♋ shoosh ♑

[bethehugejerk]

Who: Karkat and Gamzee
Where: Gamzee, Equius, and Darkleer's hive, presently absent the latter two.
When: March 14th, starting around midnight, continuing into whenever.
Style: Action
Status: Closed

[The latter hours of the 13th have been a process. Everything is preparation, first in the act of gathering. Karkat has raided pillows from most places, foremost his own room, and any in other places that he has found particular fondness for. Nothing more Eridan's, or nothing equally favored: they would be out of place. And blankets, too, though he has already lost the one from his own bed on Monday to the act of covering his thought bubble, for however long that venture lasted. Hint: not very. After that is a bottle of Faygo, purchased specially for this night in remembrance of the April night they mended their friendship. Last, the Regisickle. That much never leaves him willingly, nor the other bits of his strife deck, but checking it carries a weight beyond the physical.]

[Second, and starting with the gathering, has been the act of scrubbing down down. Each object picked up is like a piece of himself picked away: not in loss, but in opening, letting memories and feelings well under the surface for the jam to come. A shower serves as culmination, each brush of soap like cleaning away doubt and hesitance, rubbing raw his mind that his moirail may yet sooth it.]

[The actual trip there after is uneventful, and too short for any meaningful thought along the way. When he reaches the door a few houses down, he knocks and waits.]

Comments

[420]

[Karkat hadn't been the only one preparing for this day. The thirteenth had passed in an odd blur for Gamzee, his thought bubble flicking back and forward between his normal more joyous thoughts and then that drab grey and rainbow splashes of blood as he allows himself to remember what happened a year ago.

First what he had done was make sure Equius and Darkleer were going to be out today. A rather simple task amongst all others. Then he had set to work to clearing a good sized space in the living room for their pile, shoving the couches and chairs backwards until he had some clear area to dump the pillows and blankets he had already collected in the last few days. It was, all in all, only half a pile, but he knew Karkat was bringing the other half.

He too had cleaned himself, scrubbed himself down and then remained like that, bare-faced and with his hair drying in messy short spikes. There was no reason to put on his make-up now. It was gonna be just them, and so intimate too. And considering what part his faith had played that day... nah, it was okay to leave it behind for a day.

Eventually, late in the evening, he had settled down to cook, to prepare a meal for him and Karkat to share. He hadn't been able to find the exact same kinds of fish they had back home, but it was good enough. In fact, by the time he is opening the door to Karkat's knock, the smell of cooked fish is drifting through the hive, and Gamzee is still wearing his apron as he leans against the door post.]

Hey.

[bethehugejerk]

[When the door opens and Karkat looks up to Gamzee, the first words from him are not from his mouth.]

That smells good.

[Words across the bubble floating behind him, echoed in a copy of his voice. No luck this time. He coughs once.]

Hi. One second before you let me in though--

[He digs through his sylladex, thinking very pointedly as he does:]

Nope, nope, not thinking about it, not going to wreck the surprise, no no nope.

[Awkward pictures flick across the bubble in bursts: a bowling ball, the ceiling of his room in his hive, a microwave, an imp back on LOPAH. Then he draws out the bottle of Faygo to present to his moirail, looking oddly proud of himself as he does.]

[420]

[Gamzee's eyebrows rise in surprise --Karkat's thought bubble hadn't been noisy last time, right?-- before he just smiles. He can't get a word in though before Karkat goes digging through his sylladex, his expression just turning curious. And the way his bubble is behaving isn't helping.

When Karkat draws out the bottle of Faygo and holds his out, his bubble reacts instantly, remembered scenes of the last time Karkat gave him a bottle of Faygo bubbling up in it, tinted a pale pink. Gamzee chuckles almost shyly, reaching out to wrap his hand around the bottle his fingers brushing Karkat's.]

Man, shit, I didn't even get you nothing.

[bethehugejerk]

[It didn't have pictures last time, either, but his luck has not been so kind this time. He decided to stop fussing with it once the pictures started for fear that, somehow, it might get even worse. But now that his guard's off, the images in Gamzee's bubble trigger a similar flow of memories through his.]

You're cooking for me, that's enough. I just know you like your carbonated sugar drink, and it... felt fitting, for the obvious reasons. Anyway, move, and let me in.

[420]

[Gamzee steps aside, letting the bottle of Faygo dangle from his fingers, while he uses his other hand to rest against Karkat's shoulders, guiding him in.]

That ain't nothing special though. You dig fish?

[bethehugejerk]

Yeah. Eridan likes seafood plenty so it's grown on me, even if I never really had it back on Alternia.

[Allowing the guiding hand, he steps on in. He slips his shoes off once through the door.]

The difference is that you can actually cook. It tastes better than just frozen things or fast food.

It means more from you.

[Ahem.] Whatever. But you're the one hosting this whole thing, so what next?

[420]

[That warms his blood pump straight up, despite the cool temperature of his blood. He doesn't comment on it. Karkat is not the kinda guy who likes his involuntary thoughts pointed out like that, and considering the day and what they have planned, pissing him off this early into the game is just a no go.]

You wanna eat first? Make sure all the grub don't go fuckin' cold on us?

[bethehugejerk]

[Good Gamzee, best moirail. Karkat relaxes some from that, and to the idea?]

