Terezi entered the room quietly, not wanting to disturb the other. It didn't take long before she heard the tapping away of a keyboard and could easily locate Karkat on the other side of the room. She had the entire place memorized, but still she insisted on tapping her cane along the ground as quietly as possible until she was right next to Karkat. He was completely focused on his computer, and had no knowledge of her presence. His eyes were glued to the screen as he swiftly and flawlessly typed in codes to fix bugs on his computer. So, as slowly as possible, Terezi set her chin on the top of his head and her hands on his shoulders, making him jump and spin his chair around all in one swift move. Terezi chuckled and took a step back.
"A bit jumpy are we?" she said in her obnoxiously raspy voice.
Karkat grabbed his chest as if his heart hurt, letting his breath enter his body again. "Oh my God, Terezi. Don't do that!" He scowled at her, even though he knew she couldn't see it. And Karkat was GLAD she couldn't see him at that moment, so she couldn't see the dark bags under his bloodshot eyes, or the way his hair stuck up messily in different places.
"Karkat, when was the last time you slept?"
Karkat was taken aback by her question. He blinked and answered, "Why do you ask?"
"Because," she reached out her steady hands and ran them gently over his cheeks and up under his eyes, feeling where they were puffed out and swollen under his eyes, "I feel like it hasn't been in a while."
"Oh, shut up," he growled, pushed her back with a little more force than intended. He was mainly mad that she was right; he hadn't slept for more than an hour a night in the past 4 weeks at least because he couldn't face the nightmares. Terezi, however, unfazed by his actions, took one of Karkat's hands in her own, and stood him up on his legs that were far more shaky than he'd like to admit. She slowly set him down on the couch that served as a bed, piled with pillows and blankets, and she sat down next to him.
"What are you doing?" Karkat asked. By this point, he normally would've shoved Terezi back into her own room and slammed his door, but he was just too tired and weak to do so now.
Terezi hushed him quietly as she fixed him in a position to where he was facing mainly away from her, and she was at his back. Without giving him time to react, Terezi dug her fingers through his messy hair and slowly started massaging his scalp.
"Stop it, weirdo," Karkat tried to sound mean but they both knew he was spewing complete crap from his speedflap now, because he was tilting his head back into her touch, letting her rub his temples and get rid of the headache he didn't even know he had. Her hands were so small but strong, and she knew where to be gentle and where to be more rough. "Tez... Stop it. Get off..." he continued to lean back as he felt his shoulders relax.
She dug her fingers into his head, moving them further down to his neck, rubbing under the collar of his turtleneck, and using her fingernails a little as well which made Karkat's eyelids ever heavier as he sighed and let out a type of purring sound that he would never admit he made. A chill went up his spine as she drug her fingernails along his shoulders and up his neck again to scratch his scalp.
Terezi wrapped her warm arms around Karkat's upper torso, and pulled him back so his head fell nicely in her lap. He was too far into his stupor to argue, so he did as he was directed, and snuggled into her lap. Terezi continued to scratch her fingernails all over his head and neck as his eyelids continuously grew harder to keep open. She scratched behind his ears which made him let out a contented sigh. She ran her fingernails under his chin, and Karkat immediately tilted his head back more, letting out a little trill of delight.
But he was being stubborn and wouldn't close his eyes, so Terezi decided to scratch around the base of his nubby horns. She scratched the scalp right under them, then lightly rubbed at the very base of them with her fingers, causing the Cancer's eyelids to flutter as he barely arched his back. Karkat finally closed his eyes, and as soon as he did, his breathing evened out into quiet little snores. Terezi stopped for a moment and pulled her hands back, but immediately, Karkat turned his head more towards her and nuzzled his head into her stomach. Terezi smiled and continued to scratch the back of his head in slow, lazy motions. Karkat's exhales turned into little purrs as he brings his arms up to wrap around Terezi's waist, and his legs curled up closer to his stomach.
"That was easier than I thought it would be," she whispered to herself, as she scratched and rubbed his back through his black shirt. Terezi knew he hadn't slept since the game had ended, because of the nightmares that plagued his dreams. His nightmares of being all alone, because everyone left him for reasons unknown, but apparently good enough for Karkat. She knew this would never happen, but no matter what she said, it never convinced him enough, so she decided to take it into her own hands to make sure he got sleep. She smiled as she watched his nose scrunch up, or his eyebrows twitch every now and then. He looked like a little kitten the way he was curled in on himself, burying his face in her stomach.
She would not sleep that night. He needed her, and she needed him, so she stayed awake no matter what to watch over him till he woke. Nothing could ever make her leave him or love him any less.