♑ ♦ ♋ | It happened one night in Vatheon.

[420]

Who: Gamzee (420) & Karkat (bethehugejerk)
Where: In front of Karkat's house, then the beach.
When: Backdated to some time before sunrise on Sunday the 3rd.
Style: [bracket prose]
Status: Closed


[Anyone who tells you Gamzee can't plan a thing is wrong. Well... mostly wrong. Okay, so usually he kinda lives life by the seat of his baggy clown pants, and his short as fuck attention span sure doesn't help in the matter, but he can do it. You know, when the stars and planets and the entirety of space lines up just right, and also when it is his and Karkat's anniversary. That he remembered. And planned for.

Or at least took a random stab at planning for, but it is the thought that counts, right?

Even his most recent dose of slime can't really keep him completely chill, a wide grin on his face and a bounce to his step, as he walks the short distance between his and Karkat's house. Once there, he reaches out his hand to ring the doorbell and-- no! Can't ring the doorbell. He'll wake people up. People that have a normal, decent human-being sleeping schedules. AKA everybody not Karkat. Clearly another method should be used. One of great finesse and subtlety.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he leans his head back, calling out in that weird half whisper, half shout that people who are really, really bad as being ninjas like to use.]

Karkat. Hey Karkat.

Comments

[bethehugejerk]

[Problem one: Eridan doesn't actually have a normal human-esque sleep schedule (or even a normal troll one). Karkat has no idea about Demyx, but Vriska and Feferi next door are trolls, as are Nepeta and Tavros across the street. Not like his doorbell blares for the whole neighborhood, anyway. Your noise concern is unfounded, Gamzee.]

[But in any case, Karkat is up and awake and has also been thinking about the date. Two days ago was his anniversary (monthiversary?) with Eridan; four days from now will be the one for him and Equius. Having them close together is kind of nice. He should do something, like--like--]

[--hear Gamzee failing to whisper?]

[He gets up from where he was sat in a comfortable chair, closing and captchaloguing the romance novel he was too caught in thought to really read. It sounds pretty weird and unlikely, but... this is Gamzee. That, if anything, probably makes it all the more certain that it is.]

[So he goes to the door, pulls it open, and there indeed is his moirail.]

What the hell are you doing?

[420]

Karkat!

[Whoops, volume control.]

Hey bro. I'm all coming to get ya.

[bethehugejerk]

The doorbell's not busted, stupid, and if it was you could have knocked.

[But he steps on out the door, not yet closing it, more curious than anything.]

Get me for what? It's almost morning.

[420]

Didn't wanna wake any motherfuckers what could be catching their rest.

[Never mind that shouting was probably more of a disturbance.]

Wanna take you some place.

[bethehugejerk]

So you did that by yelling into the night air and hoping, simultaneously, that I would hear you but no one else would? Just ring the doorbell like a normal person next time, Gamzee.

[He shakes his head.]

Where to? Should I bring anything?

[420]

Can't all be letting you in on that fuckin' miracle yet, brother. And you ain't gonna be needing no thing. I got ya fuckin' covered.

[He extends a hand in invitation.]

You comin'?

[bethehugejerk]

[Welp, he's got his shoes on. But--]

Just a minute. Let me leave a note.

[So he retreats inside, fetching paper and a pen to scribble down something along the lines of "GAMZEE DRAGGED ME OFF SOMEWHERE, BACK LATER." Then he's back out through the door (if Gamzee obliged in waiting), closing it behind.]

Alright.

[420]

[Gamzee is cool with waiting. He made sure to get here well in time. No need to harsh their chill with last minute rushing.

When Karkat pulls the door shut, Gamzee drops a companionable arm around his shoulders.]

Come on, we gotta go up first.

[bethehugejerk]

[Karkat considers, and allows the arm. Today is special after all.]

Up? Like upper district, or - [He points domewards.] - up to the island?

[420]

Way up. Island up.

[Which is exactly why he starts to lead him to the elevator at a comfortable pace. It is kind of nice wandering the street even. Very nice and quiet.]

[bethehugejerk]

[He walks with him, not like he has much choice with the arm around him, but he settles easily enough into the pace set. The morning quiet is good and relaxing too, but it doesn't much quell his curiosity.]

And what are we going to do when we get up there?

[420]

How about you don't ask, and I ain't have to spin you fuckin' false telling you I don't know.

[It's a secret, Karkat! Gosh.]

[bethehugejerk]

[Gamzee's surprising him? That gets his eyebrows to raise, but little actual complaint.]

Fine, fine. Then let's just get up there so you can--do whatever it is.

[Eager? Him? Pssht.]

[420]

No rush, aight? We got the motherfuckin' time to be chill.

[Though even if they are keeping their pace chill, they have arrived at the elevator, ready to be brought up to the island.]

[bethehugejerk]

[He sighs at that, breath leaving his nose in an impatient hiss of air.]

Fine. Not like I have a choice with as long as the elevator takes.

[Crossing his arms, he steps on into the elevator, settling off to one side of it if Gamzee will allow.]

