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Terezi: Have awkward family time
Chapter 7: Terezi: Have awkward family time
We sat there in silence for a bit, the silence first being awkward and then turning comfortable, waiting for my family to get here.
It couldn’t have been longer than twenty minutes when my family arrived and the nurse came to get me.
“Break a leg Pyrope, only not literally,” Vriska laughed as I rolled my eyes and left.
I walked with the nurse, the same one that brought me over here, back to my room. I should have been in there this entire time, but instead I was with Vriska. The nurse quickly took my vitals, mumbling about how that should have been done hours ago, and left to go get my mom and sister.
I sat on the bed, nervously fiddling with the cord on my cane. Mom was going to be pissed that I didn’t tell her, and Latula was probably going to be mad too. I didn’t tell them what was going on when I should have. My mom was a prosecutor, she would have known what to do to keep me safe from him.
I guess I had just not wanted them to get caught in the middle between me and my psychopathic ex.
I tilted my head back up when I heard the familiar click clack of my mom’s boots, and Latula’s voice echoing through the hall. She was never a quiet person, and neither am I. So why was I so quiet today?
Latula came in and walked up to me first, sitting down and wrapping an arm around my right shoulder, “Hey there rad girl, how’re you doin’?”
“Fine, I guess,” I had my head angled down as if I was staring at the floor.
“You’re not being honest here girly,” she said, ruffling my hair before sitting up straight.
Mom walked over next, pulling a chair over but giving me a hug first before sitting down, “I’m glad you’re at least mostly intact, but the prosecution asks why you didn’t come forward about the situation earlier?”
Her voice wasn’t harsh, which told me she was indulging in my appreciation for courtroom roleplays. They both knew I liked to roleplay as if everything was a trial. In a sense, everything was a trial though.
“Because he was threatening to kill me, I didn’t see any other option. As much as justice needed to be dealt, there was no way of going about it without getting killed,” I mumbled. I did have a great measure of self preservation, at least now I did.
“I would have had the entire police force protecting you, you know this right?” she spoke softly. She could tear a defendant apart in a courtroom any day, but when it came to her kids she knew how to be a mom, a luxury that many kids didn’t have.
Well, neither of us are children anymore, but try telling that to my mom.
“I know, but I didn’t want to risk it. At one point he told me that he would have come after you guys too… I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger because of me. It’s bad enough that Vriska got hurt too…” I stifled a whine. I wasn’t going to break down here or anywhere for that matter.
“You know I have the police on speed dial Terezi, I would just have to dial and press a button if I couldn’t talk and they’d be at our doorstep.”
I sighed, “He had me wrapped around his fingers Mom, I didn’t know what to do… I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
I heard her shift and shake her head, “Was this why you wanted to move so badly? Because he lived nearby?”
I nodded slowly, “Yeah, it was. If he didn’t know where I lived he couldn’t hurt me right? I mean it was only a matter of time before he got to me, but it was at least something.”
She sighed heavily and pulled me into her arms again, “If I could be the prosecutor for this case, he would never see the light of day again. Unfortunately that would be considered conflict of interest therefore I can’t.”
“I know Mom,” I choked. I pulled my glasses off and rubbed furiously at my eyes. I wasn’t going to cry, I’ve done enough of that for one school year. Granted the school year had already started and I’ve only cried the one time that Vriska showed up, but that was more than enough for me.
“You’re okay now Terezi, your okay,” Mom soothed, rubbing my back.
Latula hugged me from the side, “You’re okay lil’ sis, he’s gonna be behind barz now.”
I felt my composure crack and I sobbed harder than I had in a long time.
Around three in the afternoon they released me.
Mom had already gone ahead to get the car from the parking garage and promised to meet us out front as I took the last handful of pain medication the nurse handed to me and signed my discharge papers.
I turned to face where Latula was sitting next to me and asked, “Do you mind if you show me over to Vriska’s room so I can see her before we leave?”
“Sure girl! She’s in room 48 in the ICU right?” Latula said cheerfully.
“She was moved over into room 413, which is only a floor up,” the nurse chimed in.
“Okay, we can totally swing over there before we headz out!”
I nodded and stood up. We walked to the nearest elevator and headed up, Latula texting our mom to let her know where we were going. I had been in room 314, so I had been almost directly below her.
“I’ll wait out here,” Latula said when we got there. I nodded and walked in.
