Work Text:
Rain had been pounding down insistently outside since around midday and Dave had been incredibly glad that he had decided to drive to work today. He thanked the gods- if such things could or did exist- as he hurried to his car and managed to save his hair from getting too wet. When it got wet, it tended to stick to his face and then, hours of styling would be wasted.
He backed out of his space and left the parking lot with little concern for the other cars. It could be said that Dave was a rather reckless driver, as he didn't tend to worry too much about hitting other people. The way he saw it, a little bump wouldn't do anyone too much damage. Plus, today he was intent on getting home as fast as he could. He had a new movie script that he was working on and he was sure that this one would be the one to win him a movie, get him out of his crappy job and out of this deadbeat town.
Ever since high school, Dave had been trying his hardest to make it in the movie business. The office jobs that he held for months at a time were just filler until he became a screenwriter, a producer, a director, any job that he could win. It was hopeless though, as all his scripts and short films were rejected. Aside from small success in local film competitions, he wasn't getting anywhere. Which sucked because at this rate, he'd be stuck answering calls and filing paperwork in office jobs for the rest of his life.
He was grumbling to himself about this as he turned the corner and spotted a hunched over figure out of the corner of his eye. Pausing, he slowed the car a little and pulled up to this disgruntled figure. A few glances confirmed that the bundle of soaking clothing and dark hair was in fact Karkat Vantas. He was easy to recognise by the nubby horns, that Dave had never seen on any other troll. He wondered if the nubby horns were something to do with Karkat being a mutant. He stopped the car and rolled down the window.
"Vantas, isn't the weather a bit rough to be walking?"
"I don't have a car, you ass." came the annoyed grunt, as the troll kept shuffling down the sidewalk with his head down. One hand was hovering above his eyes in an obvious attempt to shield them from the harsh rain.
"What, don't you even have an umbrella or something?"
"It was sunny this morning." Karkat reminded him, still walking. At this rate, Dave was going to lose him in the harsh rain. It was difficult to see more than ten feet in front of him and that was with his headlights on. It would probably help if he removed his sunglasses but he wouldn't do that in a million years.
"But you live hours away from here." Dave lets the car crawl forward, slow enough that he can keep up with the grumpy looking troll. He really does look soaked, his clothes clinging to his wet grey skin, and his dark hair flattened so that his pointy ears poked out. Surely, Dave couldn't just leave him out in the rain like this.
"Don't you think I know that?" Karkat let out a huff, exhaling in frustration, "Just fuck off, Strider, I'm trying to walk here."
"Right..." He should really just offer to drive him back home but that would mean going way out of his way and ... Fuck it. There's a soggy troll on the sidewalk and fuck Dave, if he's just going to leave him to walk all the way home. He stops the car and whistles at the troll, who turns to glare at him and flip him off.
"Karkat, get in the car."
"What?" The troll looks puzzled, blinking at him through the rain falling onto his face. He just looked so pitiable that Dave repeated his statement, firmer this time. It wasn't a request.
"Get in the car."
"I don't want to get in your shitty scuttlebuggy!"
"Get in the- what the fuck?" That made Dave frown but he guessed, it was some weird troll terminology. Realising that Karkat needed more than just prompting to get in, Dave got out of the car and looped an arm around the small troll quickly. He ignored his protests as he hurried him around to the passenger side and helped him into the car. Then, he got back in the car himself and slumped over the steering wheel. His hair was totally fucked.
"Are you cold?" Dave asked, though as he peered at the shivering troll over the top of his aviators it became obvious that he was freezing. Without further thought, Dave shrugged his own jacket off and leaned forward so he could wrap it around Karkat. The troll made a half-hearted attempt to bat him away.
"Why do you care?" Karkat glared at him.
"Jesus, I'm just making sure that you don't get sick. You could say thank you." Dave rolled his eyes, "Put your seat belt on." The troll groaned at him but he buckled his seat belt and then, Dave proceeded to continue driving. In his head, he was trying to work out the best way to drop Karkat back home without wasting too much time but he still managed to notice that he was being stared at out of the corner of his eye.
"What?" He turned to Karkat.
"Nothing." Karkat looked away.
