wALK,,

Chapter 1

I had never been much. My entire life revolved around myself and my father. Dirt poor. With hardly anything to our names. A few years ago I got into a terrible accident on a field trip, and lost my legs. My father spent every last penny on buying me new legs. Ever since, we've had nothing but each other. Even with my loss, I developed like any typical boy would. I loved video games, well, any type of game really. I was especially fond of Fiduspawn. It was a little childish, but I never grew out of it. To my joy, they were opening a new store around the block of my somber little neighborhood.

I had managed to save up enough money to at least buy a deck of cards, and I was eager to buy them. Collecting up my wallet, I started for the door. My leg creaked loudly, and bent, giving signs it was not willing to be walk on today. I sighed with irritation, and limped back to my room for my wheel chair. Luckily for me, the trip wasn't hard. The terrain was mostly flat, and I only had to go a block before I was there. When I turned the corner, there were people lined up outside the building waiting to go in. I figured they hadn't opened yet, or they were crowded. I was silently hoping the first option. I didn't do well with people.

I waited anxiously to the side, and listened to the people and their idle gossip. There wasn't anything truly exciting to talk about today, or in my case, casually eavesdrop. Suddenly the door flung open and a man announced the final opening of the store. People flooded in, leaving me on the corner by myself. I gawked for a mere moment, before rolling inside. The inside was magnificent. The walls were decorated with fine paint, all matching the colors of the game. They were littered with large wonderful FiduSpawn posters, and each shelf held a figurine of some sort. I could feel my eyes sparkling. I never, in my entire 17 years, had seen something so glorious.

I wheeled over to a shelf that was for the time being, unoccupied. I slipped my fingers along the books upon the shelf, and over the deluxe boxes of cards. I couldn't help but smile. I felt like a child in a candy store. Something glittered silver from the corner of my eye, and I turned to it. There it was. Right in front of me. The Gand Deck. Glistening in all of its mighty FiduSpawn Glory. My jaw slacked slightly, causing my mouth to hang open. I had never thought I'd see one of these decks in my lifetime, considering they were incredibly rare and hard to find. Expensive too. I began to reach for it when a voice caught me off guard-

"Wooaaah. Wicked wheel chair motherfucker."

I turned to face the region the voice came from.

A tall man towered over me. He was slightly bent forward, with his long curly wisps hanging in front of his face, blocking my view. His hand was gripping the left handle of my chair, and the other was caressing my elbow rest.
"P-p-pardon?" I asked, not used to such close contact, even though we weren't touching.
The man chuckled and lifted his head. I could see his face clearly now. He had clown make-up on. It made him appear rather foolish, and I wasn't too fond of clowns to begin with. He also had piercings. They didn't look bad on him.
"I said you got a mother fucking fantastic ride here bro,"
I stared downward. His crotch was at eye level. I could feel my face grow hot and flushed. I immediately turned my head away.
"Th-thank you," I said, my voice was barely audible.
"What?" The man pressed his face against the hand on my cheek.
I became even more flushed and nervous. Apparently this man hadn't heard of "personal space".
"I-I said thank y-you!" I manage to stammer out. The man's breath had managed to drift upon my neck, causing my skin to prickle in the oddest of ways. Creating a sensation all new to me.

The man jerked upward and laughed. "No problem bro! Names Gamzee Makara," He held out his hand in a polite manner. I stared at his relatively large hand. He had a little silver ring on his pinky finger. With what was on it, I don't know. Was he wanting me to shake his hand? Timidly I reached out my own hand, and placed it in his with a weak grip. "T-tavros Nitram." The man smiled widely. "Welcome to the store Tavros! Got your eye on anything motherfucker?" Suddenly I grew weary of him. Did he own this store? "Uu-hh, y-yeah I did. But.. Um.. I can't actually.. Afford it.. Really.."

Chapter 2

I saw his eyebrows arch a bit, and he craned his head back to see what I had been talking about. "Eh? Oh you mean the Gand Deck? Yeah that motherfucker is kind of pricey." He stared blankly at it for a moment, before smiling and reaching for it. I watched him nervously. He rubbed the front of the silvery package softly. "Hey bro, Tav, come with me man." He dropped the box in my lap and quickly wheeled me to the front, catching the attention of a few kids from school. "G-Gamzee I-I-I-" Before I could finish, I was behind the counter with him. Shoved next to a rather irritated looking guy my age. He glared down at me and wrinkled his nose. "Who the fuck is this kid, Gamz?" I looked away out of reflex. Gamzee reached out and ruffled the top of my Mohawk. "This here is my new motherfucking friend, Tav." He paused and stared down at me with a distant look, slowly stroking his hand through my hair. The sensation caused me to shiver. "Woah man... Your hair is.. So mother fucking SOFT..." I could feel the blush on my face spread like wild fire and I tried to pull away. I silently pleaded with myself to calm down and stop making my embarrassment so obvious. The irritated man snorted. "Gamz stop fucking molesting him and tell me what the fuck you're doing exactly." Gamzee's answer was a goofy sounding chuckle. At least now he wasn't touching me... Instead, his hands were clicking away at the register. He lifted the box out of my lap to scan it. The feeling of his knuckle softly brushing against my thigh made my breath hitch softly.

These feelings made my stomach squirm. I mean, boys shouldn't feel that way when another BOY touches him. Right? Right... Somehow the voice that answered me in my head didn't sound confident in its answer. I scrunched my face into a confused demeanor. I had no true experience with relationships. My first kiss was a complete accident. If you could even call that a kiss. Well there was lip contact.. That counts doesn't it? I started to bite my lip. I was captivated by the inner turmoil of my mind, or more easily stated, I was fighting with myself. I was saved from said turmoil by a hand being placed on my face. "You ok motherfucker? Your face went all up and pained looking. Are you hurt man?" I jumped a bit, accidentally jerking away from Gamzee's hands. All I could do was stutter and stammer awkwardly. His friend snarled. "What a fucking weird-o. Gamzee, you pick the weirdest fucking friends." "Aw come on Karkat, don't hate a bro like that." "Fuck you Gamzee, I'm going to the break room." The boy I now knew as Karkat, stormed off. I frowned. From the corner of my eye, I could see Gamzee frowning too. "Don't listen to that motherfucker, bro, he's just all up and having family problems. And he hasn't heard from his boyfriend for a few motherfuckin days." Gamzee attempted a reassuring smile, but I didn't buy it. "B-boyfriend?" Wow. That's all I could ask? I inwardly smacked myself. Gamzee nodded, pursing his lips together into a fine line. He looked far off and distant. I had the urge to reach out for him to see if he was real or not. The silvery deluxe package was dropped into my lap. "Here you go bro, gift from me to you. Only if you promise to come motherfuckin see me every now and then." He gave me a small wink, and once more my cheeks were set ablaze. And once again, I was stammering like an idiot. "You gonna need some motherfucking help getting home bro?" He eyed my wheelchair hotly. "I-I uhh.. I live j-just around the c-corner-er..." I pointed meekly to the direction of my house from my position in the store. Gamzee grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed me out from behind the counter. "Want me to walk you home Tavbro?"

Tavbro. The name rang in my head loudly. I had never really been given a nickname before.. It made my stomach tingle. I was starting to enjoy this feeling a bit. "Uh, n-no it's ok G-Gamzee, I can uh, wheel myself home." I twiddled my thumbs together. "Nah bro, it's cool. Lemme do it man," He wheeled me out the door. "Point to where you live motherfucker, and I'll take you there,"

-

The conversation we had on the home was somewhat interesting. It turns out Gamzee's uncle owned the store. They opened it to help pay for his uncle's sickness and medical bills. Gamzee's family was rather wealthy, from the sound of it. Yet Gamzee wore extremely simple clothing. Dark colored zip up jacket, deep purple undershirt with something written on it that I couldn't see, baggy black jeans, and a pair of purple and black checkered Chuck T's. The only things that look remotely expensive were the little silver ring on his pinkie finger, and his necklace of a Capricorn zodiac symbol. Oddly enough, I had a necklace fairly similar, except mine was the symbol of Taurus. I don't remember where I had gotten it, or its value. I'll remember to ask my dad when he wakes up from his current nap.

