Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief [Ahren and Resident Homestuck]

RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Help Vriska relax

You instantly lean into Vriska's hug, holding her tight against you as her words soothe your mind. It was nice to hear her sound so devoted to you, because you definitely felt the same way. Karkat's shipping grid indicated you'd marry Rose and at the time you were actually kind of gullible enough to believe it. You liked Rose a lot, but you'd never felt for her what you felt for Vriska. Vriska really was perfect to you and everything about her drove you wild. You could only hope you did the same for her, as ridiculous of an expectation that was.

She soon initiates a quick kiss and the sharp tug of her fangs as she pulls away makes you want to just toss her onto the bed yourself and ravage her until dawn. Figuratively, of course, since there was no dawn on this goddamn space rock. That said, you promised her something relaxing and you were going to try your hardest to provide. The way she taunts you as she gives you your little time limit forces you to respond with your own mischievous grin. You remain still at first, watching her lay on the bed as you asked and god damn if she doesn't look incredibly sexy with her naked back and rear exposed just for you. Even considering everything you two had done together already there was still a part of you that was immensely giddy about the fact that there was a naked girl on your bed right now ready and waiting for you.

Once again she reminds you that her threat of retrieval was not in jest and you shake your head lightly, leaning down to pick up the bottle once again. "So bossy! When you say it like that, maybe I want you to come get me..." You reply with a smirk, making your way over toward the bed and climbing on top of it next to her.

You take a moment to brush her long, untamed hair to the side, giving you better access to her neck, back and shoulders. As you kneel beside her completely naked body you can't help but feel a bit nervous. You've never really done this before, so you can't be sure you even know how to do it correctly. You knew there was a sort of art to the whole thing and that it could very easily be performed poorly, but you wanted to try. You decide to just go with the flow and start gentle. Taking the bottle, you squeeze some of the fluid into your palm before rubbing your hands together, generating a nice, hot friction. You pause for a moment to take a deep breath and stop yourself from shaking due to the excitement. If you couldn't keep your twitchy-ass hands still then it would defeat the entire purpose of this.

Thankfully, you will yourself still and calm and you proceed to lean over Vriska, placing your hands on her shoulders and beginning soft, circular movements along her perfectly smooth, unblemished skin. As your hands trail down her back her body begins to shine from the oil now coating her everywhere you've touched. You gulp and take another deep breath to make sure you don't start to shake again. You were already mesmerized by the sight as well as how utterly spectacular it is to have your hands all over such an exquisite body. Your fingers push in a bit harder as they slide down to her lower back, digging your thumbs in just a bit. You then spread your fingers wide as you drag them over her rear, getting a nice full grip of both cheeks. As you pull your hands back up her body you're given a brief glimpse of the slightly glistening lips between her legs. You bite your lip to try and distract yourself and not get too excited. You didn't want to rush this moment just because you were getting impatient. You remind yourself to continue, moving up further to caress her neck with the entirety of your hands.

"So uh... is this the sort of relaxing you had in mind? Should I keep going?" You chuckle lightly. You're pretty certain you already know the answer. That didn't mean hearing it wouldn't be nice, though.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Enjoy massage

You roll your eyes at him, grinning up at him as he appears next to you, sinking one side of the bed a little with his weight. “Maybe next time I will come and get you.” You let him move your hair to the side, feeling the slight chill of air on your newly exposed neck and shoulders. Waiting comfortably with your head pillowed on your arms, you watch him curiously. He looks nervous, which, admittedly, you find kind of cute.

You hear a slight squelching as he squeezes the bottle, dispensing a little clear, viscuous liquid into his hand that you now recognize to be oil. You only have time to be confused for a few seconds before his weight shifts on the bed and his hands are on your shoulders, the oil coating his skin lending a soothing, slippery feeling to the sensation of his hands running across your bare back. A slight shiver runs through you as his hands move down your back, quickly and effectively calming the tension in your muscles. You sigh softly in contentment as he reaches your rear and starts back up again, closing your eyes to let the feeling of his hands rubbing against you take over completely. You don’t think you’ve ever felt anything quite like this. Back on Alternia, you lived alone except for your lusus, so you never got any physical contact, and when you met up with your friends you were all too busy fighting to stay alive to think about relaxing.

The rapidly increasing sense of comfort spreading in your body makes you almost sleepy, and you let out a light, unintelligible murmur, leaning your neck against his hands with a smile. “No, I think I’d rather have you stop and not have my promised relaxation,” you reply, giving him a little wink. “Yeah, I think keep going sounds like a very nice plan.”

You reach up to rest one of your hands on his, tracing light patterns on the back of his hand with a finger before giving it a gentle squeeze. What he’s doing now is by far literally the most relaxing thing you’ve ever felt. Normally, you wouldn’t trust anyone enough to let them anywhere near you when you’re exposed this way, especially not when your back is turned to them. But just the knowledge that there is someone you can trust to this extent is relaxing in itself. Not having to worry about anyone else besides you and John coupled with the incredible feeling his hands are spreading on your back with the oil is enough to have an effect on you falling just short of putting you to sleep.

“This is definitely the kind of relaxing I had in mind...even though I didn’t know it existed.” You arch your back in a catlike stretch, settling down again several inches closer to him. “And I intend to get the full benefit of this kind of relaxing.”
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Make sure every bit of her shines

You release a breath of relief when Vriska admits to being quite happy with your choice of relaxing activity. You were also quite happy to provide it. The way she was laid out for you surely wasn't something she had done for anyone else, so you weren't going to take her trust in you for granted. "Good, because I'm not even close to finished..." You whisper as you lean next to her ear, giving the pointed tip a quick nip with your teeth.

Your hands journey back down her body once more with fingers pulsing against the patterns in her skin and the tough muscles underneath. You could feel tenseness in her body drift away with your touch, further indicating that you were doing pretty well. You reach her legs and run your hands down them in long, stroking motions. You don't ignore her feet either as you give both their own smaller massage to accompany the larger one you're providing to her entire body. Your fingers then drag back up her legs in an agonizingly slow motion and when you reach her thighs again you slip them between her legs to caress the folds residing there, tracing the lips with your fingertips in a teasingly slow series of motions. As soon as your hand arrived at that sensitive spot it leaves, returning to the massaging motions along her back until you curve past the shoulders and down the entire length of her arms. You take her hands, providing them with their own attentions similar to her feet, appreciating each curve and finger separately.

You take another deep breath. Your blood was starting to boil just touching her in such a way. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold yourself back but you're not sure you ever wanted to be inside her more than you do now. The glimmer of her shining body in the dim light certainly wasn't helping matters. While still grasping one of her hands you give her a bit of a tug, indicating you'd like her to turn over. You watch as she does, still managing to be distracted by her sheer beauty and the way her hair cascades around her like some sort of goddess dreamed up by an artist told to imagine perfection. You shift a bit in your position to kneel above her head and you take a moment to look down at her from this new perspective. You smile, taking her hands in yours again and give them a soft squeeze.

"Kinda like the view of this new angle..." You grin, leaning down to give her an upside-down kiss from above. You let it rest on her lips for a good, long while, never getting too deep or fierce. Your hands loosen from hers and grasp at the oil bottle, putting a bit more on your hands before reaching out to her chest and continuing your massage from above. It's not long before your hands are at her breasts and you allow your palms and fingers to gently squeeze and fondle them lovingly. You finally break the kiss, nipping a bit at her nose and jaw while you're still in the vicinity until you move back to her side. The hands continue their work, massaging along her belly and sides, making big strong movements as if you were worshiping her entire body, occasionally dragging nails across the skin to add a bit of sharpness to your mostly smooth motions. You move lower, purposefully avoiding the spot between the legs as you run your hands down them, coating them with the oil in an effort to make every inch of her shine exquisitely.

You're in a prime position to stare directly at her vagina as you slowly drag your fingers up like last time. This time you caress her folds more earnestly, your fingers directly probing at her clit and stroking her lips with a clear purpose of getting her aroused if she wasn't already. You can't really take it anymore. Your jeans feel like they're three sizes too small at this point, so you zip them down and slip out of them. You can't help but sigh deeply as you free your erection from the confines of the pants and boxers. You let one hand reach down to your shaft and run up it slowly, coating it in oil as well. Your cock now stands at full attention, glistening in the soft light.

"God, you look... incredible... You're so beautiful. Don't try and deny it..." You smirk, running your eyes along her body slowly as you admired what the oil did to her skin.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Suggest new position

A vague grin crosses your face at the tiny bite John places on your ear, and you swear you’re literally melting where his hands run over your skin, completely eradicating any tension there as if it had never been there. Your constantly half-coiled muscles finally unwind, leaving you completely relaxed under his hands. Every small motion he makes on your skin is another wonderful feeling of relief, coaxing out all of the tense knots in your body. Even the tiny massages your feet receive can contend for the position of the best thing you’ve ever felt. Your heartbeat suddenly spikes as his hands run up your legs, clearly being infuriatingly slow on purpose. When his fingers finally brush against your lower lips your breath hitches slightly as a sudden tingle runs through you. The fingers are gone as quickly as they came, leaving an irritating desire for more behind them.

