An Unspoken Thing [Davekat]

Coffee

Dave's p.o.v.

"Here, you get the end and I will be up here." Karkat told me as he put a pillow at the foot of his bed.

"Man, I hope you are wearing socks." I joked with him.

He grunted in response and put a cover on the matress. He slipped into the sheets and I did too. We gave each other space under the covers and I faced away from his feet.

For a while, as my eyes stared at the light coming through Karkat's door, I thought about my bro. I told him that I was going over to Rose's house to do homework for the night, and he was very pleased to hear that I was putting some effort to get my grades up. But if my bro found out that I was spending the night at a troll's house, he would interrogate me and beat me up. I can't imagine what else he would do to me. He always told me to not be in a relationship with a troll, I have no idea why he is so worked up about it.

I remember when I came home Friday, I had my backpack on my shoulder and my face wet with sweat from the heat outside. My bro automatically came at me and asked me how my day was. I gave him the usual, "good, got alot done.".

"Hey, bro?" I asked him.

He looked down me, his eyebrows pushed together and his face threatening. "What."

"Can I spend the night at... Uh... Rose's house tomorrow? She wants to help me with my homework." I said cautiously.

He smirked and held onto my shoulder. "Good, good. Yes, you may. You have to be back home by 10 the latest." He instructed me. Whenever he sets a time, I have to make it my priority. My body depends on it so it wouldn't be chopped up deli.

I nodded my head at him and tried to go to my room but he grabbed my wrist. "Not so fast." He told me. I turned around and looked at him. "I checked your lunch account today, for the past week you haven't been eating food at school."

"What." I said dumbly.

His grip pulled me in and he grabbed my waist. "Are you eating."

"What."

"You fucking heard me."

I looked away, my jaw tightening. "Why would you care."

His hand connected with my cheek in an instant, sending sharp pain on my skin. "I don't give a shit if your skin is torn up, I give a shit if you are dead."

That broke my heart. The very thing I've been asuming was true all along. "So thats why."

"Why what."

"That's why you fight me." My blood was starting to boil. "I'm just your punching bag, huh? You can cut me up all you want, but you don't want me to die or else you wont have someone to beat up anymore."

"I can beat anyone up if I wanted to." He looked up and down me. "I just chose you because you are convenient to get to, weak, and..." His grip on me tightened, making me hiss. "Nice to look at."

I scowled at him, my confidence getting more intense. "Fuck. You." I said to him.

He automatically raged, and stepped back. I was confused at first, wondering why he would be so mad and then just back away. But then I found out why when his leg went up and his foot slammed in my stomach, sending air out of me. I choked and he kicked my stomach again. I curled up into a ball and his words kept on spilling into my ear.

I'm not a toy. I'm not a toy. I kept muttering in my head. He threw me around, tore me up in his teeth. My face stayed emotionless. My stomach was locked up, and my head was pounding. My skin ached and my eyes rolled. I was being thrashed around like a chew toy and my eyes stayed sulken, and my face stayed the same.

All that was in my mind was the taste of coffee as he was hitting me. I concentrated on it's bitterness, and the sweet taste of cream being mixed in. I watched the cream spinning around the brown liquid. After I went to my room, I didn't feel any happiness, but I didn't feel sadness or fear either. I felt content in my own numbness.

Now, the smell of Karkat's sheets under my nose and the droning sounds of his fan, water spills out of my eyes. The blanket gets soaked under me and my back shakes but I make no sound.

"Dave." I heard the sheets shift. "Are you shaking? Are you cold?" Karkat bends over and lookes down at me.

I make the mistake of looking up at him, and a tear goes down my cheek passing under my shades. He looked conflicted on how to help me, so he did the quickest thing he can do. He bunched me up in the covers, grabbed my torso, and held me.

My eyes were wide open as the tears kept on pouring out. I soaked his shirt, and his arm stayed wrapped around me.

"Hey Karkat." I mumbled.

He rested his chin on my shoulder. "What is it."

"Do you have coffee." I asked.

He lifted away and nodded. "Would you like some?" I answered his question with a wobbly smile. We made our way down the stairs and to his kitchen. He brewed some coffee and I sat on the counter. Once it was done, he poured me a cup and he poured himself one too.

I needed this. I just needed to replace that memory with a better one. I didn't want coffee to represent something bitter, I wanted it to be sweet too.

My nose started to run a little from crying and I pulled up the hem of my shirt to wipe it. I heard Karkat gasp and I laughed a little. "Haha, sorry. There was no tissue around so-"

"Your stomach..."

Oh fuck. I immediately pulled it back down and took a sip of my coffee. "Huh? What?"

His hand pulled up my shirt again and my heart sped a mile a minute in fear.

Karkat's p.o.v.

His stomach was hard and toned, shadowed with bruises and small circular burns. His skin also had a shit ton of scars on it, and healing scabs.

"Dave..." I said quietly, my eyes fixed on his stomach. "Who is doing this to you?"

"Im bad at riding my bike, I sometimes drop my cig, and I mess up when I cut apples." Dave said cooly.

I glared up at him. "That doesn't work anymore."

He moved his face away from mine. "Not telling."

"Please."

"No."

"Please, Dave, you need help."

"No I fucking don't, leave me alone."

"Yes yoU FUCKING DO."

His hands slammed on the counter and I jumped. "WHO FUCKING CARES! I'M USED TO IT!"

I placed two of my hands on his neck softly and brought his gaze back to me. "You shouldn't be used to it."

He bit his lip and faced down. His shoulders tightened and I wanted to loosen them, his knees shook and I wanted to calm them, his cheeks starting pouring over with tears and I wanted to dry them up.

"Eridan." He mumbled. "And my brother."

My eyes widened.  Eridan? And Dave's sibling too? Shock was tickling the hairs on my arms and I put my hands on his shoudlers.

"Dave."

"What."

"I want to see your eyes." I told him, and rubbed his neck supportingly. "May I see them?"

He faced me and took off his shades, sucking his breath. The moonlight coming from the window reflected off of the red sunset, and his pupil drowned in it like a night sky. Rubies were scattered all around his iris, and the veins of his eye were bright from crying.

"They are..." I breathed. "Beautiful." I finally said and I sat there, dumbfoundingly staring at them in aue.

I haven't noticed that my mouth was hanging open in astonishment until he kissed it.