Author's Note: This is a section of a larger story set after the end of Sburb/Sgrub, but I posted it here because I feel it stands on its own. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated! In addition, I apologize in advance for the odd › symbols; this site has a problem with normal greater-than symbols.

›Be Terezi Pyrope.

You are now Terezi Pyrope. The sun is already starting to come up, and you would normally be asleep by now, but today you have other plans.

You are concerned about your fearless leader. He hasn't slept in days and he looks it. You have taken it upon yourself to rectify this situation.

You walk over to him, stopping too late to avoid bumping into him. You pretend it's just because you're blind, but the grin on your face says otherwise, so he glares and rolls his eyes at you.

You figure a direct approach couldn't hurt.

K4RK4T, WH3N W4S TH3 L4ST T1M3 YOU SL3PT? ›:[

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY.

YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME I SHOULD LET MYSELF FALL UNCONSCIOUS INSTEAD OF WATCHING THIS GROUP OF PSYCHOTIC MURDERERS HAVING GHASTLY SOPORLESS DREAMS.

I'M TRYING TO PREVENT THIS FROM TURNING INTO A COLOSSAL FAILURE FUCKUP BLOODBATH HERE, SO GO TO SLEEP AND ENJOY NOT HAVING RESPONSIBILITIES.

HON3STLY K4RK4T WHY DO YOU M4K3 M3 PUT UP W1TH YOUR M1SPL4C3D L34D3R COMPL3X?

B31NG 4 L34D3R DO3S NOT M34N K1LL1NG YOURS3LF!

4ND PROP3R L34D3RS DO NOT ST4GG3R 4ROUND H4LF 4SL33P 4LL D4Y B3C4US3 TH3Y H4V3 TOO MUCH PR1D3 TO D3L3G4T3 R3SPONS1B1L1T13S!

FUCK YOU, NO, I'M NOT MAKING YOU STAY UP ALL NIGHT INSTEAD OF ME.

I DOUBT YOU WOULD DO IT ANYWAY, YOU'D PROBABLY BE ASLEEP BY NOON, AND THEN ERIDAN WOULD HAVE A BAD DREAM AND KILL US ALL.

AND THEN HE'D GO DROWN HIMSELF OR SOMETHING EQUALLY IDIOTIC. BOOM, TOTAL PARTY KILL, BECAUSE KARKAT HAD TO TAKE A NAP.

›:[

Of course he's too stubborn to be convinced. Time for your more forceful option.

›Karkat: Convince Terezi to go to sleep.

You immediately fail at this task.

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, TEREZI.

You say this because Terezi now has her hands in your hair, and she is currently massaging your scalp with her fingers. She's also standing close enough behind you that you're touching, since she apparently has no concept of personal space.

H3H3, GOOD TH1NG YOU'R3 SO SHORT.

STOP THAT, YOU WEIRDO.

But you both know you're pretty much spewing shit from your seedflap at this point, because instead of pulling away you kind of tilt your head back so that she can reach your forehead more easily. Maybe you wouldn't have given in so easily if you weren't so fucking stressed about practically everything, because if it wasn't just like this sadistic game to put you through all that shit just to give you a planet where you're all going to starve to your slow, painful deaths, and you can't really deal with any of this right now.

So you focus instead on Terezi digging her fingers into your head and taking away the headache you didn't realize you had. And now she's rubbing at the base of your horns and maybe your leadership isn't needed at this very moment. You kind of feel like you want to cry but that's stupid.

She presses against your shoulders, unambiguously gesturing for you to sit down. She kneels behind you and pulls at your turtleneck to rub your neck with her thumbs, like scratching some deep-seated itch.

You feel her tongue on the back of your neck and it jerks you out of your stupor.

GAH!

H3H3, SORRY, 1 COULDN'T H3LP MYS3LF.

WHY THE FUCK AM I LETTING YOU DO THIS TO ME?

4W, YOU KNOW YOU L1K3 1T. ›;]

She pushes you down so that you're lying on your front, and digs her knuckles into your back. You feel a twinge of guilt. She didn't have to do this, especially not for a worthless nookstain like you who let your relationship drop because you couldn't sort out your own hideous confused feelings. You hate past you so much right now.

You push that thought aside, though, because for once in your life you're too tired for self-loathing. Aside from the scratchy texture of your shirt, worn too much and washed too little, you could hardly ask for more. The girl you're still hopelessly flushed for is giving you a massage, and you feel like such a douche for not just appreciating the fact that someone is doing something nice for you, and you don't deserve it in the slightest. You are such an asshole.

At some point you lose track of sensation, and drift off. You dream of Terezi melting into you.