I'd been laying in my bed since my return home, clutching the Gand Deck close to my chest. Fiduspawn and Gamzee twirled about in my tired mind. Gamzee was kind to have given me such an expensive gift, without truly knowing who I am. I smiled softly to myself. Gamzee could possibly my first friend. My first true friend. I never had one of them before. I couldn't help but yawn. I was so tired for some reason. It didn't take long for me to succumb to sleep.

-

I spent the next two months visiting the store regularly, as silently promised. Most of my time there was spent playing games of Fiduspawn with Gamzee, and one failed attempt with Karkat. He wasn't as fond of the game, and apparently was only working there because Gamzee hooked him up with the job. I learned bits and pieces of Karkat's past. How his parents had recently split, and how his boyfriend was named Sollux, who lived a few cities away. They only got to see each other a few times a month. I learned that Gamzee's favorite drink was Faygo, and he kept it plentiful in the break room. He was also a sucker for sweets. I recall unwrapping a caramel cube, only to see Gamzee's eyes grow wide. I could tell his mouth was watering. I wound up giving it to him. My reward was a quick "brohug".

Funny little word. Gamzee said it often. Karkat hated it. He knew it meant contact. Which I've learned to add to the list of Karkat's "I hate this so fucking much". I learned that Gamzee wore clown make-up every now and then to try to entertain his clients. It was a hit with the younger kids wanting to buy Fiduspawn cards.

It was cold in the break room today, and I had forgotten my jacket at home. I stared down at my hands. They were pale, with a blueish hue to them. I tried rubbing them together to create heat with friction, but it was to no avail. I could hear Gamzee whistling a little tune as he crossed from the storage room to the front. Karkat mumbled in the corner. He was on the phone with Sollux it sounded like.

"I love you too you idiot.. D-don't say I'm cute you fuckass! Well you are.. No.. Yeah I miss you, of course.."

Yup it was Sollux. I fumbled with the tiny saltshaker on the table. Soon the cold was too much for me to handle. I needed something to distract me. Quietly I walked down into the storage room. Gamzee was labeling new shipments in dark purple sharpie. Purple was his favorite color. I beamed silently to myself, proud of remembering something about him. "You got a cute as hell smile motherfucker." I flustered and stared at Gamzee. "Whatcha smilin about bro?" He was now standing over me a bit, his arm propped on the metal pillar next to me. I blinked awkwardly trying to look away. "N-nothing, I was w-wondering if you h-had anything for me to do.." Gamzee stroked the stubble on his chin with a loud hum. "Nothing that I know of, but I could use a brohug to get me through this labeling." He winked at me.

My heart skipped a beat. Before I could even say a word, Gamzee's arms were wrapped tightly around me. The hug was short, but warm. I shivered again. "Woah Tavbro, you're cold as a motherfuckin frozen faygo! Here," He unzipped his jacket and pulled it off. "Wear this dude," He draped it around my shoulders. I smiled softly and zipped it up a bit. "Thanks Gamz.. Aren't you gonna get cold th-though?" Gamzee waved his hand at me. "Nah bro, I'll be fine. Just gonna finish this up, and I'll walk you home." He had made it a habit to walk me home. But he never came in. He'd drop me off, tussle my hair, and walk either back to the store or home. I wasn't sure.

That night I was unusually restless. I couldn't sleep. Frustrated I staggered into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. It didn't help any. I leaned on the counter and pondered on what I could to help me sleep. I decided on taking a short walk. My legs seemed steady enough for a walk tonight. I peered into the living room to see if it was clear. As usual, dad was passed out on the couch, surrounded by paperwork. The sight made my heart tighten. I kissed his forehead before walking out into the crisp night. As I walked down the street, my mind reeled. Dad had mentioned something about being late on his car payment, and the rent was due soon. I felt sick. My poor dad..

Things wouldn't be like this if I hadn't been in that accident.. I grit my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. I was seventeen years old. Guys my age didn't cry. I made my way down the street, around the corner, down the next block, and began on a new street. This neighborhood was for the upper-class. Most of the houses were two stories, a few with a third story.
I couldn't help but gaze at how magnificent these houses were in comparison to my own. Suddenly I felt a little ashamed. I was too poor to be in this neighborhood..

A silhouette caught my eye. Something was on one of the roofs in the distance. Curious, I traveled closer. It was a person. Sitting leaned up against the chimney of their home. The closer I got, the more I could see. Soon I was standing in the front yard of the person's house. I squinted my eyes. All I could see was the back of the persons head, bathed in moonlight. 'Turn around..' I thought. I took a step and my leg creaked. I silently cursed to myself. The person jerked their head to the side and looked right at me.

"Tavbro? Man, is that you?"

I knew that voice. I knew that voice well. I smiled excitedly. "G-Gamzee?"

Chapter 3

"Awh man Tavbro, wassup?" Gamzee stood on the balls of his feet, slightly crouched. He had a bottle of grape faygo in his hand. Purple really was his favorite color, wasn't it? There was a smile on his face, a little goofier than his usual smirk. My heart was racing. "N-nothing just out for a walk. Couldn't sleep." Gamzee rocked a bit in thought. "A walk huh?" Then he giggled. Something about him was off, I couldn't place it though. He stood slowly and glanced at the tree I was standing next to. With a leap, he landed on a thick branch, then jumped to the ground. He stumbled and giggled again. "G-Gamzee is there something wrong?" I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder to help stabilize him. He took a sloppy swig of his beverage.

"Yeah motherfucker, jus' a little high," He laughed some more. My heart seemed to ice over. High? As in "on drugs" high? I blinked away my disbelief. "W-why are you high? W-what are you high o-on?" I felt sick. Gamzee seemed to straighten up. "D'zaw man, is' a stupid motherfuckin reason bro." His eyebrows knit together. I frowned. Gamzee wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "We're good friends right Tavbro?" I nodded meekly. His face became darkly serious. It scared me a little, but I pushed it aside. "Can we motherfuckin talk man?" Suddenly the slur was gone. The goofiness taken right out of his visage. I felt little pinpricks of ice in my heart, but despite my fear I nodded once more. He held his hand out for mine. "C'mon bro, this way." As I took a step forward, my leg creaked loudly before stiffening. I tried to bend it, but to no avail. Gamzee lifted me onto his back gently, squeezing my thigh. "Hold on tight bro," He smiled up at me warmly. My heart felt as though it'd fly away any second. I buried my head into the hood of his jacket. Black silky wisps of hair tickled my nose. He smelled of axe and something floral. I had never smelled anything like it before. It burned my nose a bit.

The start of our walk was quiet, but I enjoyed the silence. I lazily draped my arms around his neck, my hands resting gently on his collar bone. "Tavbro.. Don't go all up and think I'm a motherfuckin druggie man.. Please.." I lifted my head drowsily. "W-what are you t-taking Gamzee?"

"I smoke motherfucking weed bro."

"… Why G-Gamzee?"

He let out a sad sigh, which was completely unlike him. This Gamzee was strange. I wasn't too fond of it. He gripped the back of my knees tighter, slightly caressing them with his thumb. Suddenly I felt hot, as if I was on fire.

"I smoke it for my motherfucking skitz bro."

"Sk-skitz?"

He nodded.

"Fucking schizophrenia bro. Doc prescribed it to me to all up and ease my motherfucking mind."

I gripped him tightly, and buried my face into the back of his neck. Now I knew what that unusual floral smell was. It was weed. I crinkled my nose.

"I bet you hate me now man.."

"N-no Gamzee! I understand, it's o-ok."

The next few minutes were walked in silence. All I could hear was his steady breathing. I clung to my friend, on the verge of tears. I wanted so desperately to comfort at him. Couldn't he see that I understood? I didn't mind at all. He had a reason. Even if he didn't, I'd still love him.

Love…

The word rang through my head like a sharp bell.

Love.

I felt my stomach flip. I was in love with my friend, my BEST friend. I was in love with Gamzee Makara..

Chapter 4

I awoke the next morning in my bed. I jolted forward. "G-Gamzee?" My eye scanned the interior of my room. My heart was racing in a panic. Where was Gamzee? How did I get home? Was it a dream? There was a knock at my door and I felt my heart leap into my throat. The doorknob turned slowly and the door was pushed up.

"Morning Son,"

It was my father. I sighed shakily. My father was a rather tall man, slim but muscular. Whiskers covered his strong jawline. He was known for clenching his jaw tightly when he was upset. Today he was sporting a white polo and black slacks, and dark brown dress shoes. I was hoping my dad wouldn't notice my panic.

