SOY: third chapter up, I hope you keep on enjoying this fic :D
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Rating: Mature for themes and later content.
Warnings: Karkat and Dave's speech. Mentions of past death.
Disclaimer: I don't own HomeStuck.
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Phantom Limb
Chapter 03
"Dave, could you please have a look at this list?"
Jane Crocker, 25, owner of Crocker's Pastries, one of the best patisseries in the city, slid out from the 'Authorized Personnel Only' area of the shop and gently tapped Dave's shoulder, making him turn around.
She was holding a paper in her hand, fingers and apron dusted white with flour, and he had to restrain a small smile when he found some white powder sprinkled on her nose.
Jane was his brother's best friend, one of those friendships that seemed to blossom from nowhere in a second and that lasted through rights and wrongs; she was also his employer.
She was shorter than him by at least half a head, with hair combed like they were still living in the fifties –and despite that, it still looked fashionable on her, fitting– and plump curves that made her seem all the more motherly, but he knew better than to think her soft –she was a strong woman with a silk-covered iron fist.
He nodded, gazing down at the list; it contained mainly ingredients that Jane needed to stock up on, like chocolate, flour and sugar and the like, but Dave snickered slightly when he noticed a scribbled note on the upper corner in blue pen, depicting the CROCKER Corp Logo crossed out with hatred.
Obviously John had visited the shop before class, leaving behind traces of his passage.
The guy was Jane's cousin, but the only thing they had in common was a shared passion for tricks and pranks.
"The prices are correct," he told Jane after a quick check. "You'll need to set the amount and then calculate the 10% detraction you get, and then…" he noticed her lost look and grabbed a pen, jotting down the equations on a corner of the paper. "Here. Don't forget to sign the form when the courier arrives".
"I don't fancy having to work out all the things by myself, you'd better be around," Jane replied, trying to look intimidating but failing miserably. "I'll pay you extra if you're here when the courier comes with the actual orders!"
"No problem J, have nothing better to do 'round here".
Jane's eyes flickered towards the entrance of the shop, and her lips settled on a small smile. "Hey, isn't that your troll friend?"
Dave twisted his neck, and smirked when he recognised the familiar face of Karkat peeking through the window, eyes flickering from the pastries on display to him.
They had met like that every morning for the past week, just a few minutes of chat before Karkat had to leave for his classes, but it was a nice addition to his usual work routine.
With a casual, relaxed wave, Dave moved quickly out of the counter, grabbing a small, unassuming white package from behind it, and moved to the door.
"Sup?" he greeted, nodding at the troll.
His fingers tightened around the bag as he dangled it in front of the troll, who eyed it with a look of absolute, pure glee, unskilfully masked a second later as he looked up at Dave's face.
"You don't plan on making a freeloader out of me, right?" his eyebrows lowered enough to seem almost threatening, like black caterpillars on top of vibrant yellow sclera.
Dave idly tilted his head from one side to the other, eyes flickering from Karkat to the side, squinting slightly in the light even if he was wearing his shades.
"Nope, ain't the way I work around here, man. Just thought that you'd like some free samples. Call it–"
"–investment, I know, making clients run your way like moths to a flame, getting 'burned' but unable to stay away, and blah, blah, blah," Karkat rolled his eyes, but his shoulders relaxed slightly. "You said that yesterday, too".
"Hey, I'll have you know that Striders never make a repeat. What was yesterday isn't going to be the same today, water under the bridge, no encore only privileged one-time-only shows, no refunds, only awe," Dave shrugged, and easily slipped the bag into Karkat's hand. "You should have gotten used to it already, Karkat".
With a soft snort, Karkat stole the bag from Dave's lax grip and wrinkled his nose, though to his defence he looked pretty protective over the sweets inside it.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thank you. But I can't keep accepting freebies all the time. I'm not a charity case, and I'll let you know that I'm sufficiently backed up to buy pastries. Let me at least pay you in advance for the next week".
"Nah, that's what friends do," with another casual shrug, as if to minimise the impact of his words, Dave turned around and pushed the door of the shop open. "See you".
A hand darting forth to grab his arm stopped him, and he licked his lips, feeling slightly embarrassed for his words.
As such, he didn't turn around.
"You… are we friends?" the tone of the troll was not doubtful, but it did contain a note of disbelief.