"What were you looking at?"
"You have a spot on your nose." Karkat noted, still staring huffily out of the window at the rain that was still pouring from the sky. By the looks of things, they were in for a proper storm and when he checked in the mirror, Dave really did have a spot on his nose. He scowled. Life sucks.
"Hey Karkat?"
"Yeah?"
"Put the radio on and see if you can find the news station." He instructed him, "I want to know how long this weather's going to go on like this."
"Whatever, can you hurry up and get me home?"
"Not with that attitude. Say please."
"Fuck off." Nevertheless, the troll leaned forward and turned the radio on, twisting the dial as he searched for a station that wasn't playing either the top twenty hits or country music. Dave couldn't help but notice the small crease that formed between Karkat's eyebrows as he concentrated and thought about kissing it. Then, he shook his head to get rid of that thought. That was a weird moment there. He didn't normally think of people like that.
"Hey Dave."
"Yeah?"
"You're staring." As the troll turns and catches his eyes, Dave shifts and focuses on the road instead. He still can't see too far in front of him and he's beginning to wonder if it is the sunglasses that are making it harder to see. He rubs his forehead and narrows his eyes, wondering if he can risk removing them.
"Dave?"
"Yeah."
"I haven't seen you in years." For whatever reason, the usually loud and angry troll sounds very small when he talks like that. It's almost gentle but Karkat is never gentle; his voice is too rough and irritated for him to be able to ever be gentle.
"What's your point?"
"I just wanted to know if you were doing okay."
"Why?"
"You seemed like you were in a pretty bad place the last time I spoke to you."
God, Dave could barely even remember the last time that he'd actually spoken to Karkat. If he remembers correctly, it was at somebody's party- maybe Terezi's?- not long after they'd finished high school. He vaguely remembers being pretty fucking wasted and he thinks he can remember the small troll having to cradle him as he sobbed into his shoulder. And he thinks he remembers Karkat having to drive him home. God, Dave was such a fucking lightweight. Karkat must have drunk twice as much as him that night but he managed to drive him home with ease.
The worst part is that he doesn't think that's what happened, he knew that's what happened. Dave just likes to pretend that he doesn't remember that night because he knows he spilled a lot of stupid stuff to this troll. He was planning to ignore him for a while until Karkat forgot about it and yet, here they were. It had been years and yet, Karkat obviously still remembered it perfectly.
"God, that was high school, Karkat. I think things have changed a bit since then."
"What, is your brother alive now?" Karkat must've noticed that he tensed and that his grip on the steering wheel tightened abruptly because he instantly softened, "I'm sorry, that was really harsh."
"Yeah, whatever. He's still dead, thanks for reminding me."
There's an awkward pause that's only filled by the sound of crackling radio static as Karkat works on finding the news station. Dave really doesn't think that there's any hope of getting it in weather like this but he lets him continue twiddling the dial because it's better than sitting here in total silence.
"How's work going?" Karkat perks up after a while to fill the otherwise silent car.
"Sucks. You?"
"Haven't got any work at the moment."
"Are you serious?" Dave can still remember his high school days vividly and Karkat was the hardest working kid he had ever met. He was the only kid that worked so hard during senior year that he actually got himself sick. There is no way that Karkat had ended up without a job; he'd had his whole life planned out ahead of him since they were about twelve.
"There's no need to sound so surprised."
"You don't have a job?"
"I do what I can. Odd bits here and there. I survive."
"Jesus." Finally, Karkat seems to give up on the radio and slumps back in his seat. He's still dripping wet, rain water falling from the tips of his hair and landing on his lap. Either he's developed a terrible slump over the last few years or he's doing his best to stare down at his lap. Dave decides it's the latter and decides that he'll keep his focus on the road. It's beginning to get dark so, since he knows Karkat isn't looking, he removes his sunglasses and tucks them into his shirt pocket.
The silence drags on for such a long time; the only sounds being Karkat shifting every now and again and the squishing sound of his damp clothes every time he moved. And the occasional shivers that came on every few moments, which would make his whole body shake and his teeth chatter frantically. It stirred something deep inside of Dave.
