"And then the salesman says, 'that's not a horse, that's your sweaty uncle!'"
"...I don't get it."
Shula shrugged as she took out a wrapped cheeseburger. "You're right, Car. I don't know why I laughed like that. You want a burger?"
"Sure I do. Oh hey, is that bacon?"
"The bacon is all mine!" Shula teased.
Outside of the room, Orion peered in through the window. He was disheartened to see Shula with someone else. He hadn't been good at words, but could never stop watching her. Waiting for a good chance to admit how he felt. "Maybe someday..." he muttered to himself.
"Watch it Shu, tomato's escaping!" Carissa warned, but she was too late. One of the tomato slices slipped from between the buns and landed on the rim of Shula's shirt.
"Don't move!"
Shula froze in place, only for a drop of ketchup to fall down and upset the tomato slice's delicate balance. Within moments, it fell over the rim and down the inside of Shula's shirt. She eeped, naturally. Orion raised an eyebrow and flushed slightly, he was trying not to stare.
"Eee~! Get it out, get it out!" Shula squeeled, quickly putting away her half-eaten cheeseburger. Carissa reached out and plonked a hand down her BFF's shirt, the same way the tomato slice had gone.
"Okay, where'd that sneaky sumbitch slide off to", Carissa mumbled as she fidgeted around a bit. Shula squeaked a bit.
Orion began to sweat, both from jealously and arousal. He couldn't look away, but nor could he really stand what he was seeing go down before him. After a few more tense seconds of fumbling around, Carissa finally extracted the errant slice from Shula's secret compartment, smearing vegetable juice and that bit of ketchup over her chest.
"Car, you're making a mess of my body", Shula teased. "It's not even sunrise yet."
In reaction, Carissa just carefully wiped two fingers along the trail and stuck them in Shula's mouth. When all the tomato juice was removed from said fingers, Shula carefully pulled away the front of her shirt and gazed down.
"There's still a bit there, I think..."
Orion couldn't take it. He got up and stepped back slowly, he just couldn't stand this. It was heart wrenching to see, and rather disturbing to think he was enjoying this as well. He dashed off to his hive with a STRONG run. Or rather he would have, had he not run headfirst into Susanna.
"OW!" She stumbled back onto the ground, "Whats the hurry FUCKASS?"
Orion apologized, "Sorry! Sorry! I must go!" He turned away and kept running.
Susanna raised an eyebrow, she was curious as to what had gotten HIM of all trolls so freaked out.
-----
Orion sat on the bed in his room and sobbed softly to himself. He wasn't strong about this at all. He just kept feeling weaker and weaker as he continued to watch Shula spend time with Carissa and Dylan. Watching them swap saliva and, he couldn't keep the line of thought. He shook his head a shuttered at it.
"Maybe I am not as STRONG as my father on these things..." He sighed.
A knock was soon heard on his door. He straightened his back and wiped his eyes free of any tears, hoping the shades may hide his reddened pupils.
"Come in!" He shouted.
Susanna stepped into the room and scowled. "Is this what YOU have been doing?"
He cowered a bit, worried he had already been found out, "What are you referring to? I have been doing nothing."
"EXACTLY!" Susanna stated, "You haven't done SHIT at ALL today. Why is that?" She pulled a box of fries out of her hoodies pocket and began to slowly chow down.
Orion glared at the fries, "Where did you get those?"
"Shula got them for ME." She smiled, taking a small bite of one. Savoring its freskly baked and salty flavor.
He sighed and looked away, "Well thats fine because I am not hungry at all. I would never take food from someone even if they offered." He could feel himself begin to sweat.
Susanna rolled her eyes and took a fry, holding it to Orion's mouth. She muttered, "You are a dirty little LIAR and need to EAT. Have one."
Orion flushed blue-green slightly from this, he hadn't expected her to actually offer any. He leaned in and took a bite of the fry Susanna had offered to him. She reeled her hand back and finished off the fry.
"So what have you REALLY been doing?" She asked.
He tried to avoid eye contact, "I have been uhmm...just...sitting here..thinking.." He sat back down onto his bed, lying through his teeth as he perspired.
Susanna sat down next to him and smiled, she knew he was fibbing. Everyone knew when he was. "Thinking about WHAT?" Though she decided to humor him.
"About...red romance.." His sweating started to decline.
Susanna raised an eyebrow, she was intrigued now. "What about RED romance?"
"There is this troll I like...I have very STRONG feelings for her." Orion muttered, "Now let's say she was not interested in me and it was BREAKING my heart..." His tone took a turn for the saddening.
Susanna flushed slightly and scooted closer to him, eating another fry slowly. Licking the salt off of it, "Why isn't she INTERESTED? Have you said how you FEEL?"
"No...I am not BRAVE enough to do that..."
"So HOW is she going to know you like her then?" She asked, beginning to lean against Orion.
He tried not to be embarassed by such close proximity. He looked away and continued to speak, "She may already have her quadrant filled though...her father Karkat is ver-" Before he could finish what he was saying Susanna pinned him down onto the bed. Her face was flushed red and her eyes seemed to have a strange mood to them. he gulped nervously.
"What....what are you doing?" He asked, trying to keep calm.
She smiled at him and took a fry and offered it to him, "Just SHUT UP and eat. You're still HUNGRY."
"But Susanna...I..Mmmf!" Orion was surprised to see Susanna had kissed him to forcefeed him said fry. It had caught him completely off guard. He chewed and swallowed after she stopped the kiss, and looked at her with extreme confusion. "Why are you..?"
