Chapter Text
"We have to call someone! We can't just -- Dave, don't just sit there! Do something!" Rose cried, her voice a shriek.
He tried to reply, but his lips were numb from shock.
Dave sat on the rim of the bathtub with his hand held under the running water, waiting for it to heat up. For all of it's flaws, this house did have a killer bathroom. The tub was round and wide, resembling a small hot tub rather than a standard bathtub. The shower head had excellent water pressure, and standing under its stream made him feel as if he could was away his sins, to reach the worst of him hidden deep and rinse it away.
The only drawback to this bathroom was the large window set into the wall. He wasn't sure why whoever built it had decided to put it there, it seems like such an absurd decision. Maybe they had expected the occupants to want to gaze over the forest as they bathed? Who knows.
Although, if he was being honest, they may have been onto something. He did enjoy filling the tub with water hot enough to scald his pale skin into a bright lobster red while gazing out across the treetops. He liked to imagine that he was with his friends, swimming in a secret lake that only they had discovered.
The way the sunlight danced across the foliage was mesmerizing. The subtle shifting of color as the breeze swept through the leaves and clouds dappling them with shadow fully captivated him. He found himself wishing - not for the first time - that he had been able to bring his camera, or even his art supplies. A sight such as this was far too beautiful to be trusted with memory alone.
If only he could go outside. He ached to feel the sun on his skin, the grass under his bare feet. It seemed unimaginably cruel to dangle the beauty of nature in front of him for the first time in his life just to deny him the chance to experience it.
Well, he had thought wryly, it's what I deserve.
People like him don't deserve to experience joy. Not anymore.
Glancing down at the water, he frowned at the odd pattern forming in the bubbles. It looked strangely uniform, the same shape appearing in different clusters as the water drifted. If he squinted, they looked almost like...eyes. Staring directly at them sent chills shooting up his spine, so he swiped a hand roughly through the water with a splash, disrupting the growing pattern.
The last bubble to disperse lingered for a moment longer than the others, and as the ripples of water tore it apart, it appeared to blink.
Dave scrambled to his feet, staring hard at the water. No more disconcerting shapes appeared in the water, and after a moment he laughed nervously at himself. The isolation was already getting to him, huh? Bro would laugh himself sick if Dave tried to tell him about this.
Climbing into the water, he forced himself to relax. There were several months left on this sentence - no need to get himself worked up so early over nothing.
With the relaxed air of the morning tainted by his paranoia, he washed himself quickly, in a hurry to escape the bathroom. As the water drained, the shape appeared one last time, focusing on him before getting sucked into the depths of the drain. Dave's blood ran cold, and his hands shook before he took a deep breath to steady himself.
"You need to calm the fuck down." he admonished himself, his voice echoing in the empty room. "It's just water, don't be a little bitch about it."
Despite his words, he wasted no time in leaving the bathroom, hurrying down the hall to grab a set of clothes from his suitcase.
Trying to keep himself preoccupied, he took the time to finally unpack his clothes and other belongings.
It looked slightly less foreboding with the familiar touches scattered around, but...this could never be a home to him.
No, this could only ever be a prison.
--
When Friday rolled around, Dave stared at the clock, not even allowing himself to blink as the time drew closer to the time Karkat had specified.
The second it the clock hit 6:30, the phone was in his hands, fingers rapidly dialing the number for the pizza place.
The now familiar voice answered roughly, and Dave couldn’t hold back a grin at the sound.
“Hey hey, long time no speak-“ oh my god “Bet ya missed my sweet dulcet tones—“ shut the fuck up what are you even saying “You’re welcome for that, by the way—“ fuck, he’s never coming over now!
Dave stopped himself and cleared his throat before trying again. “Sorry, I’d like to place an order for a spinach and feta? For delivery. By you, specifically.”
There’s a silence on the other end, long enough for Dave to start shaking in his goddamned boots, but finally loud guffaws break the silence.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Jesus Christ, you’re bizarre.” Karkat said, laughter evident in his voice. “I’ll have it to you in 45, you absolute clown show.”
Dave ended the call with a smile so wide it hurt his cheeks. Suddenly flooded with ecstatic energy, he bit the phone and clenched it hard between his teeth before hurriedly removing it from his mouth and wiped it off on his shirt.
Thank fuck no one saw that. No one can prove it, either. Never happened, nope.
