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Kanaya didn’t ask questions.
So when at 1:25 AM, when she opened her door to a bloodied Karkat sniffling gently, she said little more than “shower,” as she whisked him inside. Karkat tugged off his clothes and stared at himself at the mirror, touching his face lightly with a quavering hand and wide eyes. Kanaya had disappeared when he turned on the water. He stood under it and closed his eyes. It felt so good, so warm. He opened a single eye to see Kanaya standing in the doorway clutching a cup of tea in two hands. She had slipped off her long skirt and shirt, to which she was wearing no bra, and stood before him with a calming neutral-set expression. She set her mug on the granite counter before crawling into the shower behind her friend. She stood close to him underneath the water, and lathered something into his mop of hair. It smelt good, it smelt like her, and her nails gently scratching against Karkat’s scalp felt so good at this moment. Firmly but carefully, she held his head under the shower head and rinsed the shampoo out, and moved to apply a bit of conditioner. Karkat opened his mouth in protest, but she held him close with that kind of affectionate sternness of a mother. He let her smooth the product in, and was once again held under the warm water. She gently checked him for any major injuries, and soon guided him out of the shower and ruffled his hair with a towel.
They sat on the couch in warm pajamas. Kanaya kept sweats around purely for this purpose; this wasn’t the first time a disheveled and in shock Karkat had landed at her doorstep. He gulped down his tea and breathed the familiar scent of tea leaves deeply. He sniffled again, and rubbed his nose on his sleeve. Kanaya didn’t say anything.
“There was a fight,” he murmured finally. They had hardly spoken since he had entered.
Kanaya still stayed silent, staring, but not prying.
“With Gamzee,” Karkat gulped.
This was obvious to Kanaya, but she still did not speak. Not a reprimanding word of warning or chiding would come from her mouth, though it would be an expected reply.
“He-he got scratched pretty bad, but he wouldn’t quit. I tried to stop him but-“
“You tried your best,” Kanaya looked at him. Karkat folded himself into her arms and she held him closely. “You did what you could.”
The boy was clearly shaken. She left the lights low as he crawled into her bed and she followed suit. He was asleep nearly immediately and snored quietly in her arms. Kanaya was sure he’d be at her doorstep again, but she would not be upset to see him. She would never reprimand, or avoid her friend.
Kanaya didn’t ask questions.