Red (Davekat)

<We gonna be spicy and switch to Dave>

Karkat had fallen asleep a while ago, his smaller body hidden underneath the covers. I could feel his tiny hips pressing right up against me and his grumpy face was all smushed up against the pillows.

After a while of me watching, I saw his lips part slightly and he let out a soft sigh. His brows furrowed and he seemed to get more stiff in my hold. Honestly, I felt bad. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. It felt like he was starting to get more uncomfortable around me lately. Not to mention more short-fused and overall, he just seemed sad. It made me feel useless. Although, I shouldn't have been thinking those things while he was right there in my arms. We'd be fine.

I let out a shaky breath and ran my fingers through his hair so I could draw him closer. He was so cute. It was such a shame that he never believed me. I knew what it was like to have a less positive self-image, but to be shot down the way he did it hurt really bad. I mean, I was his boyfriend, as weird as that sounded. I was supposed to be there for him if he needed it. I was supposed to give him a shoulder to cry on and be there to help him when things got tough, but if I couldn't even tell him I loved him without him doubting me, what's the point? At that point, I was practically useless.

The thought that I was overreacting crossed my mind, but I'm Dave Strider. I don't overreact. If I was worried about something, there better damn well be a reason. I hadn't realized I was clutching Karkat's hair in a deathgrip until he whimpered pathetically and turned his head, hiding his face in my shoulder. Loosening my hold, I gently played with the unruly black curls that tangled around my fingers in an attempt to distract myself.

Looking down at the shapeless lump that his body made under the blankets, I took a moment to pause and think. Did I make him uncomfortable? I probably did. One problem about being me is that whatever garbage that swirls around in my brain has a tendency to leak out of my mouth. Dammit.

I wiped my hand down my face and let out a frustrated breath. Only then did I feel a movement at my side. Startled, I looked at Karkat who stared up at me with a sleepy, vacant expression.

"what's wrong..?" his brows furrowed and he craned his head back a bit so he could get a good look at me.

I gave him a lighthearted chuckle in response, "Hey, baby. Don't worry about it. Nothing, just go back to bed," I flashed him a tiny smile and he just giggled a little, leaning his head back against my shoulder. A quiet purr was starting to vibrate his body slightly and I had to press up more firmly against him to stop it from feeling weird.

It didn't take him long to fall back asleep, but I wasn't sure if I'd even get a wink. The harder I tried to close my eyes, the harder it became. There was no reason to be worried, so why couldn't I stop? I knew that nothing was wrong, but still, I felt like something was going to go wrong.

My hands wandered further into Karkat's hair and massaged at his scalp until they bumped against one of his horns. Absently, I started rubbing at one, the action starting to calm my nerves down a bit. It wasn't as tedious and tiring as petting him, but it still gave my fingers something to do. Furthermore, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed perfectly happy to be right where he was. Before I knew it, I was sleeping. It was a light, restless sleep, but it was still sleep. Peaceful, undisturbed sleep.

Until the fire started.

It seemed to explode everywhere and engulf my body, but I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. Where's Karkat?? That was the only thing I could think about as my eyes darted around. I couldn't feel anything except for an uncomfortable, dull heat, yet my heart was pounding. I thought for a moment that I was already dead, but that couldn't be possible. I needed to make sure Karkat was okay.