Karkat sat down at the large makeshift table, his human and troll friends sitting amongst him. Apparently they were having some sort of… tanks-giving? What did it matter to him, anyways? He didn't care. He was just in for the offer of real food they has somehow managed to find and then somehow managed to cook on the meteor. He didn't question why, God-Tier shit was weird. That's what he told himself.
"OKAY, DAVE, WHAT THE FUCK IS A TANKS-GIVING? EXPLAIN THIS ABNORMAL AND RATHER DUMB HOLIDAY YOU HUMANS HAVE."
Dave stood up and laughed.
"dude it's called thanksgiving, not tanks-giving. i am not going to just roll a fucking tank into the dining hall rose helped me make. jeegus dude, clean out your ears. wait, do trolls even have ears?"
Rose shook her head and stopped herself from laughing as she stood up.
"The holiday called thanksgiving was originally declared a holiday years after the original thanksgiving, by our 16th president, and leader, Abraham Lincoln. The original thanksgiving was a feast amongst the pilgrims, new settlers from Europe coming to America, and the Native Americans. They had just celebrated a recent victory over an enemy tribe of Native Americans, and decided to hold a harvest feast, where they all sat down and gave thanks for their new friends. Also, the-"
Kanaya, who was seated beside Rose, whispered something up to her, and Rose smiled, stopping her prolonged speech. Dave whistled and shook his head.
"okay uh thanks miss seer for the lovely insight. jeegus rose you put tz to sleep."
Karkat perked up in his seat and spun around to face Terezi, who was, in fact, asleep, resting blissfully. Karkat growled and reached over to her from across the food and papped her awake.
When Terezi awoke she looked around quickly and then sighed, realizing she was safe. She rested her head on her propped up hand, and nodded somberly, as if she was taking in all Rose had just said.
"SO YOU'R3 T3LL1NG M3 YOUR GR34T 4NC3STORS ONC3 F34ST3D JUST B3C4US3 TH3Y H4D K1LL3D OFF TH31R 3N3M13S?"
She cackled and sighed, nodding again. Karkat tried to contain his anger, a projection of his great confusion and dismay for the girl across from him. Sure, he loved her, but that didn't mean he could be confused or perplexed by her odd or unsavory comments.
"tz that is pretty much accurate but also fucking disturbing. shit our ancestors were really rude. even our modern pals were rude too. rose i don't think i can go on."
Karkat rolled his eyes as Dave put on a dramatic performance as he broke into long winded soliloquy about how crazy and fucked up their culture was. He was glad Kanaya responded to Dave with such firm words, saying their culture was odd too, and that this was a time for happiness instead of dismay. Dave shut his mouth and sat down, uttering a "yes, ma'am" before Kanaya chuckled and apologized if she had sounded rude.
"SO NOW DO WE FUCKING EAT OR NOT?"
Rose shrugged.
"Usually, someone says some sort of prayer or gives thanks for all their friends and family present. Perhaps we should just go around the table then? I'll start. I am thankful for my friends, and of course Kanaya, who has helped me so much in these passing months."
Kanaya blushed so hard she glowed, and waved off Rose's rather kind and affectionate compliment.
"Ok, who's next?"
"alright shit's about to get real. tz, you're cool, never change, yadayadayada. karkat, you're a dork and you have no real moods except for anger, but you're pretty chill. Kanaya, uh, i guess i'm glad you keep rose company so i don't have to, and rose thanks for making all this food with the mayor i guess? cool. and john, when we get to see you i hope you're still a dork and you still like con air and shit because that's ironic. oh yeah, and jade, try to keep john out of trouble, or whatever. amen, to mohahamad or some religious deity idgaf."
Dave looked over to Terezi and she stood up quietly.
"1 4M TH4NKFUL TH4T W3 4R3 4L1V3."
Terezi sat back down and everyone around the table nodded in agreement. Karkat barely even noticed his friend's calling out his name.
"WHAT? WHAT IS WRONG?"
"You're next to speak, Karkat."
Oh shit. How was he supposed to follow up these three. They all had so many things to say, and yet, anything he would say would just make him look like a dork. Shit, shit, shiiiiiiit. The only thing that rushed into his mind was Terezi, and he sure as hell wasn't going to sound all wishy-washy like Rose and her compliments to Kanaya. Fuck, what could he talk about.
'UH… I HATE ALL OF YOU, YOU MAKE MY LIFE MORE AND MORE MISERABLE EVERY DAY. YOU ALL SUCK BIG-TIME. I HATE YOU HUMANS THE MOST, OH YEAH, AND THE MAYOR IS PRETTY DETESTABLE."
Dave stood up and was about to yell at Karkat when Rose pulled him back down and shook her head.
"AND YET…"
Dave blinked a few times, and everyone leaned in a bit more to hear his words, because for once, he sounded… quiet?
"AND YET ALL YOU GUYS PUT UP WITH ME… EVERY DAY. EVERY ONE OF YOU CARES ABOUT ME, AND I CANNOT FUCKING SEE WHY. OKAY. NOW I'M DONE."
