Chapter Text
It had been three days since the incident with Egbert, and Karkat was dead set to ignore it on a level that was leaps and bounds above any sort of obstinacy that John thought he had mustered with his petty cessation of contact. Three days which somehow slipped into a week, and by that time Karkat could nearly visualize his resolve deteriorating. It wasn't the lack of communication itself, hell, under normal circumstances there wasn't a being more stubborn than Karkat Vantas, and if he wanted to ignore someone, then damn it, his existence would be wiped clean out of their radar for however long he deigned necessary. It didn't matter what had caused the sudden avoidance or that the question of matespritship was polluting the atmosphere more than the carbon dioxide that had ruined Earth's ozone layer. And he didn't want it to matter, but that was becoming impossible. And the reason it mattered, the reason weakening Karkat's resolve to ignore John to oblivion, the reason Karkat had shut himself inside his hive for a week was growing inside his internal incubation chambers.
The fact was unavoidable. Karkat Vantas was pregnant.
Karkat Vantas stood alone in his respiteblock. He would be pacing, but that would look fucking stupid. Also, he had already done that for a good half hour and it hadn't helped a damn thing. The glow from his husktop was inviting. He really ought to have closed it, but of course he hadn't, and now here he was, trying not to give in to the eerie dull radiance that was beckoning him.
John would answer, he knew it. Would he? Probably, that weak little lump of flesh. He would answer because he'd actually already messaged Karkat two days ago. He'd answer and be all complacent about the fact that Karkat had caved. No, he wouldn't. But Karkat wouldn't give him the chance. And besides, that thing. That thing inside him. What could he even say about that? He had to tell John, didn't he?
Of course not. And to prove this, Karkat scurried over to his recuperacoon which was sort of messy from when he had climbed out of it this morning. He should really clean the sopor off the outside; it could almost be considered an eyesore. Not that he really cared, and at the moment he couldn't even feel disgusted with his lack of tidiness. This was possibly because most of his senses were riddled with that awful faint blue glow. It seemed to brighten each day. There was only a matter of time before he conceded. It was pointless to try and pretend otherwise. He might not be the most social, but eventually they would find out. Eventually someone would show up at his hive, and then the secret would be blazoned to anything with a semi-operating think pan. It would be better if he outed it by his own will. Though, even knowing that didn't make anything any easier.
A window cropped up on the screen of the husktop, which admittedly Karkat had turned to stare at yet again. He had been anticipating it really; otherwise, what kind of sad fuck would he be for just standing around and pretending not to care? Still, that didn't stop his bladder based vascular system, lifted by soaring hopes, from incorrectly lodging itself into his throat. Just one flash of the Trollian icon could do this to him? He could strangle himself if it weren't for that thing inside him. That thing which he strangely felt an overwhelming instinct to protect.
That physical self-violence was reconstituted in the way he brought himself to the husktop only to have his hopes instantaneously deflated. The message wasn't from John. Just that dipshit Sollux.
He faced a conundrum.
Confront his feelings about John.
Continue the delusion a little longer and respond to said dipshit.
Of course he chose the latter.
twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]
[TA]: kk are you there?
[TA]: iit2 been liike a week.
[TA]: 2hould ii 2end for the coroner?
carcinoGeneticist [CG] returned from idle
[CG]: FUCK YOU AND FUCK EVERY SENTINENT BEING IN THE ENTIRE GOD DAMN MULTIVERSE.
[TA]: and ii thought your liitle 2abbatiical from ciiviiliizatiion would have iimproved your mood.
[TA]: what2 wrong now?
[CG]: I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'M DOWNRIGHT CHEERFUL. IN FACT THEY COULD PRODUCE A NEW TYPE OF CLEAN ENERGY JUST ON THE SHEER FORCE OF JUBILATION BURNING THROUGH MY CHITINOUS BODY CAVITY RIGHT NOW. I MIGHT EVEN GO SO FAR AS TO DESCRIBE MYSELF AS CHIPPER.
[TA]: alriight cut the bull2hiit.
[CG]: WHAT ISN'T WRONG?
[TA]: ii dont know that2 probably why ii a2ked.
[TA]: two fiind out, ii mean.
[CG]: I JUST...
[CG]: FUCK I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT.
[CG]: FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.
If he could just mention it, even passingly, Sollux would take the hint. He might not realize to what extent the issue was...alright that was sort of a crucial item here too. Karkat didn't want to go into telling John without first having some kind of other opinion behind him. Sollux was typically pretty calm, and he worked under a crazy amount of pressure every time he got into hacking, which was often. That and the fact that he and Karkat were friends had a major impact on the deciding factors behind letting him know first. If he could just bring himself to admit it.
[TA]: ...
[TA]: okay 2o.
[TA]: what the fuck wa2 ii 2uppo2ed two get out of that?
[CG]: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
[TA]: doe2 thii2 have 2omethiing two do wiith the john human?
[CG]: WHAT.
