Grubsitting | Homestuck Reader-Insert

*+:｡.｡prologue ｡.｡:+*

 The idea of summer jobs were never pleasant. Why spend three months worrying about responsibilities outside of school when they solely existed for the exact opposite purpose? Anyone in their right mind knew  this, but unfortunately, your parents were not a part of that group. Far from it, at that. Before your summer had even started, you could hear them discussing small jobs for you to take part in. School might have been utter prison, but now you weren't even looking forward to your own vacation.

 Ever since the existence of Trolls became apparent to the human race, everyone had practically exploded. Social media boomed and you couldn't find one post that had nothing relating to the gray-skinned beings. You were about to question why the world was so hyped about just twelve creatures from another planet, but then that fact finally hit you. Honestly, you were losing your own mind with all the madness going around.

 Your once peaceful neighborhood was now a bustling ocean of news press and strangers—even from outside the hood. Why? Lucky you, these so-called Trolls had settled right down the street. Before their presence became a big deal, they had gone door to door, greeting the fellow humans they would soon be inhabiting with. After some more thought, you started to believe that they brought their fame on themselves. Your parents were completely open minded to the idea of aliens living in the neighborhood. They even kept their cool in their presence. This most likely triggered something, and you found your parents having a mutual acquaintanceship with them. You were indifferent, yet annoyed at the same time. Pretty soon, the whole world will be on our doorstep with questions you thought. 

 Oh, someone was on a doorstep, alright. But it definitely wasn't the world nor was it your doorstep.

 You were on the Trolls' doorstep. They—who you had learned to be referred to as "The Ancestors", for some odd reason—had thought it was a brilliant idea to mention the existence of their "grubs", which you would assume is the Troll equivalent to children. The second the word flew from their lips, your parents leapt on it like hungry lions on a gazelle. One thing led to another, and here you were, with the duty of... what should now probably be appropriately dubbed grubsitting.

 A note taped on the front door was the first to catch your attention. You reached up and tugged it off. You held it up and skimmed over it. It appeared to be written in a deep green color. Forest green, maybe?

 Hell+o [Name], We Want T+o Thank Yo+u Again Fo+r Taking So+me Time T+o Watch O+ver O+ur Little Darlings. They Sho+uldn't Be Much Tro+uble, I'm Sure. There Is A Schedule Inside O+n The Table. Thank Yo+u Again. We Sho+uld Be Back Befo+re Nightfall.

 Why is every word capitalized? was your first concern. You've seen people on the internet type in such a manner before, which was still odd to you. But to have it incorporated in handwriting? Must be some real dedication. The addition signs were also confusing. You just push the matter aside and fold the slip of paper up, stuffing it into your hoodie pocket. You grab the door handle and take a breath. Just for today, right? How much trouble could these things be?

 You finally got to pushing the door open, and the entire room became alive. All over the room, were what you would assume to be the grubs you were responsible for looking after. There must've been a couple dozen of them. Some were simply waddling around, others were wrestling each other, and nearly all of them were squeaking. The moment you set foot in the house, twenty-six little eyes came to rest on you. One of them had no hesitation in bounding towards you. This one had a yellow body, one red eye and one blue eye. He must've been Psiioniic's, given the unique eyes. 

 He sprang onto your shoe and sniffed at you. He paused and looked up at you before starting to whimper. He wiggled off of your shoe and scurried over to the door. He reared up on his hind stubs and scratched at the door. He continued to whine and squeak. He misses Psiioniic already, you concluded. You turned back to the rest of the grubs in the room. Your attention soon centered on the table in the kitchen, a folded piece of paper lying near the edge of it. Glancing back at the grubs, you gingerly made your journey across the living room towards the kitchen. The grubs seemed wary of you, backing away as you walked past.

 After what seemed like miles, you finally found yourself in the kitchen. You grabbed the schedule and unfolded it. You notice the same forest green ink much like the one from the note on the door... and then some. There was much more to it; different lines in different color ink, and different styles. There was also a stack of photos that were slid into the folded paper. They were pictures of the grubs. You spread the photos out to examine shortly, bringing all your focus to the schedule.

 It was actually more of a sheet of information about each grub. They would eat pretty much anything in the house. It mentioned what they preferred to do, to stop them when they got out of hand, what to be careful of, and what other issues they had. "Sollux" and "Mituna" were to, and quote, stay away from the honey. They also had the ability to shoot beams out of their eyes, which oddly didn't surprise you. The list also mentioned that Karkat was a "crabby little shit", Kankri was an "insufferable chatterbox", and much more that didn't need emphasis. You sighed heavily and set the list down and scooped up the pictures. 

 Two grubs were in every picture; each sharing the same body color and horn shape. Their names were written in the same color next to the according grub. You laid the photos out in a nice line and skimmed over them. Thankfully, it didn't take you long to memorize them all. You put the photos in a neat stack and walked back into the living room. The grubs had resumed to doing their thing, yet still remaining wary of you. You fished your phone out of your pocket and checked the clock on its lock screen.

12:57 p.m

 "Before nightfall" had one meaning to you; being back in the afternoon. If that was also the case to the Ancestors, then they would return at five—at the least. If so, then you were stuck with the twenty-four little gremlins in front of you, for five hours.

 Let the nightmare begin.

 [A/N]: Woah, you made it this far? Holy shit. Anyways; yeah, you're stuck grubsitting! Isn't that just wonderful? Originally, this was going to be done in one chapter—a one-shot, if you will. Then, I realized how fucking long it was getting, and cut it down to before you start getting to work. Five hours, five chapters. Maybe. I guess we'll see what my brain wants to do. I... also realize that the prologue is a little short for what it is... but in the meantime, let's see how many people are willing to read the rest once the next chapter gets done...