[420]

[Gamzee reaches over to rest his hand where Karkat's shoulder and neck meet, squeezing for a moment, as he rubs his thumb against his nape.]

Chill, aight? We got all the motherfuckin' time we need.

[bethehugejerk]

[That is actually quite nice. Karkat relaxes against that touch, doing all of nothing to dislodge the hand or stop the rubbing of his thumb. Which is as good as a verbal 'keep doing that' from him, all considered.]

Then consider me chill as I am going to get.

[420]

[For more people this would rank as 'really fuckin' tense' but Gamzee knows Karkat well enough to know that this is pretty chill for him. Especially in public. So he keeps at it, just slowly rubbing his thumb against the back of his neck, occasionally pointing out interesting fish as they ride up to the island.]

[bethehugejerk]

Gamzee, if I have not cared about colorful scaled things in the year and five months I've been here so far, I am not going to start caring about them now.

[Karkat Vantas: ever appreciative of the wonder of nature.]

[He is more honestly grateful for the neck rubbing, though, even if he doesn't say it. With all his constant grumpiness and stressing over dumb things, the muscles there tend to get tight and knotted, which this helps quite a bit.]

[420]

Nothing the fuck wrong with up and getting your appreciate on for the beautiful miracles what all be living around us.

[Luckily they are spared a dicussion on whether or not fish qualify as miracles by the ding of the elevator and the arrival on the island. Gamzee squeezes Karkat's shoulder one last time, before he wraps his arm around him around, giving him a tug out into the cool pre-morning air.]

Come on. Don't be far.

[bethehugejerk]

[Karkat opens his mouth, drawing breath to say exactly that--then the elevator dings. His mouth closes, twisted just so with the cynicism (or common sense) to counterbalance Gamzee's wide-eyed wonder at the world. He follows the arm dropped around him and steps out.]

Yeah, I'm coming. Don't drag me.

[He had considered something up here himself a while back, before a certain incident with boxes derailed his thoughts. At a different time, though, and really, who knows what Gamzee would want to do up here.]

[420]

[Gamzee adjusts his pace slightly, just so he isn't dragging Karkat along by the neck, as he walks him down to the beach. It's a good thing trolls are nocturnal by nature. Means he shouldn't have too much trouble seeing where they are going with only the light of the stars and moon to guide them.

Gamzee doesn't take him to the main part of the beach, the part that sees the most visitors. Instead, he takes him along it, heading to where other people rarely visit but Gamzee loves to chill. It's not that he doesn't like hanging out with other people, but after so many sweeps of always being alone on a beach, sometimes it is just nice and familiar to hang out somewhere quiet with only the ocean noise to accompany him.

Somewhere during their walk, Gamzee's arm slides off Karkat's shoulders, instead wrapping his hand around his wrist in a loose hold as he guides him to where... a blanket is waiting for them. Spread out on the sand and everything. There is even a basket there.]

Here. Here is where we gotta go at.

[bethehugejerk]

[Seeing by starlight is easy enough, and even with the one, pale moon above this planet. The adjusted pace helps as well, and so Karkat goes, looking still, wondering where they're end up.]

[He actually doesn't put much thought to it when they pass the beach's main section. Though he's not up here often himself, he knows that much; it would be better to find a spot just for them - if this even is on the beach, and not somewhere deeper into the island.]

[But it turns out the first thought is right. He slows only a little so as not to part their linked hands when he sees what Gamzee's leading him to. A whole picnic spread? Him, he did that? Karkat looks back to his moirail, visibly touched and even impressed. Looks like planning isn't beyond him after all. The squeeze he gives his hand is warm, gentle, and grateful.]

This is--this is great. This is a good place.

[420]

[Gamzee relaxes when the look that Karkat gives him is grateful and impressed rather than grouchy for being dragged out for something silly. This whole romance thing is pretty hard at times, especially when he is clearly dealing with such a romantic master as Karkat. Or something.

His free hand goes up to his neck, rubbing the back of it.]

I all figured like... you ever really got your motherfuckin' gander on for watching the miracle what be a sunrise? Wanted to up and be doing that. With you.

[bethehugejerk]

Considering that would have been as good as asking the sun to personally burn out my retinas back on Alternia, no, I haven't. Not even here, even if it doesn't burn just by being in the sky. I've been up here when the sun has risen, sure, those times we had to stay up here, but that's different.

Are you sure we won't go blind?

[Really, he likes his eyes working.]

[420]

Sure as motherfuckin' pie, brother.

[Are pies known to be exceptionally sure of themselves? Apparently in Gamzee's world they are.

He gives Karkat a smile.]

You know I wouldn't all be doing shit what would get ya hurt. Hasn't done no shit to my bulbs yet and I'm not all feelin' like it'd fuckin' get yours.

[bethehugejerk]

Pie doesn't possess the mental capacity to be sure, Gamzee. It doesn't possess the mental capacity to do anything at all beyond exist as pie, which is nothing to do with anything but ontological inertia.

