There were four popular ways to pass the time on asteroid nine and all of them had to to with the letter F. Okay, so for the purposes of that analogy "EAT SHITTY MICROWAVEABLE EARTH PASTRIES" had turned into "FOOD" and "ARGUE ENDLESSLY ABOUT STUPID POINTLESS NOOKSUCKING BULLSHIT" had turned to "FIGHT" and "CONTINUE TO LEAD YOUR PEOPLE ON A IN A POINTLESS AND HEART-WRENCHINGLY FUTILE ATTEMPT TO FIND MEANING IN A UNIVERSE THAT NO LONGER REQUIRED THEM" was best summarized as "FAIL". It seemed to be the only one of those things that Karkat was even close to being good at. Really, the only thing he had ever been good at.

But at this moment it wasn't any of those F things that had the Knight of Blood shaking in his foot protection devices. No, this was the most troublesome of the F's. The most feared of F's. It was ironic that he felt so strongly about this, considering how often the word itself passed his lips.

"K4RK4T WH3R3 4R3 YOU?" In fact as high tones of his matesprite's voice echoed down the hallway outside he couldn't help but mutter it under his breath.

"FUCK." He tried to scramble farther out of sight, a sort of useless vestigal instinct for dealing with pretty much anyone who wasn't Terezi. It didn't matter because the door to his bedroom was locked. And that locked door didn't help the fact that the very sound of her voice made him want to give himself up.

"K4RK4T" He could hear her sniffing the air outside, "I KNOW TH4T YOUR3 1N TH3R3." He opened his mouth to reply but found himself being unable to. What was he even supposed to say!? And what kind of fucked up situation was he in that he had face all this pressure to preform.

"K4RK4T."

"..."

"YOU KNOW TH3RE R34LLY 1SNT 4NY PR3SSUR3. "

"..." Had she just read his exact thoughts? That was impossible, though her deduction was always this uncanny.

"I C4N T4K3 C4R3 OF 3V3RYTH1NG." there was a slight creek as she leaned against his door, a sultry sort of whisper creeping into her voice,

"1TLL B3 FUN."

Oh gog, not this again. Now he couldn't help but consider it, the idea of letting her in, just standing there while she did whatever she wanted. He didn't hate the idea of her there in his room, slipping out of her t-shirt and undergarments, being close enough to touch and kiss and squeeze. Her warm tongue working all over his body. It was great but-

What if someone walked in on them!? Sure he had a lock on his door but since when was that enough? And then there was the mess, he wasn't some kind of desperate loser like Eridan, he didn't wishfully keep 500 buckets around just in case. He actually didn't even know where one would get a bucket...

Well, they didn't have to go all the way right? They could just play around, do some alternate stuff-but what if she did want to go all the way like she had brought her own or something? Then what? Well he'd have to try but he'd probably be so hilariously inept that the mood would be totally ruined and then after laughing loudly at his failure and then telling the entire asteroid she would run off to someone who wasn't a damaged, gutless excuse for a matesprite... like Dave. Yes, she was definable going to run off with Dave, in the process being the other woman and totally utterly destroying all of Jade Harley's chances at happiness causing her to go insane and decide to shrink everyone down to the size of ants and crush them to gushy oblivion. No one would be spared. It would be horrible and it would be entirely his fault. Because he was horrible, especially when it came to being a lover.

"K444RK4T..." she was calling softly now, her voice slightly sing-song, "PL34S3 L3T M3 1N." Augh, this was not going to work. Her expectations were obviously too high and there was obviously nothing he could even begin to do to meet them. No, this would have to happen some other night.

"ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. JUST GO HOME TEREZI."

"GO HOM3? BUT YOU TOLD M3 TO COM3 H3R3." She sounded indignant, which she had every right to. He was indeed the one that had invited her. But that didn't change the facts.

"I CHANGED MY MIND OKAY!"