Your hands automatically close over his at their touch, grasping at his oil-coated skin. At his light urging tugs, you flip yourself on the bed, careful to make sure that your hair stays out from underneath you, fanning out behind you in dark waves. At the same time you feel him shift again on the bed and suddenly you’re looking up at an upside-down version of his face. You grin at him, finding this new position a little funny.

You lean your head back a little to catch his descending lips with yours, eagerly returning the offered upside down kiss. It feels a little odd at first, being kissed at this angle, but it’s surprisingly comfortable. You offer a little protest when his fingers detach from your hands, but you quickly remove such objections when they replace themselves instead on your breasts, kneading them with a calming rhythm. Wrinkling your nose a little at his small nips at you, you give him a soft smile, knowing it’ll convey the message of contentment you’re trying to send him. Your eyes drift shut again as he moves back to your side, drinking in the incredible feeling of just having his hands run over your skin this way. The addition of his nails scraping lightly across you sends a pleasant shiver down your spine.

This time the fingers probing and teasing you between your legs have an obvious purpose, and it's working far too well on you. You manage to repress your reaction for all of two and a half seconds before you let out a soft moan, rocking your hips up a little to press against his hand. Your sharp ears catch the unique sound of a zipper unzipping, and you look to the side to see him free of his pants and boxers, shining in the dim light of his room. Just at the sight of him you’re ready to start again.

“I would deny it...” you begin with a grin, “but arguing with you isn’t my top priority at the moment.” You pull yourself into a sitting position to face him in one smooth motion, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug, heedless of the oil coating your body that’s probably getting all over him as well. “Thank you for that, John. I actually don’t think I’ve ever felt better or more relaxed in my entire life.” It’s actually something you never got to experience, the feeling of being completely safe, completely free of any worries whatsoever, and he is the first person to ever make you feel like that. You keep him trapped in the hug for a good half a minute, just holding onto him as if he’s the only thing keeping you alive, which, for all you know, he could be.

“Of course...don’t think that means there aren’t other means of relaxation...” You give him a brief kiss, taking his hands and gently tugging him into place behind you, craning your neck over your shoulder to shoot him a sly grin. “I think we should switch it up a little...what do you think?” You normally never would have thought of taking him from behind, but being on your stomach you find to actually be kind of comfortable...and you’re also kind of curious to switch it up. A little of both.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Approve of suggestion

You shake your head in slight amusement at Vriska's predictable need to deny her own beauty, but you'll agree that argumentative is certainly not your mood right now, especially as you watch her lift herself toward you. Your arms drift around her, mirroring her tight embrace as you rest your chin on her shoulder comfortably, nuzzling into her neck and soft hair. You didn't mind one bit she was getting the oil all over you. It would just be one more excuse for another joint shower, as if you needed an excuse to begin with. You smile against her as she thanks you, immensely happy that you managed to satisfy her request so well. You honestly believe you enjoyed the massage just as much, if not more, by being the one to give it. Vriska had been on guard for so long, for her to expose herself to you so completely was an honor. She truly trusted you. There was really no better feeling than knowing someone loved you enough to place total faith in you, and you would do the same for her. It didn't matter what she did in the past. It never even entered your mind anymore.

"Heh, I was a bit nervous. Never given anyone a massage before, especially one that um... involved. So, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll help you relax whenever you want..." You whisper into her ear as you tighten the hug even more. As she speaks of other relaxing activities you pull back to look at her, offering a slight smirk as you return the small kiss. You knew what she was referring to, especially due to that impossibly sexy grin she shoots you, but you're a bit surprised when you see her turn her back toward you, guiding you behind her. She then leans forward on the bed and looks back expectantly as she presents herself to you. Your heart, already racing, seems to speed up double-time at the suggestion of switching it up to this new position.

"I think..." You pause, having to swallow due to your mouth watering unexpectedly. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me, Vriska..." You finish, indirectly answering her likely rhetorical question. Her dripping wet folds were in direct sight of you, demanding that you take her now, in her vulnerable position. You're staring now with a clear hunger that probably makes you look just a bit feral, and you're not even the one who's part dog.

You let one hand graze gently against her rear as your other guides your massive, twitching erection to her. You slide your tip against her warm lips, already shuddering at the heat emitting from them, and run it along them teasingly for just a few moments. You wanted a moment to savor the thought of knowing you were about to slam into her though you had a feeling it would just make her all the more impatient. That was okay. You liked it when she growled at you to get inside already, but you're not certain even you can wait for that this time. You need it just as much as she does, if not more. You align yourself and then jerk your hips forward, gripping her hips with both hands as you sink inside her. You tilt your head back and exhale all the air in your lungs as you let every inch of your shaft become buried inside of her, brushing against the edges of her insides like before. Somehow it feels hotter than before, maybe due to the oil or maybe it's just your imagination, but it's still an immensely pleasant heat. Even more amazing is how it feels deeper as well, despite neither of your bodies changing in any drastic way in the past hour.

You pull back, hands still on her hips to help guide her, before gripping down and slamming back in again. "F-fuck..." You gasp out, blushing furiously at your inability to hold back your exclamations. The blissful experience never seemed to dull itself one bit no matter how many times you found yourself inside her, and for that you were grateful, because you didn't want to stop doing it anytime soon. Of course, that didn't mean changing it up like this wasn't welcome. You had a feeling you were going to enjoy the coming months experimenting with new positions and more. You finally return your gaze to her, taking a few heavy, ragged breaths as you begin your erratic rhythm. Soon small grunts begin leaving your throat with every thrust and your hands begin to grip her even tighter. The position makes it easy for both of you to rock your hips into each other, the slick sound of skin slapping together echoing against the walls of the room quite clearly.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Be just a little greedy

“I’m pretty sure you’ve proven to be better for me than I am for you,” you reply, giving him a soft smile. You swivel your head around again, returning your gaze to the folds of the bed under you, just waiting. He just barely brushes against you, teasing your already hot lower lips until you’re just short of telling him to hurry up and put it in you already. Then suddenly he drives into you, burying himself completely in your hot, waiting passage as his hands tighten suddenly on your hips. You let out a sharp cry, arching your back with the force of the sudden thrust. Despite the fact that he isn’t putting more force behind it than he normally does, it feels like he’s gone twice as deep as he has before.

You release a pent-up breath as he pulls out again, only to let out another yelp as the grip on your hips tightens again as he slams inside again, shaking you to your center. As he starts to pick up speed you quickly get used to the rhythm of this new position, rocking your hips back to meet him with every thrust. You both know you do your best to suppress the noises you want to make, but just something about this experimental position makes it exponentially more difficult to hold it in. It takes next to no time until you’re emitting groans to match his, the small cries echoing around the walls of the room.

“J-John...goddamn it--” You break off the beginning of your attempt to talk with another scream, squeezing your eyes shut as he drives into you again, brushing against the limit of your tight passage. You half turn your head again to try and get a glimpse of him, bringing him half into your vision. Just the sight of him behind you, driving into you like this, makes him look so incredibly sexy you wouldn’t even be able to describe it if you were asked. Your arms, already shaking from the effort of holding yourself up, buckle under the force of another thrust and you quickly catch yourself on your elbows with a gasp. Surprisingly though, the new angle makes it feel even more incredible when he pushes into you, so you don’t bother to try to push yourself up again, instead resting your forehead on the bed.

Impulsively, you rock backwards to meet him again, impatient to feel him inside you. When you look up again your hair has fallen into your face, shaken loose from where you did your best to tuck it behind your ears. You quickly shake it away so that you can see again, leaving only a few stray strands plastered to your face, your body shining with both the oil rubbed into your skin and the sweat of your exertion.

You’re pretty sure there’s literally nothing that could make you feel any better than this. Except one thing. “Get down here,” you manage to grind out between your uneven, erratic breaths. Blindly, you reach back with one hand to locate one of his hands, grabbing onto it and suddenly pulling him forward and down until you feel the heat of his chest against your back. Satisfied, you release his hand, tilting your head back against his shoulder as if to encourage him to keep going.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Be rougher

You were so happy to be back in your room right now because as wonderful and exciting as fucking her in an open hallway was, you didn't like that it gave her incentive to stay quiet. You wanted to hear the pleasure coursing through her as you pound against her insides relentlessly. You needed to hear every cry of ecstasy ripping from her throat, fueling you like nothing else could. Your eyes focus on the ridges in her spine as she arches her back at a particularly rough thrust. Every part of her body had a way of hypnotizing you with its perfection. She truly was the woman of your dreams, because it's just not possible to imagine someone more beautiful. Even from this position, with her hair flowing against her face making it even harder to see than it already is, she's still your shining goddess. It's surreal to think back to the first times she started trolling you. Never in a million years would you have imagined that she'd actually be the love of your life, and the one to share your bed with you.

Her moans get even louder now, and yours with them, to the point where you actually wonder if anyone would be able to hear you. The walls were thick and tough, but this was the loudest either of you had been so far. If someone did hear you, what would be so bad about that? You wonder. Maybe you'd make them jealous. No one had ever really been jealous of you for anything, but Vriska was something special. She claimed you were better for her than she was for you, but you don't agree. You're really in no state of mind to argue, though. You can only hope that she realizes how much she means to you though the intensity of your cries, the power of your thrusts, and the thickness of your arousal. Of course, sex wasn't the only reason she was important to you, you'd love her endlessly with or without it, but you think you'd both agree it was quite a nice bonus.

