♋ PCG 21; backdated to December 25

[crusthatecean]

[Phone; Action for 842 Hastings]

[Karkat has been staying at Sollux's ever since Gamzee lost his shit midway through the Christmas stuff. He's been keeping a low profile and avoiding everyone except Sollux. He's still sore and impacted by his injuries, which have been stitched and bandaged up but still have left him bruised and hurting. It's less the injuries than his mental state which has led him to keep to himself. But once he notices, the morning of the 25th, that things seem to have gone back to normal, he starts to feel a little better. It takes him until afternoon to make up his mind to make a phone call, but he eventually does.

He still doesn't feel great, but he at least sounds like himself over the phone, if slightly subdued and hesitant.]

So none of us were fakes all along. Imagine that. Imagine, Mayfield, playing games with your pans. There was no way to guess.

...No, sorry, okay, I did not actually make this transmission to give you attitude. Sorry.

I should probably filter this shit, but I have no idea who to filter it to, so if you didn't care about me disappearing, do me a favor and shut the fuck up. Or hassle me, I probably deserve it.

Anyway. I'm sorry.

You won't hear that from me often, so enjoy that, I guess. And now I have shit to deal with, so let's get the hassling over with, much like removing a bandage or taking a nail and driving it efficiently into my ocular globe.

[Filtered to Terezi]

I hope I won't be executed for the crime of calling.

...Okay, that was meant to be a joke, but it was stupid. Can we just pretend I didn't say that?

[Filtered to Gamzee]

I'm coming back to the hive. We really fucking need to talk, so I need you to stay lucid to the extent you can do that before you...before there are problems. How are you right now?

Comments

phone;

[cullscuttlefish]

Why are you apologizing for something the town did? You shouldn't, Karkat.

...and I have something for you, but I'll drop it off sometime later. You sound like you're even more stressed than usual and even busier, so I won't keep you.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't have gone along with it. None of us should have.

[He sighs]

I have some people I need to deal with today. I don't know how long it will take.

[cullscuttlefish]

No. We shouldn't have. But when has logic ever trumped emotions with any of us, except Kanaya and - about half the time, no offense - Terezi? Even with our friends here, emotions tend to trump logic.

[She hums.]

In that case, it can wait, and I can give it to you when I see you at the schoolhive. It's not pressing.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Okay, well, I'm still going to be sorry for the problems I caused by being understandably emotion driven, a state I like to call being an insufferable asshole.

...What is it?

[cullscuttlefish]

I think everyone involved wound up being an insufferable asshole at one time or another. Don't worry so much!

Nah, it's silly. Just something I made before for that human holiday thing. It can wait. Go do what you need to.

filtered

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

... Karkat?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Hey.

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

Karkat, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for everything that happened, I don't even know what was going on, it was like I became a whole new person.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Wow, I didn't notice, I thought that was just your normal self.

God, I don't need to hear your apology. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been such an idiot about that dream. Or in your case, I think Tavros and Sollux may be the ones to blame, so fuck those guys.

[foretastes.livejournal.com]

How can you act like any of it was your fault? I can't believe the person I would've been in a world like that.

[phone]

[noluckduck]

... The hell are you apologisin' for?

[phone]

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

This may seem far-fetched but it bothers me when I seriously upset my friends.

[phone]

[noluckduck]

I didn't mean it like that, ya--

[Nonono. This is not the time to speak without thinking. In fact, this is the worst possible time to do it.]

... Look, I wanna apologise. To a load o' people, in fact, but hey, you're the first.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

You really don't need to.

[noluckduck]

Yes I fuckin' do. Sure, who really needs to apologise is whoever's in charge of Mayfield, but I doubt they're goin' to, so...

... So yeah. Sorry for insistin' you weren't you, even though I barely even goddamn know ya.

[Truth be told, she's more frustrated with herself than anything. How did it make any sense that she could be talking to a complete stranger and "identify" them as a "fake"?]

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

[Gamzee sounds very tiny and miserable and pathetically hopeful.]

...you're coming back? [After what I did is very much implied here, even if he doesn't say it.]

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

You didn't answer my question.

[But the tone answers it for him just fine, and his tone softens a little.]

Yes, you idiot, of course I'm coming back. We're going to talk, so stay away from your disgusting pies.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

Uhhhh...what was the question all being again?

[He'd really like a pie or ten, but right now he'd do absolutely anything Karkat asked him to do, so he doesn't hesitate in answering.] 'Kay.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

It isn't important. I'll be over there in about a half an hour.

[He hangs up the phone. He isn't staying that far away, but it really will take him a while; he's still limping on his knee, so it's a little bit of a struggle.]

phone;

[chastesaw]

Karkat... *She'd forgotten him. She'd said terrible things to him, looked at him like he was a freak, and--

Her voice breaks.* Karkat, I don't think I could ever truly apologize for that.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

I'm not angry. How is this so obvious to me but so difficult to everyone else? I made my choice, consequences resulting from that aren't anyone's problem.

[chastesaw]

I'm not apologizing because you're angry, Karkat. I'm apologizing because what I did was terrible.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Preventing me from being killed by two psychopaths out to fuel their hate fantasies?

[Phone]

[heardeadpe0ple.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry, Karkat!

All that happened. Not doing anything. I mean...I don't even know what that all was... But I really hope that our behavior didn't ruin anything! I was just okay with it. I shouldn't have been.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

What?

As far as I'm concerned, you deserve a medal for putting up with that shithive show.