"Uh, sure, told you the first time I saw you. We're two peas in a pod, bros forever, that sort of shit, man, ain't going to get rid of me anytime soon, I'll be practicing my raps all over your ass and you'll be converted to the glory of sicknasty rhymes, and–"
It was a fact that didn't make him proud at all, but Dave had a tendency to spontaneously burst into long, wordy rants whenever he felt pressured into something.
Talking in front of his professors, having a job interview, or blurting out stupid things when offering a pastry to a troll he'd met just a couple weeks before (ok, it was more like ten days, but who was keeping count? Definitely not Dave).
Dave's mouth always worked on its own, brain giving up control and letting his tongue roll out convoluted metaphors that only made things even more confused, acting as his only refuge to avoid personal embarrassment.
Karkat tugged his shirt with a soft growl. "Oh, no, you won't–" even if Dave couldn't see it, he just knew the troll had just rolled his eyes at him. Karkat seemed to have that reaction around him a lot. "Shut that human trap for a moment and listen to me when I deign you with a reply, Strider. It might just as well make me want to leave right now if you keep spouting your usual acerbic pile of shit".
Dave's lips fell shut instantly, and he swallowed.
"It's… it's ok. Us being friends, I mean. Not you giving me gifts. I'd be profiting on you and that isn't what friends do, so stop being a colossal idiot and let me pay next time. Or at least offer you one of those horrid apple teas you seem to be so fond of".
Dave's lips twitched up in a small smile, and he once again shrugged, trying to look casual. "Whatever you wish, man. I never say no to free food… but are you sure you're not just wanting to get more of that coffee?"
"As if there was a doubt of that!" Dave turned around, slightly surprised to have the troll agree with him instead of replying with a curse, and found Karkat actually smirking. "I'm free this afternoon, so prepare yourself for a treat".
Dave snorted and nodded. "Enjoy your class, Karkat".
The bells on top of the door chimed pleasantly as he returned to his job, throwing a quick thank you at Jane, who had momentarily taken his place at the cashier; she was looking at him with an appraising look, and Dave felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze.
"What," he asked, almost defensively.
She wasn't one to make annoying comments, but she could be a tease sometimes nonetheless.
"I was thinking how much I'm going to make you pay for making plans right after you promised to help me," she replied with a small wry smile.
Feeling a bit cold, Dave retreated from her, raising both hands to try and pacify his boss.
"Uh… I–"
"You'd better hope you finish up everything before your chum comes over, or I'm going to take my sweet time chatting with John and Roxy!"
He winced. "Shit".
…–…–…
"Amusing, really amusing," Karkat observed with a smug look as he watched Dave hoist what looked like a very heavy box, dragging it inside the shop.
He could hear Dave huff in the distance, the noise of his footsteps fading away into silence as Karkat was left alone in the back, staring at the pile of packages and sacks of ingredients for the patisserie; the troll was sitting on a cassette of empty water bottles, a bit bored but overall mostly amused by the circumstances.
The back corner of the pastry shop was mostly empty of interesting things to linger on, so he simply waited for the human to come back. Dave was definitely enough to keep him entertained.
At his side, Terezi was thinking the same, cackling silently at the amusing sight of a flustered Dave struggling to bring the packages inside.
Dave resurfaced from the shop with a sigh, rubbing his lower back with one hand as he tilted his head to look at Karkat.
"It's not amusing, man," he replied to Karkat's earlier comment, preparing to hoist another box up and into the shop. "You don't know Jane, she's like evil incarnate. Don't let her cute chubby face fool you, she's one hell of a monster–"
"I can see that," Karkat agreed, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"I mean it," Dave scratched the back of his head, looking uncertain all of sudden. "You don't have to waste your time here waiting for me, though. Maybe we should reschedule or something".
He felt bad for making his friend wait like that, especially since Karkat had looked pretty set on offering him some tea, but that wasn't the only reason; despite always training, and having a lean, fit body, he was only good with things related to speed, not sheer strength.
He had a hard time hoisting all the heavy boxes into the shop all by himself, but that was his punishment and he'd have to accept it.
So, that part of him that was all ego and pride made Dave feel embarrassed to show how lacking he was in the strength department, especially to a new friend.
"Nah, I don't mind," Karkat shrugged, not looking bored at all. His lips twitched into an amused smirk. "Do you need a hand, though? You look like your weak, human arms aren't enough to sustain the weight of that box".
"Nah, man, don't bother, I can do it, I have everything under control here, chill as Arctic ice, nothing too heavy," Dave let his mouth run free again as he stared down at the next package, silently cursing at himself. "I'm good".
