A/N: A small one shot in between chapters of my latest multi-chapter DaveKat work. Because yes, these two are pretty much all I write anymore.
John's "zappy powers" and Terezi's potential as a Seer of Mind had fixed their previously doomed timeline. There was no doubt about that. Everything was set back on course. Kanaya and Rose have a happier relationship than ever, Terezi's self esteem is as high as it's ever been, thanks to her surprisingly healthy moirallegiance with Vriska, Gamzee is… well, Gamzee, and Dave and Karkat…
In regards to Dave and Karkat, there are only three facts to go off of.
One, they no longer hate each other.
Two, they are happier and more relaxed than they've ever been.
And three, they spend a fair bit of time together. Alone. Away from prying eyes.
Everything else is arguable, and a guess, at best.
But, holy shit, is there a lot to argue about.
-?-?-?-
The root of the rumor started at an innocent movie marathon between the meteor crew. Well, most of them at least. Gamzee didn't really show (as per the norm), but they kept hearing the occasional echoing honk in the vents, so it was assumed that he was sometimes joining them.
Kanaya and Rose were at the awkward stage in their relationship. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, and were both trying (and failing) to hold hands with the other, or initiate some form of physical contact. Any form would do by that point. Their sexual tension was starting to annoy the people nearby.
Which basically means, just Terezi.
She was lying on her stomach on a beanbag chair in front of the TV. The chair, of course, was red, and Vriska, who was in a similar position next to her, had one in cerulean. Not the best color, in her professional opinion, but it was passable. Terezi was trying to sniff out what was happening on the screen. It was an action film, so everything was too fast for her to keep up with. And unfortunately, she had already been told twice that she's not allowed to lick the screen for several (admittedly good) reasons.
The movie actually seemed good. Based on what little Terezi could follow, at least. The flirting from Rose and Kanaya was cute, but also really distracting. Her eyebrow twitched in frustration, and so turned to tell the two to get a room-
Only to stop.
"Vriska." She hissed, elbowing her friend in the side. "Vriska, I need your eyes for this."
Luckily, the movie didn't include Nicolas Cage, so the troll didn't really have a problem with looking away. She did seem a little annoyed, though. Dave picked out the movie, and he has a surprisingly good taste in quality, considering that he's the creator of Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff. Although, that comic is just for ironic purposes.
Shooting one last glance at the rapidly changing screen, Vriska turned to look at Terezi with a slight scowl. "What is it? Do you need me to describe what's happening or something?"
Terezi clenched her jaw unhappily, and shook her head. She was a little upset that Vriska would even suggest that. She may have been blind, but she could manage everything just fine on her own. (And besides, that's supposed to be a private thing!) "No." She said, maybe a little too harshly, because Vriska actually looked taken back for a moment. Terezi ignored it. They could patch things up later, like they always do. Besides, they were pretty much constantly getting on each other's nerves in little ways. This conversation probably wouldn't even be remembered later. "Here, just- look at Dave and Karkat." She sighed instead, ignoring her previous tone. "Tell me what you see. And be subtle." Terezi told her lowly, sneaking little sniffs of her own in the general direction of the aforementioned pair.
Vriska looked like she was somewhere between annoyed, offended, bored, and curious. Her face was trying to settle on one of the four expressions, and Terezi had to bite back a laugh. Laughing would have blown their cover. The movie isn't a comedy, after all. And this was a serious mission.
Finally, Vriska just sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. I'll entertain you." She whisper-hissed back. It took a few minutes for her to find an opening (during an explosion), and she studied the two for about three solid seconds before turning back to the other troll.
"Terezi."
"Yes?"
