literature

Worth the Kill?

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His breath came out in ragged gasps. All his muscles burned, his lungs felt like they were on fire. But he didn't dare stop. He didn't dare look back. A shot was fired and it whizzed by his head, inches from his face. There was a pause then another shot, this time he wasn't so lucky he felt pain from the right side of his head, the same ear that was narrowly missed the first time got hit the second. His hand flew up the wound, part of him was relieved it was only a small chunk and not the whole thing. The downside, he was now bleeding his disgusting red blood. He held his hand over his ear and ran on.

"Great, on the one fucking day I forget my damn sickles is the day I get shot at." He cursed in a growling, harsh language.

His pursuers kept after him. They had a large white dog on a chain holding him back, "Grandpa, can't we just let Bec after him? He'd catch him a lot faster than we would."

"Jade, you can't use Bec for everything, remember that."

"I will." The girl lined up another shot and fired. "Hey I think that one grazed him!"

"Good work, stead your aim a bit more and you would have had him." She grinned and ran forward keeping her eyes locked on the figure running ahead.

The boy kept running, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm so fucking screwed." He could hear the humans getting closer, the shots more rapid. He ran forward throwing himself over fallen trees and through bushes. His face was getting cut up by branches and thorns as he moved into a thicker patch of forest. He tried everything to escape, scaling trees, running through streams, but the dog they had with figured it out faster than the humans. There were a few times he was mere feet from his pursuers before he had to run again. Luckily he could sprint faster than humans, and he was thankful for that. He really hoped they wouldn't release the dog on him; he had no clue if he could outrun that. Even now he was struggling to keep his lead. His vision was going blurry and breathing was difficult.

He slipped running up a hill, falling hard, just as a bullet went overhead. He clawed his way up on all fours pushing himself onward until he reached the top. "Fuck." The ground dropped away revealing a rushing river. "Fuck." He repeated. The hunters were getting closer, another round of ammunition was fired, bullets buried themselves in the trees and ground around him. They got closer, he took a step back. "Fuck." He looked down at the river then back at the hunters. They were close enough where he could make out there faces. One was an older human, his hair turning white, the other was young lady, she had large round glasses and long black hair tied up behind her.

The hunters stopped and watched their prey. He was scrawny, and had a black shirt now tattered and stained dark with blood. He bore the astrological sign for Cancer on his chest. Unfortunately his horns, their prize, were small and nubby. "You have nowhere to run, troll, give up!" The girl shouted. "If you hold still I won't miss. It'll be quick and clean." She had no idea if the words even reached the beast. She knew that while trolls looked human, they weren't anything alike.

"Fuck you!" He shouted back. He heard the girl gasp and raise her gun. He looked behind watching a stone fall into the water when he stepped back again. He growled and flattened his ears against this head.

"Take the shot now Jade, before it does something stupid."

"Ok," She looked through her scope focusing on the troll's chest.

The dog was barking madly lunging at the chain it was on. "Take the shot Jade!"

She squeezed the trigger and fired, but it was too late, the troll had jumped. "Fuck," she swore and ran to the edge looking into the water. She couldn't see the troll anymore.

"Jade let's go."

"But we can still find him; he can't be too far downstream-"

"Jade I said let's go. There are plenty more trolls in the forest, we'll find another one. If he didn't drown he'll wash up too close to the main road. Besides, did you see the horns on it? They were pathetic; we wouldn't get much for them anyways."

"I guess." She turned her back and started walking back, "Actually, can I take Bec and just check downstream? It won't take long, I'm just mad I messed up."

Her grandpa sighed and handed her the dog, "Meet back in an hour, I have my phone on. Remember the laws, if he gets to the road you are not allowed to shoot."

"Roger that!" She smiled and ran off.

---

Water rushed around the troll. He struggled to claw his way to the surface for air. Finally he broke free and took in deep breaths before the current pulled him back under. If there was one thing he was proud of, it was the fact that trolls fight and cling to life as hard as they can. His glowing eyes pierced the murky water and he kicked, propelling himself as hard as he could towards the shore. A few times it seemed hopeless, he would slam against a rock and briefly forget to kick and he'd be pulled back. Somehow he managed to break the surface again and he reached out for the ground. His feet touched the bottom and he ran forward, charging through the water to collapse on the shore.

