Karkat ==> Chapter 21

                                    

                                          
"Happy seven year anniversary, Karkles," Dave drawls from his side of the bed, his iron grip around your midsection tightening almost defensively. You can't help but giggle as you cozy up at his side, the sheets hanging loosely over your body.The two of you have spent all day in your room, watching movies and screwing around to celebrate while the kids are still at school.Dave took the day off so the two of you could have some alone time. You'll admit that it's nice to get to do this again. As you wrap the fluffy red comforter of a cocoon around you, you breathe in his scent and take a moment to reflect on what he's said. Seven years. What an incredible feat. It's a miracle you managed to make it a month, let alone seven years. Where did the time go?
Well, shortly after your marriage, the two of you finished school. Kanaya opened up a boutique and you started working at a hair saloon nearby. Eventually, once the owner had gotten too old, you decided to buy it off of her. Dave got a job as a paleontologist and makes some pretty good money. 
In fact, the two of you had saved up for about four years before you finally decided to adopt. You'd adopted a tall, lanky boy named Daniel, who is now a sophomore in high school, and his sister, small, shy, 13-year-old Annabelle. They're great kids and they love you both as if you were their birth parents. They excel in school and don't give you any grief. They're respectful and love your dysfunctional family as much as the two of you do.
Speaking of the devils, you can hear them drop their bags on the kitchen floor right now. They stomp up the stairs, taking them two at a time and causing a huge racket. You groan inwardly, knowing fully well that you're the one who's going to end up picking their belongings up. Dave knows this too, and he laughs at your expense. You're thankful that you made Dave shower with you and dress before getting back into bed because the first thing that the kids do is throw open the door to your room and waltz in. There in the doorway stand your prized possessions. The apples of your eye. Your gems in the rough. 
Annabelle's long black hair is pulled back into a ponytail, a bobby pin holding her bangs in place. She grins, her red braces glinting in the sun that shines through the window as she leaps into bed with you, hugging you both in greeting. As you return the gesture, a part of you silently thanks god that she isn't a fashionista. As a matter of fact, she seems to prefer her brother's hand-me-downs, which is perfectly fine with you. Mama doesn't need no drama queen. 
Once she lets go and scrambles out of bed, Daniel takes his turn in fist bumping with Dave -- a rather odd tradition they've become accustomed to -- and kissing your temple. By now, he's packed on a little more muscle and is sinewy rather than scrawny. His bangs hang over his eyes and he insists on letting the dark locks grow further. You let him do as he pleases, though you often chime in and offer to trim it up yourself. Unlike his father, Daniel tends to stray down the "emo loner" route rather than the "coolkid" route. You respect him for that. Mama doesn't need no fuck boy, either.
"So," Daniel begins as he looks the two of you over. "Am I to assume you enjoyed your day off?" He smirks, and you know exactly what he's implying. Your face glows a bright red as you attempt to defend yourself, but Dave simply laughs it off and nods. "I figured. I don't think either of you have left this room all day."
Annabelle's nose scrunches in disgust. "Gross! I don't want to hear about that!"
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Ann. No one said anything bad," Daniel teases, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 
She groans and shoves him. "Don't play dumb! Everyone knows what you're talking about!"
Dave sniggers and nudges you, wiggling his eyebrows. You, in turn, respond by elbowing him in the ribs. He yelps, giggling as he rubs his wound. "No need to get violent, sugar. It was just a joke."
You roll your eyes and cross your arms. "Yeah, uh huh. I'm sure."
As you move to stand, Dave pouts and grabs your arm. "Don't leave me by myself."
Shooting him an unamused look, you remove his hand and reply, "The kids need fed. We've been in bed long enough. It's time to be an adult."
Dave whines like a child, causing Daniel to snort as he places a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll make dinner."
You frown, cautiously sitting again. "Are you sure?"
He nods. "Absolutely. Ann and I can handle ourselves for one night. You two relax and I'll fix you plates after we eat and bring them up to you, okay?"
Annabelle gasps and grins, chiming in happily, "And I'll clean up and do the dishes afterwards!"
"You two really don't have to-" you begin, but Daniel cuts you off by assuring you, "Don't worry, Mom. It'd be our pleasure." They each kiss your cheek, Daniel patting your shoulder as he smiles softly. "Love you."
You blink in shock, watching as they leave the room. Once they're gone, you glance back at Dave, tears swimming in your eyes. "Did he just call me 'Mom'?"
Dave chuckles lightly and pulls you into his arms. "He calls you 'Mom' every once in a while. They're still getting used to it."
You wipe your eyes as you lay back down under the blankets with him. "I know, but it still just... I can't believe I'm actually a mom..."
His fingers run through your hair as he muses, "You're an incredible mother and an even better soulmate."
You bite your lip to hide the grin of sheer, unadulterated happiness and kiss your husband lovingly. "I have you to thank for it." Your voice then lowers to a whisper as you say, "I love you, Dave."
He practically purrs with content as he kisses back with equal passion, a bright smile gracing his lips. "I love you, too, Karkat."
















                          
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And that's it! Yay! I finished another book finally! I'm sorry it took so long. I really hope you all enjoyed this. It was one of my favorites. We're one step closer to the new books, so that's cool! There will be plenty more content coming out very soon so stay tuned for that. Otherwise that's all for now! I love you all so much! The end!
                          
~L3X1B1RD~