"They're just leaning against each other." Vriska pointed out, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
And it's true. Dave was sitting next to Rose on the couch, and Karkat was sitting on his other side. Normally, Terezi wouldn't care. This happened a lot due to limited seating. Except that this time, Karkat was purposely pressed against Dave's side, his head leaning on the human's shoulder while they watched the movie. There was plenty of space for him to sit without touching anyone, and the fact that Karkat clearly made this choice was what had Terezi puzzled. She had known Karkat for a long time. So long, in fact, that she couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been friends. And he had never been that openly affectionate with anyone. Not even her.
Terezi, stunned, stared at Vriska for a long time. "Are you really going to insinuate that you don't see it?"
In reply, Vriska just shrugged. "So what's the big deal? They're friends. Whoopdee-fucking-doo. At least they're not arguing anymore. That got old about five minutes into this damn trip." She finished with another sigh, turning back to the movie.
She did her best to follow suit but, in truth, Terezi was still stuck on what she saw. They aren't in a relationship. Are they? No, that's stupid. Vriska is right, she decided. They're just friends.
Behind her, Dave whispered something into Karkat's ear, and they broke out into a small fit of giggles.
Just friends…
-?-?-?-
Oddly enough, Kankri was the first person in the Dream Bubbles to notice that something was going on between the two.
He made it his business to try and find Karkat whenever he slept so that he could further educate his descendant about matters of grave importance. Things that mattered to him, but not really to anyone else.
A sleepless eternity is the kind of thing that would give an individual a lot of free time, and relatively soon, Kankri had worked out his best estimation of Karkat's sleeping schedule. He was not too happy with his data (he's going to have to give Karkat a lecture on the importance of sleep), but the important thing was that he had data at all. His Dream Bubble didn't intersect the meteor as often as he would like, so a lot of it was a guessing game.
Still, it did surprise him on the rare occasions that he would stumble across Karkat, that he was staying up later and later every night.
"Karkat." He began, having sat his pupil down for a chat. "I realize that your personal life is none of my concern. In all honesty, what you do in your free time is not a topic I would enjoy exploring, for several reasons. However," he turned to face Karkat, and the troll automatically straightened his posture and stopped mid-eye roll once Kankri was watching, "I must take the responsibility to ask when your personal time starts interrupting with your sleep schedule. Which is already unhealthy for a growing troll, I might add." He folded his arms behind his back, doing his best to look approachable. Based on the look on Karkat's face though, it wasn't working. "Now, I realize that my intrusion of matters that don't involve me may be triggering to you, so you do not need to answer my question. That being said, if you don't mind telling me, I would like to know what has been keeping you up so late and distracting you so much recently."
His descendant groaned softly, pinching the bridge of his nose and glaring at the ground. "I'm just hanging out with Dave." He sighed finally. "So if that's a fucking crime, then sue me, or whatever it is that your trigger-happy ass considers to be a punishment."
Kankri frowned. "Language, Karkat." He corrected the younger troll on impulse. But in truth, he had long since given up hope of getting Karkat to stop cursing. Then something else occurred to him. "Are you really sure that it's a good idea to be with Dave so often and so late at night?"
Karkat raised an eyebrow, giving Kankri a look like he had just lost whatever semblance of sanity he had left. "Uh, yes? Why wouldn't it be?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused as to why this could be a problem.
"Well, uh," Kankri cleared his throat, tugging on the collar of his sweater anxiously. "It, well, it might give people the wrong idea is all I'm saying, Karkat." He said carefully.
"The wrong idea about what, exactly?" Karkat pressed. His expression didn't change.
Kankri turned a faint shade of red, shaking his head. He had zero interest in talking about this topic with Karkat, who had recently turned 14 in human years (he only knows this because Cronus kept track of time the human way, and they would sometimes hang out in the memory of his hive where he had a... provocative human calendar). "Never mind, Karkat. I'll tell you when you're older."
-?-?-?-
Word spread fast after that. Partly because some trolls happened to overhear part of the conversation between Kankri and Karkat, and partly because one of them (Kankri, you little shit-) couldn't keep a secret whilst being pressed by multiple versions of his dead friends for details.
