Chapter Text

I.

KARKAT: YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF ALL THIS HOSTILE TOUCHING AND GRABBING DO YOU???
KARKAT: I DON'T FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT YOU STRIDER, JUST STEP OFF.

***

It’s the middle of the night (whatever that means on a meteor in the middle of space), and Dave is leaning against the counter of the common area, holding a mug of coffee. Everyone else has retreated to bed for the night.

Except for one, who suddenly transportalizes into the room with a bright flash. A certain nubby-horned troll.

The two of them glance at each other briefly, but quickly look away. The chaotic events from earlier in the day still loom over them.

Karkat takes a few steps, hovering awkwardly by the counter with an unsure expression, eyeing the coffee maker behind Dave. Dave raises his eyebrows in realization.

DAVE: oh
DAVE: uh
DAVE: you want some
KARKAT: ...SURE.

Rather than simply moving out of the way, Dave takes the time to make the drink himself. It’s only a few moments before a fresh, hot mug of coffee appears from the machine. He takes the mug and steps towards Karkat, holding it out to him.

DAVE: here
DAVE: one pipin hot coffee sir
KARKAT: ...
KARKAT: THANKS.

Karkat takes the mug almost hesitantly, a sense of distrust and uncertainty in his eyes. The two stand there in silence, sipping from their mugs and very purposefully avoiding eye contact. Even though it’s late, Karkat seems... unusually quiet. It’s kind of weirding Dave out. Normally he can’t go five seconds around Karkat without him blowing up about one thing or another.

DAVE: sooooo
DAVE: couldnt sleep?
KARKAT: YEAH.
DAVE: same

This isn’t anything new for Dave. He’s had trouble sleeping ever since they got on this meteor. It’s not that the beds are uncomfortable or anything, but the dreams...

KARKAT: I FEEL LIKE I’VE HARDLY FUCKING SLEPT SINCE PROSPIT WAS DESTROYED.
KARKAT: THE NIGHTMARES AFTERWARD WERE TERRIBLE.
KARKAT: AND NOW WE’VE GOT THIS DREAM BUBBLE BULLSHIT WHICH JUST KEEPS REMINDING ME OF MORE SHIT I DON’T WANNA THINK ABOUT.
DAVE: yeah
KARKAT: IT’S JUST.
KARKAT: ...
KARKAT: WHY AM I EVEN TELLING YOU THIS?
KARKAT: I STILL DON’T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ME.
DAVE: what
KARKAT: YOU KNOW
KARKAT: FROM EARLIER? THE EMBARRASSING AND HUMILIATING SCUFFLE IN WHICH YOU RUINED THE PERFECTLY GOOD QUADRANT CHART I WAS WORKING ON SO YOU COULD FORCE ME TO DRAW HUMAN GENITALIA???
KARKAT: SURELY YOUR THINK PAN ISN’T SO DECREPIT THAT YOU’VE FORGOTTEN ALREADY.

DAVE: haha oh yeah
DAVE: you know i was just fucking with you right
DAVE: i dont hate you or anything
DAVE: youre just fun to rag on and also i didnt wanna hear about your shitty shipping charts
KARKAT: SEE! THAT’S THE THING.
DAVE: what thing
DAVE: the shipping
DAVE: look i dont care if youre into that i just dont wanna hear about it
KARKAT: NO!
KARKAT: I KNOW YOU HUMANS STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND QUADRANTS FOR SOME FUCKING REASON. REALLY, IT’S SO SIMPLE.
KARKAT: BUT HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO INTERPRET THAT ANY OTHER WAY???
DAVE: dude all i did was like
DAVE: wrestle with you over a stupid pen
DAVE: rustle n tussle you know
KARKAT: UGH.
KARKAT: YOU JUST DON’T GET IT.
DAVE: wait
DAVE: is this about the hate romance thing youve got goin on over in troll land
DAVE: kismesisises
DAVE: kissing mess
DAVE: kinesthetics
KARKAT: KISMESIS. AND YES.

DAVE: yeah that
DAVE: i definitely wasnt trying to give off those vibes or anything
DAVE: i dont even understand it fully
DAVE: like i said i dont hate you so
KARKAT: YOU DON’T?
DAVE: uh
DAVE: no?
KARKAT: OH.
DAVE: did you think i did
KARKAT: WELL.
KARKAT: SORT OF.
KARKAT: I DIDN’T THINK YOU LIKED ME VERY MUCH.
KARKAT: EVEN BEFORE YOU GOT HERE, THE FEW TIMES WE TALKED YOU WERE ALWAYS KIND OF AN ASSHOLE.
DAVE: to be fair you were too
DAVE: thinkin i had some shit goin on with terezi and being all weird about it
KARKAT: OKAY, SURE. BUT THAT WAS PAST KARKAT, WHO IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW IS THE MOST INSUFFERABLE, EMBARRASSING AND MISERABLE PIECE OF SHIT WHO’S EVER EXISTED.
KARKAT: SHE’S OVER ME NOW AND I’M OVER HER TOO.
DAVE: yeah
DAVE: and that was past dave
DAVE: current dave doesnt give a shit anymore
DAVE: current dave couldnt give a shit even if he were squatted on the toilet taking a fat fucking dump after taking a fuck ton of laxatives
DAVE: its just
DAVE: its whatever now

