You are Karkat Vantas and you have had it with this shit. With your back resting against the side of the bed, you hold your knees to your chest. Your eyes are sore, because you've been rubbing them too much, and you've been rubbing them too much because you've been balling your eyes out. Your chest is sore, because… well you don't know, heartbreak maybe?
You haven't left your apartment since thanksgiving – so almost a week. It's kind of hard to focus on other things since those words are constantly ringing in your head.
Coma.
It's also been a week since Dave nearly died and fell into a coma. It was a fucking miracle that he was able to get to a hospital in time. You don't exactly remember how, since you pretty much weren't present mentally after he collapsed. You think one of Roxy's windows, which were given to Dirk and Jakes as gifts (because Striders like to get attention from their partners), were used. It's amazing that those still exist in this new universe, as well as those transportilizers that are in Jade's house – you guess the game made sure some things didn't change.
Even Roxy's window things that she had are still here as well (she doesn't use them, just like the transportilizers are hardly used because it remind you all too much of the game – everyone wants a life as normal as they can get it).
Now, as to why Dave is in his present state goes back to when he started working. One of his co-workers were sick and thought nothing of it but ended up in the hospital just as Dave went to Jade's, and that co-worker had been diagnosed with meningitis and weren't so lucky. So, Dave ended up attracting the disease and is now recovering while in a coma, or at least you hoped he was healing.
After you left the island you, much like everyone else, got vaccinated because you are smart. Another one of Dave's co-workers, Lisa –you think her name was- called you about the whole minor break out. Apparently she was also sick but caught on to it sooner so she was fine. You can't help but feel envious of her luck.
A buzzing pulls you out of your thoughts. You glance at your phone on the nightstand and snatch it from its place as it flashes a bit of light in the dark. John's name stands out and as you read the words under it you can't help but want to throw your phone out the window. Instead you throw behind you onto the bed.
No progress. He's still comatose.
Sighing, you push yourself up and trudge you way to the kitchen. You haven't eaten all day, let alone had a full meal the past week. You just haven't had the appetite for anything. Right now you suppose some chicken noodle soup would help make you feel better.
It's a slow, weak process to eat and move around in general. Your feet drag as though they were tied to large weights. The heat that runs through you is almost agonizing and the coughing isn't helping either.
You know exactly why you're feeling this way. It was unavoidable, but you just hoped it hadn't started so soon or even right after the incident. Presently, the pain is bearable, but a nuisance. You know it's only a matter of time before it gets worse and you'll end up in a hospital bed.
God, it's like everything is just falling apart slowly.
The television displays a movie you haven't seen in a while. It keeps your attention for a good while until it gets to a part where the main couple reunites. They look happily in each other's eyes, finally overcoming all odds and are allowed to live together. You turn off the television.
Right at this moment you want nothing more than to pass the fuck out on a nice comfy bed, which is what you do once you finish your soup. You wrap the blankets around you like they were a shield protecting you from the world.
You feel like you should be taking better care of yourself, rather than sleeping most of the time and only eating once a day. But it's kind of hard when you muscles don't want to work, and you don't want to move at all. It's not so bad really though, sleep should help but not the less eating part.
You let the bed swallow you whole and you slowly begin to drift into sleep.
That is until your phone rings.
You are Kanaya Maryam, and you've been slightly stressed. Okay, maybe that's an understatement. You are more than stressed with all this commotion going on.
Rose has been tremendously busy with… well you're not so sure. She's been acting rather odd for a while – always dodging questions, being everywhere and anywhere all the time so much that you lose track of her, and you're pretty sure her actions have nothing to do with her work or hobbies.
And then Dave's incident pulled her away from whatever it was that she has been doing. She's around you more often, but always checking in with Roxy and Dirk to see any progress. She seems to have turned her attention from her secret business to Dave. While that you understand and respect that she cares for her family, it irks you that she completely ignores your existence. You see her all the time, yet she barely says any words to you.
You don't know if you've done something wrong, if you may have said something or if maybe she… no longer loves you? You don't like to think about that. You know that that can't be why, you've been together through the worst of things and have still managed to keep the love you held for one another. Unless… that isn't true anymore. Maybe Rose has stopped loving you, maybe she found someone much more suitable for her and that's why she's never around. It scares you that it might be true.
This negativity of yours hasn't been much help for your stress. This main stress you speak of is along the lines of wow, everything is going to shit and you don't know how to handle it. Things aren't going so well with work, friends are dying all over (only Dave and Karkat, but who knows who could end up suddenly dying next), you've been losing interests in your hobbies, you've been getting tired easily and most of the time you just want to lay in bed and do nothing.
In your annoyance with not being able to deal with yourself, you remembered that there is someone else who knows exactly how you feel. And without a second thought, you decided to pay him a visit.
You knock on Karkat's door and wait for an answer. You hear no movement from inside, so you knock again. There's no sign of anyone inside, and you mildly panic. He could have fallen sick, or maybe into a coma without anyone knowing. You know it's getting to be that time, but you never know if he could instantly drop dead.
You decide to knock one more time, since three's a charm, and if he doesn't answer you may or may not decide to break in.
