SOY: Another OTP shot, this time something sort of fluffy. ^^ please enjoy!
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Rating: T
Warnings: none.
Disclaimer: I don't own HomeStuck.
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Thoughts in the Dark
One–shot
The meteor was eerily silent and quiet as Dave wobbled down the corridor, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands as he tried to walk in a straight line.
He wasn't entirely awake, so his footsteps weren't as steady nor as guarded as usual, and he bumped against the wall more than once as he walked towards the meteor's kitchen; if he'd been any more awake, he would have cursed for his lack of finesse and for all the noise he was making, but he was far too sleepy to be paying attention.
Besides, nobody was awake at that time anyway, and his room was a bit isolated from the others, so he didn't have to fear waking anyone up with his antics.
He had been sleeping peacefully, lost within some random DreamBubble, but then, without warning, he'd found himself plummeting right into a nightmare, and once awake he had found it impossible to get back to sleep.
Turning and fumbling around in his makeshift bed, half-awake but unable to sleep, Dave had tried to calm down, but everything was conspiring against him –the bed was too cold and uncomfortable, his throat was parched, his muscles cramped, his brain working overtime…
So he had decided to head to the 'nutrition block' to get something into his stomach, hoping that it would help him sleep again.
The soft whirring sound of the automatic door sliding open alerted him he had successfully reached his destination. Dave peered into the room, wincing at the open lights and shuffling inside with barely open eyes, yawning again as he blindly reached for the fridge.
He rummaged inside, eyes squinting at its contents, hoping for some apple juice but ending up being disappointed when he didn't find any. Shoulders slumping in defeat, Dave turned around, blinking owlishly, then froze when he saw a figure sitting at the table.
Someone was in the kitchen and he hadn't even realised it.
The baggy shirt and rumpled ass-hair were a dead giveaway on who that someone was, but the fact that Karkat was in the same room as he was and wasn't screaming his lungs off momentarily disoriented Dave, making him wonder if this was by any chance someone else.
Carefully circling the table, apple juice forgotten, Dave hesitantly peered at the slumped mass of troll, fully expecting Karkat to snap at him. Nothing happened. The troll was slouched over, arms crossed on the surface of the table, head leaning on them… eyes close.
"… Vantas…?" he extended one arm and carefully poked him on the shoulder.
Dave was taken aback when Karkat let out a soft, growly snort but didn't move an inch.
He was sleeping.
More out of habit than anything, Dave snorted slightly, just like he did for everything related to Karkat, but he was actually a bit surprised.
They had been travelling on the meteor for more than a year and a half already, and in all that time, he had never caught Karkat sleeping, not even once; he knew the troll slept, as he had caught him more than once in a DreamBubble –every single one of those encounters had been somewhat annoying for the both of them, as neither wanted to see the other even in their dreams– but he'd never seen it.
Karkat didn't sleep when others were around. He didn't even look like he was tired, though the deep bags under his eyes told a different story.
Dave had caught Rose dozing off more than once in the common room, almost ready to fall face first on one of her books; he had even spied Kanaya rubbing at her eyes every so often, head tilting to the side, until Rose gently poked her and Kanaya didn't move away flustered, and then Rose would get that soft smile that always made Dave feel like he was the third wheel in the room, and thus abscond the fuck away. And well, Terezi sometimes fell asleep with him and the Mayor in Can Town, tired after a day of sketching and building and RolePlaying.
Curious, Dave prodded Karkat again, and received only a soft, low growl in reply.
The troll looked sort of pacific, slumped there with no care in the world, and his face was relaxed, for once not scrunched up in preparation for one of his tirades.
Dave shifted uneasily. The sight of Karkat sleeping was almost unsettling, but he didn't know why.
Dave couldn't say he disliked Karkat. The troll was loud, vicious and hyperactive all the time, and liked to curse and insult creatively everything Dave did, but Dave actually sort of liked that about him. It was almost a competitive streak, but not quite. They didn't really get along, even if they had to trust each other in order to work together, and they weren't friends, but… Dave at least didn't hate him.
Still, to see the usually loud and boisterous Karkat sleeping so quietly, shoulders rising and falling softly with his deep breathing, was weird.
He never did sleep where others could see, and now…
With a small frown, Dave wondered what to do. On one side, he could just get something to drink and go back to his room, and let Karkat sleep whenever he wanted, even if that meant everybody else would see him in the morning.
Dave idly wondered who would find him first –if Rose would glance at him, speculating, curious, if Terezi would lick his face to wake him up, if Kanaya would be the one to gently shake him awake, or maybe bring a blanket for him and shoosh everybody away.
