Sollux was sitting in his dingy apartment. He leaned back with an annoyed sigh at the computer screen staring back at him. He was so angry because life had been so... boring. He looked out to the setting sun which captured the browning leaves in its golden rays. It was Saturday where, in a long line of Saturdays, he did nothing all day. A bit of programming and talking to Aradia, per the norm. But nothing truly entertaining.

Karkat lay on his bed in his own house. He sighed; nothing was on TV, everyone was out on Saturdays, and he couldn't find any books to read or movies to watch. It was fucking pathetic to be this bored.

He adjusted his glasses and slipped his phone out of his pocket, thumb flicking the touch screen to scroll through his contacts, trying to find someone who would be just as bored and pathetically alone as him. Maybe he would find someone to hang with. Or maybe he'd be alone for the fifth weekend in a row because he was never anyone's first choice to hang. He stopped his scrolling when Karkat's name flipped by in caps, because Karkat nagged him to type it as so.

Karkat sat wallowing in misery on his bed. He never would text a friend first and tell then he wanted to see them. Besides he always liked to be bothered when anyone texted him and he pretended to be busy sometimes. Though most of his friends saw through this, he didn't stop. He scrolled through his phone, just looking at the contacts.

He sighed and tapped on the name before the option to text or call came up. He pondered this for only a second, hating the awkwardness of calling. Honestly, how did people even manage before text messaging was possible? Or maybe it was better that they were more socially inept. Whatever. He tapped on the little chat bubble icon and typed in a quick "hey." and didn't bother with anything else. In the pit of his stomach he was all nerves. Though, Karkat always did text back.

Karkat glared at the screen when Sollux's name came up. He opened the text and replied in all caps. "COULDN'T YOU HAVE THOUGHT OF MORE TO FUCKING SAY? YOU HAVE TO JUST SAY "hey"? WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING TEXTING ME? EVERYONE ELSE IS OUT TONIGHT." He sighed. He wasn't even really that angry. But being angry was the best way for him to communicate.

Sollux rolled his eyes at the text, seeing right through Karkat's aggravated language. "well iim not." He paused before adding more. "do you want two hang out twoniight? ii 2wear iif ii 2pend one more niight iin here iim goiing to fliip my 2hiit."

Karkat stared at the message for a moment. Was... someone actually picking him, out of everyone, to hang out with? He shook off the thought. He probably asked other people before him. He probably asked everyone before him. "I GUESS I COULD TAKE SOME TIME OUT OF MY BUSY SCHEDULE TO HANG OUT WITH YOU."

He grinned at the phone. Of course Karkat was just as hopelssly bored as he was "bu2y 2chedule my a22 vanta2. you know that you got nothiing planned all niight. 2o what are you thiinkiing about doiing?" Sollux sent the message and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head and giving a satisfied groan when a few joints clicked and cracked.

Karkat rolled his eyes. He'd prefer to go somewhere small and relax. But he knew Sollux would want to go out somewhere more exciting for some reason. He thought for a long time before answering, "I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE. AND FUCK YOU MAN. IM VERY BUSY."

Sollux clicked his tongue in thought. Movies? Nah, nothing good playing. Bowling? Wait. Why the fuck was he thinking about bowling? Bowling sucked so much. A bar? ...no. But that gave him an idea. "wanna go two a rave?"

Karkat stared at the message. He guessed that would be tolerable. He sent another message. "IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO GO TO ONE OF THOSE STUPID THINGS THEN I GUESS I'LL GO."

"Gamzee ii2 workiing at thii2 place called dream2weep and can probably let u2 iin whiithout much of a waiit. iill piick you up iin thiirty miinute2 2o be ready." He tossed his phone to the bed and got up out of his swivel chair to find a change of clothes. Something not too flashy but definitely cleaner than the overdue laundry he was currently wearing. He stopped looking through his closet when an idea took hold. He picked up his phone again. "and briing a god damn 2weater or jacket. iif we do end up haviing two waiit out2iide iim not spendiing that already fuckiing mii2erable tiime lii2teniing two you carry on about the cold."

Karkat frowned at the text. Like he wouldn't have brought a jacket anyway. "FINE. WHATEVER." He sent back to him before getting dressed. He didn't wear anything he didn't usually wear. He put on a simple black shirt and black jeans. After a smile he just sat around waiting for him.

He didn't bother messaging back as he pulled the black tee down to smooth out the wrinkles. He glanced over himself in the mirror before stepping forward and trying to make some work of his messy hair. He figured no amount of hair product would fix it. Maybe people would think it was the new type of "messy attractive" doo. He wiped the thought out of his mind and picked up his keys. He put some lettuce is his two-headed turtle's tank and made sure he had fresh water. He double checked for his wallet and locked the door, making his way towards the elevator to his car below.

Karkat sat around and waited for Sollux to come. He made sure he got his wallet, even though he didn't have that much money.

The ride wasn't long; Karkat only lived a few blocks away. Sollux beeped his horn outside of his house and waited. He would never admit it, but he had a goofy grin set on his face.

Karkat hurried out of his house. He opened the car door, sitting in the passenger seat. "You could've knocked on the door, asshole."

