Blood Ties, Breath Secrets

Chapter One

John Egbert had never been happier.

He was standing outside the door of his house, clutching another boy's hand tightly. "You ready?" John asked.

"D-mn right!" cried Karkat with joy. Now- this wasn't the fantasy John had always imagined. In his dreams it was Dave next to him. Dave, his best friend, with his beautiful blonde hair and striking eyes. Dave, who he had loved since he had set eyes on him. Dave, who had been dating Jade for a year now.

Dave, who he wasn't pining over anymore. But why would he? He had Karat- Karkat, who he was about to introduce as his boyfriend.

"No swearing in front my dad!" chastised John gently.

"What fun is that?" Karkat grumbled, but there was a smile on his face. He was just as excited as John. This last month had been awesome.

"Dad!" he called. "There's someone I'd like you to meet!" A tall figure peeked out of the kitchen and strolled towards the boys. A fantastic looking hat was perched on his head and his blue eyes matched John's exactly.

"Hello, son. Who's this?" He glanced down, seeing John holding his hand. Dad Egbert reached out to take the pipe out of his mouth.

"Dad..." said John in a surprisingly strong voice. "This is my boyfriend, Karkat Vantas." His dad cocked an eyebrow with curiosity, but there wasn't any anger in his face.

"Boyfriend, huh? Well at least this way you won't get anyone pregnant. But- may I ask- what happened to that Lalonde girl? Rose? She was nice, I thought. Looked a lot like her mother." Dad Egbert sighed softly at the mention of Mom Lalonde.

"Oh." blushed John. "That was just... a cover. We were never really dating."

His dad just shrugged, not even slightly fazed. "Well son, as long as you're happy." He turned his gaze to Karkat, becoming slightly more imposing. "Don't do anything to hurt John, okay? He's a wonderful boy."

"Daaad!" said John indignantly, but Karkat just nodded silently.

"Now," he said, taking another puff of his gentlemanly pipe. "I baked a cake if you two want any, but I'll be gone on an... errand. Have fun, John, and be careful!" With a cheerful wave, Dad Egbert stepped past the two boys and out the door to his "errand" (which likely involved Mom Lalonde).

John turned to Karkat with a shy smile. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No..." he mumbled. But Karkat brightened when he said, "Plus, we have the house to ourselves!"

"I thought you were going to say we have cake, but yeah, that is a plus. We could... uh..." John blushed deeply. "We could go up to my room if you wanted." Karkat mock-gasped.

"Scandalous, John! And here I thought this was to introduce me to your family- but really, you just wanted to get into my pants. Although I have been told my d-ck is hellacious."

"If you ever say 'hellacious' again I will literally kill you."

"That's fine with me!" said Karkat happily as he ran up the stairs to John's room and bounced onto his bed. "Nice place you got here, dude. Very... nerdy."

"I'm nerdy!" John huffed. He sat down next to Karkat, their legs a couple inches apart.

"I like nerdy." Karkat purred with an impressive amount of seduction, pressing his leg against John's.

John turned away, suddenly shy. When he spoke, his voice was a soft whisper. "I've... I've never kissed anyone before."

Suddenly gentle, Karkat turned John's face so their eyes met. "It's okay, John. You don't need to worry with me."

John thought Dave was handsome, but Karkat was something else. He was so alive. His eyes, his mouth, God his mouth.

"I really want to kiss you right now." murmured John, his eyes dead-set on Karkat's lips.

They leaned in, barely touching at first, but when John felt the rush of his skin- his taste- he pushed harder. Hands reached for Karkat's face, lips just barely parting... then opening...

His first kiss was everything he'd imagined.

Yes, John Egbert had never been happier.