It felt like no time at all until Karkat knocked on his door, pizza in hand and a grin on his lips.
“Hey,” Dave said stupidly, a matching grin spread across his own face.
“Hey,” Karkat answered, then shifted on his feet and glanced inside. “…You gonna let me in, or what?”
“Oh! Yeah, yeah totally. Come on in. Mi casa es su casa, and all.” Dave said, cringing at himself. Something about Karkat seemed to scramble his brains, apparently.
He took the box from Karkat and set it on his counter while Karkat placed the beers in the fridge.
Karkat grabbed a beer and popped it open before passing one to Dave. “So, when did you move here? I’ve never seen you before.”
Dave shrugged. “Only a few days ago. It’s my brothers place, he’s just letting me crash his here for a few months.”
Karkat quirked an eyebrow. “Just a few months? Not planning on sticking around?”
Dave laughed without humor. “Not even a little bit. The second I can leave, I will.”
“Why are you here if you don’t want to be?” Karkat asked, confusion clear in his voice.
Without saying a word, Dave extended his ankle and lifted the hem of his pant leg. “I’m on mandatory vacation.”
Karkats eyebrows raised as he stared at the ankle monitor. “Oh, shit.” He raised his eyes up to Dave’s. “What did you do?”
Dave averted his eyes, taking a long sip to stall. “I…” Instead of answering, he shrugged, keeping his eyes locked on his feet.
Karkat was quiet for a long moment, staring at Dave as he drank his beer. Finally, he shrugged. “Fine. Not my business, I guess. Where are your plates? I’m fucking starving.”
Accepting the change of subject gratefully, Dave grabbed them each plates and a couple of napkins as Karkat carried the pizza box to the living room.
Karkat was surprisingly excellent company. His humor seemed to compliment Dave’s perfectly, each of them riffing off of each other and upping the ante on just who could get the most vulgar.
After several hours, they're both sitting in a comfortable silence. The buzz from the beers has long since faded, and the pizza box sits cold and empty.
“It’s getting late, I’m gonna head home.” Karkat says, getting up from the couch.
“Oh. Already?” Dave asks, trying not to let his disappointment leak into his voice.
Karkat laughs as he gathers his things, patting his pockets to check for his wallet and keys. “It’s two in the morning, you ass. I’m fucking tired.”
Dave walks him to the door. “So, if I were to suddenly get a craving for a spinach and feta again, when would be the best time to order that?” he asks with a smirk.
Turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow, Karkat grins. “Tuesday. Place the order at 2, I’ll have it over by 2:30. Does that work for you?”
Dave snorts. “It’s not like I’ll be anywhere else,” he says, gesturing to his bulky ankle monitor.
Karkat’s quiet for a moment as his smile fades. His eyes flick up to Dave’s and he takes a breath as if he were about to say something before he sighs instead. “Yeah. See you then.”
As Karkat opens the door, Dave’s eyes slide from him to the tree line. It takes a moment to register exactly what he’s seeing, and the moment he does, his blood freezes in his veins. He grabs the back of Karkat’s jacket, hauling him back inside and slamming the door. Ignoring Karkat’s shouts of irritation, Dave whirls and slams his back against the door as if barricading it closed, heart pounding so hard it felt as though it would escape through his throat.
“What the fuck are you doing? Why did you grab me like that?” Karkat growls.
Dave stares at him, shaking. “Did you see that?” he asks breathlessly.
Karkats eyebrows furrow. “See what?”
Making sure the door is locked, Dave grabs Karkats hand and pulls him to the window next to the front door. He kneels, and with a deep breath, pulls the curtain back just enough to peek.
The man is still there, standing motionless at the edge of the forest. His long - too long, why are they so fucking long - limbs dangle limply, the white skin stark against the darkness of the trees.
“Right there! Do you fucking see that?!” Dave hisses, pointing at the man.
Karkat opens the curtains a little wider, trying to peer through the window. “What are you talking about?”
Dave is about to answer when the man’s head snaps to face him. Even from here, he can tell he’s looking directly at him. When he begins to walk towards the house, limbs jerking unnaturally, Dave yanks the curtains closed violently.
He’s breathing hard, heart pounding painfully as Karkat tries to tug the blinds open again.
“Stop, stop!” Dave whispers. “You really didn’t see him?”
