Chapter Text
“Shit …”
Sollux Captor glared at his espresso coffee maker like it had perpetually sinned against him or something. He didn’t know and neither cared – It wasn’t the time to be making snappy remarks at inanimate objects. Grabbing the pathetic remains of the porcelain cup, he unceremoniously dropped them into the nearby bin. Not everyday he saw one of his cups crack and break just from a little hot water.
Surprised but not faltered, he reached up into the cupboard and took out a nice bee printed cup and (eventually) got himself his hard earned cup of coffee. With cup in hand, he walked out of the little kitchenette and into the main room, crossing it to his bedroom – Wires were strewn carelessly about, it may of seemed, but they were all there for some reason.
He had to tip toe around various wires connecting other various (and way too many) pieces of technology, one being his desktop. He slumped down into his desk chair, careful not to spill the coffee and get a gorgeous burn mark. For a few minutes, he just stared at the screen and got comfy. What time was it, anyway?
Forgetting about time, he turned on his old, but still perfectly able computer. He noted he should probably get a new one, but that involved spending money he didn’t have, and it wasn’t like this computer had blown up yet. He sipped his drink as everything started up, logging onto his account when it had and then finally looking at the time – 1pm?? Wow. Half the day wasted, “Note to thelf: don’t get wathted on the weekend.”
Oh well, it wasn’t like he was planning on doing anything.
A few clicks here and there, and Sollux had finally chosen on playing a game he had gotten guiltily attached to. A simple survival-strategy MMORPG. Usually he wasn’t one for the ‘multi player’ aspect of most games, especially online, but this game had caught his eye in the shitty Game Bro magazine he read.
Seriously, it’s a good game and deserves such a better rating, that asshole. He thought, leaning back into his chair, his hands being warmed by his cup. Not that it was particularly cold at this time, but his house managed to be one that, no matter what, was always cold.
He could almost feel himself dozing off right then and there, but the music from the game made him jump start back to reality, cursing a little to himself as his coffee splashed a bit. Without much rush, he set the cup down onto the withered desk (something else he needs to save up for) and logged onto the game. First sight he saw was his little on screen character, and we’re not going to get into much detail about it. There was no point other than the fact he totally owned the lower levels.
Looking at his quests, he figured they could be done later. He didn’t want to get into something with the headache he now harboured. So he just let himself walk aimlessly around, shoving past all ‘beggars’ who wanted money, armour, shit for quests…
Until one guy, obviously different from the rest, came into view. This was unexpected at the very most. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity up and opened up the instant messaging service the game provided.
twinArmageddons: hey, you 2eem two be diifferent two the re2t of the2e chump2.
Sollux cursed again at himself. He generally hated the way he typed – his S key was broken, and the I key didn’t properly respond. But the message was sent, although he thought he could add a little more. Something of interest, perhaps.
twinArmageddons: am ii riight two a22ume you don’t ju2t look the part?
On the other end of the chat, a tiny pop-up appeared on the screen with a new message, quickly followed by another one; the ringing of the chat a little on the annoying side. Should really turn it off, but later. Right now, just … Sit and wonder about who this guy was. Moving the world a bit with his mouse, he saw this ‘twinArmageddons’ and was just a little impressed. Okay, so it wasn’t some persistent noob wanting to get into his pants and also his inventory.
Dave Strider, clad with aviators no-one could handle, shuffled slightly in his seat so he was a bit more comfortable, his mind reeling back to the question of ‘Who was this guy?’
Many of the beggars did IM him just like this, but more borderline incomprehensible words and phrases that just wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. It took him forever to close and ignore every single one of their attempts, so this message, or messages, was kind of a breath of fresh air to him. Surprisingly, it had piqued his curiosity.
turntechGodhead: sup
turntechGodhead: im a lot of things but a noob is not one of them
After Dave had sent the two messages, he decided now of all times was a good time to get himself something to eat and drink. Getting up from his chair, he shuffled over to the small kitchen that attached to main room and Bros old room until he moved out – Dave didn’t know how he felt about this, but there were no puppets, save for a few forgotten ones that say ‘Bro was here’.
He grabbed himself a few slices of pizza leftover from the night before, or maybe a couple nights before. He couldn’t remember. But with that and an apple juice, he wandered back over to his chair and plopped himself down, eating at one of the slices and seeing if the Mr. Strangepants had responded.
And he did.
twinArmageddons: ii can 2ee that. and you’re actually half decent WOW.
twinArmageddons: 2o what2 a guy liike you doiing around the2e part2?
twinArmageddons: iit2 pretty brutal here wiith the crowd of fuckiing leecher2.
