thearena | now we're torn, torn, torn apart

Who| Karkat and Cuthbert (Closed)
What| Finding Signless and Nepeta's bodies
Where| Dessert Arena
When| Late in the day on the first day of the Arena
Warnings/Notes| Language, reference to dead stuff

Somehow they'd ended up running it the exact opposite direction that Signless had. At least, that was what Karkat had figured, because it was taking way too long to get back to him and Nepeta. They'd passed any number of corpses on their way, many of which seemed to have died with hardly a mark on them. The Initiate was one of those, although not the Helmsman. Karkat wasn't sure how the Helmsman had died but there was mustard yellow blood everywhere. It had drawn the dokibeasts, who were feeding on the ancient psionic.

Karkat had insisted they find Terezi and Redglare again. He'd kissed them both once they had, though he knew it was probably too late to do any good and who even knew if Sgrub rules worked here in Panem? He wondered what Cuthbert must think of him.

And now, now they'd found Signless, finally, and Nepeta. Or rather, their corpses.

They'd failed. Utterly and completely.

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Cuthbert didn't worry too much watching Karkat kiss the corpses, it was a sweet if (to him) meaningless gesture. And while he had a few theories about what happened to them, it wasn't really a good time to give them to Karkat, who had every reason to be upset just now. Compared to his last time in the arena, Cuthbert is a bit surprised they're leaving the corpses out like this instead of collecting them.

"We've seen more corpses than heard canon shots. Still, whatever did this wanted us to have a quick time this round. You and I are still standing, and we will see the others when we return."

He doesn't want to impede on Karkat's mourning, but he doesn't want him to give up on the game either. Cuthbert still wants to win, for whatever it's worth, and he's not ready to let his friend do something stupid out of grief.

It's a good thing Cuthbert isn't worrying about corpse-kissing, because Karkat's going to do it a couple more times before sitting back on his haunches and scrubbing his face with his arms. Red tears stain his cheeks.

"Yeah," he says miserably. "I know. I fucking know, okay? I know how death here works and it's fucking stupid. I know. Fuck."

He fiddles with the ring Signless gave him. "This is my fault, isn't it?"

Bert sets a hand on Karkat's shoulder, squeezing gently.

”I don't mean to make light of this. If it were my dinh lying here I would be just as upset. And I am disappointed we could not get to him fast enough, but I will be in worse shape to see thee dead.”

But that last part is hard to hear and Cuthbert sits down next to his partner so he can pull him into a proper hug.

”No. If anyone is at fault it would be me. You lost an eye and the others their lives. I could not protect any of thee. I am sorry.”

"But I was their leader," Karkat protests, his voice choked with tears. "I got Terezi and Nepeta through fucking Sgrub--why couldn't I get them through this alive?" He struggles a little against the hug, then quiets because what's the use? What's the fucking use? "We hadn't made up--Terezi and I--from that stupid fight. I thought there'd be time to. She's fucking good at this, never mind the blindness. She's culled more trolls than I have. She's fucking crazy but she's smart and she's dangerous and fuck it, I hate the idea that she died still furious at me, okay? I fucking hate it." He makes a pitiful little sob of a sound. "She's really important to me."

"I know, Karkat, I know." Bert has no idea what to do with this, he doesn't usually play the role of consolation and this is a lot to deal with. He does remember seeing Signless patting Karkat lightly before, so he tries that. It's just to the back of his head, but it's something. He's trying.

"Terezi is a good troll, she will understand. And when we all meet up again back in the city you can apologize to her properly. Flowers and sweets and whatever girls of your species like. She will still forgive thee, I know it."

"Stop that," says Karkat, but there's no real venom in his voice. "I just... I'd hoped the first time I'd kissed her wouldn't be her fucking corpse."

Just in case you hadn't figured out what a huge fucking crush he has on her, Cuthbert.

"And Signless... I need him. Who's going to keep me in line? Who's going to hold me back? Fuck." He buries his face in the other boy's neck. "What the fuck are we going to do now, Bert?"

If it wasn't obvious before, it's obvious now. There's a little bit of Cuthbert that's jealous, but he knows it's not a slight against him.

"She won't be able to deny how you feel now. Not when she sees the replay. Then you'll get your chance to do it properly."

He tilts Karkat's head up so he can look him in the eyes. There's a spark there that is probably a little bit on the scary size.

"Who says you need to hold back? We have nothing left to lose but each other, and I'm going to stay by your side until we two have to flip a coin to see who kills the other to win."

"You'll let me do it," Karkat says, staring back at Cuthbert's two eyes with his lone one. "You like these games far too much, Bert."

The spark in Cuthbert's eyes is echoed in his. After all, what do they have to lose? Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. All or nearly all their friends are already lying dead in this trickster hellhole and not just trolls either: they passed R's corpse on the way here too.

"Should we go hunting first," he asks, "or trapping?"

"'Tis their fault for rewarding me for killing." It just makes his normal tendencies that much worse.

He grins dangerously and sits close, no longer caring that his skirts are riding up (how do women deal with that anyway?) and generally invading Karkat's space.

"Hunting. We don't have the makings of a proper trap just yet. But if we're lucky and diligent we will."

Cuthbert never would have guessed just how much fun he could have planning deaths. At least these he wouldn't have to answer for, not the way he would back home. And just as he's starting to get a little too wrapped up in his head a new package arrives with a rope inside.

Right now Karkat doesn't care if Cuthbert's invading his space. He's alive. At least he's alive, even if the others aren't. He's alive and they are going to cut a bloody swath through this arena and if they can't get the people who are responsible for this, at least they'll get someone.

Cuthbert shuts up, sometimes, when he's thinking things over. It's not a bad way to get him to shut up, though Karkat can think of better.

He leans forward, kisses Cuthbert briefly, less angrily than before or anyway, with less anger directed at Cuthbert. He's blurring quadrants terribly, not even proper flipping, and he can't find in himself to care anymore. All the care drained out of him when they found Signless and Nepeta dead.

Edited 2013-06-29 06:09 (UTC)

This time Bert is expecting more anger, or at least more heat, but this is a good alternative. A slow burn, and definitely not a kiss meant to earn them something. This is his and Bert is going to take every second of it.

Only the sound of obnoxious singing in the background could ruin this moment. Which just makes him jerk back into reality.

"Ready to go on the hunt, my one eyed grasshopper?"

Karkat doesn't smile at Cuthbert. He doesn't smile much in general. But he bares his fangs at him and even though they're much blunter than Terezi's, they're still visibly fangs.

"Ready and willing."

now we're torn, torn, torn apart

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