John let the wind cradle his body. The rush of falling almost took away the feelings from Karkat's room. Almost. John felt a warm tear drop down the side of his face. He let his tongue slide over and taste the salt. He looked out over the mansion, which was built like a small castle, seeing his bedroom window. The soft yellow light was like a beacon.
And yet, John knew he didn't want to go back in there. Not after what happened. He couldn't handle the feelings of misery and regret and trauma. Instead, he flew up to the tallest spire of the mansion, draping his hood over his head for warmth. It was very windy way up high, but that was the way John liked it.
The human dropped down on the lip of the stone, looking bravely at the gargoyle next to him, remembering what Sollux had said.
"You know, John, gargoyles are actually made so ugly and terrifying so that they would scare away demons and ghosts and bad things, like Jack," He had remarked when they first came to the mansion and John was nearly spastic from the sight of the stone creatures.
It was funny now, to think that he was once afraid of them. They aren't real. They can't hurt you. He now thought of them as comforters. Things that protected him, even though he didn't believe in mythological lore such as this.
John stared out at the dark, star-filled sky with contempt. How could he ever think that Karkat would ever want to be matesprits? It's not like the angry beast of a troll could ever possibly be capable of having red feelings for anyone. He knew that it would not be long until rumors spread. Vriska would be the first to point out such embarrassing things, no matter how jealous she might be.
The human stayed up on this perch for the rest of the night, finally falling asleep with his head resting on the gargoyle. By the time the sun came up, he knew his cheeks and eyes would be puffy and red from crying his self to sleep.
When John woke up, he was exhausted. His hands and feet were completely numb from staying out in the cold. When he rubbed his eyes under his glasses, he looked out at the gray expanse on the meteor and judged by the shadows that it was nearly noon. He had missed breakfast. There would be some explaining to do.
He jumped of the ledge, the wind catching him once more, and made his way back to his own window. There, he pried the glass open, falling face first onto his floor. No one was in his room, which was good, but he noticed that the glass of milk was gone, meaning that someone had been in here.
The human shut his window, before turning to go to the bathroom. He peered out into the hallway, making sure no one was there, and then slipped silently into the bathroom across the lonely corridor.
He looked at his face in the mirror. Sure enough, his eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were swollen. He took a washcloth out of the cabinet beneath the sink and proceeded to wash his face.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Is the powwder room occupied?" Oh, it was just Eridan. He wouldn't care.
"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute, though," John answered. The boy's voice was hoarse.
"Oh! If it isn't the John human. Wwe missed you at breakfast. Might I ask wwhere your ass disappeared to last night? Jade told us you couldn't… sleep," Eridan asked with so much vindication, it made John squeeze the bar of soap. It flew into the toilet.
"Eridan, that's none of your business. I'll be out in a minute!" John decided the soap wasn't worth it, so he washed with just water. His eyes and cheeks returned to normal.
"Fine, then, but evveryone is so curious," Eridan said. But John didn't care. That pathetic troll was even lonelier than he was.
John took a last look in the mirror, and opened the door, pushing past Eridan, ignoring his outcries. Instead, John focused on one thing: what his cover story would be.
Sadly, by the time that he reached the dining hall, he hadn't thought of one. He saw Jade, Gamzee, Aradia, and Feferi making lunch in the kitchen. Vriska and Sollux were sitting at the computer den. Tavros and Nepeta were talking about earth animals over on the blue couch closest to the back door. Kanaya and Rose were sitting closely together around the coffee table. Equius was making a scene, ranting that he just broke the new Xbox controller. Terezi and Dave were laughing outside on the back porch. But Karkat was nowhere to be found.
Jade immediately saw him come through the arched hallway, running him over to a corner concealed by the fridge, "Where were you this morning? Everyone was so worried!"
"I- Well I spent the night on the roof, you know, on the tall tower near the gargoyles," John replied, telling the half-truth.
Jade folded her arms, "John," She looked at the dark-haired boy with scorn, "Karkat wasn't at breakfast either."
Shit.
"Well what does that have to do with anything?" John countered.
As he said this, the cancer-signed troll entered the dining hall. He had his hands shoved in his pockets, not taking notice of anyone or anything. He crossed into the cavernous room where the long table was, and sat down at his place, the seat adjacent to the head of the table.
Jade saw John's eyes following Karkat, "You need to go and talk to him, John."
John cowered shyly, ducking his head in his signature style. He made his body face the direction of Karkat, and he realized that there were now only eight steps on the hardwood floor between himself and the troll.