"Dave? Dave can you hear me? Dave, it's me Karkat. Over."

"Answer me! I know you're just sitting there in your respiteblock. You're listening to everything I say aren't you? This is most likely the shittiest prank you've ever attempted to pull. I thought John was supposed to be the juvenile one."

"I know you're there. I know you're just ignoring me. Answer me Dave!! Please. Just answer me. I need to know you're there, if you are then I have some small sliver of hope! Just...give me a sign...anything...please...I love you."

Dave's heart was breaking. The communicator was fixed and honestly, he didn't know if this was the best or worst decision he's ever made.

"Dave? Dave fuck I feel so goddamn pathetic saying this but I am terrified. I have no clue where I am. Can you even hear me at all?? Does this piece of shit communicator even work anymore??"

"Dave? I know you aren't there. I just like pretending you are. Maybe you're just asleep and then when you wake up you're going to have that shit eating grin plastered on your face as you message me back with that cliche-ass "did ya miss me?" line. Not that I don't like your overused romantic lines or that I don't miss you. ...I miss you a lot. But if you tell anyone I said that I'll...do nothing and probably just cry. Fuck, fuck this. I want to go home."

"Dave? Dave i'm way in over my goddamn head here. I'm just a weak low blood but for some reason or another they think I'm som kind of heroic troll. Like that one fictional human with all those amazing abilities. Superman? They think I'm superman or some inane shit like that. I'm so frustrated."

"There was so much blood today, well there's always a lot of blood but today...I don't know. I nearly passed out. The smell and the colors. It's all over me. But you know...thinking back to the first time I've had to do this...it's easier. And I'm scared of it being easier Dave. I don't want to be like this."

"I had a dream...you would never do that to me right? Dave. Dave answer me! You'd never kill me right? It was just that bastard clown making me see things. Fuck. Fuck Dave ANSWER ME. TELL ME YOU BASTARD."

"You're disgusting. You're a filthy murderer. ...No. No, no wait. No you're not! Fuck. My thinkpan is so messed up. I can't remember...how you were. All the thoughts of you are...horrible. Just tell me you aren't that monster I'm forced to think of. Dave, please."

He was crying again. Dave didn't know how else to react. It hurt him hearing these messages but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to stop listening. He was hearing the exact words Karkat was saying while he was slowly losing the already weak grip he had on himself. He supposed he should've expected this, Karkat did say that he attempted to contact him everyday. And he should've expected something remotely heartbreaking. It was his own fault for choosing to listen to the messages right away. Oh well, Dave was now trying his very best to stop the flow of tears. What's done is done.

The albino sniffled and set the little communicator to the side. Hearing Karkat's desperate and terrified voice made this all so much more real. It made him being gone for six years and finally coming back seem like something more than just a shitty nightmare. Karkat had legitimately been gone and flung into some other universe. He had actually been branded and had the shit kicked out of him. He actually had children and he actually had to kill off his own quadrantmates. Karkat had to go through all that while the hardest thing Dave has been through was simply losing him.

He was way in over his head here.

~

"Are you ready to run? I've been waiting patiently for this." Karkat shot up, his eyes scanning the room desperately. "Are you ready to run?" Where was he? God, he couldn't see him. The troll slowly slid off the bed, and kept himself in a crouching position. He couldn't find the source of the voice and he couldn't find his sickle. "I've been waiting patiently for this." Goddamn it. The sickle was in the living room. Why did he let himself get convinced by Dave to leave his weapon out there? Karkat's heart was beating fast, he needed those sickles. He needed that one weapon. One more quick scan of the dark room and he raced into the living room, however he skidded to a halt upon seeing a certain albino who has been haunting him recently."Hello, Karkat." Dave smiled sweetly. Karkat tensed up and took a step back.

"Go away." The troll whispered, trying to sound as confident as possible but utterly failing. "I know you aren't real..." Dave's evil duplicate chuckled, momentarily flashing two large fangs, and shook his head.

"What makes you say that, darling?" Dave's voice was sickeningly sweet, a shiver ran up Karkat's spine upon hearing it. "I can safely assure you that I am one hundred and twenty percent real."

"Humans don't have fangs." Karkat's voice shook as the doppelgänger strode closer to him. A pale hand gently forced Karkat's chin up so he could properly look Dave in the eyes. He wasn't wearing shades so the bright red iris's were as striking as ever. "Dave doesn't talk like that either..." Karkat's breath caught as the imitation Knight of Time leaned in close, to point where their noses were touching. This Strider was so...enticing. It was difficult for Karkat to look away from this bold eyes. The troll; however; gulped and glanced down and noticed small, yet still noticeable patches of grey skin littering the skin exposed skin. "And...humans don't have any grey skin whatsoever." Another chuckle Dave pulled back, much to Karkat's dismay.

"Okay, you caught me. So I ain't the real Dave Strider. But I'm close enough aren't I? If not than I'm definitely better." Dave moved his hands to his pockets and Karkat flinched. Fuck he wished he had his sickle right now, everything would be so much simpler with his weapon in hand. "Calm down darling," Dave murmured in that horrifyingly comforting voice, "I'm not going to hurt you." He stepped forward again, resting a hand on Karkat's waist.

"How do I know that? Every time you show your ugly face I end up getting gutted." Dave smiled warmly and held his hands up defensively. Karkat blinked and it was like Dave's entire appearance changed in the half second his eyes were closed. The already red godtier gab of his had nearly unnoticeable stains of red on the brighter parts, on the darker parts however it was prominent. There was bright red blood dripping down the pale white sword he was loosely holding along with some blood dripping down his chin. It was a disgusting sight.

