Chapter Text
“I’m bored.”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them as I looked over at my roommate, Jade, who had a book in her hands. She peered up from behind its cover, an eyebrow raising behind her thin, circular glasses.
“And?”
“I don’t know. I’m bored. It’s fucking summer, it’s hot as Satan’s asshole outside and there’s nothing to fucking do.”
“Then go to the pool.”
“Ew,” I instantly grimaced and I could see a giggle attempt to escape her throat. “Why the hell would I want to go there?”
“Then go work on your music or something. Just leave me alone.” Her head disappeared behind the book again and I knew I was being left to my own devices. “I’ve gotta read this before school starts in the fall and I’d like to have it done as soon as I can.”
With a low, complaining groan, I stood and made my way through our small dorm, going to my bedroom. We were lucky enough to have our own separate bedrooms and thank fuck for that because Jade was a catch and there was always someone new around the dorm, making themselves at home and helping themselves to the coffee in the kitchen. Shirtless, too. Some of them were cute and some of them were clearly a desperate catch. Regardless, it was obnoxious at times.
I left the door to my bedroom open as Jade was reading and I always had headphones on anyway, which was the first thing I did when I flopped myself dramatically onto my bed. I sprawled out to ensure I didn’t overheat, which was bound to happen no matter what. It was a lost cause, frankly. I plugged in my headphones and flicked my thumb across the blue screen to pick a song and once I did, the volume was tapped to a ridiculous level. Perfect for me.
My free hand thumped gently against my own chest in time with the beat as I scrolled down through some various social media apps of mine. I was still bored out of my mind, but it kept me occupied for the time being. I had quite the large audience on social media as I had been making decent tunes of my own for several years now, though I still wasn’t verified on anything. It didn’t matter all that much to me. At least, not in that moment. I was focused on finding something to actually do. L.A. was great and I loved living there, but after you were done being a tourist, it became tedious doing the activities you once loved doing.
I decided to make a post about this exact predicament. Someone out there could help me, right?
“hey yall im bored as fuck so if youre in the la area hit me up and we can chat. my roommate is no help and im bored. if you go to ucla especially hmu please k thanks”
Too desperate? Maybe. Did I care? Not that much.
I set my phone back down and let the music take me away for an hour or so. It killed me knowing that I lived in L.A. and had full access to just drive to the beach but I couldn’t find it within me to go. I was attractive enough to find a chick and hang with her, maybe even a dude, and perhaps even follow them into the night, but that wasn’t something I did often. By often, I mean never. It wasn’t exactly my idea of fun, even if that was the persona I liked to radiate.
By the time I looked back to my post, I saw at least twenty people who had told me to hang out with them in L.A. but only one caught my attention.
The profile picture was of a grumpy looking guy with black curls falling in front of his eyes. Dark bags hung under them and he looked like he hadn’t had a lick of sleep in days. Weeks, even. His eyes looked nearly black in the photo and for some unfathomable reason, he typed in all caps. He looked like he shouted in real life, too. It wasn’t just the loud font that caught my attention, though. He had been the only one to respond to my post who actually went to UCLA with me.
“Carcino Geneticist?” I spoke out loud, not even hearing myself through my headphones. I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “What a weird fucking username.”
Mine wasn’t much better and I knew that.
-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] responded to your post --
CG: I’VE GOT NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH MY DAY. I’M A STUDENT AT UCLA. HIT ME UP, I GUESS. JUST DON’T BE A FUCKING CREEP ABOUT IT, OTHERWISE I’LL KICK YOUR ASS.
Oh, yeah. I had to meet this dude.
I pushed myself up from my bed and tugged my headphones down to fall around my neck. With my phone in my back pocket and music echoing through the speakers of my headphones, I reached down and grabbed my shoes from under my bed.
“Jade,” I called out to the living room. I saw her lean her head over the back of the couch to glance at me. “I’m going out.”
“Oh?” She grinned a bit. “With who?”
“Some dude that goes to school with us. I dunno. I gotta message him first.”
“Ooh, him ?”
“I can’t go out with anybody without you assuming that I’m romantically attracted to them, can I?”
“You only ever want to hang out with John or I, both people you have been romantically attracted to at one point in time.”
“Touche,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. I joined her on the couch with my shoes in hand. I handed her my phone, my headphones still attached. “Go ahead and check out his profile.”
She did as I said, scrolling silently through some of his pictures. She then giggled after a bit, finding one of him on the beach with a few of his friends. She tilted the phone towards me and while tying my shoe, I took a quick glance.
“He’s not one for the beach, is he?”
I snorted. He stood between a couple of taller people that I didn’t recognize, but it was clearly an L.A. beach so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also people we went to school with. He was wearing some gray swim trunks and a baggy sweater. With it on, I could tell he had a bit of chub clinging to him which I thought was kind of cute. I couldn’t imagine him feeling very comfortable in the California heat. In comparison to my profile, he was a lot more conservative about some things. Jade couldn’t find anything that even had his name on it whereas my name was plastered on at least twenty of my own posts, as well as in my bio.
“Dude knows how to have a good time.”
“I’m so used to L.A. guys being shirtless in, like, all of their photos. Including you.”
“Hey,” I immediately moved to defend myself. “To be fair, it’s California. You’re not supposed to wear a fucking shirt when you go swimming.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to post a photo every time you do.” Jade elbowed my side playfully, giggling. “The whole world doesn’t need to know what your abs look like.”
“The whole world absolutely does need to know. Fuck you.”
She laughed again and I smiled. She continued to scroll before I finally snatched my phone back from her grasp to text him. She immediately moved up close to my side, hugging my arm and resting her chin on my shoulder to read my messages. I didn’t mind.
