A soft beeping sound.

The smell of coffee.

(Oh good, for once your forgetful ass remembered to set the damn brew timer).

The sound of rustling fabric.

A chill draft brushes against your hot cheek before you sleepily rub your face against a smooth pillow.

The cool glow of muted blue light filters through your closed eyelids.

You realize that you are not in your bed.

This is not your bedroom.

Your heart skips a beat with a hollow thud as you jolt awake, your eyes flying open in a full panic.

You realize that you are being held, a tight grip cradling your waist, and that a comfortable warmth is pressed against your back.

"Oh fuck," you whisper, your heart pounding painfully.

It all floods back into your thinkpan with the force of a whirlwind; Flashes of touching her with your lips, having your hands in her hair, feeling her soft skin against yours, the sharp, bright nips of her teeth against your neck…overwhelming sensations of warmth and softness, her voice in your ear, your eyes squeezed shut and your breath gasping out ridiculously cliche'd dialogue.

What the fuck is wrong with you? You should have made preparations to be more creative. It's not like you didn't know something like this would eventually happen.

It's not like you didn't have sweeps and sweeps to think of something better than "Oh god, oh fuck, TEREZI!"

Seriously.

Before your self-deprecating inner dialogue is able to completely bury you in self-loathing and anger, you shudder.

You are hit with an overwhelming flood of raw red emotions, the sensation painful and addictive and terrifying beyond comprehension.

You swallow thickly.

You lay there, feeling exposed and comfortable and terrified and happy and ohgodohfuck…

Before you get the chance to fully panic, she stirs against you, her chin pressing against your shoulder.

She hums against the nape of your neck, a breathy sigh escaping her mouth as she nuzzles her nose into your hair. You stiffen, breathing hard as she clutches you tighter.

In the next few moments, you try to figure out your next move.

Should you wake her up?

Your first instinct is to lean towards some sort of romantic gesture. You already rode a flaming two-wheeled device into romance Clicheville, screaming with the reckless abandon of twenty grubs high on bad sopor slime. Maybe you should just accept your fate as a pathetic loser beyond hope, and do something completely stupid.

Maybe you should wake her with a kiss or something.

You wonder if she would even like that. You remember that you are currently caught tight in the bear trap of her small arms, and that rolling over to plant one on her would likely wake her up anyway.

Besides, you need to look at the obvious, here. You are too fucking nervous to do it. This fact is quickly accepted, although begrudgingly.

What the fuck do you even SAY to her when she wakes up?

Does this mean you are matesprits?

Is that what she wants?

Is that what you want?

You realize just how warm and comfortable you are.

You realize you have been gently playing with her fingers, which has caused them to relax from their tight grip on your side.

You stare with wonder as her fingers gently entwine with yours, and something that feels akin to fear stirs in your stomach.

"Mmmph," she mutters, rubbing her leg against yours as she shifts against you.

Your heart begins to pound again. Oh hell, she's waking up...

You have no time to react before her murmuring turns into a soft cackle, her breath rustling in your hair with light puffs.

"Good evening, Karkles," she whispers, her voice slightly rough with early evening grit.

"Uhh…Hey." you barely choke out, stiffening again as she starts kissing the back of your neck.

"Mmm, what a wonderfully luscious way to wake up," she giggles, her voice smoothing out to its normal teasing air. "Having my nose on you all day gave me such sublime dreams."

"Oh," you grunt, too cowed to even chastise her for mentioning your blood.

With a swift motion that shocks the breath out of your lungs, she flips you onto your back. Before you have a chance to react, she is pressed on top of you, her lips moving against yours, her voice sighing into your mouth.

You briefly worry about the state of your breath before the thought evaporates as something completely inconsequential. Your heart is pounding again, but this time it is with something other than nerves.

You hesitantly place your hands on her back, savoring the way her body undulates under your hands when you slide them across her skin. You try returning the kiss, but before you are able to get too far she giggles at you, her teeth nipping at your lip before she pulls away.

"This is so nice," she murmurs, pillowing her head on your chest. You stare at the top of her head as she sighs contentedly against you. "I don't ever want to leave this bed."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," you say without thinking. The absolute bluntness of your words causes another wave of panic in your guts.

You make a light strangled noise that sounds like a cross between "umm" and "uuh", and oh god she must think you're an idiot…

She laughs.

"Don't be nervous," she says, her tone lowering into a soothing alto, her voice vibrating through you. "You're doing everything right."

"Really?" you ask, your heart gently thudding under the pressure of her head.

"Yes. I can hear how hard your heart is pounding. I can smell your apprehension. Relax, Karkat. Enjoy the moment."

You take a deep, shuddering breath.

"Good," she whispers, her fingers drawing tiny patterns on your skin. She lightly kisses your chest, her lips ghosting faintly in a slow sweep.

You think there might have been a small bit of tongue in there, too.

She lifts her head. Her thick eyelashes flutter, and you realize she is doing her best to make eye contact with you.

The breath catches in your throat.

"By the way, if you were wondering…If you want…if you are willing to let things happen naturally, without worrying about the future and the past, and if you promise to relax every once and a while…"

She shifts her gaze slightly, her eyes blinking…and you actually catch a flash of nervousness on her face...

Before she can finish her thought, you kiss her.