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TEREZI: K4RK4T?
TEREZI: K44444444444RK4T?
TEREZI: WH3R3 4R3 YOU?
TEREZI: COM3 ON F34RL3SS L34D3R, W3 N33D YOU!
Suddenly, a sound. Only the slightest of whimpers from behind a computer bank, completely inaudible to most, but after I went blind my other senses increased to compensate - I can hear him, loud and clear. I wheel around to face his location, or what I hope is his location, and take a sniff in that direction. Lots and lots of stone grey, of course. But some licorice, too; his clothes, I assume. A faintest hint of cherry red, though even I wouldn't notice it were I not looking for it. And... salty water? Tears?
In less than three seconds I cross the room and heave the computer out of the way, exposing Karkat himself, curled up like a newly hatched wiggler and sobbing. I'm not sure he even knows I'm here, so wrapped up in his own little world of misery; hesitantly, I reach out, placing a hand on his shoulder. He leaps.
KARKAT: W-WHAT THE FUCK, T-TEREZI?
KARKAT: WHERE DID Y-YOU COME F-FROM?
He's trying not to cry, now that he knows I'm here, even though there's a puddle of tears on the ground and a thin red sheen all down his front. He's managed to stem the tide, but only very briefly; I can already see the tears welling up again, despite his best efforts to look angry. And then he's crying again, and then he shoves me away; I fall over and drop my cane, but I don't care, it can wait. Seeing him like this is almost bringing a tear to my own eye, even through the scarring, and I slowly approach him again.
TEREZI: K4RK4T?
TEREZI: K4RK4T, WH4TS WRONG?
TEREZI: COM3 ON, K4RK4T, YOU C4N T3LL M3...
KARKAT: G-GO AWAY!
The hatred in those words is like a smack in the chest, hatred not for me, but for himself; I feel a turquoise liquid beginning to drip from my eyes, but do my best to ignore it. I reach out to him and try and put my arm around him, and he throws it away and curls up tighter.
TEREZI: K4RK4T?
TEREZI: K4RK4T, PL34S3 T3LL M3 WH4TS WRONG...
TEREZI: 1M H3R3 TO H3LP, K4RK4T.
KARKAT: N-NOBODY CAN- CAN HELP ME!
KARKAT: I'M J-JUST A STUPID, MUTANT, WORTHLESS FREAK! YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SO NICE TO ME, YOU SHOULD HAVE- SHOULD HAVE KILLED ME L-LONG AGO...
KARKAT: AM I TOO P-PATHETIC EVEN TO KILL?
KARKAT: THE GIRL WHO'S OBSESSED WITH JUSTICE AND LAW CAN'T EVEN PERFORM SIMPLE CULLING DUTIES?
Each word is like a dagger to the chest. He wants me to kill him? He honestly wants to die? I knew he didn't like being outside the hemospectrum, but I never dreamed it ran this deep...
KARKAT: C-COME ON, DO IT!
KARKAT: I KNOW YOU LOVE THAT DRAGON CANE! RUN ME THROUGH WITH THAT!
TEREZI: K4RK4T!
My shout cuts him off in the middle of his next sentence. And suddenly, I don't even know why, I tear off my glases, showing him my eyes, my horribly scarred and burned eyes now full of tears; in that moment he looks right at me, and I think I can smell what's triggered this.
TEREZI: K4RK4T...
TEREZI: YOUR 3Y3S...
KARKAT: YES, MY EYES!
KARKAT: IT HAD TO HAPPEN SOMEDAY, DIDN'T IT!
KARKAT: AND NOW EVERYONE'S GOING TO KNOW I'M A FREAK AND MAYBE THEY'LL ACTUALLY DO WHAT'S RIGHT, MAYBE THEY'LL...
And before he can even finish the sentence, he collapses to the ground sobbing, tears endlessly pouring from those beautiful yellow eyes, with their slightest of candy-red rings where his blood is beginning to show through. I try and get a hold of him, to pick him up, but he shoves me away and just lies there, tears pooling around him, while I look on helplessly. How can I make him see?
TEREZI: K4RK4T...
TEREZI: Karkat...
TEREZI: Karkat, it's okay...
The change in my voice is enough to cause him to jolt with shock; a troll rarely changes their speech pattern, and when they do it is with very good reason. Ironically, his crying is causing his blood to become even more apparent, not only in the muted-blood tears but in the reddening of his eyes. He stares at me, watching the blue-green blood he wishes so much that he could have (and if there was some way, I'd trade with him in a heartbeat) streaming down my face.
KARKAT: T-TEREZI?
KARKAT: Y-YOU... WHY ARE YOU BEING SO... SO KIND?
KARKAT: IT'S NOT... IT'S NOT NATURAL, I'M - I'M JUST A FREAK...
TEREZI: No, Karkat.
TEREZI: You are a wonderful person. You do not deserve to die.
TEREZI: Nobody is going to think less of you for your blood color.
TEREZI: The only people who did care were back on Alternia, they've been killed by the meteors.
TEREZI: No drone is coming to cull you, for your blood or otherwise.
TEREZI: Come on, Karkat. Stand up.
I hold out my hand to him, and he stares at it in confusion for a few seconds. Then he reaches forward to grab it, taking hold of me as though I were his only lifeline, and I pull him to his feet; within the space of a second he grabs hold of me and sobs into my shoulder, and I can do nothing to help but put my own arms around him and whisper soothing things in his ear until he finally calms down. By this time, my own shirt is completely soaked.
He looks at me, as though trying to see, through me, how everyone will react; I keep hold of him until the tears finally stop, and he wipes his eyes with his sodden sleeve.
TEREZI: Come on, Karkat, that's not going to help much.
TEREZI: Let me handle that.
I withdraw a cloth from my Sylladex, and with it I mop away the red film of tears; then I take out spare outfits for both myself and Karkat (I am nothing if not prepared) and turn away while he changes, even though I can't see him anyway. He dutifully turns away while I change, too, and I return the sodden outfits to my Sylladex for cleaning later.
TEREZI: Have you calmed down now?
KARKAT: Y-YEAH, I THINK SO.
TEREZI: Good. Come on, we should get back to the others; the amount of time we've been away, they're going to think we're filling buckets or something.
TEREZI: Oops, perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned that.
At the mention of buckets, he's flushed bright red, and I simply stand there for a minute until he returns to anonymous grey. Figuring now's as good a time as any to return to my normal mode of speech, I speak up.
TEREZI: K4RK4T? 1 PROM1S3 YOU, NOBODY W1LL TH1NK L3SS OF YOU FOR YOUR BLOOD.
TEREZI: 1F TH3Y DO, 1LL SMACK TH3M.
KARKAT: THANK YOU, TEREZI.
TEREZI: 1 LOV3 YOU WH4T3V3R COLOR YOUR BLOOD 1S, OK4Y?
KARKAT: ...THANK YOU, TEREZI.
I give him a gentle kiss on the forehead, and he grins, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. I grab my cane from where I dropped it, then we leave, the teleporting calming and soothing me.
Despite all of what just happened, I'm happy.