Don't Pull My Strings (Cal/Karkat)

[raunchyJanitor]

10:22 a.m. glowed on Karkat's phone, temporarily distracting him from his endless pacing around his pristinely vacuumed and dusted, dinky apartment. Mr. Egbert had called the apartment "quaint" when he helped Karkat move out, which translated into small-ass clusterfuck home with a hallway meant for one occupant at a time. Karkat wouldn't have minded so much if he hadn't had to share such a constricting space with complete strangers, strangers whom he had gotten rather skilled at chasing away with his sparkling personality. Had he the money, Karkat would have more than gladly paid for a place for himself, but he was still working as a student teacher for the highschool nearby. The location couldn't be more convenient as it was only a few blocks away from the school and as far as prices went for the quality of the place, it could have been far worse.

But it was still out of Karkat's single paycheck range.

Which was why one fateful day on trollian when Dave mentioned his brother, Cal, was hoping to move out, Karkat readily offered up his place. Maybe not so much readily, he was always apprehensive when it came to the Striders, but with all the extensions Karkat had been forced to coax out of the landlord, he was starting to get desperate, and rightfully so. He would be delusional if he thought that he could get another extension after his last little reunion of quality good times with the landlord didn't go so well. For some bizarre reason, starting a strife with the landlord apparently doesn't make things better, especially when you lose. Way to go Vantas. Gold star for making your shitty dilemma even shittier.

After an awkward and unnecessarily lengthy conversation with Dave playing as the carrier pigeon for messages between Karkat and Cal, they settled on 10:30 a.m. for Karkat to show Cal around the apartment. As much as it pained Karkat, he knew he would have to restrain any and all urges that insisted that he snap and bark at his guest if he wanted to hold any chance of keeping him around as a new room mate. No matter what untold horror of ignorant, ballsweat encrusted, pig shit excuse of a sentient mammal that Karkat would soon have to face, he was going to contain his fucking temper, god damn it.

[cacklingMarionette]

Said "ignorant, ballsweat encrusted, pig shit excuse of a sentient mammal" was currently looking up at the apartment complex that had the same address as the paper in his hand. It wasn't easy to just up and go like he did, but sometimes, things are easier when you're the one to back down. He just wishes it wasn't so difficult. Regardless, the bright-eyed human took a deep breath and made his way inside the doors, heading for the stairs to make his way to the third floor.

After taking his last step, he glanced around for some sort of indication that said which direction certain rooms were. Room 69 to be precise. Finding none, he turned to the left, looking at every single number next to the bland looking doors, each with their own signs of wear. Even more interesting were some of the sounds that emanated from behind them: one had the sounds of gunshots; probably (hopefully ) from a movie or television show of some sort. Another one had crying behind it. And another was...well, far from child friendly to put it nicely. Shuddering softly, he continued on until he reached the end of the hallway...only to find no room 69. Raising a brow, he turned around to face the seemingly endless hallway. Goddamn it, he went the wrong way. Pouting, he trekked back to where he was, past all of those doors, and moving past new ones.

Finally reaching the apartment he wanted, he stared at the door for a good few minutes. Was he really going to do this?
...Seeing as how he had two large bags full of all of his shit in them while staring blank at the door of his new 'home', he'd have to sadly say so. So with a heavy sigh, Cal knocked on the door, waiting for his future roommate to open the door. From what Dave had said about him, the dude seemed like he was going to be...aggressive. If not physically, then verbally. Truth be told, he was a little iffy about just up and moving in with someone that Dave just happens to know. But at this point in time, he doesn't have much of a choice.

[raunchyJanitor]

Despite the fact that Karkat had been expecting it, he was still startled by the sudden spout of knocking, his bloodpusher already beginning to thud heavily in his ears. He tip-toed over to the front door and checked the peephole, hands pressed against the wooden and shoddily painted surface as he tilted up on the tips of his feet until his line of sight could reach the fish-eye lense. Much to his surprise, the human was right on time, assuming that this was the person he was originally anticipating. He had never shown much of an interest in getting to know about Dave's personal life, much less his siblings, though upon a glance, the Striders' trade mark platinum blonde locks was a bit of a give away. Then there were also the heavy-looking bags he was totting. This was probably him.

Karkat shifted his weight off the door and took a slow, therapeutic breath. He didn't have to be as inviting as Disney's Lumiere and perform a musical number to charm his guest into staying. All he had to be was tolerable. Who knows, he might not be as atrocious as his younger brother? While we're at it, maybe he also shits solid gold ostrich eggs? With that pathetic form of encouragement in mind, Karkat unlocked the door, one lock at a time, until only the chain lock remained as he cautiously pulled the door open. The chain was eventually pulled taught once the door left a wide enough gap for the troll to address the human, revealing only a sliver of his face to the blonde. "Are you here for the room?" He asked, cutting straight to the point.

