Beware the AJ

Part Eight

The two were silent for a few minutes, Karkat thinking. Dave worried his bottom lip lightly, unsure of how to break the silence.

"So... Am I getting out of here..?"

"Yeah I just-.. I'm trying to think of some way that would be safe for the both of us."

Dave looked around the small cavity he was sitting in. There wasn't anything he could use (obviously), but he tried wracking his brain anyhow.

"Doesn't one of your mermaid friends know stuff about animal birth or some shit like that?"

"Feferi might, if that's who you're referring to. She used to take care of sea creatures back on Alternia... Yeah, actually, let's go find her."

Karkat carefully got to his feet, the stethoscope hanging around his neck. Dave leaned back against the wall of his gut, bracing himself as Karkat walked. As the troll wandered through the meteor he poked his head into Eridan's room. Fef and Eridan were like two peas in a pod (usually) so wherever he was, there was a good chance she would be there too.

Feferi, Eridan, and Gamzee were sitting in the middle of Eridan's room, playing some sort of card game. Eridan was in the middle of giving Gamzee some sort of lecture about keeping his "sticky sopor stained hands awway from my scarf" when all three of them looked up, Eridan stopping in the middle of his rant to raise an eyebrow at his entrance.

"Kar..? WWhat are you doin here??"

"Oh uh.. I was just looking for Feferi here.. I need some help."

The aforementioned fuchsia blooded sea dweller perked up a bit, her lips stretching into a cheery smile.

"Shore thing, Karkat! What do ya need help with??"

He explained his situation to the three other trolls, all three of them looking back and forth between eachother. Gamzee tilted his head to the side quizzically, looking at Karkat's tummy.

"But Karbro.. Not that I'm doubtin' you or nothing.. How's he still alive an' all, if you swallowed him?"

"It's some stupid troll thing."

He explained with an exasperated sigh.

"I don't want to talk about it.. But.. Fef, do you have any ideas on how to get him out..?"

Feferi tapped her chin, making a small thoughtful humming sound.

"Hmm.. In my opinion, this urchin-t matter could be resolved rather simply!"

She smiled, and got to her feet, extending her hand for Karkat to hand her the stethoscope, which he did. She lifted up his shirt and started sliding the disk over his stomach.

"Dave? Could you speak up for me please?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm here."

He replied.

Feferi nodded, pursing her pink glossy lips.

"You certainly weren't pooling my leg, Karkat..! That's Dave all right..."

"Yeah yeah.. But Feferi, what's your plan?"

She slipped the ear pieces of the stethoscope out of her finned ears and draped the scope around her neck.

"Well, back on Alternia I had to help a young cuttlefish once who'd swallowed one of my rings on accident..! I had to use a sedative to get him to relax enough for me to get it out.. I don't think this should be any different. In our case, however, all we should need is some sopor and some string."

Gamzee sat up a bit straighter.

"I've got a stash of the stuff back in my room if ya need it, Fef.."

"That sounds great. After Gamzee gets the sopor, we can get started."

Karkat pulled his shirt back down, and nodded, swallowing quietly.

"Alright. Sounds good to me."

A few minutes later, after Gamzee had returned with a small jar of glowing green sopor, Feferi had moved Karkat back to his own room, getting him to lay down on his bed. She fashioned a loop into a length of string, explaining that when Karkat swallowed the string Dave could loop the string around his waist and tug twice on the rope when he was ready to get pulled up.

"This should be relatively easy."

She assured Karkat, who'd gotten pretty nervous about the whole thing.

"Should" isn't very reassuring, Fef.."

He muttered, watching as she used a spoon to scoop some of the sopor out of the jar. She passed the glowing green goop to Karkat.

"Oh you worry too much. This will be over in a snap!"

Karkat sighed and placed the spoon into his mouth. He swallowed and laid back on his bed as the sopor started to take effect.  His head started to swim, everything in the room starting to sway a bit. A goofy smile covered his face as all the tension in his body eased away, his eyes half lidded as the sopor started to make him sleepy.

"Woah there Karkat! You can't fall asleep just yet!"

Feferi waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention.

"But I'm tired.."

He drawled back, his words slurring together a little bit.

"Just hold yer seahorses.. You can sleep after all this is over."

She passed him the loop of string, which she'd wet with water so it wouldn't scratch his throat as he swallowed. He sighed in a long-suffering way, and placed the string into his mouth. He swallowed with a bit of difficulty, letting his mouth hang open as a length of the string slipped into his throat while the loop traveled into his gut.

Dave waited patiently for the loop of string to appear at the top of the cavity, and as it did he jumped up and grabbed it, ignoring the small groan that Karkat made as he landed back on the wet flesh. He stepped into the loop and grabbed onto the string, giving it two strong tugs before he was lifted up, and pulled back up into Karkat's esophagus.

The whole thing was uncomfortably tight and slippery, the pressure making it difficult for Dave to breathe correctly, but soon enough a gust of fresh air washed over him as he was lifted free.

He dangled for a few seconds, looking down at Karkat whose eyes were crossed in an attempt to look at him in his half drunken sopor stupor before Feferi gently set him down onto her hand.

"There we go. All safe and sound as promised!"

Dave pulled the string off of himself and pushed his sticky hair out of his eyes. His eyes hurt from all the bright light after being stuck inside his friend for so long.

"I'm glad that's over.."

Dave sighed, a chill making him shiver. He needed to get out of these gross clothes soon.. Feferi noticed his discomfort and pursed her lips, gently cupping her hands around him.

"Do you want to get your-shelf all cleaned up? I can warm up some water for you, if you'd like."

"Yes please.."

He nodded, pulling his cape around himself. Karkat watched this exchange with a bit of a frown. He felt oddly protective of the small knight sitting in Feferi's hands. He shook his head and chalked it up to the sopor in his system, shutting his eyes and letting sleep take over his body.