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The skies were gray and gloomy, clouds hanging low and heavy. Although he had his hood drawn and his arms wrapped tightly around himself, the troll still shivered against the brisk winds. They whipped around him, knocking him off course and forcing him to almost lose his balance on countless occasions. He swore, tugging down on his hood as he continued down the sidewalk.
The first few drops of rain wasn’t so bad, sprinkling his sweatshirt with droplets- Karkat could deal with being a little damp until he reached home. Then it began to pour, a constant wave of water hitting him at full force. The strong gusts of wind didn’t do much help. If anything, it made it worse. Grunting, Karkat tightened his grip around himself and pressed forward, his pace quickening as his determination to get home grew.
It wasn’t long until the troll was soaked. The only thing that had been keeping him safe from harsh winds was now heavy with rain, doing more damage than good. “Fuck it all,” He swore as he stepped up to stand beneath a small ledge hanging out from one of the buildings. It didn’t do much. Not that Karkat could tell, anyways. It was hard to tell when you were shivering and drenched from head to toe. Muttering darkly, he grabbed at the hem of his sweatshirt and pulled it off his body, tying it loosely around his waist. It was better to have the rain run down his bare arms and soak his thin t-shirt than have a heavy, wet sweatshirt weighing him down.
Sucking in another deep breath, he grit his teeth and continued walking. He put a hand up to his forehead, curving his fingers in a feeble attempt to shield them from the rain. He stumbled and slipped, the sidewalk slick with rain. Goosebumps prickled his skin- Flesh-colored bumps rising on his forearms while shivers ran up and down his spine. His hair was soaked, riverlets of rainwater trailing down his neck and around his ears.
“Fucking rain.” He swore, veering out of the way to avoid a stop sign that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. “Can’t see for shit. Can’t feel my fucking fingers. No clue where the hell I am.....” His mutters continued, an angry and bitter tone to be heard by no one but himself. “Who even goes out before a storm? Idiots... Moronic imbeciles, that’s who.” He wasn’t even speaking anymore. Just simply words running through his head, constantly berating him for being so stupid to think he’d make it home before the rain fell.
Karkat turned a corner and paused. He blinked and rubbed his face, wiping away the drops that clung to his eyelashes away so he could make out the vague white letters against a green background. A streesign, obviously. Anyone with any sort of knowledge of how roadsigns work could see that. It was just a matter of figuring out what it said now. He inched closer until he could make out an A I N R E E T... He mouthed the letters, furrowing his brows in concentration.
Ainreet.... Street. Ainstreet. Nainstreet? Karkat scowled and walked closer, stepping off the curb and leaning forward to get a better look. He squinted, cupping his fingers around his eyes and straining to see through the curtain of rain that fell around him.
“Mainstreet.” Karkat finally made out the letters, nodding slowly. He stood there for a moment, the rain crashing around him and running down his already-soaked body. He shivered again and sighed, slowly turning and starting to make his way back to the sidewalk. It didn’t get much wetter than this.
Or, that’s what he thought, anyways. This was before the car that came speeding down the road, sending a wave of cold, muddy water crashing over his back and knocking him forward. He swore, his arms flailing as he fell forward. In a moment of instinct, he thrust out his hands to catch him. His attempt at saving himself had worked well enough, except now he had a pair of bloodied palms that stung like a bitch, and he was pretty sure his entire back-side was now coated with mud.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He stormed off in the other direction, his soaked sneakers stomping in puddles. “Fuck me. Fuck my life. Fuck the rain. Fuck Mainstreet.” As he said the last word, Karkat came to a stop. Mainstreet.... He did a semi-circle, spinning around and looking across the street.
Directly across the road was a tall brick apartment complex. It wasn’t much to look at- Not terribly run-down, but not luxury living, either. The awnings proved to be no shield against the storm, seeing as the grey sidewalk beneath it was shades darker than normal, the rain puddling up on the surface. It would have been insignificant and irrelevant if someone hadn’t lived here. Someone Karkat knew.
