her all day than you!"

"SHUT YER TRAPS, ungrateful little snots..."

In all honesty, Miss Paint is an absolutely wonderful substitute teacher, and everybody will be on their utmost best behavior if she so much as steps into the room, as if the class had evolved into angels. The opposite however is sort of true for Mr. Slick.

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★♋★

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Ah, the joy that is public school. Mr. Slick slouches in and throws himself at his chair, file case slammed on the desk and fingers at his temples, most likely nursing another weekend hangover. His hand drags over the scruffy five-o'clock shadow that looks as if it hasn't been taken care of in days (and most likely has in fact not).

"You's all had better been good ta her. Miss Paint does me a huge ol' favor by keeping her eyes on ya for me."

You bet he thinks nobody has caught on to how he shifts his eyes away from the room and how his gaunt-looking cheeks color just a little whenever Miss Paint is mentioned. He's so in love with her, you fucking called it how many months ago, and now some people owe you money. But honestly though, it's kind of cute for a middle-aged man.

Mr. Slick clears his throat and sticks a customary toothpick between his teeth, a substitute for a nicotine habit he's been trying to quit on and off for months, most likely at Miss Paint's insistence. He tries his hardest not to yawn and finds a nice piece of chalk to screech along the blackboard.

"Fuggedaboutit, I figured she'd have gone easy on ya, made your heads all soft and mush, so...TEST RESULTS! I graded these especially ta make up for bein' gone!!"

He laughs a bit too enthusiastically while a collective groan of despair is released as papers are passed through each row of desks, you especially, as your latest cause of stress has made it hard for you to grasp the learning material properly for a while. Especially since you've been falling asleep in class. You mean, you were never any kind of star pupil to begin with, but this was just getting ridiculous now, with how far it's been making you fall behind. Sollux's notes will only get you so far, especially since you can't even understand them half the time, no matter how insanely good they are.

.

★♋★

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"I can't fucking believe it. This is the lowest I've ever, scored on a goddamn test."

"Hey, it'th thtill pathing. 60 pointth ith not a failing grade."

"Thayth the athhole who has full marks," you say, mocking Sollux's lisping, complete with exaggerated spitting.

"C'mon KK, don't hate the player, hate the game."

"Oh my fucking god, who even says that," Your eyes roll and you push off from the side of the building.

Gamzee, working down on the pre-packaged sandwich you brought him, has the nerve to say, "It ain't that bad, bro. S'not like you got zero points, right?"

"YOU!! You're just as bad as he is!" You turn on him, fingers trained on both him and Sollux, who pretends he's ignoring you by fiddling around with his husktop. "How in the FUCKING HELL do you even manage to get that perfect of a score when you don't even remember any of the lesson material from this month!!?" But, it is an honest question you're dying to know the answer to. How can someone that's stoned out of their head most of the time even able to function like that during an exam?

Nepeta watches a couple of humans across the field, that particular twinkle in her eyes when she's formulating whatever imaginative match-making scheme that will usually never come to bear fruit, twirling a bit of Equius' hair, "Y'know, Karcat, you've been looking real clawed-down lately. Purrhaps you haven't been getting enough sleep~? Maybe someone should quit reading all that late night fanfiction~."

How dare she.

"Nepeta, you know full-fucking well that you do the exact same thing, don't you even try to say that to me, fanfiction my ass..."

"Nyeah, but I'm not the one purring it up in the middle of class," She smirks in that way that curls her mouth all sly and devious, the tip of her tail thumping lightly against Equius' back exactly like a smug purrbeast. Though it's not really a tail at all, it's more like a flexible support rod covered in some plushie cloth that Equius made for her, after a hug went quite wrong. How she manages to make it move like it's actually a part of her nervous system will always perplex you. "Whatcha dreaming about all the time Karkitten~?"

"I do not purr in my sleep!! And I'm not dreaming about anything!" You insist, crossing your arms with a stubborn look.

"It would be most beneficial if you were to seek medical assistance, Vantas." Equius advises, his deep baritone voice coming out so quiet as usual.

"Try telling that thtory to everybody elthe, KK--"

"Hey!"