Karkat emitted a low series of weird, alien sounds –chirping and clicking and noises that were similar to cracking knuckles or snapping twigs– and Dave looked away, embarrassed because Karkat was laughing at him.
Next thing he knew, he was huffing under the box, heavy enough to make his arms ache, walking through the shop's backdoor; he didn't even notice when someone came up behind him, footsteps light, and then a voice, not ruffled or strained at all–
"Where do I have to put this, you useless fuck?"
Dave tilted his head to the side, aware that if he turned he'd drop the container, and then almost dropped it anyway when he saw Karkat holding up another package like it weighed nothing, yellow eyes fixed on him, waiting.
"How the fu–"
"Told you, you're just one useless sack of meat," Karkat replied easily, smirking. "Now, lead the way".
Cheeks turning darker in shame, Dave led Karkat down the corridor and into the storeroom, placing down the box he was holding with a grateful sigh. Karkat trotted to the corner and delicately placed the other package down, straightening his back and having the audacity to look completely fine.
Not even out of breath.
"You are totally inhuman, man".
"Of course, I'm a troll," Karkat replied with a pleased smirk.
Dave glared at him, though it got lost behind his shades, and turned to leave the storeroom, Karkat in tow, "Oh, fuck you, you know what I mean".
"Yeah, you lack terms to encompass how much better than you I am, and you are quite embarrassed to admit it," Karkat snickered as he followed him.
"Oh, I like your friend!"
Both Karkat and Dave turned around, finding Jane standing on the door of the kitchen, smiling brightly.
"He does look like he has some meat in the right places," Jane continued, tapping the edge of her wooden spoon against her cheek. "Seems like he has it all together, unlike you, Dave," she turned to look at him, her expression a mix of motherly and smug. "Maybe I should think about hiring him, rather than you! Hehe!"
Dave muttered something under his breath and hurried down the corridor, hoping Karkat would follow, but the troll actually seemed a bit hesitant, looking at Jane like he needed permission to move.
"Dave is lucky that you're a nice fellow, helping him out," Jane continued, winking at Karkat. "He's a poor nipper, but he does his fair share".
"Jane," Dave called out, feeing totally humiliated by her calling him a little kid.
Karkat snorted slightly, amused at her light attitude and feeling oddly comfortable as they shared a moment at the expenses of his new friend.
It felt almost weird –he barely knew Dave, after all, so he was just getting into the dynamics of how to work around him and the people he knew– but it also felt nice, so he didn't question it, simply nodding at the woman before following Dave outside.
The two didn't speak much after that, but Dave also didn't comment when Karkat grabbed another box and continued aiding him; splitting the remaining heavy packages between the two of them, they managed to finish up things quickly, and Jane, smiling happily, offered Karkat some cake to bring home as a thank you.
"I noticed this is the one Dave gives you most often, so feel free to enjoy some at home and maybe share it with someone," with a smile, Jane returned inside the shop, and Karkat and Dave headed towards the tea house.
Karkat tightened his grip on the bag containing his pastry, feeling oddly flustered at the nice gesture, and muttered a soft thank you.
"Sorry 'bout that," Dave scratched his chin. He still felt a bit awkward, so he tried to think of something to talk about to dispel the weird aura. "So, how was your class today?"
Karkat glanced at him, then shrugged. "Professor has a habit of being a ludicrous mass of unadulterated barkbeast vomit, but today he's been almost passable with his tirade. I almost think I actually learned something, can you believe it?"
With a small snort, Dave shook his head. "Sounds like you had a good day".
The streets were filled with people, moving in banks and fluttering from one side to the other in coordinated groups, stopping and walking at the same pace, all together, rehearsed movements of familiarity.
Cars honked, music waves fluttered away from radios, echoing in the air, adding to the cacophony of sounds, talking and laughing and screaming. To diffuse the noises, some people wore earphones, blasting music directly into their ears, and some hurried past where the noise was too loud, wincing and disappearing into the sea of faces.
In the middle of the crowd, though, Karkat and Dave walked together, chatting as if the chaos surrounding them was gone; with every step, a fragment of that awkwardness they still felt in their newly blooming friendship seemed to disappear as they idly spoke of their lives, accounting their school expectancies and making the walk feel far shorter than it was.