"What's wrong son? You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you sick?"

Shit.

He reached out and touched my forehead. I squirmed.

"Son you're burning up!" His face twisted in worry. I noticed his eyes were bloodshot, making the chocolate color of his eyes lighten into a caramel. "W-where are you going Dad?" He sighed. "I was going to go golfing with a client, but you're too sick. I'll have to cancel." I shook my head.

"N-no Dad, I'll be ok! I just had a bad dream that's all. You don't have to cancel your meeting with him for m-me. I kn-now how important this i-is for you." My dad bit his lip in frustration.

"Alright Tavros.. But stay home today. I'll call someone to come check on you every now and then. Give me a call if you need me, understand?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes Poppa,"

He ruffled my hair much like Gamzee does. I felt an ache in my heart. I needed to find him. I turned in my bed, swinging my legs off over the side. I pushed him hurriedly towards the door.

"C-come on Poppa you'll be late!"

My father glanced down at his watch, easily resisting the force I was putting on his shoulder. "I've got about an hour before I have to meet him there son, I was thinking breakfast at the-"

"No Dad! Doesn't it take thirty minutes just to get there? Plus the car has been acting funny!" I was running out of reasons to get him out of the house so I could begin my search for Gamzee. My father cursed.

"Shit, you're right. I'm sorry, breakfast will have to wait! I promise I'll take you out later, ok son?" We rushed into the hallway. I handed him his jacked and keys. "Dad it's fine, just hurry!" He grabbed his suitcase and ducked out the door. I waved him off as he pulled out of the drive way. I waited for him to peel around the corner before darting inside and changing.

I started my search at the store. I was welcomed warmly by Gamzee's uncle. He informed me that Gamzee wasn't scheduled today since it was Sunday. It'll just be him running the store. He offered for me to stay. I kindly said no but thanked him. I jogged around the corner of the store and strained to remember where his house was located. My legs hurt at their attachments. In my desperation to find Gamzee, I collided with someone along the sidewalk. We both fell and hit the ground hard. I gasped. The air was knocked out of my lungs. I strained to breathe. I couldn't focus on the person who was now helping me up.

"Jethuth dude where are you going iin thuch a hurry?"

He pat my back off. I still struggled to breathe.

"Woah man, breathe! Iin, out, it'th no hard. Thee, watch me," He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. I followed his rhythm.

"Thee? Not hard. What'th your problem thtranger?"

I choked in a breath. "I-I'm trying to f-f-find my friend, I don't know wh-where he w-went!" I looked up at him. "Wait a m-minute, I know you." I squinted, looking over him. He looked very familiar. Yellow flannel button up shirt, tight grey jeans, and brown spiked out hair, and a pair of glasses that resembled old fashion 3-D movie glasses.

"Pardon?"

My brain fumbled with who he was. I'd seen a picture of him with this shirt on before. Then it hit me. "Oh y-yeah! You're Karkat's boyfriend! Sollux right?" I stuck my hand out to shake his. He arched an eyebrow and shook my hand.

"How the hell do you know that? Do you know my KK?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, he's friends with the guy I'm, uh, looking for right now. Do you know where Karkat is? He might be with Gamzee." Sollux ran a finger through his hair.

"II know where KK ith, but II dunno about Gamzee. II'm on my way to KK now. Wanna come wiith me to thee iif Gamzee ith there wiith hiim?" He smiled faintly. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, that uh would be, uh nice. I'm Tavros by the way."

Sollux smirked with amusement.

"Tho you're Tavroth? II've heard a lot about you from Gamzee. Niice to finally meet you man."

Chapter 5

Sollux walked me to Karkat's house. He'd been to the gas station to pick up some of Karkat's favorite red candies. I explained what had happened last night, and expressed my worry for him. Sollux nodded along with my explanation, commenting here and there on what he thought might have happened. Chances where that Gamzee was either at home, or with Karkat. The two didn't live too far apart. That was a relief. My legs were killing me. They weren't meant for so much activity.

Karkat's house was nice. The paint was dull, but the lawn was decorated nicely. Karkat's mother sat on the porch and sipped lemonade. She was reading a magazine. "How to console your child through your divorce". Nice.. Sollux greeted her and walked inside. She ignored me as I followed him in. Karkat's father sat at a computer desk, clicking angrily at the computer muttering to himself. His words hissed out like a deflating tire. I felt sorry for Karkat.

"Thiith way, he'th alwayth iin hiith room."

We walked down a hallway decorated in old pictures. Some of them were of Karkat and Gamzee. I stopped to stare at one. Karkat was holding up a large sea shell, smiling widely at the camera. Gamzee was in the background waving. I wondered how long they'd been friends. Sollux opened Karkat's bedroom door and stepped in.

"KK, have you theen Gamzee?"

"No, why?"

"Tavroth iith looking for hiim."

"Tavros?"

I saw Karkat's head poke out from the door. I waved timidly. "How in the hell did you two fuckers meet?" His eyes narrowed.

"I uh,"

"We ran iinto each other. Liiterally. He thaiid he knew me, then thaiid he knew you. He'th been lookiing for Gamzee tho II dethiided to help hiim out. II thought maybe you knew where he wath."

"I see." Sollux slipped an arm around Karkat's waist and kissed his cheek. I twiddled my thumbs uncomfortably. Romance always made me feel uncomfortable. I had a strong urge to leave.

"Gamzee is probably at his house or at the beach, if he isn't at the store. Uncle 'Mak said he wouldn't be working today."

"Yeah.."

"You spoke to Uncle 'Mak? What'd he say?"

I saw Sollux's hand down to Karkat's hip. I could feel my face getting hot. "Y-yeah, uh, he said Gamzee was uh, off work today."

"Well check his house or the beach. I'd text him for you but that fucker never replies. He's so goddamn unreliable."

"I uh.. Don't know where he lives actually.."

Karkat rolled his eyes irritably. "Go down the street, and take a left. Gamzee's house is the one with the loft facing the beach." Sollux pinched him.

"Ow you fucker! What the fucking FUCK did you do that for?" He yanked himself away from Sollux and pushed at his shoulder.

"KK thtop beiing thuch an athhole."

"I'm not being an 'athhole' 'Thollux'."

"Thtop making fun of my liithp you diick." With a single shove, Sollux managed to send Karkat stumbling backward onto his bed. Karkat flipped him off.

"Maybe later. You're beiing too much of a diickhead right now. Pluth we have company."

"Uh actually, I'm going to uh, leave. Th-thank you for the help you guys."

I followed the direction Karkat had given me, and it all came back. Now I remember where I was going. I jogged my way to Gamzee's house and peered up at the roof. He wasn't there. My heart sank.

"Gamzee? Are you here?" I searched all around the house but couldn't find him. I knocked on the front door and waited. After a few minutes I rang the doorbell. Still nothing. I decided to head down to the beach and try my luck there. He had to be SOMEWHERE.

I searched until dark. He was nowhere to be found. Exhausted and defeated, I made my way home. My prosthetic feet drug against the concrete with a rugged scraping noise. It annoyed me, but I was too tired to really care. I was hungry too. My stomach growled loudly. I wanted so badly for this day to just be over.

I opened the gate to our back yard and closed it behind me. I was starting to wish I hadn't taken the back way home. I'd have to climb the stairs of our patio to get inside. As I made my way through the back yard, movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. Something hopped over the fence smoothly, and made its way to me.

Oh damn. This wasn't good.

I stanced myself the way my father had taught me when I was younger. Legs equally apart to hold my ground, arms up to block, hands made into tight fists. I was really too tired for this.

Chapter 6

"Woah motherfucker what are you doing?" Gamzee appeared into the light of the back patio. I sighed with relief. "G-Gamzee you startled me. I thought you were a m-mugger." I chuckled at my silliness.

"Pfftaw bro. A mugger? Naw." He stopped in front of me and smiled widely. "Mind if I chill here for a bit motherfucker? House is locked. I can't all up and get in."

My eyes drifted to the door. I wasn't so sure about having Gamzee inside. My house was nothing compared to his… Not only that, but I had disobeyed my father and gone out when he told me to stay inside. He was probably furious with me.

"Uhh.."