Sollux scoffed and put the car into drive. "What's the difference? You would have come in the same amount of time. What am I, your prom date or some shit? Put your seatbelt on. I'm not getting another ticket because of your stubbornness."

"But the seatbelt bothers me." Karkat stated. Because he was a bit shorter than usual, the seat belts in Sollux's car fit awkwardly on him.

"I don't give two shits. I'd rather you be uncomfortable for a few minutes than have a week of my paycheck muscled away from me." He began to pull away as Karkat fussed with the belt. Satisfied when he heard the metal click and lock.

Karkat grumbled for a little bit. "What the fuck is wrong with your seat belts anyway?! The ones in my car don't annoy me like this."

"KK, I know for a fact you bought that car specifically because the seatbelts were low." Besides, my car is way hotter. Ladies can't resist a two-seater sports car," he said, eyebrows raised and a crooked smile playing on his lips. Now that he thought about it, other than the brand name and style, the car was kind of a piece of shit.

It's not my fault your seat belts are too high. And don't pull that shit, what ladies? When was the last time any woman wanted to touch you?"

"Speak for yourself, asshole," he growled, passing into a small, darken parking lot. On one side was a thicket of shrubs and trees. On the other was the club. Neon lights dances and attracted with coal-hot reds and purples spelling out the club's name. A line of twenty or so people pressed themselves to the old bricks, all eyeing the bouncer hopefully.

"I'll have you know Aradia and I have been keeping in 'touch' for a while now." He lied. She lived halfway across the globe. No touching was there except the text pad on his phone when she was involved.

"That's a lie and you know it," Karkat comments then looks outside to the rave. "This is stupid." Karkat groaned. "Why are we going here again? Look at all those dipshits waiting in line. Fucking losers."

"Yeah, well that's why I put a call to Gamzee earlier on. He gave the okay that we'll get in fast and not be a part of those "fucking losers."" He parked and got out, pocketing his keys and walking ahead of Karkat to the bouncer. He was a brute of a man who had his arms crossed over his chest, chin turned up as he looked down at the young adults and minors hoping that their fake IDs will be passed as real.

Karkat stayed quiet so he wouldn't fuck anything up. He let Sollux lead the way past the crowd. He could already tell he wasn't going to be happy here. But where is he actually happy and in a good mood? He shrugged it off and stayed silent.

Sollux walked past the people without looking their way. They eyed him suspiciously, not wanting someone to cut ahead of them in line. The bouncer shot him a glare through broken sunglasses before actually making the effort of turning his head to look his way. Sollux cleared his throat and spoke up. "Uh, Gamzee said we'd be able to go right in without waiting on line?" His sentence went up at the end as the much taller man sneered at him. He uncrossed his arms and looked at his clip board, which (Jesus Christ) has a few cracks in it from where his hand held it. Sollux turned back to Karkat, who had averted his gaze to try to look nonchalant. "Name?" Sollux turned back to the other. "Uh, Sollux Captor and Karkat Vantas." The bouncer gave a huff of approval before stepping aside and unhooking the rope, allowing the two passage. "So sorry for the... delay." The bouncer had a surprisingly quiet voice.

Karkat glared at the bouncer as they passed by. "This place is still fucking stupid." Karkat growls to himself. "Relax. You should be happy for once. No one even tries to give you the time of day in a rave unless you spill a drink on them or try to grab their junk." He went down the dark hallway, passing a girl who was crying slightly, eyeliner dripping down her face, trying to text with overly long fake nails. Poor bastard. The thrumming of the music got louder as they went, and set his adrenaline pace higher.

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's loud and the people here suck. What am I even supposed to do here? I've never been to one of these things in my life."

"Neither have I to be honest. I know that it won't hold up to the level of amazement that rapper music videos and movies chalk it up to be. But I'm willing to wade in a few feet of bullshit to get out of my apartment for a while." He came to a metal door at the end of the poorly-lit hallway, its light blue paint fading and the rust eating through the color.

"I don't even watch those fucking stupid rap videos." Karkat sighed. He should try to have fun but he felt uncomfortable. And it's not like he's act different even if he was having a good time. He frowned, glaring at Sollux. "How long will we have to stay here? And I'm not giving you lines from movies to hit on girls. I would never help you pick up girls in a place like this." Karkat rubbed his own arm awkwardly, showing he was actually a bit self-conscious.

"Like I need your help with chicks. I bet you I'll pick up a hottie without even breaking a sweat." Sollux tested the door, the squeaky bar handle gave little resistance as he pushed it open. The music was blasting now. So loud he couldn't even hear Karkat yelling about the fact that it was loud. It thumped and thrummed and skipped and bopped in time with the multitude of lights that flashed above. There were a lot of people. Though Sollux could only make out of vague silhouettes and arms outstretched as if to catch the rays and lines of light. They bobbed and bounced and moved in unison.

Karkat frowned. He already hated this place. He walked behind Sollux like he was his shadow. He couldn't believe he was in a place like this.