Incredible blissful jolts continue to shoot through you with even the most minor movements, and the large ones almost make you want to pass out from pleasure. She attempts to say something but you barely hear it and she's interrupted by her own scream anyway, which thrills you more than any words could. You catch a glimpse of her gazing back at you and the meeting of the eyes utters even more wordless lust. You completely adore the way her ruffled hair is obstructing her vision, making her look particularly wild in the throes of desire. Her arms seem to give out shortly after and she descends to her elbows. The new angle somehow makes you feel like you're pushing deeper still and your head cranes back again with a groan. The way her hips rock back against you helps give even more strength to the thrusts making this easily the roughest and hardest you've fucked her yet, and you're quite okay with that. You're sweating considerably by this point, and your glasses actually start to slide off your nose from the moisture.

Even when you think this has to be the limit to pleasure, suddenly her hand reaches back for yours, clumsily dragging you so your chest falls upon her back. One of your hands falls forward to help support you, but the other wraps under her belly to embrace her even further. You moan again at the feeling of your bodies connecting, the heat not necessary thanks to your actions, but still welcome nonetheless. You feel her hair upon your shoulder, like she's trying to be connected with you as much as possible, and you share the sentiment. You let the hand not keeping you up brush some of her hair out of the way so you can access her neck and shoulder better, immediately biting and sucking at her skin as soon as it's within the range of your lips. Your hand returns under her, this time grabbing at one of her breasts and groping it, occasionally pinching the nipple between your fingers. Your breathing is heavy and staggered, and the considerable workout is draining your energy, but you're determined to keep up the strength and pace of your motions.

You begin to growl, letting go of her breast to reach up and grab one of her horns, pulling her head to the side even further so you can gnaw on her neck with more ease. You're careful not to harm her in any serious way, but back when she mentioned she liked it rough you had been determined to give her what she wanted. Your hips continue to slam together but the feeling deep in your core was finally expanding to the breaking point. You impale her heavily a few more times before biting down onto her shoulder to muffle a harsh moan. You try to restrain it but it may have been you drawing blood this time. The edge hits you and your cock throbs as you erupt inside of her with wave after heavy wave of your seed.

"Vriska... t-that... wow..." Is all you manage in a hoarse whisper against her ear. You lick the trace amount of blood on her shoulder, hoping you didn't go too far...
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Get comfortable

As you tug him forward against your back, you feel one of his arms curling under your stomach, pulling you closer against him and helping to support you at the same time. A slight smile plays upon your lips at the feeling of his fingers pulling your hair away from your neck to make room for his lips, and you’re only too happy to lean your head a little to the side to let him at the soft, delicate skin of your neck and shoulder. You let out a slight groan as he starts to grab at your breasts, occasionally teasing the sensitive nipple.

You can feel the growling that starts to emanate from him, sending a shiver through you. A sudden tug on one of your horns pulls your head further to the side, pumping your heartbeat into overdrive with surprise and excitement. Immediately you feel more of his lips and teeth on your neck, and that coupled with his hips driving into you starts to stir the familiar feeling inside you that reminds you of the tension building up slowly in your center. You feel a sharp pain in your shoulder a moment before he reaches his limit, expelling pulses of his seed into you.

With that, you’re swiftly pushed over the edge, powerless to stop the orgasm that rushes on you like a tidal wave. You bury your face in the bed beneath you and let out a scream, muffled by the sheets, as your passage contracts around him, letting your juices flow from where they had been kept pent up and waiting for far too long.

When you’re sure it’s over, you let yourself relax again, returning your head to its rightful place leaning against his shoulder. A warm, wet tongue licks up the remaining blood from what you now realize to be the evidence of his bite on your shoulder. A smile slowly spreads across your face as you press yourself tightly against him - you requested rough yesterday, and you got it. You wait another moment to recover from the aftermath of the shared climax before turning onto your side with a contented sigh as you finally take your weight off of your elbows and forearms, pulling him down next to you so it’s easier to get closer to him.

“I guess I was right...” you murmur softly, your face lying inches from his, looking directly into his eyes. “Switching it up was a pretty good idea, wasn’t it?” You grin at him, pulling him in for a long kiss, tangling your legs with his for added warmth since the sudden cessation of movement leaves you a little chilly and coated in cold sweat and oil - though it does lend your skin a nice shine.

“And I thought I told you to stop being perfect. You didn’t listen very well, did you,” you complain, leaning in for another quick kiss. “If you knew how much I care about you though...not just because of this, but because of everything else...” You suddenly wrap him in a tight hug, pressing your face into his shoulder. You have no idea why, but you’re suddenly very aware of the constant fear that you could lose him at any time, and keeping him in your arms like this makes you feel just that much better. You know you’re going to need a shower at some point before bed, but for now you’re happy to just stay like this.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Rinse off while recalling an amusing bit of the past

Vriska's orgasm hits you quickly upon receiving your own and it's the perfect compliment, knowing she's experiencing the peak of ecstasy at the same time you were. The feeling of her constricting around you, juices flowing out to coat your entire length, is a wonderful sensation and you pump against her a few more times to make sure every bit of the climax is ridden out to its fullest. When the feeling finally begins to subside you feel both of your bodies relax simultaneously, worn and satisfied. You don't even try to move off of her for some time, enjoying the way she leans her head back against you affectionately. Eventually she lays down onto her side and pulls you along to which you follow quite happily.

You grin wide, still taking deep breaths in an effort to calm yourself completely, as she proudly reminds you who came up with the idea to try such a position. "Pretty good might be an understatement... You'll have to voice your ideas more often. Though... We'll have to try it again a few more times juuuust to be sure." You tease as you gladly lean into her kiss and allow her legs wrap around yours. You love being tangled up together in such a way. It helped reinforce the idea that she really wanted to be close to you like you did her.

You can't help but laugh as she mentions your perfection again and you shake your head before returning the second, smaller kiss. "And I told you only if you stopped being perfect first... We're gonna be stuck waiting for the other to stop being perfect forever at this rate." Suddenly her arms are around you, as if she was afraid you were going to suddenly disappear if she didn't grab onto you right that second, and your own coil around her to mirror her embrace. She tries to assure you that she cares about you and not only because of your physical attentions. You didn't need to be told, though, because you could see her genuine love whenever she looked at you. "I know how you feel, don't worry." You whisper into her ear, placing your lips against the side of her neck with a soft kiss. "I'll always love you, Vriska. No matter what."

You pull back a bit to gaze into her eyes, smiling as you withdraw one arm to reach up to caress her cheek gently with your fingertips. "To think it was just yesterday when I was still kinda nervous about telling you that. Now I can't stop saying it.. I've known for a while, though. I'd get such a nice warm feeling in my chest just looking at you, and I know now that it couldn't have meant anything else."

You continue to hold her against you for a few minutes, just enjoying having her tangled up in your arms and legs until you eventually pull free from the embrace and step out of the bed. You grab her hands and pull her with you, gesturing toward the bathroom. "As fun as it was to get all sweaty and oily, we should probably wash up..."

You reach the shower, start the water and step inside after placing your glasses on the sink and waiting a couple seconds for it to warm up. Immediately once inside you pull Vriska into another passionate kiss, sucking at her lip as you pull away with a slight chuckle.

"You know, I logged onto Pesterchum the other day to try and leave Dave a message when I couldn't find him, and I looked through my chat logs. I found the first time you ever trolled me! I was wrapping a birthday present for Jade, and you went on about how you were gonna give me a better present than the lame thing I was giving her. Immortality! Naturally I didn't believe a single thing you said! Man, you were really getting on my nerves cause you kept talking about killing me! Joke's on me, I guess?

Then you said something about it being difficult sparing me from the privilege of your company until my game began which I said was totally the worst pickup line ever and your response was pretty hilarious in retrospect. I think it was... 'Please, John. As if there is any conceivable sequence of events which could lead me to consider you as a viable romantic partner, in any quadrant. Even the pale ones. '

So the joke is on you, too! Now look at us... I can totally touch your boobs and you don't even care!"

You waste no time placing a hand directly on one of her breasts, giving a rather satisfied smirk at the same time.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Cleanse your matesprit

The soft touch of John’s lips on your neck along with just that small promise is enough to reassure you that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. You loosen your grip on him just enough to pull back to look at him, unable to resist giving a small smile at the fingers brushing against your cheek. He always does manage to know exactly what to say or do to calm any fears you might have, and for that you’ll be eternally grateful to him. It’s weird having your own sentiments relayed back to you though - he’s describing what happened to him pretty much the exact same way you’d describe what happened to you. It’s not just that you never felt angry or ambivalent toward him, you’ve had that warm feeling in your chest for ages - at least since about two years ago. It just never really had the chance to manifest itself until a month ago when he finally showed up on the meteor.

You’re quite happy to press closer to him, enjoying the warmth of his arms around you and the combined heat of your bodies. Even after a month with him, you still can’t quite believe your luck. Over the last seven or so sweeps, you’ve managed to do basically everything that he should either be scared of you or hate you for, and when you finally meet him, this happens instead of what you were expecting.