I felt his hand touch my shoulder and I melted into a pathetic heap. I could feel myself swooning. Was this from exhaustion or…? Now my vision seemed to blur around the edges. What? Now I was leaning on him? When did this happen? I don't recall moving. He's saying something now. I can see his lips moving, I can hear the soft deepness of his voice, but my brain isn't willing to comprehend the English language. I blink in confusion. Everything was fading to black. I tried fighting it, calling out to him. What sounded like a sonic boom in my head, was a mere inaudible whisper. I was losing. It was consuming me. Blackness. Then nothing.

Something was touching my shoulder. It started off faint, but then became more violent. I opened my eyes irritably.

"Finally you're awake son! You've been out for quite a while."

The confusion hit hard. Another repeat of the previous night? Maybe I was having a major Déjà vu. I waited for my dad to tell me about his client. That didn't happen. Instead my father decided to fret over me like a mother hen. He questioned on where I had been, why I hadn't answered the door when the neighbor had come to check on me, and why I left the kitchen light on. I quietly reminded him that it was he himself who had left it on. He cleared his throat avoiding the subject.

"A young man brought you in last night. You were out like a light. He was a very nice kid. He curses a bit much though. Is he a close friend of yours?"

I nodded.

"I see. What's his name? I missed it last night."

"Gamzee Makara. He works at the store Papa. He's a really good friend of mine."

"Care explaining why he carried you in last night?"

I winced. I honestly didn't want to lie to my father, but how could I explain something like that to him? 'Oh dad I just went all around town looking for this guy I really like so he and I could talk about why he smokes weed for his mental health'. Right. I could see that going smoothly. If I told him I had fainted, he'd try to take me to the hospital. I knew very well we couldn't afford that. I chewed my lip. Where was an answer when I needed one?

"Well son? Come on and speak up."

"I uh.. I got bored, and went to a friends' house and fell asleep over there and uh.. Gamzee must've carried me home." I attempted a sweet smile.

"Why did you go over there after I told you to stay home?" He arched an eyebrow at me the way all parents do when their authority is threatened.

"I uh.. I was lonely.."

A pained expression splayed across my father's face. He gripped my shoulder the way that father's do when they finally acknowledge their sons as a man. His gesture didn't seem to fit the look he was giving me.

"I'm sorry son.."

I smiled at him, trying to reassure him. He smiled weakly back.

"How about that breakfast champ?"

The breakfast was nice, but I wasn't all too hungry. My father chatted away about his day with his client. He thought his company would make the sale. I poked at a banana slice sitting on top of my pancakes. It rolled off into the floor. I stared blankly at it.

"Your banana's on a roll son." He pat my shoulder and laughed. He was notorious for laughing at his own jokes. Though I didn't get it. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"You alright boy? You seem down." He attempted to deepen his voice. He was going 'Alpha Dad' on me. I shrugged and took a bite. I didn't want my father to know that I wanted to see Gamzee and thank him for taking care of me.

My heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him again. Another banana slice launched itself into the floor. The waitress would be pissed.

"Tavros? I'm talking to you son."

"Huh..?"

"I said, do you want to go splurge on something today? I got some extra in my paycheck. We could get you some things you need."

I fought the scowl that tried to crawl onto my face. Shopping with Dad? He smiled at me eagerly while taking a large bite of his toast. My heart sunk for him. He worked so hard just to keep us both a float. Why was I being selfish?

"Yeah Papa, that sounds nice." I attempted a smile.

"That's the spirit son! We can stop by that store of yours too. You can get whatever you want there."

Chapter 7

I had to scarf my pancakes down before we left. It made my stomach hurt a bit as we walked along a strip mall to browse. So far I had found a nice pair of comfy house sandals. They were so much easier to get on and off than tennis shoes. Dad bought a few ties and cuff links for his work suits. There wasn't much around here on this side of town, but the FiduSpawn store was right around the corner. I was anxiously waiting to go see Gamzee. Dad decided to try on a few golfing hats. I stood there with an antsy feeling crawling along my spine. Dad took the hint, we left.

I had barely gotten through the door before I was slammed into the wall in a breath taking hug. Gamzee's hair fell into my face and tickled my nose. His grip was close to suffocating, but in a good way. I had no idea he was so strong. It felt nice. I hugged him and pat his back softly. He was shaking.

"Aw man motherfucker you had me so motherfucking scared bro!" I felt his shoulder heave. "You're my best motherfuckin bro man, I'm so sorry I couldn't do motherfuckin more for you!"

Something wet leaked onto my shirt. Sadness tugged at my heart, so I hugged him tighter. Was he really this worried about me? People inside the store whispered and stared. But I didn't care. I rubbed his lower back and stuck my cheek against his to reach his ear. Damn even hunched over like this he was tall.

"Sh Gamzee it's alright. I'm ok. See?" I pulled away and held my arms out a bit. He sniffled and wiped his eyes. His make-up smeared. "Y-yeah man and I'm so motherfucking glad bro. I didn't want to leave but I'm sure your dad didn't all up and want me to motherfuckin intrude."

My dad was smiling. I could see it out of the corner of my eye. He chuckled softly.

"Now why wouldn't I let you stay boy? You helped my son. You're family now." He walked over and ruffled Gamzee's hair a bit. Gamzee's face lit up. I beamed happily.

"We're, uh, going shopping Gamzee. Wanna come?"

"Aw hell yeah motherfucker, let me grab my motherfuckin wallet and talk to 'Uncle."

He strode into the back room. Karkat poked out from behind the counter and pushed his way through the crowd of people that had been watching.

"Alright assholes, show's over, get out of his business!"

They scattered. With a snort Karkat turned to me. "It's a good thing you showed up today. I was getting sick of seeing him like that." His face softened. "I hate it when he gets all worked up. I've only seen him do it once when his father left for a trip a long time ago. You're fucking lucky kid."

With that, he wondered back behind the counter. I felt a thin blush creep along my face. Gamzee hollered a goodbye to his uncle and leapt over the counter with a graceful swing of his legs. "Alright let's go motherfucker, I just got paid."

Chapter 8

My dad decided to drop Gamzee and me off at the mall. He said something about paper work. He'd pick us up later. Gamzee wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked into the mall. Chattering happily about a prank he pulled on Karkat. I couldn't help but laugh, it sounded pretty funny. I wish I had been there to see.

We walked into the first store we came across, a Walden Books. Gamzee pulled me to the back of the store and started browsing through random books that were on sale. I stood beside him and dug through the young adult section.

"Pffft-tt…"

I look up. Gamzee had his hands clasped over his mouth, and he was drastically trying to hold in what looked to be a laugh. His eyes started to water up.

"PFFFFFFT- AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I stared at him puzzled. He pulled a book off the shelf and handed it to me, snickering. "Bro, motherfucking, pffffttsshh, look at this, ahahaha!" I grasped the little book and read the title.

"Kama sutra for the blind.." My eyes widened, then I let out a snort, then a loud laugh.

"Isn't that uh, a contradiction? How will they know?"

Gamzee laughed even harder, griping his stomach tightly. Our loud ruckus got us kicked out of the store. Gamzee flipped off the manager as I pulled him away.

We made our way to the middle of the mall and sat next to the fountain. It sputtered happily. The sound of the water was soothing. We sat in silence, just smiling at each other. Normally I couldn't stare anyone in the eye for long periods of time without feeling awkward and nervous, but Gamzee was different. All I could do was return his smiles, and feel my heart fluttering like a bird spreading its young wings for the first time. I was falling for Gamzee more and more, each time I saw him. He stretched and yawned to break the silence.

"You know Tavbro, I thought you wouldn't want to motherfuckin see me ever again.."

My eyebrows furrowed.

"W-what? Why would you think that Gamzee?"

"Because of my motherfuckin issues man."

He set his hand over mine on the table. I bit my lip a bit. Skin contact was still something I wasn't totally used to. At least the hug had clothes to block off the skin. My hand tingled under his.

"I was actually uh, wondering if we could, uh, you know. Talk about it?"

He smirked. It had a mocking air to it. He explained that he had a rough childhood. He had never met his mother. Someone told him she had committed suicide because he had been born. He believed otherwise. He had a horrible step mother as well. She was physically and mentally abusive.

"She would motherfucking strip me down, hose me down, and make me stand outside for motherfuckin HOURS man. All to learn some motherfuckin humiliation."

