At first, Karkat found himself staring wide-eyed up at a slowly encroaching Cronus.
Then, it was the dark insides of his eyelids as he squeezed his peepers shut.
And, finally, upon opening them, he could only see the plain white of his ceiling as the heavy weight of another person was yanked off of him.
He bolted upright just in time to see Dave pull Cronus off of him by his shirt collar, swinging him around to slam his fist into his face. He watched, absolutely flabbergasted as Cronus staggered back, lip cut and bleeding. He touched his face and watched his hand come back red. He sneered at Dave.
"Motherfucker!" He swung and missed as Dave ducked to the side. He was less lucky in avoiding the second punch thrown, as it slammed into his nose. It started to drip, little drops of scarlet hitting the wooden floor.
Dave put his fists up and blocked the next swing, before going in for another strike. He clipped Cronus' chin.
Seeing Dave's face, smeared with blood stirred Karkat to leap into a standing position. He looked around his room. What was he going to do? Dave was hurt. He was in trouble.
Cronus stepped back and bumped his desk, scattering books and papers from its surface and onto the floor.
And they were trashing his room.
Karkat's eyes continued to sweep the area for anything he could use. He saw a folding chair leaning at the foot of his bed that he usually pulled out for company. He reached over and hulled it onto the bed with him.
Dave and Cronus were now gripping each other's' shirts, still wailing on their faces as they exchanged punches. Karkat raised the chair and swung. The metal clanged as it made contact with the back of Cronus' head, the legs sending vibrations down Karkat's arms.
Dave released Cronus' shirt, a little shocked. Cronus teetered one step forward before he collapsed.
They stood there for a moment, panting and watching the downed body for movement in the ensuing silence.
Finally, Dave cleared his throat to speak, "You, um... You pick that up from watching Smackdown, or what?"
Karkat threw the chair down and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh my God. OH MY GOD. Did I kill him? Is he dead?"
"I could kick him and see if he grunts."
Karkat ignored the comment and moved to take down his large wall mirror. "Help me hold this up to his face."
Dave clicked his tongue but obeyed.
They lowered it in front of Cronus' mouth. Before Karkat could tell if the glass was fogging up, Dave let it slip from his hands, "Oops." It smacked Cronus in the head. Karkat glared at him. Dave picked it back up. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."
"After I find out if I'm going to jail please." Karkat angled the mirror again. The glass in front of his mouth became clouded. He was still breathing. Nothing important had rattled loose.
Probably.
Karkat sighed in relief. He placed the mirror onto his bed. "I need to get him out of my house." He looked at Dave hintingly.
Dave frowned. "I don't really feel like touching an almost dead guy."
"He's not dead! He's still kickin!" Karkat made doe eyes, sacrificing a little dignity, "Please?"
Dave's brow furrowed but he complied. "Goddammit." He dragged Cronus around until he was safely perched on his back.
Karkat stood up with him. "I'll spot you from behind in case he starts to fall."
Dave nodded. "Good idea. I might accidentally drop him down the stairs."
"Don't you dare!"
"Relax! Relax! I was just joking." He paused. "Mostly."
They made it past the front door, Dave carrying him outside. He stopped on the lawn and flung him off, none too gently, from his back. Cronus' body made a thudding noise as it hit the ground, where he remained unmoving.
Dave wiped his hands together. "The trash has been taken out." He turned to Karkat smiling. Blood still coated the bottom part of his face. "Any other chores this handy man can do for you?"
Karkat pointed to his house. "You can get your ass inside so I can stop your brains from leaking out."
Dave sighed but relented. "Alright, Nightingale. Let's play doctor then."
Karkat led him inside and settled them in the kitchen. He pulled up a stool and had Dave sit down. The first thing he did was pat away the excess blood with a wash cloth. As the red smears came off, the beginnings of a few new bruises started making their existence known.
He was hyper aware of the way Dave's eyes stayed on his face as he worked. Maybe Karkat was too close? He sort of needed to be to see what he was doing.
When Dave's face was clean, he handed him a box of tissues. "Get pluggin."
Dave snorted. "Eloquent." He twisted up and shoved two up his nostrils. "At least it's not broken."
"How can you tell?" Karkat was still a little nervous that they might have to make an emergency trip to the hospital.
Dave touched the bridge of his nose and winced. "Because I know what a broken nose feels like. Doesn't hurt as bad as all that."
Oh. Right.
With the threat of Cronus gone and Dave all patched up, Karkat allowed himself to come down from the adrenaline that had been pulsing through him. He was suddenly very tired and a little shaky. And all the emotions of the night were creeping up on him at once. But he didn't want to cry again. He'd already cried so much.
Dave seemed to notice his change in demeanor. He held his hand out hesitantly, as if he wanted to comfort him. But his face looked conflicted.
Karkat didn't give him time to take back his hand. He wanted the comfort. Needed it. He wrapped his arms around Dave's neck and pulled himself against him. Dave went rigid, but, as he slowly brought his hands up to reciprocate the hug, his body melted into the embrace.
Dave's low voice whispered in his ear, "Are you okay?"
Karkat shook his head in the crook of Dave's neck.
Dave sighed. "Were you scared?"
He nodded.