John Egbert-- the black-haired, glasses-wearing, blue eyed douchebag he’d known for a good majority of his life-- lived in none other than that exact apartment complex. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Shaking his head, Karkat took off in a sprint, a shot of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He fisted his hands in an attempt to keep pressure on his bleeding palms as he came up to the front entrance, pulled open the door and walked into the entryway.
He walked across the red rug and came to a stop at the second set of doors. These, unlike the first, required for either a key or someone to buzz him in. With any luck, John would be home and perfectly capable of letting the soaked troll come in and wash up and get dry. He raised a shaky hand and shook it out, trying to get the feeling back into his numb fingers.
Once his fingers had gone from dark gray to flushed red, Karkat let another shiver run down his spine before turning to the security box. He squinted at the list, his red eyes scanning the names before he came to the E section. “Why do so many people live here?” Karkat muttered irritably, shifting awkwardly as he grew colder. His shivers had become borderline violent, his knees trembling and threatening to buckle while his teeth chattered relentlessly.
#413. He’d finally found Egbert, which was followed by a John. Clenching his free hand into a fist, the troll punched in the numbers a lot harder than necessary and then pulled his arms back, tucking his hands in his armpits in a fruitless attempt to keep them warm. The machine gave an awful buzz, the dial tone ringing for a good 10 seconds before a voice finally picked up on the other end.
“Hello?” John’s voice filled the room and Karkat let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“Shut up and ring me in.” He growled, straining to force the malice into his quivering voice. “And get a towel or something. Fuck, I’m freezing.” There was a pause, then static for a moment. He was about to tell him to hurry up, he didn’t have all day, when the door beside Karkat buzzed. He grumbled a half-hearted ‘thanks’ before pulling it open, leaving the puddle of rainwater behind him.
He walked through the small lobby, ignored the smile the lady at her mailbox gave him, and approached the elevator. He slammed his thumb against the button, continuing to push it like it might make it come faster. The 2 metal doors slid open with ease, closing seconds later as Karkat stepped in and pressed the 4th floor button.
A bell rang as the elevator was pulled up, some sort of ridiculous elevator music playing overhead. He tapped his foot impatiently, his shivers increasing as time passed.
After what seemed like hours of standing and listening to the looping elevator music, the doors finally opened again. He blew out an annoyed breath and stomped out. He walked the short distance before the hallway split in 2 directions and didn’t hesitate before taking the left. He walked past 12 doors and left a trail of water behind him before coming up to the last door at the end of the hall and coming to a halt.
Karkat nearly punched John in the face when he pulled open the door and yanked him inside. The door shut behind them with a dull thud, and before Karkat can even say a word John was wrapping a yellow, fluffy towel around his shoulders.
“You should have called, man.” John said, pulling his hands away and crossing his arms. Karkat rolls his eyes in response, pulling the towel off his shoulders and dry his dripping hair off. John watched intently, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.
“Do you mind?” Karkat snapped, but his voice cracks and his teeth are chattering again. Silently, he cursed himself but didn’t break his eye contact with John. The boy stands there for a moment, watching the troll with sad eyes. After a moment of silence, he sighs and puts his hands up, backing away and letting Karkat pass.
“You can see if any of my clothes fit you.” He offered genuinely, shrugging his shoulders. Karkat snorted, gritting his teeth as he marched off past him and deeper into John’s humble apartment, John at his heels.
The path to his living room is familiar- It’s where the two of them had watched countless shitty movies and had just as many trivial conversations. To the right was a short hallway, where John’s room is and the bathroom, and to the left is a small guest room and a utility closet.
“Hurry up, Karkat. You’re getting my carpet all wet.” John’s voice whined from behind him as he reached out and pushed him towards his room. “You’re gunna get sick if you just stand there.”
