He really was like a cat and not just in his name. He was that one little kitty at the pound that would sit in the corner and stare at you. Not because he was brave, but because he was scared. Scared that the second he turned away you would either leave him forever or be there to shove a knife in his back. It was like he was forever drenched in water and no matter how many times you tried to wrap a towel around him he wouldn't let you get close enough to help.
John Egbert loved cats; he loved all animals really. It was a trait he shared with his sister. From the pet salamander he kept on his desk to the crows that settled on the rooftops he loved them all. He really did have a bleeding heart when it came to those in need and right now his friend needed him whether he knew it or not.
Karkat Vantas was a person, troll, whatever, that he liked to call his friend, maybe even a best friend. They had a weird relationship. He would be yelling at him one minute then just sit down quietly by him the next. It was like he couldn't decide whether he wanted to hug him or rip his throat out. John really hoped it wasn't the latter.
Not a lot of people understood Karkat. They just wrote him off as jackass and left it at that. John thought otherwise. Karkat may have been all rough edges and sharp angles, but he had a soft heart under all that mean and nasty. It just took time to find it, that and getting through a barrage of swift claws, sharp teeth, and a pair of nubby horns that could leave nasty bruises if you weren't careful.
Though for all of his faults he still needed help and what were palhonchos for?
It was only John and Karkat in the lab today and the former was typing away furiously on his computer in such a way that made it look like a boxing match. Unsure of whom the winner of such a battle would be John makes his way cautiously towards the irritable troll. Several more rambunctious attempts at replacing that scowl with a smile has lead to John, and anyone else in the vicinity, to be on the receiving end of a headache and bleeding ears, so the placid and calm approach will have to do.
John can practically see the steam coming from Karkat's ears from this distance. He must be pulling out all the stops with this insult, he was even mouthing the words as he typed. You're not sure to whom he's chatting with, but it'd be pretty cool to be trolled by him now. Looks like he's pulling out a cornucopia of new troll tactics. Whoever it is sure is lucky. Trolling is like pulling a prank and you sure do love a good prank.
John shakes his head at the nonsense rattling around in the brain Karkat swears he doesn't have. No need for distractions right now when you're so close to your goal. One more step and there.
All action going on in the lab comes to a screeching halt. Keys stop clacking, mumbling turning into puffs of breath, and some would even swear that the ever-present hum of the computers was put to silence.
"Well, that seems to have had an affect," John thought proudly from his position above Karkat, head resting gently in the space the gap between the shorter boy's horns provided. His arms gave the young troll a slight squeeze around his midsection. A hug was definitely what Karkat needed.
He hadn't gotten bitten yet so John took that as a good sign. Bored with the position already John lazily slid his head to the troll's shoulder, placing his hand on the troll's head. Running his long piano fingers through the short, choppy hair John didn't notice when the troll stiffened when he ghosted his fingertips at the base of the bone-like protrusions. So he continued to trace small, lazy circles around the nubby, candy corn like horns, shifting from one horn to the other whenever he got bored.
After a while a soft purr emanated from the being beneath him, almost jolting John from sheer shock. The boy internally laughed, prankster's gambit starting to climb, so Karkat really was like a cat? He'd never live that down.
Suddenly Karkat started to lean into the touch, the purring sound growing stronger the more time passed. John was so happy he could relieve some of the troll boy's stress that his trademark grin threatened to spit his face clean in two.
John, and he was sure Karkat too, could have stayed like that for hours had the transported not buzzed into life. "Hey KK, Gamzee'th been looking for you-what the ever loving fuck are you guyth doing?" Was the lisp filled shout that finally broke the silence.
Standing up quickly John was about to greet the new arrival, but was beaten to it. "Nothing, you lisp ridden moron and if you so much as breathe a single fucking syllable of this to anyone I'll jam your horns so far into your thinkpan the mothergub will feel it." Without staying to hear the reply Karkat quickly jumped onto the transporter and was gone, leaving only the abused keyboard as evidence he was ever even there.
Sollux then turned to the confused form of John, "Hey JN, I've never theen KK in thuch a good mood. What'd you do?"
Completley baffled, John could only question dumbly, "Uh, that was him in a good mood?"
"Fuck, yeah. Hith thpeach wath far leth colorful and venomouth than uthual, tho what did you do?"
"I just gave him a hug and patted his head."
A look of understanding flashed briefly over Sollux's face before it took on a mischievous glint. "You know you thould do that more often. KK would really like that."
"Really?"
Smirking, "Yeth, he would definitely like that."
"Cool, thanks, Sollux!" John replied enthusiastically as he bounded towards the transporter.
Sollux was now left to his own devices in the dimly lit computer lab, smirk still playing shamelessly across his features. He was never going to let KK live this down, no fucking way.