Did you know that there are people in the world annoyed with all the other people in the world

[selfhatred]

WHO: Karkat Vantas and YOU (open to all)
TONE: angsty, fluffy
RATING: T for KK's mouth
WHEN: afternoon/evening of January 13th
WHERE: starting in the library and going onward to Gryffindor tower
WHAT: Set after this. Karkat needs to cool his tits, so of course going to the library to find a crappy romance novel is the best thing to do. Unfortunately the universe hates you if your name is Karkat Vantas.
STATUS: Ongoing! Will alternate between action tags and prose as needed.


If there was one thing Karkat Vantas hated more than Dave Strider's ironic bullshit, it was people that felt the need to stare at him as he browsed the romance section of the library. He hadn't consumed a good (or bad as the case may be) romance novel all winter, so was it really that much to ask that he could just be left alone to his own devices and they got on with their studying? That would be great. Seriously. He should've known it was a bad idea to come down here and browse when dinner wasn't in session. Sometimes he just attracted the people who would rag on him about it and sometimes people would leave him alone and snicker behind their books.

Today was a day where the former happened.

Karkat had been leafing through some horrible novel or other when he heard someone make an obscene comment about him. Something along the lines of 'wonder if that fag over in the romance section has a boyfriend' or something like that anyway. He wasn't really paying attention and he didn't really care. Sadly such catcalls came with liking romance novels. As he moved through the section though, the twitch on his face got more irritating. Finally, he turned to the source of his annoyance, pointing a finger.

"Look here, nooksniffer. I like romance novels, yes. It's no big fucking deal. No, it doesn't make me a gay little fag, it just makes me interested in things above the norm for boys my age. It sounds like someone's in fucking denial, but I'm gonna have to turn you down. So sorry to do that. Maybe you should find someone else to be on the receiving end of your fucking fantasies before you go projecting onto another person's ass."

Glowering at the upperclassman, Karkat reached for the novel he'd been browsing and turned, whisking it away to the counter before the other boy could react. You do not make fun of Karkat Vantas' obsession for shitty romance, novels or otherwise. Period.

As if he wasn't pissed off already.

Comments

[selfmakeout]

[That is definitely a more unhappy than usual friend over there. But fear not! Jade is as cool as a cucumber and casually following after Karkat when his rant is all done.]

Heyyy, Karkat, what's up?

[selfhatred]

[It wasn't that hard to know who it was that was following him. He'd caught a glimpse of her in his fit but hadn't thought she'd actually follow. He doesn't turn around to talk to her though, walking briskly ahead.]

Nothing. Why does anything have to be fucking up.

[selfmakeout]

[Following has become falling into line with him, DEAL WITH IT KARKAT.]

Because you are my friend and I would like to know how you're doing, gosh. Why does everything have to be a pop quiz with you, do you want to be a teacher?

[selfhatred]

[But he doesn't want to deal with her right now D:B]

Fuck that. Who wants to deal with annoying, asshole kids who don't know what the fuck they're talking about?

[selfmakeout]

Yeah, what if you get a kid like you? I wouldn't want to be a teacher either.

[selfhatred]

Oh har de fucking har, Harley.

[magichairbrush]

Rapunzel didn't know Karkat particularly well, but he was loud and crude enough to be something of a known presence to her.

Enough so that, when she heard the defensive rant, she knew who it was. She idly watched, feeling bad for not noticing the teasing earlier, and then approached him at the counter.

"I didn't know you liked romance novels."

[selfhatred]

Karkat glanced out the corner of his eye at the girl next to him before snatching his book from the counter once the librarian had finished with it, ignoring the glare the old lady was sending his way and returning it with one of his own.

"The crappier the better. Why? Got a fucking problem with it?" Sorry, Rapunzel, everything's just getting on his nerves today.

[magichairbrush]

"No problem," Rapunzel responded, managing to keep a smile on her face. "I just didn't know. Why do you like reading bad ones?"

[selfhatred]

"I dunno." And he really didn't. The only thing he could come up with was that they were a substitute for his shitty romcoms, which was the truth. "I just like to I guess."

