Turning Points: Gamma timeline

INTRODUCTION: fav.me/d496ydo


Nepeta figured that the first, and best, place to look for Equius was the main computer room. Her meowrail wasn't really the social type, but he did follow orders, and technically they were supposed to stay in the computer room. Silly old Karkitten said so. But when she'd asked nicely for permission to go work on her shipping wall, he had said yes. And here she was.

She found herself starting to get caught up in thoughts of Karkat again as she stepped on the transportalizer to take her to the lab.

'Not now, Nepeta,' she thought.

When she arrived, she quickly scanned the room for Equius. There he was, talking to Kanaya. Kanaya? Well, okay. Not wanting to interrupt, Nepeta hesitated for a moment with one foot half-on the transportalizer. Aradia hadn't said her talk with Equius was urgent. Perhaps she should just leave him alone?

Time to find a free chair and help herself to it, she supposed.

She saw Vriska, Sollux, Terezi, Karkat, Feferi, and Tavros sitting at various computers. She couldn't help herself; she really wanted to go to Karkat.

Nepeta started towards him, then hesitated. What would she say to him, anyway? He was probably in the middle of something. And Terezi was sitting beside him. That could get awkward.

So for once Nepeta played the 'fraidy cat and stayed away.

Behind her, the transportalizer swooshed into life, startling her. On instinct, she whirled, and ran smack into Gamzee with his arms full of horns.

He dropped most of them, frantically grabbed at the few within his grasp, juggled with them for a moment, and finally dropped them. The resultant cacophony of honks was deafening, and Nepeta couldn't help but laugh at his confusion. Everyone else in the lab turned to investigate the source of the sound, but seeing it was only Gamzee and his horns, made various noises and expressions of disgust and went back to work.

"H33 h33 h33!" Nepeta giggled. "Oops, sorry about that, Gamz33. I didn't s33 you there!"

To her amazement, he grinned. "I lOvE sUrPrIsEs, MaN. A sUrPrIsE iS a MoThErFuCkInG mIrAcLe." He scooped up a few horns, and Nepeta bent to help him pick up the rest.

"What are you doing with all of these?" she said.

Gamzee replied by honking one loudly. Nepeta jumped and he laughed.

"SoRrY, cOuLdN't MoThErFuCkInG rEsIsT. iT's JuSt SuCh A mOtHeRfUcKiNg BeAuTiFuL nOiSe. LiKe A cHoIr Of MoThErFuCkInG aNgElS aLl Up In My ThInKpAn. CoMe SeE wHeRe I bE pUtTiNg ThEsE mOtHeRfUcKeRs At."

He led Nepeta over to a small pile of about twenty horns lying on the ground in the corner of the lab.

"I'm bUiLdInG mE a HoRn PiLe, SiStEr. It DoEsN't SeEm rIgHt FoR aLl ThE lOnElY lItTlE mOtHeRfUcKeRs tO bE aLl On tHeIr MoThErFuCkInG oWn, nOw DoEs It?" he said as he deposited his armful on the floor, with all the rest.

Nepeta grinned. She loved the way Gamzee talked – he was so sweet and silly, just like her.

"And then what?" she said.

"ThEn..." Gamzee paused, apparently not having thought that part through yet. A flash of inspiration lit his face. "AnD tHeN, i WiLl TaKe A nAp In ThE hOrN pIlE, aNd I wIlL dReAm ThE mOtHeRfUcKiNg DrEaMs," he said, looking very pleased with himself.

"Sounds like a plan," Nepeta said. "Do you n33d any help collecting those things?"

"YeAh, sUrE. WiCkEd LiTtLe MoThErFuCkErS bE aLwAyS gEtTiNg ThEmSeLvEs InTo SoMe DeEp ShIt. I cOuLd UsE a HaNd," he said.

"Okay," Nepeta said cheerfully. "I just have to give a meowsage to Equius really quick. I'll be right back!" She turned, to go back to Equius and Kanaya, and suddenly did a double take.

Karkat and Terezi were kissing.

All sound faded away and numbness spread from her heart to her limbs. Nepeta's face turned as white as a sheet. As if from a very great distance, she heard Gamzee say, "HeY, sIsTeR, wHaT's MoThErFuCkInG wRoNg?" but she didn't answer. She couldn't. She couldn't even move, or tear her eyes away from the spectacle in front of her, which she desperately did not want to see.

Gamzee stepped in front of her, and put his hands on her shoulders. Her line of sight cut off, she blinked vacantly at empty space for a moment, then gasped as her thoughts caught up to her. Tears began to fill her eyes.

Gamzee said, "Oh FuCk. Uh, I'lL gO gEt YoUr MoThErFuCkInG mOiRaIl, OkAy?"

He let go of her shoulders and would have gone, but she grabbed his hand and said in a choked voice, "No, no, not him. Not Equius."

"WhAt?" Gamzee said, obviously perplexed.

"He doesn't know. He can't know, not about this," she whispered, the pleading plain in her voice. Gamzee nodded soberly and guided her to the transportalizer, always keeping her back to where Karat and Terezi were presumably still making out.