Behind them, forgotten and unseen, Terezi followed, watching them interact with the sort of glee that was tainted by the slightest envy –she wanted to be part of the group, to talk and share the jokes and laugh.
Terezi watched the way Karkat's mouth twitched slightly whenever they hit an uncomfortable subject that reminded him of something painful, the way he seemed to subtly retreat to himself; she watched how Dave, almost noticing it, was quick to intervene with his words, dissipating the uncertain aura with a joke, catching Karkat before he could pull away and dragging him back, making him snort and chuckle.
The human made Karkat react, made him joke and snort on his own, using his extensive vernacular to drag out snarky smiles and amused snorts from Dave.
The sight was enough to make Terezi dissipate her cane, her usual ever present companion, to grab her dragon doll again, holding it in blurry, transparent fingers until the contours of her skin and those of the small dragon melted together into the air.
Pushing the door of the tea house open, Karkat snorted in reply to something Dave had said, and Dave waved at the cashier, who gritted his teeth but nodded back at him.
The ambient was just as cosy as Karkat remembered from that first time, and his mouth watered simply at remembering the taste of that good coffee.
He'd thrown away all instant coffee he owned, vacating his usual routine of buying Starbucks (because who would keep on buying that shit when they had tasted better?), but with his chaotic timetable he hadn't had the chance to come to the tea room on his own before.
Since he had some time for once, Karkat decided to inquire about their various paradise coffees and instead of following Dave towards the tables he lingered behind, accosting the counter with his head held high, attracting the attention of the troll with a broken horn.
Dave glanced back at him for a moment, then slid to his usual table, stretching his legs under it, licking his lips and waiting for the waitress as his eyes lazily explored the local, safely hidden behind his shades.
"Hey, Dave!"
The rustblood bounced towards him, stopping for a moment to smile to an empty spot, then reached the table and leaned on it, offering him the menu.
The lines of Dave's face relaxed a bit as he smiled back, eyes returning for a moment to the counter, where the cashier was busy with the selection of coffee bags.
The waitress looked above her shoulder as well, a mischievous look appearing on her face as she quickly bent down to nuzzle Dave's cheek.
"Gotta pay attention, you don't want to upset Equius with your obscene romantic gestures while you're working, Ara," there was a teasing edge to Dave's tone, but he didn't protest when she wrapped both arms around his neck, burying her face into his messy hair.
"Shut up, it's been a long morning!"
"You have no idea," he agreed, smiling up at her. "Trouble in paradise?"
"Don't even joke, I swear," she retreated, brushing one stray hair lock away from her cheek. "I am quite sure he's going to hire another waiter for the morning shift, which means I'll have to be the one to train them!"
"If you want I could try out working here, too," he teased, watching as her eyes lit up in amusement.
"Dave Strider, don't you even think about that! You know just as well as I do that you're unfit to serve people!"
"I serve them just fine over at the pastry shop, though," he rebuked.
"That's not the same, and you know it. Now shut up and order, your sweetheart's coming here".
"He's not my sweetheart, Aradia," he replied in a huff. "He's a friend".
She wrinkled her nose, managing to look even cuter than usual, round cheeks and big, expressive eyes. "The usual, then?"
Dave caught Karkat approaching the table, looking satisfied of himself, a medium-sized packet of coffee in a plastic bag, and smirked, "Make it a double, he's paying," he winked, pointing with his head at the other troll.
"Is that so?" she turned around, smiling brightly at Karkat. "You want the house special again?"
"Uh, yeah," he glared at Dave, though it didn't hold any annoyance, and sat down, nodding as the waitress walked away. "You know her?"
Dave hummed softly, leaning on the table to play with a sugar packet and motioning Karkat to lean close as well, which he did, though seeming perplexed.
"She's been my secret lover for the last year," he confided, lowering his voice. "See the troll at the counter? He's her rightful matesprit, and we're having a flirt behind his back!"
Karkat's face flushed a dark grey, spluttering and pulling away from Dave, eyes wide and mouth twisted in a small grimace, and Dave kept his face as straight as he could, nodding softly.
The shock was quickly replaced by a small frown. "You–"
"–are a big fat liar," Aradia reappeared at their side, holding a small tray with a couple pastries on it. "Please do not heed his idiocy, he likes to say that to everybody to see how they react".
A bit baffled, slightly annoyed, but most of all relieved, Karkat relaxed a bit.
