lord have mercy

[sleeplessinalternia]

Who| Karkat and OPEN
What| After nearly half a sweep a year away, Karkat's back in the tribute tower. He's not happy about it.
Where| D1 suite, elsewhere in tribute tower, in the capitol itself
When| Week 6 and beyond
Warnings/Notes| I'll be putting up some prompts in the comments for the three locations, but otherwise feel free to make your own wildcard prompt! JSYK, Karkat has been revived a week or so after he died (roughly concurrent to when Kankri got resurrected from his) and looks roughly a year older than he was last time anybody saw him. As for warnings... there will be language, probably references to Karkat's death and a little bit of Homestuck spoilers.



Familiar overhead block surface.

Karkat blinks his occular orbs in dismay. He-- he fucking knows this place. Memories come flooding back. Panem. He's in fucking Panem. Held captive by the fucking Capitol humans. Here he was, half-a-sweep older, and now, now, he knew what a fucking travesty that really was.

"We made you," he mutters under his breath. "You should be worshipping us, not fucking turning us into reality television."

There's a paper container of mixed goods next to him on the resting platform. Karkat shakes it out onto the thermal retention fabric. A bottle of what proved to be some kind of artificial scent. A hat in the shape of a gelatinous sea creature. Rubber bouncing spheres in the shapes of his, Signless, and Kankri's heads. A pendant with an enameled picture of a hamburger on it. Gummy candies in the shape of hamburgers. A black shirt with the word DEAD written in his own blood color. A toy figure of himself whose head came off when you squeezed it.

Karkat stares down at the assorted goods. "What the fucking fuck?"

Comments

[sleeplessinalternia]

"I didn't mean hating me that way," Karkat says, "but yeah. Okay. Good. I-- don't want to hate you either." He breathes out slowly the breath he didn't know he was holding in. "And-- look, if you ever want to talk about shit we couldn't before--I'm not saying like in a pale way, just like... I don't know, people who're the only people who know about shit way--well, most shit--" Because of course she told the fucking Initiate about that shit, he'd seen the clip where they talked about Vriska, she'd tell him anything and fucking forgive him anything and wow, okay, being away from this place from half-a-sweep might have dulled the pain there a little but not fucking enough.

Come on, Karkat. Concentrate on being a not-shitty friend to Terezi, not on how Terezi's really stupid about which people she trusts. He takes another deep breath. "Look. I know that shit now. I'm probably about even with when you're from. So. You can talk to me about that shit. If you ever need to."

[pythianjudgment]

"Yeah... Maybe." She's still not sure how much she wants to talk to Karkat about all that stuff. It isn't like she can just turn around and start confiding in him just like that. But at least she doesn't have to worry about fucking up the timeline anymore. Probably.

"I didn't really mean hating you in that way either, for the record." She bows her head for a moment, pressing her lips together in a line, and then lifts it up to face him again. "I want to get you home in one piece. That's all that I care about. That you're back on course for the rendezvous, and that you stay there. They're going to need you, when they get to the new universe."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"They're going to need you too," Karkat argues. Dense as he is, he's kind of picked up a little of what she's not saying. "Probably more than me, seeing as you've got useful shit you can do. I mean, what can I do? Fight with sickles. Pap Gamzee and keep him from murdering everyone again. I can't lead like I thought I could, or half of everybody wouldn't be dead."

He touches her shoulder, lightly. "I-- I've fucked up a lot. Both here and there. I don't like to admit it, but it's true. So-- even if you don't think they'll need you--and that asshole Strider will, he's your fucking matesprit, much as it pains me--I'll need you. I fuck up less when I've got you advising me. And-- and because you're my friend."

[pythianjudgment]

"Karkat... The only reason more of us aren't dead is because you got us there. You got everyone through the game in one piece. What happened after wasn't your fault. Not the demon, or Eridan's or Gamzee's actions--despite whatever you might think. They're still responsible for their own actions, not you."

She doesn't mention that he's wrong about them needing her for 'useful shit'. It doesn't need to be said, and she knows he's right about the other point, anyway. She still needs to go back for the sake of the people who miss her. For Dave, if nothing else.

She attempts a bit of a smile, shoving at his face in good humor. "If we find a way to get you home, there's no reason for me not to go, too. Don't be dumb about it."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"I ordered Equius to his death," Karkat says, bluntly. "Maybe the rest of the deaths aren't on my fronds, Terezi, but his is. Don't take that away from me, okay?"

He'd argue that Terezi's way fucking better at the small picture than Rose, but since she isn't arguing out loud neither is he.

And then he has to dodge out of the way, because she's shoving him and she's got a harder shove than he does.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi shoves him back again, harder. He's so frustratingly insistent on blaming himself for things. She doesn't know why he has to add one more thing to it, whether it's true or not.

"Fine. Be responsible for whatever you want to be. It's not like it's a competition."

[sleeplessinalternia]

It is totally a competition.

"Fine. I will."