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Dave sighs as he stares at the “Aw, we’ll miss you. Next time for sure!!” text from his best friend. As if he could even call June his best friend. They haven’t been close in years. At least nothing in comparison to how they were at 13. So many factors just absolutely fucked up their friendship. A giant fraction of them being Dave’s fault, like how he never really made an effort to try and talk those 3 years they were separated or the fucking mess that Dave caused when getting with Jade…
At this point it just seems like June is just trying to keep up the facade of their friendship, inviting Dave to every hangout despite her knowing he was just going to make up some shitty half-assed excuse. Groaning, he stuffed his phone in his pocket and just…sat there on the couch completely numb.
Now, after pushing away his self-inflicted problems and all that crap into a deep dark storage closet in the deepest, darkest, spider-web-infested corner of his brain, Dave could actually focus on the task at hand: getting yelled at.
“ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING? HELOOO EARTH TO FUCKASS???” Dave’s roommate, Karakat, was currently yelling at him. He had reached the peak of annoyance, most likely resultant from Dave being a dick and zoning out in the middle of a conversation. Dave honestly didn’t even realize Karkat was saying something, too far zoned out to even notice he’d walked in the room. Complete dissociation. Though Dave would never admit to that- it would imply there's something to disassociate about.
“shit sorry” Dave snapped back into reality.
“HOLY FUCK, ALL I ASKED WAS YOU TO WASH YOUR FUCKING DISHES” Karkat pinched the bridge of his nose, face contorted with obvious frustration.
“yeah yeah, I’ll get to that” Dave was feeling off today.
Understatement of the century
“FINALLY, THANK FUCK.” Karkat says exasperated, Dave appreciates the sentiment behind the other’s unkind-sounding words.
Dave liked Karkat. A lot of people’s first impression of him was often unpleasant. Karkat is not an unpleasant person, he just tends to come off as very aggressive and loud. Most people think he’s just an angry guy, but that doesn’t describe him in the slightest. While he may be a bit rough around the edges, he is actually a really nice, considerate, and sensitive guy. I mean, the guy loves cheesy rom coms for Christ’s sake.
Dave has seen Karkat tear up at silly romance scenes too many times to count.
Karkat is one of the few people Dave actually feels comfortable with.
Dave grumbled under his breath, scrubbing the plate he was washing a little unnecessarily hard.
“YOU MIGHT WANNA RELAX ON THE SCRUBBING, I’M NOT IN THE FUCKING MOOD TO CLEAN UP SHATTERED PLATES” Dave hadn’t noticed Karkat grabbing something from the fridge behind him, startled by the sudden comment. It didn't help that Karkat is weirdly constantly loud. (Definitely the reason why most people think he’s angry all the time)
“Jesus, can't a man wash dishes without being ambushed? if you want me to get these gosh darn dishes done you've gotta chill out a bit. it's like the kitchen is a battlefield and I'm the lone soldier trying to conquer this monstrous mountain of dirty dishes you know, I've got a method to this insane madness that is dishwas-”
“SHUT”
Karkat placed a hand over Dave’s mouth.
“WILL YOU PLEASE DIRECT ME TO WHAT FUCKING STUPID ASS IDIODIC PLACE YOU’VE PUT THE IBUPROFIN IN AS FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE. EVERY GOD-FORSAKEN WORD YOU SAY FEELS LIKE YOU’VE PUT A FUCKING JACKHAMMER TO MY HEAD”
“uh in the cabinet next to the fridge. i think-” Dave cut himself off before he could start one of his signature rambles. He didn’t think right now was the right time to bother his roommate. Karkat looked a decade older, his thick gray skin wrinkled from the mountain of stress he was obviously under. Maybe if Karkat spoke a little quieter it’d help the headache. Dave kept that thought to himself. Regardless of whether or not if said would be appropriate or not, Dave felt that it’d infringe on Karkat’s right to express himself if Dave were to even imply that Karkat should quiet down.
“THANK YOU” Karkat sighed in relief as he opened the cabinet and grabbed the large bottle of painkillers, which rattled as he moved it.
There was an assortment of other random things in that cabinet, only maybe a third of them belonged in the kitchen. Spices, breakfast cereal, dishes, assorted medicine, and vitamins, Dave even thought he’d seen a shirt or two hanging around. You could say that the two people who lived here weren't exactly the best at organizing or taking care of the house (why did anyone ever think that putting these two traumatized twenty-one-year-olds was a good idea)
Dave finished washing the dishes and piled them up (very haphazardly) to dry.
Satisfied with his very half-assed job, Dave throws himself back onto the couch right next to Karkat.
“dude, u wanna watch minions?”
“WHY IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK WOULD I WANT TO WATCH MINIONS!?” Karkat was already browsing the plethora of streaming services that he and Dave borrowed from their more affluent family and friends (the majority from Rose and Kanaya)
“its so good. you don’t get it.”
“HOW??? IT’S SOME DUMB WRIGGLER’S MOVIE ABOUT WEIRD ROUND YELLOW GUYS WHO LIKE BANANAS?”
“but like, the minions. they’re silly. the bananas bit is absolute fucking genius too i don't know why you don’t get it-”
Karkat stared at Dave blankly as he rambled off about weird round yellow guys who like bananas and wear goggles
“-like the whole point of despicable me is like finding family where you’re not expecting, you know like most kids' movies”
“YOU WERE ALREADY AN ADULT WHEN THIS MOVIE CAME OUT SO THERE'S NO LIKE, NOSTALGIC PULL OR WHATEVER BULLSHIT YOU HUMANS HAVE”
“ok but dude, you’re not listening. kids movies have that appeal to adults and shit where you don’t even have to be a kid to fall in love with it and shit.”
“YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK THIS WE’RE WATCHING AN ADAM SANDLER MOVIE”
“8 crazy nights?”
“NO FUCK, I MEANT WE’RE WATCHING A TROLL ADAM SANDLER MOVIE” Karkat irritatingly mumbled under his breath a plethora of curse words dedicated to the god-awful holiday move staring Adam Sandler, 8 crazy nights.
Dave groaned, maybe a little less genuine than he intended. Yeah, he’ll have to sit and watch some weird movie with an alternate alien version of beloved actor Adam Sandler containing very convoluted confusing troll romance plots, but it’s something that Dave had found himself ever so slightly growing fond of.
He felt comfortable here with troll Adam Sandler.
He was comfortable with Karkat.