Each Touch

Forget it

It's been a week since Winter Break ended and school started back up. People around John didn't speak to him and avoided his presence as often as they could, something about him was different, uncomfortable. No one has seen Dave since that day before break either. He never showed up at school the past week, there wasn't a word from his guardian, no one knew where he lived.

Except John.

What happened the day before break scarred the blackette, he didn't speak about what happened between him and Dave. Karkat tried to pry it out of him, but it was no use. John wasn't going to talk, he didn't want to remember but those blood red eyes didn't seem to want to disappear from his mind. The eyes that he longed to see. The eyes that showed his best friend's true colors. Emotions. Thoughts. The real Dave.

Karkat and John were sitting in the Egbert's living room, the blond insisting that he should come over for a change of scenery. They were alone in the house as Mr. Egbert was out leaving the two vulnerable to conversations they wanted to avoid. Red eyes looked over at the other, looking over him as he thought of how to strike the conversation to get answers. Should he be blunt? Should he gradually move onto that topic? He never was good with these kinds of things.

"Karkat."

The Norwegian looked up at the other with a questioning look, "What?"

"How do you feel about your eyes?" asked John

"...My eyes?"

John looked over at Karkat and nodded, maybe he could understand Dave better if he knew what it was like to have red eyes. Who better than to ask Karkat. He gave a small smile as to not look too suspicious.

"They're my eyes, what am I suppose to feel about them?" questioned Karkat.

"Well...They're red right," said John, "How was it like growing up?"

These questions were oddly personal for John to ask. Karkat sighed but thought back to his childhood; he doesn't remember much if he were to be honest. All memories concerning his childhood was filled with his older brother and dad, there were only a few friends here and there but they were long gone. Though there were a few instances that he could remember of other kids teasing and bullying him.

"It was okay I guess," he said, "I can't remember a lot honestly. I don't even care."

"But you don't wear anything to hide your eyes, I would expect a bit of...Bullying." said John fiddling with his fingers.

"Why are you asking? You've never been interested in my eyes at all."

That's true. Why was John so invested in Dave's eyes when Karkat's eyes are also red, it shouldn't have shaken him so badly like it did. They were just eyes, the color doesn't matter.

"I guess it's just something I've noticed, I never wanted to ask before because I thought I might offend you if I did." said John.

"What's the real reason John?" asked Karkat.

"What?"

"What's the real reason you asked about my eyes? Out of all the sudden questions you could have asked me you chose my eyes. Why?"

This was Karkat's chance to get an answer from John about Dave. Eyes, it had something to do with his red eyes. What did eyes have to do with Dave though? Dave surely wasn't blind, maybe he was colorblind, but why would something like that shake John up so much. It had to be something bigger.

"J-Just curiosity." replied John.

Asking Karkat wasn't much help after all, though he didn't much specify completely so he wouldn't get himself caught. Why is asking for help so hard? 

"Bullshit! Tell me John."

"It's nothing alright." 

"John, tell me." said Karkat calming himself down, "What happened between you and Dave?"

"Just forget it! Forget it alright! Forget I even asked!" exclaimed John, shooting up to run up to his room. 

Alone in the Egbert's living room, Karkat sat staring in the direction John ran off to. He sighed as he sat back against the couch; so much for getting answers from John, though he had a lead. He shot up when he heard the front door open, seeing Mr. Egbert walk in. Karkat had told that John went up to his room because he was feeling tired, he didn't want to leave the house unattended so he waited for him to get home. The blond was thanked for and left, getting his phone out when he reached his bike.

"Kanaya...Where does Dave live?"

Meanwhile back in the Egbert's residence, Mr. Egbert was cleaning up after the two boys. He took care of his son's papers and set them neatly on the table for John to get later. John didn't go up to take a nap, he knew his son well enough to know that John didn't take sudden naps like this; especially when he has friends over. The man went to the kitchen and got on his apron, taking out all of the colored icing and frosting he had in the kitchen. 

It looks like John needed another push in the right direction.

(Sorry for skipping last week. I completely forgot to finish the second half of this chapter and to post. But lucky for all of you I have break Wed-Fri plus the weekend because of Thanksgiving and I'm planning to post all of the chapters during that week and end it there. Hopefully. )