His face was slack. Pale. Gamzee hadn't left his side since he fell under. His blood pusher remained steady, so he was still alive, but there was no life. Kanaya stood at the door to the room he was in, and held onto the doorway. She could barely look at him without crying. At least, not for long. None of them could. Gamzee would barely eat anything, and he almost wouldn't sleep. It had been a week since Karkat fell under, and everyone was already losing hope. Gamzee would talk to him, tell him the stories of when they used to play together. And when those ran out, he would tell him fairy tales. He kept making deliberately stupid jokes in the hope that maybe, maybe Karkat would hear one and wake up, if only to tell him how awful it was. But his face was still slack. Pale. Lifeless.
Kanaya walked up to him sitting there, holding onto Karkat's limp hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he glanced up at her. She smiled somberly, and he grinned the same. "Feferi Will Bring In Some Food For You Soon. She's Been Cooking Almost Nonstop, And I Have To Say It Is Delicious." Gamzee just nodded, and laid his head down on the bed next to Karkat's arm. Kanaya patted his shoulder and walked out. True to her word, Feferi walked in about five minutes later with a tray almost overflowing with food. He had to admit, it did smell really good. His stomach growled, and he smiled and nodded at her before she left. He scooted his chair over to the little table the food was on, and dug in, keeping an eye on Karkat just in case.
He decided he liked the void. It was silent, dark. Big. And warm. So very warm. There weren't any horrible images of his dead friends, or memories that weren't his own to flood into his mind. There wasn't any death here. Just pure nothingness. Yet… He could feel that something was wrong. Was he supposed to be somewhere? Did someone need him? He tried to think, but he couldn't. This warmth was becoming oppressive. He shook his head hard. Why couldn't he remember! Why was he here? Who was he? His eyes shot open, and he saw a beast made of darkness caressing his face. This wasn't void, it was a trap! He growled, his anger renewed. His sickle appeared in his hands, and he sliced the appendage off the beast. It roared, and retreated into the nothingness, and he could think once more. His name was Karkat Vantas. He lived on Alternia. He had some of the best friends anyone could have. And he was a fighter.
His eyes shot open, and he gasped. He was on a bed in a dark room somewhere. He shot up, and there was Gamzee, chewing on a roll. He almost choked on it, but he spit it out and cried "KaRkAt!" He shot up out of his seat and ran over to him, hugging him tightly, tears streaking down his face. Karkat could hear footsteps running down the hallway, and the door slammed open. There were gasps, and tears. They walked slowly to the bed, and joined in hugging him. Soon, he was surrounded by his friends. When they let go, he spoke, though his voice was little more than a rasp from disuse. "WHAT HAPPENED?" Sollux was the first to speak up.
"You were iin a coma for a week." He looked at him, almost not believing what he said, and Sollux gasped.
"WHAT?"
"Y-your eye2 are b-briight red."
"HUH?" Kanaya walked over holding a mirror, and he looked into his own bright, candy red eyes. "WELL SHIT."
Gamzee whispered in his ear "ThEyRe BeAuTiFuL bRo." Karkat tried not to blush, but failed, and a pink coloring came across his cheeks.
"You Seem To Have Completed Your Pupation. How Do You Feel?"
"HUNGRY AS SHIT." Sollux snorted, and Feferi giggled. He half glared at them, but it changed into a grin as he realized how dumb he sounded.
"Lets get you somefin to eat then!" Feferi bubbled and almost bounced out of the room, dragging Sollux behind her.
"YoU oKaY tO wAlK bRo?" Gamzee sidled up to him and looped his arm underneath, supporting him so he wouldn't fall. Karkat scooted over to the side of the mattress and slipped off the edge, almost falling, and looked to Gamzee in thanks. They shuffled slowly to the dining block and sat down at the table just as Sollux and Feferi came out holding plates overflowing with food. Karkat looked at it with almost a ferocity, and as soon as the plate sat down, he dug in. Halfway though, he glanced up to see everyone staring at him, so he stuck out his tongue, which just happened to still be covered in food.
"Kar, that's disgusting!" Eridan said with a laugh. Everyone else seemed to agree, and giggled as Karkat continued to scarf down the admittedly delicious food.
When he finished, he sat back in his chair, a hand on his stomach, and sighed contently. He closed his eyes for a moment, through they snapped back open when he heard someone gently clearing their throat. It was Aradia.
"We were w0ndering if y0u had an0ther dream while in y0ur c0ma." He looked to her and nodded, once, slowly. Looking down, he cleared his throat and spoke.
"BEFORE I WENT INTO IT, I WAS IN SOME KIND OF CHAMBER. THERE WAS SCREAMING EVERYWHERE, AND I TRIED TO MAKE IT STOP, BUT IT DIDNT WORK. WHEN I LOOKED UP, I COULD SEE ALL OF YOU COVERED IN YOUR RESPECTIVE BLOOD COLORS, REACHING FOR ME. I… I TRIED TO GET AWAY, AND PUSHED INTO THIS MIRROR THING, AND FELL BACK INTO IT. I GUESS THATS WHEN I WENT INTO THE COMA ITSELF. WHILE I WAS THERE, IT SEEMED SO… SO PEACEFUL. TO BE HONEST I CONTEMPLATED STAYING, BUT… I COULD'NT REMEMBER YOUR FACES, YOUR NAMES." He looked up at them, and Kanaya's hand was over her mouth, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "SO I FOUGHT BACK. I REFUSED TO STAY THERE WHEN MY FRIENDS COULD HAVE NEEDED ME." He glanced at them, almost defiantly. "AFTER ALL, I COULDN'T JUST LEAVE YOU ASSHOLES HERE ALONE, NOW COULD I." He grinned at them, and some grinned back, but Kanaya stayed in her chair, tears falling. His smile fell and he stood, walking over to her. He crouched in front of her, and smiled again, softer. She just about jumped forward and hugged him tightly. He smiled into her shoulder and pet her hair, whispering into her ear. "It'll be all right Kanaya. I won't leave you anymore." She sobbed softly, and he pushed away gently, so Vriska could take over. She swooped in, petting her hair, shooshing her until she calmed down entirely.
Once dinner was over, they decided to all sleep in the same room. They piled together, and one by one, fell asleep. For once, Karkat stayed awake, and listened to them breathe softly, gently. Gamzee's head was next to his, and he looked up to see Gamzee still awake as well, watching him.
"What are you doing?" Karkat whispered to him, slightly grinning.
"NoThInG rEaLlY. JuSt… MaKiN sUrE yOuR rEaLlY aLl RiGhT." Karkat nodded, and reached his hand over to Gamzee, and Gamzee took hold of it.
"I'm fine Gamzee. Thanks to all you guys, I'm all right." Gamzee nodded, and grinned slightly. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep, his hand still encircling Karkat's. Karkat smiled, and closed his eyes. And he finally. Finally fell asleep.
ITS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
DOO DOO DOOOOOO DO. DOO DOO DO DO DOOOOO.
One more chapter guys!
Also, sorry this took SO LONG. I may or may not have been stuck on part of it for a week. And a half. Heh.