2: Twelfth Perigee's Eve

written by Keevan. revised version.

2: TWELFTH PERIGEE’S EVE

-- lovableLawlsquid [LL] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

LL: hi karkat

LL: :)

CG: HELLO.

CG: HOW ARE YOU?

LL: tired

LL: gam kept me up all morning with the honking

LL: the conStant, conStant honking

CG: I’M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.

CG: THE JUGGALO F**K REALLY NEEDS TO SHUT UP WITH THE HONKING.

LL: language >:S

CG: SORRY.

LL: itS fine, though, kar

LL: i’m uSed to it

LL: truSt me

CG: FINE, I’LL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT.

CG: SO DID YOU HAVE A REASON FOR TROLLING ME?

LL: i did, actually :)

LL: i made you Something

LL: So could we hang out later So i can give it to you?

CG: OF COURSE.

CG: I NEED TO GET AWAY FROM MY COMPUTER FOR A CHANGE.

LL: yeS, yeS you do

CG: IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN SOMETHING?

LL: no ;)

LL: where do you want to meet?

CG: ANYWHERE YOU PICK IS FINE.

LL: um

LL: then how about down by the beach?

LL: no one goeS down there

CG: OKAY

CG: I’LL COME AND GET YOU IN A FEW MINUTES.

CG: BE READY.

LL: i will be :)

-- lovableLawlsquid [LL] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

Keevan logged out of Trollian and opened her knitting drawer, taking out her gift to Karkat. The past three nights she had worked endlessly on knitting a scarf for Karkat, her matesprit. It was purple and grey, with one thin, red stripe down the center. She really hoped Karkat would like it.

“Honk!”

Keevan jumped, dropping the scarf on her lap.

“I told you not to sneak up on me like that, Gam,” Keevan said, picking up her scarf again and folding it up.

“My bad,” Gamzee replied, letting out a giggle. “Got any plans for today?”

“Kar’s on his way over here, actually,” Keevan said, taking a small box out of her knitting drawer and gently placing the scarf in it. She put the lid on the box and picked it up, hugging it close. “Sorry, Gam.”

“Nah,” Gamzee said, sounding relaxed as always. “It’s cool, I know how the matesprit deal goes down. Have a motherfuckin’ blast.”

“I will, and don’t go overboard with the Faygo,” Keevan said. “I don’t want to pick up too many bottles when I get home.”

“No problem, Kee,” Gamzee replied, grinning. He turned and walked back in the direction of his respiteblock. Keevan exited her own respiteblock, closing the door behind her, and went outside the hive to wait for Karkat. He showed up a few minutes later, the usual expression on his face.

“Hi,” he said, his hands in his pockets as he stood in front of Keevan.

“Hey,” she said back. She held out the box to him. “Here’s your gift.” Karkat took the box and just looked at it.

“Let’s go to the beach before I open it,” he suggested. Keevan just nodded and walked beside him as they traveled to their destination. At some point along the way, his hand slipped into hers.

“Open it!” Keevan said excitedly. They were sitting on a fallen tree trunk near the edge of the beach, a few yards away from the water. “C’mon, I worked really hard on it!”

“Fine, fine,” Karkat finally said, smiling a bit. He opened the box and Keevan grinned proudly when he took the scarf out, holding it up and studying it.

“You made this yourself?”

“Yep! Took three nights.”

“I love it,” he said, his face flushing a faint red. He turned it over and over in his hands, and then wrapped it around his neck. Keevan smiled, pleased that he liked the present.

“I’m glad you like it,” Keevan said, relieved. “I wasn’t totally sure if you would wear it.”

“You made it, so I’ll wear it,” he said simply, shrugging. “I really do like it.”

“That’s good.” The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments. Keevan was still a bit uncomfortable with the idea of having a matesprit. It was hard for her to get the idea through her thick head that someone else liked her for her, and in a red kind of way. Their hands found each other again, their fingers entwining.

“Kar,” Keevan began. He looked at her, meeting her gaze. “Do you…really feel red for me?”

“Of course I do,” he said, without hesitation. “I ran from my hive to yours just to hug you and tell you I did after you said you felt red for me.”

“I remember that,” Keevan said, remembering that day. It didn’t happen that long ago.

“So, this is like a...like a normal date?”

“I guess it is,” Karkat said, holding Keevan’s hand tighter and looking out at the horizon over the water. “Oh, and I almost forgot, today is the first day of Twelfth Perigee’s. That makes it even better.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. I usually never liked to celebrate it with my lusus because Crabdad was always so pushy. I did when I was younger but not recently. But now that I...have someone to celebrate with,” Karkat paused, swallowing. “I think I’m ready to celebrate my first Perigee’s with you.”

“Then we’ve already celebrated it,” Keevan said back.

“What do you mean?”

“I gave you a gift,” she said. “and I’m spending the night with a loved one. I’m celebrating Twelfth Perigee’s Eve with you, Kar.” She found she was blushing as she said that.

“I...guess you’re right,” Karkat said, tightening his grip on her hand. “Now I feel like an a*s, I don’t have a gift for you.”

“That’s okay,” Keevan said, laying her head on Karkat’s shoulder. “You said you’d spend the day with me, that’s enough of a gift.”

“I’m glad, then,” Karkat said, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He took her hand again with his other one and rested his cheek on her head.

“I love you, Karkat,” Keevan whispered. Karkat kissed the top of her head and whispered back, “I love you too, Kee.”