"And I'm not in a redrom with Equius either, Dave," she swatted him on the head, placing the pastries down. "This is on the house, they go well with your orders. Wait just a bit more until the coffee's ready, ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, but don't you dare deny he'd die to have you in his quadrants, Ara," Dave snickered, grabbing one of the pastries and licking the outer sugar dusting, managing to get it all over his lips and chin. "Concupiscent ones," he added helpfully, voice muffled by the mouthful of pastry.
Karkat stared at him, unsure whether to wrinkle his nose or laugh at how silly the human looked like that.
He also noticed the way Aradia's fingers lingered in Dave's hair before retreating, and things finally clicked in his head.
"You are moirails," he accused, only realising the tone he'd used after he had spoken. "I mean, uh…"
"Yes!" Aradia smiled warmly at him, cheeky and showing off her dimples, and Karkat smiled back, reassured. "Though sometimes I wonder why I'm so nice to him!"
"Oh, shut it," Dave prodded her side. "Shouldn't you go back to work. Shoo. Shoo".
Aradia rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling, and walked away to check on a new customer who'd just peeked from the front door, leaving Karkat and Dave alone at the table.
Dave wiped away the excess of sugar on his chin and caught Karkat staring at him, a weird expression on his face.
"What? You didn't think me capable of troll relationships?" he teased.
Flustered, Karkat concentrated on his own pastry, biting on the soft, creamy surface and trying not to make it obvious the thought had indeed fluttered through his thinkpan.
"It's not often you see humans tackling troll quadrants," he mumbled around his mouthful, feeling silly. "Usually it's just redrom or a weird attempt at ashen".
"Yeah. Me n' Ara have been friends since forever, and it didn't click until like, four years ago. I wasn't big on quadrant-y things, but uh, well," he shrugged, and Karkat had the feeling that he was oversimplifying matters, but decided not to pursue the subject, careful to keep threading lightly on other people's quadrant matters. "She's a keeper, I tell you".
Despite himself, Karkat had to smile a bit. There was a definite warmth in Dave's tone. Most trolls were sort of sceptic to start moirallegiances with humans, worried about how they wouldn't understand the depths of what it took to be in a pale relationship –the most important quadrant a troll could ever hope to fill, regardless of reproductive-focused ones.
Of course Karkat couldn't judge –he didn't know Dave enough, not yet (but he sort of wanted to. With all his silly rapping and rambling, and those idiotic shades he kept on wearing all the time, he was sort of a decent human being)– but it didn't seem all that bad.
On that subject, though… Karkat observed Dave as he munched on his pastry, once again dusting his face with sugar, and wrinkled his nose.
He had known Dave only for a couple weeks by now, and this was only the second time they had managed to spend more than a couple minutes together, but to say he was curious about his shades would be an understatement.
Opening his mouth, he tried to muster the courage to ask about them; the guy always seemed to wear his aviators even indoors, and if Karkat had to stick to his first impression, he would easily say that it was a way to seem cooler, even though in his opinion it only made the human look like a tool…
But no. This was too simplistic, not accurate enough. Dave wasn't shallow, or at least he didn't seem so to Karkat, who was no good judge of characters, but could still follow his gut feeling.
He was quite curious, and amused, and couldn't help but wonder what the real reason was.
Was there a medical condition that made it impossible for Dave to remove his glasses? Photo-sensibility was a thing for trolls, too, especially when their race was used to a perpetual nocturnal setting, so many trolls living on the planet suffered from that.
Maybe, if he tried to keep his tone bland enough for some idle chatter, he could get an answer while still being tactful about it… "Hey, why the fu–"
And swallowed the rest of his words when Ara returned to the table, bringing him his order.
Lost in the swirls in his coffee as he stirred it, Karkat momentarily forgot his question, breathing in the scent of the strong beverage before sipping it slowly, savouring the rich taste.
Yes, that was good.
When he came to, a few minutes later and the cup mournfully empty, the troll found Dave staring amusedly at him, his head tilted to the side as he idly tapped the teaspoon against the edge of his own cup.
"You do enjoy that coffee," he commented, smirking like he'd just won the fucking lottery.
Karkat realised with a start that he was making a content clicking with the back of his throat, a sound that humans always associated to feline purring.
With a small embarrassed shuffle, he decided to make Dave focus on something else, so he opened his mouth, ready to scoff and demand information regarding the shades…
The door tingled open, and a cheerful voice echoed through the shop.
"Equius~!"
Karkat blinked, surprised at the familiarity of the voice. Was it…
He peeked behind his shoulders, and felt Dave lean across the table to look as well.
