Chapter Text
In the far, dark corner of the band room soon after the break of dawn, a meeting is adjourned. Those who arrived at school early, and have no social life other than band, have congregated.
“Come on Sollux, hand over the money. I won fair and square!”
“Fef, I would. I really wound, but I can’t”
“Why not?? I told you I saw them totally frenching outside the history rooms! Ms. Paint was there, she can testify!”
“I told him to wait.”
The crowd parted to make a path. The master of romance, no matter Karkat’s protests, had arrived. If she has halted the results of the bet, they will wait.
Feferi, not as patient, stated, “Nepeta, I swear on my new set of reeds that they were sucking face.”
“And I believe you. But I think there is more going on here than we know. We wait.” Nepeta had a knowing grin plastered across her face. It looked menacing, and everyone feared the meaning behind it. When there was a relationship involved, she meant serious business….
Sollux rolled his eyes, unamused. “Nep, your bet is too complicated and stupid for it to ever happen. Please just give it up so I can give Fef her money.”
“I think you fail to realize,” Nepeta started, now heading back to the door, with her back to the congregation. The light from the hallway left a halo around her, darkening the already dim room. “How stupid high school boys are. Plus, I may have some intel that proves otherwise. I’ll send it to you once I get to class.”
And with that, the last bit of her cat tail swished out the door and the students dissipated, heading to their first class. Nepeta was rarely wrong about certain things, and she herself knew her powers. She and Feferi have been going back and forth with the highest amount in the pot and right now, Nepeta was on top.
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“So David.”
“I swear, call me that again and I’ll tell Kanaya about your vampire fetish.”
Rose rolls her eyes. “Bold of you to assume she doesn’t know already.”
You make an exaggerated grossed out face, “Ew, Rose. I don’t want to hear about the nasty stuff you get up to in your free time.”
She glances up at you from her knitting needles, currently she is making a blanket for her girlfriend. Her floor is covered in yarn and other projects she needs to finish but decided to start working on her christmas project for Kanaya. As she stops knitting for the moment, you see something flash in her eyes. Evil and malintent.
“Speaking of things we are doing in our free time”
“UUUGGGGHHHHHHH”
“How is Karkat doing?” She smirks then continues the row she was on.
“Fine.”
“Hm.” She waits a moment. You don’t have anything in your hands to play with, and it’s starting to get hard just sitting still. You had wanted to talk with Rose, which was going well until now, without playing some mindless app just to pay attention. Rose knows that without anything to do, your words will spill out on their own within a few minutes.
And she doesn’t have to wait long.
“Ok, well since you seem SO interested,” you flop down on her bed, landing on a ton of uncoiled yarn. How does she sleep here? Where does it all go? “Karkat and I are dating.”
“I figured. Feferi had said something to Nepeta, who told all the brass and then told Equius, who told the rest of the flutes, who told the guard who told Kanaya who told me. But you know how I am, wanting everything from the source. Especially if I live with said source.”
She let out a large sigh, then crossed her needles and shoved them into the ball of yarn so that the loops don’t undo themselves. “Dave, you don’t have to tell me anything, I won’t pressure you to. I’m just a bit upset that I’m hearing this through a long grapevine, but that isn’t your fault.”
You hum, not really wanting to go into the topic too deep because Rose will find out eventually. Damn witch and her cards and spells and stuff. Speaking of, after placing her current skeen on the floor (seriously Rose? There’s a desk literally in arms reach. Like come on there's enough yarn on the floor to coat the walls no need to add more) she walks over to her make-shift altar thing and picks up her tarot deck and starts shuffling.
Pulling out your phone, knowing she probably wants to focus on what she’s doing, you see Karkat has texted you.
CC: HEY ASSHOLE
CC: THOMAS JEFFERSON WAS A PRESIDENT YOU DILLWEED!!!
CC: THAT QUALIFIES HIM FOR THE HOTTEST PRESIDENT, AND NOTHING YOU SAY WILL CHANGE MY MIND
TG: nah dude i told you miku binder
TG: wrecks any levels of hotness no debate
CC: YOU’RE SO FULL OF SHIT, HOW DO YOU EVEN SEE?? YOU’VE ALREADY HAVE THOSE SHITY SUNGLASSES NOW YOU HAVE SHIT IN YOUR EYES.
TT: thats what makes me so cool bro
TT: all this shit puts stuff into perspective
CC: I CAN SEE YOU TYPING A LONG ASS TANGET ABOUT WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU’RE BRAIN COMES ACROSS, SO YOU BETTER STOP THIS INSTANT.
CC: WHATEVER I MADE MY, CLEARLY SUPERIOR, POINT. STILL ON FOR THIS WEEKEND?
TT: i am not conceding in this argument tj has nothing on obama and you know it but yeah im still down
CC: GO FIND A COLD METAL POLE TO LICK, YOU DOORKNOB. SEE YOU TOMORROW.
“Ah,” Rose starts, still looking at her now spread cards, three in front of her. “Well, this is certainly interesting.”