"Didn't you MEAN me..." She blushed and confided to him, "My father is Karkat...my quadrants could be filled...its me you're REFERRING to, RIGHT?" She seemed a bit worried.
Orion laid there, Susanna on top of him, mouth agape. "Susanna...I was referring to Shula."
"..." Susanna didn't move, she whimpered slightly and just sighed. She got off of Orion and covered herself. She crossed her legs and looked away from Orion, heavily embarrassed. "..SORRY."
Orioned sat back up, "Susanna...do you fell that way about me?"
She looked at him and shook her head, "NO....Well...not REALLY. I don't know..."
"So why do that to me?" He asked, "Why make such a BIG move."
"Because...I thought...and It would be...well..." She sighed and stood up, "I am NO GOOD at this and just..ugh." She was ready to storm off before Orion hugged her from behind, a very STRONG and comforting hug.
"Orion..I..." Susanna was soon interrupted.
"Hello derpman", Dylan Strider exclaimed. "Thought I'd find my li'l sis at your place."
Dylan had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, which he dropped on the floor for a moment so he could ruffle Orion and Susanna's hair. "You taking good care of my sis, dude?"
Orion stepped away from Susanna, "I think you came in at a most inopportune time and may be misunderstanding the context of the situation."
"And how's that, sweatmeister?"
"I was merely comforting her after she had comforted me." He explained, "I was giving her a hug to make her feel better."
"Is that what they call it nowadays? 'Comforting'? I oughta finish my little journey and go 'comfort' Shula, then."
Susanna grumbled and Orion seemed a little upset by that statement. Orion shrugged it off and shook his head. "Again, you are misinterpreting what was going on. Isn't that right Susanna?"
She looked at Orion, then at Dylan and didn't say a word. Dylan scratched the back of his head for a moment.
"Enough bullshitting on my part, then. What'd I miss?"
"None of your BUSINESS, FUCKASS!" Susanna shouted at Dylan before promptly bonking him on the head.
"Still a bitch", Dylan mumbled. "Hey dude, I got word on my way here that you'd been spying on my girl. What's the deal with that?"
Orion began to sweat profusely, he couldn't lie his way out of anything. Especially this. He looked from side to side and tried to say something, he bit his lip so something stupid wouldn't slip out. Susanna stepped in front of him and scoffed at Dylan.
"Who cares what he WAS watching? Why don't you MIND your own BUSINESS and get LOST, poser."
"Some sweaty douche spying on my girlfriend? I care, and it is my business, sis."
"Some PRISSY little FUCKASS like you storms into his ROOM without knocking." She glared at Dylan, "Pretty RUDE. So fuck off and I won't tell our mom about WHAT you and Shula do."
"She already knows, girl. Besides, the door was open and a Strider doesn't 'storm'. I wanted to talk to Orion anyway, and I'd like the answer I'm entitled to. From him."
"How about you LEAVE before I beat YOUR ass till the COWS come home!" She threatened. Orion was very surprised to see Susanna covering for him for this, when she had been upset about his feelings for Shula only moments ago.
"You know full well you couldn't do that. Best you can do is slap is me in the face."
Susanna slapped Dylan across the face, as would be expected.
"Consider my point made. You just afraid I won't like whatever Orion has to say and aggrieve his sweaty ass or what?"
"As his MOIRAIL I am going to keep him OUT of TROUBLE. Because I FEEL like you and SHULA will both be FUCKASSES about this."
"Even though I just all but promised there wouldn't be any trouble?"
Susanna was about to open her mouth, but Orion covered it and spoke up for himself. She wasn't pleased by this, but he began to speak, "I was watching her and Carissa, yes. I was doing research on what she liked and disliked."
"That so?" Dylan quickly wiped a finger over Orion's brow. "Guess it is. Now, why would you want to know that, I wonder..."
Dylan started to chuckle.
"Don't tell me, dude. Just... I suggest you just give up now. Go hug the little bitch or something, I'm off."
"Right..." Orion replied, his hand still covering Susanna's mouth, whom was beginning to struggle. Dylan just turned around, grabbed his bag and left to probably commit unspeakable acts with his girlfriend. Orion took his hand off of Susanna's mouth, she then proceeded to gasp for air.
Susanna sat back down on the bed and took a few moments to catch her breath. Orion looked at her surprised, "You...covered for me? Why?" He asked. "Why did you call me moirail?"
"Because...FUCKASS...I need to have at least one quadrant filled, right?" She inquired, unsure.
"I...I don't believe that is the case..but thank you." He stated returning to give her yet another hug. She hugged him back as tight as she could. The two held in that embrace for some time.
-----
"Honey, I'm home!" Dylan exclaimed as he entered Shula's bedroom. He promptly fell over from tripping on a loose blanket. The fall hardly hurt due to the same, so that was okay.
"Hey Dylan", the two girls said as one.
"Carrie, why are you wearing Shu's shirt? Shu, why are you not wearing any at all?"
"Shenanigans!"
"Right, missed the party again."
"That's okay, Dyll. We can always have another."
"Incidentally, ladies, I just visited Orion's place on my way here and guess what?"
"You found out why he was looking through my window?"
"He said he was researching your likes and dislikes or something dumb like that."
"Why would he want to know that?"
"I think he loves you, hon."
"So what'd you tell him?"
Dylan shrugged. "I suggested he gave up. Made a half-hearted attempt to ship him with Suzie."
"With her? Poor Ray... but hey I saved you a cheeseburger!"