He was panting hard, and coughing up the water that made it into his lungs. He rolled over and stared up at the sun. The troll had no idea how far the water had taken him, hopefully it was far enough away that the hunters had given up.

"I kneeeeeew you hadn't gone far!" He heard the bubbly voice of the girl again.

'Or she could be right there…' "Fuck." He pulled himself up and started running again.

"Is that all you say?" She giggled and picked her way down the cliff side. "Grandpa may not like it when I use Bec, but I think he's a great tool." She unhooked his chain. "Come on boy, let's catch a troll!"

---

"John can you come here for a minute?" A deep voice sounded from the kitchen of a small house.

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

The boy got up and met his dad in the rather large room. He turned around saying, "I'm so proud of you,"

"Heh heh, I know that Dad." John walked closer.

"Today is your eighteenth birthday, and I got you something special." He smiled while handing over a tiny parcel.

John took the small package from the taller man. "Thanks, Dad."

He laughed and patted his son on the head. "You don't even know what's in it yet." He said while turning back to tend to some fresh bread.

The boy opened the gift and stared in stunned silence. Inside was a necklace, on it were three small discs. One was red, the other orange, and the last yellow. "Troll horn?" he looked back up at his dad, "Wow, thanks...you, you didn't have to do that...this must have cost a fortune."

"It was nothing son, everyone deserves to have something nice by their eighteenth birthday. It's a big number, John, and the time where you take your first steps as an adult. Remember, that no matter you do I will always be proud of you."

"I know," he slipped the chain around his neck, admiring the smooth, shiny discs that hung from it. "Now, I know it's your birthday, but could I ask you to make a delivery for me?"

He leaned against the counter, still playing with the small circles, "Yeah, sure of course. Where do I have to go?"

"The next town over, the address is on the box." He heard his son groan.

"Can I take the car?"

"No, walking will do you good." His dad laughed and gestured towards a package on the counter.

He sighed and took the box, "You know this will take all day right?" He complained. "If I drove it would be done in half the time."

"Then you better get moving," his father smiled and went back to work.

He left the small bakery his father ran and breathed in the fresh air. The sun was out, birds were chirping, it was the perfect cliché day. His hand found the new troll horn necklace his dad gave him. They were so pretty polished up like that; the light played off them and danced. He couldn't believe he was lucky enough to get something that cool. He was always jealous of Dave and his Bros; they all had multiple sets of swords with troll horn in the hilt. His other friend Rose sewed hers onto dresses for herself and her girlfriend Kanaya.

The town of Prospit, where he lived wasn't small, but it wasn't large either. The town square was bustling with activity and people. Cars waited by stoplights to move, and the small city trolley climbed up the hill. He wandered by the fountain enjoying the small breeze and water on his face. All around he saw troll horn garments for sale, it didn't surprise him, troll horns were a main staple in the economy of his town. They were gorgeous, and strong and very versatile. A good pair of horns could pay for your rent and living expenses for a month.

Prospit was situated right on the outskirts of a large forest. The forest supported a large population of trolls, so hunters from all over would stay in town while hunting. What was once a small village is now an energetic city filled with restaurants, hotels and shops. There were several roads that passed through the forest, most were for vehicles, but a few were footpaths. John has walked through the woods many times before; he'd never been in any danger.

In fact, trolls never came near the roads anyways; they lived deep in center and kept to themselves. There were a few that lived in his town. John hadn't seen them too many times, but he knew they were there. Humans had been hunting trolls for so many years that it never fazed anyone. Sure there were some that learned to speak human languages and moved to cities, but the numbers were low. Mostly everyone assumed they were humanoid animals that could be domesticated. The wide scale hunting had been going on for so long that it was second nature. After a person leaves for the bigger cities away from the forests where trolls live their knowledge of them drops significantly. There aren't many that know what they are in the bigger cities, word doesn't spread, just the products.

