Hello, Diamonds here again. I've had this idea running around in my head forever and finally sorted it out. I think it's what happens when I try to be funny.

Enjoy.

Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie, not me (if only...)

You are Terezi Pyrope and this could be going better. After Eridan went white-light on Sollux and blinded him you thought there was a definite teaching opportunity in the works, though there would of course be some amusement in it for you as well. When your rival blinded you, you taught yourself to compensate with your other senses. And it had come almost as naturally to you as opening your eyes and using your natural facilities. There had been some coaching from your lusus involved, of course (you never really thought about how, or why for that matter, she knew. You just figured lusii operated on their own illogical internal mechanisms and went with it) but you had made the connection that finally allowed you to "see" again without much difficulty. It just sort of made sense to you.

If only you could spell that out to the half-bewildered-half-raging-psycho troll currently seated next to you, from whom you have learned several things in the past half-hour. One, you're stupid. Two, seeing with your tongue is not and never was a normal thing. You're weird, TZ. Three, (and you made this particular leap all by yourself) though the removal of Sollux's lisp may have made him more confident it has done nothing for his ability to interact with anyone else.

All of that aside, you do feel a little bad for him. Your own blindness has become such a part of you that even your dreamself is sightless, and you have never viewed it as a disability. All you have is a different way of looking at things, and to be completely honest, you love that. It is incredibly clear, though, that Sollux cannot see it that way. Or he wouldn't if he could see, that is. You would laugh at your own joke if you didn't know you would be the only one laughing.

"You just don't make any sense, TZ."
"But I make perfect sense! You're just failing to understand."

"Does that matter? Either way I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life."

"You just have to smell and taste the colors to-"

"I don't have your fucked up senses, TZ. I know that's impossible and so do you." His tone is sharp. Final. He doesn't want your help or anyone else's. You wish that would deter you from trying. Of all the times for you to actually want to be helpful. Sollux is right. You are stupid.

You both slip into an uncomfortable silence that quickly settles over you in a cloud composed entirely of awkward. Fine, you think in frustration. If he wants to be like this, he can.

But before you stalk off in a Vriska-like huff (no, you will not dwell on her, or on anyone else) you have to try one more time. Just to be sure, you reassure yourself. You are absolutely one hundred percent positive that nothing will come of it, so why not try to confirm that?

"Sollux?"

"What." He's still stewing, clearly not in the most receptive of moods.

"I'm gonna be dead silent"-his discomfort at your word choice is bitter, and you curse yourself as you realize which side of him you're dealing with now-"and I want you to tell me everything you can hear. I don't care if all you can hear is your own frustration (can you hear that? You don't know), just listen for a second."

He is silent for precisely that space. "I don't hear anything, TZ. You're full of shit and you know it."

"No, that is you. I am full of nothing but smart. I can smell the lies on you, and oh, how they stink. Quiet, Captor. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Silence. Well, you think, at least he's listening.

"Buzzing. Lots of really faint buzzing and a few clicks. It sounds like…" Silence, then he gets it. "It sounds like computers. And… was that… a honk? Oh gog it was wasn't it?"

"It's all right. You're safe." You're not sure why you want to reassure him.

"It's kind of echoey… we're in a big room. Computers, horns…" Suddenly, it dawns on him. His surprise colors the air. "We're in the lab?"

"Hey, TZ, am I right? TZ? Wait, who's breathing like that? Is someone crying?"

You're not going to dignify that question.

A/N: Maybe I should stop trying to be funny. It doesn't work.

Review if you like; it motivates me to write more. Thanks for reading.