Most of them didn't particularly care one way or the other what was going on. Or at all, actually. But the Dream Bubbles were a dull, boring place once one could get past it's initial wonder. People needed entertainment, and they ate up gossip like a starving wild animal.
This DaveKat business (the Meulin approved shipping name for two) was the perfect distraction from the pointlessness of their existence. And everyone inexplicably wanted answers of some kind, even if some of them were more straight-forward about it than others.
"Kanaya?" One of the dead Nepetas asked, tugging on the taller girl's sleeve to get her attention.
"Yes?" Kanaya blinks down at her dead friend, looking mildly surprised by her presence. The two were friends when they were both alive, of course, but they were never actually close, so Kanaya was a bit perplexed by what Nepeta wanted.
The dead troll looked up at her, her expression a little sad, but mostly just confused and curious. "Are Dave and Karkat dating?" She asked in a perfectly innocent voice.
Had Kanaya been drinking something, she would have either choked on it or spit it out. Of course, this isn't a poorly written sitcom, so she just blinked tilting her head to the side and frowning a bit. "No." She settled on finally, having put some thought into it. "I personally do not believe so. If something were happening between them outside of human friendship, Karkat would tell me." Kanaya said firmly - with confidence.
"Are you sure?" Nepeta asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked unconvinced. "They are pawfully close…"
Kanaya smiled a little, patting Nepeta on the shoulder reassuringly. Her flush crush on Karkat was a well-known fact in their session. She was pretty sure that even Karkat knew about her feelings for him, but just ignored the subject to avoid hurting the girl's feelings. Seeing has how there was a good chance that he would never be able to recuperate said feelings and all. "I am sure." She confirmed.
Nepeta beamed up at her, wrapping Kanaya in a quick hug and offering a quick thanks before she ran off. Once she was gone, Kanaya was able to keep a straight face for about ten seconds before doubt filled her head and she frowned.
An hour before, she had been certain about the status of Karkat's and Dave's relationship. But now… is she sure? It wouldn't be the first time that Karkat kept something from her, admittedly. There was also the possibility that she was letting her pale feelings for him cloud her judgment, but Kanaya didn't see herself as that type of person. She had let feelings do that to her in the past, sure, but Kanaya Maryam had grown since then. She was a much more mature person than in the past, and so were Dave and Karkat. If something were going on, they wouldn't do something petty like keep it a secret. She knew Karkat. He was the romantic type. If he and Dave (or anyone, really) were dating, Karkat would let everyone know. Not to be a show off, but because he wasn't going to hide his happiness.
Yes, she was 100% positive. If Karkat and Dave were anything more than friends (which they're not), she would be one of the first people to know. They are absolutely not dating.
Are they?
-?-?-?-
Kanaya was still thinking hard about the topic well into the next day. She can't help but feel that thinking about it is more than a small waste of time. Karkat was one of her best friends. Surely, she could just ask him about what was going on with his flushed quadrant? He wouldn't lie to her (probably). Karkat was actually fairly respectable when they would talk, and Kanaya took that as a good sign.
She shot a glance at Karkat, sitting across the table from her with his nose buried in a romance novel. Normally, he was too busy with Dave to read his beloved novels, so the two of them were having a little separate time for the day. According to him, Dave was working on his music and DJing, and Karkat was already on his third novel.
It would be the perfect time to ask. Karkat and Kanaya were completely alone, and she had gotten very good at reading body language since becoming a rainbow drinker. If he were to even think about lying, Kanaya would be able to tell.
"What time is it?" Karkat asked, beating her to it. He had put his book down, and looked mildly concerned. Something in his voice implied that he had asked more than once.
"The time?" Kanaya repeated, and he nodded slowly, looking more worried by the second. "Oh, it is-" she checked the time on her husktop, which was open in front of her. Kanaya had completely forgotten about it. "-three o'clock." She told him after a minute of searching.