The two of you stay like that, wrapped in each other’s embrace, for a good several minutes before you finally break apart. You take his hands and haul yourself up to follow him out of bed and into the bathroom, agreeing that you probably do need a shower after getting oil and sweat all over yourself from your recent activities. You eagerly return the heated kiss he offers you, moving to stand under the stream of warm water next to him in order to prevent yourself from getting cold, feeling the familiar weight of your rapidly saturating hair.

You laugh a little, turning a little blue at the mention of your letting your mind wander back to the conversation he’s talking about, back when you’d told him you were going to make him immortal. Snatching up a washcloth, you smack his hand softly with it, rolling your eyes at him. “What if I do care? Just not in the bad way.” You grin at him, lightly flicking him on the shoulder.

Thinking back to what he said about you threatening to kill him, you do remember telling him that you’d gain his trust little by little, only to get him killed and just watch him die. You were telling the truth, technically, but you only let it happen because you knew he wouldn’t die permanently. Even then, when you had no romantic feelings for him, you still didn’t necessarily want him dead. Now the idea of him dying is one of the few things you’ve ever been truly afraid of, even more than the idea of your own death.

It is actually kind of funny though, remembering the time when what you had said was true and you wouldn’t have considered him for any of your quadrants, concupiscent or conciliatory. “Funny how things have changed, isn’t it...” you mutter, reaching up to pull him into a soft kiss. “Two years ago I didn’t have a problem sending you off to your death...but now I don’t think I could, even if it meant getting you to god tier...I guess it’s a good thing I did back then.”

You reach to the side, grabbing the soap and lathering the cloth in your hand until you’re satisfied with the bubbly surface. Pulling him into another tight hug, you swipe it over his back, quickly working your way over his body with the washcloth. You end with a small flourish, stealing another quick kiss as you press your forehead against his with a grin. “And now I have a clean matesprit,” you announce, rinsing the cloth and draping it over your shoulder. “You can dry off and all that - I’ll be there in a minute.”
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Answer message

You grin at her eye-rolling response to your boob comment, finally pulling your hand away when she slaps it with the cloth. "That was just a test! If you didn't care that I touched your boobs then I'd be pretty sad. I'd hope you'd like it! Cause I kinda plan to touch them a lot from here on out..."

You nod slightly in agreement when she mentions how things have changed and when she reaches for a kiss, you happily comply. "Well, I'm glad everything you said in that conversation turned out to be true except for the not wanting me in any quadrants thing. It was a good thing you helped me reach God Tier! If you had to do it again now, yeah it might be harder because we're closer, but I think if it needed to be done you'd make it happen. You've always been really determined and ambitious like that! It's just one of about a billion reasons why you're so amazing and attractive!"

She soon begins to wash you like she did the night before and you gladly allow her, watching as she gently runs the cloth over every part of your skin to free it from the oil and sweat that had coated you after your heated little activity. Eventually you allow your eyes to drift shut as she works around your lower body. It was difficult to not get a bit aroused when she gave attention to the more sensitive areas but you resist the urge to push her against the wall and start all over again. You were still a bit worn out after the last couple times and it would probably be better to have more than 5 minutes to rest. When you feel her reach back up your eyes flutter back open, just in time to return her small kiss and lean your forehead against hers.

You give an exaggerated frown when she tells you to go dry off. "Aw, I don't get to return the favor? Guess I'll have to think up some other way to do it... Don't make me wait too long or I'll have to come and get you!" You smirk as you exit the shower and ruffle your hair with the towel. You don't really make any attempt to fix it cause it would just get messed up again in bed anyway. Returning the glasses to their rightful place on your nose you enter the bedroom once again, retrieving the towel you had laid on top of the bed and tossing it aside. Before you get a chance to lay down, however, you catch a flashing in your peripheral vision. Coincidentally, the Pesterchum icon on your computer is alerting you to a message. You stroll over to see familiar red text.

-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 22:13 --
TG: hey you there
TG: youre probably busy making the author of the kama sutra blush or something
TG: dont deny it
TG: but i was just wondering if you've seen tz anywhere
TG: just curious its not a big deal just get back to me whenever
-- turntechgodhead [TG] is now an idle chum! --
EB: sorry i'm here!
EB: what's up?
TG: sup nothin just she was supposed to meet me in cantropolis
TG: shes just been kinda shady lately and i think shes been crawling into vents
TG: thinks shes like hunting aliens or being solid snake or some shit who knows
TG: i think she might be hiding something from me
EB: that's weird
EB: like what?
TG: havent quite figured it out yet but i have some theories
TG: gonna go dick tracy on this shit
EB: maybe you should just trust her and not pry around into her personal business!
TG: thats stupid why would i do that
TG: im just concerned thats all
EB: well, i haven't seen her, sorry :(
TG: okay well talk later


You sigh softly as you stare at the monitor for a few more moments. You hope nothing weird is going on with Dave and Terezi. She didn't really seem like someone to keep secrets from him, so maybe whatever Dave was worried about was nothing and he was just being paranoid. It was kind of sweet how he was concerned. Not the sort of emotion you usually pick up from him. For now you return to the bed, slipping under the covers without even considering putting on any clothes. Hopefully Vriska would neglect them as well...
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Don’t make him wait too long

“You’ll get to return the favor sometime or other. But for now, go dry; you look exhausted.” You shoo him out of the shower with a grin, waving away the warning he gives you. “I promise, I’ll be quick. Eight seconds, right?” Rolling your eyes at him, you wave him out of the bathroom, tugging the shower door back into place behind him so as to not let any water get on the floor outside the shower. It takes you only a couple more minutes to have your hair and body washed, though you spend an extra minute just standing under the water, turning up the temperature until the water’s practically steaming. But your need to maintain at least visual contact with John, if not physical, quickly outweighs the comfort of the hot water.

Turning off the water, you wring out the soaked mess that is your hair before stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel. After standing under the hot water for so long, it’s a little chilly outside the confines of the small shower. You take a minute to dry yourself, towel-drying your hair as best you can with the large towel you have. Of course, it won’t dry completely, but at least it won’t be dripping and soaking the sheets in the middle of the night. You briefly consider going to forage for at least a shirt for the night, then you quickly decide against it, opting for the far more appealing option of just going to sleep like this, like you did last night, which was admittedly comfortable in the extreme.

Shaking the last traces of dripping water from your hair and rubbing it all out with the towel, you wrap the towel around your body, securing it by tucking in one of the corners. You slip out the door and pad your way over to the unoccupied side of the bed, letting your towel drop as you slide in next to John under the covers.

“Hi.” You worm your way into his arms with a grin, settling comfortably against the warmth of his body. Every single time you’re this close to him in any way you can’t help but remember how amazingly lucky you are to be able to be this close to him. Just a month ago you didn’t have anyone to be like this with, and the change was both sudden and very much welcome.

Looking up at him, you notice that something about him seems off somehow, different than when he left the shower to dry off. You reach up with one hand, flicking a strand of hair away from your face before scooting up until your face is level with his.

“Are you all right? You look...worried about something.” As you ask him the question, you feel a little twinge of pride for being able to read him so naturally. Over the last few weeks, you’ve gotten so used to him and his mannerisms that any aberration from his normal expression is easy to pick up on and inquire after. You know you still have quite a ways to go in the sensitivity area, but at least it’s a start.
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Inquire about the capricious one

As you lay in bed waiting for Vriska to return your mind begins to wander. When you first arrived and learned both Rose & Kanaya and Dave & Terezi were couples it kind of blew your mind. It also was part of the reason you gathered the courage to ask Vriska out on a date so quickly, otherwise you may have worried that a relationship between a Troll and a Human was taboo. Now you began to worry. Terezi didn't seem like the sort of person to keep secrets, but she seemed to really admire Dave, so if she was keeping something from him it was likely something he wouldn't approve of. For some reason the only result your mind could come up with was her sneaking off to see someone else. Who, though? There weren't exactly a lot of people on this meteor. You knew it wasn't Vriska. That thought actually amused you a bit. It probably wasn't Rose or Kanaya either. Was it Karkat...? He still seemed pretty angry about screwing up his relationship with her, so if they've reconciled then it was very recent. Now you were curious. You'd have to talk to Karkat about it later. Dave did say something about crawling into vents though. Was he just making a joke? Wait, you suddenly remember there was actually one more person still lurking about the meteor. That weird clown Troll, Gamzee. You've been here a month and you've still never seen him, but according to Kanaya no one but Karkat ever does anyway. She seemed to be hunting him down, and for good reason; Apparently he had gone on a murder spree right before the Scratch. Now you were worried for other reasons. Vriska liked taking long walks in the halls alone. Was she safe with that guy around?

Your train of thought is broken by motion out of the corner of your eye and you turn to see Vriska entering the room again. You grin as she drops her towel, giving you one more quick look at her magnificent bare form before sliding under the covers next to you. You don't even waste a second before you have your arms around her, comfortably snuggling her against you while sneaking a kiss onto her forehead.

"Hi." You respond to her simple greeting in kind, though her pleasant expression changes to one of concern shortly after. Her hand gently frees your gaze from a stray hair and you shake your head slightly.

"Well... Dave messaged me and wanted to know if I had seen Terezi. I guess she's been sneaking off to do something without telling him? I couldn't really say much, cause I haven't really seen her lately. Have you?"