“Oh great sage, what wisdom have you seen in your cards?”
She laughs, airily. “Oh, nothing of importance at this time. But I do wish you and Karkat the best.”
You give her a side eye, but don’t look too deeply into her words. You’ll give yourself a headache. You decide maybe it’s time to attempt to start your homework, or at least stare at it until it does itself (note: hasn’t happened yet, but you never know). After saying goodnight to your sister, in true sibling fashion, (Shoving all the yarn on her bed to the floor, then bolting before you can hear you finish her sentence. What? She’ll have to do it anyway when she goes to sleep. You’re doing her a favor.), you head next door to your room.
Life is pretty good.
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Ah lunch period. The time of day where you and fifteen other teens squeeze into two tables that you move side by side. Seating switches all the time, depending on who is actually there or if someone is upset with someone else or whatever. Today, most of the gang is here, except for Eridan, who actually had another class during this period this semester.
The band kids are all late, too, because the director holds them over into lunch sometimes. You had never known this until they started sitting with you this past week or so. It used to be you, Rose, Kanaya, John, Jade and the occasional cheer squad member when they wanted to talk to you or Jade.
Actually, Karkat had brought all of his friends over last week. Or well, they got tired of him sitting with someone else and decided to follow him. It would be fine, really, and kinda sweet that they didn’t want him deciding who to sit with. It really would! But why does he have so many friends from all over school?
Aradia and Eridan you know from the squad. Plus Kanaya is a good friend of Karkat's and since her and Rose started dating you’ve gotten to be pretty good friends with her as well. Of course you’ve met Feferi. Nepeta and Sollux you know are in band, plus Aradia is dating Sollux so you hear all about him. The rest is kinda a mystery.
Karkat told you a little bit about them, though. Equius is the big dude who you think would be in with the sports crowd, but is in the robotics club. Karkat also said he plays the flute in band, too, but it’s hard to believe a guy of that stature plays the flute. But who are you to judge. Gamzee is crazy tall and doesn’t really do school related clubs but is chill most of the time. Then there's Vriska who, actually, you’ve met in brief passing but only because she’s the field commander. Plus her… Girlfriend? You’re not sure if she and Terezi are dating or not but they're really close. Terezi is on the debate team so don’t argue with her. And then there’s Tavros who is in the magic the gathering club, which you didn’t even know the school had.
Anyways, everyone from the band shows up like ten minutes late. Karkat hangs his book bag on the back of the chair next to you, sets his lunch down and groans loudly as his head hits the table. His dad must have left an embarrassing note in his lunch bag again.
The group starts chatting about their morning while you try to sneak and grab the note from inside Karkat’s bag. They always are the sweetest thing, and you would never admit it out loud, but you’re kinda jealous that his dad would do something like that, genuinely.
Karkat, however, sees you attempting this and slaps your hand away. He gives you a stern look and starts getting out his food. Damn. That poor piece of paper will likely never see the light of day after that.
“I’m not having you read that embarrassing note out loud in front of everyone, Dave. Forget it.” Damn, you forgot your face shows emotion now. Welp now you’re really never going to see the note.
You sigh, dramatically of course, and set your head on his shoulders. “But Baaaaaaaaabe, your dad writes the sweetest things on there! Everyone deserves to hear how much your dad loves you.” He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “I mean last time there was a heart at the end! Come on, that was so cute.”
“If you think he's so cute why don't you date him instead? And besides, the only reason he even packs my lunch is because I wake up late every morning.” He grumbles while taking a bite of his sandwich.
A laugh involuntarily comes out of you. Hopefully Rose isn't listening into your conversation. "I would never choose your dad over you Karkat. Unless he starts writing me cute little notes, then once I'm 18 it's all over, babe." He lets out a small laugh then goes back to eating. You're just happy he knew you were joking, cause now that you've said it you realize that might have been a bit too far. Even if it was a joke you feel guilty so you let Karkat take your Oreo cookies you packed, which he happily takes.
You put your head back on his shoulder, the light getting a bit too much in the lunch room even with your glasses. You’re almost done eating anyways, and he doesn't seem to mind. Even still, it's been a pretty nice day.
Until you head a giggle that you know all too well. A harbinger of death, if you will. You open your eyes to see Jade’s shoulders bouncing, gaze pointed at you and Karkat.
“I’m so glad you boys finally got together! Karkat you should have heard some of the cavity inducing things he’s said about you!”
ABORT ABORT HARLEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING???
“Uh, maybe we shouldn’t talk about-”
“OMG” Aradia pipes in. “He was so smitten! ‘Have you guys ever been insulted so much you feel you’ll melt?’” Her impression was piss poor at best but HOLY SHIT NO NOT NOW.
The whole table starts to laugh, except for Karkat. He is smiling though? Maybe it's part of the act…
He looks to you, without turning his head, still smiling but clearly confused. “Yeah, Harley. You’ll definitely have to fill me in on that sometime. Any excuse to poke fun at you,” he says while looping his arm around your shoulders.
This has gotten way out of hand, and is SO not going to plan.