Chapter Text
It was rainy and cold outside, the muffled sound of droplets falling on the ceiling was harmonious. Inside the shared apartment two best bros sitting on the living room couch watched a movie. Thick gray curtains adorned the walls, Karkat hated the sunlight during daytime so Dave complied to his needs and put them up. They were roommates after all. It was a “chill movie night with your best friend” type of date and there was just nothing that could ruin this amazing cozy atmosphere.
Or so it seemed. Until a beep sound came from back in the kitchen. The popcorn was ready.
“ARE YOU GOING TO GET THE POPCORN OR WHAT?”
Karkat was the first to break the silence between them and the chill atmosphere popped. His voice louder than anticipated made Dave abruptly alert on the peace just lost.
“Wh- the thing just beeped like a second ago bro” he thought exasperated, but his lips remained pursed for a second, his iconic shades glued to the TV.
“Yeah I’ll grab em.” Dave jumped out of the couch without making eye contact, walking to the back and into the kitchen to reach for the big bag of popcorn in the microwave.
The thing was hot, like steaming hot. And Dave was too absent-minded to care on how to handle the package carefully. So while opening the bag his fingers touched the hottest side, his grip lost as well as the popcorn, now scattered on the kitchen floor.
“Fuck.” Dave muttered quietly, his expression just barely a frown.
He bent down onto the floor and suddenly froze mid action.
Why was your first thought to get on your knees on the floor and pick up all the popcorn like a fucking pigeon? No. This wasn't okay, Dave Strider wasn't a bird. Thoughts of Davesprite popped into your head, now that was an actual bird dude. A crow actually. You liked crows. You wonder where Davesprite could be. Oh yeah he's probably dead. It's been a long time since you saw him after winning The Game, so he's pretty much lost in paradox space... or dead. Dead Dave. Wow. You have seen a few of those, well maybe a couple more than a few. It was actually a pile, a pile of dead Daves. The pile of Dave corpses kept growing in front of you... and as a 14 year old boy that shit was not okay to live through and-
“-ELLOOO. I'M TALKING TO YOU DAVE. EARTH C TO DAVE PLEASE ANSWER I'M BEGGING YOU. WHY ARE YOU AND THE POPCORN ON THE FLOOR? ARE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME KIND OF STUPID INGESTION PARADE WHERE THE SHITGRINNING HUMANS EAT FROM THE GROUND LIKE THE MISERABLE MOOBEASTS THEY ARE? OR ARE YOU JUST FUCKING AROUND TO PISS ME OFF?“
Karkat was suddenly in the kitchen across the dining bar, his elbows on the table propping up his chin and looking down with a frowned expression. His eyes fixed on Dave who was picking himself up with an almost empty popcorn bag in hand. Both avoided actual eye contact.
“I fell.” Dave muttered rising up, he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Karkat walking in.
“WHAT? HOW?” Karkat shrugged incredulously, his expression was a little annoyed but a notorious patience that he didn't usually have for others was palpable.
“Ok, you trapped me.” Dave threw the popcorn bag in the trash and walked to the fridge with a poker face and both hands raised in the air like being catched in a robbery of food. “I have a secret that I haven't told you about: every tuesday night I transform into an idiot werewolf minus the werewolf, and I hunt for our groceries whenever you're on the couch” Karkat’s frown grew deeper in annoyance as he rolled his eyes while Dave took a Fanta out the fridge.
“You just walked into one of my favorite classic idiot routines where I pretend I don't know how to walk. But I'm back to just being regular me and I want to finish watching The Mask if we could just go back to the couch.“ Dave's free hand still raised and pointed towards the living room.
A pause happened while Karkat stayed seated and followed the trail of Dave leaving the kitchen with his gaze. He knew something was up. Karkat hesitated for a second but before he could stop himself “WAIT-” he snapped.
“What dude I thought you wanted to watch Jim Carrey slowly descend into madness." Dave replied a little exasperated with an upward twitch of his pressed lips, his body already on the verge of entering the dark living room and the blue light of the TV making the contour of his face glow while looking back at Karkat.
“I FEEL LIKE THE ONE DESCENDING INTO MADNESS IS YOU STRIDER.” Karkat finally made eye contact with Dave, big crimson pupils glinting with preoccupation. Karkat Vantas didn't say the exact words but his eyes were telling, at this moment he was being serious and was concerned about his best friend, he understood when Dave was just bullshitting him, being funny or having an anxious episode. And tonight it seemed to be the latter.
A sigh left Dave's nose, raising his hand to hold his shades in place by the bridge. It looked like the Strider facade was slowly falling apart. “Can we not? I don't want to ruin movie night by making it 'The Dave Strider venting hour' I've already put you through this for months. I-”
“I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK YOU'VE PUT ME THROUGH STUPID. WE SHARE THIS FUCKING HIVE AND YOU DO SHIT FOR ME ALL THE TIME. YOU COOK DINNER SOMETIMES AND ARRANGE THE STUFF IN THE ABLUTION ROOM. YOU LISTEN TO ME RANT ABOUT THAT FUCKING RYAN GOSLING MOVIE FOR DAYS AND YOU JUST NOD TO ALL MY BULLSHIT LIKE A FUCKING GOOD FRIEND THAT YOU ARE. THE LEAST I COULD DO IS BE HERE FOR YOU TOO SHITHEAD.”
The words just kept flowing out of Karkat's fangs-filled mouth. Dave’s eyebrows raised by the sudden sincere mouthful delivered to his brain mailbox.
You knew Karkat well, but you were still stunned at how easy it seemed for him to be upfront when shit really needed to be handled. Even if he had to curse at you in his way.
You had the opposite problem, you always wanted to avoid the rising issue, mask all the way through it and just be cool about it.
Tonight’s seemingly normal events ripped a band-aid off. A very loose band-aid that was covering your emotional baggage.
But you weren't about to start spewing your childhood trauma at Karkat on movie night, so you just answered back “Yeah man, you're the best.” And kept walking into the living room, settling your ass on the couch and slumped with your beverage in hand looking defeated.
You knew you had the opportunity to be sincere with Karkat and you slammed that door back shut, that band-aid now taped back up with force hurting yourself and Karkat in the process. You felt like a dumbass. You're a dick Dave Strider. You behave like you're always fine and cool but you're not. You didn't have to look back to know that you fucked up again. A low and tired growl was emitted from the kitchen while you pressed play on the scene where Jim Carrey escaped jail by letting his dog Milo do all the hard work. You didn't want to use this bond between you and Karkat (that it was so hard to grow in the first place) to help you escape the confines of your own dumb childhood traumas. It wasn't his fault nor obligation. You felt like it might be time to pay another visit to your bro and hope Jake isn't around this time.
You take another sip of your Fanta. Movie night silence resumed shortly after as Karkat sat down way further from you on the floor next to the TV.