Vriska probably would have snapped her head up if it wasn’t for the fact that it probably still hurt like hell. Instead I heard her lift it slowly, her hair shifting over the uncomfortable hospital gowns that everyone here had to wear.
“Hey Pyrope, your back,” she said quietly. “And in real clothes.”
“Yeah, I got discharged. They told me that my shoulder should be healed after about two months,”I muttered as I walked over sat on her bed next to her.
“If you got released then why are you still here?”
She was quiet, she’s never quiet. Wondering why she was quiet made my chest ache because I figured she was hurting over something. That was the only explanation.
I shrugged with my good shoulder, I didn’t have a good reason to give her.
“Considering Aranea’s offer?” she sat up and asked not any louder than she had been.
“Considering yeah, not sure whether or not I actually want to see.”
She nodded, “Yeah, I’m so used to only seeing through one I it’s just normal to me.”
“Yeah.”
Silence fell again, awkward again.
I turned to get up, but she grabbed my hand, the metal surprisingly warm against my wrist. Must have to do with the mechanics of the prosthetic or something that kept it warm, “No, don’t go yet. I wanted to talk to you about something but I didn’t know how to bring it up.”
I turned back to face her, those stupid feelings in my chest rising into my throat and no matter how desperately I tried to force them down, it wasn’t working.
“That’s not like you Serket, you’re usually blunt about everything,” I said quietly.
She shrugged, “Heh, I guess you’re right.”
She was silent for a second, not moving her hand, before saying, “Oh fuck this,” and ran her hand up my arm, tangling it in my hair, and pulling my head down awkwardly to bump against hers, causing her to gasp in pain, before managing to guide her mouth against mine.
That traitorous feeling in my chest spread all over me, from my chest to my toes to my fingers to my head. It was warm, and it was comfortable.
I finally had to admit to myself that this was what I had wanted. This is what that feeling was. It was a feeling of wanting to completely give yourself up to someone, and not just because they saved your life.
It was completely surprising that her kiss wasn’t demanding, she was soft and felt caring. It wasn’t something that I was used to, not at all, so it took me completely by surprise. I kissed her back at the same tempo.
Her hand kept me in place, but I didn’t try to move away either. Something told me that if I had even wanted to move, she would have let me. I didn’t want to move, I didn’t want to be anywhere but right here.
However, I didn’t want to place myself in a place of vulnerability again. Never again did I want to go through what I did with Gamzee, but I didn’t think that Vriska would do that. Why would she save my life only to take it away?
Soon I was shaking though, my eyes watering. I wanted to have something where I could actually feel like I’m on equal footing with the other… Could she give that to me?
Her robotic arm slid back down to my arm and I pressed my face into the crook of her neck. She rubbed my back, “Shhhh… Shhhh… You’re okay,” she soothed.
“Everyone keeps telling me that,” I said quietly. I pulled my head up when I realized that my glasses were probably stabbing into her neck, which didn’t sound very comfortable.
“Why are you being so… not you?” I asked softly.
She scoffed, “Something about you, I don’t know what, makes me to want to not be a huge bitch to you.”
I snorted, taking my glasses off to dry my face, “That’s no fun, I like being able to tease you when I know I’ll get a response.”
She laughed, running her hand through my hair again, “Oh you’ll get a response all right.”
I laughed, “Good! You wouldn’t be you without it.”
She laughed and pulled my head back in for another kiss, only at a lost less of an awkward angle. She was a little more insistent this time, which sent a flutter of anxiety through my chest, but I welcomed it for it suited her.
We stayed like that for awhile, locked at the lips with Vriska absentmindedly brushing her metal fingers through my hair. I wondered briefly if she could feel my hair at all, seeing as her entire left arm was metal.
We jumped apart as we heard Latula clear her throat in the doorway, “As I’d hate to break up such a sweet moment, Mom’s getting impatient.”
My face burning, I got up and flashed a small smile at Vriska, “I’ll come visit you tomorrow if I can get a ride here.”
She nodded and hit the button for more morphine, and I could hear the smirk in her voice when she spoke, “You better come visit me! I’m going to be soooooooo bored here without anyone here.”
I laughed, “I’ll find a way, Karkat drives doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, but good luck getting him to actually drive somewhere without asking for a lot of gas money, his family isn’t very well off.”