Another few bites of his pizza slice to finish it, he began typing, but not before he wiped the grease off his hands with a nearby napkin; he didn’t want it to transfer over his beloved technology.
turntechGodhead: i need their blood
turntechGodhead: for a quest given to me by one of the dark lords
Taking another sip of his apple juice, he just sat there comfortably and waited for a reply. He would humour the stranger and give them a nice little conversation about absolutely nothing so long as the guy didn’t start acting like an almighty prick.
He took the time to look at his profile, and was pleasantly surprised at what he read. So he wasn’t the typical wrapped-in-money asshole who could do whatever he pleased just because of that looming fact. He kind of liked that and close the window to go back to the game.
twinArmageddons: 2o ba2iically you’re goiing noob ba2hiing?
twinArmageddons: ii wi2h ii could joiin thii2 e2capade but 2o far iim ju2t kiiliing tiime.
On Sollux’ side, he thought about it while staring at the screen for longer than he would of liked. It was clear neither of them had much of an interest in just standing around and talking about each and every type of money-hungry player. Plus, talking about in game shenanigans was a bit … Mainstream? (Oh he had the right to kill a certain Eridan Ampora right now.)
twinArmageddons: thiink you want two try and gather up my blood?
twinArmageddons: ooh mr godhead ooh.
Now he was just pissing about. He had nothing to win, nothing to lose, and he had positively nothing to do. A few internet memes hurt no-one. And he wanted to see if Mr. Godhead was as strong as he looked.
He couldn’t help but smirk and let out a slight chuckle as he read the responses.
turntechGodhead: lets do it
turntechGodhead: and ill leave my swag on
Oh, so he was familiar with it? That certainly made a change. He took another sip of his cooling coffee before setting it back down and typing out a response. No doubt they were both eager for the entertainment.
twinArmageddons: keep iit on iit look2 good from here.
He pressed down on one of the many short-cut keys of the game and in a small instant, his character was wielding two blades. So his love for duality had him gain a few-lot of levels just so he could carry a couple blade. Can you blame him?
twinArmageddons: your move, 2wagmeii2ter.
No longer than a second after reading the new message, Dave did the same thing, pressing down on his short-cut key for his weapon. It was a hefty two-handed sword, and although it slowed down his attack rate, it was fucking cool. No irony.
turntechGodhead: as long as i dont forget to turn it off and wake up covered in bitches
He sat back in his chair, watching the screen and smirking to himself, although he usual poker face façade was still there. No one was in the apartment but him, but you can’t be too sure. Damn ninjas.
turntechGodheadgood luck there elizabeth
He was most definitely quite eager about all this.
Time just flew by as the two battled it out - Although weakly. Neither of them had the intention of letting their character spawn back at the beginning. Though it was a fair fight and, indeed, it took a while for their health to get down to critical. They were more or less on even terms in the game; not much could be said though since one wielded dual swords while the other a pretty heavy and powerful double-handed sword. Duality was still there.
twinArmageddons: your actually pretty good there. you’re not ju2t hiidiing behiind that biig 2word of your2.
twinArmageddons: ii wa2 2hakiing iin my viirtual metal boot2.
The blonde was pretty much content with himself after it all blew over. The (supposedly) small spar had actually gone on for about half an hour, once Dave looked at the time. He made sure not to look too surprised about it, but today was just … A very surprising little day for both Dave and Sollux, it seemed.
turntechGodhead thanks
turntechGodhead youre not bad yourself at all bro
That line made Sollux a bit happier with himself, and he let out a light chuckle. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this relaxed, even if he had just got out of a small sparring match with the cool kid.
During their match, they had learned a little bit more about each other. Godhead was one of those ‘cool kids’ and not just for show. No, he was generally really fucking cool. A bit elusive, but that was one of his little charms, Sollux thought.
He bit his lip slightly, wording out the next thing he said so it didn’t seem so … Stalker-ish.
twinArmageddons: what2 your name cool kiid?
That could of gone without the worry.
Dave turned up his music (sparring was serious shit and needed extra concentration) as he relaxed. Questioningly, he had his headphones on, even though his sick beats were vibrating from the speakers, so he pulled them down to around his neck instead and then typed out a response.
turntechGodhead: the names Dave
turntechGodhead: you??
Dave? Sollux thought, Wow. Just … Wow. He couldn’t help laughing a little at the name, unsurprised as he started out his own response to it.
twinArmageddons: dave? typiical cool kiid name eheheh.
twinArmageddons: and ii’m 2ollux
He didn’t think that introductions – better late than never – were a good conversation maker, but he really didn’t know what to talk about. As said before, his social skills with other people (online or otherwise) was pretty weak. And he didn’t think he’d be talking to Dave any time soon, even if they had shared names.
“Thmart move there, Tholluxth.” He groaned out to himself. He rested his elbow on the desk, and his head in the same hand, his free hand resting idly on the keyboard.
