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"This is weird."
You nod.
This is weird. He's weird. And he's looking at you weird. Expressionless, but you can feel his gaze burning into you through his dark tinted sunglasses. It makes your skin crawl. Why did he have to stare at you like that.
You can feel your cheeks heating up with a rosy red blush that burns your pasty, pale cheeks.
Your name is Karkat Vantas. You're a human boy who recently had his birthday, putting you at almost exactly sixteen years old. You're not a tall boy, in fact you are the shortest of your friends.
(Shortest of these freaks, too.)
You've got a mess of bleached hair that flops uncontrollably around your skull. You've long since given up on styling it, though you wish you had the means of bleaching the newly grown parts. The top of your head has the beginning scores of red hairs.
You look like the polar opposite of this.. Boy? Man? Thing?
His name is Daevid Strydr
He's tall, he towers about a head over you. Where you have pudge on your stomach, he's got nothing but muscle. (You.. Assume. Stop staring at him.) His hair is a deep, dark black. Though, like you, he has color disrupting it. A pair of horns curve from his skull. Both of them are long and follow his hairline before curving up, but one has a deep divit in the top of it. You're not entirely sure it's natural.. But you're also pretty sure it'd be rude to ask him about it. You can't tell the color of his eyes, but you can see the dark red color of your own in the reflection of his shades. Your scowl deepens at the sight of your own face and his eyebrows arch curiously.
"Stop staring at me." You state, your lips curling with distaste. He straightens his back and you realize he was bending over to look at you. Weirdo.
"You first." Insufferable prick. "I could feel you undressing me with your eyes, Vantas."
Your cheeks grow cherry red and you see a smug sort of satisfaction curl the corner of his lips. You try to fathom a better comeback then, "Oh, you wish." But you come up short. He chuckles a little and his hands slip into his pockets and you swear you could strangle him. Just for looking at you like that.
Before you have the chance to blow up-Your cheeks already swelled with air like ticking, red timebombs- he interjects. "Relax, Yeesh. I was just messing with you. Don't bust your pusher."
There he goes with the troll lingo. Kanaya's done enough research with her troll companion and educated your friends enough that you can put together what that means. He means your heart. Don't bust your heart.
Was he..
Was he flirting?
That felt like flirting. It felt like the flirting when the couple first meet eachother, and Oh, he's insufferable but she's uncontrollably attracted to him, and it makes her mad because he's so--
Stop. Stop. Stop. Do not compare this to a shitty rom-com. That would make you the doe-eyed girl, swooning into his strong, warm arms--
STOP.
"I'll bust my heart if I damn well please." You retort, through your teeth. It's meant to knock the smirk off his face, but somehow it just grows. Showing off the hints of his teeth behind his lips. "I mean it, shitbrains. Stop looking at me like that."
His hands raise defensively and it seems like he's struggling not to laugh at you. Your entire face is flushed with an indignant anger, burning across your cheeks and heating the tips of your ears. You look like an angry cherry.
"Should I just turn away from you entirely?"
"No. Just wipe that look off your face."
"What look?"
"That stupid, smug, smirk."
"That's my face."
"Well then change it."
He lets out one short laugh and you feel your blood boil.
"Listen.. Karkat.." What the fuck is that patronizing tone? "I'm flattered and all, but I'm not interested."
"Interested in what?"
"The spades you're slinging. You're a cute little thing, but you and I wouldn't be a good match." You're thrown for a loop, your mouth hangs open in a stupid little stare as you try to fathom what the blisterchafing fuck he could possibly be talking about. He seems to get your confusion after a few moments. His hand raises to tossle the back of his hair and he exhales a breath that whistles through his teeth. "Ohh, boy.. Do I have to give you the talk?"
You nearly shit yourself.
But he keeps talking.
"When one troll and another troll hate eachother very much--"
"Shut your piss-spewing mouth!"
"See, there you go again!"
"I don't want your fucked up troll romance!"
"Good, I don't want any fucked up romance with you either. Glad we agree, you couldn't keep up."
Oh, see, now you're just offended.
"I could too."
He smirks, and he's laughing all over again, and you swear to God he's the most obnoxious thing you've ever met. But he leans in close to you and you're suddenly aware of how much taller he is. The way he looms over you seems more obvious when he has to bend to be eyelevel. Nevermind the fact that his grey shirt strains over his arms and seems to struggle with the sheer musclemass he has hidden beneath them.The top of his glasses slid down just enough to show his eyes. Yellow, with black pupils that scorch through you and you take a step back. He pursues with a step toward you and your breathing falters for just a moment. His lips part as his smirk grows and you can see teeth. Sharp teeth. Oh, God, he's going to tear you apart with just his teeth.
"I scared you." He points out. Smugly. Up he goes again and the air of intimidation leaves right along with him. And now you're pissed all anew.
"You pulled some troll-shit to intimidate me."
"I bent over."
You exhale a big, inconvienced huff.
"You've got the potential to be a good 'mesis.. But you're a little too pitiable to really hate."
Somehow, that makes the color in your cheeks darken. Was that even a compliment? You're not sure. But you don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's gotten to you.
"I hate to break it to you, but you're easy to loath."
He chuckles. You swear you can see his eyes roll behind his shades. "Come on, Vantas, is that the best you've got?"