You pause for a moment to just look into her eyes while letting a hand venture up through her hair to her right horn. Once there, you begin to stroke it idly, enjoying the feeling of the smooth material against your fingertips. "I think he's concerned cause she's messing around in vents or something. Maybe it's cause that Gamzee guy is out there somewhere and apparently he's pretty dangerous. Have you seen him at all while wandering around? Should we be worried about him?"
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

Vriska: Contemplate the question

You think for a moment when he asks you if you've seen Terezi lately. Yeah, you did see her earlier when you found each other in the hallway by probably not-so-coincidental happenstance. But back when you saw her and you were talking, she didn't seem out of the ordinary. At least, not for her. Though honestly, you can't envision her doing stuff without telling Dave about it. They've been just short of inseparable since this meteor took off two years ago, so why she would keep anything from you you aren't sure. "I have seen her...but she seemed fine to me...not suspicious or anything. Just...normal Terezi."

Your thoughts are interrupted rather suddenly as his hand moves up and starts to stroke your right horn. You press closer to him with a brief shiver - even after he's already been literally all over you tonight, the sensitive material of the horns pick up even the slightest movement of his hand, sending through you one of the most soothing sensations you've ever felt.

Half shaking away the pleasant daze you've fallen into, you take a slow, deep breath, deliberating over the next few questions he throws at you. "Gamzee...we haven't seen him at all. Karkat's probably seen him since they're moirails, but other than that, nobody's seen him. I used to hear the occasional honk coming from what seemed like nowhere and think I was probably dreaming. Maybe I was, maybe it was him, I don't know." You trail off for a moment, thinking. You know - okay, you think you'll be fine even if he does crash out of the vents and go on another rampage. "Should I be worried about him, no. If he shows up in a murderous rage, it's not like I walk around unarmed. But you..." You know you shouldn't think of John as someone who can't defend himself, but you can't help it. If anything were to happen to him because you didn't warn him... "I know you're God Tier, and I know you have the windy thing and all that, and I know you can fight...but I don't know how dangerous he is, and I would never trust him around you. Technically you shouldn't even have been coming to find me in the halls these last few weeks. Nobody knows where he is, and that's what makes him dangerous, especially to you, since you don't know him."

You briefly close your eyes, trying to gather your thoughts. You know what you're trying to say, but you can't figure out exactly how to say it. "I guess what I'm saying is...if you're going to be in the hallways...just don't be alone. I don't know much about what Terezi's been doing in the vents, but she can handle herself. You don't have to be with me all the time, but you should at least be with someone, ideally Karkat, or Kanaya. They know their way around Gamzee." Your hand reaches up to stop his hand's motion on your horn for a moment, your eyes looking directly into his. "Promise me you won't wander off alone. At least not where nobody ever goes. And don't say I go everywhere, because I don't count - I'm always ready for anything." This is one of the few times you consider this level of solemnity necessary, so you hope he'll understand just how much you actually mean what you're saying and agree...
 
RE: Homestuck: The Trickster and the Thief

John: Stop worrying and enjoy the moment

You continue to stroke Vriska's horn as you listen intently to her rather serious warning. You only stop when she grasps your hand and gazes at you intensely. Your first thought is to laugh at her request, but you see in her eyes just how honest she's being and you wisely decide against it. You knew she was just saying this because she was so afraid of losing you, and it was nice to know you meant that much to her. You release her horn to wrap your arm back around her waist and hold her tightly against you.

"All right, I promise..." You whisper with a smile, leaning in to give her a nice, tender kiss. You knew in reality she didn't have to worry about you. You were God Tier which not only meant you were extremely powerful, but you were immortal unless killed while acting in a heroic manner, or justly after having fallen to corruption. You couldn't really see how Gamzee killing you would fall into either category, but perhaps she didn't want to take the risk either way. Dying didn't sound like a good time to you. You were somewhat comforted to learn that there was an afterlife where you could meet dead friends and even living ones through dream bubbles, but it still sounded like a pretty terrible existence compared to real life. The true fear of dying came from the thought of leaving Vriska behind. You knew you had been an improvement on her life just as much as she had been for yours, if not more. You had been bored on the ship but at least Jade and Davesprite were your friends. Vriska closed everyone off for two years. Leaving her alone again now would be cruel and you had no intention on ever letting her go.

"But geez, the way you make it sound... Now I'm kinda worried for Terezi. Maybe Dave is right to be concerned. But you said you just saw her and she seemed fine so I'm sure she knows how to handle herself...

Hey, if I can't go off wandering the halls alone, that means no more sneaking up on you and having some fun in a semi-public place again. Aw, that was kinda exciting! That said, I kinda prefer having you right here in my room where I can hear you make a little noise..." You smirk, nuzzling your nose against hers following with a forehead touch.

"Honestly, I'm still kinda amazed at just how completely in love with you I am... All that uh... intimate stuff is incredible, but just being able to look at you and hold you like this? I wouldn't trade it for anything..." You tilt your head and press your lips to hers once more before kissing her with great love and affection, taking it slow to allow you to drink in her delicious taste. Your hand slips back behind her head, helping pull her into the kiss even further as you allow your legs to tangle with hers. Yes, it really was nice to just embrace her like this and even though you were getting aroused again (because how could you not be when so close to her like this, naked and warm), you weren't going to take it any further. For now you just wanted to enjoy having her in your arms with her soft breasts pressed against your chest and her lips connected to yours.

"Also..." You mutter, pulling back from the kiss just barely. "You're truly beautiful to me, and you can't deny that because that's my opinion and not yours." You grin handsomely as you gaze into her eyes adoringly.
 
Vriska: Settle in for the night

“Thank you,” you reply, leaning up to return the kiss. You know you’re probably being paranoid, but keeping your matesprit safe is worth having him think you’re being paranoid, and you’ll feel better knowing he’s promised. You grin a little in response to the complaint about not getting to surprise you in the hallways any more. True, you’d never get the excitement of knowing you could be caught in the act at any moment in the empty hallways, but that was a small price to pay to be secure in the knowledge that John will always be completely safe. And, of course, knowing that no one will ever walk in on you. That’s a pretty big bonus too. But ultimately, the primary reason for your request is to ensure his safety. That will always be your only worry.

Instinctively, you tighten your grip on him, returning the offered kiss with equal affection, almost forgetting to breathe at points because you’re too busy reveling in just how perfect this moment is and how it couldn’t possibly get any better. Your legs tangle with his again, drawing him even closer, so that you’re pressed tightly against him, feeling the warmth of his bare skin all the way down to your toes.

Pulling away again, your face turns a deep shade of blue at the compliment, dropping your eyes from his with a half smile. No, you decide, you’re not going to be stubborn and argue. You’re too comfortable to really do anything but stay where you are. Looking back into his eyes, you again find yourself wondering what good you possibly could have done to deserve his love. Especially after trolling him for as long as you did, informing him of his imminent doom kind of by your hand, and ordering him around once he did get into the game. You aren’t even sure when he stopped disliking you...or when you started liking him, for that matter. It didn’t take long though, at least not for you.

You reach up and pluck his glasses off his nose, taking yours off at the same time and setting them to the side. If you manage to get your glasses broken while you sleep, it would really suck. You don’t really need them to see - you haven’t needed them since you used them to block your missing eye before you reached God Tier - but you like to have them on. It’s just your look, kind of like how the red glasses are Terezi’s look and the pajama polka dot pants are (or were) Gamzee’s look.

Burrowing further into his arms, you tuck your head comfortably against his neck under his chin, careful not to cut him with your horns, the side of your face pressed into his warm skin. “Remind me when I changed my mind about not considering you to be a viable romantic partner in any quadrant? Because I’m pretty sure I don’t remember that happening. Do you have any idea how rude it is to just sneak into someone’s heart like that?” You quickly plant a soft kiss on his neck, grinning a little. “But I suppose I can forgive you, just this once.”
 
John: Sleep

You're now pressed so close to Vriska that just about every inch of the front of your bodies are touching and it still doesn't feel just quite close enough. Your arms circle around her tightly as you pull her back in from her blush, which only served to make her even more beautiful, likely much to her chagrin. If she didn't want to think she was gorgeous then that was all right, but you were going to make sure she knew you considered her such. Eventually she reaches up to take off your glasses and you smile softly, taking that as a sign of sleep being imminent. You were okay with that, because your activities with Vriska had worn you out, and it you couldn't think of a more comfortable position than the one you were in now. It was a shame that when sleeping you'd lose awareness that you were holding the most amazing woman in existence but as long as you woke up with her in your arms it would be all right.

Her head nuzzles under your chin and your eyes drift shut, the smile never leaving your face. Yes, this was absolutely the best position possible. You can't help but laugh softly at her playful scolding for somehow managing to win her over against all odds. You're honestly not quite sure how it happened, but never have you been happier to experience such an unlikely scenario.

"I dunno when! You're the one who asked me on a date first, remember? I'm really happy you did, though. I might have been too nervous to ask first. You were so amazing and confident and energetic. Meanwhile I was just a nerdy human who liked to play stupid pranks. I'm not sure how I won you over exactly, but I'm sure glad it happened." You kiss the top of her head softly and nuzzle your nose into her hair. You always thought her hair smelled lovely, even though she claimed not to do anything special to it. Maybe just because it was her and you knew she was yours.