A troll had just slipped inside the tea house, bouncing over to the counter with a happy sound; she wore a military green jacket that, as opposed to the last time Karkat had seen her, now actually fit her lithe body, showing how she'd filled in since her childhood. On top of her head there was a snuggly blue hat and Karkat idly thought that certain things never changed.
"Nepeta," the soft rumble coming from the bartender –Equius– was full of the warmth that his countenance didn't show. His shoulders were tense, his back straight, and his lips were drawn into a small line, but his voice was enough to disprove this attempt at detachment.
He was actually happy to see her, and was trying to unsuccessfully hide it behind a reproachful gaze.
Nepeta bounced on the balls of her feet, and Karkat's eyes lingered where there had been a blue felt tail once, now gone. He half expected to see it appear and swish in time with her wiggling, but that didn't happen.
Time ran forth, and he wondered how much of Nepeta had changed since the last time they had talked.
"I was passing by and I really missed you," the playful tone in her voice was the same he remembered, and so were her eyes. "AC would like to get a hug if you purrlease?"
The cat puns hadn't changed, either.
Equius' coolness melted away into a sudden hesitance, fidgeting on the spot, and Karkat couldn't help but wonder just how those two had gotten together –and which quadrant? Nepeta's attitude suggested red, but which shade?
"That is exceedingly unwelcome, as I am working now, Nepeta," he stated, his tone coming off almost steely. Her face fell slightly, and even Equius seemed to melt at that. "But if you would like to wait, I take a break in a few minutes".
She brightened up instantly, and turned towards Aradia with a wink, her expression turning decidedly smug –clear sign she knew how to tug Equius' bloodpump the right way.
Then, her eyes flickered on Karkat, and the smugness was replaced with a barely contained excitement, bubbling on the surface and making her beam.
"Karkitty!" she purred, rushing towards the table.
Karkat spluttered at the nickname, hit by a wave of melancholy, then smiled at her. "Nepeta," he greeted. "It's been a while".
She nodded, smiling at Dave. "I didn't know you and Akwete Purrmusk were furrends!" she said, smiling so brightly Karkat spontaneously felt the need to wear sun protection.
He turned towards Dave, eyebrow lifted. "Akwete Purrmusk?" he asked, openly amused.
Dave had the decency to look almost sheepish. "Don't ask," he shrugged, then smirked. "Have to split my coolness in two distinctive parts or it will be far too much for the world to handle".
Karkat snorted, amused, then turned towards Nepeta again. "How are you doing?" he asked. "You still studying to be a vet?"
She nodded excitedly, pressing her hands together. "Yes, I'm going to do an internship soon around here," she looked healthy, happy, and ok, and Karkat shuffled a bit, guilt burning inside his guts at the thought that he'd failed to keep contacts with her. "Mr Stiffy there is my purrtner during courses, and we're weaving pale furr each other".
Karkat threw a glance at Equius, appraising him again now that he knew one of his old friends was dating him. The blueblood shuffled at the counter, clearly unsure what to do, and Karkat was amused to see he was so fidgety he was starting to sweat, wiping his palms on his apron and busying himself with shuffling around with some gift-packages on the shelf.
He glanced at Nepeta, and for a moment it felt like they were back during high school as they shared a knowing smile.
Wrinkling her nose happily, nudging Karkat with a finger and leaning closer, conspiratorially, Nepeta winked at him. "What about you, Karkitty? How's going between you and Terezi?"
Karkat's grip around his empty coffee cup tightened instantly, and all his amusement died all of sudden, replaced with an empty, gaping hole in his chest.
He looked down, suddenly fascinated by the grains of sugar scattered on the surface of the table, and felt Dave's attention shift on him, curious and worried. He heard a small intake of breath that signalled how Dave was about to speak, and then–
"Nepeta, if you want to have your hug, you'd better hurry up, my break won't be quite as long as you would like it to," Equius called out from the counter.
Karkat heard Nepeta falter, realising she'd said something wrong but not knowing what, but he wasn't quite paying attention. Then, he felt her retreat, hesitantly saying goodbye, but he still didn't look up.
Mentioning her name had been sudden, and it hurt, but Nepeta couldn't have known–
Dave had noticed the way Karkat was pulling away instantly; his shoulders hunched and he looked down at the table, not glancing up, and Dave felt a stir of worry inside his guts.