-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 13:27 --
TG: yo
TG: you said you go to ucla too
TG: we should hang or something
“Look at you,” Jade said, giggling again. “Cool dude. Trying to play it cool. Cool as you can possibly be.”
“That’s just how I do,” I shrugged. “Think he’ll respond?”
“I can’t imagine he wouldn’t. He’s the one who responded to you first.”
Right after she closed her mouth, my phone vibrated in my hand and our eyes fell to the glow of the screen again.
CG: OH SHIT.
CG: HONESTLY, I DIDN’T THINK YOU WOULD RESPOND.
CG: YOU HAD PLENTY OF ELIGIBLE SUITORS FOR THIS ENDEAVOR AND YOU PICKED MY SORRY ASS.
CG: WHAT A FUCKING ACHIEVEMENT.
TG: shit dude youre funny
TG: absolutely cracking me the fuck up right now
TG: your loud yelling over the internet grabbed my attention
TG: also youre the only person who responded who actually goes to school with me so if i end up disappearing my roommate knows who you are
TG: watch yourself
TG: she carries
CG: OH, I’M SO FUCKING SCARED.
CG: I’M ABSOLUTELY QUAKING IN MY BLANKETS RIGHT NOW.
TG: you should be
TG; by the way whats with the caps
TG: are you this loud in real life too or
CG: MY KEYBOARD HAS BEEN BROKEN ON MY PHONE FOR AGES.
CG: ALSO, YES.
CG: I’M KIND OF LOUD IN REAL LIFE.
TG: huh
TG: weird
TG: also whats your name dude
TG: my roommate went through half of your profile page and couldn’t find your name anywhere
CG: GOOD.
CG: THAT’S THE POINT.
CG: NAME’S KARKAT.
TG: cool man
TG: im dave
CG: YEAH, I KNOW.
CG: YOU MAKE SURE YOUR PRESENCE IS KNOWN NO MATTER THE COST.
TG: gotta make a living somehow bro
TG: so do you wanna hang or what
TG: you live in the dorms or something
CG: YEAH, IN THE SOPHOMORE DORMS.
CG: ROOM 413.
TG: oh shit lol
TG: im room 413 in the freshman dorms
TG: want me to come to you
CG: YEAH. I’M STILL NOT FUCKING DRESSED.
CG: MY ROOMMATE SMOKES A LOT OF FUCKING WEED THOUGH SO DON’T BE SHOCKED WHEN I OPEN THE DOOR AND IT HITS YOU LIKE A TRUCK.
TG: its cool
TG: we have our fair share of stoners in the freshman wing too
TG: be there in ten
-- turntechGodhead [TG] has ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 13:35 --
“So, when will you be back?” Jade tilted her head, laying it flush against my shoulder and looking up at me.
“Not sure. Depends on what we do, I guess.” I sat forward more until she had pulled away from me. “Why?”
“Just curious. I have a date tonight so I’m trying to determine if I’m going to see you again tonight or not.”
“Another date? Who is it?”
“Old friend. I probably won’t be back until tomorrow.”
I rolled my eyes behind my shades but I was smiling.
“Make sure your walk of shame tomorrow isn’t as bad as that one time.”
“Dave!” She let out a groan, exasperated. “It was one time!”
“I’ve never seen a walk of shame so bad that you needed your hungover roommate to pick you up.”
“Whose fault is it that you decided to drink that much?”
“Not the point.”
She punched my arm before I stood, shoving my phone back into my pocket. With it, I grabbed my wallet and car keys.
“Just don’t get into any trouble while you’re out, alright?”
“Same goes for you. I’m not picking your ass up again.”
She went to shout something at me, but I was already out the door and down the hall with my headphones back over my ears.
It had been more like fifteen minutes since I had texted the Karkat, a name I had to check multiple times to get down. Who the fuck looks at a baby and names them that ? Whatever, at least it was unique. I looked up at the number on the door. Being in the sophomore wing was a little strange, but I knocked on the door. 413. That was the one he told me he lived in.
He was prompt and swift in answering the door and holy shit did it smell like weed in his dorm. He rolled his eyes, clearly noticing my sudden reaction to the smell.
“I fucking warned you.”
“How is that bearable? I mean, I’m one for the occasional joint, but holy shit .”
“I’ve told him to stop smoking inside but he just doesn’t stop. He’s obnoxious as all hell.”
He then stepped aside and offered to let me come in, which I did. Despite the strong scent of weed, something I would grow accustomed to with time, the dorm was tidy. It was clear he was the neat-freak while his roommate likely was not. They both seemed like… interesting characters for sure. I looked him up and down briefly and honestly, while his sense of style was much more conservative than mine, he pulled it off. From his profile, I got the sense that he didn’t really wear much color and that held up for the most part. He had red shoes and red stud earrings, but he had black jeans and a deep gray sweater on. I couldn’t fathom how he could handle the heat in apparel like that.
“Where is your roommate anyways? What’s his name?”
“Gamzee. He’s-”
“Oh shit,” I cut him off, laughing. “He’s dealt to me before.”
“Well then,” he rolled his eyes, which I was starting to notice their warm, brown hue with admiration. “You two will get along great, I’m sure.”
“The Strider charms will work on anyone. I’m sure you and I will get along fine, too.”
There was that eye roll again. He was really good at that for some forsaken reason.
“Suuure. So, what the hell do you even want to do?”
I hummed in thought and subconsciously shoved my hands back into my pockets. When I felt my keys, I pulled them out and a little lightbulb went off in my head. I smiled. When you can’t figure out what to do for the day and you’re bored as all hell, having a car comes in handy.
“Care to go for a drive?”