One of Dave's hands rubbed soothing circles into his back, while the other wound its way into his hair. "Shit..." Dave leaned him back and tilted his head up. He brought their lips together.
It was gross and weird. Dave's nose tissues tickled Karkat's upper lip and Karkat's tears made it unnecessarily cold and wet. But he could care less. His body softened in Dave's arms and he felt Dave's heat spread to him.
Karkat's first kiss may not have been like he had expected it to be, or even what he wanted it to be, but, in the moment, it was sedative and immensely satisfying. It was exactly what Karkat needed right now.
Because it was Dave. Because Dave's hands were touching him. And Dave's mouth was parting against his. Dave's tongue was slipping inside and chasing the small noise of pleasure that he had accidentally let escape.
When they broke apart, Karkat stared at the floor, contemplating what his next move should be. Dave had kissed him. Had taken his first kiss.
Another, more malicious thought crept in.
He had made good on his earlier threat.
His voice was heavy with emotion when he tried to speak, "Why… Why would you do that?"
He was raising a hand to cover his mouth when Dave grabbed it and pulled it back down. He rubbed at the palm, expression agitated. "Don't freak out. Please don't freak out. I… I wouldn't have done that if I didn't- I mean, I know it's special to you so I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't-" His face was growing red. He brought up Karkat's hand and kissed his knuckles. He murmured into his skin, "I came back to tell you 'I love you'."
"Liar." The accusation was out without a second thought. There was just no way. He had been so against it only an hour earlier.
Dave looked scared. "I'm not lying. I've loved you for a while now, I think."
Karkat pulled his hand away and stepped back. He pressed himself up against his kitchen counter. "I don't believe you."
Dave's voice rose as he became more distressed, "How am I supposed to prove it then?"
Karkat averted his eyes, looking around for something that might provide him with an idea. "I don't know." He looked back at him. "How about answering 'why?'"
Dave muttered a curse under his breath and rubbed at the back of his head. When he looked up, Karkat noticed his cheek was starting to swell. "Okay, but you have to go after me, because I can't be the only one pouring my heart out here."
Karkat huffed and folded his arms. "As if I haven't been in that position for the past week."
Dave disregarded the barb and took a deep breath. "I've probably liked you since sophomore year."
"Bullshit!" Karkat slammed his fist down on the countertop.
"Let me finish!" Dave was flustered but he stormed ahead, "I already knew who you were long before I was supposed to be your tutor." Karkat suddenly recalled Dave knowing his name when they had first met. A little bit of his anger died down. "I saw you and you were just… really good at getting people to like you and you didn't even have to try. I mean, you can cuss someone out and they'll still fawn all over you."
Karkat looked at him in disbelief. "And that's why you… like me?"
"Well, no. It's just… really refreshing seeing someone be so out there with their feelings all the time and still be able to maintain a lot of close relationships? I mean, it puts you in a position to be easily fucked over, if anyone ever decides to hurt you, and, I guess, what I'm saying is… I think you're very brave." He was red to his ear tips. "Okay, so that was me in the hot spot. Your turn."
"Uh…" Karkat felt his own face heat up. He guessed he would have to. Dave didn't look too comfortable sitting there with his heart on his sleeve all by himself. He had probably never been this honest or open with other people before. He swallowed. "I like you because you're really kind."
Now it was Dave's turn to call bullshit, "Are you fucking serious? I have been the absolute worst human being imaginable this past week in an attempt to sabotage our relationship. There is no way you can think I am anything other than a one-hundred percent, bonafide douchebag."
Karkat rolled his eyes. "Well, if you'd shut your incessant drivel hole for five seconds, you'd be able to hear my explanation for how I drew that conclusion."
Dave closed his mouth and pretended to zip his lips.
Karkat began again, "You're always helping me out. Even when you get fed up, you still don't abandon me. You could have left me to figure shit out on my own a bunch of times. I don't know why you didn't, or, I guess," Karkat peeked up at Dave as the realization hit him, "I guess now I do."
A small smile made its way onto Dave's face. "So you believe me?"
Karkat took in the sight of Dave sitting there on the stool. He was an absolute mess, hair, out of place, face, a mishmash of blues, purples, and reds. But he was nervously watching him with the ridiculous grin on his face that made Karkat's chest flutter in the most awful of ways. "Yeah… I guess I do."
Dave pushed himself off of the stool and closed the distance between them. He settled his hands on the counter, on either side of Karkat, and hastily meshed their mouths together again. It was, surprisingly, less sloppy this time and more fervent, more needy, as if Dave wanted nothing more than to confirm Karkat was really in love with him.
Karkat returned the kiss just as willingly, happily giving Dave that peace of mind.
Yes, he still loved him.
No, he would never try to hurt or leave him.
Dave pushed flush against him and Karkat gasped. Dave scooped him up and sat him on the counter. He broke the kiss and they paused to exchange warm breaths between them. Dave cleared his throat. "So, when does your dad get back home?"
Karkat's head was spinning. "Not until the wee hours of the morning." He gave a tentative smile. "Why? You want to spend the night?"
Dave laughed. "Well, I'm not really in any shape to drive home tonight. Plus, you have that douche canoe still outside."
Karkat's eyes darted to the stairs. He nodded in the direction. "You know where my room is."
Dave's smile was like sunshine.