[He steps away from him, letting go of his hand, but the good news is that it's towards the blanket. He goes and takes a seat.]

Sit down. I was actually thinking of something about stargazing for this, today, but I think that idiocy with the boxes killed the braincells I was using for the idea then.

[420]

[Gamzee takes a seat with him, and if Karkat doesn't stop him, he ends up positioning himself behind him, so Karkat's back presses against his chest, and he can easily drape his arms around him.]

Don't matter, brother. Sometimes ideas just all flee a motherfucker's pan, that be life. We fuckin' enjoyed ourselves, yeah?

[bethehugejerk]

[Karkat gives him a look, a bit surprised, but only minimally. The irritation is more for show than action, as he allows it: it fits in with the purpose of what they're doing. A pale date. A celebration of their anniversary. He appends a grunt in answer to the question, yes-but-I-don't-want-to-say-yes.]

Ideas don't flee my pan as easily as they do yours, Gamzee. Not normally. But given that we're sitting here staring at the sky because of an idea you had, for all I know those boxes were enchanted with magic that turns everything opposite. Maybe that's why I stayed in that one for so long. Maybe that's why I even bothered to give half a shit about them in the first place. What do you think, now that you've stolen the smart out of me?

[420]

[Oh god, he is smart now? Better make good decisions.]

Well, shit, I'm thinkin' I'm all gonna fuckin' give that shit back to you. You need it way more than this motherfucker.

[He leans against him then, settling his chin on top of Karkat's head, right in between the nubs.]

And I'm thinkin' like I'm real motherfuckin' happy to be at here with you.

[bethehugejerk]

Consider the return of my intelligence gratefully accepted.

[He settles back a bit himself, hands coming up to clutch Gamzee's with his his arms are draped about him.]

Yeah. I guess it's pretty nice.

[He peers up, taking in the sprawl of stars across the sky. They must be clear here, without much in the way of light on the surface to dim their glow by comparison. For however long they'll last, anyway, depending how close the sunrise is.]

Everything's always so pale in this sky. The stars, the moon - the clouds, normally. It's weird after all the color on Alternia and in Sgrub, but... it's kind of fitting for this.

[420]

[Gamzee tightens his arms around him, tipping his head a little so he is also looking up, right up at all those flickering little lights. He's tried counting them, but somehow he always manages to lose his concentration around thirty, forgets where he started and just, well, flounders at it.]

Kinda makes it look colder, if you fuckin' catch me.

[The nights aren't colder. Not to the touch at least. But after all the vibrancy on Alternia, the simple starlight here just pales in comparison sometimes.]

[bethehugejerk]

Colder?

[He would look back at him, if not for their respective positions.]

I don't know about that, like, not next to Alternia. Things seemed warmer in my Land, but it's kind of hard for it to seem cold there when the sky's full of what looks like smoke and the land's half-covered in oceans and lakes of blood everywhere. It makes a big contrast from the dark season we were in when we started.

[420]

Used to be like, back home, that a motherfucker got his stare on at the fuckin' sea and there was colour everywhere. Ain't being that much of it here, maybe that's what makes it look fuckin' cooler. Nothing but pale.

[His voice is languid when he replies, not even thinking over his words much, letting them roll from his lips as they come to him.]

[bethehugejerk]

[He makes a hmm sort of sound, considering but noncommittal.]

Maybe it would stand out to me more if I had seen an Alternian ocean before I came here.

[420]

Wish I could'a shown ya, brother. Ain't nothing what be measuring up to a miracle all like that.

[He squeezes his arms around his shoulders for a moment.]

Maybe like had the ol' goat take us both out on at the motherfuckin' ocean.

[bethehugejerk]

[He looks back at him, crookedly, frowning a bit.]

Ride your lusus out there? Maybe you but not me. I can't swim, I don't want to learn to swim, and that would be going out too close to sea dweller territory. Eridan and Feferi are fine and everything, but back on Alternia I seriously doubt most of them would just go, "Oh, two land dwellers riding around on some lusus, I bet they're cool so I guess I won't wreck their shit."

[420]

The ol' goat wouldn't all have let no motherfuckers harsh our chill, bro. You can up and be certain of that shit.

[Yep, Giant goat with a bit of a temper sometimes. Seadwellers knew better than to mess with that.]

And swimming be cool. Should get your motherfuckin' learn at for that some time.

[bethehugejerk]

[Karkat grumbles indistinctly. Protective, grumpy goat or not, there still would have been risk, more than he'd like to take. He looks back to the sky.]

If I wanted to learn how to swim, I would have done it by now. I don't see the point in it.

[420]

Keeps a brother chill, to just all be letting the waves up and tell his motherfuckin' husk where to go.

[He squeezes his arms around him slightly.]

Keeps a brother safe too.

[What if you trip and fall into the water, Karkat? what if.]

[bethehugejerk]

Safe from what? I'm not looking to go leaping into the ocean anytime soon, which is half the point of what I'm saying. I don't need to know how to swim, because I won't put myself in the situation where I would.

[Pffffft. Not gonna happen, nuh-uh.]