The New Red
Things weren’t right. Not to say that things were particularly wrong, but… not particularly right either. Things were not as he had imagined, even though nothing specific was missing from his long-passed day dreams. Everything was going strong; going according to every line of every romcom that he had ever read.
Right?
Gamzee was great. Never has Karkat ever gotten trapped in a screaming match that ended with them red in the face, unable to catch their breath fast enough to continue, unlike some of his conversations with a certain two-toned mage. Then again, Karkat was not even sure that he had ever seen Gamzee scream in anger or rage. The “Wolfbro” was never seen without his dopey grin unless it was replaced with a dull-eyed gaze into random corners of the forest, as if he were seeing all of the “miraculous miracles” in those small spots and didn’t dare tear his eyes away from the sight.
Karkat sometimes worried about the “herbs” his boyfriend was on.
It wasn’t unusual for the leader of the local wolves and the resident Little Red, a name which made Karkat shudder in a mix of revulsion and rage, to develop some sort of relationship. That, however, tends to go no farther than close friends, though a deeper relationship was not looked down upon, nor would Karkat be the first in the long line of Vantas’ to do so. Karkat blamed his brother for leaving him at home for hours on end with nothing but trashy romance novels about maidens swooning for beefy wolfman who teach them to look beyond the beast to find the beauty inside, leading to love that was against the rules of their tribes, causing them to meet in secret until the fateful day that local heartthrob, in a jealous fit of rage, strikes at the wolfman’s heart only to hit her instead and-
…anyway … it was all Kankri’s fault for leaving him alone for so long with those books to keep him occupied; books that were not beside his bed at all times with worn pages and deeply creased spines.
Unfortunately, or perhaps, not so unfortunately, he was no maiden and Gamzee was no beefy wolfman. They were not in a romcom novel with a picture of them cuddling together, his head resting on the other’s bare chest, on the cover. No. His life wasn’t a romcom.
Shaking the thoughts out of his head, the new Little Red continued along the path. No need to get his mind lost in thoughts of false romances when he was heading towards his own real one. Not that he even need to pay even the smallest bit of attention to reach his destination, seeing as his feet remembered the worn paths well by now. Had he been a younger age, like he was the first few times that he tagged along with Kankri to see what his future “occupation” would be like, he might have been more worried. But he wasn’t a small child, no matter what Sollux or Vriska said, and he couldn’t get lost in these trees even if he tried.
He is quick to spot amongst the greenery, partially because of his choice of black pants with indigo spots that clash with the duller colors of the forest around him, but mostly due to the fact that Gamzee was just too tall to miss. All of the Makaras were tall and the two that the Vantas brothers knew were only going to get bigger. Gamzee, at the moment, stood hunched over at 6’3’’, a good foot or so taller than Karkat, a fact that never failed to be brought up in almost every conversation with just about everyone.
The “Wolfbro” wasn’t as “high on life and miracles” as he typically was, it would seem, since he managed to break his hazy gaze away from the bark of a tree at the sound of his boyfriend drawing near. He gave the shorter boy a wide grin, showing off his sharp fangs, and holding his arms out to him.
“Hey, motherfucker,” Gamzee said smoothly. “Why don’t you get all up in your bro’s arms and enjoy the motherfucking miracles of a motherfucking cuddlejam?” Karkat didn’t need to answer, for they had been through this near every day since they had gotten together. Once he was close enough, the wolfman pulls him into a tight embrace, nuzzling his face into Karkat’s dark locks. “How is my motherfucking Karbro on this miraculous motherfucking day?”
It was the same thing that he had said the other day, and the day before that, and the day before that… Likewise, Karkat responded the same, just like always. Then the pair was wonder through the mazes of the forest, hand in hand, as they fulfilled their duties. Gamzee spoke up every now and then about little things, like a “miraculous bird” he had seen that morning or a “motherfucking small flower that reminded his thinkpan of a certain small motherfucker”. In between his mutterings and ramblings of utter nonsense, Gamzee would honk, giggle, and then continue on as if nothing had happened to interrupt his talkings.
Everything was perfect. Gamzee took his angry words and frustrated bouts of yelling in stride, smiling and forgetting about it almost immediately with a bright smile and a kiss to his reddening cheek. Their entwined hands never left one another and their work was simple enough to not put much thought into it most of the day, allowing them to just enjoy each other’s company.
And Karkat had never been more bored in his entire life.