"--So, any of you guys hear about that Vigilant appearance last night?" He manages to derail you and change the subject like it's nothing, losing his usual lisp and swiveling the screen towards the rest of the group. A news site is pulled up and two or three pictures are aligned with the article on the page, featuring a masked youth in the process of apprehending a couple of wrongdoers. A classic scene. Even with the top-quality, high definition pixels, the black-and-white pictures are still sort of blurry. It's hard to tell if the grey skin and horns are actually a troll or just a human in stupid cosplay.

"Terezi would go absolutely nuts for that shit," you say.

"Yeah, she'd love that, wouldn't she? Going around, catching criminals in the name of justice. That's fur sure an interesting way to spend your free time." Nepeta adds.

"Where is she anyway? Is she sick again?" you ask, feeling a bit troubled about her not being here. 

"Maybe, she hasn't really been the same since, you know, last year, when Vriska..." Sollux trails off.

When Vriska went away, he means.

When you think to back then, the two of them had been inseparable, flip-flopping all over the place, unable to keep any sort of straight quadrant, and the very last straw was the Nitram and Megido incident, which left Tavros paralyzed from the waist down, and Aradia MIA. You could almost pity Sollux for the way he'd been pining since both her and Feferi went away. He'd been so down for the first few months. Vriska had been sent to finish schooling elsewhere, where she'd be 'monitored more carefully'. Everybody was sad and no one was happy.

It's a miracle that Gamzee and Equius are even here with the rest of you now. Of course Equius stayed because of Nepeta, though you're not sure why Gamzee did, but you're grateful nonetheless. Feferi and Eridan were sent off to some fancy seadweller, highbrow preparatory school place or whatever the fuck it is, and Kanaya was accepted to go to an all-girls academy. Tavros has been taking tutoring at home ever since.

In the end, it made Terezi's entire upstride, cackling nature take a noticeable downturn. When she does show up, she's gone just as quick, giving everybody that wide, sharp-toothed grin, but it just feels so dull these days. If your own vacillating crush on her wasn't in the way, you could have been a perfect pale rebound. Though this is more so what you believed once upon a time, not something that you would actually think to do right now. Also, it's probably wrong for you to even think like that about the whole situation. Why would you even think of it like that? That's so wrong. It's probably just another bad awkward breakup waiting to happen anyway. It's getting kind of bad to the point where the rest of them are sort of forgetting her, and you....

You're actually very afraid of that for some reason. You'd like to keep all your friends as close as possible, even the ones that are too far away. You don't want to forget about any of them, ever. Not after going through grubhood and everything together, after all that effort it took for you to grow to care about them. It's so weird how you think if someone asked you then you'd say you love every single one of them, despite the many flaws they carry, isn't it? But, that's why you love them, right?

(A flash of something red appears, connecting to all of you before it's gone too quick for you to think anymore about it.)

"It might cheer her up a little, we'll tell her about it later." Everyone silently agrees to this, even Equius.

Sollux rotates his screen, and Gamzee has become heavily invested in the wrapper of a snack cake.

Nepeta scowls and sets her chin between Equius' horns, "Ohh, enough of this, we can't be sad while our furriends are sad. Who're they gonna rely on then...?"

Her face goes solemnly pensive for all of a moment before shifting back to her usually cheerful expression, poking at her moirail's cheeks from behind. "Equius~ Can you go with me today? I wanna sniff out if that one store is still having a sale. I heard they had some pretty good accessories. They're sellin' like they're clearing out or something! We might get a furry nice catch, nyeah?"

Equius almost snorts, standing up and straightening out his uniform. Attempts to do the same to Nepeta, however, she is adamantly hooked onto his back, so he surrenders that at least. "I'd prefer if you didn't. It very well may be a scam, if anything. If you need a new trinket, I feel it would do us better to go somewhere more trustworthy. Let's go, the period bell is about to ring."

You hear them, mostly Nepeta, argue about it almost the whole way back inside the building. Knowing Nepeta, she'll probably end up doing as she pleases, with a patented "Nobody tells the mighty Longclaw what to do!!"™  Honestly, they're such a good diamond match, maybe someday you'll get yours (you're actually really envious of them for their quadrant, how they seem to have such a balanced moiraillegiance, and you want that, so much, for all of your quadrants) (the red strand between them is so thick, is it really that powerful?)? Might as well head back, you think while clearing your head. "C'mon, pack it up, we gotta go."

.

★♋★

.