Karkat is staring down at him with an unreadable expression. “No. I didn’t see anything.”
Dave crawls on his hands and knees to a different window, one that still faces the same spot but not where the man last saw him. He pulls the curtains open, just enough for a single eye to see out.
It must’ve been enough for the man to see him, though, because the second his eye focuses, the man has already turned to face him, slowly approaching.
No, that’s not a man. That’s definitely not even human.
He yanks the curtains closed again, feeling like he’s about to vomit. “Fuck! Fuck, what the fuck!”
There’s a warm hand on his back as Karkat kneels next to him. “Dave, seriously, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
Dave is trembling, shaking so hard he can hear his teeth rattling. His mind whirls.
“I don’t know! I don’t - you really don’t see him? You’re not fucking with me?” he asks frantically, voice little more than a whine.
Karkat shakes his head without breaking eye contact, the worry shining through. “I didn’t see anything, I swear on my life.” His hand rubs Dave’s back idly as he frowns. “Do you need me to stay here with you? Is there someone we need to call?”
Taking a deep shuddering breath, Dave tries to calm himself. “No, there’s no one to call. But…will you stay? Please?” There’s no way in hell he’s allowing Karkat out there when that fucking thing is still out there. If he has to play the pathetic card to keep him safe, he’ll do it in a heartbeat. He’s got no dignity to speak of anymore, anyway.
“Okay, I will. Don’t worry, I’ll be here.” Karkat murmurs comfortingly despite the look of intense unease on his face. Dave can’t help but feel a spike of pity for him. Poor guy just wanted to hang out, not get dragged into what most definitely appears to be a mental breakdown by essentially a stranger.
It takes a few minutes for Dave to calm down enough to peel himself off of the floor, but when he finally manages it, Karkat takes his hand and helps him upstairs.
They stand awkwardly at his bedside until Dave offers to sleep on the floor. Karkat is being kind enough to stay, he should get the bed.
Karkat just rolls his eyes in response. “Your floor is fucking filthy, just sleep on the bed with me.” As Dave opens his mouth to protest, Karkat claps a hand over his mouth. “Don’t get me wrong here - nothing is happening. Don’t even think about touching me or I’ll kick you straight onto the floor, I swear to god.”
Dave snickers from behind Karkat’s hand but nods. When Karkat pulls his hand away, he grimaces in disgust and wipes it on his shirt. “Way to get spit all over my hand, asshole. Fucking nasty.”
They get changed into pajamas, with Karkat borrowing one of Dave’s favorite oversized tees and crawl into bed.
There’s no light in the room thanks to the curtains being drawn tight, and the night air is still aside from the quiet sounds of their breathing.
Dave breaks the silence first. “Thank you. For staying, I mean.” he whispers.
He can hear the sound of Karkat rolling over the face him. “Don’t worry about it. I couldn’t just leave you like that.”
Dave shakes his head despite knowing that Karkat can’t see it. “No, I mean it. You really didn’t have to. I mean, fuck, you don’t even know me really.”
Karkat is quiet for a long moment before his hand blindly searches for Dave’s. “I did have to. I may not know you, but I know what it looks like when someone is in pain.” He takes a deep breath. “I’ve had to do this for my dad, after what happened to my mom and brother. It’s easier to sleep when you don’t feel like you’re all alone in the world.”
Dave squeezes his hand. “What happened to them?” he asks, afraid to know the answer.
He can feel Karkat shake his head. “I don’t really want to talk about it. It hurts to think about, still.”
Before Dave can respond, Karkat is releasing his hand and rolling onto his back. “Night, Dave.”
“…Goodnight, Karkat.”
It’s surprisingly easy to fall asleep with the body heat of another person next to him, the steady sound of his breath helping to soothe Dave into his dreams.
That night found him dreaming once again. He had been living the same nightmare, night after night, unchanging and merciless.
However, this time, something was different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what had changed - there was still Jade’s sobbing, John’s panicked chatter, his hands clenching and unclenching on the wheel - but the change was there all the same, like a transparent film had been laid over top.
Each night was devastating - a reminder of the worst night of his life and the greatest mistake he had ever made - but for the first time, he also felt afraid. A deep, gut churning fear that had never accompanied his dreams before.
The Dave in the dream looked up.
The man from the woods stood smiling, looking right back.