[cacklingMarionette]

The series of locks had Cal raising his brow in curiosity, but after passing the series of doors on his way here, he could understand. That, and from the series of descriptions from Dave, Karkat seemed like a closed-in, paranoid little guy. And when the door opened just a sliver, he wasn't expecting to have been physically correct about that comment. The voice wasn't as scratchy as he expected. Firm, just an octave or two deeper than his own voice. He gave a single nod to the question, before deciding that it seemed too vague of a response.

"You're Karkat, I'm guessing , yes?" He asked, shifting a little to adjust the bag on his shoulder. The thing was heavy, and his shoulder was actually starting to fall asleep.

[raunchyJanitor]

"Yes," Karkat confirmed, tilting his head as he inspected the surrounding area of the human through the door gap as if he was expecting someone might be lurking behind him. It seemed like a far-fetched idea, especially considering just how hard it would be to hide anyone truly intimidating behind someone so lanky, but Karkat preferred not to take chances with strangers.

The chain lock was finally unlatched after the troll deemed it was safe enough to let him in, pulling the door back and gesturing for him to step inside with a slight nod towards the inside. He didn't trust himself not to greet the human with a bombardment of insults, holding his tongue for now as he directed his attention to examining Cal's appearance. Overall, this Cal person didn't look anywhere near as repulsively cocky and smug as his younger brother was, but that may have possibly been due to the fact that Karkat had yet to know him. If anything, he looked uncertain, something that Karkat wouldn't have thought anyone related to the Striders could even express.

[cacklingMarionette]

Just as he suspected, the little guy seemed to be paranoid about something. Probably the shitty neighbors he kept, though not of his own choice. He could only wonder how many times a mugging happened or how often the cops are called. Or if anything generally weird happens. Regardless, the human gives him a nod of thanks as he's invited inside, doing so just to set down his bags off to the side with a sigh of relief.

He rolls his shoulders a few times before turning to look at his new possible roommate. On the shorter side (much like himself), dark bags under his eyes, and an overall cranky expression on his face. But there was something sort of adorable about the way he frowned. Not that Cal would call on it- that would be weird. Despite his observances, he offers the troll a friendly smile, exposing the gold tooth that was where his upper right central should be. "Dave told me you were really close to your rent deadline, so I have the money for you up front for this month." He said, hoping to get on his good side the first time around.

[raunchyJanitor]

Karkat kept an eye on Cal as he fastened the door again, although this time he only secured the deadbolt that came with the doorknob, leaving the other three locks untouched. It was never wise to completely lock yourself in with someone you just met, after all.

He watched as the human set his bags down, wondering if that was really all he had or if there was more waiting for him in a truck somewhere. That bit of gold flashing in his grin was almost distracting enough for him to not hear what the human said, up until he mentioned the word "rent." He tried not to stare into those bright, dollish eyes of his as he replied, "Yes that's, that's actually great. I'll make sure to give that to the landlord tonight." It certainly saved Karkat the embarrassment of having to scrounge it out of his new room mate so soon. Then there was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Karkat willed himself to continue trying to be hospitable to his room mate.

"I'm going to start showing around the apartment now, so unless you're hunky-dorey with figuring everything out on your own, I suggest you follow me," he stated bluntly, shuffling over towards the kitchen.

[cacklingMarionette]

Awww yiss, points to you, Cal. He gave him a light nod, actually glancing towards one of his bags where the money was actually hidden. His own job wasn't that much of an issue where he'd have to worry about getting the money in on time- that and he's got quite a bit of money in his savings. They should be good for a long while.

He couldn't help but chuckle when he spoke; probably because of the 'hunky-dorey' comment. But despite that, he followed after him, glancing around at his surroundings to take everything into memory. Mental notes here, decoration appreciation there. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would be.

[raunchyJanitor]

As Karkat lead them through the kitchen, he made sure to point out the drawer closest to the sink that refused to come out unless you carefully wiggled it forward. He demonstrated how the back two burners on the stove wouldn't light up as well, twisting their dials gently and glancing towards Cal to make sure that he could see. "The front two work, but they are much smaller. If you only ever plan on heating soup with this stove, then that should be all you really need."

The troll searched for something else to explain to the human while they were in here, thrumming his finger tips along the surface of the fridge littered with alphabet magnets. Bright shades of every color magnet were clustered together to form one very large, very angry paragraph's worth of a rant Karkat had composed for his first room mate. Essentially, the ramble went along the lines about how the fridge shouldn't be taking part in the tragedy of the commons because it was not, in fact, a common, but a food storage unit containing edibles that belonged to their SEPERATE owners.

