Post-Scratch Kids: Remem8er
Notes: Okay, I basically have no followers and nobody may care but whatever I wrote a thing and this is part of the thing and Matt, do not read this I will cry.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 1: KANAYA. THE TRANSPORTALIZER IS BROKEN.
“Wait, What Exactly Did You Do?”
“I DON’T KNOW I GUESS I WAS JUST A BIT ANGRY AT DAVE? AND MAYBE DROPPED MY SICKLES.”
“When They Are Usually Within Your Strife Specibus?” Kanaya sighs. She examines the deep gouge Karkat’s transportalizer. “... And I Suppose They Just Happened To Stab Themselves Into The Transportalizer?”
Karkat managed to look a bit angry though his cheeks tinged a bit darker than usual. Kanaya peers up at him and smooths over her pink sundress.
“I Suppose I Can Try To Help. Why Did You Ask Me Anyway? I Cannot Say I Am Particularly Skilled In The Field Of Engineering.”
Karkat shrugged from behind as Kanaya rose gracefully. “WHO ELSE WOULD I ASK? IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE WE’VE SEEN ANY GHOSTS AND I WANT TO CLEAN THIS UP QUICKLY SO I CAN GO BACK TO IGNORING THAT GRUBBY DOUCHE.”
Kanaya chuckles softly and heads toward her transportalizer. “Okay. I Will Get The Tools I Use For My Chainsaw. I’ll Be Back Soon!”
She vanishes with a flash of light from above. Karkat sighs and leans against the lab wall, sliding down slowly until he’s slumped on the ground. He’s actually quite grouchy, at least, worst than normal. That Strider just didn’t know how to keep his nose out of other people’s business! Him and his stupid raps have been swirling around Karkat’s ears all afternoon, making them twitch like crazy until Karkat couldn’t take it anymore; he snapped his coding book shut and tensely crossed the room towards the transportalizers… When Dave smirked and said:
“Hey, Karkitty.”
Maybe it was the aforementioned smirk, maybe it was the slow ache in his head from Dave’s awful music, or maybe it was because Karkat was extra grouchy, but in any case, Karkat flipped his shit in a way he hadn’t for a whole sweep... two years... whatever. He whirled and grabbed Dave by his stupid pajamas. Red was an awful color. Karkat had grit his teeth and snarled at Strider.
“LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE.” He hissed before hurrying on his way… to the situation he was currently stewing in. But now that he thought about it, Karkat was pretty sure Dave wasn’t trying to be mean. In fact, they had gotten along well enough in the last two years, hanging out with each other and the mayor… Maybe Karkat shouldn’t be such a nookslurping asshole and just apologize already. Man, past Karkat was such a dumbass! Clearly, Dave was his bro, and past Karkat should’ve been nicer to him. Why does present Karkat have to deal with his past self’s idiocy?
Karkat sighed and ruffled his hair, promising himself he would go and apologize to Dave soon. In the meantime, Karkat eyed the damaged transportalizer. It was the only way back to his bed- block (urgh, fuck these humans and their high blood vocabulary!), and he had completely wrecked it. By throwing a sickle with his totally massive and rippling biceps, Karkat had managed to stick the stupid thing. When he pulled the sickle out, all the wiring was spilling out like some sort of disassembled, stuffed creature, possibly resembling a bear, or perhaps a rabbit.
In the middle of his musings, Rose entered the transportalizer room via the alchemy room. Her hair was fluffed out, perhaps from running her fingers through it for some hours. She rubbed her eyes before noticing the pouting troll along the wall.
“Oh, hello, Karkat.” She yawned politely, covering her mouth before asking, “Have you seen Kanaya?”
Karkat sighed. When Rose wasn’t dealing with Vriska’s scheming, alchemy or communing with the zoologically dubious, she usually was joined at the hip with Kanaya. “YEAH, SHE’LL BE BACK SOON. SHE’S HELPING ME WITH SOMETHING AT THE MOMENT.” Rose quirked an eyebrow and he nodded to his transportalizer.
“Ah, I see. What in particular gave you the impression she’d be able to help you?”
“HER CHAINSAW. SHE’S ACTUALLY KEPT IT IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE, AND I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT WIRES OR ELECTRICITY IN GENERAL.”
“As opposed to your complete ‘hacker skillz’ with such a device?”
“SHUT UP, GRUBTARD. WE BOTH KNOW MY CODES ARE SHIT.” Despite the jab, Karkat smiled softly toward Rose. She really wasn’t so bad. “AND ANYWAY, CODING IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THIS KIND OF STUFF.”
“Not to my knowledge.” Rose shrugged and moved closer to the transportalizer. “Actually, the way the wires and software work apart and together, it really does seem like some sort of coding format.” She knelt beside the platform and started sorting the mess Karkat made. “Look, the way these wires here, they work to send the electrical impulses of commands into the main system, like the start sequence of a code. Actually, here,” she points to some sort of screen running number lines, “this seems like the code needed to send anything in the first place? Or maybe that’s where it goes?”
