Two fingers played across the ratty seams of wrinkled grey leather. They traced the staccato line running along the corners of the seat and tapped a slow one-two rhythm,
tip and
tip,
tip and
tip. Slow and steady, running all along the way.
âHey Nep, weâre-â
Up and down and around and back again. Up and down and around and back again. Tips and taps and ups and downs and back again always. Always two fingers playing across the ratty seams of wrinkled grey leather, tracing the staccato line running the corners of the seat.
âFuck, Neps your-â
Thousands of tiny dashes making asingle unbroken loop up and down and back again. Up and down and back again always and forever and they donât stop and they donât take breaks and they donât give up they just loop and never stop and-
âCatherine!â
And then she feels the warmth of his hand on hers and suddenly the lines break and no they shouldnât but they do because sheâs Catherine (sometimes Nepeta) and heâs Karkat and now weâre here and this is what weâre doing and why am I not breathing, BREATHE.
Catherine Nepeta Leijon-Delgado sucked a breath she didnât remember holding and felt the air she didnât remember needing rush inside her. She held it for one, two, three seconds and gently exhaled, listening to the steady rumble of the taxi engine. The cab rustled and crunched over a gavely dirt road that snaked its way between the lean forest timber. A tired grayness hung in the dusky sky and painted the wood a dull blue as it nestled lower and lower somewhere beyond the forest. Blinking slowly, she turned to her right to face the perpetually angry Karkat Vantas, boyfriend of 2 and a half years, with his big, stupid, bushy eyebrows all scrunched up over his eyes the color of fresh, wet soil after a long rain shower.
She felt a throbbing pain in her left hand and when she glanced down, Karkat had already taken her hand in his and gently pried open the tight fist as if peeling away the petals of a green bloom. Four little arches buzzed an angry red in the palm of her hand. As soon as she eased the tension in her hand, the first small rivulets began to drip onto her baggy black jeans.
Despite her heavy olive jacket and cotton black âCaravan Palaceâ tee, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.
âShit, youâre bleeding,â he said
âWell, no duh,â said Catherine and gingerly licked the arches. The taste of pennies in her mouth made her wrinkle her nose in disgust and she placed her hand back in her lap.
âDamnit, all the first aid is in the trunk.â Looking back to her hand, Catherine squeezed it experimentally. A sharp pain lanced through her hand.
âOwie,â she squeaked.
âDonât do that, dumbass, youâre making it worse,â Karkat growled. Catherine gave a small
hmph! and stuck her tongue out at him as he tightly wound a folded up paper towel around her hand, tying it in place with a rough knot. âIâve had scrapes way worse than this,â she said.
âYeah, of fucking course I know. Iâm the one fixing you up all the time. I mean, shit, I still have nightmares about the window thing. There. That should hold until we get there, which isnât long.â She flexed her hand and smiled as the wrapping stayed taut. She sighed, placed her hands in her lap, and leaned against Karkat.
âThanks Karkitty. Itâs just so funny how you can be so sweet when you talk like youâre angry,â she chirped. âGrrr! I are Karkat! FUCKASS! SHIT! I love you Nep! GODDAMNIT! OVERCOMPENSATING FOR SHORTNESS!â she growled in imitation.
âHey, fuck off, Nep, Iâm half an inch taller than you. And hey, I curse, you get cat puns. A lot of time was put into those negotiations. They were practically-oh sorry- purractically the crowning achievement of two and a-fucking- halfâ With a sigh, Catherine nipped the oncoming argument in the bud with a well-timed kiss. A red blush bloomed over Karkatâs dark brown face as she pulled back.
âCalm down. Iâm gonna be gone furr a while with no internet or reception. I donât want my last conversation with you to be a rant on my punny purrolictivities and your dirty mouth,â she whispered in his ear. She impulsively turned his head to her and drew him into another kiss. She felt Karkat wrap an arm behind her back (which was pawsome because it was beginning to get a little tiring leaning over like that) and caress her cheek. Catherine sifted through his short messy hair and bit his lip as she pulled back. âDirty but tasty. Were you drinking chai at the cafe?â She stifled a giggle when Karkat shot her a withering glare and muttered under his breath. He turned to watch the mansion loom into sight from a great clearing in the forest.
âFine,â he said at last. She bounced back in her seat with a triumphant grin.
âPoint one furr team Alphur!â she exclaimed. Her boyfriend rolled his eyes as the taxi cab rolled to a stop.
âOkay, kids, weâre here,â intoned the taxicab driver. Catherine pulled out her wallet and handed the driver a few crinkled dollar bills as Karkat opened his door and opened the taxi trunk to pull out her suitcases and backpack. The earthy smell of the wood filled her nostrils swirled around her as she got out of the cab to shake the feeling back into her legs. The mansion stood there at the end of a dirt-and-gravel paved foot path. A faint shiver crept over Catherine.
Yikes. Itâs Overlook and the Navidson House with a little of House Usher furr good measure.âHey, Nep. Get your stupid catpack. Get over here, I got some alcohol pads,â said Karkat, holding out a worn green mesh back pack with blue cat ears and a short blue tail. She snatched the pack, checking briefly inside to make sure her iPad was there. A small libraryâs worth of reading was in there with a slew of new additions the night before she said her goodbyes at home. She took out the small comfort pack and clipped it to her belt.
âIâll do it later! Just help me carry this stuff up there befurr night comes and clowns start chasing me!â
âUs,â Karkat corrected, waving away Catherineâs complaints. âNo way in shit-sniffing hell am I leaving before I see this Dr. Jones asshat and the other headcases in person. Something about this place justâŠbothers meâ After no small amount of grumbling and persuading the cabbie to stay an extra ten or so minutes so that Karkat wasn't stranded "the taint-filled middle of fucking nowhere", the two made their way up to the front door. When they got there, Catherine made three raps on the door.
âHelloooo? Anybody home!â she shouted at the door.