He wanted to ask what was wrong –but he somehow had the feeling that Nepeta had touched a subject that wasn't meant to come to light.
For a moment he wondered who Terezi was –maybe his ex, maybe he'd had a bad breakup– but he shook the curiosity away. This wasn't his place to ask, no matter how much he wanted to know.
They weren't close enough that he could ask things that made Karkat look so…
Pained.
"Oi, Karkat, I was wondering…" he racked through his brain in search of something to say, watching Equius lead Nepeta towards the back. He vaguely remembered something that Karkat said when they were walking towards the tea house, and thanked whatever god up there that John was a movie fanatic. "I heard there's a new movie with Will Smith out today in the theatres, supposed to be the shit, dramatic fucking plot. Wanna hit downtown and waste your afternoon on movie masterpieces?"
Karkat tilted his head up, peering at him for a moment, and Dave wondered, all of sudden, if he wasn't making things even worse.
He knew how to work around his friends –slick and smooth, because he knew them, and they knew him. But new friends were different, and that was why he didn't make many of those.
Still…
Karkat shrugged. "I don't really feel like a movie," he muttered half-heartedly, gaze blank.
The troll stood up, slowly, almost as if his body weighted a ton, and looked down at his empty cup.
"I should just go home anyway".
Not knowing what to do, Dave looked up, and met Aradia's concerned eyes.
She slowly shook her head, and he deflated a bit, nodding.
"You sure man? I heard it's gonna be a huge hit," he tried one last time, though lacking conviction. "Ain't nothing better than watching a movie with friends".
Karkat looked at him, in the general direction where Dave's eyes were behind his shades, and hesitated for a fraction of a second before shaking his head.
They moved towards the counter, where Aradia took Equius' place to ring up the bill. Dave offered to walk with Karkat to the bus stop, but he refused with a small shrug, so the human could do nothing but let him go.
The end of the afternoon turned out to be bleak, unsatisfying and sliced raw, like an open wound; it left a bitter taste in Dave's mouth and yet… he couldn't do anything.
Aradia's eyes lingered on the pained expression on Terezi's face as the ghost followed Karkat out of the tea house, passing through the wall without noticing; she was clutching the doll once again, as if to try and gain some sort of strength from it.
Terezi glanced back at her only once before the two disappeared behind a corner, and even then, Aradia had the distinct feeling that the ghost was crying, her tears vanishing into thin air as soon as they were out of her eyes.
…–…–…
Karkat moved automatically, not even focusing on what he was doing as he arrived home and removed the cake from his bag, placing it in the fridge before turning to get the coffee out of the package.
Methodically, he grabbed his usual jar and placed it on the counter.
Terezi looked at him, lips curled downwards, and cursed under her breath at the edge of heaviness his movements seemed to have.
She wanted to shake him, tell him to stop looking so pathetic, but she couldn't even do that –the barrier between her reality and his was too big.
Karkat took the coffee package out of the bag, and in doing so, a small piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
He let it rest, assuming it was simply the receipt, and finished putting away all the coffee where it belonged before bending down to get it.
Instead of the receipt, though, he found himself staring down at a piece of paper clearly ripped from a notebook, with only one word scribbled on it.
'turntechGodhead'.
Karkat blinked, some of his lethargy retreating as he pondered over what that meant, finally coming to the conclusion that it was probably a trollian handle… or a pesterchum one.
Both programs were built to interact with one another (though with the faults of using two messengers of competitive brands), so whichever it was, adding it to Karkat's trollian would work just fine.
Still, that didn't mean he had any idea who…
Karkat's eyes widened a bit. This was probably Dave's handle. Who'd slipped that into his bag, though? Was it Dave's moirail, Ara?
He hesitated, unsure what to do with the name, before hesitantly turning towards his husktop.
The way he had left the tea house had been abrupt, and despite his lethargy, Karkat didn't want to seem ungrateful or cold. Dave had been friendly enough to him before, and he deserved, if nothing else, at least an apology.
He didn't feel like connecting on his laptop though. He wanted to just lay down on his pile and let his thoughts wander.
Still…
It wouldn't take much time. Just one quick, shameful apology, and then he could still bury himself somewhere and let the world fuck off; if Dave didn't want him to keep his handle, he would delete it afterwards, and no harm done.
With that in mind, Karkat nodded wordlessly to himself and shuffled to his husktop, flickering it on and watching the grub-powered machine slowly whirr to life.