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"Terezi."
You hadn't expected to see her here, hair dyed a flamboyant crimson to match her glasses, dragon cane stretched out to detect obstacles in front of her, clothes shaggy and comfortable and everything on her person messy.
"Karkles?" She rasped, cocking her head to one side. "Is that you I smell?"
So she still had synthesia or whatever bullshit Rose called it. Good to know.
Your mouth went dry, chest hot and tight and uncomfortable as you stood, facing the girl who still crashed into your thoughts like an unstoppable vehicle of mass destruction. Even after all this time. "Yeah. It's me."
She grinned, wide and impish and crooked, so achingly familiar and sincere even after time should have well worn the shape of that smile into something else altogether. "Long time no see! I didn't think I'd run into you here."
As in she didn't want to see you, or she conveniently forgot that you, too, needed to buy groceries to stay alive?
"Believe it or not, but I do actually need sustenance to live just like every other human on this gogforsaken planet." It came out with more bite than you meant it to, and you winced despite knowing she wouldn't see it.
Terezi didn't seem offended though; she just laughed maniacally. "We should catch up! I feel like we haven't talked in way too long."
Gulp. "Yeah."
She offered you her arm, swinging her bags onto her other wrist. You also switched arms, crooking your elbow around hers and letting her lead you down the street, despite you being the only one who could see where the fuck you were going. However, you knew it didn't matter; Terezi got around just fine and proved this by leading you straight to the coffee shop the two of you used to frequent together.
You sat at one of the round tables outside, beckoning a waiter over as Terezi took her seat across from you.
"So," she started, clasping her hands on top of the table.
"So?" You repeated, arching an eyebrow.
Unfortunately, she was cut off by the waiter, who took your orders (a caramel frappuccino and a black coffee) and flitted off with a friendly grin, leaving the two of you alone once more.
She looked at you then, or, well, turned towards you, face suddenly soft. It was a rare look on her, and only served to make your chest sore. ". . . How are you, Karkat?"
"Fine," you grunted, huddling into your sweater. "You?"
A sharkish smile, "I'm great! But I'm much more interested in you right now. Tell me about your life."
You stared at her for so long that the waiter was able to come back with your coffees, handing the sugary monstrosity to Terezi and the decent-looking dark stuff to you. She was most likely asking about how you were doing with people, if you knew her at all, things about your love life and if you ever went for a new job and the like.
Your grip on the styrofoam cup dented it slightly, but you hardly noticed. "I have a boyfriend now. A steady one."
"Has he been to jail yet?"
Of fucking course she would ask that. "No!" You didn't bother to stop from scowling. "He is a law-bound citizen with so many goody pairs of footwear he might as well have a shoe store as his metaphorical closet."
"Good," Terezi beamed, "Otherwise I would have to prosecute him!"
It didn't matter if she couldn't see it; you made a face at her and took a sip of steaming coffee, hissing when it burned your tongue and throat. "He's cute, too." You didn't know why you felt so compelled to add that. Pettiness, maybe. You wanted her to be jealous. Wanted her to want you again.
Her knowing look was enough to both shame and inform you that your attempts hadn't worked. "Yes, because the sight of someone is so important to someone who is blind."
"Don't patronize me," you mumbled into your cup, ears and cheeks heating.
She put her hands up in mock-surrender and took a loud, disgusting slurp of frappe. Why did you love this idiot again? "Then don't antagonize the blind girl. How would you like it if I told you what Dave smells like?"
Terezi shrugged, tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear. "Does he make you happy at least?"
"Who?"
"Your boyfriend."
"Oh—yeah. Yeah, he makes me happy. He's good at that kind of thing." A little too good at it, honestly; sometimes you just wanted to stew in your anger and sadness, but John refused to leave you be. You were every bit as grateful for it as you were annoyed by it.
"Then what's there to look sad about?" Bigger grin.
She knew exactly what there was to be sad about. How could she not know that you still loved her?
Instead of answering, you just shrugged and took another sip of bitter coffee.
"Hey Karkat." You looked up. "Do you remember when I applied for an internship with that famous lawyer?" Nod nod. "I got the position."
Of course she did. Who wouldn't give someone as amazing and talented as Terezi a position under their wing? Knowing her, she's surpassed her teacher and brought nothing but credit upon the lucky bastard.
"I'm not surprised," you admitted, "But congratulations."
She preened, puffing out her chest and taking another loud slurp of frappe. Ugh. "Your turn! How's the cash register?"
Gog, time to brace yourself.
You looked down at your drink, cradled between your hands and still pleasantly warm, just so you wouldn't have to look at her. "I quit that job. I'm going back to school so I can be part of the force now. My boyfriend—his name is John, more commonly called 'Dumbass'—is a comedian. He generates enough revenue to support us while I look for something else."
Chancing a glance up, you found exactly what you feared: Terezi, cheeks red and puffed out, hands balled into her lap and with an expression of such sheer glee she looked like she was going to explode.
"Karkat," she gasped, sucking in a breath and bouncing in her seat. "Karkat!"
You had no time to prepare yourself before she lunged at you, hugging you tight enough to cut off air and blood flow. "I told you that you would love it, didn't I? You should really listen to me more often!" She cackled, squeezing you until you grunted and batted her away.
Terezi pulled back with a wicked grin, practically glowing with delight. "We should celebrate."
"Hell no. Your version of 'celebrating' always leaves me brokeass poor in a pile of other people's filth by the morning."
She wrinkled her nose. "Ew."
"Exactly."
"Okay, well, what about an . . . outing?" She tried to ask it sweetly, but there was honestly nothing about Terezi that was sweet, so you ended up laughing and getting smacked by her.
"Ow! Fuck, stop that!" You cried, waving your arms about randomly in an attempt to block her.
“Then stop laughing at me!”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m no longer laughing!”
She paused, cocking her head to one side thoughtfully, and then, with a wicked grin, hit you on top of the head with her cane. “You’re right! Too bad I don’t care.” And then the little bitch startled cackling.
Why did you like this girl again?
Terezi grabbed your hand in hers, soft and warm and small in the safe cage of your fingers, tugging you up from your seat. You shot her a confused expression before you remembered that, right, she couldn’t see you. “Where are we going? We haven’t paid for the sludge yet.”
“Then pay, stupid! I told you, we’re going out to celebrate!”
“Celebrate what?” You snorted. “The death of a shitty job? My dreaded return back into the chaotic, harrowing world of academics?”
She hit you on the head again. “No. We’re going to celebrate you finally growing some gogdamn balls and pursuing your dream. Didn’t you used to say you wanted to be an officer? Well, now you are!”
Oh. That’s why you loved her. You couldn’t believe she actually remembered that.
“You remember me spewing that assholery?”
“Obviously.”
This time when she tugged on your hand, you didn’t fight her or complain. You resisted just long enough to dig a twenty out of your wallet and drop it on the table for the waiter to pick up later, and then you were following Terezi Pyrope fuck-knows-where to do fuck-knows-what, but with the knowledge that you wouldn’t regret a single second of it.