After the game, things had become crazy around Alterinia. Though somethings were normal, somethings were forever changed. Such as the fact that some trolls had decided to go to earth, and some humans choose Alternia. Gamzee Makara was currently staying in California, living with Dave Strider. The two had gained a nice friendship since the game had ended, and they both needed the company that each other provided. They liked to take swims, sometimes stay in for movies. Dave was out with his friends a decent amount. Gamzee kept to himself, only ever seeing Dave. He hid from other trolls and spent a lot of time at the beach, staring off into the water and thinking. He sometimes looked for his lustus, but of coarse his goat dad wasn't there. He just hoped sometimes. He wanted to have someone to take care of him for once. He could ask Dirk, but the man was still in Texas, living with Jake English. Gamzee was actually at the beach right now, the dark of night shading him from being seen, not that anyone was here anyway. His troll eyes could pick up the shapes easily even in the dark. And his sense of smell really helped too. He sat out on the sand and the tide licked at the tips of his toes. He was mostly bare, sitting around in a swim suit just in case he got the urge to go swimming. He felt rather lonely and sighed deeply, curling up and imagining better times with more people and less pain. On the plus side, his scars had been removed, so he didn't have to deal with stares or the guilt he used to feel when he had them. He suddenly jumped up and dove into a wave, swimming underneath the water and looking around at the fish.

Karkat had been living in Washington, as a neighbor to John when he had decided that he needed to visit his moirail, or, as humans called it, best friend. After the game ended, the trolls' eyes had adjusted if they chose Earth to be fine in both day and night, but he was still one for traveling at night. His plane had landed at 9:30 and he just spent the last hour getting a stupid car, but he finally made his way to the house Gamzee and Dave were staying in. "God, where is that fuckass?" He asked as Dave let him into the house, knowing he was coming anyways. When Dave told him, Karkat rolled his eyes and went to the beach to see the purple-blood swimming in the water. "HEY! I DIDN'T TRAVEL ALL THIS FUCKING WAY JUST TO HAVE YOU SWIMMING WHEN I GOT HERE!" He yelled out to the other troll.

The capricious troll groaned as he heard his ex-morail's voice. He didn't really see Karkat as being much of a morail. Not anymore. They weren't all that close, and so he just decided to consider Karkat a stranger of sorts. He tried to determine if he could swim fast enough to get away, but he decided that was unlikely. There was no way he was faster than Karkat. Not even in the water. He slowly swam back into the shore, grabbing a towel as he exited the water. He made a promise to kill Dave in his head. After all, how else had Karkat found him? "May I help you Vantas?" He asked in his bored sounding voice. His eyes were lazy, but from sleepiness, not stoned. "What are you doing here and how did you find out who I was staying with?" His lips were drawn into a tight poker face, something he'd learned from Dave. He found it great for hiding emotions. "There's a reason I didn't try to contact you. But perhaps you can't respect that." He say cross legged in the sand. "How many others know I'm here? I'd rather not have any more surprise guests."

"Just me." Karkat frowned as he looked at Gamzee. Where even were the words he had when he was on the plane here? "I... realized we grew apart..." He said with a frown, not sounding as harsh as he usually did. "And, I felt bad for it. I mean, we used to be best bros after all, and now, we're strangers..." He looked at the purple blood. "You even just addressed me by last name. You never did that before..."

"Hmm. Well...we're not children anymore. And it seems only right to regard you in a respectful manner." He looked over his used to be friend, determining that he had grown a ton. Gamzee himself hadn't really gotten taller. Not really. "I don't think I should drag up my past. And you're a part of my past." He stood slowly, walking away, his long gray legs dripping with water. He didn't check to see of he was being followed by his visitor. He just figured if he made it to the house he was safe. He didn't want to focus on the game. It still haunted his nightmares...and Karkat was a reminder of his own failures. He thought of how he'd killed his own friends and how Karkat had been the only one who could calm him.

"I still have nightmares Gamzee..." Karkat called to Gamzee, not moving. "I'm always afraid you actually will die." He said, disregarding everything that had happened in a single statement. "I wake up terrified that you died." Karkat stared out at the ocean. "I... I'm glad to know you're alive Gamzee... I guess that's it. I'll probably go change my flight and leave tomorrow night,that way you don't have to see me"

The purple blooded troll was stopped dead in his tracks by the words, purple liquid spilling down his cheeks without his consent. He slowly looked back, staring at his friend for a few minutes before running back to him, throwing himself into Karkat. He pressed his head against the other's chest, hiding his face. "Don't go." His voice cracked and raised an octave. "I did miss you....best...friend...." He choked. "I just...can't deal with all of this...as no more slime...and human life and just..." He shut up in favor of shuddering and sobbing.

Karkat's arms instantly went around Gamzee and he stroked the other's hair, a red tear slipping from his eye. "It's fucking hard.. This change in life fucking sucks..." He said, keeping his friend close to let him cry. "And I hate it."