Trolls living with humans didn't have horns. Most cut them off themselves and sold them for money. They could then afford surgery to make them appear more human. It's not necessary but it helps if the trolls blend in. The general public doesn't really care if the trolls are there either, if they're paying rent or holding jobs then they're no different. As long as the troll was hidden and didn't cause trouble it could pass for a human very easily.

It was simple to change their long pointed ears and file down teeth and nails. Trolls would wear contacts for their eyes and get their skin pigments altered. The end result was usually pretty believable; it truly was hard to tell the difference between a human and a troll after surgery. Unfortunately there are also the trolls that reacted badly to the procedure, or had bad doctors. Those poor individuals were left deformed, or in a state that wasn't quite troll, but obviously not human. While that wasn't a common sight in Prospit it was a different story in the capital city of Derse. John never saw many trolls in general, most lived in the forest, and few lived among humans in his town. He always thought it would be interesting to meet one, but his friend Jade tells him that most don't speak and are pretty much beasts.

He came up to the edge of town and followed the smaller footpath to the neighboring town. The path was empty, which John found odd. Usually there were a few people on it at this time of day. He popped in his ear buds and turned on his portable music player. Long walks were always better with music.

It was such a nice day out, he couldn't believe it. The sun filtered through the dense canopy of leaves making fun patterns on the ground. Classical music played in John's ears and his mood was incredibly good. There was a bounce in his step that couldn't be hidden. It wasn't long before he was at the halfway point on the trail. "Maybe I will get home early..."  While he was busy daydreaming a force slammed into his side. Something was lying on top of him and breathing hard. "What the hell?" he sat up and noticed a boy, no a troll boy, was sprawled on top of him. "Oh, uh, hey." The troll still had horns; they were small, really small, and nubby, almost hidden by his thick black hair. He had never spoken to a wild troll before; he hoped he was nice, he'd heard tales of them attacking when threatened. The troll hadn't opened his eyes; he was bleeding in places and breathing hard. "Hey, are you ok?" he gently shook the boy.

His eyes flew open and he snarled.

"Whoa, whoa, it's ok! I'm not going to hurt you!"

The troll stared at him for a brief second then gripped his shoulders. Every single human the troll had ever met had tried to hurt him or kill him, but for some reason, he felt he could trust this one. "Help me." The sound of a dog barking could be heard in the distance. The troll looked behind him then tried to stand, his legs gave out and he fell back to the ground.

"Hey, you don't look so good,"

"Help me!" he pleaded desperately. The shouts and dog came closer, "Please." He was panicking and trying to stand again.

John figured it out, "You're being hunted, aren't you?" The troll nodded and clung to the human. John helped him up and placed him behind a large fallen tree trunk. "Stay here, I'll make sure they don't find you." The poor troll kid was hyperventilating and shaking.

He stood up and walked back to the road trying to figure out where his ear buds and music player went. Thankfully the box containing the customer's order was safe.

"Jooooooohn!" He heard a familiar voice call.

"Jade?" He turned around and saw her running up. Bec leaped on him and he was knocked to the ground a second time that day. "Bec, get off!" He laughed and shoved the large dog away. He wouldn't leave John alone though; he kept pawing at him and sniffing him.

"Bec get off," Jade attached the leash back around his collar. "Jeez, he's acting like you're a troll." She pulled him off and allowed John to get up. "Speaking of trolls, have you seen one?"

"Me? No. Are you hunting?" He feigned excitement. "You know I've never seen a wild troll before?" She nodded but was busy holding Bec back.

"What has gotten into you today?" She tugged and told him sit. "So you haven't seen one? Shit, I lost one earlier today, and I'm looking for it." She clenched her fist, "Damn, we were sooooooo close too!"

"I bet you were! You're such a good hunter! You always bring back awesome trophies!" He watched nervously as Bec kept eyeing and lunging for the trunk where the troll boy was hidden. "You know, I think I heard some movement back there," He pointed behind him. "Like thrashing, was it hurt? That could explain the noise."