"The eating utensils are in that drawer," Karkat instructed, pointing towards another drawer. "Drinking glasses are in the cabinet above that, plates and bowls go in the cabinet next to that, the other one, the one over by the one covered in shitty stickers, yeah that one... Also, the dish washer is completely fucked, so, either wash your own dishes, or I'll start locking these cabinets up." He wasn't joking.

[cacklingMarionette]

The mental note taking continued on as he was guided around the kitchen. Most of the time, Cal's hunger was always lacking- which explains his lithe figure. But when it came to others, he made sure they were well fed. In fact, that's generally when he would eat: when others were eating as well. He looked over at the stove, wondering why the two back burners didn't work. Hm...he was handy with his hands, but he didn't want to go fucking around with things that weren't his to begin with.

Cal happened to glance over at the fridge while Karkat thought of what else to tell him, considering the bright colors attracted his gaze. His eyes scanned over the assorted words, barely managing to suppress the snort of amusement. Note taken: don't eat any of Karkat's food. At least, not without asking or offering to pay for it to be replaced.

When Karkat started talking again, Cal's gaze snapped back to the troll before redirecting towards where Karkat was gesturing. Yes, good, knowledge of location. And at the last comment, Cal's eyes went to the dishwasher, then to the sink itself. He smiled. "Considering I make it a priority to make sure the sink is free of dishes, it won't be a problem." Then his smile faltered a little. "Taking into consideration of who I...used to live with. No one else was going to do them, so."

[raunchyJanitor]

Cal's faltering smile did not go unnoticed, though Karkat preferred not to further investigate the exact circumstances that lead Cal to persist a new place of accommodation, partly in fear of losing his new room mate as well as the fact that they had only just met. That, and Karkat was still kind of a prick.

Karkat smirked in a tiny gesture of appreciation towards the human. "Thank god at least one of you learned how to clean up after yourself."

[cacklingMarionette]

Regardless of whether or not they would have known each other for any extended period of time, be it the amount they've accumulated now or even longer, the subject was still a little tender and fresh to discuss. In time, he would share his reasons. But for now, he just wanted to try and move on.

Keyword: try.

"I was pretty much playing mother in that dysfunctional game called House." He mused, reaching up to remove his hat and scratch at the back of his head. "Kinda makes me wonder what they're going to do without me. But hey, not my problem."

[raunchyJanitor]

Karkat nodded in sympathy, having dealt with room mates who would leave him with a kitchen stacked with dishes caked with rotting food on top of leaving piles of their old, stench-ridden clothes about the apartment. "I'm sure they'll be sorry you left once they're drowning in their moldy, puppet ass-flavored filth," the troll assured him, gesturing for Cal to follow him back out of the kitchen and through the narrow hallway leading to the bedrooms.

A few framed movie posters were nailed along each wall, depicting a theme of sappy romances and romcoms featuring trolls. "The bathroom is straight ahead. Your room is on the left, mine is on the right. All costs are split 50/50, but that doesn't entitle you to hour-showers and leaving the lights on when no one needs them. The washing machines are downstairs..." Karkat began to trail off again as he struggled to find something else to explain. "Also, when you take a shower, if you're wondering what that thing on the shower head is, it's a filter. My first room mate put one in, had some sort of shitty human skin condition and now I swear by these things. Unless it's a problem for you, don't remove it. It's just short of impossible to re-install."

[cacklingMarionette]

As a response, the human simply gave a hum as be followed Karkat out into the hallway, putting his hands in his pockets. Hus attention was grabbed by the variety of posters, taking note of the colors and the themes. He couldn't really make out the Alternian script, knowing so little about it, but he could make out a letter here and there.

Left his, right yours, got it. And at the mentioning of showers and electricity, Cal simply grinned. "I'm usually conservative with these things." He said, hoping that he was giving Karkat reassurance and, even give him more of a reason not to hate him. "And as for the filter, I don't see much of a problem with it." Now all that was left was to see how big the bedrooms were.

[raunchyJanitor]

This new room mate was looking more promising than most of his earlier room mates had been, although the last one constantly fed him empty promises about cleaning up after themselves or paying for their half of the rent eventually, meaning never. At that thought, Karkat couldn't really help but give the human a fairly skeptical look-over, growing suspicious of just how accommodating Cal appeared to be. He was sure that he would come to be very well acquainted with his flaws in time, so for now it seemed best not to grow bitter in the assumption that the human was just putting on the Mr. Rogers' facade to impress him. Optimism before pessimism.