“Well mine is, I’m not worried about the money part. I’ll come see you,” I said, smiling.
“Okay, see you tomorrow then Tereeeeeeeezi!”
I smiled at her and turned around to head over to Latula, who ruffled my hair, eliciting a sound of surprise and indignation from me. I heard Vriska laughing as we left, one of my favorite sounds.
We got downstairs and headed outside. It was still a nice day and it was nice to smell something besides stale hospital air.
Mom lightly tapped the horn on her car, causing me to jump at the sudden noise. We walked over to her car and got in, myself in the front seat.
“Ready to go back?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, it’ll be okay,” I flashed a small smile to her.
“Oh yeah it’ll be good girl, especially once your girlfriend gets out of the hospital!” Latula teased.
“Shut up!” I felt my face heat up again.
Mom laughed, “The prosecution asks for further explanation from the witness.”
Latula laughed maniacally, “With pleasure!”
My face burned the entire way back to campus.
We got to campus and I got a hug from Mom and Latula before they left. I walked toward my dorm and found Nepeta, Karkat, Tavros, and Equius in front of the building. I could hear them talking halfway up the hill that the dorm sat on top of.
Nepeta ran up first and it probably took all her power to only give me a light hug instead of tackling me to the ground, “I’m so glad that you and Vriskers are okay! We heard about what happened from Kanaya and we were so worried about you guys!”
She let go and I shrugged, “Yeah we’re okay, if I wasn’t for Vriska though I would have probably ended up with my skull smashed in.”
She rapidly nodded her head, “Well, I’m glad that you went to her room then!”
I nodded, “I take it Kanaya told you guys that I got released?”
Karkat spoke up next, walking over to me, “Yeah, she did. Also, I wanted to apologize for being a fucking douchecanoe about this whole thing, if I knew what he had been doing to you I would stuck around.”
“It’s fine Karkles, you didn’t know,” I smiled at the use of the old nickname, even if it only amused me.
“No, it’s not okay Terezi!” he said almost desperately. “I shouldn’t have just ditched you two. I saw the bruises on you and I didn’t do anything about it. I was going to ask but…”
I stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, “It’s fine Karkat.”
He shook his head again, “No, no it’s not.”
We sat there in silence for a bit, the silence first being awkward and then turning comfortable, waiting for my family to get here.
It couldn’t have been longer than twenty minutes when my family arrived and the nurse came to get me.
“Break a leg Pyrope, only not literally,” Vriska laughed as I rolled my eyes and left.
I walked with the nurse, the same one that brought me over here, back to my room. I should have been in there this entire time, but instead I was with Vriska. The nurse quickly took my vitals, mumbling about how that should have been done hours ago, and left to go get my mom and sister.
I sat on the bed, nervously fiddling with the cord on my cane. Mom was going to be pissed that I didn’t tell her, and Latula was probably going to be mad too. I didn’t tell them what was going on when I should have. My mom was a prosecutor, she would have known what to do to keep me safe from him.
I guess I had just not wanted them to get caught in the middle between me and my psychopathic ex.
I tilted my head back up when I heard the familiar click clack of my mom’s boots, and Latula’s voice echoing through the hall. She was never a quiet person, and neither am I. So why was I so quiet today?
Latula came in and walked up to me first, sitting down and wrapping an arm around my right shoulder, “Hey there rad girl, how’re you doin’?”
“Fine, I guess,” I had my head angled down as if I was staring at the floor.
“You’re not being honest here girly,” she said, ruffling my hair before sitting up straight.
Mom walked over next, pulling a chair over but giving me a hug first before sitting down, “I’m glad you’re at least mostly intact, but the prosecution asks why you didn’t come forward about the situation earlier?”
Her voice wasn’t harsh, which told me she was indulging in my appreciation for courtroom roleplays. They both knew I liked to roleplay as if everything was a trial. In a sense, everything was a trial though.
“Because he was threatening to kill me, I didn’t see any other option. As much as justice needed to be dealt, there was no way of going about it without getting killed,” I mumbled. I did have a great measure of self preservation, at least now I did.
“I would have had the entire police force protecting you, you know this right?” she spoke softly. She could tear a defendant apart in a courtroom any day, but when it came to her kids she knew how to be a mom, a luxury that many kids didn’t have.
Well, neither of us are children anymore, but try telling that to my mom.
