Working All Day

10

"Would you like to accompany me at work today, Karkat?" Kankri asked.

"Do I have any other choice?" Karkat asked.

"Not unless you want to walk home by yourself." Kankri answered with a smile. Karkat sighed and walked with Kankri to his next job which happened to be the Henna station. They walked to the station that Kankri worked at that day. Floyd approached Kankri as Karkat looked though the book of things that he could draw.

"Kankri Vantas." Floyd called as he walked closer.

"Yes, Floyd?" Kankri asked with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Cronus will not stop talking about you!" Floyd laughed.

"I'm sorry, Floyd." Kankri apologized with a small smile.

"Sorry to interrupt this giggle fest, but I want to get this one on my upper arm." Karkat pointed at a pattern. Kankri patted the stool in front of him. Karkat sat down and Kankri began the pattern. About halfway finished, Cronus walked in and spotted Kankri.

"Hey, Cro." Floyd greeted. "What's up?"

"Not much." Cronus answered as he began flipping through the binder of doodles.

"Kankri." Floyd paused until Kankri looked up. "I can take Karkat if you want."

"Are you okay with that, Kar?" Kankri asked as he made eye contact with him.

"I don't fucking care." Karkat barked. Kankri looked back up at Floyd and smiled.

"That would be fantastic." He answered. Karkat hooked his other arm under Floyd's and they walked to another station on the outside of the building.

"Anything you want in particular?" Kankri asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Cronus answered with a relatively confused face. Kankri stood from the chair he sat in and looked at the pattern that Cronus picked out.

"Where?"

"On the back of my hand, I guess." He shrugged.

"Alrighty, then. Just have a seat there, then." Kankri gestured to the stool. Cronus sat on the stool and faced the other chair that Kankri would be sitting in. Kankri sat in the spin chair, popped his foot on the bar on the stool in between Cronus's legs and placed Cronus' hand on his thigh. He began the tattoo and noticed that Cronus was starring.

"What's wrong, Cronus?" Kankri finally asked.

"How can you live with him?"

"With who?" Kankri asked calmly.

"Karkat. He looks and sounds so hateful and angry." Cronus stated.

"Well, he's my brother. I've been dealing with it for at least 14 years." Kankri sighed. "I've gotten used to it, however."