He wondered what would Karkat think of the others finding him there.
Glancing down at the troll's sleeping face, Dave decided he somehow didn't like the idea of them finding him like that.
He could just wake Karkat up. Poke at him until he started flailing. Or draw on his face and then wake him up –that would teach him not to fall asleep where Dave could find him. Being defaced with human genitalia was something Karkat had to expect if he left himself open and vulnerable.
But another glance down at Karkat's pacific face ruined all the fun in Dave's planning. Cursing under his breath, he looked away –he was starting to get soft if he couldn't even play a prank that John would have launched himself at without a second thought.
Then… what?
He backed away, refusing to give in to the temptation to poke at Karkat's relaxed face, and turned towards the door.
Leaving was the best option.
Even if that meant Karkat would probably not wake up until one of the others arrived, in the morning. If he slept through Dave not so silently stumbling into the kitchen, then he'd sleep through anything.
He didn't leave.
He quietly shifted close again, then dragged a seat out, not even bothering to stifle the noise, and flopped down on it, slumping down on the table in a mock imitation of Karkat's pose, and stared at the troll.
Karkat didn't move one single inch; he simply snored, scrunching up his nose.
Dave snickered softly, lips twitching upwards. He didn't really get what was so funny in the whole situation, so he blamed it on being tired and rubbed his arms, feeling slightly cold.
He was feeling tired again, but he didn't really want to leave Karkat there. The thought of him sleeping like that, all alone in the kitchen… he'd blame it on being sleepy later, but Dave didn't want to leave him there.
Even if Karkat certainly wouldn't appreciate his concern. Not that he was concerned. But still.
Dave shifted slightly again, trying to make himself more comfortable. How could Karkat be sleeping looking so content? It was uncomfortable, and the surface of the table was cold and hard.
Didn't Karkat have a room to sleep in anyway? Why did he fall asleep there of all places?
Muttering under his breath, Dave stretched one arm and carefully poked Karkat's elbow from across the table, almost willing to have the troll wake up and rage on him instead of this peace.
The troll radiated heat, and for a moment Dave almost shifted closer, feeling chilly despite all his clothes, but then stiffened, finger poking Karkat relentlessly for the sake of doing something.
Honestly, Dave didn't even know why he was staying.
He was cold. He was uncomfortable.
And Karkat would rage at him if he found him staring. Which was what Dave was doing.
There was nothing interesting or intriguing about Karkat anyway. Dave grumbled a bit and poked the troll harder on the elbow, but that only made Karkat snore louder again.
Dave snickered, shoulders shaking in silent laughter, and continued poking him, enjoying the soft growls and snorts.
He didn't really want to wake the idiot troll up anyway. He would just go back to being loud instead of being agreeably silent like this, allowing Dave to poke and prod him. And then he wouldn't get his beauty sleep, and Dave knew how important that was.
Karkat was always wound up and bitchy, and sleep did him well.
He looked almost… cute, under that ruse of the big strong loud guy, cheeks sorta puffy and less wrinkly lines.
He was sure Karkat would feel better if he stopped being so much of a worked out fuss…
Dave didn't even notice when he fell asleep.
Karkat was jolted awake from one of his dreams by a loud sound of snoring.
He flailed around, spluttering and wiping a stray trail of drool from his chin, and blinked owlishly at his surroundings, feeling a sharp pain travel from his neck down.
Cursing loudly he stretched his back, words of disgust and rage ready to tumble out of his lips, then stopped when he realised he had fallen asleep in the kitchen, of all places.
Lips parted to start a string of courses that would make anyone else flush in shame, Karkat stood up from the chair, wincing at the way his legs protested being jolted awake…
And stopped once again, staring at the red lump sitting across from him.
Karkat frowned, and questions flooded his mind, each of them without answer.
Why was Dave here, why was he sleeping, what the fuck was he doing there, he'd obviously seen Karkat sleeping so why–
Karkat palmed his face, but other than the remains of his own drool, he couldn't feel anything on there. Checking his reflex on the surface of the glass cupboard, he could see no visible trace of ink or anything else.
He still didn't relax, staring in contempt and suspicion at the sleeping human, who didn't move.
Dave looked asleep, but that didn't mean he was truly asleep.
Karkat then noticed that one of Dave's hands was stretched towards him, abandoned on the table, relaxed muscles slightly twitching, and he backed away instantly, staring at it in abject horror.