Weird fucking name Dave thought as he read the messages. His hands rested on the keyboard, but he wasn’t writing anything. More so just tapping his thumbs on the space bar to the beat of his music – lightly enough so it wasn’t just pushing out pointless spaces. He had a pretty good rhythm going until he remembered he needed to respond at some point. He hurriedly typed out a response after he realised he had been bullying the space bar with his thumbs for a good few minutes.
turntechGodhead: hey elizabeth
turntechGodhead: lets spar some other time again
Sollux, who had been on the verge of sleeping in his hand, was once again jump started awake as the ping from the game alerted him to a new IM. Or a couple in this case. He moved himself so he was more in a non-lazy slouch instead of the uninterested pose he had going on.
twinArmageddons: ii tell you my name and ii’m 2tiill eliizabeth? how THOUGHTFUL.
twinArmageddons: but ii’d liike that.
twinArmageddons: next tiime ii’m not goiing ea2y on you eheheh.
And back he went, sighing in content. Maybe he should just log off. It seemed like Dave didn’t have any further plans of their virtual date, already talking about the next time. Hm, he could always do that coding he was going to do anyway …
He watched the screen for a couple of minutes, just looking at the newbies get their shit together, make the mistake of dropping pretty good stuff and leaving it there instead of selling it. Should of probably sold it anyway. He was half tempted to go up and get it, but there was no point.
Almost forgetting that he was in a chat with someone, he looked at the small window.
turntechGodhead: oh come on bro
turntechGodhead: at least youre my elizabeth
turntechGodhead: seeya around
And then Dave logged off, leaving Sollux to just stare wide eyed at the screen. Wait … What? He read the instant messages again and it was definitely there. In (metaphorical) black and white ‘You’re my Elizabeth’.
After a few minutes, he noticed the beggars start their usual ‘interrogate the higher up’, so he absconded his arse right out out the game. Another few minutes past, and he found himself staring at the screen again. Okay, something to get mind off of it, something to get mind off of it …
Coding! That would have to do. A few clicks of the mouse and Sollux was opening up a recent ~ATH code he had been working on. Safe to say that amused him for a few hours. Maybe longer. He hadn’t bothered looking at the time.
Damn he was hungry.
~~
It soon became a typical Saturday night for Sollux (much to his chagrin anyway), and he was at a bar he had just recently found. It was cheaper than most and of a good quality, so he had no rooms for complaints. The only problem were the people, but that didn’t mean he had to put ‘Fucking awful’ on the survey sheet.
As per usual, he found himself ordering a drink over the bar counter – Only a light one, he didn’t want to get too drunk before the night had even begun now. Luckily, for the moment, there weren’t many people at the bar, meaning no random encounters, inappropriate groping, and a cocktail to the face of any poor bastards who thought it would be fun to hit on him.
Seriously, he was a little peeved that kept happening to him.
He didn’t even consider himself at all attractive. Looking down at himself, he would say he was about as sexy as a pile of walking, talking, drinking coat hangers. Yeah, real attractive.
A sudden flurry of people surrounded a blonde haired guy hiding behind a pair of aviators. Instantly, he recognised it as the DJ (As if the equipment he was carrying wasn’t making it obvious.), but he didn’t recognise him. He seemed pretty popular though. Heck, Sollux wasn’t a regular now, was he? How would he know the guy?
Though he was a cutie …
No, bad thoughts. He pulled out his phone begrudgingly, running through a few texts before getting to his desired one. He sighed while opening it.
HEY FUCKASS. I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LIKE DRUNK, SO I SWEAR IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE BAR TONIGHT, DON’T EXPECT ME TO BE HAULING YOUR ASS BACK HOME WITH SOME GUY YOU HAVE SLOPPY MAKEOUTS WITH. SORT YOUR SHIT.
His best friend Karkat Vantas usually sent him little texts like this. He hadn’t got used to his way of typing, even after years of knowing him. The blaring wall of caps lock will never stop making him inch his head further from the screen like it was actually screaming at him. Another very audible sigh and he pocketed the phone in the back pocket of his jeans as he watched people flood in.
Let’s see if DJ Swag was as good as everyone made him out to be.
As the music started, the DJ put on some popular and well known songs on at first, just to get the place started and in the rhythm of the night. But after half an hour, it just didn’t feel right, and so he added a few of his own beats into the mix.
Hands practically danced on the turntables as he marked the rhythm with his right foot, looking up at the club lights that now lit up the place. This was it. He smiled to himself, but he kept a cool poker face – The usual, not difficult. He turned up the volume as the people grew and even encouraged to dance.
DJ Dave Strider was in the house.