"Let's get some sleep. We can discuss the finer points of our relationship timeline tomorrow. I'm sure it's just as complex and indecipherable as all the other timeline shenanigans..." You murmur, already beginning to drift off. "Love you..."

The next thing you know you're standing in a very a strange landscape, surrounded by blue trees with pink leaves and turquoise grass. If you didn't know any better, you'd say this was your mind doing a really shitty job of trying to make an alien landscape. Not actually creating anything very weird, instead just making things you knew different colors. Seriously, this couldn't be a place this stupid anywhere ever...

You then notice a figure shaded beneath a tree. You squint, but that does nothing. You never really understood why squinting was supposed to make a thing easier to see. Was that because it helped you focus on one thing and closing off your peripheral vision? You decide to not go further down that train of thought because it was stupid and pointless. You focus on the figure again. Those horns! They were definitely Vriska's! You dash over immediately and without really thinking grab Vriska in your arms from behind and hug her tightly.

"Hey gorgeous! Fancy meeting you out here!" You chuckle before pausing. Why was her hair shorter? And what was that dress she was wearing? You'd never seen her wear anything like that...
 
Be the spider girl.

What are you talking about? You’re already Vriska. You can’t be any more Vriska than you already are!

No, be the other spider girl.

Oh, okay. Your name is Aranea Serket, and you are very confused. Perhaps you should trace your confusion back to its source. You think a cliche flashback is in order.

Minutes ago, but not many...

Once again, you find yourself to be more bored than you ever thought possible. You have not seen any of your friends for quite some time, so you recently decided to explore the dream bubbles floating around. You’ve come across quite a few alternate copies of yourself, along with a number of copies of Meenah, Porrim, and Damara. Needless to say, you attempted conversations with...some of them. Some were actually fairly receptive, but some were altogether unhelpful. Having exhausted the possibility of communicating with your friends, you decide to visit one of your favorite bubbles, the one with pink-leaved blue trees and bluish-green grass.

You find yourself in a loose grove of trees in said dream bubble, and with nothing better to do, you simply lean against one of the trees on your side, resting your head on the blue bark. This is an excellent place to just sit and think sometimes, especially when there’s no one else in the bubble with you. This time, you seem to be perfectly alone, a pleasant rarity for you. Normally there’s at least one other person here, from your acquaintances or otherwise.

Several minutes pass, and you hear footsteps rapidly approaching behind you on the grass. Before you can turn or run, a pair of arms appear around you from behind, hugging you tightly. You’re too surprised to react for a few seconds, only half processing the greeting you’re given by a voice you’ve never heard before. Looking down, the skin on the arms around your waist aren’t grey, but rather an odd pinkish-yellowish-peachish color.

You pull away in surprise, turning quickly to confront your...hugger? What do you even call someone that just walks up, hugs you, then greets you as if he’s known you for ages? You aren’t really sure what to make of the human standing in front of you. He doesn’t seem to be a threat, but neither does he seem completely harmless. Clearly he thought you were someone else, so he must be just as surprised as you are. You are more than very confused, actually.

“I do appreciate the compliment, but you seem to have mistaken me for someone else,” you inform him once you recover enough from your confusion to string together a coherent sentence. "May I ask who you are and what you're doing here?"


Vriska: Dream

You’re already half asleep by the time John finishes answering you, so you barely hear his response to your halfhearted scolding. You do feel him nuzzle into your hair and his lips pressing to your head briefly before he starts to talk again, sounding significantly more lost to sleep. It’s only another second or two afterwards that you fall asleep yourself.

It’s immediately obvious that you’re dreaming when you open your eyes again to what looks significantly like Terezi’s forest back on Alternia, except it’s more...dreamy, you suppose. It’s similar, but not exactly like Terezi’s forest, so it must be somewhere you haven’t been before. As per usual, the first idea that comes to mind is the urge to explore the place.

Shoving your hands into your pockets, you start off through the trees, walking aimlessly, not unlike what you do on the meteor, but less monotonous. It takes only a couple of minutes before the trees start to thin, and before long you catch sight of two silhouettes quite a ways away. One seems to be hugging the other - no wait, the other one just pulled away - and it looks like she has the same horns as you. That’s weird...

Briefly you consider leaving it alone and forgetting about it. Then you remember that not investigating would be ridiculously stupid. Mentally rolling your eyes, you set off towards the two figures, curious to find out who they are. You figure it’ll take you several minutes to get there at your pace, and you aren’t about to speed up, seeing as the two don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
 
John: Quickly realize something is not right

Things seem to go into slow-motion as you begin to realize your mistake. Your arms withdraw quickly as the Vriska-looking girl pulls away and spins to look at you. You immediately tumble backwards onto your ass in surprise. Your eyes scan the girl over, once again taking note of her blue dress. It had Vriska's sign on it, so that only served to confuse you further. You then focus onto her eyes and behind a pair of fancy-looking white frames are a set of completely blank eyes and suddenly things make just a bit more sense. This person was dead, and you were in one of those dream bubbles. Finally! You had wanted to experience another one of those ever since you met that sea troll who stabbed you with a trident before you even had a chance to really do or say anything.

"W-woah, you're... not Vriska! Or at least... not the Vriska I know. I'm really sorry!" You fumble your words a bit, blushing profusely for hugging a strange girl from behind. "I swear I don't normally approach women that way!"

You finally make your way back to your feet and recall that she had inquired about who you were and your purpose here. Well, the first question was easy to answer, but the second... "Uh, right, who am I... I am John! A human! And... I'm here because I'm asleep. No other reason than that, I guess!" It's about then that you realized that you'd been naked with Vriska when you had fallen asleep and for a brief moment you get incredibly worried. Thankfully as you look down you're in your light-blue shirt with your aspect symbol and your jeans. A sigh of relief is breathed as you return your attention to the Troll girl. She definitely was attractive, but that was simply because she looked so much like a girl you were in love with. You were at least thankful Vriska hadn't been there to see your little misunderstanding. Even if she wasn't bothered by it, you still weren't in the mood to give her the image of you hugging some other girl that tightly.

"Yeah, you definitely look a lot like someone I know... If you're not Vriska, then who are you?"

Be Karkat

You're Karkat Vantas and you don't even know how to begin with your current situation. You are literally watching yourself sleep on top of a horn pile you passed out on while waiting for Gamzee. Now you're in a dream bubble and that was the last thing you needed. That fish troll could be around and she had a habit of clinging to you like a leech. Then again, maybe seeing her wouldn't be so bad. She seemed to like you, and maybe you could talk to her. At least, if you weren't driven to suicide due to a fish pun overdose. Gamzee certainly wasn't upholding his end of the moirallegiance, and ever since the couples of Kanaya & Rose and John & Vriska started developing, it was impossible to get any of them alone. Then there was Terezi. Who knew where to start with her. She had been scarce lately, and not because she was hanging out with Strider like she had been.

"Fuck this..." You sigh, leaning against a bookshelf and shaking your head at your own, napping body. You were pathetic. You couldn't get the girl. You couldn't keep a friend. Just what good were you...?
 
Aranea: Greet the human

You suppress a small amused smile as the human realizes his mistake and promptly proceeds to fall over backwards. You expect he must be one of the meteor crew since he’s human, but you’ve never seen him before. It would probably be a little awkward to offer to help him up, so you wait patiently until he’s back on his feet, listening with slight amusement to his rushed apologies. So he is indeed a human, and apparently his name is John. You think you may have heard the name before, if only in passing. You assume that for whatever reason he had for not appearing in this dream bubble before, you might be seeing him more often. He appears to be his session’s Breath player, judging by the symbol on his shirt.

“No, I’m afraid I’m not Vriska. You almost got it right; I’m Aranea, one of her ancestors. Good to meet you, John.” You smile at him encouragingly. “It wasn’t a bad mistake to make though, so don’t feel too bad about it. She might even turn out to be around here somewhere. I’ve seen her a few times, but we haven’t actually talked yet.” You take a quick glance around the place before raising a hand and pointing towards the thicker part of the forest, where you caught a glimpse of the shape of what you think to be the one he mistook you for. “That must be her there.”

Vriska: Meet your ancestor

After threading your ways through the trees for several minutes, the two figures finally come into view. You easily recognize one as John. The other you’ve seen a couple times, but you’ve never taken the time to talk to. You were a little too busy being you to care about anyone else at the time. Technically you’re still too busy being you. John is currently the sole exception to your normal you-ness. So now may just be as good a time as any to meet her.

Not entirely sure how to greet both your matesprit and your ancestor at the same time, you resort to your arsenal of elaborate, creative greetings. “Hi.” Without noticing it, you kind of gravitate towards John, coming to a stop next to him and maybe a little in front of him, turning to inspect the familiar yet strange troll in front of you. “So you’re my ancestor.” You receive a nod, a smile, and a greeting, which is almost a little confusing coming from a profile that looks so much like yours. It’s like she’s the older bubbly, friendly version of you. So still not entirely sure what to make of this, you turn to John instead.

“Welcome to the weirdest dreambubbles in existence, I guess...what do you think?”

Be the Seer.

You are now Terezi Pyrope, and you are sleeping. Well, you’re awake, but the real you on the real meteor is sleeping in your room with a bottle of Faygo still held tightly in your hand. Your dream self, however, is wide awake...and also on the meteor. Sensing another presence nearby, you slip quietly into Karkat’s room, apparently without him noticing. You come up next to him and lean on the bookshelf the same way he is, looking at his sleeping self.

