[log] knife dad is knife dead [closed]

[mrcreamsicles]

Characters: Davesprite, Karkat, the Cat, and Alfie
Location: House 77
Date: Night 275
Summary: Four friends meet up to collectively miss their fifth friend.
Warnings: Likely discussion of self-harm and accidental suicide.

77: A two-story A-frame house. The first floor has a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. The second floor has a master bedroom, master bathroom, and balcony. There's some posterboard and dried paint in the right first bedroom, and piles of boxes in the left one. All of the boxes and light furniture has been shoved into a pile. "SHEENA FUJIBAYASHI AND ZELOS WILDER, DAY 65, TRAVELING EAST" has been carved into one of the walls.

Comments

[devoutish]

[When the boys and the Cat arrive in the house, Alfie will already be there. Walking was the last thing he'd wanted to do today, but he'd needed to get away from the house where Royce had died - not just for his own mental and emotional health, but to give Royce's body a chance to disappear and (hopefully) revive. So this morning he'd left, trudged over to one of the houses that was closest by, and parked himself there. He needs food, but he needs a day to rest and sleep even more.

And so when the others walk in, he won't even notice - he'll be fast asleep in one of the downstairs bedrooms, his stuff piled around him in the bed. What could he be doing here, completely alone, without Royce? WHAT A MYSTERY.]

[absentconstellation]

[ The Cat, being the sensitive and caring creature that he is, immediately finds Alfie and gets ready to climb on top of him and go to sleep as well.

Then he realizes that Royce isn't there. He's well aware of their feelings for each other. Whatever the reason for them being apart, Alfie must be unhappy.

He forgoes climbing on top of the man and curls up next to him instead, purring quietly. ]

[devoutish]

[The movement wakes him up, but he doesn't respond at first. After a few minutes he mutters almost too quietly to hear:]

I'm not gonna pet you.

[absentconstellation]

I don't expect you to.

[ This is comfort. Accept it. Though now that Alfie's awake, he purrs a little louder. ]

[devoutish]

Yeah.

[He falls silent again, halfway dropping into sleep.]

[absentconstellation]

[ His purr quiets as he senses Alfie's breathing slowing, but he doesn't stop. It's good for humans. ]

We will be here when you wake.

[ So he doesn't have to worry about being alone. ]

[devoutish]

It's the three of you?

[absentconstellation]

All three of us, yes.

[ He doesn't say 'obviously' because somebody dying was definitely a possibility. ]

[devoutish]

Where are you headed?

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite comes along later, though not terribly much so. He's set his things down and shed his head coverings and the extra layers over his tail sock, and has moved onto exploring when he finds the roof Alfie's in. It startles him first—how long was he there?—but it's obviously him with that beard. The absence of Royce is conspicuous after recent events.]

Alfie?

[devoutish]

Mm.

[He's mostly awake now, at least, and he lazily blinks at Davesprite.]

Yeah?

[mrcreamsicles]

You doing alright?

[That's the easiest in, and he is concerned for Alfie after everything.]

I haven't heard from Royce since the day before yesterday, so I don't know if...

[He trails off. They were all sick, and he knows what happened with Ecks, Watson, and the others they were with.]

[devoutish]

He died, during all of that.

I'm a bit tired.

[mrcreamsicles]

[The floor drops out. He knew it could have happened, he thought about it, but it's another thing to hear it for certain.]

Did—?

[He swallows the words before he can say them. Watson killed people, Ecks killed him in defense. Royce was doing bad enough to begin with, and there's always anomalies, the snow, whatever else. He shakes his head minutely and rephrases.]

What happened?

[devoutish]

I didn't kill him.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Better than he may have thought. He stays right where he is, looking at him, and repeats:]

What happened?

[devoutish]

[He sighs.]

What do you think, Davesprite?

[quadrangle]

[Whatever state he finds Alfie in, awake or asleep, he's going to plop down quietly next to him and say nothing, quietly exuding as hard as he can an aura of "talk to me if you want to."]

[His expression is troubled if not morose as fuck, but knowing how close Royce and Alfie are, he's not about to comment on it. He'll wait.]

[devoutish]

[Alfie's dozing a little, but mostly awake - so when Karkat sits, he's aware of it. He also assumes that Karkat is here to say something.]

Yeah?

i can write i swear

[quadrangle]

[Or Alfie could totally not pick up on his intentions at all, that works too. He sighs.]

Here if you want to talk. [A minuscule shrug.] Or I can go away and do something else if you'd prefer to sleep.

[devoutish]

You don't need to go away.

[He blinks, almost in slow-motion.]

What do you wanna talk about?

[quadrangle]

[Goddammit, Alfie. Karkat shrugs, clearly ill at ease.]

Anything? I mean, Royce is...

[Not there. Gone. He can't think of why they might have separated other than the obvious, but Alfie hasn't exactly said anything outright, at least not to him.]

[devoutish]

He died.

[Alfie closes his eyes.]

His hands, the cuts--

[quadrangle]

[... Oh. So it's even worse than he'd thought.]

[Karkat says nothing in response, instead rubbing discreetly at his eyes. He really, really hopes that Alfie doesn't feel compelled to elaborate; he's already said more than enough.]

[devoutish]

Not your fault.

[He mumbles it, in case he needs to.]