"Are you going to be okay?" In the quiet, Dave's voice feels too loud so he softens it so that it's almost a whisper. Even so, Karkat seems to jolt in surprise at the sound.
"Yeah. Just cold."
"Why didn't you take the bus or something?"
"I can't afford to take the bus everyday, Dave, I'd be broke."
"Fuck."
"Hey, I don't suppose you've got any blankets in your four wheel device? Or some towels?"
"Nah, I try to keep it clean."
"Oh."
"But." They've come to the turning and Dave knows depending on which way he turns, it's going to swing the direction of their night; making a last minute decision, he spins the car abruptly to the left so fast that Karkat has to grab the arm of the chair for support, "I've got all that shit back at my apartment."
"You drive like a fucking madtroll!" Karkat proclaims, "Jesus, what the fuck was that turn? If there was everyday traffic, you could have killed somebody!"
"But there isn't everyday traffic, it's late." Dave points out, "There's nobody around. I can do... This!" Again, he swerves the car so fast into the next lane and then back again that Karkat screams at the top of his lungs in terror. The reaction only prompted Dave to proceed to show off, spinning the car around before making the next turn and whistling casually as he steers with one hand.
"DAVE, FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUCKKK!!"
The only thing that convinces Dave to stop is the fact that Karkat is screaming with what sounds like genuine fear. When he glances at the troll, he sees that his eyes are wide like his entire life is flashing before them and he's shaking intensely. And Dave slows back to driving normally, turning the next corner slowly, watching his friend's chest heave with concern.
"Karkat-" He reaches to touch the troll's shaking arm but is slapped away quickly.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!" Karkat inhales sharply and seems to pull himself back together, "For gods sake, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I was just-"
"Risking our fucking lives?! Don't you think I've been through shit like that enough times?! Dave, what you don't seem to understand is how reckless you are sometimes. You think everything is one of your stupid games, don't you?"
"Karkat-" But there's no stopping Karkat, when he's on a roll like this.
"Do you remember that time you dared people to pull dumb shit when we kids? When we had only just lost our scuttlers and didn't know any better?! And you'd be all like, "oh, I dare you to climb up that tree. Hey, let's all pull swords on each other for no goddamn reason and fight each other for fun" and you were risking our lives but it was all just a game to you! You were just like your weird brother!" Karkat is breathing heavily.
"Karkat, I'm not like that anymore! We were just kids!"
"What about in high school when you got drunk off your ass and decided it was a good idea to climb onto the roof and see if you could slide down the drainpipe? Or, after high school, when you got arrested for speeding while you were more drugged than Makara and I had to come and pick your ass up because I was the only person that cared enough?"
"I was drunk!"
"You're a reckless idiot!" Karkat is practically foaming at the mouth, "Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to just hang out with you? YOU'RE SO STUPID."
"JESUS, FUCK, I'M NOT LIKE THAT ANYMORE."
"Yeah, right." Karkat huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at him.
The rest of the drive home was in complete silence but Dave could feel the tension hanging in the air, hanging over their heads and waiting for one of them to snap. He parked up badly and could feel Karkat scowling at him as his wheels bumped against the curb. Wordlessly, Karkat got out of the car and headed for the door before the rain could soak him through again.
Dave followed the sound of scuffing sneakers inside and up the stairs to his second floor apartment. It had his name all neatly printed on the door and everything. Impatiently, Karkat was shivering by the door and waiting for him. Their eyes met and instantly, Karkat looked away. Dave unlocked the door and flicked the lights on, letting the troll hurry inside into the warm. Well, warm-ish.
"Nice place." Karkat muttered, sarcastically, "Where do you cook the drugs?"
"Very funny." Dave's not about to deny that he has a shitty apartment- it's falling apart and he's got endless scripts and camera equipment stacked around the place and there's this weird mould growing on the wall of his front room that he doesn't recognise- but he doesn't want to have this argument right now, "If you want to take a bath, I don't have any of that slime shit but I do have hot water. Most of the time."
"Great. Just fucking great."
"And I can make you something to eat if you're hungry. And I can get you some blankets to help you warm up. I don't think it's a good idea to go back out there again tonight."