Karkat sat back down, and sighed, as everyone smiled, and Kanaya started her speech. Karkat didn't care however, because Terezi had already reached her hand under the table and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in her own. Karkat smiled and sighed, Kanaya finishing her speech. She had said something embarrass Rose, apparently, because she was laughing and blushing with her hands covering her face. But he didn't care too much. It was time to eat the "thanksgiving" feast before him.
"HOLY FUCK, DAVE, HOW MANY PLATES DID YOU JUST EAT?"
Dave laughed and stretched, grabbing his plate and taking it to the sink.
"about five plates. shit's good. all the food was great."
Karkat groaned. Five fucking plates. Where did Strider hide all that food? He said he had five plates, but he still looked as trim and as fit as before. Karkat had barely even finished his second plate, his stomach bulging out under his sweater. Gog, humans were weird. Karkat looked over to Terezi and sighed, she was finishing… what, her fourth plate? Her stomach was filling up too, her belly was rolling over her pants. Her body had firmed up quite a lot, everything on her seemed a bit plumper than before. She was casually dining on her mashed potatoes, gravy dripping down her chin as she cackled, her teeth chomping and chewing, her tongue licking all the savory foods. Karkat blushed as he found he was staring at her, and looked away calmly.
"yo, tz, i'm going to go chill with the mayor. keep it real kids."
Dave waved as he slid out the door, his cape swooshing in the wind. Kanaya and Rose had left after their small portions, but it wasn't like the table was brimming over with food to begin with. Now, all that was left was half of some sort of bird, about a fourth of the pot of mashed potatoes, some drips of gravy, and what looked like jellied grub sauce, but was apparently called "cranberry jell". Karkat sighed and looked back to Terezi, who was still munching the leg of the weird bird. What was it called again? Turd-kee? No, that's not it. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is stopping Terezi before she gorges herself to death. The rest of the food can be eaten later. It won't just disappear. Unless Gamzee gets a hold of it, but Karkat doesn't care about that guy anymore. He hides much too often in his rage.
Karkat sighed and kept silent as Terezi continued to gobble down food, her gut gurgling loudly. Terezi finally stopped after finishing her plate, and sighed as she stood up and wobbled over to the sink, putting her plate away. She grunted as she placed her hands under her gut and lifted it, her face full of discomfort. She sighed and walked back over to the table slowly and sloshed down into her seat with a loud thud. The look of discomfort only worsened as the seconds passed.
'TEREZI, WHY DID YOU EAT SO MUCH?'
"B3C4US3 1T SM3LL3D SOOOOOO GOOD, K4RKL3S. 4ND 1T T4ST3D 3XTR3M3LY GOOD TOO."
Karkat sighed and nodded. It did smell good, and taste good too. But still, that was no excuse for Terezi to gorge herself. He sighed, and rubbed the back of his head.
Terezi wobbled in her chair a bit and groaned, whimpering softly.
"K4RKL3S…? COULD YOU RUB MY B3LLY FOR M3?"
Karkat blushed and shook his head.
"YOU KNOW HOW I AM ON PHYSICAL CONTACT, TEREZI. BESIDES, YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF, YOU NOOKSNIFFER. JEEGUS, THINK BEFORE-"
Karkat was cut off by Terezi moaning softly and panting, her face red from discomfort, her facial expression one of immense pain. Karkat sighed and blushed more, helping Terezi up from the chair, and helping to walk her into the common room.
Karkat helped Terezi lay down on the couch and propped her feet up. He moved a chair close to her and sighed, shaking his head. Terezi lifted up her shirt and cackled, her discomfort at least alleviated for the time being. Karkat leaned over and blushed, his hands rubbing her orb of a belly. She cooed softly and blushed, the bliss washing over her. Karkat rubbed softer, making sure no inch of her gut was left untouched.
A low growl surged in Terezi's stomach, and Terezi's comforted face suddenly changed to a discomforted one. Her stomach gurgled again and Karkat rubbed her belly a bit more forcefully. The gurgle spread up to her mouth, and Terezi promptly burped, her stomach deflating a little bit. Karkat laughed softly at Terezi's outburst, and Terezi blushed, her teal blood showing through her gray skin. Terezi playfully punched Karkat, and Karkat grinned at her.
"NEXT TIME DON'T EAT SO MUCH FOOD."
"4WW K4RKL3S, DO YOU NOT L1K3 PL4Y1NG W1TH M3?"
"IT'S NOT THAT. IT'S JUST I GET CONCERNED YOU MAY HURT YOURSELF, OKAY? OVEREXERTING YOURSELF COULD BE A BIG PROBLEM. OKAY?"
Terezi nodded in agreement as another gurgle forced its way through her mouth, punctuated in a burp. She cackled and grabbed Karkat's hands on her belly, and brought them to her lips, where she kissed them softly.
"OK4Y, K4RKL3S, 1 PROM1S3."
The two of them sat there in peace and quiet, falling asleep cuddled together on the couch.