"..." Now it was her turn to fall silent. Or maybe she had already left. Karkat wished that he didn't feel like he was about to burst into tears, it was probably much better this way, it was at least safer. Even still, he hid his face in his hands. Listening for the fading sound of her footsteps. But there was nothing, no movement, just silence and then one long sniffing noise. The first was followed by another, that idiot, what was the point of getting a better image of his door? Though something was different, the cadence was off, it was like the intake of breath had no purpose, just an echo of something else. With one more sob he realized with horror what he was listening to, what he had done once again.

"FUCK TERZI ARE YOU CRYING?"

"NO" bitterness had drifted into her voice, "WHY WOULD 1 B3 CRY1NG? 1TS NOT L1K3 1M ST4ND1NG H3R3 1N TH3 H4LL L1K3 SOM3 K1ND OF D3SP3R4T3 LOS3R." her voice cracked and there was no mistaking the tears that were surely falling down her cheeks, "1TS NOT L1K3 3VERYON3 1S GO1NG TO NOT1C3 TH4T YOU W4NT NOTH1NG TO DO W1TH M3" she spoke faster with every word, each idea driving a splintered steak deeper into his heart. "1TS NOT L1K3 IM NOT SOM3 K1ND OF L4UGH1NGSTOCK 4LR34DY."

He couldn't move, he wanted to comfort her, but it all made sense, of course anyone associated with him would be a laughingstock. He would be laughing at himself if he wasn't so damn miserable already.

"...4M 1 TH4T R3PULS1VE?"

What? Why would she even think something like that? She was the most beautiful thing in this whole place, wasn't it obvious that that was the reason he couldn't handle it?

There was along moment of silence while Karkat struggled to make sense of the situation. Somethign cold and heavy fell to the pit of his stomach as heard the sound of her footsteps. She was leaving, fast and something in him knew that if he didn't catch her now he would never see her again.

Karkat had never moved so fast in his entire life, the door swung open as he caught her by the wrist. She resisted for a moment but these days he was so much stronger than her. Soon he was holding her from behind, his face nestled in her soft hair.

"WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SAY THAT." he lowered his voice, scared, ashamed, but fully convinced of a wrong that needed to be corrected.

"DON'T EVERY SAY SOMETHING SO FUCKED UP AND UNTRUE EVER AGAIN." Warm drops landed on his forearms where they wrapped around her shouders, gog, words couldn't begin to describe how much of a stupid fucker he was for making her cry again. She didn't deserve this, the one who was always propping him up, the one who continued to remind him why he wanted to keep on living.

"BUT WH4T 3LS3 4M 1-"

"YOU'RE PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL AND WHEN I LOOK AT YOU I CANT EVEN BREAHTE. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT IM JUST..." He didn't even want to say it...

"YOUR3 JUST?"

"YOU JUST..." he struggled with the words, "YOU SHOULD BE WITH SOMEONE BETTER." As he spoke his grip around her shoulders loosened and he took a step back.

Time stopped for a moment as he watched her back. His feelings dueling with one another, of course he couldn't stand to see her with anyone else, but deeply, completely he knew that was the better path.

"R34LLY," she wasn't walking away but she also wasn't turning back, "YOU 4R3 ST1LL GO1NG TO TRY 4ND L13 TO M3 L1KE TH4T?"

"I'M NOT LYING, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL!"

"K4RK4T YOU DONT 3VEN W4NT TO TOUCH M3!" she turned to face him, big, teal tears running down her cheeks.

At that moment his body was moving on it's own, maybe something on a subconscious level trying to salvage the chaotic clusterfuck that were his conscious thoughts. Try to act on some kind of reasonable desire.

He really grabbed her this time, roughly wiping her tears, dotting her forehead and eyelids and collarbone with kisses. He was picking her up, carrying her over the threshold and closing the door behind them.

"TEREZI, THE ONLY THING I EVER THINK ABOUT IS TOUCHING YOU."

((AAAAAAnnnnnnd Scene! Sorry! I always stop before it gets to the good part, but of course there will be another chapter! and errrr um despite my name I feel like I have a bad read on KK and TZ I would love pointers if anyone wanted to give them :3

Edit- OMG so many typos! sry guys they are fixed now))