[closed]

[sleeplessinalternia]

Who| Karkat and the Signless
What| Karkat gives Signless a tribute token and then bitches to him about Cuthbert.
Where| District 12 suite
When| After this clusterfuck
Warnings/Notes| Language, troll romance

"Signless? Signless, are you there?" Karkat's voice echoes through the District Twelve suite the minute he steps off the elevator. "Guess what? Even if you aren't here I'm staying here until you get the fuck back so you better hurry up with it. I've got shit I need to talk to you about it."

The tiny silver ring feels strangely heavy in his trouser pocket. He'd got it with Cuthbert when they went shopping days ago--had placed an order for it even before that--but he'd felt almost bashful about giving it to Signless. After all, they only got one tribute token to take into the arena. What makes him so sure that the Signless would want to carry one with Karkat's sign on it?

Comments

[69problems]

The Signless is in his own room, but Karkat is loud enough that he hears him loud and clear. He steps out of his room, a little alarmed by the yelling and the frustration in Karkat's voice.

"I'm here. Don't yell, Effie will have your horns. Come in, we'll re-arrange the pile, you can tell me what's wrong."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Effie can bite my shame globes," Karkat says under his breath, but he lets Signless usher him into his room and onto the pile. "It's about Cuthbert," he says. "I got so fucking tired of dealing with his beast shit. So... I kissed him."

[69problems]

He settles down into the pile with a sigh.

"Of course you did. I imagine if you're here it didn't go very well? ... Or maybe very well, I guess, if you want him in a caliginous way."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat nods, leans against Signless. It's just so nice to be able to touch him like this. Touching that has nothing of combat about it. Just pure, simple comfort. "I have no clue, honestly. He can't hate me back, humans don't seem to work that way--or anyway, most of them don't see what hate has to do with mating. And... fuck, this is stupid, but as much as I hate him, I like him too. I want to stay being his friend, even if friendship's a disease, even if it's stupid and settling and dangerous, because at least if we're in a quadrant I won't need to worry that he'll cull me. Although maybe he would anyway, I don't fuck know, humans are weird and for all I know they might not get the taboo against culling quadrant mates. But... he's so hateful sometimes. He was shooting popgrub carapaces at me today and he mocked my horns again and-- and-- ARGH." He flops even more downwards, so that his head is lying on Signless' leg. "He's such a moron," Karkat mutters.

[69problems]

Signless lets a hand settle on Karkat's head, lightly running through his awful messy Vantas hair (just one of the traits they have in common).

"I think you're overthinking it, a little," he says. "I know it's hard, when you first start to really hate someone, to slow down and approach it rationally. But I don't think of caliginous romance as necessarily being something that separates two trolls forever. It's a relationship, and a deeply intimate one emotionally, just in a different way from friendship, maybe. You wouldn't lose him as someone in your life, if it's something you really wanted. And you could always flip for him if it really wasn't working."

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat nods. "He probably doesn't even know he's flirting," he says after a moment. "He freaked out when I hatekissed him." He sighs, leaning into Signless' petting. "I guess we could still be in cahoots or a tet or what-the-fuck-ever even if we are kismeses. Vriska and Eridan were. They hate-dated for like a sweep and they still FLARPed together."

After a moment he says, "Thanks."

[69problems]

"He probably didn't know, no. Humans don't have that kind of flirting, I don't think. That much is clear from their reactions to your explanation. And there's no reason you couldn't still be in cahoots. The Disciple and I spent a lot of time black for each other but that never made living and traveling together an issue."

Sorry, Karkat, you probably didn't want to know that.

"And you're welcome. I'm here to help you." He paps Karkat lightly on the cheek to emphasize his point.

[sleeplessinalternia]

Karkat can't help it. He smiles just a little bit at the pap. "I know. This... this isn't temporary at all, is it? You and me."

He'd thought they would just be a temporary thing, until Signless and the Helmsman got back together. But that wasn't going to happen. And Signless needed someone to take care of him and Karkat... Karkat needed Signless.

He touches the ring in his pocket. "Do you have a token for the arena yet? Like Katniss' mockingjay pin."

[69problems]

He shakes his head. "I don't think it's temporary, no, not anymore. Maybe things that just happen are the things that are supposed to happen. That's serendipity."

He needs someone. He'd go mad if he had to face this place alone, and Karkat is connected to him in a way none of the other trolls are. That really is serendipity.

"And no, I don't. I brought nothing with me and nothing here has seemed like it would be worth taking."

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Yeah," Karkat says. "It really is." He sits up, then takes the ring from his pocket, and places it in the Signless' hand. He had a speech for this planned, but he can't remember a word of it.

The ring, which Karkat had commissioned especially and which had cost most of his cull money, is made out of a wide silver band which splits into two narrower ones, in between which Karkat's symbol lies.

"Here," he says, remember a little of what the speech was about. "It's my symbol. And yours, too, if you want, since you never got one. It's silver, because grey was always my color. I couldn't use my real color because I didn't want to get my ass culled, but I couldn't just pretend I was a maroon either, that felt wrong. So I told everyone that my blood color was a private affair and I didn't want to be judged by it, just by what I did. So they probably thought I was just an embarrassed maroon anyway and fuck, I'm getting completely off-topic. But if you want it, it's yours now."

[69problems]

For a long moment he just looks down at the ring. His expression is some unreadable mix of surprise and delight and something bittersweet. And then he drags Karkat into a tight hug, the ring still clutched in his fist against Karkat's back.

"Thank you," he murmurs. "Thank you, thank you. I'd be honored to wear your sign." He doesn't know why such a simple gesture is making him feel such an upswell of emotion. It's not uncommon at all for moirails to exchange trinkets, to wear each others' colors or signs. Maybe it's because of who Karkat is, because of the strange history they share, because he never had a sign and now the only other troll who'll ever understand what it's like to be like him is offering to share that with him too. He nuzzles a little closer without thinking.

[sleeplessinalternia]

"Our sign," Karkat corrects him. He lets Signless nuzzle. It's nice. "I have no fucking idea where it comes from, I'm warning you. Crabdad just used to bring home sweaters with it sewn in grey. It's not in the sign registry or anything like that, I went and checked once in case it would be so I'd know what I would have been if it weren't for the mutation. But it wasn't there so I guess I'll never know and maybe it doesn't fucking matter." He breathes in the scent of Signless' hair. "All I know is that it's so fucking good to have someone who understands this shit, who understands about Sgrub, everything, fuck. I'm so fucking glad that you're my moirail, Signless."