I grit my teeth. He explained that after a while, his mental issues started to show. He was only 6 when his first skitz break down occurred. He had to be taken to a hospital. When he had returned home, his step mother was furious and beat him to the point where he could no longer move. He lay in a heap upon the ground, bloodied and bruised. He said his uncle found him. Once more he was taken to the hospital. He told several doctors what had happened, and when he was healed a little better, he was taken to the police station for hours of questioning.

His step mom was arrested and sentenced 45 years in jail. She offed herself the first day.

"Heh.. I had never been happier to hear that motherfuckin bitch was dead." His nose was scrunched into a snarl. He was fighting the anger. "You know, she used to motherfuckin tell me that my father bought me in a business deal." He was shaking now. I gripped his hand tightly and stroked it with my thumb. He looked up at me and smiled sadly.

"Even though she was dead, I still had motherfuckin nightmares. I swear that bitch was all up and fucking haunting me man. It's what caused my illness to get fuckin worse. I saw doctor after motherfucking doctor after motherfucker shrink. None of them ever helped. Until one decided to give me weed. Cleared that shit up fast."

His thumb glided over mine. My heart skipped.

"Well, uh, I'm glad you're ok now Gamzee. If I was there, I would've protected you the best I, uh, could. You're my best bro. I'll do anything for you, really."

"Anything?" His smile turned into pure charm. "Even this motherfucker?"

He seemed to lean in, in complete slow motion. I couldn't avoid it. I couldn't move. I was frozen in place. But I didn't want to move either. His lips pressed against the corner of my mouth. I felt my head grow light. My heart was racing. My eyes fluttered shut. I couldn't stop the blush that blazed across my cheeks. His hand tightened around mine.

He pulled away, smiling in such a beautiful way. I couldn't function. How do you move? Or speak? How do I blink? I didn't know anymore.

"Thanks Tavbro. I don't know what I would do without you man."

All I could do was nod. My head turned to the side lightly. I could see a mirrored pillar. I could see myself in the reflection. I looked incredibly stupid. I had the goofiest smile on my face. I didn't know how to control it. My cheeks were bright red and burning. I almost looked high. I shook my head.

"Uhh,, you're welcome Gamzee,"

He jumped up and pulled me with him. "Let's go motherfucker, we still gotta get our shop on."

Chapter 9

Gamzee and I had browsed through several stores on the first level. There wasn't much down here though, just a bunch of kiosks and booths with obnoxious salesmen. It was well into the afternoon now. I could see the sun shining brightly through the sky panel windows. There were clouds splayed across the sky, growing heavy, and showing signs of rain. The thought of rain made me happy. We needed it badly here. I honestly couldn't remember the last time we had gotten a good rain. We headed to the escalators. Gamzee hopped up on the opposite one, walking on it backwards but didn't move. He had his hands tucked into his hoodie, and the chain from his wallet jingled. The sunlight hit his hair, making it glow a rich purple. His eyes sparkled just as beautifully as the smile he had. He looked miraculous. Like a tall, muscular god. My breath seemed to trap itself in my throat. He chuckled. "Bro, there's all kind of cool shit up here now. Have you been here lately?" I shook my head. He hopped down and grabbed my shoulder. "Dude let's go check it out."

I stared at the escalator nervously. I hadn't actually been on one before. Nor had I really been to the mall in a long time. I kind of just followed Gamzee around. I suppose he saw the look of worry on my face, because the next thing I knew, he was carrying me up onto it.

"G-Gamzee you don't have to, uh, carry me!" I wriggled a bit. All I got was a deep warm laugh. It made my body still. The vibration of his chest caused me to shiver. As we reached the top, I shifted for him to put me down, but instead he just moved me to rest on his back. He jumped a bit to situate me. His hair flipped up into my face. The smell flashed me back to the night he carried me home. Subconsciously I nuzzled into the back of his neck, remembering each detail I could. His cologne was different this time. Not as sharp as axe, much richer and cleaner. It made me light headed.

Gamzee's body stiffened and he stopped walking.

"Holy… Fucking… SHIT!"

I peeked over his shoulder meekly. "What is it Gamzee?"

He set me down and bolted forward. I staggered a bit, trying to regain my balance. What was he so excited about? Now he had vanished. My eyes strained to find him. I was surrounded by several people, in the middle of a food court. And now Gamzee was lost in the abyss of it all. I started to panic a bit. Would he really just leave me here? I hear a yell that was a tad inaudible over the crowd. But still, I trudged forward. I managed to squeeze through a group of teens I recognized from the store. They said hello and asked me if I was following Gamzee.

"No, uh, actually I, uh, lost him. I don't know where he went."

The girl I knew as Nepeta grabbed my sleeve and spun me around. She pointed to a little store, decorated with orange and pink wallpaper. "Gamzee went in there. I think he saw something he really liked! That or he's wanting you to chase him." She winked at me. What?

"Chase him?"

"Never mind silly! Go get your furriend!" She gave me a slight shove in the direction of the store. I gave her a quiet thank you and made my way to the front of the store. There was a dainty sign in cursive over the store with jade colored letters. "Maryam Sweets". I turned to look at Nepeta from where I was standing. She smiled and gave a sly wave. I opened the vintage style wooden carved door slowly. A little bell rang and startled me a bit. "Welcome to the sweetshop. How may I help you?" A woman about my age stood behind the counter. She was incredibly beautiful, yet she looked fragile. Her skin was porcelain white, hair jet black, and eyes a rich jade green. She smiled, revealing a perfect row of pearly white teeth that glittered even in this soft lighting.

"Aw shit Kanaya! Sis you gotta make more of these! They're motherfuckin incredible! Hey, do a bro a favor and grab that orange one. Wanna get one for Tav."

I blinked and turned my head. There was Gamzee. Face pressed against the glass of the sweets display, with a purple cupcake sitting in his hand. A wrapper on the counter indicated he had possibly already eaten one. The woman giggled and gracefully placed the cupcake into a little box, scribbled something on the top, then wrapped it with a green lace ribbon. She handed it to him and rung up the price on the register.

"That'll be $4 Gamzee dear,"

Gamzee yanked the chain to his wallet upward, and with a swift swoop, caught it in his hand. He managed to pull out a five with the same hand and place it on the counter. Gamzee was quite talented when it came to sweets. He was sure to not drop his cupcake. "Thanks sis, keep the change." He gathered up the box and spun around.

"Tav! Hey motherfucker I got you this,"

He held out the box to me. "It's a motherfuckin FAYGO CUPCAKE! Can you believe it bro?" His eyes lit up. "They're motherfucking DELICIOUS. I didn't know what flavor to get you man, so I got your motherfucking favorite color if that's cool." I couldn't help but smile and hold the box close.

"It's just perfect Gamzee. Thanks."

Chapter 10

The cupcake was sweet and soft, with traces of orange flavoring melded with vanilla. It was one of the best things I had ever tasted. Gamzee bit into another one and sighed aloud. "This is so motherfucking legit man."

"Yeah, this is uh, really good Gamzee."

He chunked the empty cupcake box in a nearby trashcan and licked his lips. I felt my spine tingle. "Where to next bro?" His head swiveled side to side. "Oh bro look at that!" He pointed to a store called "Love Shack" The name made my stomach flip. My eyes followed the direction of his finger as I timidly ate the last bite of my cupcake. Through the door-less entrance I could see something rather large sitting upon the floor. I squinted a bit.

"Is that a giant, uh, bean bag chair?"

"You bet your sweet motherfucking ass it is. Come one!"

He looped an arm around my elbow and pulled me to the store. Thankfully Gamzee knew how to keep a good pace I could keep up with. Once in the store I sat down on the chair. It was incredibly soft, and I sank into it a bit. I laid back and stretched. This was so comfortable. Gamzee jumped and flopped next to me onto his stomach.

"Bro this is so motherfuckin cool. I might buy one."

I turned and saw the price tag.

"Oh my gosh, Gamzee, this thing is close to $300! And it's the smallest one!" Gamzee yawned and placed his head on my shoulder. I felt like melting.

"I know bro, I was actually looking at that huge motherfucking purple one."

My jaw dropped.

"Gamzee that's huge! It's close to $1,000!"

He laughed and patted my chest. "Bro chill. I got plenty for it. You want one?"

"G-Gamzee don't joke like that. It isn't, uh, funny. Really."