“It’s funny because you think I give two shits about your carpet.” Karkat responded sourly, tossing the damp towel behind him before stalking off to John’s room. He turned on his heels and walked down the hallway, his shoes squishing beneath his feet and leaving vague footprints in the carpet behind him. Muttering, he pushed open the door to the bedroom.
The curtains were drawn, and with the lack of light from outside the room was unusually dark. He slid his hands along the wall, careful to avoid touching it with his palm, until he found the switch. He flipped it up and and the room was faintly illuminated from the dim light of a shitty Ikea lamp in the corner. “Fucking Egbert,” He muttered as he kicked off his shoes and ripped off his socks, leaving them near the door before padding barefoot to John’s dresser. “Spend some m- money on a real lamp.” His stuttering words were left unheard, John all the way in the other room and too far away to hear.
He twitched as a shiver ran down his spine, water dripping down his back as he pulled open the top drawer. Scrunching up his nose, he shifted through John’s drawer until he pulled out a pair of light blue socks. Putting them on top of the dresser, he moved on to the next two drawers, where he found a long-sleeved black shirt and old plaid pajama pants. Rolling his eyes, he pushed them closed with his hip. He grabbed the pair of socks and added them to the heap of clothes in his arms before turning around to John’s bed.
Karkat set his change of clothes down on the comforter then moved to step out of his soaked jeans. It took a few minutes and a string of angry curses before he finally managed to wiggle out of his pants and throw them on the ground. They were soon accompanied by his t-shirt and hoodie. With another shiver, he pulled the black sweater over his head and tugged it down. He then stepped into the pants and drew the drawstring, tying it tight enough so they didn’t fall off as soon as he walked.
Letting out a long breath, he bent over and gathered the wet clothes in his arms, cringing as he pressed his injured hands against the fabric. Letting out another breath, he flipped off the light and then pulled the door open again. He ran a free hand through his damp hair before walking down the short hall again and finding himself in the living room once more.
“People start rumors, and say things about me!” John was leaning over a desk tucked away in the corner, swaying his hips in a sad attempt to be in sync with the music. “Funny thing is, I didn’t go to that party!” He didn’t seem to notice Karkat, preoccupied with scrolling through some page on his laptop as he crudely danced to the song.
“Hot girls have problems, too. We’re just like you- Except we’re hot.” Karkat replied, crossing his arms as he watched John. His lips twitched up in a smirk as John jumped, straightening up and spinning around. The expression on his face resembled that of a deer caught in a set of headlights. He flushed red for a moment before regaining control and shaking his head, rolling his eyes at the troll before turning back to his computer.
“Tell me about it, man. It’s hard being a hot girl.” John called over his shoulder, moving the mouse across the screen and exiting out of his browser before moving to face Karkat again. “We’ve got problems too.”
Karkat snorted, raising a hand and flipping him off before throwing himself into the couch up against the wall. He kicked up his legs and put them on John’s coffee table, deliberately ignoring the frown that appeared on John’s lips.
“You could have a little more respect for the guy who took you under his wing, Karkat.” John suggested as he took a seat beside him, reaching for the remote. He turned on the TV and began surfing through channels, the screen shifting in barely enough time to read the channel number at the bottom.
“And you could kindly shut the- the-” Karkat’s snarky reply was cut short as he fell forward and sneezed, his shoulders trembling with the effort. “God damn.” He grumbled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. John stole a glance at him out of the corner of his eye, his brows knitting in worry.
“I told you you were going to get sick, Karkat.” He mumbled, shaking his head as he set the remote down on the arm of the couch and then turned to face him better. He reached out to put a hand on Karkat’s shoulder. Karkat moved to swat him away in response, curling his lip back and showing the boy his sharp teeth.
“Don’t touch me.” Karkat snapped, but his demand was ignored as John seized one of his wrists, yanking his hand towards his face. The troll tensed up, wincing as John put pressure on the scrapes on his palms. He made a weak attempt to break his grip, struggling to yank his arm back. “What the fuck are you do-”
“Your hands are bleeding, Karkat.” John let go of his hand, but the looked he gave Karkat said the conversation wasn’t over.