KARKAT: LOOK CAN YOU JUST
KARKAT: TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF ME.
DAVE: man you are really insecure
KARKAT: SHUT UP. JUST TELL ME.
DAVE: ok
DAVE: well
DAVE: i think you need to just
DAVE: calm down sometimes
KARKAT: WHAT?
DAVE: yeah youre just
DAVE: constantly worrying about something
DAVE: or getting pissed off about something
DAVE: which dont get me wrong i love your loud tirades theyre hilarious
DAVE: but sometimes you gotta take a step back. take a breather or two. look deep down inside yourself and ask
DAVE: is it worth it
DAVE: and im not saying you cant be passionate about stuff like thats cool we all have shit that just gets us goin sometimes
KARKAT: GOD. YOU SOUND LIKE...
KARKAT: ...NEVERMIND. GO ON.
DAVE: see like that
DAVE: you held off instead of just saying whatever you were going to say
DAVE: youre making progress karkat wow im proud
DAVE: i guess what im saying is sometimes its just not worth it to bitch about things or argue with people over meaningless bullshit
KARKAT: UGH, CAN IT, STRIDER. AS IF YOU WEREN’T ALSO INSTIGATING THE MESS EARLIER.
KARKAT: BUT. I KIND OF SEE WHERE YOU’RE COMING FROM I GUESS?

KARKAT: I CAN’T SAY I CAN SEE MYSELF EVER COMPLETELY CHANGING WHO I AM.
KARKAT: LIKE, BECOMING ALL NICE AND HAPPY AND SHIT
KARKAT: IT MAKES ME REPULSIVELY SHUDDER JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.
DAVE: yeah dont do that
DAVE: wouldnt want you to it just wouldnt be the same without the shrill tone of your wack ass rants constantly echoing through the halls like a banshee in a cave
DAVE: anyway i kind of lost the point but those are my thoughts on karkat vantas be sure to leave a thumbs up like and subscribe and all that
KARKAT: I…
KARKAT: WASN’T EXPECTING YOU TO BE SO HONEST.
KARKAT: AND CHILL ABOUT IT???
DAVE: shrug
KARKAT: WHY ARE YOU BEING SO NICE TO ME ALL OF A SUDDEN?
DAVE: i dunno
DAVE: maybe because its the middle of the night and i dont give a shit
DAVE: or maybe its because i dont actually hate you like you seemed to think
DAVE: im kind of surprised you accepted my thoughts at all to be honest
KARKAT: UM.
KARKAT: THANK YOU?
DAVE: yeah no prob
DAVE: and sorry for being a shithead earlier
DAVE: even tho it was still kinda funny
KARKAT: IT’S FINE.
KARKAT: BUT I STILL THINK YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO MY “SHIPPING RANTS” SOMETIME.
KARKAT: IT’S REALLY FASCINATING STUFF.
DAVE: hell no
KARKAT: FUCK YOU.

DAVE: well its been fun but all that talkin made me kinda tired so i think im gonna go snooze
DAVE: oh but hey
KARKAT: ?
DAVE: you should come meet the mayor sometime
KARKAT: THE GUY WITH THE MAYO SASH THAT RANDOMLY GOT DROPPED ON OUR METEOR FOR NO APPARENT REASON?
DAVE: yeah hes fucking awesome
DAVE: im helping him build can town in one of the spare rooms
KARKAT: CAN TOWN?
DAVE: yes can town
DAVE: its a town made of cans what more do i need to explain
DAVE: fully functional with roads and a government
KARKAT: THAT SOUNDS. INCREDIBLY STUPID.
KARKAT: BUT
KARKAT: MAYBE I WILL.
DAVE: yeah?
KARKAT: I MEAN, IT’S NOT LIKE THERE’S ANYTHING ELSE TO DO ON THIS SHITTY ASS METEOR.
DAVE: haha right
DAVE: ill show you where it is sometime
DAVE: see ya karkles
KARKAT: YEAH. BYE.

Dave sets his mug on the counter and heads to the transportalizer, leaving Karkat alone to fully process the interaction they just had. Up until recently, he had only been jealous of Dave, of how close he had gotten to Terezi during his session.

But that was one day of conversations several weeks ago. Terezi has moved on, having run off with Vriska to do who knows what. Looking back on it, maybe Dave never saw Terezi as anything more than a friend in the first place. And maybe his own little crush on Terezi was childish to begin with.

He was convinced Dave hated him, only seeing him as another annoying mean troll to be stuck on a meteor with for  three years. But tonight seemed to change everything.

For the first time in a while, Karkat feels… good? As good as he can feel in a situation like this. There’s a swelling in his chest that wasn’t there before, a glimmer of hope in a life he detested so much up until this point. He isn’t sure if he likes this feeling.

He’s still unsure. He still doesn’t know if he can one hundred percent trust Dave. Maybe, in another distant timeline, they hated each other. Neither of them ever took a chance to be anything more than begrudging rivals.

Now, there’s a small, crazy part of Karkat that wants to take that chance, even if he doesn’t currently have the guts to do so. This time, somehow, it feels right.