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If Dave Strider's steps weren’t so silent his feet making contact with the meteor's metal floor would have lightly echoed through the halls. Some things he learned from his childhood stayed with him... like that saying about 'old habits' and a Bruce Willis movie. As the Knight strolled towards his room the only sounds that reached his ears were the gentle swishing of his red cape trailing behind him and the thoughts that occupied his mind.
Today was his sixteenth birthday and it was crawling to an end.
When Dave woke up this morning, red eyes squinting in the dark room, he was a little reluctant, not that he would admit it. The first birthday he had on the flying space rock didn't turn out very well and he wasn't keen on having a repeat. Rose had worked hard to make preparations and to make the trolls excited about it, not to mention to persuade them to help out. However it was all for nothing, since Dave didn't show up. He haven't even left his room, he spent the whole day in his bed.
The memories of past birthdays filled up his mind that left Dave with confused, conflicted feelings.
He used to get neat gifts from Bro; new turntables, a bigger sword to accommodate his current height, stuff like that. That meant that Bro liked Dave and cared about him, right?
However there was only one cool present on these birthdays, all the others weren't so much. Best case scenario when the boxes were empty or had smaller and smaller boxes inside as a prank you'd expect from the likes of Egbert. Other gifts were rigged, firecrackers shooting out of them or straight up exploding in his face, the random smuppets that would fall on him and swarms of them drowning Dave in a mountain of plush rump... he once got a Jack-in-the... no, a Smuppet-in-the-box. That scared the cool out of him for a maximum of three minutes. No he did not have nightmares from it.
In his later years the actually good presents disappeared and the trap ones were all that remained.
And there were the birthday strife. Those tended to be ruthless, something about being a year older meant he had to be all the more stronger and better. Best not to get too deep into those.
Dave reminisced about all of this on his fourteenth birthday on the meteor. Confused, betrayed and cheated at, a sick and dreadful knot nestling in his belly, his thoughts were a prisoner of the past that got stuck in a time loop of birthdays.
He hasn’t left his bed that day. At some point he silently cried himself into a half dream state, being aware enough not to slip into the dreambubbles. The next day he apologised and made sure that Rose's big day was hella sick to make up for the trolls and his ecto-sisters disappointment.
On his fifteenth birthday Dave was much better. He had Karkat as a friend to talk things out and it helped.
He spent the entire day with his favourite angry troll, doing whatever fun they wanted to that served as perfect distraction from any bad thoughts. From time to time someone showed up, slightly disturbing the activities with Karkat, and they wished Dave a happy birthday with a gentle smile and would discretely shove a gift into his hands, followed by a not so conspicuous abscond to leave the boys to themselves and the Hero of Time some comfortable space.
Except for Vriska. She tried to drop a surprise strife on the blonde but with the joint forces of Karkat's furious screaming and Terezi's agressive papping - that suspiciously looked more like punches - the spidertroll begrudgingly gave up on it.
All in all, it was the tamest birthday Dave ever had and it was just what he needed.
Thankfully this year's went down in a similar fashion. A big clusterfuck of troll and human movies were marathoned in the main lab with pretty much everyone showing up - except for Gamzee but let's be real, who gives a crap about that psycho. There were small gifts and a cake that Rose made which went around like a cheap cigarette among high school junkies in an abandoned toilet.
It all was nice especially the part where the birthday boy got to snuggle up by Karkat's side and watch shitty troll movies while he listened to his troll boyfriend's breathing. Not that the others would know, let them try and theorize whether the two were in this quadrant or that, they will never guess. Rose being excluded, of course.
This is what Dave had just left behind so he could retire in his room for the day. He opened his door and was about to plop down on his badly alchemised mattress when something caught his shaded eyes.
A small box was placed upon the nest of blanket, a note attached to it with familiar grey handwriting saying 'FROM KARKAT'.
Dave's heart leapt into his throat as he took the box in his hands and examined it. The curiosity, the urge to slide off the lid was great... The gift was twiddled with from left to right a couple of times before the now sixteen year old carefully nestled it back into the blanket like some delicate thing that could break like glass from a twitch of his pinkie.