He hummed in thought, furrowing his brows in concentration. "Alright, thanks." He said finally, turning back to his book. "That means I have half an hour before I meet up with Dave."
At that, Kanaya tensed, forcing a small smile and an awkward laugh. "Oh, well, that is nice. What are you two going to do?" She asked mostly out of curiously, but also out of panic. They weren't going on a date, were they?
Karkat smiled a little too brightly, once again setting his book down, and Kanaya couldn't help but feel a little concerned. "Yeah, I finally convinced Dave to watch an Alternian romcom instead of the human ones he keeps trying to pass off to be as "art"." He scowled in disgust, and Kanaya relaxed a bit. This is definetely normal Karkat. "We're going to watch, "A Film About Two Criminal Matesprits, A Yellowblooded Male And Amberblooded Female; In Which The Theft By The Male Lead Of The Automated Vehicle Of The Female Lead's Lusus Inspires The Female Lead To Initiate A Matespritship With The Male Lead Based Primarily On The Thrill Of Theft; They Are Joined By The Male Lead's Greenblooded Moirail And His Tealblooded Matesprit, Who Becomes Caliginous With The Female Lead; A Subjugglator Attempts To Chase Them Down And Culls The Tealblood; The Remaining Three Abscond To The Shelter Of The Greenblood's Lusus But He Does Not Approve Of His Charge's Corruption And With The Subjugglator Arranges The Culling Of The Titular Matesprits In Exchange For His Charge's Life; The Matesprits Are Summarily Culled And The Remaining Trolls Live Law Abiding Lives", and yes, it is fantastic." He finished, looking only slightly out of breath.
Kanaya is more impressed that he could remember a title like that at all. If there's one good thing about human society, it's that it crashed and burned long before they had to resort to movie titles like that.
"While that film is not my particular cup of tea, I do hope that Dave thoroughly enjoys it." She offered honestly. The movie itself was okay - not the best - and her statement was mostly true. She was just glad that Karkat was only excited to be watching a movie. His smile wasn't because of Dave, it was because he loves that movie.
Right?
-?-?-?-
"Terezi?" Vriska called, barging into her moirail's respiteblock without bothering to knock. The two of them hadn't done anything like that in a long, long time. "Terezi, you in here?"
A grunt of confirmation came from the bed, where the aforementioned troll was hard at work making new scalemates. She was running low on detectives. They kept getting murdered in her most recent case, so she had been forced to bring in some shoddy new recruits. They had the determination, but did they have the skill required to find and capture such a hardened criminal? They would find out once Terezi had finished sewing.
"Have you seen my husktop?" She asked, coming to stand next to the bedside. "I can't find it anywhere. And with my luck, that's really weird."
After a few more stitches and a few snips with her scissors, and Terezi had finished her final rookie, who would end up being the next victim. She plucked the extra sewing needle out of her mouth and put it away carefully before addressing Vriska at all.
"Did you try the community room?" She suggested after a moment. "Didn't you last use it to post a bunch of pictures to your pointless blog thing?" Terezi wasn't sure why Vriska bothered with a blog at all. Really, who would ever see it?
Vriska thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. That's worth trying. You wanna come with?"
Terezi crinkled her nose in displeasure at the suggestion. "Vriska. You know that I'm pale for you, but why in the fuck would I ever want to do that?"
"Do you have anything better to do now that your scalemates are done?" She asked, voice smug.
"I-" Terezi began, only to stop. As usual, Vriska had a point. She wasn't the type of troll who could last a long time without something to do, so it's not a surprise when she sighed and climbed off of the bed. She didn't need to be able to see to tell when Vriska was smirking. "Not a word." She said before the other girl could even open her mouth.
Thankfully, Vriska stays quiet, just shrugs before trailing after Terezi to the community room. It took them just a minute to get there, because by that point, they had completely adjusted to life on the meteor. They could navigate it blind, and Terezi often would.
