A silent little room, so dark. So bare. The loudest thing you could hear was breathing emitted by a troll's breath.
His eyes are so dry and tired, wanting him to just close them just for a moment and sleep. Just for a moment, no harm down right? He's scared, though. Scared that the troll, who's hair he's fondly petting hoping to hear a purr, might awoke and he'll miss it. Scared that something terrible will happen when he's not on the guard, that she might die and he'll never get the chance to save her because of his weak body begging for slumber.
Scared that if he ever closed his eyes, he may never see her face again. So he doesn't sleep. He's used to being an insomniac, although it's unsure of whether or not this is a good thing.
He'll just simply sit there on the ground, eyes on the other troll that laid there on top of bundles of blankets. Nepeta, her entire body practically wrapped up in bandages. Some places, a cast to try and hold her bones together while they heal. Karkat felt sick looking at her like this; a skilled hunter that can take down any lusii, from a tiny rabbit to a ferocious bear, so broken and beaten by a clown. Once again, a needle of guilt stabbed into his heart as he thought about ways of how he could have prevented this accident. Only after Gamzee did what he did to the two innocent trolls was when Karkat confronted him.
He remembered those memories, so fresh in his mind…
"Karkles, are we even there yet?" A female troll complained. Terezi and Karkat were simply walking through a seemingly endless hallway, he carrying Nepeta's unconscious and bleeding body. The only sound that echoed through the bare, metallic halls were the clacking of Terezi's cane, foot step, and their talking.
"How the fuck am I suppose to know?" Karkat responded, exasperated. At least he's not alone. "If you can smell cherries a mile away, then why can't you be like those human lusus thing called a 'bloodhound' and sniff out some other scents? Can't you smell like… like…" He scrunched up his face while trying to think of an example that possibly isn't dead or on a murder rampage. "Like… mustard. Sollux's blood smells like mustard right?"
Terezi stuck a tongue out at him.
"Fucking mature, are we?" He rolled his eyes.
"Hehehehe! Well, since we're mature and all, let's discuss the news I have for you." She grinned her sharp, white teeth glistening almost like a shark. "Right. Now."
Karkat paused for a moment, surprised. "… C'mon, we have to get Nepeta medical attention before she fucking dies and then I'm just sitting here acting like the souls of the deceased will haunt me forever." He continued walking, slightly faster then he did before.
"It's not really a good idea to put off information for long, Karkles." She easily matched his pace.
"Why do you want to talking about it now? What's so important that you have to bring it up now? Why not later?"
"Because it's so fun messing around with you, Karkles." Her eyes half closed, giving her a smug look. "And, I am wondering about you and Nepeta's relationship…"
"What relationship?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Karkat."
"I'm fucking serious what relationship?"
Terezi gave him a blank look. "You two are obviously flushed for each other."
"What? What makes you say that? I'm sure Nepeta stopped feeling red for me ages ago, Terezi."
"Are you kidding? You two act like adorable little matesprits, it makes me want to nibble on both of your cheeks."
"Wait, what?" Karkat looked at Terezi with a shocked expression. His eye brows furrowed as he frowned. "… Wait, you're not bothered by this? At all?"
She shook her head "no". "Not really, especially after I met Dave…"
"… Dave?"
"Dave Strider."
"… YOU AND DAVE?" His eyes widen as he shouted. He then remembered he was carrying Nepeta, and not wanting to wake her yet he repeated his comment in a whisper. "You and Dave?"
"Mhmm." Terezi grinned sheepishly. "Now Karkat, while I'm okay with you and Nepeta, are you okay with me and Dave?"
He opened his mouth at first ready to verbally fling obscenities at her about how stupid Dave was, and how much he would pound his fist in that douche's face if he ever get the chance. He stopped himself, realizing something. Is he really bothered by their relationship? Or bothered by the fact that it's just Dave?
He looked at Terezi, staring at her lips. Did he ever wanted to kiss those? Would he want to kiss them?
Then a final thought occurred in his head, making the wool come off of his eyes.
Does he not want to let Terezi go because he's flushed for her? Or because she's like a friend to him? It certainly pained him to see Kanaya get killed, and she was one of his closest friends, so maybe it'll hurt if he lost Terezi too…
He wished he could face palm himself right now for confusing his feelings right now.
"Karkles, do you hear that?" Terezi asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Ssssssh!"
He looked at her weirdly before he heard it too. It was quite faint and sounded far away, but he definitely could hear it. He wished he couldn't though.
Honk.
Honk.
Honk.
"It's coming that way." Terezi pointed ahead of them at some distance ahead of them, where once again the lights were failing at that particular area leaving it rather dark. "C'mon, let's go!"
"What? No, fuck no!"
"Don't be a crywiggler Karkles, we're teamed up right now so we'll be okay!" She smirked. "Remember, I helped you defeat those imps and I'm blind."
"Fine, fine, whatever. If we end up dead then you owe me some boondollars in the dream bubbles."
With that they walked into the darkness. It stayed like that for a while, Karkat feeling a bit panicked by the minute as he stumbled around in the black like a vulnerable wiggler.
"Terezi?"
No response.