[magichairbrush]

"What have you got there?" Rapunzel asked, nodding down towards the book he was holding.

[selfhatred]

"Something random. I've never read wizard romance novels before." Usually he brought his own to school so that what happened in there wouldn't occur. "Hopefully it strays from the fucking norm that's usually a girl falling in love with two guys and obstacles keeping them from being together."

[jasmineofthewest]

[A Wild Uncle Iroh appears! And he looks rather concerned, because he has been looking for Karkat ever since reading that horrible conflict.]

Hello!

[selfhatred]

[Karkat blinks at the older man for a moment before undoing the flap of his bookbag, shoving the novel in there and unceremoniously letting it flop shut.]

What the fuck do you want?

[jasmineofthewest]

Just to talk, really! How are you?

[selfhatred]

Fucking peachy.

[jasmineofthewest]

Yes, I can certainly tell.

Would you like to talk about what happened?

[selfhatred]

[He shrugged loosely, his hands finding their way to the pockets of his robes.]

What's there to talk about? The guy's a fucking jackass. End of story.

[cuddlefishpeixes]

To say that Feferi had been worried about Karkat, after reading as much of his exchange with the blood supremacist jerk as she could, was a bit of an understatement. She had tried to cheer him up over the journals but then he stopped responding, which made her next choice clear. She needed to take it to the next level.

So she went looking for him!

She found him in the hallway, and broke into a run to catch up to him. "Hey, Karkat!" she called, putting on her best cheer.

[selfhatred]

Just what he needed. Little Miss Sunshine Peixes. He got what she was trying to do over the journals and it made him a bit uncomfortable, hence why he hadn't responded to her. There was really nothing more to say about it, so he just shifted his bookbag and continued walking.

"What the fuck do you want?"

[cuddlefishpeixes]

Her step faltered for a split second at the higher-than-normal amount of venom in his tone. But then she squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw in determination, and jogged after him again.

"I just wanted to see how you were," she said, putting on a smile as she fell into step beside him. "Oh, and also to give you something," she added, and then proceeded to dig through her bookbag until she pulled out a little bright red silk pouch that was full of sweets she'd brought back from the holiday and separated into bags for her friends. She offered it to him. "Here," she said. "It's just sweets, it's not going to hurt you!"

[selfhatred]

All these people bothering him just to see how he was. It was kinda annoying but at the same time he was...flattered? Who knows. He wasn't really all that good at sorting out his feelings aside from anger and regret. He glanced at Feferi out the corner of his eye, watching her pull out a pouch.

Huh.

"I don't like sweets." He never had and probably never would, but he brought a hand out for her to deposit them in. "But you're going to give them to me anyway whether I fucking like it or not."

[cuddlefishpeixes]

Feferi laughed and put the pouch in his hand when he opened it to let her. "Pretty much!" she said brightly. "It's too bad you don't like sweets. Though I'm not really surprised!" She took a couple of extra steps to kind of cross in front of him, and turned and stopped.

"Karkat, you think of me as your friend, right?" she asked, softly. "And you know you can talk to me if anything's bothering you?" She smiled. "Or if you ever just need a hug!"

[fuckmackandme]

If there was one place where you were sure to find Karkat during a free period that wasn't the dorms, it was probably the library. And that's where John was after seeing the exchange between him and the upperclassman over the journals.

And that's where John was, searching between the bookshelves for the other boy, until he finally heard a familiar angry voice not too far away. Sure enough, there he was, reading one of his romance novels.

John approached him. "Hey Karkat." His tone wasn't much different from usual, if a little more careful, but perhaps the most noticeable difference was the effort to pronounce Karkat's name properly, instead of just saying 'car cat' like he usually did.

[selfhatred]

Why couldn't he be left to enjoy his romance novel in peace? It was bad enough that he was being bothered by the usual assholes, but when he heard John's voice - a little more tentative than usual, he noticed - he let out an annoyed, exasperated sigh. Lowering the book, Karkat tilted his head in his roommate's direction, keeping it open with one of his hands.

"What do you want, Egbert?" He sounds a little tired now, maybe a bit emotionally exhausted, but that doesn't mean that his tone is any less snappish than usual.