Red (Davekat)

(Not So) Alone at a Drive-In

<Be Karkat>

Somehow, it didn't seem real when I had to go back to school. It almost felt like the last summer had been in an entirely different lifetime. Honestly, I missed it already. I never really felt that way about much, but I longed for the starry nights alone with Dave on a secluded part of the beach.

With a sigh, I came to a stop in front of the gated pathway to my school's campus. Those thoughts had to stop. I didn't feel comfortable expressing those types of feelings around anyone but Dave. It wasn't anyone else's business.

"K4RK4T? 1S TH4T YOU?" the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as Terezi strolled up behind me and draped an arm over my shoulders. She leaned against me and seemed to study me for a second.

"I SWEAR TO GOD PYROPE, IF YOU LICK ME I WILL FUCKING END YOU."

She pouted, but grinned after a second, "W3LL, 1T LOOKS L1K3 MY QU3ST1ON W4S 4NSW3R3D 4NYW4Y."

Huffing, I tore myself away from her grip and glared at her. Not like she could really tell. I just hated it when she got all touchy. Giving her a once-over, I realized that she had put a little more effort into her looks than usual that day. By that, I mean that she had clearly spent more time brushing out her hair and making sure her clothes were straightened out. She even had a hairpin holding her partially grown-out bangs back. A few bracelets jangled on her wrist, matching with some artfully mismatched earrings. She almost looked nice. Almost.

Immediately after I had that thought, I felt guilty. It wasn't that Terezi didn't usually look nice. I just never really thought about it. Jesus, that relationship thing was turning me into... something weird.

"YOU, UM... YOU LOOK NICE TODAY?" it sounded like a question, but it most definitely wasn't.

She snorted and threw her head back to laugh, drawing the attention of some other students who were trickling in, "4 COMPL1M3NT? J33Z, WH4T TH3 FUCK H4PP3N3D TO YOU TH1S SUMM3R?"

I huffed, "NOTHING. I'M JUST... TRYING TO WORK ON SOME SHIT, OKAY? GET OFF MY BULGE, DAMN."

Terezi cackled again and started to ruffle my hair, "4WW, OUR L1TTLE K4RK4T 1S GROW1NG UP."

Pulling away from her, again, I just shook my head and started to walk, "WHATEVER, I'M GONNA GO INSIDE. UP TO YOU IF YOU WANNA FOLLOW."

"Hey. Waiit up for u2!" I groaned and stopped moving as Sollux and Eridan joined us. I noticed that Ampora stood a few paces away from the group and just tagged along a few steps behind us, but I didn't say anything. I didn't care. If he wanted to join us, he would.

When we walked into the main building, we stopped at the office for our schedules and locker numbers (small break here, my school doesn't have lockers or give out schedules in the traditional way, so I have no idea how this works. Sorry, I'm trying my best! Okay, get back to the story, my lovely!) before splitting up to find our lockers. Once I had found mine, I opened it and put a few things I didn't need in it. While I was organizing my books nicely against the tarnished metal of the container, someone leaned their elbow on the locker next to mine.

"Hey there, cutie~" alarmed, my head shot towards who was speaking and I flushed when my eyes were met with the friendly sight of Dave's shades and gentle, curved smile that melted my insides.

"I-DAVE! y-you can't just do that. i nearly had a heart attack and i-" he tapped my lips with his index finger to silence me since I was speaking at about a million words per second.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I just saw you standing here and, well, you know I can't help myself," he grinned and pushed himself off of the locker so he could grab his bag off of the ground, "I'll see you around, yea?" Before I could answer, he gave me a lazy salute and sauntered off down the hall.