Dave's eyes widen as the sword tip pierced through his back to the front of his chest, his godtier uniform turning a sickly blackish color with blood. He stumbled, and then plunged backwards over the cliff they were presently standing on, eyes wide and mouth open in a sort of silent scream.
Karkat screamed as well, but by now he was awake. Cherry colored tears streaming down his face, the small troll desperately gasps for breath he has no chance of possessing for the next few minutes. Karkat knew it was just a nightmare, but FUCK they were getting realistic. He hesitates, mumbling to himself.
"C'mon fuckass, you're fine. DAVE is fine. He's not dead, you're not going to do the thing…Karkat Vantas you are NOT going to do the thin-"
GOGDAMNIT who fucking cares. He's going to do the thing. As quietly as possible, Karkat slips out of bed. His feet hit the floor with a soft thud, and he hisses a little as the cold floor of the meteor seems to soak into his bones. Freezing, he waits to see if anyone has heard this small sound of protest. Fortunately, Gamzee hasn't kept up with his habit of hiding in the air ducts recently.
Karkat slips out of his respite block, counting on the halls being empty. He's right. As far as time goes, he doesn't know if it's nine in the afternoon or three in the morning, but frankly he could care less. They all operate on roughly the same schedule, and it works.
He shivers. It's pretty cold. After all, they are hurdling through space gog only knows how fast (does that mean he should know?) without insulation, it's bound to be. He can't help think that Dave's pretty warm, and that if he were around at the moment, Karkat wouldn't need insulation. He shakes the thought free from his mind, knowing will eventually bounce back. Best bros, he thinks. NOT anything else.
Yeah, right. Try and convince yourself of that little lion man.
He looks confused. Little lion man? That's a lame nickname. He tells you not to call him that. You comply, but secretly continue. It has a ring to it, alright?
Karkat sighs. He has been having some really weird thoughts lately. He probably just needs sleep. Or something.
He has finally reached the transportalizer that connects to Dave's room. He didn't even stop for a second to think to himself, "Hey, wait a minute. Doesn't this lead INSIDE Dave's respite block? Maybe he wouldn't want me charging in at all hours to see if he's alive. I'll wait till morning." Of course he didn't! What we be the fun of that?
Besides, his brain is too muddled at the moment to think much of anything, much less a considerate thought.
After a moment of disorientation, he regains all of his particles shortly inside Dave's door, next to what the humans call a….bed.
And it was occupied.
Dave was laying face down, soft snores coming from his general direction. (He'd deny that later. "Cool kids don't snore", he would say, somewhat in denial of his apparent sleeping habits)
Karkat let out a tiny sigh, glad his friend wasn't dead. Glad he was breathing. Unfortunately, due to years upon years of training, this immediately awoke the young boy, and Karkat winced at the fear in his eyes as he shot up, hand going for a sword that wasn't there.
When he saw Karkat's face staring back at him, he relaxed somewhat. Considering Dave usually didn't sleep with his shades on, the troll could see all of the emotions and question flicker through his eyes, eventually reaching a place of understanding.
"Nightmare?"
There was something strange about Dave's words, different than normal. He pronounced and drew out his I and made it sound as if he was speaking of a female hoofbeast instead of saying "mere"
Karkat wasn't familiar with it, but damn did he like it. It made him relax immediately. He had to get Dave to say more.
"NO. WELL, I MEAN, KIND OF, BUT YOU DIED. IT WASN'T LIKE IT WAS OUT OF THE NORM, BUT I HAD TO CHECK AND SEE IF YOU WERE OKAY. WOW, OKAY, THAT SOUNDED REALLY WEIRD AND LAME I DON'T ACTUALLY CARE THAT MUCH BUT THE MAYOR WOULD BE PRETTY UPSET I THINK AND RO-"
Dave cut him off abruptly, mid-sentence. Rude asshole.
"Karkat, nightmares ain't fun, I git it. Notin' ta worry about, c'mere."
Karkat's face was bright red. He was pretty sure that Dave had no idea what he was doing with his voice, and Karkat couldn't think of a word to describe it.
He might as well straight up ask.
"DAVE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR, UH, VOICE. IT'S DIFFERENT AND I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY?"
The boy's eyes widened a fraction, barely enough to even register. You wouldn't have if you weren't around him 24/7.
He laughed, a little shaky.
"Damn, I guess I've still got traces of it on me when I'm tired. It's called an accent Kitkat. Basically people who grow up different places have voices that sound different. John grew up halfway across the country from me for instance, so he has a different sounding voice. Rose has a bit of an accent as well, but we both control 'em pretty well. I didn't really have time to get it in check, if you hadn't noticed."
He smirked, while Karkat looked sheepish. He wasn't sure how to tell the sun-glassed douche that he didn't really mind the sound of it, so in typical Vantas fashion he just blurted it the fuck out without thinking.
"I ACTUALLY REALLY DON'T MIND THE SOUND OF IT. LIKE, DON'T BLOCK IT OUT LIKE YOU JUST DID. IT'S RELAXING. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT ON ALTERNIA, WE ALL SPOKE THE SMAE LANGUAGE AND WE WERE PRETTY CLOSE SO... "
Dave cocked an incredulous eyebrow.
"Is it now,"
He slipped effortlessly back into the sound, and Karkat gave something sounding like a giggle. (This is what Karkat would deny later, but Dave would swear by it.)
"Alright, then, Karkitten, c'mere so you can really tell I ain't dead yet. I like ta think we'll all be alive and kickin' for awhile, ya' agree with me?"
Karkat nodded almost imperceptibly, curling up next to Dave on the soft mattress, silence ensuing. Strangely enough, it wasn't even uncomfortable. Nothing about it felt awkward, it almost seemed…normal. Like they could both get used to it. And little did they know now, but they would.
Dave started to run his fingers through Karkat's hair, and he kind of did it in just the right way, Karkat couldn't even describe, but it felt REALLY nice.
Again, something he could get used to.
Actually, Dave strayed a little too close to his horns a few times, but he always muttered a quick "sorry" and avoided them as best he could.
All in all, Karkat was pretty comfortable, so it wasn't really a surprise when he drifted off into a quiet and peaceful sleep, listening to the sound of Dave's breathing, fingers combing through his hair, and the unmistakeable rhythmic beat of the Knight of Time's pulse.
Something. He definitely needed something.