“Wow, really? Thank you, Captain Obvious. Where would I be without you?”
“Why are you hands bleeding, Karkat?”
“Why does it matter?”
“Karkat.”
“John.”
John stared at him, scowling. His expression clearly read as “Not taking your bullshit” and he proved that by standing up, bring Karkat to his feet as well. He tugged him along, heading to the small bathroom opposite of his bedroom.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, shitface?” Karkat growled as John pulled him into the bathroom, flipping the switch and then sitting him down on the toilet. John didn’t reply until he’d opened the cabinet beneath the sink and pulled out a washcloth and then turned on the sink.
“Well, if you’re not going to clean it up.” John replied smoothly as he ran the cloth under the faucet, dampening it before turning back to Karkat. He put out a hand and made a grabbing motion, gesturing towards Karkat’s arm.
“It’s just a scrape, John. Jesus fucking Christ.” John rolled his eyes at his reply and reached forward, grabbing Karkat’s right arm and twisting it so his palm sat upward. Gently, he dabbed the wet cloth against the wound, rubbing away the dirt and dried blood. Karkat winced as he cleaned his palms off, biting his tongue as he glared at John.
“I’m not a child, John.” Karkat said through his teeth as the boy moved to grab his other hand, but did nothing to stop him otherwise. “I could have done this myself.”
John repeated the actions on Karkat’s other hand, shaking his head at Karkat’s constant arguing. “Yeah, you could have. But you didn’t. So now I am.” He pressed a bit harder on his palm then he meant to as he spoke, and jumped when Karkat yelped in pain.
“Be fucking careful!” Karkat snapped, pulling his arm back.
“Sorry, sorry.” John apologized as he put up his hands, his lips tugging down in a frown.
Karkat looked up at him and scowled at his expression, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. “So fucking pitiful.” He let out a long sigh and moved to sit back up straight, relaxing and letting John dab his hand again.
“What was that?” John questioned, arching a brow at his mumbled words. Karkat waved him off, shaking his head, his cheeks heating up. He smirked at his reaction and rolled his eyes before tossing the washcloth into the sink and moving to open one of the drawers and pulled out a box of bandaids.
“Are you really going to put the bandages on me? God, John.” Karkat complained as he watched John unwrap the largest bandaid he had to offer. “What else? Are you going to kiss it better, too?”
John laughed at his response, shrugging as he peeled off the backing. “Maybe I will.” He replied, gingerly grabbing one of Karkat’s hands and placing the bandaid on his palm. He smoothed it out for a moment, gently running his thumb along the width of his hand.
Karkat watched him silently, swallowing hard and forcing to keep his expression angry. He tried to summon the urge to pull his hand away, but the feeling that the fluttering butterflies in his stomach left him with was too great.
“Do you realize how stupid you are?” Karkat’s tone didn’t match his eyes. He watched John skeptically, his brows drawn together as he shifted awkwardly on the toilet seat. John continued to hold his hand, his grin only softening as Karkat squirmed, his insults bouncing right off of him.
Slowly, John pulled Karkat’s hand to his mouth and he planted a chaste kiss on the back. Karkat, much to his displeasure, flushed at the gesture and forced his eyes to look elsewhere. John chuckled and pulled away, standing up as he ran his hand through his hair. He turned a fraction of an inch away, a futile try at hiding his own faint blush that tinted his cheeks.
There was a long, heavy silence and John wasn’t quite sure why. He’d only kissed his hand, and even then he’d barely brushed his lips against Karkat’s hand, and yet Karkat acted as if he’d just squashed their faces together. Maybe he’d crossed some line? He’d probably done something ridiculously offensive and made him angry. Hand-kissing was probably on top of the big list of things you just shouldn’t do. He turned to look at Karkat again, and watched as he slowly stood up, a stony expression etched onto his face.