"What the fuck are you suggesting?"
"I'm just saying that you should stay the night."
"Oh." Karkat looked down at his feet.
"Do you want me to show you the bathroom?" There's a pause before Karkat nods and makes a grunting noise that might have been an agreement. Gently as he can, since the troll seems very on edge, Dave takes him by the arm and leads him over to the bathroom. And he pushes the door open and the troll inside. It's hard to read the expression on Karkat's face underneath all the damp hair but he thinks he might be confused.
"This is what we call a a bathroom."
"I know what an ablutions block is, you ass." Still, Karkat doesn't show any sign of moving from just beyond the doorway. He's just standing in front of Dave, staring blankly ahead and shaking. Eventually, Dave lets out a sigh and takes pity on him, turning on the hot water and letting it to begin to fill the bathtub. Karkat blinks at him.
"Haven't you seen a bathtub before?"
"Ablution trap." Karkat corrects, "Yes. Just not one with water."
"Can you take your own clothes off?" The troll shifts from foot to foot, "C'mon, Karkat, don't make me take them off for you."
"You know that you don't have to do any of this." Karkat says, surprisingly quietly.
"What d'you mean?"
"I can just go home and take care of-"
"Bullshit." When the troll stays firmly where he is, Dave carefully hooks his fingers around the bottom of Karkat's sweater and begins to pull it off over his head. It insists on sticking to his grey skin, no longer sopping wet but just horribly damp. Karkat makes a small noise of protest but doesn't attempt to push him away.
"Karkat-" The first thing Dave notices is that trolls bruise red instead of purple and black, but maybe that's just because of Karkat's blood colour. The second thing he notices is that Karkat's torso is splattered with bruises of varying size and shades of red. The troll looks away, hanging his head in shame. There's a long scratch on his neck.
"Karkat, what are these?"
"Don't look at them."
"What, did you fall down a flight of stairs or something?"
"It keeps happening." Karkat quips, quoting one of those old shitty comics that Dave used to draw, but his laugh sounds almost bitter. He turns away from Dave, turning his scarred back to him, and resumes peeling his clothes off himself. Still curious but understanding that Karkat doesn't want to be stared at, Dave puts himself to work checking the temperature of the bath and filling it with bubbles just for Karkat. Kid looks like he could use a bubble bath.
"Dave?"
"Yeah?"
"You know, your brother?"
"Yeah?"
"When you were a kid, was it true that he hit you?"
"What? No."
"Everybody said he did." Finally, the bath has filled a substantial amount and Dave turns the water off, "Don't look at me." Dave averts his eyes as the troll climbs into the bath and is practically enveloped by the bubbles. He didn't take Karkat's height into account and the water is almost up to his eyes when he sits hunched over like that.
"You can look now." And look, Dave does. Carefully, he looks the troll over and takes in the usual dark shadows under his eyes that look darker than ever and the bruises across his collarbone and the overall bedraggled look of him. He doesn't look like the Karkat that Dave used to know. He looks tireder, less angry. He doesn't protest when Dave kneels beside the bath so that he's level with him.
"Dave."
"Yes, Karkat?"
"Are you sure you don't want me to go home?"
"I'm sure. Do you need help washing yourself?"
"No, I can do that shit by myself."
"Do you wanna talk about them?"
"About who?" Automatically, Karkat tenses, every single muscle in his body seeming to freeze up. It's strange to watch, like seeing an animal trying to seem threatening to protect itself. He narrows his eyes at Dave, looking at him suspiciously, like he's trying to read into his words. Dave suddenly becomes aware that he never put his shades back on and Karkat is probably staring at his eyes.
"I meant, about how you got those bruises."
"Fucking stairs."
"Vantas, you are not the kind of person to fall headfirst down a flight of stairs for no reason whatsoever. So, how about you tell me what's wrong and I'll help you out?" Dave is growing increasingly concerned about Karkat and what's going on with him. People don't just get bruises like that for no reason. Thinking back to his time with Bro and the bruises he got then, Dave starts to feel sick.
