/ Hi. This is my first Homestuck fic, so I'm sorry it doesn't have more substance. Still getting the hang of the characters and all that. Also, Humanstuck. /
GENTLY, GENTLY
He lay in his bed, unmoving except for the slight twitch of the fingers that gripped the sheets and the shivers that wracked his thin wiry frame despite being underneath three layers of blankets. Sweat beaded in his scrunched forehead and he groaned in discomfort while still trying to keep still, afraid of making the pounding in his head hurt more. Because Gog it hurt like hell and he swore he'd rather jump of a cliff than stay a second longer in this state.
But Sollux Captor was too sick to even open his eyes, let alone walk thirty miles to the nearest cliff.
This was a new development for him. Usually his headaches were worse, but they lasted for only several minutes and he could hide away under his desk until they disappeared. But this has gone on for two days already and there were still no signs of him getting better. The previous day had been a bit better; the headache only hindered his coding a bit. But now he couldn't even move anything, and really, why couldn't he just transportalize to the nearest cliff because it hurt too fucking much, please kill him now.
In the back of his mind, just a little softer than his thoughts and the usual voices that plagued him, was the ping of his computer. It seemed he forgot to turn it off last night so he was still online and someone was messaging him and he had to answer or they'd worry and holy shit what if that's Aradia? He couldn't let her worry. But the stupid whatever this was simply wouldn't let him out of its grasp even for just a moment and Jegus he still couldn't move.
The pings continued for a few more painful seconds before silence - sweet, sweet, silence - enveloped his room once again. He relaxed his grip on the sheets a little and let out a soft sigh, eyes still squeezed tightly closed. He wished the silence would stay for a good long while - or better yet, for the pain to just go away, but he knew that was too much to ask for - but the pessimistic part of his brain told him that whoever it was that had been messaging him earlier had to have found it unusual that he didn't reply immediately.
He didn't notice the door open, but he did notice it when a gentle hand carefully ruffled his hair, eliciting a soft involuntary whine from his throat. His fuzzy mind didn't bother asking who the hand belonged to, too preoccupied with focusing on the fingers tangling in his hair and gently massaging his scalp. His body went completely limp under the ministrations, and after a while he started purring, the pain almost gone and replaced with a strange cloud of comfort.
"It's okay to ask for help sometimes, you idiot," said a familiar voice, but it seemed off to Sollux somehow. Like the owner of the voice didn't usually speak so quietly, like the voice didn't usually carry so much worry...
"KK?" he whispered, as if afraid to get it wrong. But there was a slight pressure at the crown of his head that told him that he got it right, and he purred contentedly, snuggling into the hand on his head.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, but Karkat just hummed and continued caressing his hair.
Moments passed and the two stayed in comfortable silence, both uncaring about the passage of time. It felt strange, because Karkat was all but gentle and patient, but it was a welcome change, one that Sollux relished at the moment.
"Thank you..." It was barely a whisper, barely a sound carried by the soft breeze. But it was heard over the quiet sounds of their breathing, and he found himself smiling a little. And at the time he was comfortable just laying there with the other's presence, but when Karkat leaned down to put a ghost of a kiss on his forehead, Sollux knew he could finally get some peaceful rest, knowing that he won't be alone and in pain when he woke up.
/ Please review. :) /