As expected, Nepeta is spotted hanging onto the entry of a specialty store, as well as few other students wearing your school's uniform. And she was right, there are huge posters pasted up on almost every available surface of the wall-shared building, numbers bright and flashy to attract peoples eyes, advertising to the masses the lowest prices you've really ever seen for jewelry. You yourself are so tempted on going in there to check if they have a piercing special, like if you buy a pair of studs or earrings maybe they'll do the piercing for free. Or even just find some nice looking accessory, something small, it doesn't have to be huge, like a key chain. Or a pin. Or...

....

Wait.

Ha, nice try temptation, emptier of pockets and wallets, you don't even have much pocket money at the moment anyway, and you're probably going to get a clacking when you get home, considering how your lusus might feel about the bad test grade. Better to not waste time or money here anyway.

...Yeah, you should probably just go home and take the straight and narrow path.

Even if it weren't for the weird dreams, you wouldn't get enough sleep anyway with how much catch-up you have to do. With or without annoying, incessant dreams, you should go home and turn in early like a good boy.

But, all things considered, you're still pissed off. With you're lingering aggression returning to full power as you look over the papers once more, a small growl starting to rumble your throat, "..Ugh, FUCK THIS SHIT!!" Irritated, you crumple them up and chuck the damn wadded thing up in the air, not bothering to look where it lands. And feeling perfectly content if it gets lost, a rather ticked off huff of breath blowing past your lips along with another expletive. 60 points your ass.

"Nice aim by the way, Shouty McNubs."

You've never turned your head around so fast, almost giving yourself whiplash from the movement, half a snarl leaking from your throat in exclaimed fury, "What the fuck did you just call me!?"

"Wow dude, just 60 points?" The bastard whistles.

"Don't just read other peoples shit!"

The asshole is some prancey-schmuck-fuck-looking douche with silvery hair and a dumb pair of shades fixed to his face. He's got your test in front of him, unwrinkled and a finger pointing out every single mistake made on that stupid piece of paper, everything that had already been marked and what you knew you'd gotten wrong. Stomping the few paces up to him and, oh wow, he's fucking tall, you snatch your quiz out of the guy's nosy hands.

"You really should study harder, Nubby."

"You really should shut the fuck up and mind your own business, douche-nozzle."

You leave first, an obvious growl rumbling in your throat and storming back to your usual home route not wanting to waste anymore of your time and attention on this asshole, "AND YOUR SHADES LOOK SUPER FUCKING DUMB!" Unbelievable. The nerve of some people. Just out of curiosity, or maybe paranoia, you glance behind to see the guy's attention now focused wholly on the jewelry store instead.

"...fuckin' weirdo..."

You're not even going to give him the satisfaction of still being upset enough to keep thinking about him. In fact, you are just going to ignore in presence and in thought and forget about the interaction entirely. Just keep on walking home, and you won't even stop by the arcade today.

...Though in the end you do stop by the arcade, as there's a race for the gaming industry to be the first to make a Vigilant game, and there's a new machine installed at the usual place with your name and tokens graffiti-ed all over it as an unofficial tester.

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✮☆★♋★☆✮

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A young man stands outside a recently flourishing establishment, seeming to take forever to read each and every single poster sign that's been plastered to the building. Then his reflection stares back at you through his favorite eyewear-- they were a birthday gift from your best childhood bro, after all, and you honestly thinks that there isn't a single thing he could ever come up with that would top it; like until it actually gets topped, who knows right? --to just watch the horde of people flock en masse like vultures to this teeny, out-of-the-way shop. Who knew that such a simple accessory would make you unrecognizable? Absolutely genius.

Some people just don't appreciate a good pair of shades, like Short, Loud and Crabby™ five minutes and seventeen seconds ago, eighteen, nineteen, twenty...

Of course, you knew that you're totally not about to pass up any chance to visit the home country, especially after all this time. When else were you going to get a chance to visit Good Ol' Nanna Crocker. Of course, this has nothing to do with that voice in that back of your head that keeps repeating, 'Not long, not enough, short short short. Time is running out dude, tick-tick-tock--'

And anyway, this also means you can visit your best bro. Ahh, such fond memories of Eggdork. Maybe Jade will be there too, who knows? His sister too, gotta remember to hit her up on the visiting scale, though she's more cityscaped than the Crocker-berts and their almost suburban house, in sort of opposite directions. Dirk is going to want to sneak off with him anyway once the managing agent can get distracted, and ya'll haven't seen Roxy in forever. The agent dude can piss off and take an afternoon for all you care.