"Hmmmm, I didn't think I injured it that badly, it might be running out of energy though. Thanks John! Come on Bec let's go!" She tugged on the dogs leash but he refused to leave. "Bec." She warned. "Bec come." He whined and hesitantly stepped beside Jade. "Good boy, you can play with John later!" He whimpered and followed his master.

John waited until they were out of sight and hearing before running back to the stump where the boy was waiting. "They're gone." He knelt down and spoke quietly to the troll boy. "My name is John, what's yours?" The troll looked back at him glaring. "Oh come on, I can't call you 'you' or 'troll'. You have to have a name."

"Karkat." he replied hesitating a bit.

"Oh cool, Karkat, that's interesting!" Instead of helping Karkat up he sat beside him. "You're lucky you found me." The troll just panted and leaned against the wood.

"Would run. Tired."

John looked over at him, the boy seemed exhausted. "Do you want water?" He nodded and John returned with his water bottle. The troll quickly drained it and leaned back again. "Why are you this close to town? What were you doing?" The troll frowned and his eyebrows came together. "Did you not understand, uh what. Are. You. doing. Out. Here?"

"I know what said." He snapped. "Just find word hard." He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. "Hunters." He finally said. "Karkat run. Hunters follow. That why."

John giggled a bit. "You're not too good at speaking are you?"

"Fuck off." He shot back. John laughed. "I speak good Alternian."

"Alternian? Is that troll language."

"Yes." He paused. "Idiot."

"I can't believe you can talk! This is so cool; I thought trolls didn't know human speech. I thought you guys were like animals or something. Are you a wild troll?" He asked. The boy beside him hesitated before nodding. "Wow, a wild troll..." John stared at Karkat. 'Their skin really is grey! His teeth, those look sharp! And his eyes, wow they're really cool...' The human noticed Karkat's ears pin back. One of them was bleeding. "You're hurt!" He moved to the other side and examined the wound. "Oh man, that's a large gash, I don't think it will grow back, do troll ears grow back?"

"What?"

"Your ear, it's hurt, will it heal?"

"No, just stop bleeding."

John looked back at the troll, he felt like he had to help him. There was something he couldn't explain, it felt like it was the right thing to do. John didn't know why, but he did know that Karkat needed someone he could trust, the troll looked like he'd never known a peaceful moment in his life. "You know what? I think you should come with me."

The troll looked back him, "No." But before he could protest any further he was dragged to his feet. "This bad idea, idiot."

"John," he said again. "My name is John."

"This bad idea idiot John." The troll followed him back to the road.

"No way, I'm sure Dad will have no problem with you staying with us." He picked up the box and started walking forward again. He noticed the troll wasn't following. "Oh come on, you'll be fine." He turned around and walked back. "Do I look like a hunter to you? I'm not going to hurt you."  The sun caught on John's necklace and Karkat's eyes widened. "Oh shit," he took it off and flung into the woods. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you!"

The troll watched the necklace fly into the woods and snarled. "Idiot!" he stalked off into the woods and retrieved the necklace. He put it around John's neck and tied it. "Hunters kill troll for this. No throw away, honor."

"But, doesn't this anger you?"

"Yes," he growled, "But what I do? Nothing."

John nodded sadly and walked forward. "I have an errand to run in the next town over, if you want, you can follow me. When I'm done I can go back home, you are free to come too." He asked, "Unless, do you have somewhere to go to? A home of your own?"

"No home." He walked alongside John, "Follow John idiot."

"You don't have a place to go back to?" The troll shook his head. "So you're all alone. Karkat, that's awful." He put a cautious arm around the troll. Karkat growled but was too tired to do much else. "Then it's decided, you're coming with me!"

"You no want horns right?" He asked one last time.

"No, Karkat, oh god no, I wouldn't kill you for them." He gestured at his necklace, "This was a gift. A present, I don't know if you understand that..."

"I get it."

