Dave was back home.
He knew the feeling of the Texas sun against his freckled skin anywhere. It was all too familiar- The heat of the city, the sound of cars rushing below the high-rise apartment building where he lived. Perhaps the most familiar thing was the cement sprinkled with a drop of his blood. His skin crawled with unsettling chills despite it being sunburnt.
"Come on, kid. I don't have all the time in the world." There it was. The monotone voice he was raised by.
Bro turned his wrist, sword in hand, taking a step closer. The sun bounced off the metal blade and danced along the roof's surface. Dave wanted desperately to leave, but of course that was impossible. It was as if Bro sliced the option to abscond in half mercilessly.
"Stand up, Dave." Another step. His words were harsh.
Dave told himself it was "training" just as Bro told him. He would be stronger this way.
So why was he so scared of battle?
"Get up."
Why did he hate the sight of blood? Blood that spilled on the burning roof.
How come he cringed when metal clashed? Fear that's rooted in his home.
"Dave, get up!"
The floor wasn't a sun-scorched surface- it was frigid like cool metal against warm skin.
"Shit, shit, shit... I'm sorry." Karkat dashed to his side. His sickle was tossed aside and clattered to the ground. Dave's ear rang with that painful sound. He squinted his eyes behind his shades.
Karkat sat on his knees next to Dave waiting for a response.
"Karkat?" Dave asked wiping his lip bleeding lip. Did he fall?
"Oh my god I'm so sorry- I didn't think you- are you okay?" Karkat's scratchy voice housed panic. He forgot how sensitive he could be about his friends.
"Heh, yeah, man. Guess I lost focus and fell." He chuckled.
"It's okay." Dave reassured Karkat.
Karkat was wordless for a brief moment as if he was going through what just had happened.
"Alright." His voice was calm for once. "That's enough sparring today." Karkat sighed. "Let's just... call it a day."
Dave brought himself upright and fixed his sunglasses. He waved to Karkat as he strode down a dimly lit hallway leaving Karkat there.
Dave was wrapped in his cape and the many blankets he alchemized. Technically he stole a few from around the meteor but no one said anything.
He found this little corner of the rock and made it his own. The walls were dark like the rest of the meteor and a single lamp shone. There was a makeshift desk across from him filled with pens and notebooks that held his raps and whatever came to mind. The only other thing in his small room was the mattress he alchemized along with the plush pillows. Dave knew he wasn't moving anytime soon.
There wasn't any motivation left to do anything. Not even write sick rhymes- which was strange. He didn't enjoy writing anymore. Dave would talk to Rose about it, but decided against it as he would never move again.
He was constantly sleeping. Oversleeping might be appropriate to say, but this was the first time he was resting decently- Dave was going to indulge in it.
This journey gave him a lot of time to think as much as it did to sleep. Karkat came to mind a lot.
It was funny because originally Karkat hated him. Dave didn't blame the guy- he hated himself too because he was a prick. But after a year of putting up with each other they could sit down and watch a movie or two and call each other friends.
Dave turned over and dug deeper into his pillow nest. He could sleep more.
Karkat was alright. He was okay. This was fine.
He was fine. Dave repeated that in his head. He was fine. Fine.