“Hey.” You don’t really expect much of a response since you haven’t seen him in ages, and when you did it was never for more than a few seconds. But you figure it’s at least worth trying to talk to him. If he even wants to be talked to.
 
John: Formally meet a Serket ancestor

You chuckle, scratching the back of your head a bit nervously. "Well I kinda gave you a huge hug when you've never even met me and since you're a Troll who knows what could happen to me after giving such an unexpected gesture. You could take my head off, I bet! Thanks for understanding though. You're super nice!"

You realize what you just said and pause, glancing back up to the Troll in the blue dress. "Are... you sure you're related to Vriska?"

It's about then that Aranea points out you have company and upon turning around you notice Vriska had indeed joined you, wearing her normal outfit and seemingly a bit uncomfortable with this whole situation. She greets you rather simply, and inquires about your opinion of the dream bubble so far. You grin, immediately wrapping your arms around her with a giddy expression. "Hi, Vriska! I have to say I think it's totally awesome! We're asleep but still spending time together!"

It's about then you remember that you're not exactly alone together, so you loosen your grip slightly and return your gaze to Aranea. "So you guys haven't met and that's your entire greeting? I'd be pretty stoked to meet my ancestors! I guess I don't really have any, though. Other than Nanna, I guess? It's strange, I thought you said your ancestor was Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, some badass Troll pirate lady. No offense, Miss Aranea, but you don't really look like much of a pirate. You are incredibly pretty though, if you don't mind my saying!"

You give Vriska a rather dorky wink, hoping to imply to her that it was intended to be a compliment to her and not that you were flirting with another woman. You were having a hard time containing your excitement but you didn't care. You were finally experiencing a dream bubble and meeting some new people, and frankly, meeting Vriska's ancestor was pretty cool to you even if it wasn't to her.

Karkat: Make a fool out of yourself

You feel like you're going to fall asleep despite the fact that you were already asleep, but the last thing you want to do is leave your dream room and possibly encounter your crazed, fashion-disaster ancestor. That guy was the only one who could ever render you completely speechless. Suddenly a voice shocks you to attention and you quickly look up to notice a pair of red glasses looking down upon you.

You grunt, turning your head up toward the voice and ruffling your own hair in frustration. "Fucking figures you only visit me when I'm sleeping. I bet you didn't expect me to also be awake at the same time. Remember who you're dealing with here. I'm a goddamned pro."

You sigh heavily, shaking your head. "...Sorry. I get it. It's responses like that which cause me to fuck up every single relationship in the world, isn't it? That's why Gamzee doesn't want to fucking deal with me anymore. He's tired of my shit. Just like you were. Just like Kanaya, and now even John. He's been on this shitrock for one month and already he avoids me like I'm some maggot infested leper. I never thought I'd see the day when someone would rather hang out with Vriska Serket than me. I always thought that no matter how fucked up in the thinkpan I was, she was always worse.

So tell me. Where did I go wrong? How the fuck to I manage to shove everyone away? I really tried to be supportive! I tried to be a good leader! This stupid game ruined everything! Caused some of my best friends to either die or go on murderous rampages! Caused the few people I have left to spend every waking moment with their new human pals! And as expected, I get left in the fucking dust."

You knock your head back into the bookshelf with a thud and shut your eyes. You wouldn't be surprised if she just left without a word. "Is it wrong that I felt a bit better when Strider recently told me that even he hadn't seen you much lately? At least maybe I'm not alone in pushing you away..."
 
Vriska: Interrupt

The slightly uncomfortable feeling you had a moment ago when approaching the two disappears easily with the familiar feeling of John’s arms wrapping around you. You cave to the urge to smile a moment later, returning the hug. “Yeah, it is pretty awesome to be able to see you even when we’re both sleeping.” The two of you seem to remember your ancestor at the same moment, and you draw back a little, turning back to your ancestor to look at her curiously. He’s right, it is a little weird to not be more excited about meeting your ancestor. You guess it’s cool. You just never thought about it before. You think her name’s Aranea, right? Yeah, that’s it.

“Oh, I’m not a pirate at all. I'm technically the preincarnation of one. But for all intents and purposes, I’m just me,” says the ancestor in question, flashing him a smile. “You are right though; I guess I will be the 'badass pirate lady'--”

“Which is Mindfang,” you interject. “And yeah, she was some badass pirate lady. She was cooler than that sounds though.” You can’t help but grin at the wink he gives you, already knowing that he meant the compliment as a compliment to you, in a way.

“Speaking of badass pirate ladies, we have a rather ‘badass’ heiress on our team,” starts Aranea again with a grin. “You might have seen her around, raising enough of a commotion about her ‘army’ to attract other dream bubbles. She’s formed a theory, which is actually fairly good. I don’t suppose you’ve met her?”

Terezi: Try to reassure Karkat

You start to open your mouth to respond to Karkat’s original response to your greeting, but before you can get anything out he starts to talk again. You wince inwardly at the torrent of what’s basically all self-deprecating ranting directed more at himself than at you. It’s been a while since you’ve talked to him, but judging by what you’re seeing of him now, you feel kind of bad for not being there to help him. Instead, you were screwing around with his moirail, of all people.

You turn to face him completely, waiting several seconds after he’s finished. When he shows no sign of starting up again, you cross your arms, taking a moment to think, trying to form a response in your head that won’t just make him angrier. It’s surprisingly hard.

“You’re making all of this sound like it’s your fault,” you finally say, straightening up a little to catch his eye. “You’re irritating enough to drive us all crazy, but you’ve always been like that. Just because we started playing some game, doesn’t mean you have to change. It’s not that Gamzee doesn’t want to deal with you. In case you don’t remember, Kanaya’s likely to chainsaw him to little tiny grape-smelling pieces if she sees him. If he kept hanging out with you, he wouldn’t last long.”

You sigh, straightening up to look at him properly look at him. “John isn’t deliberately avoiding you and you know it. He’s flushed redder than your blood for Vriska, and it’s only been a month since they met for the first time. He isn’t avoiding you, he’s just being over-obsessive over his matesprit. I guess none of us saw it coming, but can you blame him?”

Remembering what he said about Dave just a moment ago, you pause uncertainly, a little uncomfortable. You haven’t seen Dave in a couple days, and you guess it makes sense for Karkat to have talked to him if neither of them had seen you in a while.

“...Neither of you did anything wrong, Karkat,” you mutter. “I know this won’t make sense, but it was all me. And I can’t explain why. Just...trust me. It’s not Dave’s fault, and it definitely isn’t yours. None of it is. You're still the nubby, shouty, candy red Karkat you've always been, and nobody can blame you for doing your best to try and win this for us.”

You trail off awkwardly, not having expected to say that much. But you hate knowing that he blames himself for all the crap that's been going on that's obviously not his fault. So you just hope he'll take your words to heart and stop being so hard on himself.
 
John: Meet an old friend

You give Vriska a rather quizzical look when she claims Mindfang was even cooler than described. This seems suspect. "Badass pirate lady already sounds like pretty much the coolest thing ever so I'm not sure what you're trying to say!"

Aranea's mention of another badass only elicits a shrug from you. This was pretty much only the second dream bubble you've ever been in. That you know of, at least. "Hmm, I haven't really seen anyone yet other than you. I just got here... I mean, I once was in another dream bubble quite briefly. Oh yeah... There was this sea Troll girl... She got all excited about being dead then tried to stab this sleeping Rose-looking girl with a fork, so I pushed her out of the way and got stuck myself. What a lame ending to that story..."

"Heeeey blue boy! Nice to sea you again!" You hear a voice call out in the distance. Somehow the inflection on the word 'see' already began to clue you in to what was happening here. A figure soon emerges from the trees carrying a trident. "Ready for round two?"

"Oh man, talk about a small afterlife..." You mutter, glancing to Vriska with a nervous chuckle. Without much hesitation she raises the weapon and looks ready to toss it at you, and instinctively you move yourself in front of Vriska. You know there's no real danger of being hurt here. At worst if either of you got stabbed you'd just wake up, but it was hard to fight the urge to protect what you care about.

"Meenah, no! Drop it!" Aranea commands, causing the other Troll with incredibly long braids to halt her motion. She initially looks confused and actually a bit saddened.

"Aww, Serket, yer krillin my fun... Can't I just poke him a little?"

"No! Now settle down. Perhaps you'd like to tell them about your plan to wage war?"

"Them? Wait... who's this Serket copycatfish... Lookit that hair. Looks like a turtle disaster..." Meenah grumps, reluctantly lowering her trident.

"Turtle disast...oh, Total disaster? That's... kind of a stretch." You mutter, unimpressed. "What exactly do ghosts wage war against, anyway?"

"Shaddap! Anyway, I'm building an army to fight a bad guy! Some guy named Clamiborn or Lord English or somefin' who's out there killin' other ghosts! If we gather enough forces then we can stop 'em. Cause I ain't in no hurry to die again!" Meenah states confidently, sauntering over to Aranea with a grin.

"Uhh... How goes a ghost die? And who is Lord English?" You inquire, trying desperately to avoid acknowledging the terribleness of any of the puns.