“NO, THE TRANSPORTALIZER IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO ITS TWIN. IT REALLY HAS NO NEED FOR COORDINATES AT ALL.” Karkat shifted closer, crawling towards Rose. “AND SEE, HERE, THIS IS… UH…” Rose looked up at Karkat.
“Yes?” Karkat scowled and rolled back on his heels.
“FUCK. I CAN’T REMEMBER.” He admits. “WHEN SOLLUX WAS AROUND, HE TOLD ME HOW MOST OF THIS STUFF WORKS. IT’S KIND OF BEEN AWHILE.” Rose smiles kindly at Karkat just as Kanaya returns, now in her work clothes. He clears his throat sharply and lurches upward, stumbling over the edge of his transportalizer. “KANAYA. WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?”
“I’m Sorry, Karkat. It Had Been So Long, I Had Nearly Forgotten Where I Kept My Tools. And-”
“OKAY, WHATEVER. SORRY.” Karkat runs a hand through his messy hair and sighs. “SORRY. I JUST WANT TO FIX THIS AND GO BACK TO MY COON, PLEASE?” Kanaya nods low, accepting Karkat’s sharp manner.
“Hello, Rose. Do You Mind Taking This?” Kanaya hands Rose her beautifully embroidered makeup bag filled with different sized screws. “Okay, Let’s Take A Look.”
Kanaya joins Karkat on the transportalizer and crouches over the wires. “Karkat, Did You Sort These?”
“Actually, that was me,” Rose interjects quietly. “Rather, I did what I could. I don’t know much, only what I learned while figuring how to not kill myself while threatening electrocution with my mother.” Kanaya smiled at Rose kindly, and reached for her hand. Karkat averted his eyes. Gog, he wished he had this.
After a moment, Rose pulled away, and reached into the bag. “Hm, will this work?” The three of them worked together to try rewiring the transportalizer, Kanaya with various tools and Karkat and Rose pointing out wire patterns. Karkat really appreciated this; spending time with these two flighty broads actually made him feel relaxed. Nothing complex about two people already engaged in the red quadrant, and he certainly didn’t feel anything black. He just enjoyed the comfort of friends around him, teasing but pleasant.
At last, most of the wires were reworked into the transportalizer’s system, but a few they could not figure out. As well as the coordinates that Rose had fiddled with previously but she reclaimed that spot after determining the other wires unnecessary for the priority function; getting Karkat back to his room.
Karkat leaned back and stretched his spine, feeling the joints pop as he did so. Him and Kanaya had been hunched over their crossed legs for perhaps an hour and he felt stiff. Kanaya straightened, pulling her shoulders back in a regal manner as she stretched. “Could This Be Enough For Now, Karkat? I Do Think A Rest And Perhaps Meditating The Matter Of The Remaining Wires Will Do Us Some Good.”
“YEAH. ACTUALLY, THANKS A LOT. BOTH OF YOU.” Karkat smiled small at the two girls, ducking his head as he did so. “REALLY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. IT MEANS A LOT CONSIDERING WE HAVEN’T ALL REALLY HUNG OUT SOMETIMES? I JUST APPRECIATE IT.”
Rose gasped, amused from where she was still bent over the wires. “Wow, Karkat, you? Actually admitting that we are worth something? Be careful, your feelings are as prominent as Terezi’s appreciation for the color red!” Kanaya smiled, covering it with a dainty hand as Karkat’s ears flushed. He scowled again, more for show than anything else.
“HEY, WHAT THE HELL? IS IT SUCH A STRANGE CONCEPT, ME, THE BRILLIANT, PERFECT TROLL MODEL ISN’T JUST AN ARROGANT ASSHOLE, HE ACTUALLY HAS EMOTIONS AND STUFF? WOW, HOW INSENSITIVE ARE YOU? I MEAN, CLEARLY THIS GUY IS THE STUFF OF LEGEND, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT GET CONFUSED, BUT TRUST ME BABE, IT’S REAL. IN THE FUCKING ORGAN MEMBRANE AND EVERYTHING.” Rose giggled and twisted a couple of wires.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know Karkat. The only legend I can think of capable of such a feat-”
Zap! The wires sparked, and the transportalizer hummed wheezily. Rose jumped back in surprise and Kanaya leaned forward to look. The machine groaned to life, whirling as a lazy light shone from above.
“WHAT THE F-”
The wires sparked again and Karkat and Kanaya stumbled as they tried to hurry away, slipping on each other.
“Wha-? Karkat! It’s Not A Transportalizer! Look!” While trying to stand, Kanaya grabbed Karkat, making him fall on top of her in her attempt to make him see. “It’s A-”
Beep boop! There was a great flash and Rose stood amazed, staring where her two friends had just disappearafied.
Notes: Okay yeah, this is a thing! If anyone read this, and wants to hint at things they want to happen I’m all ears (eyes?) and yep! Please please please message me I want to know if this is read and if it’s not I will update it anyway but I will be sad. Okay thanks!