What was that hand doing there? what had Dave been doing?
He reached forwards and harshly poked the open palm, but Dave didn't move an inch. He did look like he was dead to the world.
Karkat grunted and circled the table, kneeling next to the chair Dave was sleeping on to observe the human closer.
Slowly, expecting the sleeping teen to react to his movements, Karkat reached out and grabbed his cape in his fingers, tugging at it slightly.
Dave grunted softly, but didn't lash out as Karkat had expected him to.
… huh.
He was sleeping.
Strider wouldn't have allowed him to get this close to his cape without retaliation, no matter what he was planning in his thinkpan.
Karkat tugged the cape again, feeling vindicated with how many times the fucker had told him off, then quickly lost his interest and circled the table again.
The fact that Dave was asleep didn't really explain why he was there in the first place, or why he hadn't tried to wake Karkat up. The fucker would find a way to gloat about it somehow.
Grumbling at Dave, as obviously everything was his fault and he wasn't even awake for Karkat to yell at, the troll circled the table again, not knowing what to do.
Dave hadn't tried to wake him up, actually sort of respectful of him –and he probably knew Karkat would have started yelling at him then– so if Karkat shook him awake, he would obviously pass as a son-of-a-lesser-mothergrub.
He didn't give a single fuck if Dave slept there for the remaining of the day, or for the rest of his life, even. But he didn't want Terezi to find him there in the evening, and then maybe lick his face to wake him up.
No. Dave wasn't allowed to have that.
Cursing under his breath, Karkat grunted.
Things with Dave were always too complicated for his fucking pan, especially at such a late hour of the day.
Karkat threw his arms up in the air, and hurried out of the kitchen, determined to go back to his respiteblock and ignore Dave Fucking Strider.
He lasted a grand total of three steps before he growled, turned around, and loudly stomped back into the room, flopping on his chair and glaring at Dave.
This was all his fault.
Why did he stick around long enough to fall asleep?
Was he trying to make Karkat feel guilty for something?
Another possible answer nudged Karkat's brain, but he refused to take it into consideration. Dave had no ounce of respect or care in his body to fill a teaspoon, so of course he didn't care if Karkat was out of his respiteblock to sleep, let alone worry.
... Karkat sighed. He grudgingly had to take back his thoughts. Dave might not be entirely respectful of anything or anyone, but he fucking cared a lot about everything, even if he didn't show it. He was a knight for a reason.
Which was part of why Karkat hated his fucking guts.
Platonically.
Nothing caliginous there.
If anything, Karkat found Dave completely pitiful.
Of course platonically!
Nothing flushed there either.
Fuck if he was feeling any sort of red or black for the human.
Karkat would prefer to die a thousand deaths at the hand of Bec Noir's pointed sword than consider filling any quadrant with a stupid human with shades and a silly cape.
His overworked, tired thinkpan was just finding new ways to make fun of him.
Karkat growled and stabbed Dave's relaxed hand in the palm with one of his nails.
Dave shivered and shuffled around, scaring Karkat shitless, but instead of waking he simply curled more into himself, snoring loudly.
Karkat stared at him, eyes wide, for a long while, tense and ready to run, then finally settled down again, shaking slightly out of shock.
The absurdity of the situation hit him all of sudden, and he had to cover his mouth with both hands as he shook for a different reason, snorting in amusement.
When he realised what he was doing, he stopped, stifling the sound and flushing slightly at his own stupidity.
It would have been better if Dave woke up, so this whole ordeal would end with the least amount of shame possible for both parties involved… but for some reason, the thought that Dave was waking up had scared Karkat a bit.
He didn't really want to confront him… not about finding him sleeping in front of him, not about why the fucker was there instead than in his room, not about…
Not about anything else.
A sleeping Dave was much more workable than an awake one. At least he didn't have to listen to his raps or stare up at his stupid shades, not even knowing if the human was listening or not.
He prodded Dave's hand again, rubbing his fingertip against the weird, thin human skin, and watched as Dave's fingers twitched slightly as the other knight huffed, nose wrinkled slightly.
He grazed his nail against Dave's palm, and Dave mumbled something, his muscles twitching once more.
Karkat idly rubbed his fingertips against Dave's owns, somewhat surprised at the weird feeling of alien skin against his own; he hadn't had any chance to really touch a human before, not like this. They never shook hands, and casual touches were kept to the bare minimum, and the only time they had contact was during a spar, but even then it was rushed and harsh, with no time to pause and feel.
Dave's hand was warm against Karkat's fingers, almost inviting.