He sighed, "Good, I was worried you would think I killed for them or something." John continued talking, "I'm not a hunter, I'm a baker's apprentice. Do you know what that is?" The troll shook his head. "They make all sorts of food, like bread, and cakes and stuff. Here, I make this." He opened the box so the troll could see inside. A clawed hand shot towards the fresh rolls inside, "No! Karkat, those aren't for us." He closed the box and shot the troll a look. "I have to deliver these." John had no clue if he understood but the troll crossed his arms and followed him. His stomach growled and the troll blushed red. "Are you hungry?" Karkat shook his head, but his stomach growled a second time. "Heh heh Karkat that's adorable."

"Not adorable."

John laughed and told him, "I'll buy you something to eat in the next town, ok?" He caught Karkat smiling briefly and keep walking. They reached the outskirts of the town and Karkat disappeared from his side, choosing to hide behind a tree. "Karkat?"

"No go in town. Hunters. Kill Karkat."

"Ok, will you wait here for me?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Fuck! Go!" he shouted back and sat down. "I be here. Wait for you."

John smiled and left. This town was smaller than Prospit and the boy had no problem delivering the box of rolls and pastries to their buyer. On his way out he stopped and bought a few meat sticks, he didn't know what trolls ate, so he figured this would be better than nothing.

---

Karkat waited behind the tree for the human to return. "Honestly," he started mumbling in Alternian, "I have no fucking clue why I'm following him. What am I a wiggler? God damn it, he saves me one time and I think I owe him something." He punches the tree behind him, "And fuck me for taking to his kindness, this is sickening. He's probably going to turn me in to some of his fucking hunter buddies. I'm an even bigger idiot than he is!" He slumped to the ground, "But, it's not like I have any other choice. I can go back, and get culled, I can run and get hunted, or I can go with him, and maybe, just maybe I won't get fucked over and killed."

He heard footsteps approaching and started growling.

"Karkat? Karkat is that you?" The troll peered around the tree and found the boy calling his name. "There you are! I'm so glad you're still here! I was getting worried for a second."

"Where go?"

The boy gave an uneasy laugh and sat down next to him. "Here, I bought some meat sticks. Trolls eat meat right? I mean with those teeth you have to." He pulled them out of the bag and handed one over to Karkat. He watched the troll snatch it away and devour it in three bites. "Jeez you must have been hungry."

"Shut up."

He handed another one and it disappeared just as fast. John began to notice that the troll was thin, very thin. Everything about him was small and sharp. The troll reached in the bag and grabbed a third meat stick. John was thankful he bought a bunch, and that he wasn't very hungry. He just watched the troll wolf down food like he hadn't eaten in days, which might have been true. "Slow down Karkat," he laughed, "I'm not going to take it from you."

The troll looked up, then back down at the bag which was mostly empty. "Sorry." He handed a few over to John. "Hungry."

"That's fine, really!" He gave two back, keeping one, "You look like you need it more than I do." Karkat took them back and chomped on one. "But you should eat slower; I don't want to upset your stomach or something."

Karkat raised an eyebrow and continued to devour the rest of the snack. When he was done he grinned a bit. He made a weird chirping sound a few times, turned red and muttered, "Thanks." He chirped again and turned away embarrassed.

"No problem, Karkat. I'm sure my dad will make you something else when we get back." He pulled the troll up and they headed back. "Oh, I got you this too,"

He tossed a hoodie over to Karkat. "What?"

"I figure it'll help hide your horns in town." He explained. "Since we have to walk by other people, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Karkat pulled the hoodie over his head and thanked John again. "Where home?"

"A town called Prospit. It's pretty big too. Lots of people live there. It's really nice; I think you'll like it too." They kept walking, "Karkat, how long do you think you'll be staying?"

"I...don't know."

"Well, you can stay as long as you want, I don't think I'll mind. In fact, it's going to be really neat! Living with a cool troll buddy! I can't wait. We'll be good friends, I know it!" There was only one thing that John was a bit hesitant about. "I'm sure dad will agree too."

"Dad?"

"You know a parent?" Karkat looked at him with a blank stare. "Uh, a guardian, someone who takes care of you."

"Oh, lusus." Karkat seemed to get it now.

"He's really nice, I'm sure he'll like you, especially after I explain your situation." He laughed a bit, "You know, you're not different at all. You're just like me. I always thought trolls were more like animals, but you're smart, and can talk." John paused, "I didn't think about that." He touched the small discs hanging from his neck. "We kill you guys, like deer."