His head cocked to the side as he stared up at me. Now he was resting against my stomach, which was full of butterflies. I fought the blush and looked away. Then, he stood and helped me up."

"Bro I'm not joking. If you want one, then hell motherfucker, I'll get it for you."

"B-but Gamzee you shouldn't waste your check on me.."

I started to walk out of the store, feeling a tad uncomfortable. I felt an arm lace around my stomach and pull me back.

"G-Gamzee?"

Another arm wrapped around me and tightened a bit. I couldn't move. My heart was pounding so hard I could see the tips of my hair quiver.

"Tav, really man. If you need something, or want something, let me know. I'll get it for you. No matter what."

There was the soft noise of clanking that gradually grew louder. It had started to rain. Hard. My lip trembled. I turned the best I could so I could face him. His visage was soft and kind, and what seemed to be.. almost.. loving. I wanted to speak so badly. He let me go. I heard ringing now, emanating from his left pocket. I could see the silhouette of a phone beneath the baggy cloth of his gray jeans. He fished the phone out and answered.

"Hello?"

There was a pause, then a tiny voice muttered through the speaker into his ear.

"This is he,"

I was astonished. Gamzee was speaking so.. So PROPERLY. I was a mess right now. All these mixed emotions at once. And now this? My head started to spin.

"Oh, Alright. My house is down the street, we could go there until you can."

He nodded to himself.

"Ok see you then."

He hung up the phone and put in his pocket.

"Who was that?"

"Your dad bro. He said it's raining really hard where he is bro. Wants me to walk you to my house. He'll come get you when the storm is over." He was grinning.

"Is he, uh, ok?"

"Yeah motherfucker, shit's alright there. Let's get going before it rains harder here."

The rain was surprisingly warm. It soaked me to the bone, but I was having too much fun to care. Gamzee had decided to start a game of tag as soon as we left the mall. His hair was drenched, and it stuck to his face. My Mohawk was now pressed tightly against my scalp, parts of it drooping into my eyes. Gamzee caught me around the waist and spun me to the side. I couldn't help but laugh. I manage to get away, only to stumble and start to fall. His arms were around me again, but not playfully this time. It was like a repeat of before. This time though, he pulled me tightly against him.

"I gotcha bro,"

His voice was soft under the rain. I could hardly see his eyes under the veil of thick hair. I shivered. He was radiating so much heat, it felt nice. My hands rested on his chest. His heartbeat matched mine. Fluttering out of control. I moved one hand upward, and brushed the hair out of his eye. His face was flushed, breathing ragged from running, and his eyes were glossy. He was exactly like I was. I could feel my heart swell. Gamzee Makara reacted the same way I did.

"Gamzee…"

I could feel a hand cup my cheek. My eyes fluttered closed.

"Can you feel it too, Tav?"

His voice was so rich and deep. I was having trouble breathing. I couldn't concentrate. My mind was reeling back and forth.

'Gamzee. Gamzee. Gamzee. I love you Gamzee. Gamzee.'

Oh god why couldn't I speak right now? I nodded the best I could. This feeling was incredible. I wanted to be closer to him.

Our foreheads were touching. Breathing shallow. Hearts pounding wildly.

Lip contact.

My heart exploded. I whimpered against him. He pulled my closer, kissing rougher. My hands tangled up into his wet hair, and I kissed back just as fervently. Something ignited inside of my stomach. A blazing surge of passion and heat, all completely new to my body. I clung to him. Never wanting to let go, never wanting to stop. I wanted this feeling to last forever.

I wanted Gamzee Makara to be mine.

Chapter 11

Gamzee pulled away from the kiss slowly. I could feel my knees go weak and buckle, but he held me firm. I my face felt as though it had been lit on fire. Gamzee's mirrored mine. I had a feeling I was blushing deeper though. My pants had become tight and uncomfortable. All from a kiss. I tried to shift myself so it wouldn't press against him. I couldn't help but feel somewhat ashamed.

"Heh, don't worry motherfucker.. Me too.."

At first I didn't quite understand, but then I felt it. I hid my face in embarrassment. He chuckled loudly. Lighting flashed behind him, and lit up my retnas. Thunder was soon to follow, crashing loudly in the distance. Gamzee's head swung around and he let out a hiss.

"Shit motherfucker, gotta get you home."

Almost too ironically, it started to rain even harder.

"C'mon Tav, hop up," He lifted me up onto his back, spun on his heel, and ran in the direction of his house. He never ceased to amaze me. Not only was he strong, and apparently quite the charmer over the phone, he was athletic. Though I don't weigh much, he managed to run fast. His agility was impressive as well.

We finally made it inside his house. It was cold from the AC. I started to shiver uncontrollably. Next to me, Gamzee began to strip down out of his wet clothes, placing them neatly atop his washing machine. So far his house was beautiful. We stood in his kitchen, which was connected to a laundry room and an open walk-in pantry. The kitchen was beautiful, and smelled of sweets. The counter tops were of black marble, and the cabinets were cherry wood. The floors were the same. He had a miniature tv above his sink, parallel to a breakfast nook that was rather large. I hadn't even seen the rest of his house and I was already fascinated. I took a moment to admire the wallpaper. A lovely color of purple. Of course Gamzee's house would have purple wallpaper.

"Tav, I'll get you a change of clothes bro. You can shower upstairs. But uh.. Could you take your clothes off so you won't drip on the carpet? Dad would motherfucking murder me man."

"Oh, uh, ok Gamzee."

He turned and disappeared into the laundry room. I timidly removed my shirt, shivering harshly from the cold. Great. My teeth were chattering. LOUDLY. I clamped my jaw together. Goosebumps covered my skin. God why was it so cold here. I unbuttoned my pants, feeling incredibly awkward. But then again, I didn't want to freeze. I let them go and they fell into a heap around my ankles. This was so weird. Gamzee popped up beside with me wrapped in a robe and handed me a towel.

"Damn motherfucker, you're turning blue. Here follow me,"

I wrapped myself up and gingerly took his hand as he led me upstairs, and to his room. It was even more incredible than the kitchen, and it was HUGE. I clutched the towel closer. It was warm in here too. His bed sat in the center of the room, with a nightstand on either side. King sized with silk white sheets, and an indigo comforter. To the right, there was a gigantic TV with all the games you could imagine piled up next to it.

"Shower is over there bro,"

Gamzee pointed to door next to his bed.

"Uh, thanks Gamzee."

"I'll get some of my old clothes for you bro, hopefully they'll motherfucking fit. Set them on the counter for you man."

I nodded and padded into the bathroom. The tile froze my feet. Everything was completely marble, and insanely beautiful. Gamzee closed the door behind me.

"You need any help motherfucker, just holler."

I blushed.

"I think I can, uh, figure it all out Gam."

There was a distant chuckle. I sighed and sat down the towel on the floor, undressed completely, and stepped into the shower.

The shower was nice, and eased my mind a bit. As promised, Gamzee had left a set of clothes on the counter by the sink. I blushed at the thought of him sneaking into the bathroom while I had been showering. He was really quiet about it. His shirt was a little too big for me. It drooped over one of my shoulders. The boxers actually fit just fine. The pants, not so much. Not as bad as the shirt, but I had to hold them in place.

Gamzee was sprawled out on his bed in a tank top and basketball shorts. Holding something over his head. His legs dangled off the sides.

"Gamzee, I'm done."

He looked over to me and tossed the object aside.

"Feel better bro?"

I nodded and sat next to him.

"You have a wonderful house Gamzee."

He flopped over, laying his head in my lap.

"Yeah? It's just home to me motherfucker. Your house is pretty sweet too man." He smiled warmly at me. There goes my heart again. Why couldn't I control it around him anymore? He was bound to feel it. He closed his eyes and yawned. Subconsciously I ran my fingers through his hair. He let out a hum of comfort. I continued to play with his hair, twirling the ends with my index finger. It was silky and soft to the touch, and smelled of sweet shampoo. My heart skipped a beat.

The next thing I knew, our foreheads were pressed together again. When did this happen? His arms were around me. Slowly laying me back. My heart was racing, I could hear it strumming in my ears. I leaned up a bit. Our lips connected. He pulled away. Eyes glossed over again.

"Tav.."

I shook my head.

"Gam.. I want this.. Really.."