[CG]: WHAT CHEMICAL MISFIRING IN YOUR THINK PAN WOULD LEAD YOU TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT JOHN HUMAN?
[TA]: ii dont know, maybe becau2e he wa2 the la2t per2on you were wiith before you dii2appeared for a week?
[TA]: and al2o becau2e youre liike matespriit2 or 2omethiing.
[CG]: WE ARE NOT.
[TA]: whatever there ii2 defiiniitely 2omethiing goiing on there even iif you dont want two 2ay.
[CG]: FINE. MAYBE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIM.
[CG]: OR EVERYTHING.
[CG]: SHUT UP.
[TA]: iim ju2t tryiing two be helpful or 2ome 2hiit.
[TA]: 2o you can 2piill now or 2hould ii ju2t come back iin another week?
[CG]: NO.
[CG]: ALRIGHT FINE.
[CG]: I'M JUST GOING TO SAY IT, AND YOU CAN CONSIDER THIS YOUR FIRST AND LAST WARNING.
He paused. Forced his claws to click against the keyboard. It was torture to tap out each individual letter. Pressing each key was like contantly pricking his fingers on a pin. For that reason, he didn't have the desire to drag it out any longer. He'd figured out something in the last week; this secret was one even he couldn't keep to himself. He didn't have a choice in that, but he did have a choice of when to let the others know.
[TA]: ...
[CG]: JOHN’S DNA AND MY DNA HAVE BEEN RECOMBINED.
[TA]: ...
[TA]: ......
[TA]: what?
[CG]: ...
[TA]: are you 2ayiing that...
[TA]: there2 been a conceptiion of off2priing,
[TA]: between you and the john human?
[CG]: YES.
[TA]: what the actual fuck kk?
[TA]: ii2 thii2 a joke??
[CG]: NO.
[CG]: THAT'S WHY I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE MY HIVE ONCE I SENSED IT,I KNEW I COULDN'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE PERCEIVING THAT CHANGE.
[TA]: waiit.
[TA]: you guy2 diidnt even u2e a bucket?!!?!?
[TA]: you mean the off2priing ii2 actually iin2iide of you??
[TA]: you...mated!?
[TA]: how ii2 that even po22iible?
[CG]: SHUT YOUR PHLEGM-COATED OVERACTIVE PROTEIN CHUTE. I AM NOT GOING INTO MORE DETAIL THAN THAT. FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK, THIS SHIT'S PRIVATE. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS, YES, THERE IS SOME KIND OF MUTANT HYBRID CURRENTLY RESIDING WITHIN MY BODY, AND IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU COULD FUCKING TELL ME WHAT THE HELL I'M SUPPOSED TO DO NOW.
[TA]: oh god...
[TA]: ii cant even.
[TA]: what diid john 2ay?
[CG]: ...
[TA]: you diidnt tell him?
[CG]: NO.
[TA]: youve got two iit2 half hii2.
[CG]: AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BROACH THIS SUBJECT? HE FINALLY DECIDED I'M WORTHY OF CONTACT AGAIN SOMETIME TWO NIGHTS AGO AND I COULDN’T EVEN BRING MYSELF TO RESPOND WITH SOME MEANLINGLESS CONVERSATIONAL GARBAGE.
[TA]: ju2t tell hiim.
[CG]: I WILL EVENTUALLY.
[TA]: do iit now.
[TA]: obviiou2ly youve been puttiing iit off for a whiile.
[CG]: YOU THINK? LET ME JUST TAKE THE TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BRILLIANT DEDUCTION RIGHT THERE, CREDIT TO SOLLUX CAPTOR, EVERYONE.
[TA]: yeah, yeah.
[TA]: tell hiim riight now.
[TA]: and then tell me how iit went after.
[TA]: maybe iill have fiigured 2omethiing out by then.
[TA]: holy 2hiit...
[CG]: WELL UNLESS YOUR REASONING SKILLS IMPROVE TENFOLD WITHIN THAT TIME PERIOD, LOOKS LIKE I'M SHIT OUT OF LUCK.
[CG]: BUT, OKAY, I WILL TELL THE GOOD FOR NOTHING DOUCHE.
[CG]: I WAS GOING TO ANYWAY.
[TA]: of cour2e you were.
carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling twinArmageddons [TA]
Karkat blinked at the screen, closing the window with Sollux. He felt no incentive to strike up a conversation with John right now, though the reassurance to do so was what he had been seeking. He'd rather go curl up inside his recuperacoon and sleep another week or two. Of course, in all fairness, Sollux was probably right. It was half John's, and not only that, but Karkat had never really even considered how John might be affected by all of this. It wasn't likely that both of them were hosting recombinant parasites, but maybe there had been other side effects for John too. And Karkat hadn't even thought to check. Maybe that was why John hadn't contacted him. Maybe...or maybe Karkat was just looking for an excuse to mentally forgive John enough in order to message him. That was probably the most likely cause. Nonetheless, Karkat allowed this thought to take hold of him until he was genuinely worried about John's present welfare.