“I know, but I didn’t want to risk it. At one point he told me that he would have come after you guys too… I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger because of me. It’s bad enough that Vriska got hurt too…” I stifled a whine. I wasn’t going to break down here or anywhere for that matter.
“You know I have the police on speed dial Terezi, I would just have to dial and press a button if I couldn’t talk and they’d be at our doorstep.”
I sighed, “He had me wrapped around his fingers Mom, I didn’t know what to do… I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
I heard her shift and shake her head, “Was this why you wanted to move so badly? Because he lived nearby?”
I nodded slowly, “Yeah, it was. If he didn’t know where I lived he couldn’t hurt me right? I mean it was only a matter of time before he got to me, but it was at least something.”
She sighed heavily and pulled me into her arms again, “If I could be the prosecutor for this case, he would never see the light of day again. Unfortunately that would be considered conflict of interest therefore I can’t.”
“I know Mom,” I choked. I pulled my glasses off and rubbed furiously at my eyes. I wasn’t going to cry, I’ve done enough of that for one school year. Granted the school year had already started and I’ve only cried the one time that Vriska showed up, but that was more than enough for me.
“You’re okay now Terezi, your okay,” Mom soothed, rubbing my back.
Latula hugged me from the side, “You’re okay lil’ sis, he’s gonna be behind barz now.”
I felt my composure crack and I sobbed harder than I had in a long time.
Around three in the afternoon they released me.
Mom had already gone ahead to get the car from the parking garage and promised to meet us out front as I took the last handful of pain medication the nurse handed to me and signed my discharge papers.
I turned to face where Latula was sitting next to me and asked, “Do you mind if you show me over to Vriska’s room so I can see her before we leave?”
“Sure girl! She’s in room 48 in the ICU right?” Latula said cheerfully.
“She was moved over into room 413, which is only a floor up,” the nurse chimed in.
“Okay, we can totally swing over there before we headz out!”
I nodded and stood up. We walked to the nearest elevator and headed up, Latula texting our mom to let her know where we were going. I had been in room 314, so I had been almost directly below her.
“I’ll wait out here,” Latula said when we got there. I nodded and walked in.
Vriska probably would have snapped her head up if it wasn’t for the fact that it probably still hurt like hell. Instead I heard her lift it slowly, her hair shifting over the uncomfortable hospital gowns that everyone here had to wear.
“Hey Pyrope, your back,” she said quietly. “And in real clothes.”
“Yeah, I got discharged. They told me that my shoulder should be healed after about two months,”I muttered as I walked over sat on her bed next to her.
“If you got released then why are you still here?”
She was quiet, she’s never quiet. Wondering why she was quiet made my chest ache because I figured she was hurting over something. That was the only explanation.
I shrugged with my good shoulder, I didn’t have a good reason to give her.
“Considering Aranea’s offer?” she sat up and asked not any louder than she had been.
“Considering yeah, not sure whether or not I actually want to see.”
She nodded, “Yeah, I’m so used to only seeing through one I it’s just normal to me.”
“Yeah.”
Silence fell again, awkward again.
I turned to get up, but she grabbed my hand, the metal surprisingly warm against my wrist. Must have to do with the mechanics of the prosthetic or something that kept it warm, “No, don’t go yet. I wanted to talk to you about something but I didn’t know how to bring it up.”
I turned back to face her, those stupid feelings in my chest rising into my throat and no matter how desperately I tried to force them down, it wasn’t working.
“That’s not like you Serket, you’re usually blunt about everything,” I said quietly.
She shrugged, “Heh, I guess you’re right.”
She was silent for a second, not moving her hand, before saying, “Oh fuck this,” and ran her hand up my arm, tangling it in my hair, and pulling my head down awkwardly to bump against hers, causing her to gasp in pain, before managing to guide her mouth against mine.
That traitorous feeling in my chest spread all over me, from my chest to my toes to my fingers to my head. It was warm, and it was comfortable.
I finally had to admit to myself that this was what I had wanted. This is what that feeling was. It was a feeling of wanting to completely give yourself up to someone, and not just because they saved your life.
It was completely surprising that her kiss wasn’t demanding, she was soft and felt caring. It wasn’t something that I was used to, not at all, so it took me completely by surprise. I kissed her back at the same tempo.
