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“I’m heading out!”
Karkat shut the door behind him, knowing that Dave too was busy with his latest shenanigans with Jade to notice, yet again, that Karkat was leaving their Hive. It wasn’t like Karkat particularly cared about that. He was busy in his own way too.
After adjusting his bag on his shoulder, he walked down the neighborhood sidewalk westward. While the walk would take quite a bit of time, less so if he had managed to fucking God Tier in-game like almost everyone else, he knew it would feel like nothing. Just as it had the past few months he had been making this trek.
Local citizens waved at him as he walked. He half waved back, never quite liking how popular they all had become. Well, they did create their entire Universe, but Karkat preferred it when no one knew who they were. Back when the only way he could interact with Earth was through the Troll viewport. Being this known after doing dogshit to actually help anyone create the world they lived in… He felt like an asshole, honestly. Taking everyone else's limelight for himself. Not that it was an active choice. The new trolls just… Seemed to look up to him. For whatever fucking reason.
It wasn’t like he was doing anything amazing on Earth C. Not like Kanaya was. Not like Terezi was. Karkat was just dicking around as always, with no real purpose to his life. Everyone seemed to want him to continue his leadership shtick. But Karkat was tired. Tired of pretending. Tired of having people look up to him.
He’d never admit it. But sometimes he missed how things used to be.
Karkat shook his thoughts away, it was no use thinking like that. He had a destination in mind, and after a few hours of walking, he was almost there. He could smell the sea salt air. Could hear the waves crashing.
Finally, as he climbed the last grassy hill of the troll kingdom, the ocean spread infront of him, the wind whipping his hair around as the sea called. Almost violet in the setting sun. Karkat took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He swore he could still smell the Alternian sea if he tried hard enough. Swore that he could hear the cries of Gl'bgolyb far off from the shore. Swore that if he tried hard enough, a 6 sweeps old Gamzee would be staring off into the ocean, waiting for his Lusus to come home.
Karkat opened his eyes. The same Earth C beach stared back at him.
He sighed and walked down to the beach, sand already getting into his socks.
After a much shorter, much more annoying walk through way too much sand, his destination appeared infront of him. A small wooden shack left abandoned for whatever reason, Karkat wasn’t sure. But all Karkat was worried about was who resided inside it now. And that person needed him. Just as he always did.
“I’m here,” Karkat yelled, slowly opening the wooden door. It creaked on its hinges as it was pushed open, revealing a small living space, dusty and worn from years of no use. The bare minimum resided inside, a small fridge and stove, a soft human bed, an outhouse out back, just enough to survive. Just enough to keep hiding. “You here, asshole?”
A large pile of blankets slowly moved on the bed, growing larger as the lump slowly sat up. One horn slipped into view before the second, standing tall. Matted wild hair slowly came into view before finally, a scarred face smiled back at him.
“Karbro, you’re back,” Gamzee smiled, his facepaint no longer present. It hadn’t been in a while. Karkat hadn’t been able to find any for Gamzee during his supply runs for his friend. It wasn’t like Gamzee could wander into town, people would surely notice. He was a god, after all. People tend to notice when their Gods were around.
And if people noticed Gamzee…
Karkat didn’t want him back in that fridge. No matter what he had done in session.
“Yeah, I’m back,” Karkat smiled, setting his bag down on the old rickety table in the center of the room. Two mitch-matched chairs sat under the table. Karkat pulled one out and sat, pulling out the supplies he had gathered for his friend and organizing them on the table. He knew Gamzee wouldn’t die of starvation, dehydration, or any other natural reason. But he would still suffer without those things, and Karkat couldn’t handle seeing Gamzee suffer. Not anymore.
He remembered when he first found Gamzee there. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been searching anyway. He spent months wandering the coast before finding Gamzee face down in the sand just past the shack. He was all skin and bones back then, hair matted beyond repair and longer than he had ever seen it. He was covered in scars and bruises and almost looked as if he would die.
Karkat spent longer than he would like to admit just trying to detangle the sand and salt out of Gamzee’s hair. It was much shorter now than it ever was before, but he saw the curls coming back, growing in with care now that Karkat was there to help. Gamzee still wouldn’t brush it on his own, but the mats that formed were much easier to detangle.
“Missed you,” Gamzee said, slowly climbing out of bed. He had grown significantly since the game ended, needing to slouch even in the shack. His horns often scraped the ceiling, Karkat yelling at him in response that he was going to puncture the roof one day. Not that it was Gamzee’s fault. This place was the only option he really had.
Gamzee crawled over to Karkat, pulling out the chair next to him and sitting with a slouch. He eyed Karkat, staring at him continuously without blinking as Karkat arranged his goods. Some food, water, bathing materials, and clothes that he hoped would fit his monstrous friend.
“Have you been taking care of yourself?” Karkat asked, glaring at Gamzee as he folded the new clothes on the table. “You haven’t even cleaned since I was last here.”
“Mmm,” Gamzee finally blinked, a slow smile spreading on his face. “No need to clean when you ain’t here, my brother. Not like anyone visitin’ me but you.”
“That’s not the point of cleaning, dumbass,” Karkat snapped. He walked to where Gamzee’s clothes were kept, a small closet with no hangers. Karkat rested the clothes on the bar to keep them off the floor, but he knew they would end up in a pile somewhere eventually. “You should keep your hive clean regardless.”
