It wasn't anything unexpected from Houston kids. Telling tales around the room about something being out in the woods, childish stories no one seemed to believe. Dave listened as one of the more obnoxious boys in the classroom was telling the story of how he saw a headless kid in the forest about ten miles away. Apparently it had heard his footsteps and turned, the head's eyes widening in surprise before turning tail and running.
Dave just rolled his eyes from behind his shades, not believing a word of it. Of course, the resident "cool kid" never really believed in those fairytales. He perked up when one of the others in the room walked over to him. "Hey Dave, why don't you check out the woods and tell us what you see!" she suggested, an excited expression on her face. It was obvious the girl had found the tale interesting and was curious as to whether it was true or not.
The blonde blankly stared at her, wondering if she was high enough to actually think that shit was really. But hell, might as well humor her. "Sure, why not? Do I go along or do I get my own supernatural hunting squad to come with me?"
"If it was scared by one person, a whole group would cause it to disappear all together! You don't need others with you, right? Or are you scared?" It was a genuine question and Dave only shrugged, knowing he wasn't afraid in the slightest. Fear wasn't an emotion he was born with. If it was, his Bro had completely wiped it away. If he didn't fear a blade, he wouldn't fear something that was obviously bogus.
"I'll go on my own tonight then. Maybe even take a few pictures if I'm lucky enough." Haha, he wouldn't be getting any photos. This was complete bullshit, but no point in not making them feel hopeless. With that, the bell rang and Dave stood, exiting the classroom and heading towards home.
Swiping a flashlight from the cabinet and securing a sword, he was prepared to go hunt this thing down. He grabbed a rope for extra measure to trip the thing up. Flashstepping was a helpful skill when it came to catching people. Well, not without a well placed strife through the hallway to leave. Dave ducked when he shut the door, feeling his brother's blade cleanly slice the air over his head. Inching forward and pulling himself up, he scurried away and out of the apartment complex.
...Okay, walking ten miles wasn't his brightest idea yet, but he knew Bro wouldn't take him out to the woods. Asking for someone's assistance would be stupid, as they would probably tag along and he didn't exactly want company for this trip. Switching on his flashlight and making sure it wasn't too bright, he advanced deeper into the forest, watching out for anything that moved.
Dave considered what he was trying to find, mulling over the vague description he was given. So, the dude was headless. That was basically all the information he had been given. Wow, that was so useful it should be given to the FBI to hunt down whatever the hell was lurking in the forest.
He paused as he heard the rustle of leaves, shifting behind a tree and lowering the flashlight. The blonde squinted, hoping whatever was nearby wouldn't be completely shadowed. Lousy goddamn night sky and its lack of light. Oh well, that's what items like flashlights and lanterns were for. Oh, the stars were there, at least those would be useful.
Dave poked his head out, watching something step in the middle of a ring of trees. Well holy shit, it really was someone with a disembodied head. At least the head wasn't destroyed or anything and it was firmly under the strange male's arm, safe. It huffed, looking around for anyone that might be skulking nearby. Not noticing anything, the creature turned away from the visitor.
"Oh wow, they weren't just making shit up," he thought, truly shocked. It wasn't exactly shown on his face, but it was clear with the jumble of thoughts running through his mind. When it turned, Dave's attention went to the face and he studied it. It was reminiscent of his own in a sense, what with the crimson eyes looking around in a cautious manner.
Eventually, the albino male sat on the ground and Dave took this chance to actually do something. Wasting time wasn't his thing, that's for sure. Flashing behind him, he stood there with a chilled out expression on his face. "Hey."
The thing yelped rather loudly and scrambled into standing position, turning to the blonde. The human was snickering, amused by the reaction he had received. Well, this would be interesting. The headless male's eyes were bugging out and he looked panicked, trying to find an escape route.
"Whoa, calm down Speed Racer. I'm not going to hurt you or anything. Unless you attack me, then I would defend myself and show you my badass skills. But that's beside the point I'm trying to make."
It was clear he was still flipping his lid and Dave rolled his eyes, smacking his hand against the other's forehead. It recoiled and stood there, blinking in confusion before glowering at the blonde. "Was that necessary?!" he hissed, his body movement and face clearly showing how angry he had become.
"Well, if I wanted you to actually speak and stop looking like some deer caught in the headlights, then yes. What, did I hit you too hard or something? Sorry, princess, do you want me to kiss it better?" he teased, hoping to irritate the guy even further.
The plan worked and he looked ready to attack Dave at any moment, but the Dullahan refrained from doing so before letting out a frustrated huff. "Fuck you," he hissed, turning and beginning to stalk off.
"Oh no you don't," the human said, grabbing out the rope and swinging it at the other boy. Caught off guard, he fell flat on his face from the impact. As quick as a whip, he wrapped it around the albino. He struggled with all his might, ultimately failing and resorting to looking up and growling. Somehow, he was less threatening when the head just sat next to the body with only a pissed off expression.
Dave snickered again, highly amused by the encounter at this point. "You remind me of a wet kitten, holy shit. Are you going to hiss at me again just to further prove my point?"
The creature's face turned red out of a mix of embarrassment and rage, grinding his teeth together and finding that he not able to speak coherently. The blonde took great pride in his and plopped himself in front of the body, a smirk crossing his features. He prodded the other male's forehead, getting a bite in return. Dave pulled away and furrowed his eyebrows, keeping his hands in his lap.
"All right, I just want some answers and then I'll let you go. First, what the fuck are you? No normal person goes around without their head. Of course, you probably aren't even a person, so I can't really pin you as 'normal'. Second, what's your name?"
Finding there was no point in refusing the human some explanation, the albino rolled his eyes. "I'm a Dullahan. My name's Karkat Vantas. Not that it matters since you'll most likely never see me again after this."
Dave listened and nodded, fixing his shades before shrugging. He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo of Karkat alone before setting the cellular device next to him and lifting up the head. The albino stared at the other, quirking a white eyebrow. "What are you doing to my head?"
A moment later, their lips were locked and the human took another picture and set the head down. He stood up afterwards after unwrapping the Dullahan and sliding his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "Well, I'm done here. Thanks man."
Karkat sat there with a dumb look before grabbing his head and climbing back to his feet. He kept his gaze focused on Dave before darting back into the forest, fading from sight within moments. Dave watched and pulled out his phone, switching between the two before studying the kiss. "...Not a bad kisser, even if it was sudden," he commented to himself before turning and heading back home.
A subtle smile played across his lips, as the human watched the sky. "I'll be back, you douche. Don't think you're out of this Strider's target range just yet."
