Mutated Ectoplasm

1. Average Everyday

"Hey, Dad, not to ruin your fun here," Karkat swept an arm, gesturing to the wreckage. "But please tell me we aren't going to have the place decontaminated again. I'm sure the guys who do it are starting to recognize us."

Spades turned around to his son at the sound of his voice. "Kid, I told you to wait ten minutes before heading into the lab after an explosion. You have no idea what I could be doing down here!" He looked around, dazed. The force of the blast must've caused him to hit his head. "Besides, isn't it late? You should be sleeping for school by now."

"It's six o'clock in the morning, Dad. You worked all night again."

"I did?" Spades looked at his son incredulously. "Damn. Time must of flew by again. Had 'nother breakthrough, you know how it is."

"Yeah," Karkat rolled his eyes, kicking away a piece of wreckage near him. "I've made a lot of coffee to 'know how it is.' You didn't answer my question."

"It ain't radioactive or something like that, relax. I learned after the first three times."

"Tell that to the neighbors." Karkat looked around. "Well, not sure what you were expecting to happen, but clearly this wasn't it. You at least eat?"

"Maybe." Spades was immediately disproven when his stomach let out a hearty growl, somehow surprising him more than the explosion. "...Ok, maybe not. I was planning on it, but I think the food in the basement fridge is contaminated."

"Again?!" It looked like the teen would raise up a bigger fuss, but he pushed down the complaints. Pick your battles, Vantas, pick your battles. "You know what? Whatever. Is the food in the upstairs fridge still fine?"

"Last I checked."

"Okay." He raised his hands up in defeat. "I'm going to make breakfast. Take care of the leftover fires down here and maybe clear out the fridge." He turned around and made headway for the stairs. Grumbling curses and avoiding debris, he was already preparing.

"Got it." Affirmed Spades, who Karkat could hear start moving heavy metal already. "Oh, and kid? Make sure you and your friends are available later. I got another test planned later and I want some witnesses just in case that it works."

Mentally groaning, the sullen teen couldn't bother responding. Taking one step at a time, he trudged upwards to the living area. He was already counting the damage up in his head and planning out the day he was most likely going to have.

Sniffing, he couldn't help but finally place what the chemical smell was.

Burnt ectoplasm.

God, living with an ecto-scientist was weird.

[LINE BREAK HERE]

After the fiasco that was this morning, Karkat couldn't help but think the rest of his day was fitting as it was almost just as stressful.

Thanks to a mishap involving the bus, he was almost late for school. While he did finish the paper that was supposed to be due today, it turned out to be moot as the teacher failed to show up, meaning the all-nighter was worthless. Not to mention there was a pop quiz in chemistry that while he was confident in, wasn't welcome.

Just another day in Casper High, really, but that didn't exactly lift his sour mood.

Least it was lunch time with his stupid, albeit close, friends. Hopefully they wouldn't be planning any too wild today.

...A hope that was instantly dispelled when he saw Aradia grinning madly at whatever nonsense that Sollux was typing up on his computer.

If Karkat could describe his friends, he would describe them very briefly. While he wasn't exactly someone to put people into categories or summarize them too broadly, he would describe each one as this;