Her hand kept me in place, but I didn’t try to move away either. Something told me that if I had even wanted to move, she would have let me. I didn’t want to move, I didn’t want to be anywhere but right here.
However, I didn’t want to place myself in a place of vulnerability again. Never again did I want to go through what I did with Gamzee, but I didn’t think that Vriska would do that. Why would she save my life only to take it away?
Soon I was shaking though, my eyes watering. I wanted to have something where I could actually feel like I’m on equal footing with the other… Could she give that to me?
Her robotic arm slid back down to my arm and I pressed my face into the crook of her neck. She rubbed my back, “Shhhh… Shhhh… You’re okay,” she soothed.
“Everyone keeps telling me that,” I said quietly. I pulled my head up when I realized that my glasses were probably stabbing into her neck, which didn’t sound very comfortable.
“Why are you being so… not you?” I asked softly.
She scoffed, “Something about you, I don’t know what, makes me to want to not be a huge bitch to you.”
I snorted, taking my glasses off to dry my face, “That’s no fun, I like being able to tease you when I know I’ll get a response.”
She laughed, running her hand through my hair again, “Oh you’ll get a response all right.”
I laughed, “Good! You wouldn’t be you without it.”
She laughed and pulled my head back in for another kiss, only at a lost less of an awkward angle. She was a little more insistent this time, which sent a flutter of anxiety through my chest, but I welcomed it for it suited her.
We stayed like that for awhile, locked at the lips with Vriska absentmindedly brushing her metal fingers through my hair. I wondered briefly if she could feel my hair at all, seeing as her entire left arm was metal.
We jumped apart as we heard Latula clear her throat in the doorway, “As I’d hate to break up such a sweet moment, Mom’s getting impatient.”
My face burning, I got up and flashed a small smile at Vriska, “I’ll come visit you tomorrow if I can get a ride here.”
She nodded and hit the button for more morphine, and I could hear the smirk in her voice when she spoke, “You better come visit me! I’m going to be soooooooo bored here without anyone here.”
I laughed, “I’ll find a way, Karkat drives doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, but good luck getting him to actually drive somewhere without asking for a lot of gas money, his family isn’t very well off.”
“Well mine is, I’m not worried about the money part. I’ll come see you,” I said, smiling.
“Okay, see you tomorrow then Tereeeeeeeezi!”
I smiled at her and turned around to head over to Latula, who ruffled my hair, eliciting a sound of surprise and indignation from me. I heard Vriska laughing as we left, one of my favorite sounds.
We got downstairs and headed outside. It was still a nice day and it was nice to smell something besides stale hospital air.
Mom lightly tapped the horn on her car, causing me to jump at the sudden noise. We walked over to her car and got in, myself in the front seat.
“Ready to go back?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, it’ll be okay,” I flashed a small smile to her.
“Oh yeah it’ll be good girl, especially once your girlfriend gets out of the hospital!” Latula teased.
“Shut up!” I felt my face heat up again.
Mom laughed, “The prosecution asks for further explanation from the witness.”
Latula laughed maniacally, “With pleasure!”
My face burned the entire way back to campus.
We got to campus and I got a hug from Mom and Latula before they left. I walked toward my dorm and found Nepeta, Karkat, Tavros, and Equius in front of the building. I could hear them talking halfway up the hill that the dorm sat on top of.
Nepeta ran up first and it probably took all her power to only give me a light hug instead of tackling me to the ground, “I’m so glad that you and Vriskers are okay! We heard about what happened from Kanaya and we were so worried about you guys!”
She let go and I shrugged, “Yeah we’re okay, if I wasn’t for Vriska though I would have probably ended up with my skull smashed in.”
She rapidly nodded her head, “Well, I’m glad that you went to her room then!”
I nodded, “I take it Kanaya told you guys that I got released?”
Karkat spoke up next, walking over to me, “Yeah, she did. Also, I wanted to apologize for being a fucking douchecanoe about this whole thing, if I knew what he had been doing to you I would stuck around.”
“It’s fine Karkles, you didn’t know,” I smiled at the use of the old nickname, even if it only amused me.
“No, it’s not okay Terezi!” he said almost desperately. “I shouldn’t have just ditched you two. I saw the bruises on you and I didn’t do anything about it. I was going to ask but…”
I stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, “It’s fine Karkat.”
He shook his head again, “No, no it’s not.”