You conclude that you won't have to break in as you heard loud footsteps come closer to the door. It swings open to reveal a very sad, exhausted, sick troll. Well, at least he's not dead.
He's looking at his phone, texts something quickly before pocketing it. He does it so quickly it was almost as if someone caught him doing drugs. He looks up at you, like he knew you would be coming over, although his appearance says otherwise.
His red irises are what grab your attention the most. They're brighter than normal, almost glowing, and there's not a speck of black in them.
Finally, he says, "Hey, Kan." His voice is quiet, a bit weird, but you guess that's just part of the process.
"Hello," you reply, you're voice sounds a little funny too you notice. Karkat notices too, you can tell, with the way he looks at you strangely. "May I come in?"
"Sure." He moves out of the way to let you in. "Make yourself at home."
The apartment is spotless, and well organized. Almost looks as though no one lives within it. It's much like Karkat to have a very clean place. Your place is normally organized, if you don't include all the fabric, clothes and books around. You can tell he just ate, since there is a bowl left in the sink and he's not one to leave dirty dishes out for overnight. He is a bit of a clean freak.
The photos on the walls catch your attention. They're neatly placed, from old to new. That last one is of him and Dave, it's kind of cute. Dave's smiling, Karkat is almost smiling. You have plenty of pictures back home, many of you and Rose.
One picture you have was from a time in which you and Rose, mostly Rose, had decided it would be fun to get a picture with Santa Claus. While it was weirds sitting on an old man's lap, it made Rose smile and you thought it wasn't so bad.
You sit on the couch, glancing at the pile of blankets next to you.
"Do you want anything to drink? I only have water, and maybe some orange juice." He asks from the kitchen. He opens the fridge, sparing it a quick glance before shutting it. "Never mind, just water."
"I fine, thank you." You reply. He sits down in a chair next to the couch. "So, how've you been?"
"Kanaya, you literally saw me just a week ago."
"Yes, but a lot has been going on."
"I'm fine." He stops you before you can continue. "Is there any other reason you're here for?"
"Is there something wrong with wanting to check up on a friend?" You counter. But, he gives you that look, that one people give when they don't believe you. Although, he expresses it with more sass than you have ever seen him show.
"It's nothing really," You begin, since there's really no point in trying to deny anything. Especially since you had intended to get advice from him anyway (you wanted to do it subtly though). "I've been a little… confused? With my relationship with Rose. I don't know, really. This just sound silly, but I think she's not happy with me anymore.
"She's hardly around, and when she is she doesn't speak to me as much. I'm not sure if she's gotten bored of me or I had done something to upset her or maybe scare her off. I just don't really know anymore. You wouldn't mind giving me any advice would you?"
He folds his arms together, and scrunches his nose in concentration (it's pretty adorable). He looks like he's trying to solve some extreme mystery with only a couple of clues. "Don't think too much about it," he finally says.
Not what you were hoping for. "Are you sure? If you think things are falling apart, it'd be nice to now."
"Trust me, Kanaya. It's fine. Dave has said that Rose has been very busy with things. He wouldn't tell me what things though, just that it has really been taking up most of Rose's priorities. Maybe it's work, or something with the Roxanne Record company stuff," he explains. "In my opinion, your relationship is fine. There are just a lot of other things going on, so it looks like things are falling apart. In fact, you should pick up some new hobbies to keep you from thinking negative things and distract yourself until things have calmed down."
"You really think everything is fine?"
"Oh, I know everything is fine. Rose still loves the shit out of you, since all last weekend she couldn't keep a conversation on tract without referring back to you. It was pretty funny, but vaguely annoying."
Oh. You didn't expect that. It really seemed like she completely forgot your existence. You can understand why she wouldn't be paying any attention this week, but the past weeks were a mystery to you. Now, you guess that Roxanne Records has been talking up most of her time and would explain why she's been communicating with Eridan more (she lives with Roxy, so they talk a lot already).
Since you came all this way to visit, Karkat suggests you stay over. And you do.
The two of you spend the next hour or so talking, or rather gossiping. It is apparent that Nepeta and Terezi are flirting with one another. Vriska even tried to intimidate Nepeta, pulling the "if you hurt her you'll regret it" card, only for Nepeta to give her that talk right back.
Later, he starts a movie you both would enjoy, a mixture of romance and fantasy. He even makes some snacks for the both of you, nothing major but it does make things more comfortable.
It's nice, to finally rest. In fact you never felt so relaxed in a while.
However, you're now pinpointing things about Karkat. He's not as loud, doesn't hold himself high enough, coughs a lot more, slower, looks like he's going to fall asleep, and generally looks sick. He doesn't look like Dave had; Dave looked like he was going to die. Karkat just looks like he needs a good night rest; or rather three good night rests.
With this thought in mind, you recommend that he retires and luckily he agrees, not without some denial though.
You also may or may not crawl into bed with him.
And you may or may not be feeling some pale feelings.
Sorry if this is taking so long to update. Stress kills motivation and ideas. Anyhow, here's a somewhat sweet chapter.