I´m back with a short chapter! Sorry for the huge hiatus, I´m working the best I can on this! Again, it´s very short but I have a long chapter planned for the future, hopefully it won´t take as long to write it n_n And I want to than everyone for all the reviews, they fuel me and make me keep on going! So keep on feeding me with those! A
"John if you continue throwing yourself on the bed like a sack of trash it will fucking break!"
John just laughed at him while putting on his headphones. Seriously, the bed won´t last much longer like this.
The two of them had been on another date today. The original plan was to go to the duck pond and have a small picnic, but the temperature had dropped below zero during the day and neither of them felt like freezing their butts off. So the plans were changed into going to the mall and eat some spicy Mexican food.
It had been a good date with a lot of teasing as usual, but they had started to turn into more sexual ones lately. Like referring to the other day when things got a little bit heated. Or smacking the other´s butt whenever they got the chance.
On the other hand, some things had not been so good. Karkat had been having nightmares more often, usually when he slept alone. It was old memories making their way back from being suppressed. He´d wake up drenched in sweat, heart racing like crazy and blanket kicked down on the floor. John was worried about him and had asked several times if he could help him in any way, but Karkat had only shrugged it off. He didn´t want to talk about his past, not with John. Or anyone else, actually. The past is the past and shouldn´t be brought up.
"Don´t complain at me for trashing the bed, I know you like it rough!"
The words snatched Karkat back to reality and he almost spat out the soda he´d been drinking. He sure was cocky today.
"Watch out or I´ll sneak into your pants again, dumbdumb!"
"Oooooh, I´m so scared Karkat!" John exclaimed in a highly sarcastic tone while rolling his eyes at him. Karkat found it so fucking annoying and strode to the bed.
"Prepare to get wrecked, Egderp!"
With two easy steps Karkat was on the upper bed. He was going to throw himself over John in revenge but as he did they both fell right through the bed.
The planks had given in at Karkat´s sudden attack and broke in half. John´s mattress had fell down on Karkat´s together with them, dragging down bed sheets, pillows and planks too.
It took them a little while to realize what just happened to them. John broke the silence when a giggle started to form in his throat.
"What"
"The"
"FUCK!?"
Karkat was furious, of course and John was laughing hysterically. It took a while to get out of the mess, and when they finally did they just stood there, staring at their former bunker-bed.
"What now?"
John shrugged.
"I think school will pay or give us a new one, according to the contract. I´ll go to the reception and ask, are you coming?"
The reception was in another building, so they grabbed their outwear before heading there. It was the usual chit-chat and Karkat scolded John for being so careless. Soon Karkat´s anger died and his mind was on other things. John was smiling happily as usual, but there was something bugging Karkat. The stares. It had become worse and worse lately. Luckily, there were no verbal or physical attacks yet, but the risk for disaster would grow the more the more people around them knew that they are dating.
John was afraid for showing public affection. There had been rare moments when nobody had been around when he could hold hands for a little while, but not longer. Karkat could have been annoyed by this, he was a bug sappy romantic and wanted to show his love for him in all forms, but considering John´s troublesome past he was okay with it.
There was a group of guys a bit further ahead them who´d been staring too much for Karkat´s taste.
"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, making John glance over curisosly.
"What is it?"
"I´m cold, let´s hurry up."
"I told you, you should have put on a scarf! Here, have mine-" swiftly John took off his own, navy, scarf and put it around Karkat´s neck.
These seconds had passed in slow-motion for Karkat. He´d tried to stop John, this was absolutely not what he wanted right now. They passed the group and the bomb fell.
"Fucking faggots!"
No,no,no,no John please don´t listen to them!
"You´re disgusting!" another one screamed, making vomiting sounds.
And so it continued, like splinters from the detonating bomb. Each and every one leaving wounds on both of them, but mostly John. Karkat could see him shrink, eyes fixated on the ground in hope that it would devour him right here and now.
Karkat was meddling between turning around and beat the crap out of them, or try to save John. He grabbed John´s hand and ran towards the doors.