They stepped off the transportalizer and into the community room, only to be stopped in their tracks. Terezi was really beginning to doubt that "just friends" theory of Vriska's.
Dave and Karkat were sitting next to each other at the table, they were sharing a pair of earbuds, and seemed completely oblivious to the world around them. Dave's laptop was set up in front of them, and by the looks of things, Dave was trying to teach the troll how to mix music. Karkat would frown and mutter a question to him - as if all of this was very hush hush - and Dave would point out something on the screen and do his best to answer. He whispered something that sounded like a joke, and Karkat snorted in laughter, his task on the laptop momentarily forgotten. Dave joined in, wrapping an arm around Karkat's shoulder and pulling him closer.
Terezi felt very uncomfortable. This was clearly an intimate moment between then, and she and Vriska were intruding. "Motion to leave this room as quickly as possible?" She asked softly after regaining her speaking voice.
Vriska swallowed thickly, her face reeking of her cerulean blood, and nodded. "Motion carried with a huge "fuck yes"."
The two stepped back onto the transportalizer and disappeared from the room in a flurry of light that definitely got the attention of the possible love birds. Terezi and Vriska avoided looking at each other on the other side, but they were both thinking the same thing.
So much for being "just friends"...
-?-?-?-
John, for the moment, exists outside of time. Alpha John does, at least. He's not going to exist for almost another year and a half, so Dave settles for the next best thing. He talks to the doomed Johns he happens upon in the Dream Bubbles. Normally, they don't mind. His shades are always on, so they can't even tell if he's alive or dead. It makes it easier, and he'll often have long, pointless conversations with a random John until he wakes up. It's kind of nice, and kind of weird. No John is the same. Recently though, they all seem to have one question on their mind when they find out that he's alpha Dave.
"So…" The most recent John began awkwardly. He stopped, then cleared his throat before trying again. "Have you heard about the rumor going around the Bubbles?"
John had been unusually quiet before, and now Dave knew why. He was just thinking about something else. "What rumor, John?" He asked, scoffing. "There's a lot going around, bro. Do you mean the rumor about the older cat troll? The one that she keeps catnip in her bra? Because I did hear about that one." Yeah, that was a weird rumor. Dave still wasn't entirely sure if that was true or not. He wouldn't have been surprised, actually.
Shaking his head, John turned to look at him, the corners of his blank white eyes creased as he frowned. "No, not that. I mean, like-" He tried to work the words out in his head before continuing. "They gay rumor?" He offered weakly.
Dave nodded immediately. "Oh, yeah. That rumor is everywhere. Of course I've heard of it."
Smiling, the John who is not John visibly relaxed. "Really? That's a relief." He sighed. "So… what do you think about the rumor?"
He hummed in thought, shifting his position from lying on his back to being on his stomach, facing John head on. "I don't care what the rumors say." Dave said firmly. "I know that you really are straight."
His smile fell so fast that Dave almost felt bad about what he said. "What? There are… gay rumors about me?" He sounded a little lost and scared, like his world was crumbling down around him, and Dave held back a laugh. John's over-dramatic personality was wonderful to witness sometimes. Dave took unhappy comfort in the knowledge that, at least, he wasn't talking to the real John. He hated to think it, but it did help.
Dave nodded in conformation. "Uh, yeah. Of course. But don't worry - even if it was true, it wouldn't make me value our friendship any less." He takes John's hand in his, patting him comfortingly.
John, looking a little sick, pulled his hand from Dave's hold and stood up. "I… I need some time to think." He said with a frown, already heading off before Dave can reply.
Sniggering quietly to himself, Dave flipped onto his back once more, looking up at the memory of a beautiful blue sky. He would get bored sometimes, and Karkat couldn't always entertain him, so this was his second favorite pass time. Kind of mean? Yeah. And Dave knew it, but he also didn't want to stop. John just made it too easy and satisfying.
They should just stop beating around the bush, Dave thought. And not just the Johns. All of the dream selves. If they really want to know about the truth behind the "gay thing", there's one really simple solution.
