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Maybe the others were right, Terezi thought glumly, tapping the pen against her mouth. There was just no trace of Vriska anywhere. And considering she was about to graduate law school, she knew how to search thoroughly. Vriska was just gone. Maybe she just didn't want to be found. Or maybe, like some of the more macabre of their group had suggested, she'd been kidnapped or murdered.
It had been years, after all.
Giving up had never been her style, and she'd held on this long because she'd been so sure that she'd be able to find her girlfriend and bring her home, but… How much longer could she do this? Combing the internet for any hint at all that she was out there somewhere, checking found body reports, searching her name and her roleplay names just to see if there was any mention anywhere.
She'd even started searching for random strings of text that resembled the way Vriska typed, the way she always drew words out with exactly eight copies of a letter, her silly emoticons, everything she could think of. She'd had to have Sollux help her set up the screen reader to read those things properly. Still, nothing came up. She didn't think Vriska would have changed everything about herself just to hide.
Or would she? Had she been that determined to get away? From what? They'd been happy togther.
Terezi groaned, sick of going in circles in her own head. She put her head down on the desk, torn. If she gave up and then found out Vriska had been fine this whole time, waiting for her, she would never forgive herself. But could she spend her entire life like this? She was finally going to be a lawyer, she had to focus on her career and start really trying to build her life. But what was her life without Vriska? She'd always seen her in it.
With her head down on the desk, she thought she must have fallen asleep, because it had to be a nightmare when the door to her apartment opened and footsteps entered. She stood, grabbing her cane from where it was leaned against the desk, and lifted it to defend herself. "Who's there? Ugh, you stink, what the fuck. I'll kick your ass if you try anything," she warned. Whoever they were, they smelled like fish.
"Woooooooow, rude much? Good to see you too. Oh, wait," a familiar voice answered, and she heard the door shut.
So not a nightmare then. A dream. It had to be, because there was no way Vriska was just walking back into her life after this long. "You're just convincing me you deserve to have your ass kicked," she snapped. "You'd better not be who I think you are."
"And who is it you think I am?"
Pinpointing her using the sound of her voice, Terezi poked what she hoped was her chest with the end of her cane. "Vriska fucking Serket."
Vriska seemed unpertubed by the poke, brushing the cane aside so she could step closer. The audacity she had, putting an arm around Terezi's shoulders. "'Fucking' is a good middle name for me."
"God, I hate you. Where the fuck have you been? It's been six years!" She'd intended to shove her away, but she found herself leaning into the embrace, such as it was. She should not be encouraging anything, even if it was a dream. There was no reason to get her hopes up.
"I ran away," she said, as if it was that simple. "Got a boat, went out on the ocean. I needed time to think, Pyrope. Needed to figure out what I wanted."
"And you couldn't tell me?! After everything we've been through together, you couldn't even tell me?"
She felt Vriska shrug, and then found herself being tugged onto Vriska's lap at the desk. Ugh. She didn't fight it, again against her better judgement. "Listen, you were one of the things I wasn't sure of. Okay? I had a lot to think about, you were so fucking serious about becoming a lawyer, and I just—see different things for myself. I didn't know if it would work out."
Terezi scoffed. "And it took you six damn years to figure out what you wanted? We were worried about you! I've been looking for you!"
"Bullshit, you can't look for anything," Vriska mocked, which only annoyed Terezi further. "Yeah, it took a while. I don't know. I thought about coming back, but every time I did, it freaked me the fuck out. And being out at sea is relaxing, you know. I just… didn't want to distract you too much."
"Oh, and me spending all my spare time looking for you wasn't distracting?" she muttered, turning her head to lick a stripe up Vriska's cheek. "You're such a bitch. I hate you so much."
"Ewwwwwwww, yuck! Ugh, why are you like this? I should have stayed gone." Good to know Vriska hadn't changed much. She still sounded like she had when they were kids.
And, in retrospect, Terezi should have considered that Vriska might have gone to the ocean. She'd always been obsessed with playing pirates, and had talked about wanting a houseboat. But still. "Six years," she said again, lifting her head to level her best glare at her—girlfriend? Ex? What were they now, after this long?
She didn't have to wonder long. Vriska, with a long-suffering sigh, hugged her tighter. "Okay. Yeah. I'll admit that was kind of a dick move. But, like, I'm here now. I'll make it up to you tonight, if you want. After I have a shower, obviously, but I remember how much you like my tongue~"
Terezi felt her face heating up. "You think you can just come back in here after all of that and just talk about eating me out like nothing changed? Seriously?"
"Obviously, because I just did. Don't fight it, and don't try to pretend you've moved on, either. You didn't even change your locks."
She huffed, leaning against her. "You have a lot of making it up to me to do. Or else."