He gently led her through the next room to the room of the twelve transportalizers, and to her own, familiar room. He gave her a moment to catch her breath, then asked, "ArE yOu OkAy, SiStEr?"

Biting her lip, she shook her head. "Karkat," she said in a strangled whisper. Unable to bear it any longer, she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

For a moment Gamzee looked around wildly as if expecting someone else to come running over and push him out of the way. When no one did, he said, "Oh, ShIt," and cautiously wrapped his arms around Nepeta.

"ShHhHhHhH, sHhHhHhHh," he said. "It'S gOnNa Be MoThErFuCkInG fInE, yOu'Ll SeE."

At this, Nepeta threw her arms around his stomach, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed. She felt him loosen and pull back her precious hood. Keeping one arm comfortingly around her, he began tentatively stroking her hair with the other hand.

"I gUeSs YoU hAd A mOtHeRfUcKiNg ShOcK. If I sAw My MoThErFuCkInG MaTeSpRiTe CrUsH mAkInG oUt WiTh SoMeOnE eLsE, I'd MoThErFuCkInG kIlL mYsElF," he murmured. "I'm So MoThErFuCkInG sOrRy YoU gOt InTo ThIs WiCkEd ShIt, NePeTa."

He let her cry, and cry, and cry, until his shirt was soaked. He never let go or stopped the soothing, rhythmic motion of his hand on her head. When the tears slowed, she just leaned against him, soaking up the comforting warmth of his body and trying to erase all thoughts of Karkat from her mind. When the tears stopped altogether, she released him and backed away.

She put her hood back on and tried to figure out her poor, bruised feelings. Gamzee, unsure of what to say, remained silent.

"Thanks," Nepeta said quietly.

"SuRe, SiStEr," he said.

Nepeta sighed, fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief, and blew her nose loudly.

"MuSiC oF tHe MoThErFuCkInG aNgElS," Gamzee said, and honked a horn in reply. Nepeta jumped.

"You get me every time with that stupid thing!" she said. "Where did you have it hidden away? I thought you were putting all the horns on the pile."

"ThIs OnE iS mY aBsOlUtE mOtHeRfUcKiNg FaVoRiTe," said Gamzee. "EvErY hOrN iS dIfFeReNt AnD mOtHeRfUcKiNg BeAuTiFuL. lIkE mOtHeRfUcKiNg SnOwFlAkEs."

"Oh, yeah?" Nepeta said. Playfully, she batted the horn out of his hand.

"HeY! GiVe Me My MoThErFuCkInG hOrN bAcK!" Gamzee said indignantly.

"You're dangerous with this thing," Nepeta said. "It's confurscated!"

"ThAt'S nOt VeRy ChIlL, mAn," Gamzee complained.

"Well then," Nepeta said, a sparkle of mischief in her eye, "come and get it!"

"CaN't YoU jUsT gIvE a PoOr MoThErFuCkEr HiS mOtHeRfUcKiN' hOrN?" Gamzee said. Nepeta shook her head.

"UhHhH... pLeAsE?"

Nepeta must have looked disappointed, because he quickly said, "Oh, WhAt ThE mOtHeRfUcKiNg HeLl," and made a grab for his prize.

"H33, h33, h33!" Nepeta said, dancing out of reach.

"CoMe On," Gamzee complained. But he was grinning now, too. He made another swipe and she turned and ran down the stairs, giggling all the way. She felt Gamzee grab the back of her coat, and braked suddenly. He ran into her and dropped the coat in surprise. They took a few more swipes at each other, until Gamzee managed to back her into a corner. As his right arm shot out towards her, she ducked under it, but he grabbed her wrist with his free hand. Quickly she switched the horn from her captured hand to the left one, in the process setting off another honk that had them both laughing again. Now that he had a hold of her, though, the chase was much shorter. After a brief struggle, Gamzee managed to grab Nepeta's other wrist.

"Now what?" she said. Unless he let go of a wrist, he couldn't grab the horn. But if he let go of one of her wrists, she'd just escape again.

"ArE yOu GoNnA gIvE a PoOr MoThErFuCkEr BaCk HiS hOrN, nOw?" Gamzee said. Nepeta said no.

He scowled.

"HmMmM..."

Quickly, he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand, then pulled her in and pinned her to him with the other arm. Nepeta squirmed, and managed to free the hand with the horn in it. She waved it around for a few moments before realising that Gamzee's attention had gone elsewhere.

She relaxed, waiting for his focus to come back to earth.

He raised a hand and Nepeta, thinking he was after the horn again, was instantly on her guard. But instead he cupped his hand under her chin and tilted it up, so they were looking into each other's eyes.

A delicious shiver went down Nepeta's spine. Her heart began to pound. Gamzee looked like he was bursting to say something, but he couldn't get the words out. Instead, he gently angled her head towards him and kissed her.

Nepeta didn't even think to struggle. His lips were warm, a little sticky, and a lot softer than she had expected, tasting ever-so-slightly of Faygo. Nepeta closed her eyes and abandoned herself to the flood of sweet emotions coursing through her. Unfortunately, she forgot that in one hand she was still holding the horn.

