Chapter Text
Karkat and Dirk finally ran into each other at the end of the day (almost literally).
Karkat shoved a small box into Dirk's hand, blurted out a "Merry Christmas" and something about being tired, then rushed into his room without waiting for a response.
Dirk stared after him for a moment, then opened the box and pulled out a carved figure of a dog with a grimacing gargoyle like face. It wasn't the finest craftsmanship, but that added to its intimidating air. It was weighted at the bottom, calling back to a time when Karkat couldn't hold back a snort when the gust from Aradia suddenly throwing open the door to Dirk's study scattered his papers around his desk and on the floor.
There was a note with it. "For when I'm not by your side."
Karkat was lying in bed staring at the ceiling and trying not to imagine what Dirk thought about his present when he heard something being shoved under his door. He waited for a minute before quietly creeping over to it and grabbing the thin parcel.
His heart beat hard in his chest and unwrapped it, revealing a surcoat. It was blue with bronze trim and had the royal Skaian crest, stitched onto the left breast.
But something was different about the crest.
Upon closer inspection, Karkat realized the border around the crest had the same pattern as Dirk's signet ring, which was subtly different than the normal royal crest as an added layer to prevent forgeries of official documents.
Karkat had never been one for fine clothes, but he showed no hesitation when he put it on for his next day of duty, wearing it proudly at his prince's side.