And had everyone swooning over him. Sollux being on that was just teetering over the edge of swooning. Throughout the music session, he couldn’t stop staring at the DJ. He was very cute indeed, and no best friend is going to deny him the right to thought. He was even tempted to dance, but he decided against it. The idea of being rubbed against by some random stranger putting him off entirely – Even if it was a little crowded around the bar area now.
An hour and countless rejected offers to dance, hook up, and even have sex with (and almost practically molested from someone already wasted) later, Sollux turned back to the bar, his finished glass in hand. He set it down before ordering another one. He wasn’t about to get drunk, but since dancing was out of the question, he had to do something to pass the time. Besides, he was getting through these drinks at a snails pace.
When he had a new drink in hand, Sollux turned his back on it once again. He had been doing this for the past hour. Drinking and watching other wasted teenagers have the times of their lives – Who gets drink this early into the night? God forbid they want to get any drunker …
And shit, was that the DJ next to him?
It was. Dave had hopped off the stage to grab a drink, leaving a playlist of well known songs to keep the party jumping. He asked the bartender for the usual, and in a matter of moments, it was there. Thanking the bartender, he took the glass and gave it a sip, the ice in the drink tilting and making a chinking sound.
He let out a light “Ah~” after finishing it off quickly, tapping the now empty glass on the counter. Looking around, he noticed some people beginning to surround him. Great. It wasn’t unusual. Why would it be when you’re the smoking hot DJ? It was just annoying though. He just ignored them and asked the bartender for a refill.
Sollux just watched for the moment as the group of people surrounded the DJ. He had to stifle back a laugh as they were all silently rejected. Their hopes were too high, and so was his own as he finally found his voice.
“Think it’th a good idea to be leaving them out in the cold like that, thir DJ?” Sollux asked, his voice a little foreign to him, but he kept it more or less stable either way. Even if he hated his damn lisp.
The other just looked at the man from behind his shades as he finished his second glass in record timing. He was sure he hadn’t seen that guy before, nor heard him. Come on, it’s hard to forget a guy with a lisp when you have never heard anyone with a speech impediment.
“Guess I forgot to turn my swag off again” He muttered, leaving his now finished drink back on the counter and inspecting Mr. Three-dimensional. Really, what was the thing with those glasses?
Sollux’s eyebrows raised slightly at the response he got. Now ignoring the fact he was practically being checked out, he had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he knew the DJ somewhat. Well, better check to see if it really was the guy he knew.
“Keep it on. It lookth good from here.” was all he said, a slight smirk in his voice but a small smile on his lips. Even if this wasn’t his Dave, it was a pretty good response anyway. He guessed he could be sort of social when he thought about it. Really hard.
Dave lightly tilted his head as he now stared at Sollux from, once again, behind the safety of his shades. Suddenly, a bunch of ii’s and two’s came to mind.
“As long as I don’t forget to turn it off and wake up covered in bitches…” he smirked. Only lightly. Not enough for the other to notice.
He was just feeling the ground right now. If it shattered, he could play it cool. He was Dave fucking Strider. And trying never killed anyone. Unless you were trying to catch a bullet with your skull. Whole other story.
By that one line, though, Sollux knew. This was his Dave. Mr. Godhead. Cool Kid. From that one meeting on the game to being face to face at the bar. But damn he wasn’t going to spoil it for the moment, however the idiotic grin he now wanted to break into said other things. He settled on an ore wider smile.
“Not bad, thwagmeithter.” He replied, “You going to keep on making me thwoon like thith? Ooh, mithter Godhead, ooh.”
The jig was up. Was it ever anywhere but up? He just couldn’t help himself knowing that this was the guy he met online. The cute DJ was his Dave.
Small world.
Small world? It was a fucking napkin right now. When he heard what Mr. Duality said, that was the only thing he could think of.
“Yeah bro, and in a twenty mile radius of this event bodices are ripping and men are turning gay. It is fucking amazing.”
Dave was completely sure this was his little Elizabeth. And damn, he never expected a guy like him to be. Everybody knows the typical nerdy gamer, he had a reason to believe that this was the furthest and most unpredictable look he would of seen. Then again, wouldn’t Dave be on the same page as this, too?
This time, he smirked, letting him see his lips curve for the first time (the ‘groupies’ that had gathered almost swoon for real) and hesitated for a few seconds.
“Sup, Elizabeth.”
‘Elizabeth’ was now laughing slightly. DJ Dave was pretty cool, as expected. Even if he couldn’t see … much of anything from behind those shades. He wasn’t complaining, they did act to the swag-factor. But he was about ready to jump in the bandwagon with the groupies and swoon.
Wow, DJ just got 100 times more sexy.
And he couldn’t help repeating a line he had already said:
“You know my name and you thtill call me Elithabeth? How thoughtful of you, cool kid.”
Dave chuckled and faced Sollux again. “Oh, come one bro. At least you’re my Elizabeth”.