With a swift sylladex item change the Knight swapped the Stiller sunglasses to his iShades and gently set his ass next to Karkat's gift.
-- turntechGodhead [TG] started pestering carcinoGenetisist [CG] --
TG: bro
TG: whats this
TG: i mean whats inside
TG: oh man i have so many questions if you wont start responding im gonna clog you up with all them question marks like wet hair in the bathtubs drain
TG: ugh
TG: that image just made me shiver
TG: thats just fucking gross youre supposed to stop me with affectionate screaming before my mind can produce such hurl inducing pictures
TG: fuck dude the only thing worse that wet hair is when you find hair in your food
TG: shit
TG: i think i had to mini-vomit in my mouth that was so fucking nasty
TG: fuck
TG: karkat you gotta save me from myself
-- carcinoGenetisist [CG] started trolling turntechGodhead [TG] --
CG: DAVE!
TG: yes knightly boyfriend
CG: SHUT YOUR FUCKING TRAP, YOU INBECIL!
TG: my hero
CG: AND DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HAIR, THAT SHIT SHOULD NEVER EVEN LEAVE YOUR RETARDED PAN.
CG: YOU JUST CAUSED INFINITE NIGHTMARES FOR ALL FUTURE WRIGGLERS AND NOT EVEN A RECUPERACOON WILL BE ABLE TO GET RID OF THEM.
CG: THE TOUGHEST OF VILLAINS ARE CRYING IN THEIR SNUGGLEPLANE BECAUSE OF YOUR BULGE SMACKING FUCKERY.
CG: I BET BEC NOIR IS SOBBING AND HER IMPERIAL CONDECENTION IS HAVING A FUCKING EXISTENTIAL CRISIS.
TG: haha omg what
TG: i did not plan this conversation to be about hair and its traumatic effects of grossness
CG: SHUT UP!!! ):<B
TG: aw sorry dude didnt want you to be upset
TG: but for real what is this box
CG: I DONT KNOW, DAVE. COULD IT POSSIBLY BE A... WHAT IS THE TERM I WONDER... A FUCKING PRESENT? FOR YOUR WRIGG-
CG: I MEAN FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY!
CG: IS THE WORD YOUR HUMAN MIND IS SEARCHING FOR PERHAPS *A BIRTHDAY PRESENT*?!
TG: shit bro
TG: without your passive-aggressive explanation of sarcasm i wouldve never guessed
TG: how come you didnt give it to me with the other gifts
TG: that sb&hj card you drew is the best even i cant draw them so shitty left-handed
TG: it wouldve been cool to just hand this nice tiny box with it
CG: NO.
TG: why
CG: BECAUSE FUCK NO, THAT'S WHY!
TG: Bl
CG: I DIDN'T WANT THE OTHERS TO SEE IT.
TG: i gotcha karkat
TG: this is a serious emotional sentiment filled baby sized package
TG: no really this box is so cute with its small im getting feels of adorable creeping on me with a major doze of diabetes
CG:...
TG: come over
CG: WHAT?
TG: come over to my room
CG: NO!!!
CG: WHY THE EVER NOOKFARTING FUCK WOULD I DO THAT?
TG: so i can open the lil fucker
CG: YOU CAN OPEN IT ON YOUR OWN, ASSWIPE.
TG: no karkat
CG: OK, BUT CONSIDER THIS:
CG: YES, KARKAT.
TG: i want you to be here when i open it
CG: I'M GONNA BE A FUCKING REPEAT FLAPBEAST HERE BUT MY ANSWER IS STILL A BIG BULGESHITTING NO
CG: N
CG: O
TG: dude youre not giving any options here
TG: you made me do this bro
TG: theres no other way
TG: i have to use my
TG: -dramatic pause-
TG: sensitive side
CG: FUCK!
TG: fuck yes man
TG: karkat
TG: i want you to come over so i can see you when i open this sentimental gift from you because it would make me happy
TG: pretty please with cherry and a fuckload of whipped cream on top
TG: <3
CG: FFFF-AAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!!!
CG: YOU MANIPULATIVE PIECE OF SHIT!
TG: is that a yes i see
CG: YES!
CG: IT'S A FUCKING YES!