"Goody." The troll pulled open the empty bedroom door, nodding his head towards the interior as a cue for the blonde to step inside. The room was 12.5 ft by 12.5 ft, with enough space for a small bed and then some as well as a built in closet next to the door. "If there's anything still in here, that would be the fault of my previous room mate. There's a soda stain in the corner, but it's clean." At least, as clean as he could get it.

[cacklingMarionette]

The blue-eyed human took note of how Karkat was looking at him, finding it a little odd of him. In fact, all he could do was blink in confusion until the door to the bedroom was opened. Oh wait, he was telling him to come in. Cal gave him a light nod as he stepped past him to walk into the bedroom, glancing around the place. His arms hung loosely on his sides before they slowly started to swing forward and backwards idly. He Moved to one side of the room, then the other, gently kicking anything with no real value in his way aside. He poked his head into the closet, glancing this way and that before he finally turned to look at Karkat.

"It's no problem. I can definitely work with this. I just need a couple of trash bags, and I can have this place looking ship-shape." He responded with a grin. "But before that, I'll give you my share of the rent."

[raunchyJanitor]

Karkat watched Cal explore the room as he leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, tilting his head curiously at the way the human's arms swung about his body. He'd probably end up helping Cal clean the place, just as a way to ensure that he was interested in keeping him here. He tried not to look too eager at the mention of rent being paid up front. "We could take that to the landlord now if you like."

[cacklingMarionette]

He took note of his observing Karkat was being, having seen the proof as to why he was so skeptical of him. But he'd have to prove how good of a room mate he was over time. In time, he'll prove his worth. "Sounds good to me. I can get to cleaning when we come back, then I'll unpack." His smile faltered a little before he cleared his throat. "Also I should warn you, sometimes my cleaning can...get out of hand. Is there anything specifically you don't want me to touch? Because most likely once I finish with this room, I'll hover elsewhere to find something else to straighten out." He chuckled softly. "I'm kind of OCD with these kinds of things."

[raunchyJanitor]

Karkat mulled it over as he bent down to scoop up an empty beer bottle at his feet. This was the first room mate he had come across whom openly admitted to possessing a desire to clean, something all of his previous room mates were severely lacking in, if this room alone didn't make that painfully apparent. 

"If it doesn't look like it belongs in the trash or it's worth more than ten dollars, don't throw it out," he reasoned finally. "Also, it should go without saying, but my room is completely off limits." He pointed the bottle at Cal to punctuate his point, an action made half in jest, though he was completely serious about the message he was trying to send. "Under no circumstance are you or anyone else allowed in there." Understandably so, the troll had developed quite a number of trust issues throughout his life. He had learned all too well to anticipate disappointment with everyone he came across, even the people he liked.

[cacklingMarionette]

Cal nodded in acknowledgement at his reasoning, only to give Karkat a little snicker at the bottle pointing. "I understand the whole boundaries deal, Karkat. Striders are nothing but boundaries. Don't worry about a thing." He shifted from the mess around him and headed towards the door, looking back at Karkat expectantly. "So let's go drop off the rent, shall we?"

That being said, he went over to one of his bags and opened it up, rummaging around before pulling out an envelope and standing straight. "Check to see if it's the right amount. Dave kept throwing numbers around, so I went with the bigger amount."

[raunchyJanitor]

Karkat used a claw to slash open the envelope, his eyebrows rising in surprise at the sight of such a fat wad of cash. He pulled out its contents and flipped through the money, mouthing the estimate of each new bill he counted until he came across the total he had mentioned to Dave for rent. He tucked the larger pile back into the envelope before handing the rest back to Cal. 

"This should cover it. If Dave hasn't run it by you already, the start-up fee you're giving me now is twice as much as your regular share of the rent will be from now on. It's like a deposit, basically." The only two reasons he was asking for so much money upfront was because it would get the landlord off his ass and secondly, as deposits went, it gave him some promise that his room mate was in for the long haul and less willing to flake out on him by the end of the month. 

"Alright, if that's everything, I'll show you where our landlord resides." The troll gestured for the human to follow him back through the hallway. "Usually, I just pay the bills online or mail it to him, but I'm feeling pretty neighborly today."

[cacklingMarionette]

Cal watched as he counted the money, kind of amused by the expression on his face. Looks like Dave told him the wrong amount. Better too much than too less after all. He nodded when he took the remaining money back, putting it back into his bag. The rest would go to the landlord, as he followed Karkat towards the door.

"I'm guessing that your neighborly moods doesn't happen often?" He mused, taking Karkat's tone into consideration. "Then again I don't blame you, with the neighbors you have around here."

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