Like he'd said, Bro had never actually hit him whilst he was growing up. He didn't believe in that kind of discipline (or any kind of discipline actually). There had just been a few too many strifes on the roof, a few too many creepy toys lying around, and a few too many times that Dave had been tripped up. He knew the kind of bruises Karkat had and they didn't come from good things.
"Help me?"
"That's what bros do, isn't it?"
"Bros?" Karkat looks bewildered at the word, like he doesn't understand it. It takes a moment of thinking but Dave watches as the confusion visibly vanishes and the troll almost smiles at him.
"Best bros. Put it there." He held out his fist and Karkat bumped it, still with a ghost of a grin on his face, "Now, you gotta tell me what's going on."
There's a long moment of silence and Karkat's voice shakes when he speaks. "It's Gamzee."
"That little shit, I'm going to kill him." Dave stands up, cracking his knuckles. He can remember that juggalo well enough; he was pretty much always high on that weird sopor and on Faygo, because when he wasn't, he flipped his shit. Gamzee in a bad mood wasn't something anybody should have to deal with and everybody treaded pretty lightly when he was around.
"No!" Karkat grabs him by the arm and yanks him back down, "Dave, you can't go near him!"
"What?"
"I don't want you to get hurt!"
"Karkat, is he hurting you?"
"He's meant to be my matesprit!" Karkat howls, bursting abruptly into tears. This was not what Dave was expecting and he panics, unsure of how he's meant to deal with a sobbing troll in his bathtub. Thinking desperately, he remembers that weird thing trolls do to calm each other down and puts a hand to Karkat's cheek. And he paps him gently, shooshing. He must have done something wrong because Karkat just cries harder.
"Shooshhh.... Shoooshhh..." It takes a while but the sudden fit of tears subsides, Karkat going limp against his hand and making a gentle noise that almost resembles a purr. Dave resides to beat the juggalo's ass the next time he sees him and paps Karkat gently one last time. Then, he tries to withdraw his hand. Karkat grabs hold of it and won't let him. His grip is tight.
"You're not a total ass, Dave." Karkat sniffles, "Sometimes, you're really great. But you act like everything is some big joke and it's not."
"Yeah, I know. However, you act like everything is one big disaster. And it's not."
"It is. Everything's gone fucking wrong. I'm a terrible matepsprit."
"Karkat, no."
"If I was better, he wouldn't... You know."
"It's not your fault that Makara's got something wrong with his head. You're a good guy, Karkat. It's not your fault." That makes Karkat smile a little and he lets go of Dave's hand, just long enough for Dave to stand and turn on the shower so he can wash Karkat properly. The troll hisses at him but lets him rinse his hair. It leaves him looking even soggier than before.
"Dave?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you like me?"
"What?" That takes Dave back and he wonders if he's been sending all the wrong signals by doing all this, by looking after him. Surely, surely, Karkat knows that Dave would never like him like that. As he's thinking, Dave rubs shampoo into his friend's hair, being careful to avoid his horns.
"Well, you shooshed me so I just thought..." Karkat tilts his head so that he can rub his horns against Dave's hands gently, making a soft noise of happiness. Dave raises his eyebrows but finishes with the shampoo and smiles at him as he starts to rinse his hair for him again. Karkat smiles back at him.
"I don't like you, Karkat. I don't like anyone. I'm ace, remember?"
"I know." Karkat says, in a "well duh" kind of way, "I didn't mean in the flushed way."
"What did you mean?"
"I mean, are you pale for me?"
"Pale?" Dave thought over what little he knew of quadrants, "Is that the platonic one?"
"Obviously."
"Maybe, then. Nothing wrong with a little platonic affection. Especially between bros." A small smile makes an appearance on Karkat's face, as Dave finishes washing his hair and helps him out of the bath. He carefully wraps the small troll in the fluffiest towel he owns and then, slides his arms around him so he can hug him. Karkat is more than happy to hug him back, pushing his face into Dave's shoulder.
"Thank you for looking after me."
"It's nothing, Karkat."
"You know you can't keep me here forever?"
"Well, maybe not forever. But we've got tonight at least, right?"
"Right."
"Karkat?"
"Mhm?"
"I swear if he lays another finger on you, I'll kick his ass."
"Thanks, Dave."
"It's what bros do."