His lips crashed against mine roughly. The feeling that was washing over my body was euphoric. Gamzee just seemed to know exactly what I wanted. His hand slipped up under my borrowed shirt and gripped my hip, pulling it upward. All I could do was grunt into the kiss, and intertwine my fingers into his hair. With a surge of confidence, I pulled his head downward. My own head made contact with the pillow. He managed to successfully pull my hips up, where he then began to gyrate his own against me. It didn't take long for the borrowed boxers to become tight and suffocating. I could feel Gamzee through the thin fabric of his basketball shorts.

His mouth was on my neck. Licking, sucking, biting, and nipping. Stirring up sensations all a new in my brain. It started off gentle at first, but then gradually became rougher. His hips continued to grind against me, as his teeth sank into the flesh under my ear. All I could do was hold onto him for dear life, and ride out the pleasure bit by bit. Another rough bite.

"G-Gamzee, ah!"

A hand left its place on my hip to quickly pull up the baggy shirt and reveal my chest. Now his teeth had made their way to my collar bone, nipping and sucking downward and swiping his tongue along the dip. I was unable to speak. My voice was a wobbly hum from my throat. My shirt was now over my head, and thrown to the side. I could feel his teeth scrape down my chest, and his tongue lap over my stomach. It slipped across my naval causing my back to arch awkwardly. My skin prickled everywhere at the sensations he was causing. Gamzee let out a pleased growl as his lips brushed over my clothed erection. I couldn't help but jump a bit. I had never been touched there before by anyone. I squirmed nervously, attempting to calm my panicking brain.

To some relief, Gamzee pulled away and clawed at his tank top briefly, finally pulling it off and throwing it somewhere about the room. He gazed down at me, smiling softly as he hovered over me. He pecked my lips and nuzzled into the side of my neck. Feeling a wave of calm flood over my body, I returned the contact by pressing my cheek against his. He kissed it gingerly and muttered something in my ear. My mind was too jumbled to understand him though. The feeling of his bare chest pressing against mine was quite a distraction. Gamzee's skin was silky and smooth, and almost unbelievably tan. It was almost puzzling because I had never seen him with his shirt off. Either way I admired his body. Since I had never before seen him topless, I had never noticed just how muscular Gamzee truly was. His muscles rippled underneath his skin with such incredibly masculinity, it was damn near breathtaking.

Then another bite.

I gasped and pressed myself against him, stifling whatever noise that was beckoning to come out of the depths of my throat. This time he latched on, continuously biting under my ear, and sucking roughly. I had to bite my lip to prevent these noises from escaping, but it was to no avail.

"Awuuuhh Gamzee…!"

At the sound of his name, he bit down even harder causing the breath to hiss from my throat. My hands shot up into his thick hair and pulled roughly out of a complete natural reaction. He growled seductively, dragging his nails down my back, making it arch as they made their way down to the base of my spine. The pain excited me. I pulled once more, earning another deep growl and bite. I couldn't help but smirk. I was enjoying this new found confidence. The urge to dominate swelled within my stomach, but the want to be DOMINATED was more overwhelming. The words that slipped out of my mouth startled me to the core,

"That all you got, Makara?"

Chapter 12

I quickly clasped my hand over my mouth, the blush revisiting my face causing it to burn a bright red. Gamzee's eyes glittered brightly, showing the excitement in his mind.

"You think that's all I got motherfucker? We've barely even started."

The end of his sentence rolled off of his tongue and seemed to land right on my groin. Just the sheer sound of the amount of lust that dripped from his voice was enough to send me over. There was a dark edge to it though, dark and dangerous, and exciting. It made my mouth water in the oddest of ways. My heart was pounding from the adrenaline rush that now consumed my body. I could hear my own breath, heavy and hot, full of desire and want. His hands were fervently grasping at the tightened loopholes of the strings in the borrowed pants, tugging them upward sharply so they easily came undone. He yanked hard enough to partially lift my lower back off the bed, and it startled me a bit. All you could hear was the swish of fabric brushing against the material of my prosthetic legs, and the pants were gone, thrown onto the floor to be forgotten. It was then that I became wary of my legs. I attempted to shift myself, trying to hide them in the most awkward of manners. Gamzee wasn't having it, at all. He pinned me down firmly, while using his opposite arm to pin my legs down. I felt the urge to squirm underneath him and try to escape. Damn my timid nature. I pushed it aside, and instead placed a hand on his shoulder, digging my nails into it roughly. He let out a pleased hiss and chuckled.

"You keep that motherfuckin shit up, and I won't want to be fucking gentle with you bro,"

My heart skipped a beat at the word 'gentle'. Something in deep inside my mind told my body it didn't want gentle. It demanded passion. I had hardly ever been kissed or touched since I had met Gamzee. Gamzee was the first I had ever loved. The first time needed to something to remember.

"What if I said I didn't want you to be gentle?"

I attempted a confident smirk, but I was unsure as to how believable it was. I was rewarded with a sharp kiss. Sloppy and quick. His hand tugged at the waistband of the boxers.

"You know,"

He whispered huskily, his breath swept across my skin causing it to prickle excitedly.

"You look so motherfuckin sexy in my clothes Tav,"

His finger looped underneath the elastic, popping it against the sensitive skin of my lower abdomen. The pain mixed in with the euphoric combination of pleasure and desire in my mind, making me want him even more.

"Gamzee.."

"That's right motherfucker, say my name if you want more,"

And with that and a long sweep of his arm, the boxers joined their place on the floor with the borrowed pants. I groaned as the cool air made contact with my heated erection. It throbbed almost too painfully. I was rather surprised to see how large it had become. I wasn't the type to mess around with myself due to my handicap, so I had not seen it at a full erected state such as this. I felt another surge of confidence flow through my body. Gamzee arched an eyebrow with a smug smile. Fluidly his hand slid across the skin of my lower abdomen, along my pelvis, and stopped at the base of my erection. I chewed my lip in anticipation, eagerly awaiting his touch. A slender finger made its way along the side teasingly. I groaned wanting him to do far more than just this. I heard him chuckle.

"I told you bro, you gotta say my name."

The rest of his fingers joined their places around the base and squeezed gently.

"Ahh G-Gamzee! Hnngh,"

He let out a purr of amusement, stroking slowly. His hand trailed all the way to the tip where his thumb would glide over the sensitive flesh, then make its way down to the base once more. I couldn't help but arch my back into the palm of his hand, wanting more friction and more heat. Murmurs of pleasure spilled from my mouth with each stroke, making my body tense, then go limp in the most incredible of ways.

His mouth was on mine again, placing quick sweet kisses against my lips. I kissed back lovingly, trying to slow him down long enough to deepen one of the several kisses he was delivering. Now his pace had quickened, stroking much faster than before. My breath hitched from within my throat, my head thrown back into the pillow, and back arched to thrust into his hands. He whimpered lustfully into my ear, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck.

"Tav..,"

His voice was barely above a whisper. I could tell he wanted to be pleased, feeling his rather hard erection prod against my hip. I moaned out his name gaining a shiver from him and faster stroking. I reached out, fumbling up the side of his thigh, and over to his member. He let out a guttural moan, pushing his hips forward, and his hand somewhat faltering in its rhythmic motion. I rubbed smoothly against the fabric, watching the pleasure splay across his handsome face in the form of a brilliant blush. I sat up, shifting onto my side tugging softly on his basketball shorts. He happily obliged by pulling them down with his free hand. I wrapped my hand around his hard erection, stroking with a shaky pace. I definitely wasn't used to this, but I was determined to please Gamzee. Our lips connected again in a much more coordinated kiss. His tongue swept inside, tangling with mine in a passionate battle for dominance.

His pace quickened as he worked me over. Soon we were both pumping one another vigorously, allowing loud moans to bellow out into the room. I could feel the pleasure pool into my stomach and form into a tight ball. I was close.

Gamzee pulled away quickly with a slight gasp. His voice was thick, heavy, and coated in longing.

"Can't come yet bro, there's still more we gotta fuckin do,"

My mind was a jumbled mess of pleasure and confusion, but as of right now, I didn't care in the slightest. Gamzee pulled his shorts off the rest of the way and kicked them to the floor then leaned over to the little nightstand closest to him. I propped myself up on my elbow and craned my neck to see what he was digging for. He muttered to himself about thinking "it" was there before letting out a loud "Aha!" and held up a little bottle. He turned to me while smiling. I smiled back, somewhat unsure of what he was doing. He held up the little bottle and grinned ear to ear.