CG: I'LL BE RIGHT THERE.
TG: <3
CG: <3
-- carcinoGenetisist [CG] ceased trolling turntechGodhead [TG]--
Karkat closed his husktop with defeat and slowly walked to Dave's block. The only reason he was so reluctant to hand the gift personally was because he was a little embarrassed and didn't wanted to see Dave not liking it. However he couldn't say no to his boyfriend, especially when he was acting so cute.
The troll opened the human teen's door and went inside. Dave was waiting for him, sitting on his bed with the little box beside him. As soon as he saw the troll his emotionless features softened.
"I'm here. You fucking happy now?" Karkat crossed his arms before his chest like a pouty kid. A lopsided smirk appeared on the light haired boy.
"Yup. Come'ere." Dave said and with a lazy wave beckoned the other Knight over. Karkat sat on the bed with a scoff for show, the small box resting between the two.
Dave once again took the present into his hands, watching Karkat fondly under the shades. The nubby troll didn't blush - sweeps of hiding his blood colour don't vanish so easily - but he did avert his gaze in self-consciousness.
The lid from the box was lifted and the birthday boy reached inside with his fingers. What he took out left Dave speechless for a second or two.
It was a necklace with a leather band. The pendant was shaped in a heart but half of it was white and angular, like it started out from a diamond shape and the other half was red with two arches, finishing the heart. Dave realised that the symbols for moirallegiance and matespritship were mashed together to create this form. In the centre of the pendant was the grey Cancer sign that Karkat was always wearing and also in that moment.
Karkat stared at Dave's sheets, not daring to meet the Time hero's eyes... err, shades.
"You don't have to wear it, I know it's fucking embarrassing, I just wanted you to have it." Karkat explained. "I didn't really know how to depict our relationship and this is the closest I could think of. I had to draw that a shitton of times before Kanaya could actually start working on it, so I guess you should thank her... if you even like it. I wouldn't be fucking surprised if you didn't."
"Shut up dude." Dave scolded, still holding up the necklace and silently admiring it while the troll ranted. "I love it."
Karkat's grey and yellow eyes lit up with disbelief and tingling warmth filled his chest while Dave hung the gift around his neck.
"I'm gonna wear this all the time, even when you can't see it I am probably wearing it under all these layers of clothing."
"Shut up you dumdum." The Knight of Blood snorted and hid his face in his palm that he managed to disguise as a facepalm.
A comfortable silence filled the air around them, unspoken affections and confessions buzzed between the two, but that was okay, they didn't need words to know how the other felt.
"Can I-"
"May I-"
They said at the same time and stopped. After a second of pause they burst out snickering and laughing respectively. They both knew that the other wanted to ask the same thing.
"Sure, man, go ahead." Dave calmed down and gave a red gaze above his shades.
The slightly shorter troll leaned in and the sixteen year old followed suit. Their lips met, their senses heightened, sparks exploded and all that shebang happened within one gentle touch. As sweet as the kiss was they couldn’t get enough and when they finished they could only look at each other with shining eyes – in Dave’s case his shades reflected a shitty JPEG picture of the galaxy. With a nod they agreed that it was high time for a snuggle pile in the nest of sheets.
They lay peacefully on Dave’s bed. The human had his lanky arms around Karkat’s waist, head buried into his neck, platinum blonde hair providing a soft, tickly pillow under the troll’s chin. The Blood hero’s arm was lazily draping the other boy’s body, grey skin on red plush clothing giving off a nice contrast. Dave toyed with the pendant around his neck, low key adoring every detail of it. Karkat gently pulled off the shades from the teen’s face not to startle him and Dave noted with a sigh how much better he could see the red-white heart with his love’s sign in it without them.
“I like this birthday. Totes the best one I had so far.” Dave smiled.
“Good.” Karkat said. “At least I know how fucking low standards you have if an all-day movie marathon is in your top five best things that happened to you. Just try to imagine with your small thinkpan if someone tries to throw you an actual party.”
“Woah, slow down there buddy. My brain can’t handle something like that, it’s about to explode.” Dave joked back and they shared a small snicker.
“Happy wriggl- birthday.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”