Vanilla Red with a Touch of Spice

==> Be Karkat Vantas.

Again and again and again. Terezi had literally described your relationship with Sollux as "V4N1LL4 R3D W1TH 4 TOUCH OF D3L1C1OUS L1QUOR1C3 SP1C3". Then she would accuse you of stealing her moirail. Kanaya had asked if you might like her to mediate between the two of you more than once; then she would accuse him of stealing HER moirail. Sollux himself was getting fed up with the (READ: NON-EXISTANT) three-way flipping; it didn't play into his duality schtick (fetish) and it was making him moodier than usual. But as you might have to remind your entire friend group, the two of you were JUST FRIENDS. No pale pity or flushed pity or caliginous hate involved. Even when you were thinking of his stupid sideburns and how they were kind of close to his lips and how his lips looked really soft. But as friends.

You rapped your knuckles on the front door of his hive.

"Open up, you giant douche!"

Okay. You were getting worried. After the second (his thing for duality is definitely more than casual interest) knock, he usually cracks open the door with his psionics. You had already knocked five times.

"I swear to god, I will KICK THIS FUCKING DOOR IN!" You yell. It's not an empty threat, either. The last time this happened, you were half the age you were now (four sweeps ago), very impatient, he was using the loadgaper, and you had just watched the entire first season of Thresh Prince for the first time. Past You knocked the door clean off its hinges. Past You proceeded to then be held hostage by one Past Sollux Captor for the next hour as he tickled you senseless and only stopped when you had passed out from lack of air. Past You was such a dumbass. You kind of missed him.

You stopped knocking. Your knuckles were getting sore. And Sollux would have gotten annoyed by the knocking minutes ago. So either he was out (hah, since when) or something was wrong. You normally had to do all of Sollux's shopping for him. You actually had to force him in the ablution trap sometimes. Naturally, you suspected something was up.

"I'm breaking the fucking door, asshat!" You backed up and took a flying kick at the door. It broke down, no problem. You weren't paying for that shit. Doors were expensive, and you got lower allowance than Aradia. The caste system was a bitch to lowbloods. Of course, Sollux didn't give a buzzing fuck, so you would probably have to pay for it anyway.

You looked around the room. It was a mess worse than when you had last visited. Sollux had gotten progressively messier as he had gotten older and better at computers. This, however, was a whole new level of shitheap. You avoided the kitchen, frightened of what might be piled up in there (although you refused to admit it).

You cracked open the door to Sollux's respite block. And there he was, asleep at his desk with his brows furrowed. Surrounded by empty bottles of pop. Looking very unhealthily yellow. His skin, which was normally a pale grey tinged yellow from being inside all the time, was at least three shades closer to toxic sunshine. How long had he been asleep? It dawned on you that he may not have actually EATEN anything in a while. The letter G was stuck, held fast by drool. All that you could see on the current page of his computer was G. When you tried to scroll up, his screen was frozen.

You started to panic. Was he dying? Already dead? You slapped yourself mentally. Of course he wasn't dead. He was breathing. His breathing was shallow. That couldn't be good. His face, now that you looked closer, was waxen and gaunt.

Oh god, if he didn't wake up and eat something now he might die. You made a dash for the kitchen. You then realized that he actually hadn't eaten in ages. The kitchen was completely pristine, probably from the last time you had been over. That was when he had last showered and scarfed back some grubloaf and a bottle of pop before settling down with you, video games, and a bag of chips. You had visited two Wednesdays ago. Oh, shit.