Sheltering Home: Strawberry Surprise Part 3

Sheltering Home (Karkat X Reader)
Strawberry Surprise
Part 3

“Come on Karkat, you’re getting a bath, whether you like it or not!” you yelled. It had been four days since you had acquired the red grub, and you were still fighting with him. At the moment, he had sought shelter under your bed, and you were getting tired of trying to get him out. You had given him a semi-bath before when he had spilt milk all over himself, and he hadn’t cared much for the water at all.

However, he had once again gotten into a mess, this time the mess being paint, a wet cloth wasn’t going to be enough. Finally getting fed up with the game of cat and mouse, you quickly snatched up Karkat, surprising the little guy and making him shriek at you. He tried to bite you a few times, but you had learned how to hold him to prevent that already.

You carried the squirming grub to the bathroom and locked the door before filling the tub. Karkat shrieked at you and scuttled around the room while you checked the temperature. Once you were satisfied with the depth and warmth of the water, you picked up Karkat and plopped him in. He continued shrieking and squirming in the water, but you ignored him. He wasn’t going to drown or anything.

You quickly washed off his body before shampooing his hair. As your fingers stroked his head, he began to purr, despite his attempts to suppress it. You smiled at him and gently massaged the shampoo and conditioner into his hair. You had just rinsed him off and wrapped him in a towel when the phone rang.

You glanced at Karkat sorrowfully. It was probably Beth calling to offer to take him, at least for Christmas. You carried your bundled grub to the phone and hesitantly answered. “Hello?”

“Oh {Name}, I’m terribly sorry, but I won’t be able to make it home for Christmas. The hospital I’m volunteering in is full and they need all the help they can get. You understand, right?” your mother asked you.

Your heart sank, but you did your best to sound cheerful. After all, your mother was taking care of the less fortunate, right? “I’ll be fine mom. Do your best!” you cheered her before hanging up. Karkat gave you a quizzical look, but you just smiled. You still had dad to look foreword to, right?

You took Karkat back to your room and sat him in his bed. You had removed the lid from the picnic basket Karkat had come in and turned it into his bed. It was pretty comfortable, and he seemed to like it, so hey.

You were about to begin reading a book when your cell rang. You groaned a bit, but answered all the same. “Yes?”

“Sweetheart, I’m terribly sorry, but I’m currently stuck in England. There’s a blizzard raging right now, and the planes are all grounded and the taxis aren’t running. I’m awfully sorry, but there’s nothing I can do!” your dad told you.

Your heart broke. You’d be spending Christmas alone. That’s what you had feared would happen. “H-hey, it happens, you know? Just skype me, ok?” you said cheerily.

Your dad eagerly agreed and, after a few more apologies, hung up. With him off the phone, you began to sob. You stumbled to your bed and hugged your pillow. You hadn’t seen your parents for three weeks, and you probably wouldn’t see them for another three, since they weren’t obligated to return home for New Year’s or anything. You were left alone again!

You heard Karkat scuttle around, but you didn’t look up. The door was closed; he couldn’t get in too much trouble. To your surprise, Karkat actually climbed up your nightstand and onto your bed. He hesitantly approached you, as if he wasn’t sure of what he was doing.

You held out your arms to him, and he scuttled into your embrace, a worried expression on his face. You cuddled the grub to you and continued sobbing.

“Guess Beth won’t have to babysit you, since mom and dad aren’t gonna be home for a while.” You whispered. Karkat looked at you and for the first time you could remember, his face softened. He rubbed his head against your chin and chirped at you. You sniffled a little, but his sweet actions did cheer you up.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you anymore.” You whispered, before kissing the grub’s forehead.  Karkat squeaked, and squirmed out of your grasp.

A flash of light filled the room, temporarily blinding you. You shrieked in surprise. The light died away as quickly as it had appeared, leaving you blinking away the splotchy after images.

You took a shuddering breath and reached for Karkat, only to find your hand come into contact with someone’s shoulder. You immediately freaked out and fell off the bed. You heard your bed creak, and were soon face to face with… someone.

He had the same grey skin and nubby horns as Karkat, and his hair looked pretty similar too. However, he was definitely human shaped. Human shaped and around sixteen. You stared at each other silently for a moment, before you screamed.

He winced a bit and clapped a hand over your mouth. “For fuck’s sake {Name}, be quiet!” he hissed. You began to hyperventilate. What had just happened?

Noticing your panicked expression, the boy sighed. “You don’t need to freak out. It’s me, Karkat.” He said.