Gamzee hadn't cried in what seemed like ages, and now he was a mess, nearly collapsing. "I want to go home...real home..before SUBURB..." He wailed. "I'm sick of psychiatrists and therapists. I don't like answering their questions." He nuzzles closer somehow, feeling safe very suddenly.

"I wish we cod go back to before SBURB too." He said softly. "I'm tired of the nightmare and I'm tired of the therapy that John and I have to do."he sighed. "I really wish that Dave and Aradia could still time travel and just make it so this all never happened..."

Gamzee gripped Karkat's shirt. "Even if they did, the game would inevitably happen I think...I don't know if they could've really changed anything. Because even when they tried to time jump and fix things, sometimes thinks we're impossible to change..." He sighed. "M-Maybe it's character building anyway...." He didn't sound like he even believed that himself. "I mean, I'm off of anything that would fog my think pan...you're not as grumpy with me...Kanya and Rose are really happy, Dirk and Jake ended up together..and many of the others seem pretty comfortable in this lifestyle. They're even trying to find a way to reconstruct Terezi's eyes. She may get to see again."

Karkat sighed. "I know it's for the best... But, I wish all of this had been done in a way that didn't make all of what happened happen..." He sighed once more.

Dave came by the beach and cleared his throat. "Yo." Gamzee jerked off of Karkat, face purple. "Oh...hi..." The strider took Gamzee's hand. "We need to go back to the house." He kissed Gamzee's cheek. "You need to take care of yourself."

Karkat made a slight face, still not too fond of the Strider boy. "I'm gonna go to my hotel..."

The purple blooded troll shook his head rapidly. "Why don't you stay with us?" Dave narrowed his eyes just slightly, though it wasnt seen behund his shades. "Yeah..why not..." He said blandly. "I'm sure it would be good for my matesprit to see his morail some." Dave stressed the word matesprit, his tone claiming Gamzee as his own.

"N-no, I can just come back tomorrow... It was a long flight and I'm kind of tired." Karkat didn't let it show that there was any effect by the words.

Gamzee gave Dave a look. "Do we have to go home? I really wanted to see Karkat some more..." The human clenched his jaw, annoyed by how dense the Capricorn was being. "We've got to go home cupcake." His voice sounded dangerous, and Gamzee knew better than to argue. "See you tomorrow.." He said softly.

Karkat nodded at the two and waved before walking back to his rented car to drive back to the hotel. However, the second he got away from the house, red tears slipped out of his eyes and he pulled off on the side of the road. "Way to go fuckass... You really should just fucking hate-marry yourself..." He dried his eyes with a napkin, staining them red before driving basically blindly to his hotel

Gamzee followed Dave back go the house, mouth in a deep frown. "I wish he would've stayed. I've missed him." The blond grunted. "He could've visited if he really wanted." The troll nodded. "I guess so." He didn't want to think about the fact that Karkaf may just not wanted to have seen him all this time.

He didn't see the tree. How could he? In the haze of his concussion, he managed to dial 9-1-1, but not much else. His eyes focused in and out until he fell unconcious. The EMT's went through his phone and to the emergency contacts and called the only one, John Egbert. After hanging up the phone, John called Dave and waited for an answer.

((You with your sadstuck...fuck yo couch))

Dave was in th middle of trying to get in Gamzee's pants when his phone rang. He grumbled a little, knowing the mood was now killed. He needed to claim his matesprit in a way that would take them to the next level so Karkat would be no competition. He answered it, seeing it was his best friend ever. "Hello?"

"Uh, Dave, we got a little problem" There was a rushed tone in the boy's voice and rustling. "Karkat got into a car accident, and I won't be able to be there for about 6 hours because of a stupid storm. Could you and Gamzee pleaaase go check on him and just make sure he's okay until I get there? You'd really be helping a bro out..."

((You so saw it coming, me and blind driving is a thing))

Dave shuddered and bristled in annoyance, teeth clenched. "I'll go. No need to get Gamzee up out of the bed." He looked at the troll who was now eyeing him curiously, dark purple hickies lining his jaw. "I'm plenary awake Dave. What do you need to go to?" Dave waved Gamzee off, not telling him what was being said over the phone.

---------- Post added 01-13-2013 at 09:48 PM ----------

((This is true))

"Dave, you need to tell him. They are best friends after all." He said as he started his car. "I'd want to be told if you were in an accident and someone around me knew."

Dave walked to another room, ignoring a sputtering, pouty capricious troll. "John. It's different with me and you. I know how Gamzee felt about his friend not all that long ago...you and I both know how he felt about Karkat....I don't want that mutant around him... Not before I mark him as my own..you know how trolls normally work. He won't leave after I sleep with him. I can't have that hotheaded jerk takin him when I'm so close." He silenced as he heard smaller foot steps. "Daaave..." Gray arms slipped around his waist. "What's going onnnnn."