With a start, Karkat shook himself out of his trance; he'd been idly rubbing and tracing Dave's hand, almost holding it in his own, and backed away instantly from the table, his whole body retreating completely out of shock, disturbed at what he'd been doing.
The chair scratched loudly against the floor as he moved away, and the sound was loud in the silence of the room, almost as loud as Karkat's heartbeat.
Dave grunted, shuffling and rearranging himself, shivering slightly, and then moved his arm back towards his body, unconsciously attempting to curl up on himself.
Karkat panicked slightly, and his hand snapped on its own, wrapping around Dave's wrist and holding it still.
With another small grunt and a louder snore, Dave buried his face in his other arm and didn't move anymore, breathing deeply.
The troll glared at his own hand with all the loathing he could put in a stare, not understanding why he didn't want to let go of Dave's warm wrist.
Grunting, he let it go, watching it fall against the table with a thump, then pushed his chair closer to the table again and sat down.
Stupid Strider.
He observed the human's hand, silently blaming it for everything, then proceeded to blame Dave for everything within the confines of his own brain, careful not to let a single word leave his lips.
His fingers inched closer to Dave's ones again, this time not daring to touch, but close enough to feel the heat radiating from the skin, and lingered there, not sure what he wanted, averse to touch but reluctant to pull away at the same time.
He fell asleep like that, lips set in a small pout.
Shuffling silently through the corridors, sidestepping a pile of chalk carelessly amassed in the middle of the main corridor, Rose yawned and tugged at the hem of her godtier shirt, feeling particularly rested.
She'd been having good dreams lately; they had stopped shifting to the horrorterrors halfway through, which had been common during the first few months of her life on the meteor, and that put her in a very good mood.
Turning around the corner, she noticed there was a small crowd in front of the kitchen door, so she slowed down, curiously staring at the way Terezi and Kanaya lingered on the entrance, without actually going in.
"Is there a problem?"
Both trolls turned around, looking amused; Terezi's grin grew larger when she sniffed Rose's arrival and Kanaya reserved her a small smile.
"Not a problem, I'd say," the jade troll replied, voice slightly lower than usual. "We were simply debating whether to enter the room and cause disturbance, or remain outside until the situation solves itself".
"I wanted to go in and poke them awake, but she said we should wait," Terezi piped in, tapping her cane on the side of the wall.
Rose peered inside the room, instantly zooming in on the two knight sprawled on the table, snoozing away. They both looked lost to the world, with Dave's hand reaching out towards Karkat and the troll's hand tightly close around Dave's wrist.
Blinking at the sight, Rose looked at her two friends, waiting for their input.
"Found them like this," Terezi stated, her voice loud and unabashed. "I wanted to go in because I'm starving, but Kanaya suggested to wait a bit".
"It looks uncomfortable," Kanaya replied hesitantly, "but I wouldn't want to intrude on their sleep, even though I do wonder how they ended in such a… position".
Rose chuckled. "They wouldn't want to explain anyway. Boys are boys, alien or not".
"That doesn't make me any less hungry," Terezi complained, tapping her cane on the floor with a resolute expression. "They can get their sleep in their respiteblocks, but it is against the law to keep me from eating!"
Kanaya stifled a giggle, but let out a startled sound when Rose passed between them and entered the kitchen. She could hear Terezi shuffle closer, but the troll didn't follow her in; despite her words, she was still hesitant about walking in.
Rose bypassed the two sleeping knights completely on her way to the fridge, opening it and scanning it for edible food. She wasn't exactly silent, but neither Dave nor Karkat appeared to hear her.
"Shouldn't we… isn't this going to wake them up?" Kanaya finally stepped into the kitchen, working her way across the room to the coffee machine and obviously trying to be quiet, followed by Terezi who didn't even try to be silent, slamming her cane on the floor at every step, a wide grin on her face.
"If all this noise isn't enough to rouse them, you shouldn't worry about being quiet, Kanaya," Rose smirked as she poured water in a kettle and put it on their alchemized stove.
Sitting down at the table, Rose looked up at the two trolls with a small knowing smirk.
"Are you going to wait there until they wake up?" Kanaya peered at her from above the rim of her cup of coffee.
Nodding, Rose smiled at her, "indeed," she admitted. "Do you want to wait with me?"
Terezi and Kanaya exchanged a quick glance, then with twin smirks, they sat down next to Rose.
Obviously grateful for the amusing break from their usual routine, the three teens continued talking, waiting for the moment the two knights would wake up.