HONK!

Nepeta and Gamzee sprang apart as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over them. Nepeta flung away the horn as if it were a hot potato. When she realised what had happened she started to giggle. It took Gamzee a few seconds to understand what had occurred before he laughed, too.

"You should have s33n your face!" Nepeta said. "H33, h33, so funny! Sorry about that."

"It'S mOtHeRfUcKiNg FiNe," Gamzee said. Although he was smiling, there was an edge to his voice Nepeta didn't understand. She forced her giddy brain to work, and one word stopped her mid-giggle.

Karkat.

Crap.

Gamzee must have understood the shock that flickered in her eyes, because he dropped all pretence and said forlornly, "YeAh, SoRrY aBoUt ThAt, SiStEr. It WaSn't MoThErFuCkInG cHiLl To TaKe AdVaNtAgE."

Confusion filled Nepeta's mind. What was wrong with her? Was she fickle or something? Half an hour ago she'd been crying over Karkat, and now...

Her lips were tingling pleasantly. She raised her hand to them almost unconsciously.

How had it all gone so wrong? She remembered painting in her shipping room without a care in the world, and half-wished she could return to that innocent, uncomplicated moment, and start over. The other half of her was still stuck thinking, 'Wow, that was some kiss!'

She remembered her painting of Gamzee and Karkat and sighed. She had been so proud of it.

Gamzee and Karkat. Karkat or Gamzee.

She realised now that she had crushes on both of them, but her feelings for Karkat had been so overwhelming that she hadn't really thought about anybody else. But that feeling was gone – shattered by Karkat, washed away by her tears, and, well – replaced by the kiss.

What would Equius think about all this? The reason she didn't want him to know about her crush on Karkat was because of his sensitivity on the blood-colour issue. Would he be proud that she'd attracted the attentions of a highblood, or would he be jealous of the competition? Albeit competition in the wrong quadrant. She thought it would be the former. Oh, she hoped it would be that option.

Hope. She hadn't expected that.

"Gamz33?" she said timidly. "Did you do that beclaws you want me to be your matesprite, or beclaws..." her voice trailed off as she studied Gamzee's face, trying to judge his reaction. She saw surprise flit across his features, then a hope to match her own.

"I hAvE a MoThErFuCkInG hUgE rEd SoLiCiTaTiOn GoInG oN hErE," he said. "aNd It'S gEtTiNg Me AlL uP iN mY tHiNkPaN bEcAuSe I dIdN't ThInK yOu LiKeD mE. We WeReN't EvEn On ThE sAmE mOtHeRfUcKiNg TeAm. AnD tHeN iT tUrNs OuT yOu HaVe A mOtHeRfUcKiNg ReD fEeLiNg FoR mY mOtHeRfUcKiNg BeSt FrIeNd."

"Well, it's pawsible to have two crushes at once..." Nepeta said, in a very small voice. "But I didn't know it until now."

"WhAt? My MotHeRfUcKiNg AuRiCuLaR sPoNgE cLoTs MuSt Be FuLl Of ShIt BeCaUsE i CoUlD hAvE sWoRn YoU jUsT sAiD tHeRe WaS a ChAnCe YoU wAnTeD tO bE mY mOtHeRfUcKiNg MaTeSpRiTe," Gamzee said.

"Let me rephrase," Nepeta said. "Gamzee, I think I have a red f33ling for you."

"MiRaClE oF mOtHeRfUcKiNg MirAcLeS," Gamzee breathed.

"Oh, please ask me out. Please. But not yet - I still need a little time to think," Nepeta said in a rush.

"WhAtEvEr YoU mOtHeRfUcKiNg WaNt, My BeAuTiFuL fUtUrE mAtEsPrItE," Gamzee said. Nepeta blushed.

"I mUsT bE tHe LuCkIeSt MoThErFuCkEr EvEr To EaT a MoThErFuCkInG sLiMe PiE," Gamzee said.

"Or to honk a motherfreaking horn," Nepeta giggled.

"HeY, wHeRe'S tHaT lItTlE MoThErFuCkEr At, AnYwAyS?" Gamzee said. A quick search and rescue ensued, leading to the discovery of the renegade horn at the foot of the stairs.

"So, what's so great about this thing?" Nepeta said curiously.

"HuH?" Gamzee said.

"I thought you said this was your favourite horn," Nepeta said.

"Oh. I wAs KiDdInG. BuT i GuEsS wE kNoW hOw MoThErFuCkInG lUcKy It Is NoW!"

"So it's not going on the horn pile, then?" Nepeta asked.

"HeLl YeS iT iS," said Gamzee. "It'S gOt To Be JoInInG aLl ItS MoThErFuCkInG bRoThErS, AiN't It? If We EvEr FiNd It AgAiN, It'Ll Be –"

"A miracle?" Nepeta guessed.

"ThAt'S rIgHt," Gamzee said. "a MoThErFuCkInG mIrAcLe."