Red isn't a Lonely Color (DaveKat)

Mutation

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you shouldn't be allowed to wield a weapon of any kind. You've just sliced your hand open with your sickle and are bleeding profusely onto the floor below you. The cut isn't that deep, but it is long. Rushing to your ablution block, you trip over a small cluster of your clothes that you left on the ground. You stumble then roll into the ablution block. You slam the door and lock it, then proceed to wash your hand free of the blood before you bandage it. You'll need to avoid Terezi for a while.
You hold it under the running water for what seems like ages, but the blood has still stained your hands. How the hell will you get it off now? While most people know what your blood color is now, you are still horribly ashamed of it. You are a mutant, and you don't want to subject everyone else to it. You try scrubbing the blood off, it does little to remove it. You are getting really frustrated, and are starting to feel hot tears welling up in your eyes. Not only did you accidentally slice your hand open but now you were a blubbering idiot as well. And of course your cheeks will be stained red too. Do you ever plan ahead? You are making it so much worse. While you are frantically scrubbing away you hear a knock at the door.
"hey karkat? i heard a loud crash, is everything alright? did you break anything?" Fuck. It's Dave. He's the last person you want to see your blasphemous plasma. He'll mock you to no end. That's just how he is. He's too cool for you, why he's checking on you is beyond you. Why would he even care? He hangs out with you to be 'ironic'. At least you are pretty sure that's the case.
"I'M FUCKING GREAT NOOKSTAIN. YOU KNOW ME, ALWAYS BEING LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS." Will he just leave already?
"okay. see you in a while then?" You can hear him start to leave, but the shuffle of his feet on the carpet stops suddenly. "what the hell? karkat there is blood on the floor. what the fuck happened?" He's back just outside your ablution block, pounding on the door.
"GO AWAY." Great he's seen the stain I left on the rug. The gig is up. But you still don't want to let him see you like this. Not with a tear stained face and blood reddened hands. Oh shit he's trying to unlock the door. "FUCK DAVE! I'M NOT DECENT WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
"karkat. i swear to god if you are trying to kill yourself i will be the one to finish the job. do you hear me? unlock this fucking door right now or i will break it down." Wait. 'Kill myself?' You think, you guess there was a lot of blood. But are you a depressed, angry person? Oh yeah, you guess you are. But you would never end your own pathetic existence. You are going to leave that to someone else. Someone more worthy of killing you.
"JESUS DAVE, I CUT OPEN MY HAND ON MY SICKLE. NO NEED TO DO A ACROBATIC PIROUETTE OFF THE FUCKING HANDLE."
"then what are you doing now?"
"I'M JUST GETTING THE BLOOD OFF. BUT NO MATTER HOW HARD I SCRUB THE FUCKING CHERRY RED GARBAGE WON'T COME OFF." Dave's silence is deafening right now. You could have handled this better. But you are deathly embarrassed about the whole situation. Was he going to tell anyone? What is he doing in your respite block? Well not much you suppose since it doesn't sound like he's moved.
"have you tried hydrogen peroxide?"
"WHAT? ARE YOU MAKIKG FUN OF ME?"
"no you moron. hydrogen peroxide dissolves human blood, it should do the same for yours."
"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU."
"I will be right back. the door had better be unlocked by the time I get back or i won't be helping you."
"FINE, FUCKASS." Why is he helping you? Why are you letting him? He wants to put chemicals on you and dissolve your blood. He could be trying to kill you for all you know. You still unlock the door. You doubt he'll kill you, he isn't into you "that way". The doorknob turns and Dave strides in.
"thanks for letting me in karkles. give me your hand."
"THAT'S A LITTLE FORWARD ISN'T IT DAVE." He rolls his eyes and let's out a groan.
"do you want it off or not?" You reluctantly place your hand on his and he pours a clear substance onto your wounded hand. It stings a little but then it starts to foam.
"FUCK DAVE. WHAT DID YOU DO? AM I DYING?"
"what? no. chill out. we just wipe the excess off and..." Dave takes a paper towel and wipes your hand dry. The cut is still there but the wound is clean and your hand is no longer covered in your own blood.
"WHAT KIND OF FUCKING WITCHCRAFT DID YOU ALCHEMIZE? BETTER CALL GAMZEE AND LET HIM KNOW THAT YOU DISCOVERED A REAL LIFE MIRACLE! MAYBE HE WOULDN'T HATE YOU AS MUCH" You are being a sarcastic asshole, but you actually are completely amazed by this 'hydrogen peroxide' and it's obvious healing properties.
"it's not magic, magic isn't real. it's science."
"FUCK YOU. THERE IS SCIENCE ON ALTERNIA, BUT WE DON'T LEARN ANYTHING USEFUL LIKE THAT! FUCK, THIS SHIT CAN BE USED AS AN ALL PURPOSE CLEANER ON ALTERNIA." You bet you could market this an make a killing in boonbucks. But boonbucks are essentially worthless so it's not really worth the effort.
"i guess so. so why were you flipping a bitch about your blood being everywhere anyway. everyone else flaunts there's like it the shit. what's with you?"
"THERE ARE SOME DELICATE CLASS SYSTEMS IN PLACE IN ALTERNIA THAT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN TO THE LIKES OF YOU."
"i have time. lay it on me." So you did. You explained the caste system to Dave, and how the hierarchy works and functions and what each blood type is expected to do. You don't like giving this speech as much as the quadrants speech, but you guess you are doing a good job. He seemed genuinely interested, which surprised you. Earth obviously is different from Alternia in that respect.
"so what about your bright red? does that but you above or below rust bloods? probably below because of rainbow order right?"
"WHAT? WELL, YEAH I AM BELOW RUST BLOODS."
"what does your caste do? hopefully they don't use sickles" he chuckles a bit as he gestures to your bandaged hand.
"NO BULGELICKER WE DON'T USE SICKLES."
"well? what do you do? everyone else got an explanation." Do you tell him? Would it matter?
"I AM NOT A PART OF THE CASTE SYSTEM. I'M A MUTANT FREAK WHO CAN'T EVEN BE OPPRESSED CORRECTLY. IF ANYONE ON ALTERNIA HAD FOUND OUT I WOULD HAVE BEEN CULLED ON THE SPOT." You feel sick. You can't believe you said all of that. What if he doesn't like you now that he knows you are different? Like even more different than before. You feel the waterworks about to start when Dave paps your head.
"i know what it's like." He slowly takes off his shades and looks you in the eye. Bright red eyes looking into yours, pouring into your soul. His eyes are gorgeous. He put the shades back on and your heart sinks a little. But now you at least know. "humans aren't supposed to have red eyes. only green, brown, hazel and blue. but you can have mutations that change your eye color and most people think it's really cool. like some people get purple eyes isn't that the coolest?" Dave sounds... Excited? Like over joyed to share this information with you. Like he's been preparing this speech forever and just now found an occasion to use it.
"OR YOU GET BEAUTIFUL RED EYES?" His cheeks take on a pink shade, he chuckles and shakes his head a little, you have more questions so you continue.
"SO WAIT, HUMAN'S DON'T THINK MUTATIONS ARE BAD?"
"well some are bad. mutation sounds hella bad, but a ton of them are totally cool, and not in an ironic way. like I bet if we ran tests on your blood we would find out a whole bunch of rad stuff about your genes, in fact your blood is probably a good mutation." Karkat, you are on the verge of tears again. Not on the verge, you are bawling. Dave pats your shoulder, but you pull yourself into his lap and bury your face in his neck and sob. Soon he's holding you closer, and stroking your hair, carefully avoiding your horns.
After a while you simmer down to a whimper. Dave is still holding you close and telling you its all okay. He's a really good hugger.