All that aside, this lovely establishment that you're loitering at is seriously giving out some real funky vibes and making your whole body shudder (out of time, there's not enough, tick-tick-tick-ti--).

Mm, yeah, nope. You will come back later. But, hey, since you're leaving you can grab your tables from the container car and show off a little for Nanna!

As you start to leave though, a troll with pretty-kitty horns has her attention on you with wide, surprised and realizing eyes, with a dash of mounting hype. So much for the shades.

You hope your simple charm is enough as you give her a finger-gun on one hand and another with a finger to your lips in a hushing gesture (smooth). She nods with excitement and actually lets you leave quietly with a cheery thumbs-up. Glompede avoided, thank you for your assistance, ladies and gentlemen.

Now, what the heck was John's address again (you'd think that's something you would remember after sending birthday gifts to each other) (..okay, wait, no, you've been auto-filling the address in because it's saved on your phone and computer, Dave you fucking idiot but at least you have the address)?

You call Dirk, because your brother can drive and you can't pass your driver's test for shit, and Dirk being the actual mecha-dork he is pulls up in the car he modded himself, blasting 'A Thousand Miles' for every passerby with open ears to hear ironically, continuing it on repeat while they drive over to the Crocker-Egbert property.

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✮☆★♋★☆✮

.

Just as you are locking the door behind you, Crabdad scurries into the entry block, chitter-clicking in one of his more gentler greetings, almost like he's been anxious or worried, but it's probably just your imagination.

"Hey, I'm home," you sigh, casually accepting and preparing for the inevitable. Crabdad lightly grazes a claw against the side of your horn, seeming to be a bit calmer than this morning. "Listen, don't be mad, okay? I'm going to tell you something, alright?" Taking a nice, deep breath and quickly letting it blow out, your caretaker making questioning rumbles. "...Okay, so I got my test score back, and...and it's not great in any way, at all, but...ugh, I got a pretty low score...so..."

Your eyes turn towards the floor, expecting a clack on the head from mega-hammer claws and a disappointed scree. What you get instead is a surprising, if not patronizing, gentle claw-tap and light, low croaking. Unexpected still is how you get nuzzled by a chitin-armored maw, given a scrutinizing sniff-and-check over and then left in the entryway of the house.

 "...O...okay?" That wasn't weird at all. After you can get over whatever that was that just happened and just roll with it, you cautiously treads to the nutrition block to raid whatever food you have, and maybe leave some extra roe out for Crabdad. And you are seriously going to get some homework done right now, in the chance that just maybe it'll help your grade. Afterwards you can go back to prepare lunch for tomorrow, and be doubly sure that you don't forget it when you leave for school. Gamzee's ribs are beginning to poke through his uniform and that is u n h e a l t h y, as far as you're concerned.

A couple hours later, after putting everything away and clearing up the kitchen block, Crabdad is given a good night and the house is locked up, you can completely relax and retire to your room. And while you did make something for tomorrow, you also woundd up getting frustrated with the work page and Sollux's notes to the point that you try playing around on his laptop until you calm down; however sleep claims you for the night. It can be finished later in the morning anyway, maybe.

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✮☆★♋★☆✮

.

"And as the night falls over the people, so too does darkness."

"You think of that one by yourself?"

"...Shut up, you unhelpful shit."

"Aww, don't be like that, you'd get lonely if I didn't talk to you, anyways."

"Pfft, sure."

You swing your legs back and forth. It's a pain, but you have to admit they're good company to keep while you do the tasks given to you. If they really did want to leave you, though...it would probably hurt something awful, but you could get over it.

Maybe?

Who knows...

"Besides, all there is to do is talk. It's not like we can take any action ourselves. All we can do right now is watch and wait. Wouldn't you have gone in already if you could?"

"Of course, you dumb. Even if that was the case, it still isn't time to interfere. Not yet anyway. The best case scenario is that we don't need to do anything at all. Or that's what they told us. You understand that, right?"

"Okay, fine. Buuuut, we could do something else, y'know?

"...Meh, I'm afraid to ask. Like what?"

They've got that sly look on their face that tells you that whatever it is, you are not going to be amused. Nip it right in the bud.

"Absolutely no."

The way their whole manner deflates makes you laugh wholeheartedly. That at least cheers them up some. 

Both of you will just have to wait some more, you guess.