"Yes."

"That's wrong."

"No."

"What? Karkat you have to be joking."

"No joke. Like deer. You right." Karkat said quietly.

John went silent and thought about that. He looked over at the troll, he was walking quietly next to him, his strange grey yellow eyes alert and moving. "But you look human…you look like any of us."

"Trolls not humans. Different. Looks no matter. Hunter and…" He stopped and thought of the word, "prey? Yeah. Humans hunter, trolls prey. Natural."

"And you're ok with this?"

Karkat shook his head, "Natural." He then dropped the subject and fell silent again.

John was thinking through all the final things before they reached the town. 'Karkat needed a place to sleep, good food to eat, he'd need new clothes, and maybe some sunglasses. I'm pretty sure it's not against the law to house a troll, they aren't illegal, just...preyed upon.' The thought made him feel sick again. 'I can't believe we've been hunting them this whole time...Karkat's so clever, it's not right...and maybe it would be nice to teach him to speak better...' he drifted off into thought again.

"Idiot. Dumbass. Idiot John. John." He was suddenly aware of a voice calling him. "Fuckass."

He jolted back into the present. "Karkat, sorry, what is it?"

He pointed, "Town?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's Prospit." He pulled the hood over the trolls head. "Now, stay close to me and try not to gather attention." He could feel the troll cling to him and shake a bit. "Are you scared?"

"No see this many humans before." He told John. "Scared yes."

"Trust me; I won't let anything bad happen to you." He pulled Karkat forward, "I know we just met, and humans have probably done awful things to you, but can you trust me?"

Karkat looked at John steadily, searching his eyes, his face for traces of dishonesty. He found none, just genuine sincerity. "Yes. I trust John."

They moved quickly through the streets, John took as many back ways as he knew. Karkat kept up without any trouble. He ran alongside the boy, one hand firmly placed on the hood. John stopped and motioned for Karkat to follow behind him. "This is my house." He told the troll. They entered through the back, "Dad, I'm back."

"I'm in the kitchen Son," he called back.

"Come on, Karkat, time to meet my dad, I'll do the talking, remember, we have to convince him you're not bad." Karkat was confused, he didn't think he was a threat, he was a small troll, and had embarrassing horns, but he nodded and tried to look even more helpless. "Dad," John started standing in the doorway, Karkat was off to the side in the hall. "You said you'd be proud of me no matter what, right?" His dad nodded, "Well, please don't be mad." He motioned for Karkat to step next to him. "Can he stay with us for a while?"

His dad looked over the new boy standing in his kitchen. "John, is that a troll?"

"Yes."

His dad looked over at the two then focused on his son. "Come with me." John nodded and told Karkat to wait there. "What the hell are you thinking? Is that a wild troll?"

"Yes…" John wanted to be anywhere but where he was at the moment. "But he's really nice, and he needs help." His voice sounded weak.

"Son, you can't be serious. You realize he has claws and teeth and will probably kill you when you're not looking."

"That's not true. I mean, yeah he has claws and fangs and stuff, but he's really weak. Dad he needs help."

He was silent again. "Does he have horns?"

"Yes." John walked back and pulled the hood off revealing Karkat's two tiny horns.

"How did you find him?"

"I saved him, he was being hunted, he asked for help, he's really nice, I swear!"

"Does he have a name?"

"My name Karkat." the troll spoke up.

"He speaks?"

"Not good, but I can talk human." He responded again.

"Dad please, he doesn't have anywhere to go! We can't just leave him!"

His dad walked over and examined Karkat, the boy was definitely in bad shape, cut all over, and he was thin, so thin. "You look the same age as John..." He had always known trolls looked amazingly human, but until he had one standing in his kitchen, next to his own son, did he notice the differences were surprising few. "He can stay. I don't think I could turn down a child asking for help. John show him around, I'll make dinner."

John hugged his dad tightly, "Thanks so much Dad, I promise he won't be much trouble."  He let go and grabbed Karkat, "I'll give you a tour!"

"Tour?"