Sounds good. Then the pile after that? So we can let stuff digest while we talk and stuff.

[420]

Yeah, come one. It's all like way easier to jam with your stomach full.

[Gamzee gives him a little nudge to get him to come along to the kitchen. Just follow the smell of fish and food, Karkat.]

[bethehugejerk]

I'm moving, I'm moving. I'm hungry anyway, alright?

[Into the kitchen he goes, memories burbling up again despite himself: images of Wataru and bandages that he shoos away.]

At least this is just for food this time.

[420]

[Gamzee's eyes are helplessly drawn to the flicker of Wataru in Karkat's bubble, his own bubble filling with dozens of little Wataru-memories himself, that he doesn't bother to hide.]

Sit down, I'll serve up.

[bethehugejerk]

[Seeing those? That brings in a few happier ones, recollections here and there of times passed, of being grateful for the human and what he did for Gamzee. They make a good change from the night they met. And while reluctant to just let his thoughts flicker as they will, it's easier with a good subject, and easier still with his moirail.]

[He goes and takes a seat then.]

It would have been a year that I knew him, if he were still here.

[420]

We met a lil' before. Took him to that motherfuckin' place once.

[The carnival, he means. Though he has not been back there in a year. Not planning to go back there, really.

He heaps more than enough food on both their plates, before he ditches the apron on the counter, returning to the table to set down. He already made sure to set out the forks and stuff earlier.]

[bethehugejerk]

[More memories flicker over his bubble, shots of the few experiences he has at "that motherfuckin' place". Cotton candy with Gamzee outside it, him and Terezi there, and more uncomfortable shots of that night - lastly, Wataru in his suit. He shakes his head to push them away, and turns his attention to his food.]

Let's just eat for now. That topic--we can talk about it later, but I want to get food in me.

Without ruining our appetites.

[But the food smells and looks good, which helps quite a bit as he starts in on his meal.]

[420]

Hmmm.

[Gamzee answers a little absently, his eyes still on Karkat's bubble. Seeing Wataru in there both sated and inflamed his desire to see his bro again.

Finally he forces himself to tear his attention away, turning to his food.]

Aight, yeah.

[And he dig in likewise. Not that he understands the concept of a ruined appetite, but still. Food is food, and it is all the better than it is in his stomach.]

[bethehugejerk]

[Karkat eats in... not quite silence, but without actually saying anything from his mouth. Miscellaneous thoughts fill the background: things about the food (good as always), side wondering like groceries he and Eridan might need soon, and curiosity of where they might start once they're done eating.]

[That last one gets him to look back at Gamzee.]

Is there anything you want to talk about first once we're done? And after we get the pile set up.

[420]

Yeah. Yeah, I got some shit I all wanna get down and jam about.

[He swallows the last bite of his food, looking quite serious as he looks at Karkat. Or as serious as Gamzee is ever gonna get.]

Wanna talk about you, bro.

[bethehugejerk]

About me?

[Not entirely surprising under the circumstances, but it doesn't tell him a whole lot on its own. He can, however, read and appreciate the Gamzee-level seriousness evident on his moirail's face. He quickly finishes up the last bits of his meal.]

What about me specifically?

[420]

Just wanna know how you all been holding stuff together after...

[He trails off for a moment. Wow, kind of a lot of crappy shit had happened recently. And while some had resolved itself --the Condesce disappearing being the main one there-- there surely was enough to jam about.]

Shit, after everything that up and went down, you know?

[bethehugejerk]

Oh.

[Yeah. Important stuff there. He stands up, gathering his plate and silverware together.]

Let's just get this out of the way, then make that pile, and we can... talk about that.

[420]

[He nods, dumping his plate and silverware in the sink. He isn't gonna wash any dishes right now, he has important pale dates to attend to!

Once he's got that out of the way, he drapes an easy arm around Karkat's neck.]

Come on. I made us a real nice chill spot to jam at.

[bethehugejerk]

[With his own dishes placed in there too, he follows along with Gamzee's guiding. There is some apprehension - This isn't going to be easy, issue his thoughts - but it's something they should work through anyhow.]

Alright. I've got stuff in my sylladex for it, too, if there's need. And here I thought that I'd never bother with that kind of thing before.

[420]

[Gamzee leads him back to the living room where he made that comfortable half pile already.]

Piles are good for ya, brother. Helps a motherfucker right up in his chill at. Right where he's supposed to all be.

[bethehugejerk]

They are largely stupid constructs that serve no practical purpose in day-to-day life. But I'm going with this because they're apparently the location of choice for feelings jams, and, I guess because you like them.

[He steps away from him and goes to rummage through his sylladex, dumping pillows from cards, then arranging them with diligent care around the rest. He's never actually made a pile before, not like this, so it's a strange process. Here? No, maybe... and similar thoughts flow through his mind, until eventually he finishes with a couple blankets over the top.]

There.

[420]

[Gamzee attention flickers to those thoughts emanating from his bubble, reaching over to good naturedly ruffle Karkat's hair.]

It's a pile, Karkat. Ain't a fuckin' wrong way of doing it.

[And as if to demonstrate that the pile Karkat built is just perfect, Gamzee lets himself drop backwards into it, extending an arm to him then.]

Come here.