“This ain’t my motherfuckin’ hive though…”
Karkat sighed, turning back around to Gamzee. He could get so… sad. It wasn't like anything Karkat had ever seen from him before. Without the sopor slime, without Lord English, without the Chucklevoodos, Gamzee was just… empty sometimes. Karkat knew Gamzee felt he didn’t have a place on Earth C. He knew that he felt betrayed, used, abandoned by all their friends. Felt guilty for all the things he had done. He knew Gamzee had nightmares about it every night.
“Want me to brush your hair?” Karkat asked with a smile. Gamzee nodded, his own smile returning to his face. Despite how sad Gamzee seemed, Karkat knew how to cheer him up more than anyone.
Brushing Gamzee’s hair was a bit of an ordeal. With Gamzee being so fucking tall, he had to sit on the floor while Karkat sat on the table. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it worked for them.
Karkat ran his fingers through Gamzee’s hair, knots tangling and catching on his short claws. Gamzee sighed and leaned back, resting his head in between Karkat’s legs, which dangled over Gazmee’s shoulders and rested against his friend’s chest. Karkat slowly began untangling the strands, careful not to pull too hard while Gamzee sighed happily, a low purr vibrating deep in his chest when Karkat ran his fingers along the base of his horn.
“I miss your long hair,” Karkat muttered after de-mating a particularly difficult strand of hair. “I wish you took better care of it.”
Gamzee hummed in reply, tilting his head into Karkat’s hand.
“But then you wouldn’t do it, my palest bro.”
Karkat flushed the way only a moirail could, a pale feeling circling deep in his chest. He almost teared up, but blinked it away quickly.
“You could at least make it fucking easier for me,” Karkat said, but he didn’t mean it. He would do anything for Gamzee, take care of him in any way he needed. If he could, he would bring him back home to his Hive, tuck him into his bed, and never let him leave again.
But he knew he couldn’t do that. He was already doing everything he could for Gamzee.
Karkat frowned when he pulled apart the last tangled piece, spending a few more seconds just raking his fingers through Gamzee’s hair. When Karkat stopped, Gamzee leaned his head back against Karkat, careful of his horns, and smiled.
“Can a brother stay the motherfuckin’ night?”
Karkat looked at his phone. No new notifications.
“I’ll stay as late as I can.”
The nights where Karkat could stay longer than usual were his favorites. Usually, Karkat could only afford to drop supplies and help Gamzee clean before needing to leave, lest he be questioned by his human Hivemates. But sometimes, he got away with staying longer, sometimes even staying the night.
On those nights, Karkat would pull his Husktop out, curl up on the bed with Gamzee, and watch movies from Old Alternia. He knew Gamzee never liked those movies, it wasn’t his thing, but for at least a while they could pretend they were 6 sweeps again, back on Alternia, back to being normal.
And they did just that. With Gamzee’s head resting on his chest, arms wrapped around Karkat’s torso, Karkat allowed himself to match Gamzee’s soft rumbling purr. His Husktop, placed on the bed in between them, played an old Moirail troll romance story, something they had both seen so many times on Alternia. Karkat ran his nails along Gamzee’s shoulders, giving him the physical comfort Karkat knew he needed. Gamzee had always been a touchy troll, and now more than ever Karkat allowed himself to indulge in that.
“Do you motherfuckin’ think I’ll ever be able to up and rejoin troll society?” Gamzee mumbled, low enough that Karkat could only just make it out. When he didn’t answer, Gamze sighed. “I mean, not that I’m all too keen on that shit either. But it would be real fucking nice and all to see you more. Outside of this motherfuckin’ shithole.”
Gamzee slowly sat up, turning to Karkat with an unreadable expression.
“They’d put me back in that fuckin’ fridge, huh?” Gamzee laughed, but purple tears welled in his eyes as he tried to blink them back.
“I’d never fucking let them,” Karkat said, sitting up quickly. He wrapped his arms around Gamzee, pressing his face into Gazmee’s neck. “And if they did, I’d fucking find you again and drag your sorry ass back to this place just to do it all fucking over again.”
Gamzee laughed, wrapping his arms around his smaller friend.
“Knew you motherfuckin’ would.”
Gamzee held Karkat for what seemed like forever. The movie had long since ended, credits long since rolled. His Husktop beeped at him, the battery threatening to die, but he refused to move. Refused to let his Moirail go. They had moved to lay in the bed again, Gamzee’s limbs wrapped around Karkat’s, his face pressed into Karkat’s shoulder.
Soon enough, Gamzee was asleep. And Karkat knew he had to start walking back to his Hive.
Slowly he slipped out of Gamzee’s grasp, earning a mumble and a whine in return. Karkat laughed and kissed his forehead gently, dragging his fingers through his friend’s hair once again.
“I’ll be back soon,” Karkat mumbled, earning a frown in return. Gamzee’s eyes blinked open slowly, watching Karkat as he gathered his Husktop and his bag.
“Promise?” Gamzee mumbled.
“Yeah.” Karkat looked back at Gamzee from the old wooden door, the hinges creaking as he pulled it open. Gamzee looked so small from where Karkat stood, from where Gamzee was curled up in bed, expression unreadable. But Karkat could feel his sorrow. “I promise.”
“Pale for you, best bro,” Gamzee said, pulling the blankets back over his head.
“Pale for you too, shithead.”
Karkat shut the door behind him.