"Sollux bought this for me as a motherfuckin gag present for my birthday a while back. Glad I all up and fucking kept it." He winked at me. I squinted at the bottle in his hand and read the label. It was lubricant. For some reason I couldn't help but flush at the sight. He set the bottle to the side on the bed and lay onto his back, waving toward himself indicating he wanted me to come closer. I made my way over him, placing a hand above both shoulders and straddling over his right leg. Gamzee pulled me into a chaste kiss then allowed his hands to slowly inch up my thighs before stopping at my hips. I pushed my lips harder against his, feeling a roll of excitement unfold in my abdomen. He responded by sighing happily into the kiss and reaching to cup my ass. I could feel the blush grow deeper, but I ignored it. I peeked my eyes open and watched as he reached for the bottle, not once pulling away, and placed a small dab of lube onto his fingers. My heart fluttered nervously. I knew what was about to happen. Sensing my panic, Gamzee allowed the nails on his free hand to trace down my back. I shivered at the comforting pleasure, giving a soft "Mrr,". It was then that I felt him at my entrance. My heard started to pound in my chest.

"Relax brother you'll be alright,"

Gamzee's voice was incredibly loving and coated lust. I felt a finger slip inside and my head dropped to rest against Gamzee's shoulder. My nose brushed against his neck as I shifted uncomfortably at the alien feeling. He was slow and careful as he slipped his finger in and out. He waited until I was comfortable with the feeling before he added another digit. I let out a grunt of pain, and bit down over his pulse.

"Ohwmm..,"

His head turned slightly to kiss my temple, and I hugged him tightly with my face pressed into the crook of his neck, and my bottom half in the air as I sat on my knees. I sucked roughly on his neck as I tried to distract myself from the discomfort of the extra digit that stretched me. Gamzee purred in satisfaction at the rough biting, and slipped both fingers all the way in, curving them ever so slightly that they hit something that made me gasp in surprise.

"Ah-ahh!"

My back arched upward, pushing against his hand, wanting to re-create the feeling of pleasure that just overwhelmed me.

"Heh, motherfuckin found it,"

He thrust them in and out quickly, repeatedly hitting that spot, making me groan and buck back into his hand. He pulled his hand away, then pulled me down into a lip crushing kiss. Our tongues tangled once more and he roughly pulled me onto him so that I now straddled his entire waist. I could feel his erection brush against my inner thigh softly. Both hands were on my hips, directing them downward on top of him, and then with his left hand he guided himself to my entrance. I let out a nervous and shaky smile, which caused him to look up and smile reassuringly.

At first, the pain of him was almost unbearable. I cringed and whimpered, flattening myself against him and burying my head into his tanned chest. He cupped my face and leaned in to kiss my forehead, then my cheeks, and finally my lips. I couldn't help but pant in pain as I felt him shift, pushing himself deeper inside. I felt my arms grow weak and I could no longer support myself on my arms. I had to sit straight up, or lay awkwardly across his torso. That was NOT an option. So I straightened my spin, and sat directly up, gritting my teeth, and forced myself to sit regularly. Gamzee gasped as the rest of his member was pushed deeper inside, then groaned attempting to refrain from rolling his hips upward. I watched through squinted eyes as his head lolled to the side, biting his lip, face flushed bright red, mouth ever so slightly parted to release soft groans.

It made the pit of my stomach tingle. It took me a minute or two to adjust to the pain that had overcome my body. I decided to experimentally push my hips forward to test the feel. There was a slight awkward feel to it, but for the most part it felt incredible. I shivered and continued to move back and forth on top of him. His hands rested lazily onto each hip, still resisting from bucking upward. The sound of his breathing was absolutely incredible. Each time I lifted myself up, his breath would hitch, and then as I came back down he would bite his lip and the breath would hiss through his teeth, only for him to open his mouth to allow a moan to escape with the remnants of what breath he had left.

The pleasure was starting to increase drastically, and I found myself riding him a little more vigorously with each passing minute. His hands still sat limply at my sides. He was still fighting it. I needed to change that quickly. I shifted forward a bit, and dragged my nails along his chest. His eyes popped open to stare up at me excitedly.

"I thought I, uh, said I didn't want gentle, Makara."

He laughed. Deep and velvety. Such a miraculous laugh that sent pleasant chills up and down my spine.

"Can you all up and motherfuckin handle rough my man?"

He smiled at me teasingly. Mockingly almost. With that his hips lurched forward with enough strength to actually lift me. An odd combination of a gasp and a moan spilled from my lips as I doubled forward in pleasure.

"F-fuck Gamzee!"

He chuckled again and repeated the pattern a few time before stopping. Panting, I stared down at him through one lidded eye. He had the same smile, only this time it was smug. I leaned down and kissed him hungrily, allowing my hands to tangle up into the wispy dark purple locks of his hair. He returned the fervor of the kiss, and started to roll his hips, up and down, creating a pleasurable rhythm. I moaned into the kiss, trying to sound somewhat sexy. I wanted to tease him the way he had teased me, but more subtly. My goal was to drive him sexually mad. And it was working. With each thrust, I would let out a moan. Very loud and almost drawn out. You could say I was milking it a bit. But his reactions were astounding. His arms wrapped tightly around my lower back for support as he started to quicken his pace. My god it felt utterly amazing. I could feel the pleasure well into the pit of my stomach, and I pushed down into each thrust. I moaned out his name quite loudly in a pleased reaction of him striking that amazing spot again.

I felt his arms tighten even more around me, and his body shot upward, and turned, so that he was now sitting and I was in his lap. I looked at him confused, and tried to steady my breathing so I could speak.

"G-Gamzee?"

He didn't say a word, but hooked his arms underneath my thighs and lifted me upward, and pushed me against the wall hard enough to make a noise, but not to hurt.

"You said you wanted it rough motherfucker, so that's what you're gonna get,"

He sank his teeth into my neck and began to thrust at an incredibly fast pace. It made my body melt. There was no way my body could handle this intense amount of pleasure that he was causing. I clung to him, moaning every time he struck that spot. He continued to bite in various places along my neck and collarbone, licking and sucking. It was almost too much for me. Then one of his hands made its way to my member and began to pump me in rhythm with his thrusts. This was enough to send me over the edge. My body shook against him, wracked with complete pleasure. I couldn't help but moan out his name repeatedly as I felt myself growing closer and closer. The ball of pleasure in my stomach began to swell until it covered my entire body, making every muscle clench and tighten.

"F-fuck Gamzee I'm so close!"

He quickened and roughened his pace, thrusting a little more violently than before. And holy shit did it feel GOOD. I drug my nails down his back, feeling it arch into my fingers as the slid down to his lower back. He was grunting with every movement he made, and his hand matched perfectly with the movement as well. Soon it was more than I could take, and I felt the pleasure take control of my body and mind. I spilled over into his hand, crying out his name and arched myself against the wall. With a few more deep thrusts, his body went taut and thrust in one last time before succumbing to his orgasm. Hearing him moan out my name made my heart flutter. I felt his knees buckle and gripped the wall to support myself the best he could, but he held fast and straightened himself.

He pulled my away from the wall and laid me down on the bed, where he joined me panting. I curled up against him, suddenly very exhausted. But I felt utterly amazing. He rolled over onto his side and kissed me.

"Fuck Tav, I love you."

Chapter 13

It was almost as if my heart had managed to leap from my chest and soar up into heaven. Had I heard him right? I could feel my body swooning next to him.

"I mean it bro. Motherfucker, I've loved you for a long time."

My head was swimming. Gamzee Makara loves me. ME. Me of all the people he could choose from. I was overwhelmed with several emotions, I couldn't decide on how I wanted to react. It was then I felt something wet on my cheeks. Dammit.

"Woah, man, fuck, don't cry bro I'm sorry!"

He reached up and wiped a tear off of my cheek before weaving his fingers through the top of my hair, around the back of my hand, where it eventually rounded back to cup my cheek. I placed a hand over his and nuzzled into the warmth of his palm.

"I-I'm not crying because I'm sad Gamzee. I'm, uh, really happy actually." I felt myself smiling.

"I really love you too. I never, um, thought you'd ever feel the same."