"Terezi? Terezi?"
"I'm here Karkles, just messing around with you." There goes the familiar giggle, then it suddenly stopped. "Wait, I smell something…"
"Is it a good smell?"
"Smells like… grub sauce. Eck, and mustard. Hey, what's that glowing thing?"
Karkat wasn't sure where to look for the "glowing thing". Then he saw it, the glowing thing. It was rather far away, but it was bright enough for a beacon of some sort. He squinted. He can distinctively make out some shapes, like a body… Before he knew it, he felt something yank at his sleeve and dragging him over the glowing thing.
"Terezi! Stop that!" He made sure not to drop Nepeta. The only response he heard was Terezi giggling, possibly from glee. He noticed how the area they were in gradually became lighter, and then he realized that they were in an enormous room. In no time at all, they reached the glowing thing which turned out to be… a glowing Kanaya. So she wasn't dead as Karkat thought.
Karkat and Terezi came to stop in front of her. The glowing troll was wearing a rather beautiful red velvety dress. Wrapped around her stomach was an oddly familiar magenta colored cape, it being apparently used as a bandage for the gaping hole on her stomach. He can still see that the hole was bleeding, some jadeblood dripping through the cape. On her red gloved arm, a hand that held onto her arm as a guide, was… Sollux! Only, his eyes appeared to be missing leaving behind empty black eye sockets on his face. He appeared to be wearing a familiar pair of goggles, and on his shirt were some dried up yellow blood.
Karkat couldn't be any happier to see all of his friends in the same room, but atlas one friend he didn't want to see showed up.
Gamzee, silent as a mine and crazy as a clown, silently strolled up the group with his face caked with dry indigoblood his cut wounds still bleeding. He had on a small, pleasant smile that made Karkat shiver a bit upon looking, and when the troll came closer did Karkat notice that he was holding a very colorful and large hammer.
The clown stopped some feet away from the group, and everyone watched in silence at each other. He glanced at Karkat, eyes lowered to the dying troll in his arms.
"So you motherfucking got my present, didn't you Karkitty?" A rasp whisper escaped his lips. "A LITTLE TOY JUST FOR YOU, KARKAT." He bellowed.
Kanaya quickly took out her makeup, turning into an intimidating looking chainsaw that Karkat noticed had some dry magenta blood on. He lightly set Nepeta on the ground before stepped over to Kanaya and patted her, making her confused at first.
"Are you happy with my present Karkitty? I MADE IT JUST SPECIALLY FOR YOU, WITH EXTRA POUNDING AND PAIN."
Terezi held up her cane, lightly raising it so that the sharp end of it was pointing up like a sword. Karkat come over to her and patted her too. He promptly smacked the cane out of her hand.
"Is she still alive? I HOPE SHE STILL IS, BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT TOY NEEDS SOME FIXING UP TO DO. I hope Nepeta is still alive."
Sollux raised his fists, ready to shout… at Lil' Cal, sitting there in the corner in a green suit like a creepy little puppet he is. Karkat watched Sollux and decided not to interrupt.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR KARKAT?"
It was now Karkat's turn to wield his weapon, a mighty sickle. He crouched a bit, watching Gamzee intensely. For an odd reason, all of the fear escaped the troll leaving behind courage. Perhaps the fact that he was with friends that can support him comforted him, or maybe he decided to man up and face his problems.
Gamzee looked at Karkat softly, almost sadly. Was it because he'll have to kill Karkat, the one he planned on saving for last? He whispered softly, "Come at me bro."
With that, they both sprang at each other, hammer and sickle raised… for nothing apparently.
Karkat withdrew his sickle and suddenly touched Gamzee's chest while raising a finger to his lips, shushing him. Gamzee stopped and began yelling "HOOOOOOONK" at the stop of his lungs, eyes flashing with anger. Karkat papped the other troll's face, gradually calming him down up to the point where Gamzee's yelling turned into a soft whisper. They then hugged each other fondly, announcing that they were officially Moirails.
With that, the group managed to find their way back to the laboratory and fixing up the transportalizers for easier transportation. At this very moment Karkat and Nepeta are in her room, he waiting for Nepeta to awake. It's been a week since the incident, and each day that passes by made Karkat edgier.
Will she ever wake up? Equius is pretty much the best doctor the trolls could ever have, and with no doubt he'll see to it that that his moirail's health will be restored. Only he's dead, and if there were any other trolls that knows how to help Nepeta then they're dead too. Karkat's not even sure if Nepeta will still wake up to a world of pain, and he hopes she doesn't. She deserves to have some treatment after what she's been through…
He growled in frustration. Karkat looked over at the sleeping troll, dressed almost like a mummy with grassy green blood slightly bleeding through the bandages. Looks like Kanaya will have to change the bandages later, like she normally does.
He laid down next to Nepeta, propped on an arm so that he can still have a chance to watch her.
"I don't mean to hurry you," he whispered. "But it'd be fucking swell to see you open eyes at some point. Because you know, that's proof that you're alive. Just saying."
Karkat leaned close to her, kissing her cheek. Almost immediately he heard a soft murmur.
"Karkitty…?"