"'Ugly face?' I'm offended sweetheart. You and I both know that this face is far from ugly." Dave chuckled and Karkat glared at him. "But trust me this time, I ain't going to hurt a single hair on your head. I'm only here to help you." Karkat raised an eyebrow.

"Help me? Help me with what?"

"With me of course. Well not me me but the me that's currently sleeping soundly in just a mere five feet away from you." Duplicate Dave took one giant step to the side to as if dramatically revealing the real Dave Strider who was in fact sleeping soundly on the couch. "You know how I am, Peacekeeper."

"How you are is completely different than how Dave- the real Dave!- is. He's...he won't do anything. I don't need any help from you."

"Are you sure? I, well more we can be unpredictable." The bloodied albino knelt besides his sleeping counterpart. "Our minds change at the drop of a hat. One second," Dave disappeared for a moment then reappeared in front of Karkat, his hands gently holding the troll's, "we may want to help you and take care of you." Dave smiled warmly and pressed a gentle kiss to the troll's hands. "We may want to be with you and hold you every second of every day and never let you go. But the next second," in one quick motion Dave was holding Karkat from behind, the edge of his blood covered sword pressed against Karkat's neck, "we may want to find the best way possible to get rid of you. After all, who would want a filthy murderer in their home?" The sword disappeared and Karkat let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Dave isn't like you. This Dave is not going to hurt me. I've already decided that he isn't going to have to die, not by my hands at least. He..he hates fighting and blood and..he wouldn't do that."

"Six years can change a person, Peacekeeper. You should know, just look at yourself. Six years ago you were a small and innocent troll who just wanted to be a good leader and wanted to help his matesprit overcome his deepest darkest fears. Now...well now you're a cold blooded murderer." Dave shrugged and patted shoulder's with fake sympathy. "You can kill any one you want and you wouldn't even feel the slightest hint of remorse. Now ask yourself, will a scared and confused teenage boy who was forced to watch copies of himself die and given the power and responsibility of a God, would he not change for the worse over six years?"

Karkat gulped and glanced over at the sleeping human. This Dave... he had a point. Dave was able to change so easily once, from his stoic and obviously fake self to a now more confident and open one. If Dave could change that...then maybe he changed even more. Maybe the power of being a God went to his head. Maybe now he kills for sport since he knows he can get away with it.

"I can see the gears turning in your head, Peacekeeper. You're mulling it over but you and I both know that I'm right. But maybe you need some...extra motivation." The imitation Strider winked and before Karkat knew it Dave's slender hands were gently roaming down Karkat's body. Karkat blushed and gulped again. He could kill him right now, he could attack this fake Dave right now and be done with this. However his mind couldn't exactly get Karkat to hurt Dave right now, it was too focused on how the doppelgänger's lips were still gently touching the back of his neck and how gently his arms were around him and how soothing his voice was. Fuck. This wasn't how an evil clone was supposed to act.

"Come on Peacekeeper, you and I both know that you want to. You want to finally be free, wanna get rid of that stupid- yet devilishly handsome- grin as he slices you open. You want to live without the fear of him coming after you." Dave was speaking so low it gave him goosebumps. "I wouldn't be here, trying to convince you to do what was right if it wasn't right at all. I am a part of your mind and your mind knows right from wrong better than anyone else's. I'm only looking out for your best interest." Karkat hesitantly opened his mouth to speak, secretly not wanting to ruin this moment, but Dave smiled warmly and pressed a finger against Karkat's lips just as he was about to talk. "I know what you're about to say sweetheart: I was right and you should've never doubted me. Well, I forgive you." Karkat tried to speak again but was cut off. "Shh, darling don't talk. And better yet, don't think anymore. Just do it. Do what you know is right. Your weapon is right here..." He stepped to the side, uncovering the sickle that was behind him.

Karkat was shaking. He knew he shouldn't be listening to him, he knew this was not the right thing to do. Even with knowing that this was wrong Karkat couldn't stop himself from stepping over and gingerly picking up the sickle.

"That's right Peacekeeper." Another shiver ran up Karkat's spine as that sultry voice was heard behind him. He was talking again in that voice that made everything seem okay. That soothing tone not seeming all that bad now. A pale hand gently turned Karkat's head and the two of them looked one another in the eyes again. Dave's lips were practically touching Karkat's own and it killed the troll that there was the smallest space between the two of them and keeping their lips from meeting. "You know this is the right thing to do don't you? I'm only here to help you darling." Karkat nodded slowly and turned away from Dave to look down at the actual Dave. "It'll be quick...well probably not. You'll get caught up in it and you'll be hacking away at him long after he dies. But it'll be fun, freeing. You'll finally get rid of one thing that's a threat to you." Karkat nodded again, tears forming in his eyes. "No, darling don't cry." Dave caressed the troll's cheek. "Don't think about it, he won't feel anything, I promise." Karkat lifted the sickle ever so slightly. His hand was shaking more. "Go on, you can do this." Dave purred in his ear. Another nod and he raised the sickle even more. The tears wouldn't stop flowing but he was determined to ignore them. It would be quick. It would be painless. Everything would be okay, he could do this.

"I..." Karkat's lips quivered and he shook his head, the tears now flowing uncontrollably. "I can't do this!" Karkat screamed out and dropped to his knees, letting the sickle fall to the ground in the process. Dave jumped away, his heart racing a million miles an hour. Seeing the sobbing troll next to him he immediately sat up and pulled him into his arms.

Karkat was gripped Dave tightly, burying his face in the human's shoulders. The albino was mumbling calming phrases to relax the sobbing troll, his voice was soothing and nearly identical to duplicate Dave's. So much so that Karkat looked up in a panic, expecting to see the doppelgänger himself there but when he did look up he was gone.