“Karkat?” He questioned, raising his arms and putting his hands up defensively. “I didn’t mean to do anything stupid or to offend you or whatever. Did I cross some alien line? I didn’t think- I mean, I did, but I didn’t know-” Karkat looked up at him, his eyes narrowed, He raised his eyebrows, staring directly at him as he rambled. He didn’t say anything, but John got the message. “Uh, sorry.” He mumbled, closing his mouth.
Karkat rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “I swear to God, you have the brain of a wiggler, Egbert. How do you function in day-to-day life? The fact that you can live on your own amazes me beyond belief.” He growled, and John bit his lip nervously. Karkat held his gaze for another moment before releasing another sigh and shoved past him, towards the bathroom door.
“No, John, you didn’t cross any ‘alien line’. God damn.” Karkat could hear John’s breath of relief even from behind him as he walked back to the living room, the boy soon following at his heels. He sneezed again as he sat down the couch, John quick to follow. It was quiet again, the muted TV offering light in the dim room but no sound. John shifted awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs while Karkat lounged back, his hand dangling off the arm of the chair and his feet on John’s coffee table again.
“Why are you so quiet?” Karkat finally asked, stealing a glance at John out of the corner of his eye. He knitted his brows as his lips tugged down in response, pressing them together in a thin line and giving a faint shrug. “Well?” The troll urged, waving his hand and motioning for him to speak.
“I don’t know. Nothing to say, I guess.” John’s voice had a forced tone, ending in a uncomfortable laugh and drawing out to a sigh. He folded his hands, unfolded them, then folded them again. It made Karkat nervous how much he was shifting, forcing him to sit up and tense. He directed his full attention onto him, turning his body to face him directly.
“Are you sure? Because you sure act like you hav- ha- ha-” He sneezed again, barely managing to cover his mouth with his arm in time. John cracked a grin at that, and Karkat cursed as his heart faltered at the sight. “Have something on your mind.” He finally finished, crossing his arms against his chest, pouting his bottom lip.
John sucked in a deep breath like he was about to say something, paused, then let it out again. “Nope, nothing.” He turned his head to meet Karkat’s eyes and gave a reassuring smile that did nothing to reassure him.
“Really? Because I’m pretty confident there actually is, in fact, something you want to say.” Karkat challenged, narrowing his eyes. “John, you don’t just kiss someone’s hand like you’re some sort of knight in shining armor and then not say anything. What was that stunt about, anyways?” A blush rose on Karkat’s gray cheeks again as he mentioned the incident, but forced himself to keep John’s gaze anyways.
John opened his mouth and then stopped again, blowing out a breath. He hesitated, looking away as his own face heated up. “Well, that’s exactly it.” He managed, his top teeth worrying into his bottom lip.
“What is? Just spit it out, John.” Karkat snapped, quickly losing patience.
“You’re right. You don’t just do stuff like that. It’s just... I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. It’s better than nothing, I guess.” John gave another short laugh through his nose, still gnawing at his lip.
“John, that doesn’t even make sense. You don’t make sense.” Karkat narrowed his eyes, his arms folded across his chest. He watched John skeptically, his heart giving thumping anxiously as seconds ticked by. His mind reeled, desperately making vague connections with every romcom he’d watched, straining to see where John could be possibly going with this. Try as he might, the flicker of hope that made his throat go dry was doused by his pessimistic outlook- John couldn’t possibly be meaning what he so wanted him to. It was John, the kid who never really did have a way with words. Without realizing it, Karkat’s expression dropped into a scowl, sinking further into the cushions.
“Oh, Jesus christ. Don’t pout.” John whined, reaching forward and grabbing one of the troll’s arms. He tugged on him, and Karkat cursed himself as he allowed the boy to put his own arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to his side. The gesture made his heart ache, and he tried to shrink away- shrug off his hand, push him; Anything to make him stop touching him- but John only held on tighter in response. It was silent for another long, excruciating moment, John’s breath slow and deep beside Karkat’s ear.