-?-?-?-
Rose may have been reading a book for the past half hour, but she wasn't oblivious. The small group of dead trolls and kids alike that kept shooting her glances was painfully obvious. It was almost insulting to her that that was the best they could do. Finally, she sighed, putting her bookmark in place and snapping her book shut. She wanted to lose herself in the plot, and these spectators weren't helping.
"Need something?" She asked with false sweetness, turning to face the onlookers. Her verbal prompt seemed to do something, because the group suddenly gave up on being shy.
"Uh, yeah." A doomed Dave (Rose can tell because he's not a God Tier) steps forward, one eyebrow raised. "So. What exactly is going on between your Dave and Karkat?" He questioned bluntly.
There was an undertone of resentment in his voice, but whether that was directed at her or alpha Dave, Rose wasn't sure. Before she can reply, a dead troll that she doesn't know the name of steps forward.
"Are they dating or not?" He asked impatiently.
"And for how long?" Another piped up.
"Aren't they just friends though?" One frowned.
Quickly, an argument broke out between the members of the group. Rose was momentarily stunned into silence. She found it ridiculous that her brother could ever be the main conflict of a shipping war. But apparently, there's no accounting for taste.
"Guys!" She shouted, fed up, and they all fell silent. Rose took a deep breath, massaging her temples before looking over the crowd of faces wearily. This is getting ridiculous. "To answer your questions, yes." She admitted finally. "I know exactly what's going on between Dave and Karkat."
Murmurs break out between them, and the same Dave from before speaks up. "Can you tell us what's going on though?" He asked. Rose was beginning to think that more than just one Dave could have feelings for Karkat.
She smiled wryly, rolling her eyes. "Here's an idea." She said smugly. "Why not just ask them yourself?"
-?-?-?-
After the crowd dispersed, Rose groaned unhappily at the book in her hands. Now that she had been thoroughly distracted, there was no hope of her being able to just pick right back up. She tucked the book under one arm and took the transportalizer to the bedrooms. She bypassed her door though, instead punching in the password for Dave's and stepping inside.
"Karkat, I think that I'll need a less complicated book to start me off with troll romances." She told the troll sprawled out on Dave's bed. They were watching a movie, both of them lying on the stomachs with Dave's arm draped over his boyfriend's side. They looked innocent enough, but the flustered appearance they both shared told Rose that they were watching a romcom and Dave had gotten bored.
At this, Karkat frowned, pausing the movie. He took the book when Rose offered it, and reached under the bed. He fumbled blindly for a moment, before pulling out a different book from his stash. He added it there to help him get back to sleep and relax when his insomnia acted up and he didn't want to wake Dave. "Here." He said, handing Rose the one with the less complicated cover. "I thought you could handle this one, but I guess it's not for everyone." He sighed, putting it back in place.
Upon Karkat's return to his previous position, Dave put his arm back where it was and gave the troll a gentle squeeze, kissing him sloppily on the corner of his mouth.
Rose smirked knowingly, rolling her eyes. "So. When are you two going to come out of the metaphorical closet?" She raised an eyebrow teasingly, already thumbing through the book. She wouldn't know about this either if she hadn't stumbled in on them making out on accident. After which, she had been sworn into secrecy. Not even Kanaya was to be told. And Rose had done beautifully at keeping her lips sealing. It was far more fun to watch people drive others crazy trying to figure it out.
Dave and Karkat shared a look, both of them wearing a mischievous grin when the turned back to her. "When watching them try to figure it out stops being funny." Dave snickers. Karkat elbows him lightly, making a shushing sound as he pressed play on the romcom. Dave, in return, kissed him again. This time, fully on the lips. Rose sighed happily, and turned to leave. Ah, young love and secret upon secret. Is there anything more beautiful in the world?
The door slid shut behind her, leaving the two alone, and life continued on as normal.