Your name is Dave Strider and you aren't usually one to show emotion, but as this little troll clings onto you, soaking your shirt in bright red tears, you can't help but well up yourself. Your bro told you for your entire life that you could take the shades off, but you were afraid to. Just like little Karkat is afraid of his own blood. A real knight of blood, huh?
"you know what i think you would like? a biology textbook. let's see if we can get rose to alchemize one." He lifts his head from your chest, and sniffles a little more. You take your sleeve and wipe under his eyes and on his cheeks to clean up his face.
"WHAT DOES BIOLOGY MEAN." That's obvious. Biology is the study of... Shit you know this. You TOOK this class. It's like the first thing you learn. Fuck. Oh wait.
"biology is the study of living things. it is hella important on earth so we know how the world works and how to protect it and shit."
"AND IT TALKS ABOUT MUTATIONS AND 'GENES'?" He is unironically enthused about this, like a totally fucking dweeb. Like you. You like most everything else ironically, but science you love. You like other things unironically, and completely seriously, like rap, and the color red... And Karkat. You don't just pretend to like him, despite what he clearly thinks. You genuinely love- you mean like- enjoy him. Fuck that's embarrassing.
"yeah there are like 2 whole chapters on that. i bet if we got a college level one there would be more." You feel his hands tighten on the collar of your shirt, he is beyond excited. It's really adorable. Okay, time to be completely honest with yourself. You love this idiot. And you would do anything to see him bubbling with excitement like this, smiling, eyes lit up like a fucking Chinese New Year celebration.
"DAVE?"
"yeah?"
"THANK YOU." You brush his hair out of his face then softly kiss his forehead.
"anytime. Let's get me a new shirt and then get your book." You stand still holding him. He wraps his legs around your waist and you shift your hands to under his upper thighs to support his weight. You get about half way to your bedroom when you feel Karkat become slack in your arms. All that crying must have tuckered him out. When you get to your room you lay him on your bed and cover him with a blanket. You again put your lips to his forehead before turning to leave, you had a book to get afterall. Just before you reached the door you hear a small voice, "(flushed for you, fuckass.)" Your cheeks are burning but you manage to keep your cool enough to reply.
"Flushed for you too, Karkat." Then you closed the door and made way to Rose's room. You love science, but you've never been so happy to talk about biology.