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To say he was tired would be an understatement. Every muscle ached and screamed when he tried to move. He could feel his eyelids drooping, but still he fought to stay awake.
Fuck if he was going to fall asleep with them under his watch.
Nearby, his comrades (friends, he supposed) slept. He knew they needed it. So much had happened recently… no, he couldn’t let himself fall back into that. The depression wouldn’t consume him again.
His eyes scanned the room. Sollux was to his right. Sure, he’d slept before when he was knocked out, but he was still recovering from those injuries he took from that battle with the fuckass. Sweet fucking Jesus, everyone was lucky that the idiot hadn’t blasted him to bits with that stupid stick.
Close to Sollux was Kanaya. Did she even really sleep as a Rainbow Drinker? He didn’t know, nor did he really fucking care. Point was, she wasn’t talking to him and her eyes were closed. It made enough sense to just consider her asleep. Bah… he was so happy she was alive! His moirail, his voice of reason in the torrent of bullshit that was constantly flooding around him; if he had lost her surely he would have gone insane.
Surely.
And the last one… to his left, his direct left. Terezi. He resisted the urge to reach out a hand, instead picking up her glasses and giving them a once over. Ew, smudges on the inside. No doubt from her licking them. Even if she needed it to see, it still grossed him out a tad.
Still, grossing him out aside, she looked so peaceful sleeping there. He’d never admit it when everyone was awake, but the sight of it brought a genuine smile to face. Quite a difference from his usual rage twisted expression. Of course, when she was awake she tormented him. Oh, how she tormented him! He would stomp his feet like a wriggler in a fit and she’d laugh.
But he loved that laugh, so it wasn’t much of a bother.
“Terezi…” Karkat finally muttered a word, shaking the cobwebs from his head again. No sleeping, none at all. He would protect them, even if there was only four of them left. “No one’s going to get to any of you while I’m around. Not even a fucking murderous custodian… or whatever the fuck he is.” His hand clenched around his sickle.
The counter on Trollian continued to tick down slowly. It wouldn’t be long now…