Karkat: Continue rant despite best efforts to cease

You growl, looking away from Terezi as she tries her best to logically explain everything. You knew that there was no logic to it. You guess you admired that she was trying, but at the same time you didn't want to be treated like a child.

"No. Gamzee is avoiding me. For the past sweep we've been totally fucking fine. Still being perfect Moirails despite Kanaya's constant hunt. Lately, though, he hasn't held up his end. I think it might be over between us..." You mutter with some sadness.

"And hah, none of us saw John and Vriska coming? I fucking saw it a mile away! Yet it's still worse than I thought! I figured they'd be all over each other until they figured out they were fucking awful together but somehow they seem even closer now! It's completely baffling and I have to wonder if either even care about the salvation of the species!?" You continue to raise your voice, though you know you were just saying that last part to cover the fact that you were fairly jealous of their relationship.

"So, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but I don't need your pity. I'm mature enough to realize when something is my fault, and losing you was my fault. I was so wrapped up in all this leadership bullshit, and then when we first saw the humans I got obsessed with trolling them. I had no time to listen to anyone else or even think about anything. I didn't even sleep and frankly I'm amazed I'm doing it now. So just humor me and tell me at least one thing is my fault! Don't treat me like a wriggler! How could it possibly be yours? You've literally never done a single thing that made me be even a fraction less proud to be your friend..."
 
Vriska: Reclaim your view from the wall of blue

You listen curiously to what seems to be John reminiscing out loud. You don’t remember him telling you about seeing the aforementioned sea Troll girl, but from his description of her, it sounds like it would be Feferi’s ancestor. Which, by extension, is technically the Condesce. Which, by definition, is creepy.

A voice calling out for “blue boy,” who you assume to mean John, makes all of you look back towards the trees to see a girl with the longest braids you’ve ever seen carrying a trident coming towards the three of you. She does look like she’d be Feferi’s ancestor, so you assume her to be the girl he was talking about just now. Your suspicions are confirmed at the muttered comment. You see her raise the trident to throw it, and before you can move to apprehend the girl, your view is abruptly blocked by the wall of blue fabric that is John’s back. For half a moment you feel a surge of panic, wondering if she’ll actually throw it. You know he wouldn’t really die if he got hit, but still. Your ancestor proceeds to command the girl to put down the weapon, which gives you time to be both irritated with and attracted to his natural instinct to protect you. You know that you both know you don’t need protecting, but it’s still sweet that it’s already an impulsive thing to stay between you and a possible threat.

You resist the urge to growl at the Peixes ancestor when she makes a rather unflattering comment about your hair. Much to your pride, you manage to bite back your sarcastic remark in favor of inwardly snickering at the bad fish pun. You move out from behind John again, slipping your hand into his, just to have the familiar feeling of his skin on yours. Your attention is quickly recaptured when your ancestor starts talking in answer to John’s question.

“To answer your second question,” says Aranea, turning to face John, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “Lord English, we believe - or at least I believe, is a member of an alien race. He’s a cherub. English isn’t his actual name, though, just a title. And he’s the reason Meenah here has been recruiting everyone she meets in these dream bubbles.” She pauses to roll her eyes at Meenah, but she returns the grin with a smile anyway. “And ghosts die by getting killed by Lord English. I’m considering letting Meenah rattle off her verbal recruitment poster, actually...the last time I tried to explain this, the ghosts left by the time I was halfway through. But then she'd probably end up killing one of you again...”

She then proceeds to give one of the longest lectures in Troll history despite her apparent reservations.


Terezi: Continue trying to make him feel better despite his continued ranting

Great, more guilt. Karkat’s telling you about how his relationship with Gamzee is falling apart because the latter hasn’t been a half decent moirail, and it’s probably your fault. You knew when it started that as someone Karkat was and/or is flushed for, having a black relationship with his moirail, of all people, was a terrible idea. But you did it anyway, and now the damn clown is breaking his heart. And worse, it just makes you hate him more for it. You’ve wanted to tell Karkat about the two of you, but with things like this, now you know telling him would only make everything worse.

You sigh heavily as he continues on his rant to include what you said about John and Vriska, and you wonder if he’s hearing himself almost restate your point. You know it’s useless to try and interrupt now, so you just let him go on. The bitterness in his voice, especially when he starts on how close the pair has become despite his predictions, almost mirrors your own feelings, in a way. Yeah, you have Dave, but even he’s seemed distant lately. And it’s probably you that’s being distant, not even him. You did want a perfect red relationship, and Vriska’s relationship with John is essentially the epitome of what both you and Karkat seem to want but can’t have because of all that’s going on.

Another pang of guilt hits you when he demands to know how this could be your fault. You could think of so many reasons why, and all of them are perfectly valid reasons. But you know that telling him those reasons would ruin your relationship with him, friendly or otherwise, for good.

“Look...you said it yourself, none of us expected John and Vriska to end up together, let alone last this long. You didn’t see it coming. You predicted a relationship that would end in ashes, and it didn’t.” You hope he won’t notice that you deliberately skipped over the issue with Gamzee...chances are low that he wouldn’t notice, but still. “I’m not pitying you, Karkat. And no one but yourself is blaming you for anything.” You hesitate for several moments, wondering if you should tell him or not. “I could tell you exactly why the shit that’s happening now is my fault. And you’d agree completely, but you’d just hate me for it. You wouldn’t want to be my friend. And I’m too selfish to risk that happening, so just trust me when I say a hell of a lot is my fault.”
 
John: Listen

Meenah groans as soon as you inquire about Lord English and you raise an eyebrow curiously. Had you said something wrong? Upon feeling Vriska's hand grasp for yours you turn to her and smile. You tangle your fingers with hers, happy that she missed your touch as much as you missed hers. As fascinating as it was to meet these other Trolls, you were still most thankful that you could be asleep and still have Vriska with you. Aranea begins to answer your question, informing you of apparently another violent alien race out there causing chaos and destruction. Your gaze shifts to Meenah when it's implied the seatroll was trying to recruit other ghosts in the dream bubbles, seemingly to fight this English guy. However Aranea was not even remotely close to done with her explanation, and you begin to understand why Meenah seemed exasperated at your question.

Aranea seemed genuinely excited to release a torrent of longwinded information on the both of you, and you had to admire her enthusiasm. In that way she reminded you of Vriska, though she was different in numerous ways as well. You were certain if the others were here they'd find quite an apparent dichotomy between the two Serkets, due to Aranea's outward kindness. You didn't find it too odd, since you were used to seeing Vriska's kind and loving side by now, but it was only you she showed it to whereas Aranea was like that all the time. Maybe her more violent tendencies were locked away in contrast to Vriska.

Eventually you find yourself sitting on the grass with Vriska beside you, intently listening to Aranea's story about Cherubs and their strange, destructive mating habits. Aranea had commented that people often abandoned her stories halfway through and you could kind of understand why. If you got this sort of exposition unleashed upon you on a daily basis you'd probably get tired of it quickly, but you were more than happy to hear it now. Especially since it dealt with the real enemy.

"Wow, I feel kind of like an idiot. I'm like always the last guy to find out about this stuff. He sounds dangerous... Much more so than Jack. It's strange that up until now I still thought Jack was the real threat in all of this, but even he couldn't destroy planets or kill ghosts like this English guy apparently can..."

You glance over to Vriska, tightening your grip on her hand. You got that unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach that you experienced after having that dream of losing her. You were now reminded of how dangerous this game was, and the thought that anything could separate you and Vriska prematurely was terrible to consider.

"So, an army huh... How many people have you recruited so far?" You turn your attention to Meenah who was flopped on the ground, looking bored out of her mind.

"Feh... Just shouty nubs so far. Buncha chump flounders too scared to stand up for themselves otherwise. I'll wear 'em down, you'll sea..." She mutters. You're briefly confused at the term 'shouty nubs' but you quickly piece it together.

"Karkat? Haha, wow. I'm surprised he'd join anything without being offered the prime leadership role."

"Karcrab! Yeah that guy! He's reely cool. Unlike our friends. He knows an opportunaty when he sees one!"

"Oh man, a girl thinks Karkat is cool. They should totally date or something. Though I imagine being dead makes a romance difficult to maintain, but hey I'm not a ghost so what do I know? What do you think, Vriska? Should Karkat give it a shot or do you think the fish puns are a deal breaker?" You chuckle, nudging Vriska with your shoulder.

Karkat: Try and calm down

Terezi's continued insistence that all of this was her fault gives you pause. You feel like you can begin putting the pieces together, but you're not sure you want to, because the implications frankly piss you off even more. You take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. Right now all your shouting is just going to cause more problems.

"Sorry. Maybe it's not my fault, but my powerlessness keeps driving me up the fucking wall. There's still a huge battle ahead of us and I feel like the more we all drift apart the harder it will be to win. I just don't want to lose anyone else! Hell, I'm even finding myself missing Nepeta and I used to believe I'd eat rotten shit before ever saying that!

Trust me that no matter what happens, I won't hate you or stop being your friend. Those things are not even on the fucking table as things that could ever happen in any universe. You've put up with me through all this, it would be pretty shitty of me not to cut you the same slack. So, just remember that, okay? I think I'm going to stop focusing on red quadrants so much. Instead focus on that strange disease called friendship." You chuckle lightly to yourself.
 
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