Sollux yelled over his shoulder to Karkat, "I promised that fucking spaz Gamzee that we'd say hi and get a few drinks from him! I think the bar is this way, I see some people sitting!" He weaved through the rows of talking and dancing and yelling people to a neon-lit bar. The stools were a deep blue and the bar itself was made of glass, lines of blue and purple neon lined the corners. And there was Gamzee, showing his moves off to a few patrons and he masterfully juggled cocktail mixers in a flurry of motions. The girls giggled and the guys nodded while looking his tall, lithe body over.

Karkat sat down at the bar with him Sollux, he kept his head down, not really wanting to talk to any of the people he didn't know. He glared at a few of them sideways. He hated this music and these people. But he didn't regret coming over here with Sollux.

Sollux elbowed Karkat lightly. "Hey asshat," he spoke up to the other. "I don't want to be noticed with a party pooper. Just try to look like you're having a good time? You're going to scare away the clown's customers." He looked over the place a second time, now noticing the young man at the DJ table, one hand on a record, the other at his headphones. Holy shit. Who the fuck even has sunglasses like that? Did this motherfucker just get punched out of a fucking anime or some shit? What a tool.

Karkat stuck his tongue out in a moment of childish anger. "But in not having a good time. I can't pretend."

"Well then find something you enjoy doing. Maybe a few drinks will perk you up... you know, that sweaty bouncer didn't check us for IDs..."

"Fine. If I have a drink and try not to glare at anyone, will you be happy?" He snapped, frowning. Sollux grinned. "Ehehehe, maybe." He turned back to watch Gamzee. He had to admit, the goofy idiot was good.

"Aaaaannnnd here are some of my very best motherfuckin' miracles for you fine group a motherfuckers." Sollux rolled his eyes at the applause the face-painted man got. "He's such a show off. It's not even that great. It's the same fucking thing every bartender does." Karkat sighed.

Sollux shrugged and waved over to Gamzee, who upon seeing them gave a lazy grin with his usual half-lidded eyes. Karkat tried not to glare at Gamzee when he walks over to them. Karkat just asked for any drink that would be best for him, and he tried to be as pleasant as possible.

Sollux, on the other hand, was a bit more picky. "Can I have your blue raspberry strawberry derly?" Sollux stumbled over the name but Gamzee didn't seem to notice. "Sure thing, motherfucker. I'll be whipping you up a miracle so fast you'll be drunk before they're even motherfuckin' made." Sollux raised an eyebrow at the weird statement. "Uh, thanks."

Karkat opened his mouth to make a comment but he stopped himself. This night was taking a lot of self-control. He sat and started glancing over at some girls that were eyeing Sollux. He wanted to tell them to fuck off and that he was supposed to be hanging out with Sollux, and they shouldn't drool over him, but again, he stopped himself and settled for roughly drumming his fingers at the bar top.

Sollux noticed and cocky grin spread on his face. But it faded a bit when he realized they may not even be looking at him. Probably at Gamzee, that fucking show off. He turned away and joined Karkat in his sulking until the drinks arrived.

"They're looking at you, you know." Karkat commented. He didn't want his friend going off with some girls and leaving him alone in such a loud and big place. But he didn't want Sollux sulking either, one of them had to be positive.

: "Like it matters. They're all fours, at the most." He stared down at the glass which was placed gingerly in front of him. It had red liquid on the bottom and blue on top with a green straw. He held it up and gestured for Karkat to do the same

Karkat did so, except while muttering "what the fuck is the point of this." He clicked their glasses together.

"To a good time, and not fucking it up with your seriously crabby attitude." He took a long, deep drink and put the empty glass on the table with a loud clunk. Turning to Karkat with a grin. "Come on lightweight, let's have another."

Karkat finished drinking and nodded. "I'm not a lightweight, and yeah let's get another."

The drinks came and went for a few more rounds. Sollux could feel himself getting drunk and loved it. Though half of his mind was telling him how stupid and pointless getting drunk was, the dominant side was flying high with liquid confidence.

Karkat was overly wasted. He couldn't even remember why he hated this place, or why he hated anything. He giggled loudly, and face planted the Bar top, laughing all the way.

Sollux went on with his story. "No, I'm fucking serious man. This asshole was so pissed off that his girlfriend was hitting on me. H-h-he was getting so fucking angry! He could hardly keep his stripped hipster pants on!" His lisp was more noticeable now, but he didn't give a fuck. All that mattered was the good time he was his friend were having.

"You want another round? Motherfuckers?" Gamzee asked as he turned away from a particularly flirty boy with a mohawk. Sollux nodded and put am arm around Karkart's shaking form. "A-and 'nother for my crabby friend here!"

Karkat shook his head. "I'll- " he couldn't protest, he could barely move. He just started giggling again. He eventually managed to pull his head up from the bar top. "Wh-whose gunna driiive?" Karkat slurred. He was so much more drunk than Sollux. But at least he was having a good time now.

Sollux just shook his head and laughed. "We'll so...ber up by that time." He thanked Gamzee when the next batch appeared in front of them and they cheerily clicked their glassed and threw their heads back, letting the warmth of the cold drinks take them over again.

Karkat laughed again and stared at Sollux. He couldn't place his own logic, but he didn't care, he leaned close after the drinks were set down, and kissed him.