"John?" Karkat was panting from the sprint. They were standing inside the doors now ,thankfully there weren´t any other people there. No answer from John. He refused to look Karkat in the eyes, no matter how hard he tried.
Karkat didn´t notice at first, but tears had begun streaming down his face. He was supposed to protect him and had failed so bad. Why? Why was he so fucking useless?
"Hey, best friend?" a raspy voice asked Karkat. He had silently walked up next to him and was looking worried at him. Hair ignoring the laws of physics and standing out in all directions as usual, the signature polka dotted slackers. Gamzee.
Karkat looked up at his tall friend, unable to form any words. Gamzee looked at him carefully, then at John who was still unreachable. His usually warm and friendly dark eyes hardened.
"Who?"
Without hesitating another moment, Karkat pointed out a window.
"About five or six, typical jocks." He knew what would happen, he´d seen Gamzee loose his shit a couple of times before and hoped he would fuck up those bastards really bad. Maybe it wasn´t wisest wish, violence can´t solve problems. But right now he was filled with rage against them; they had hurt the person he loved the most and there was no way he´d forgive them.
He grabbed John and forced him to walk away with him; he didn´t need to see this. He´d probably become angry at Karkat and Gamzee instead for doing such things.
A couple of minutes later it seemed like he was contactable again – not the usual joyful self, but at least he replied to Karkat´s questions. They were standing at the glass covered reception; it was the same canary-lady as on John´s first day at school. She was talking on the phone while typing quickly on her computer. A stressful day, it seemed. She finally opened the little window and Karkat hurried to explain their problem while John was standing silently in the background.
"Okay we´ll bring you a new bed, they´ll be there around six o´clock" Karkat glanced at the clock, it was ten past four now, so it wouldn´t take that long.
"A bunker bed, right?"
"Yeah, yeah" She didn´t even look up at him again, and shut the window before he could say any more. Karkat cursed silently, he did not like being ignored like this at all.
It was already half past five when they´d finished cleaning up the remains of their old bed. It took up almost five big, black bags and there was some bigger bits that wouldn´t fit in. They had to throw away everything, even the bed sheets since they were shredded and filled with splinters. They had been talking during the work, but it was mostly Karkat trying to cheer up the mood. John was still only replying with short sentences.
They were sitting on the floor, exhausted from the work and waiting for the new bed to arrive.
"John, please talk to me" Karkat pleated. He grabbed his hand but John avoided all eye-contact. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke.
"Do you think everyone sees me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Disgusting"
Karkat clenched his jaw; he sure hoped Gamzee had broken at least one of their bones. Preferably all of them.
"John look at me" he said, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Think of all your friends – Dave, Rose, Jade, Kanaya, they all like you for the one you are. They know we´re dating and they´re completely fine with it. And that´s what matters; what the people who like you, and you like too, think of you. Why would you care of what a complete idiot stranger thinks of you? I think they are fucking worthless pieces of human flesh, but I doubt they give a fuck of my opinions on them."
And there it was; the spark in his eyes, slowly coming to life again. Karkat pulled him in for a tight hug.
"You can´t please everyone around you, it´s impossible. But the people who really love and care about you will love you no matter what you do."
"I love you Karkat"
"Love you too"
They arrived about ten past six with a new bed. The two men who´d delivered it were in a hurry and also had to go get the mattresses, so the roommates decided to put it together by themselves in the meanwhile.. It wasn´t hard at all since it was built like an IKEA furniture; oversized furniture-lego. Everything put together it looked like a good bed, but it was something wrong.
"Karat"
"Yes John"
"That´s not a bunker bed"
"I know"
In front of them was a single bed. It wasn´t even a double bed so that they could fit comfortably on it, no, it was a simple single bed.
The delivery-men were back with a single mattress, of course, and couldn´t help out with their bed problem.
"Another round to the reception it is" John sighed. But he hesitated for a moment.
"But you know…this isn´t actually that bad"
Karkat looked at him curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"We won´t hit our heads in a top bed in this one"
"And it´s less laundry"
"Not to speak of how much nicer it is to sleep with company"
They both nodded in agreement with serious faces.
"We´re keeping it"
"Fuck yeah."
Hella gay