"Uh, look around?" He grabbed his hand, "Never mind, here I'll show you were you will be sleeping."

Karkat stayed where he was even though John was tugging on his arm. "Thank you." He said softly to the older human. He made sure to not make eye contact and flatten his ears down, "I almost dead. You save life. I no be trouble." He turned around and let John lead him away.

The boy lead Karkat upstairs to the room next door to his, "This is our guest room, but now it will be your room!" he handed Karkat a bunch of blankets and pillows and they threw them on the bed. "You'll sleep here." He motioned for him to follow, "This is my room, it's close by, so if you have any problems, you can come see me." He lead him inside, "I have tons of cool stuff, this is my TV, and this is my computer," He noticed Karkat heading for his bookshelf. "Oh, and those are my books! Do you read?"

Karkat flipped open one and thumbed through it, "Karkat read good. Better Alternian, but human good."

"Oh, that's really cool; you can borrow any you want." He moved back to his TV, "I have videogames too, but I don't know if you know what those are...but that's ok, I can show you after you eat!" he pulled him away from the bookshelf and lead him to the bathroom. "Here, you should get cleaned up, you know how to clean yourself right?"

"Yes nookwhiff, I not stupid like you."

John laughed and set out some of his extra clothes, he was just tad bit taller than Karkat. The human turned on the water for the troll and left the room. "I'll be in my room when you're done."

The troll waved him out. He stepped inside the shower and sighed as warm water washed over him. "Fuuuck this is great." He scrubbed all the dried blood off and watched it run down the drain. He grabbed some of the shampoo; he was able to read "hair" off of the bottle and put some in his hand and rubbed his scalp. "Humans have the best shit, this is amazing." He figured the strong smelling bar next to the shampoo bottle was for his body. He turned off the water, sad for the loss of instant warmth and grabbed a towel, drying himself off. He wiped the mirror down and put on the boys extra clothes. He stared at himself in the mirror. He looked so different. "Fuck, even if just clean up I already look better. Throw some clothes that aren't one step from rags on me and I could almost pass for being a fucking human." He took his wet hair and spiked it a bit, "Damn my horns are so fucking small I can hide them in my hair," He growled, "I even have red blood like them, what the fuck kind of troll am I?" He combed his
hair down again and glanced one more time at his reflection, "Well, at least my skin and eyes will always point to troll, even if my blood and horns fall short." He took one last look at his ear, he had a nice notch missing, but it seemed clean and would heal well. He stepped out and went to find the human.

John was sitting on his bed flipping through channels when he heard the troll enter, "Wow, Karkat! You look soooo much better!" he motioned for the troll to sit next to him, "I bet you feel better too!"

"Yes." They both heard John's dad call them for dinner. "John," the troll grabbed the boy's shirt when he moved to get up. "Uh, thank you," he said awkwardly.

John was caught off guard, the troll didn't call him idiot, or John idiot, or human fuckass, he used his name, and the soft tone of voice made the human smile. "No problem Karkat. You needed help, what kind of person would I be if I didn't help you?"

"Normal kind."

"Oh."

The troll looked up again, "Thank you," he said one last time. The troll found himself being hugged tightly.

"You're welcome, Karkat."
*EDIT* I've been working on changing small things and the dialogue in the first two chapters. Here's chapter one's edits. Chapter two will get edited and posted tomorrow. Then I can finally post chapter three. I'm still not happy with it, so I might change more parts.*

Ok, someone gave me the best prompt ever, and I had to start writing. IT COMMANDED ME TO.

Chapter two will have more background info on the cultures.

THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT NAME SUGGESTIONS!!

Ok, here's some basic notes:

It's an AU. No game.
It will have ALL the characters, including the carapaces, and alpha kids!
It will have a bunch of other pairings.
Karkat's speech will improve. Right now he understands more than he can speak. He also knows more words than he can come up with off the top of his head.
Jade is not the bad guy. *just throwing that out there*

Next Chapter: [link]
© 2012 - 2024 Tien13
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cryanox's avatar
This was the fanfiction that got me into homestuck,,, and fanfiction in general omg