All in Time

Chapter 14

It's finally Saturday. I'm able to meet Karkat's family. Hopefully they won't go ballistic over the simplest things.

Karkat was driving again, complaining about how I needed to get my own driver's license. I shut him up by turning up the sound on the radio. Shitty songs from the top 40 played from the speakers, but it was better than Karkat's whining.

The drive was much longer than I had expected. The radio managed to loop back on the songs before we made it there. When we did, I took in my surroundings. The house was nice and in a fairly wooded area. The house itself was brick with dark shutters and an equally dark door. There was porch looping around the side of it with an assortment of chairs and tables.

"This is a pretty nice house," I said absentmindedly. Karkat hums in agreement.

"So, uh, I have a pretty big family and they all take some getting used to. So just try to be polite because manners are a big thing with them," Karkat fretted.

"Manners? You sure you learned your own, sweet cheeks?" I teased. He gave a me a soft slap on my arm and I took that as my cue to shut my trap.

Karkat knocked on the door this time. I could hear a few laughs and what sounded like a cut off lecture. After that died down, I heard loud footsteps clicking towards the door.

When it opened, it revealed an elderly woman, but one who has aged very gracefully. She had short, dark brown hair with few strands of grey, slightly tanned skin, and sharp green-blue eyes. She smiled lovingly at Karkat.

"Karkat, it's so nice to see you!" She chirped as she pulled him in for a hug not much unlike the one my own mother had given me.

"You too, Rosa. Is everyone here?" Karkat replied. The woman, now known as Rosa, nodded in response to his question. She gestured for us to walk inside the house.

The inside was also incredibly nice. There were frames on the wall containing what looked like family pictures and then portraits of only singular people. I spotted Karkat's quickly. His perpetual bedhead is hard to miss.

We were led to what looked like a lounge room or something like that. Sitting in the seats were around five girls and one guy. Two of the girls looked very familiar.

Wait. That's Nepeta, I expected her, but the other one was Kanaya, and I had no clue that she and Karkat were related.

"Please, sit," Rosa said, sitting down herself. I settled in a chair next to the one Karkat sat in. I have a feeling that Karkat sensed my nervousness because he gave my hand a quick squeeze before my hand letting go again.

"Alright, so Dave, this is my family. I told you that it was a big one. Let's get on with introductions," Karkat said, breaking the short period of silence.

"Everyone, this is Dave." He said. "Dave, that's Kankri"

He pointed to guy, who just gave me as much of a poker face as I gave him. He looked very similar to Karkat except for his matching brown eyes.

"This is Porrim" He pointed to the younger looking woman sitting next to Kankri. She was pretty. She had the same appearance as Rosa, except her hair fell down her back and it lacked the grey. Her facial structure was a little different. It was more angular and firm.

"This is Muelin," He gestured to a girl with long ginger hair and an line in the middle of her Cupid's bow obviously made with makeup. The girl waved energetically.

"This is Kanaya" He motioned towards Kanaya. She had dark, dark brown hair and tan skin, with the same eyes as Rosa. Kanaya nodded respectfully in my direction as Karkat moved on with the names.