“Are you going to just sit there and coddle me like some sort of ignorant grub and be stupidly cryptic for the rest of the time or are you going to expl-” His tangent was cut short when John moved to put his hand to his mouth, shushing him.
“Shh.... No words.” John mumbled as he shifted from Karkat’s side. He moved so that he was facing the troll, a hand on either of his shoulders. His grip was firm but cautious; Enough to hold him in place, but not so that he couldn’t pull away if he wanted to. “It’s just...” John let out another long breath, strands of black hair flying out of his face, which had, Karkat noted, taken on a pink tint.
“John, what the fuck are yo-”
“Sh! Let me talk. Just give me a minute.”
Karkat frowned again at him, his hands gripping the couch cushion beneath him. He drew his eyebrows together, swallowing hard and giving a slight nod. He let himself relax and met John’s intense gaze, which were flooded with relief when Karkat told him to continue.
“Okay. I just... I’ve been thinking.” John started, his buck teeth worrying into his lip. “Thinking about you. A lot. More than I think is probably normal?” John gave a shaky laugh and Karkat gave a disbelieving shake of his head, but stayed quiet nonetheless. “I don’t... Really know? I guess? I just... I think about you a lot, Karkat. And I don’t want this to freak you out, because my friendship with you is more important than anything that could possibly happen. You have to promise me that if I say what I want to say, you’re not going to yell at me or tease me and stuff. I mean- I just- If you end up leaving, I’ll understand.” John fumbled for words, his face becoming redder. He sucked in another breath, his shoulders shaking. His eyes rolled back to stare at the ceiling and his grip on Karkat’s shoulders tightened, becoming borderline painful.
Not that it mattered much. The pain was nothing compared to how fast his heart was racing. It leaped into his throat, hammering against his chest. His knees, despite sitting down, trembled and had a feeling that reminded him of jello while his stomach swooped, clenching nervously and butterflies fluttering inside him. “John-” Karkat tried, and was thankful when John waved his hand to quiet him again because he honestly didn’t know what he would have even said.
John leaned forward, obviously holding his breath. Karkat gave a sharp inhale of his own when the boy spoke again. “I like you. Like, like as in I think I might love you. As in I take back all those “no homos” because there was always a little homo intended. As in when I’m lying awake and can’t sleep it’s usually your fault. As in whenever I’m confused, it’s more than likely because of you again. I just.... Really, really like you.” John said in one breath, gasping by the end of it. His face had reached an all new level of flushed and his eyes had gone wide, darting around Karkat’s face in search of any reaction.
Karkat wasn’t stupid- As soon as John had told him not to be freaked out he knew what was coming- but that didn’t stop the feelings erupting inside. He felt as if someone had just lit a dozen fireworks, all exploding within and shooting joy through his veins. He opened his mouth to say something, but was greeted with nothing. His words had been caught in his throat it seemed, leaving him with a red face of his own and a heart that wouldn’t calm down. His thoughts swam rapidly, a swirling clusterfuck of rejoice and happiness. He could barely gather the will to nod his head before his thoughts had all focused in on one thing and he ducked his head and then was pressing his lips against John’s.
John jumped at Karkat’s sudden action, but soon melted against him and eagerly returned the kiss. A pair of shaking arms moved to wrap around the troll, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. It was wet and sloppy, imperfect in all the best ways. “God, I love you.” John mustered up the will to speak finally, mumbling his words between kisses.
“Thank you. Thank you.” Karkat murmured in reply before breaking the kiss and pressing their foreheads together. “Thank you so fucking much, John Egbert.” John gave a large grin, squeezing him in a hug. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words.” With that, John fell backwards and pulled Karkat along with him, holding him tight against his chest as he curled up on the couch, the smaller boy tucked securely against his chest with both of John’s arms a warm embrace around him.
Although a romantic nap would be the ideal storybook ending, their hearts continued to beat too fast and too strongly to even dream of falling asleep. Instead, they settled for comfortable silence, the warmth of the other enough to keep them both happy.